Disturbing ( but unsurprising) moves from the Chavista regime to ignore it’s defeat in the recent elections and attempt to hobble a branch of government for the sake of the ‘revolution’.
More often than not in the struggle for democracy its been the u.s.a helping stand in the way ………backing genocide and death squads.
“declassified documents[5] indicate that the United States “provided economic, technical and military aid to the army soon after the killings started. It continued to do so long after it was clear a ‘widespread slaughter’ was taking place in Northern Sumatra and other places, and in the expectation that US assistance would contribute to this end.
The repercussions of the u.s.a supported murderous overthrow of Indonesia’s democratic government are still going on and countries like east timor also paid a terrible price.”
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach $US16 a barrel.
The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.
“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.
Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.
“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.
Mr Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10pc to 20pc, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.’
Trade Minister Todd McClay will promote New Zealand’s case to host a proposed secretariat for the Trans-Pacific Partnership when trade ministers from 12 Asia Pacific nations are expected to gather in Auckland to sign the deal next month.
McClay confirmed to the Herald that there are some considerable “sensitivities” around the secretariat proposal. The proposal is expected to be one of the topics for discussion at a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial meeting before the formal signing of the ground-breaking regional agreement, which covers some of the world’s most robust economies and 40 per cent of global GDP…………..
Reliable sources have confirmed to the Herald that February 4 emerged as the preferred signing date after Prime Minister John Key offered New Zealand as the host while he was at the Apec leaders meeting in the Philippines.
McClay expects to be able to confirm a signing date “in the next week or so” after it is clear all 12 nations will be in a position to proceed.’
Would be excellent if we could get a secretariat based here. Clever strategy by McClay to seek to ensure implementation of the TPPA. It is were done then best it be done well. We are a small nation of just 4.5M people and if we can influence 40% of the world’s GDP we should grab the chance. Not even the most strident Leftie would surely disagree.
Romania was a small country when it signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin in 1940.
Signing bad deals that give up your sovereignty – even if it gives of the appearance of more importance – does not equal good governance or statesmanship.
It seems more like treason.
Minor tweaks to sovereignty takes place with every trade deal. You do not lose or give up sovereignty. New Zealand needs to trade with the world. Signing a deal with 40% of the World’s GDP is a hell of a lot better than not signing it. Having a permanent secretariat based here to implement it could be the icing on the cake. Tim Groser should get a knighthood for the work he has put in to making our future even brighter.
You cannot possibly be serious. Without trading with other countries we would be be penniless. If your comment is the level of Left wing thinking no wonder it is unelectable.
Without trading with other countries we would be be penniless.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of economics but it’s one that’s shared across the political spectrum. Many have come to believe that we need money. This belief is delusional.
We don’t need money, we need resources and we have all that we need in our borders already. Plenty of resources here to provide everything that we need – as long as we don’t squander them unsustainably. Unfortunately, our present delusional financial system has us doing exactly that. The 300m tonnes of iron sands down the West Coast of Te Ika a Māui will be gone in about 50 years because we’re so determined to have money that we’re selling off the resources we actually need to other countries.
If your comment is the level of Left wing thinking no wonder it is unelectable.
The problem is the delusional thinking that you and many others espouse.
Money is a tool that helps us distribute the resources that we have in the country but it’s not actually needed. We could use other systems for that distribution (I’m in favour of democracy).
What we can’t do without is those resources. Without those resources we have no food, no housing, no roads, etc etc.
Using a monetary system because we have all the resources in the country to provide the food and the houses and the roads then the only money we need is NZ$. We have no need of foreign exchange.
We are wasting the limited resources we have by exporting them for foreign exchange (Really, it’s even worse than that as we’re wasting those resources to make a few people rich).
Ministry says alterations to TPP could cost New Zealand up to $55 million a year
New Zealand consumers could face higher costs than first predicted as a result of copyright changes in the Trans Pacific Partnership, newly released documents show.
The biggest costs will come from concessions on copyright. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says the cost to consumers and businesses of extending the copyright term from 50 years to 70 years will eventually rise to around $55 million a year.
InternetNZ work programme director Andrew Cushen said the change meant increased costs for New Zealanders, and greater revenue for overseas copyright holders.
“We will pay more over time to access music and movies. We will also pay more over time for books and educational resources, making it more expensive for us to learn and to do business.”
Mr Cushen said the $55 million did not take into account the increased cost and difficulty of re-using copyright works.
These paid rwnj trolls come on this site to derail conversations and to instigate puerile arguments. They are not interested in debates. They are also very predictable and very dull.
I think the best way to deal with them is to either ignore them completely or just type a word like dull.
It seems to work. They don’t like being described as uninteresting.
Maybe they’ll go away one day.
You should be careful PR. Bans have been proposed for Zzzzzzs.
“Paul 8.1.1
30 December 2015 at 9:56 am
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
[RL: The ‘zzz’s’ are not needed. You and anyone else repeating them will earn a ban.]”
On the other hand Paul may have learned his lesson. Whereas a couple of weeks ago he seemed to thing the repetition of the final letter of the alphabet was the height of wit he now realises that it is very dull and he was only demonstrating that he was a prat.
If questioning the interest level of pr’s contributions is ‘prattish’, then I am proud to be described by you as one, alwyn.
Thanks for your pleasant contribution.
I say again that the blog can be enhanced by some banning action against the silly irritating and smart-arse comments coming daily. If people wanted to hear cloth-eared ideas they would go to radio talkback or some tabloid like the Herald.
Some commenters here find it amusing but these factoids spoil the blog’s ability to converse intelligently with people who at least appear to be left thinking and interested in discussion on political matters. These insects are just spoiling the picnic every day.
And a lot of people don’t understand the idea of being amused in a superior way by the spoilers, and don’t understand why they crop up here, or the negative effect they have on polite discourse here. I despise them, they don’t give a damn about our efforts to think towards better policies for the country. They just fill in their time by being objectionable on purpose. It’s pathetic and stupid behaviour and belongs elsewhere. We would still have disagreements and arguments without them, we wouldn’t settle into an unstirred sludge you, can bet on that.
@ BM (5.1.1) – your abusive comments towards another poster, in this case Paul, who does offer constructive debate, has invalidated any argument you might have put forward. Getting nasty and personal, automatically puts you on the losing side.
The source is actually a stuff article (see the link)
I know that Fairfax aren’t much more reliable than blogs as a source of info but I would think it is correct.
So if 6000 picture/videos of child abuse aren’t enough to get sent to prison what is?
BM is right – the Judge is out of touch – you can tell this by her refusing to view the evidential images – obviously the viewing would interrupt her do-gooding tinted glasses.
The sad thing is the images are the only way for the victims to cry out for justice.
As for the threat of suicide being a sufficient reason to not send him to jail – what a joke.
I do hope the Prosecution appeal this – damaged children are worth more than a few hours of PD.
Kind of like the old boys network. Or maybe it’s just that you can’t fire judges easily because we need an independent judiciary. Or maybe her sentencing is not out of the range of normal.
Tell me, what would a judge’s sentencing look like if they understood the value of rehabilitation as well as punishment and protecting the public?
Um all permanent judges have security of tenure, even the women judges. It is to stop governments firing them because they do not like their judgments.
And why is it that you are so upset because a Judge showed some compassion. The alternative would have been to send this poor sap to jail, making him permanently unemployable and a permanent burden on the welfare state.
And surely our justice system has to be able to display mercy from time to time.
She was cautious not to push him over the edge. It’s only Cameron Slater and those of his ilk who’d welcome the guy’s suicide. There’d also be a whole lot stuff we wouldn’t know about this case that wasn’t reported but which the judge would’ve seen.
He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children. I agree there are victims of this sort of offending but for a first time offender at his age and with his mental condition I think the decision was not out of what the Judge could do.
What good would sending him to jail do, for him or for society?
Micky, do offenders in that situation have ongoing supervision to make sure they’re likely to reoffend, or are they basically left to it once the sentence is served?
There are standard conditions that are imposed for a period f 12 months and the Judge also has the power to impose further conditions. It is not clear from the report what happened here.
It is not an unusual sentence for this offence although this guy had quite a few images. For instance this guy received home detention for a second offense.
And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?
I have had some professional dealings with people facing these charges. They are sad and often have awful backgrounds. They can be treated. Some compassion, such as that shown by Judge Cunningham, helps.
“And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?”
Shit…why does it have to be one extreme or another?
I have had professional dealings with the victims of child sexual assault…some, no, all of those people have had their youth destroyed to some extent by those sad bastards you are advocating for.
Great….they have a ‘friend’….but show a modicum of respect and compassion for their victims.
“He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children.”
from 5.2.1.2.1.2
Spare me the ‘child pornography is a victimless crime’ line….do you know how much credibility the legal profession lost when the Law Society did not eject their child porn perving member?
Let’s spell it out….for every image of a child being sexually assaulted there is a child victim involved.
Without a customer there wouldn’t be a product.
This….thing….didn’t just have a ‘whoops I’ve accidentally stumbled upon a child porn site ‘ moment…he had over 6060 images of extreme assaults on children.
IMHO he should have done time in jail(getting ‘treated’) ….the tea and sympathy from the judge, on top of the leniency, was a gross insult to his victims.
“And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?”
Shit…why does it have to be one extreme or another?
Fair call. I was responding to your comment that I was “enabling the enablers of perverts”. I was merely suggesting that home detention is not an unsuitable punishment for those who collect pornography.
I am not advocating for them. I am suggesting that sending them to jail may be counterproductive.
“He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children.”
…
Let’s spell it out….for every image of a child being sexually assaulted there is a child victim involved.
Agreed. That is why I made the comment that “I agree there are victims of this sort of offending but for a first time offender at his age and with his mental condition I think the decision was not out of what the Judge could do.”
Nothing can repair the damage caused by sexual abuse. But a preventative approach rather than a retributive approach may result in a different sentence. And there is no such thing as adequate treatment in jail.
how do you get rid of judges that are completely out of touch with reality?
But who says she is? Occasional displays of compassion by our justice system should not be frowned on. Otherwise we may as well design a computer system to handle it and leave it to the machines.
I’d have thought that crimes of a sexual nature especially against children might have judges erring on the side of caution as opposed to granting home detention or discharge without conviction
“Remorse demonstrated only after you’ve been caught red-handed ought to count for shit at sentencing.”
For people who are using child rape porn I’d prefer that for first offences the focus is on rehabilitation and supervision. The thing most likely to turn that man into an active rapist is a term in prison.
I do think his home detention and fining were light, but I don’t know if that’s because of sentencing guidelines and rules, or leniancy by the judge.
That doesn’t make sense though. To understand if any of her sentences are lenient, you’d have to compare them to similar offending sentences of other judges, not her own sentences.
That depends very much on your point of view: most right wingers are deranged and utterly incompetent when it comes to effective (ie: actually reducing crime) penal policy.
AFAIK …. organisations like samaritans and others have ‘shifts’ and it’s voluntary (you know – philanthropy – the way the Natzis think compassion and aid for fellow humankind should work). IT’s a win win situation – it allows the philanthropist to feel good about themselves if and when they have the means, there’s no guilt feelings involved, they can cling to any Christian religious beliefs they may have, they can feign concern and their friends can see them being nice blokes, and they don’t have to inconvenience themselves in any way whatsoever. Most times – even their kuds can claim their tragic aging old parents are decent ‘stock’ and are their bestest ever best freinds.
They really are ‘decent’ lore-biding folk!
For people who are using child rape porn I’d prefer that for first offences the focus is on rehabilitation and supervision.
Sure. But what does “supervision” mean? It doesn’t mean this prick never gets to use a password to ensure his privacy on a network-connected computer ever again, which is really the only supervision that would address his particular problem. Also, he gets name suppression, which is very much up to the judge. I wouldn’t want this guy anywhere computers I was responsible for, but the judge has decided I don’t need to know. Rehabilitation for him should involve learning to do something that doesn’t involve computers – there’s plenty of work out there for cleaners and other forms of unskilled labour.
In an unreal world he would be banned from owning and using electronic devices for the rest of his life, probably in a real world if he was a citizen of Saudi Arabia he would have his hands cut off to absolutely make sure he didn’t. I wonder what the Judge would have brought down if he had been just poor, uneducated and not employed – jail time and hell in the showers. I hope his wife and kids leave him for the kids sake and well being. What a tosser.
That’s the crux of it for me too Kate. Loss of status is being considered a punishment by judges now and one has to ask how that can be considered justice.
A poor person has little status so they can go to jail whereas a rich or important person has some perceived stature so they get a slap on the wrist because sending them to jail will demean them in the public’s eye. Lovely.
Absolutely DH – its a closed off world where they have a law for themselves and they make sure they look after each other. Child sex offending and child porn is repugnant and there should be serious consequences for such offenders. Its odd how it seems to me to be a “sport cum pastime” for the wealthy and well educated with their secret clubs and places where they go for their kicks – so many people in power seem to get caught at it. Its sickening and so many of them have children of their own, beggars belief really how sick some people can be. I have absolutely no sympathy for them and believe they are unable to be rehabilitated and we shouldn’t be wasting good money on them. The judge should be reprimanded and told to re look at her findings.
• 30 per cent – of all internet bandwidth is used for pornography. (Source: Huffington Post)
• 70 per cent – of men and 30 per cent of women watch porn. The average time spent on a porn site is 12 minutes. (Huffington Post)
• 450 million – Unique visitors to porn sites each month. When combined, Netflix, Amazon and Twitter get 316 million visitors. (Huffington Post)
• 90 per cent – of all content included verbal or physical abuse against women in one study of 50 popular pornographic websites and DVDs. (Violence Against Women)”
This is an ‘old’ story, but one that does deserve more air.
Fifty year old ‘professional’ is caught perving at 6000 images of child pornography so hideous that the Judge can’t bear to view them and gets sentenced to stay home.
And…gets name suppression.
In an ideal world he’d be rendered incapable of further offending….ever.
His ‘mental illness’…what a crock.
But, the Judge…bless her for her many acts of mercy…has let him of, and protected his identity, and suppressed his ‘profession’.
Is he a lawyer? Can’t trust any of them if male and fifty years old.
Is he a doctor? A judge? An IT consultant? An engineer?
So many fifty year old male professionals we can no longer trust…is it him that gets off on watching children being sexually abused?
See, guys, this is what happens when sexual predators are protected…we can’t trust any man.
Farrar is more of a creep than Slater…….being the good cop in the bad cop/good cop routine that he and Slater played for John Key makes him the more dishonest one.
I also suspect he did the polling and advised John Key he did not have to apologize to Tania Billington as the numbers were not hurting him…….
Farrar is a grubby little fuck …………………. you should spend more time at his blog BM
I don’t see your point. The Herald led with the same article as the ODT in example 1, both major ‘papers seem to be syndicating off each other a lot these days.
I’d think correcting a wrong report to be ethical media behaviour. Where the Herald in particular get a bit ratlike is they sometimes print the false claim on the front page with a big print headline & many column centimetres and hide the subsequent retraction or alternate view deep in the paper using small print and only a few words.
They suck because instead of trying to get both sides of the story they just went with the most sensationalist headline they could get without even the pretence of balance
Not sure I can follow that PR. Both incidents appear to have had timing issues where more information was revealed later and I don’t think you can blame the media for printing what was topical, and appeared truthful, at the time.
That’s the thing though isn’t the fourth estate supposed to find out whether its truthful or not? It just appears to be lazy in that someone runs to the media and the media print the story without doing their jobs and the media wonder why people are turning away
What do you expect from them? If they thoroughly investigated every act that was reported to them they’d have nothing to print.
Filling a newspaper every day can’t be an easy task. Sure they put some drivel in it and yes they can be a bit hasty at times but so long as they maintain a genuine balance with the storyline I don’t see it being a problem.
I thought they did ok on the Te Reo one. The media have adopted a practice of milking a story for as long as they can keep people interested and they killed that one with the follow up. With the first article the way they worded it they looked to be priming the rednecks for more gossip & innuendo and instead the story just died.
Yeah, I like it coz it’s neither a praise of journlaism nor a condemnation of it. It just calss it what it is, an important part of the eventual discussion that becomes ‘what we accept as historical truth’.
It’s job is to get stuff fast, and as accurate as fast allows. It’s going to get stuff wrong, and will need to revise itself and update itself and generally keep on journalisming. No one has yet come up with a better model that actually works.
I think the problem is you simply can’t but what makes it worse is the news media (imho) are trying to go head to head with blogs
The news media can’t compete with speed but they can compete with quality, instead of going down market and going after the lowest common dominator it’d be nice to see a newspaper go the other way and compete on quality of reporting instead
I wish that the newspapers would just try and get the simplest things right.
The DomPost this morning had a story that Singapore Airlines were going to start a service from Wellington to Canberra using an Airbus A330. They put a picture on the front page which they labelled as being an A330.
The only problem is that the A330 is a twin engine single deck aircraft. The photo was of a four engine double decker A380. Can’t they get even the simplest things right? Do they even care?
Heh – what’s the old quote from tradies: you can have any combination you want of fast, cheap and good that you want, but you can only have two out of three. Well, in modern media fast is cheap, but good is extremely expensive – good investigators, good editors, good sub editors, lose one and the others become precarious.
In most cases the call for both sides results in false balance; giving more equal weight to opposing views than actual evidence supports.
The reporting around climate change being primarily caused by human activity is an obvious example of the failure of “both sides” reporting.
And then there is the similar argument to moderation where the middle ground between two opposing views is viewed as the correct one, and discounts views at either extreme end simply because they are at the edges.
The reporting around the effects of climate change is a good example.
With the Te Reo story, it looks like the Herald ran with a breaking story without investigating the actual facts of the matter, and tacked on a headline that can best be described as race-baiting.
Or, to put it another way, they couldn’t be arsed actually doing their job and decided to poison the public discussion around Te Reo instead.
The interesting thing to me is that the ODT clearly attributes both the story and the photo to the Herald, but the Herald only attributes the photo, not the identical story, or any other indication it’s syndicated content.
No. In this subthread I’m talking about behaviour on ts. Shall we turn this one into a long boring trollfest too? You are better than this usually, so feel free to not take my original comment personally.
If any body can pick the top of a market or the bottom they would be infinitely rich Take these announcement with a grain of salt, similar advice to buy . if RBS believed as thier predictions are 100pc kosher and so do you Paul I suggest you short the total market with every thing you got, you can’t loose
Looks like you want to fight RWNJ and/or trolls rather than discuss politics. I think there are better ways to do that if you want it to also be a public service.
Ah well, the more considered approach is fine to a point but every now and then it’s better to be more direct. Not sure some people understand any other way.
I note you have said yourself below that the month old story about the judge and the professional was a set up. What’s wrong with calling that out early?
I don’t have a problem with calling out bullshit. It was more just that I came onto OM this morning and it was full of bickering. Naming bullshit is one thing, arguing about it endlessly is another. I know how easy it is to get sucked into that, do it myself, but it was just a bit much and I thought it might be good to name it and see if it changed 🙂
Oil price plummeting. Why has all the alarmist Peak Oil crap gone silent? What will be the next alarmist warning Ah yes TPPA, the end of civilisation. Welfare reform-?
The Saudis are playing games so that American fracking and off-shore drilling becomes to expensive to continue and that the Russian war chest gets depleted.
The Americans used to rely on the Saudis for oil and the Saudis don’t like it that they don’t need to anymore. It hard to make them fight your enemies when you can’t blackmail them over their oil needs.
Actually I’m not sure America actually purchased oil directly from SA. I think the US purchased oil from Canada and Mexico, and no now longer need to do it. So Canada and Mexico are selling their oil to countries that would have bought from SA.
They do still import oil from the Kingdom.
It peaked at about 50 million bbl/month in 2003 and is now down to about 30 million. http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIMUSSA1&f=M
You are quite right about it being basically fungible. There is a difference in properties but that can be got around if you don’t want the cheapest price. New Zealand of course both imports AND exports crude. Our production isn’t very good for producing the mix of products we want.
Minto said the information came from an anonymous source but it seemed credible as it matched with Pinnacle’s stated intentions.
Minto said: “Whether or not [Bennett] met with them, it’s clear Dr Cheng’s Pinnacle group want to buy state houses. They’ve been quite explicit about that.”
Sounds the same as the old question of have you stopped beating your wife…
Oh, I think a couple of laws about the MSM sticking to the truth should bring about a few changes. The reporting of the Donghua Liu (sp?) affair should have brought about significant consequences to the publishing houses. Maybe if they’d been looking at a fine of a few million dollars they would have investigated it properly before jumping on National’s Dirty Politics bandwagon.
The Labour Party did have the opportunity to sue the Herald and it’s reporters for defamation. And Donghua Liu for libel*.
But they didn’t.
So if the Labour Party shows no interest in defending itself, why would anyone assume they would stand up for New Zealanders?
* I’m assuming Liu’s statement false statement was quoted instead of paraphrased – I can’t remember, and don’t want to wade through all that muck again.
Interesting, you’re actually complaining about the dictatorial political system we have.
And that’s why we need a democracy rather than an elected dictatorship where policy is decided by the people and not a small clique of dictators as we have now.
The Greens have been steadily creeping their vote up. Recently NZF has as well.
I’d expect that after National get handed their arse because they haven’t managed to build any coalition partners, and they booted off the treasury benches in 2017, that they will have other parties form – probably along the obvious internal fracture lines.
Some of those parties may grow. But in the end, a party needs to get above 5% vote to get into parliament (electorate seats are hard to keep for a small party – they kill party vote), and above about 15% of MPs to be viewed as a major party.
To do that, they have to get a dedicated party membership and activists, both as a source of candidates and to provide the room to groom viable candidates who don’t bug out. Think of Pam Corkery and a number of other celeb candidates over the years.
Yes, but CC is just a weirdo. Everything was going very well for them until his weirdness overshadowed everything.
Their policy positions were popular. Probably the only thing that stopped them getting more votes was scepticism that they would get enough votes to be elected – catch 22.
If the threshold had been 4% they would have easily gotten in, and probably polled 5%+ anyway.
Of course with Colin’s meltdown, we could have been looking at an early election.
After observing politics for a few decades, I’ve come to the general conclusion that most of the people interested in politics are interested in being critics rather than doing the political leg work. That definitely includes me. I prefer to find a decent seasoned candidate and to support them.
Granny front page today about a tree that cant be cutdown. Another barely hidden whine about supercity rules that developers probably want ‘fixed’…..and they wonder why circulation is declining.
In this case though, it’s a tree that needs to be removed.
So, it’s the opposite of the Kauri up in Titirangi.
Pretty sure the two stories will be conflated in the next couple of days by someone who has both a large public platform and a penchant for magical thinking.
I expect I’ll have to wait (and hope) that Prof. Geddis or G. Edgeler is curious enough to identify and blog on the legislative conflict that the environment court was unable to resolve.
117 comments already and half it seems from RWs. How can anyone concentrate on thinking about anything important when these time and space-wasters block the thread, intelligent discussion gets deflected just when it is required more than ever before.
The RWNJs are mounting a very good attack on TS every day, it’s almost like a denial of service because it is hard to get through to the valuable thoughts and musing coming from real people with integrity. Patience is a virtue goes the saying, but too much turns you into a doormat for others to wipe their feet on.
edited
Agreed as they rely on the egalitarian nature of TS.
Try similar on blubberboy or princessparty blogs and the barrier comes down so the rwnj comments can flow freely for all the others to feed off and feel justified.
It looks like PR, fisiani and BM. All of those people are quite capable of debating properly, although PR often needs knocking into shape and is the most trollish of the three IME. BM likes to drop in somewhat inflammatory comments, but he will engage intelligently if you respond to him intelligently. Bickering with them will almost certainly get met in kind.
I don’t mind their presence so much as the fact that so much of the discussion is personal and squabbling. But that could just as easily be lefties (and in this case it was too) 😉
But yeah, if this were happening under a post rather than OM it would be seriously disruptive. Probably first week back at work dynamics too.
Go hard on this issue, forget about people with Chinese sounding names or crims on Easter Island, this is what will get Labour a much needed bump in the polls, this is what middle NZ cares about
Get your MPs as much coverage as they can, say what you’d do in power (and for goodness sake make sure the costings add up) and make sure you front foot this and frame the argument yourselves
I agree with greywarshark. I don’t think any of them except PR are genuine. They often display a herd mentality when a strong theme starts propagating here. Their purpose seems to be one of disruption and diversion.
Take a good slow look at the fisiani posts. Is he using his own words, speaking his own mind, or is he just parroting scripts. No-one in real life converses like that IMO.
“The RWNJs are mounting a very good attack …….” I think its the shape of things to come in 2016.
I’m not too sure its a GOOD attack – it’ll certainly be a very vocal one – they’ve started early – the Speaker’s bum boys haven’t even had a chance to warm his sheepskin; Paula’s still getting over HER devastating loss (‘cos it was all about HER); Soimun’s mulling over his next move and wondering where the vulnerabilities are; Todd’s ego has been captured by TTPA grandiose; Anne’s clutching pearls and wondering where she stands ……
The ideologically driven agenda is starting to show signs of wear and failing to the extent that the average Joe is starting to notice, and the CT talking points and language are looking a bit tired (going forward). And all that “on the back of” a ‘Chinese Konomy’ that’s not looking too crash hot, peak real estate, and not even a TVNZ7/Proim Beck Benchas where the trolls can show up – much as they do here on TS to protest how right and correct they are. I agree with the ‘right’ bit.
Jesus H Christ!
Labour have SO MANY opportunities to bust this government eh?
What the fuck is the matter with them!???
Well, I guess I know that already.
I think I might pay another visit to Mal and Scotty’s to at least try and guage a ‘10%’ minority’s perspective of reality. Bloody expensive thing to do though eh!
It’s the other 90% of voters we rely on though that worries me, let alone half the electorate that didn’t.
Who the fuck is running that Labour show btw? I think most people would be buggered (if they knew)
EDIT: ….. Last time I went there btw, there was some poor sap that had romantic notions of Fran fucking Wilde’s contribution to ‘equality’. If he only knew (which he wudn’t – unless he wanted to be a Fran Toi Boi, once was genuine – now Franny’s leaned how to clup the tuckit and American Express Platinum is moidy trektiv,
Once Was Tim
Sure a lot of things happening. They get to be like a bunch of flies buzzing round your head. It will be that we need to mentally record them but spend most of our time planning positive moves rather than registering the dross from the Dark Side.
🙂
What I fear most is that what I once knew as pretty bloody basic creds have been totally LOST by those who now pretend to ‘represent’ a public.
I’m not sure they even understand the idea of a ‘public’.
But there ya go. I guess they’ll have to learn the hard way.
– and there’s another thing – maybe it’s just me running out of life and becoming impatient.
At least there are inklings …. even amongst a neighbouring Hataitai-resident fag-hag grandma. (I’m at odds to wonder why as a politician, she’s prepare to …….
nah fuckit – now I think about it – she likes Judith Crusher Collins and Paul Henry, AS WELL as abusers of scared blokes worried about their sex you allty (going forward).
It ain’t political pragmatism either. I’m not sure but I suspect she might be training to be the next Fran Wilde
You’ve obviously got a shit load more energy than I have these days. I’m caught between bothering to put up a fight .versus. letting the inevitable play out and letting something organic happen.
Atm – I think maybe the latter – even tho’ it won’t be pretty for the ‘greedy’, or various minorities; or …. well hopefully you get the pitcha (and if you don’t – no matter). Apparently I’m on the verge of being *****BANNED****** (no doubt with some highly intellectual, ego-driven, how fucking dare he justification.
Kia Kaha ….. alongside anything else that gives you strength ( I know it’s not solely your ego)
Once was Tim
You might find Tim again if you go into something organic! It certainly helps with the frustration of present politics to be supporting something doable and health-oriented putting energies into an achievable project.
May be planting flasbushes for the tui, after Maori have been consulted as to whether they might be a good resource and they might like a particular species? that is good for making a particular article. That would be good, and then making sure that they survived, got watered, weren’t eaten by bugs, pulled out by thoughtless Council contractors etc. Hovering, working angel stuff.
Going to classes on growing organic vegs and learning about how to cope with the potato nematode or whatever. Supporting a group that plan the yearly Christmas parade, giving pleasure and joy to all, could be good. Being a hospital volunteer doing whatever they do. Fixing bicycles so kids can have one where it’s safe to go.
I would like to renew my ties with Amnesty International but have to organise my day better to ensure I send those messages in a timely way to distant countries. And I want to keep writing and reading on this blog. People here are generally good-hearted, so that is a positive thing to do, to keep in touch with people who sincerely care about people and the country, and just disagree about methods and effectiveness.
Despite her protestations, Dr Fox has been bought, plain and simple.
Any reasonable person can see that.
More so, Lion will have approached her specifically to do this report because of her earlier work done on disassociating alcohol from violence.
This kind of research is what happens when academic funding is pushed from the public sector to the private sector, something which the current government is determined to do.
…Lion will have approached her specifically to do this report because of her earlier work…
So, which is it? Lion paid her off, or Lion funded her research because her prior research suited it?
Any conflict of interest she has in being funded by Lion is no greater than Kypris’ in being part of a religious anti-alcohol group, In fact, Kypris’ conflict seems worse – researchers are sometimes willing to tell funding bodies what they don’t want to hear, but religious conviction is impervious to rationalism.
“…but religious conviction is impervious to rationalism.”
You may want to check out the Rechabites PM…they appear to have moved with the times, evolved…and indeed, seem to promote similar ideals to those of many here on TS.
The Rechabites commitment to alcohol harm minimisation is a worthy mission….one that most of the poor sods working in A&E departments around the country would support.
The Rechabites commitment to alcohol harm minimisation is a worthy mission
– Rosemary McDonald
Yes, and Lion’s commitment to minimising the appearance of alcohol harm is an unworthy one.
It seems that Lion is quite happy with Fox’s report (which is what they would have expected when they commissioned her), so there doesn’t seem to be any indication that they were told something they didn’t want to hear as Psycho Milt suggests.
Dr Fox probably even believes her own shite. Even amongst academics that claim to be non-partisan. It’s not unlike the detective that’s convinced their theory valid (often based on a hunch), and who then gathers evidence on that basis, and with that perspective.
With apologies to Steven Sackur and the Key interview when – well you hopefully know the rest …. claiming academic credentials and being ‘an academic’ can be two very different things. Personally I think Foctor Dox fits.
The good Foctor probably has as many disciples (and if not, they’ll be searching them out hard and fast), as there are opposing.
To be clear (in my opinion), the Foctor is a bullshit artist
Because there’s no need to bribe someone who’s already doing what you want. I guess it’s possible Lion are just particularly generous and trouble themselves to bribe researchers whose findings to date were convenient for Lion anyway, but they didn’t get where they are today by being generous with their cash.
To be clear (in my opinion), the Foctor is a bullshit artist
You’ve reviewed her research and found it wanting, have you? To be fair, I have to disclose that I regard anti-alcohol activists like Sellman and his mates at the Uni of Otago school of public health to be bullshit artists, but then I have a low opinion of the social sciences in general. Do you have some evidence for why Fox is a bullshit artist, but not Jackson, Kypris, Sellman et al?
In that case, everyone who accepts payment for their work is “bought.” That clearly isn’t what you meant. Unless you’ve some evidence that her research was falsified or skewed in some way to Lion’s benefit, your comment is just libel.
As it happens, her conclusions about alcohol causing violence (that its variability across cultures suggests a social rather than physiological basis for violence, that there is in any case no evidence for alcohol having a physiological means of controlling behavior, and that there are social conditions that are more likely candidates) is compelling on a logical basis alone, regardless of the research behind it. The onus is actually on her opponents to demonstrate that alcohol does control behaviour.
Here are some of her findings – they look pretty credible to me. I wouldn’t disagree with any of it:
1. It’s the wider culture that determines the behaviour whilst drinking, not just the drinking
Different societies with comparable levels and patterns of alcohol consumption experience very different levels of anti-social and violent behaviour in their night-time economies. Most of the differences can be explained by social and cultural factors and, with concerted effort, they can be influenced.
2. The physical effects of alcohol do not determine a behavioural response.
In layman’s terms, Dr. Fox’s research suggests that while alcohol has a very definite physical effect, it doesn’t hijack your moral compass.
Dr Fox says: “Certainly alcohol carries very definite physiological effects. At high doses, the point at which alcohol enters the brain stem, it is easy to see that the physical effects of alcohol can incapacitate all drinkers equally, regardless of cultural differences.
“But just because alcohol relaxes and reduces anxiety does not mean it causes inexplicable changes in behaviour or character or blocks impulse control. There are a couple of very simple observations we can all make that support this conclusion. First, the very same person on the same dose of alcohol can react in myriad different ways on different occasions and in different settings. This simply would not happen if we were talking about a purely physiological response.
“Second, morphologically similar humans in different cultures react completely differently to being ‘under the influence’. Some cultures see very little violence and anti-social behaviour, despite similar levels and patterns of consumption to other nations with high levels of such harm.
“The conclusion of my research, and many previous studies, is that alcohol can, in certain cultures and situations, be a facilitator of aggression if aggression is there to begin with, both in the individual and in the cultural environment. It does not produce it where it doesn’t already exist.”
3. Violent individuals, a violence-reinforcing culture and violent situations are the three interlinked drivers of anti-social behaviour and violence in the night-time economy
Dr Fox makes a number of recommendations to address each of these drivers, with some examples provided below:
* Violent individuals: Australia and New Zealand needs to ensure effective identification and direct intervention to tackle the behaviour of the minority exhibiting a pre-disposition to violence.
* Violent situations: We need to work to reduce situational cues – like poor facilities and transport options – that trigger poor behaviour. We also need to change perceptions of what behaviour is socially acceptable while intoxicated and create a genuine fear of stigma for breaking the rules – as has been achieved with drink driving. Realistic consequences such as fines and other sanctions for bad behaviour are needed.
* Violence-reinforcing-cultures: Australia and New Zealand must address the cultural reinforcers of violence, misogyny, and aggressive masculinity in all its cultural expressions from schoolyards to sports fields, politics and pubs, movies and media. Young men need to be taught that responding with violence is a failure in self-control, not a symbol of masculinity.
I’m truly devastated!
I just can’t seem to get people to engage with me and any of my comments (except an occasionale +1 from a Draco)
Why, I can’t even get hard right trolls to engage in debate.
I can’t even get BANNED ffs!
Oh misery!!!! where did I go wrong?
I’m fucking devastated. I’m soos oidle.
No matter how hard oi troi, none of these soshul media specimuns will engage.
Well … oi … oi jiss have to give up!
But hey … didcha hear? Jerry’s married that fukn old relic Rupe and she’s now dripping money and little blue diamond shaped pills
[lprent: Would you feel better if I banned you? 😈 ]
Yes ekshully, I would.
I know there’s been a delay in my replying, but a ban in this case would serve me well and signal to me what is wrong with our reliance on blogs as a challenge to the status quo.
I’d be in good company I think (not that I don’t appreciate your efforts in trying to battle our current situation)
So PLEASE ,,,, if you see fit and are feeling challenged – go ahead and BAN!
Actually, it’d be akin to all that’s wrong in the Labour Party these days (AND I REALISE YOU’RE IN NO WAY A PLATFORM FOR THE LABOUR PARTY).
You could put a ban down to being ‘very adult’ of you
Interesting news story today on the ABC, Malcolm Turnbull has turned down a request from the US to commit more resources to the war effort, this is the first PM in history (Australian) to “say no” to the yanks, I’m a little cynical as there’s an election in 6 months or so, and the most recent state elections (Vic, Queensland) saw there Liberal govts booted out after only one term, the Queensland premiere removed, Campbell Newman was a proponent of the JK way, only problem was the constituency wasn’t, and dealt with his BS policies that saw the destruction of their social fabric, I think they’re a little smarter than most give credit for.
A friend works in aged care in London. One the people she looks after is David Bowie’s aunt. On each of his aunt’s birthdays and at Xmas, a big box of goodies arrives…
My last surviving great aunt is about to hit the ton while I am away on the upcoming business trip. Does anyone have any idea of where to find an age 100 birthday card in Auckland?
The best I idea I have at present is to head to St Lukes.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
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This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
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Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
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Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
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TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
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About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
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 Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
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The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
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 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/08/venezuelas-chavistas-and-newly-elected-opposition-head-for-deadlock
Disturbing ( but unsurprising) moves from the Chavista regime to ignore it’s defeat in the recent elections and attempt to hobble a branch of government for the sake of the ‘revolution’.
More often than not in the struggle for democracy its been the u.s.a helping stand in the way ………backing genocide and death squads.
“declassified documents[5] indicate that the United States “provided economic, technical and military aid to the army soon after the killings started. It continued to do so long after it was clear a ‘widespread slaughter’ was taking place in Northern Sumatra and other places, and in the expectation that US assistance would contribute to this end.
The repercussions of the u.s.a supported murderous overthrow of Indonesia’s democratic government are still going on and countries like east timor also paid a terrible price.”
http://theactofkilling.com/trailer/
Disturbing news that capitalism is failing the people of the world with another crash imminent.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/rbs-tells-investors-sell-everything-20160111-gm3ssa.html
From the article.
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach $US16 a barrel.
The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.
“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.
Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.
“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.
Mr Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10pc to 20pc, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.’
‘Govt wants NZ base for TPP deal
Trade Minister Todd McClay will promote New Zealand’s case to host a proposed secretariat for the Trans-Pacific Partnership when trade ministers from 12 Asia Pacific nations are expected to gather in Auckland to sign the deal next month.
McClay confirmed to the Herald that there are some considerable “sensitivities” around the secretariat proposal. The proposal is expected to be one of the topics for discussion at a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial meeting before the formal signing of the ground-breaking regional agreement, which covers some of the world’s most robust economies and 40 per cent of global GDP…………..
Reliable sources have confirmed to the Herald that February 4 emerged as the preferred signing date after Prime Minister John Key offered New Zealand as the host while he was at the Apec leaders meeting in the Philippines.
McClay expects to be able to confirm a signing date “in the next week or so” after it is clear all 12 nations will be in a position to proceed.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11572801
Thoughts?
Would be excellent if we could get a secretariat based here. Clever strategy by McClay to seek to ensure implementation of the TPPA. It is were done then best it be done well. We are a small nation of just 4.5M people and if we can influence 40% of the world’s GDP we should grab the chance. Not even the most strident Leftie would surely disagree.
Romania was a small country when it signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin in 1940.
Signing bad deals that give up your sovereignty – even if it gives of the appearance of more importance – does not equal good governance or statesmanship.
It seems more like treason.
Minor tweaks to sovereignty takes place with every trade deal. You do not lose or give up sovereignty. New Zealand needs to trade with the world. Signing a deal with 40% of the World’s GDP is a hell of a lot better than not signing it. Having a permanent secretariat based here to implement it could be the icing on the cake. Tim Groser should get a knighthood for the work he has put in to making our future even brighter.
Actually, we don’t. In fact, no country needs to trade with any other country.
Not when that deal is so detrimental to the people of NZ.
You cannot possibly be serious. Without trading with other countries we would be be penniless. If your comment is the level of Left wing thinking no wonder it is unelectable.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of economics but it’s one that’s shared across the political spectrum. Many have come to believe that we need money. This belief is delusional.
We don’t need money, we need resources and we have all that we need in our borders already. Plenty of resources here to provide everything that we need – as long as we don’t squander them unsustainably. Unfortunately, our present delusional financial system has us doing exactly that. The 300m tonnes of iron sands down the West Coast of Te Ika a Māui will be gone in about 50 years because we’re so determined to have money that we’re selling off the resources we actually need to other countries.
The problem is the delusional thinking that you and many others espouse.
“Many have come to believe that we need money. This belief is delusional.”
Try living without any.
And you failed to understand what I said.
Money is a tool that helps us distribute the resources that we have in the country but it’s not actually needed. We could use other systems for that distribution (I’m in favour of democracy).
What we can’t do without is those resources. Without those resources we have no food, no housing, no roads, etc etc.
Using a monetary system because we have all the resources in the country to provide the food and the houses and the roads then the only money we need is NZ$. We have no need of foreign exchange.
We are wasting the limited resources we have by exporting them for foreign exchange (Really, it’s even worse than that as we’re wasting those resources to make a few people rich).
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/75807613/world-bank-estimates-10-per-cent-boost-to-nz-exports-by-2030-from-tppa
If that is what you call detrimental then were else would we get money for schools and hospitals. No wonder the Far Left are ignored.
Copyright changes sting NZ
Ministry says alterations to TPP could cost New Zealand up to $55 million a year
New Zealand consumers could face higher costs than first predicted as a result of copyright changes in the Trans Pacific Partnership, newly released documents show.
The biggest costs will come from concessions on copyright. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says the cost to consumers and businesses of extending the copyright term from 50 years to 70 years will eventually rise to around $55 million a year.
InternetNZ work programme director Andrew Cushen said the change meant increased costs for New Zealanders, and greater revenue for overseas copyright holders.
“We will pay more over time to access music and movies. We will also pay more over time for books and educational resources, making it more expensive for us to learn and to do business.”
Mr Cushen said the $55 million did not take into account the increased cost and difficulty of re-using copyright works.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11572838
All of a sudden, we get newly released documents.
Democracy, what a joke!
Bless the OIA.
How did an estimate of $55m which may be understated, become “up to” $55 million?
Optimistic editing/writing?
Just saw this on Kiwiblog.
This judge has an appalling track record, but this would have to be her worst judgement ever
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75405361/auckland-professional-caught-with-6000-objectionable-images
How do you get rid of such a bad judge?
Kiwiblog.
Reliable source.
Fuck off, you boring wanker
Pleasant
Zzzzz
And bannable, I would have thought. Pretty average of BM to lose it like that on the internet.
In BMs defence you reap what you sow
He lost his cool. Blinked first, as it were.
At least it’s known what buttons to push now.
I don’t think its worth sinking down to Pauls level just to get a reaction from BM but that’s just my opinion
Farrar makes a lot of reactionary mistakes and ill-informed comment on his hate site, and he’s generally several days behind the news.
It was a very astute observation by Paul which made BM become abusive for some reason.
You mean the same guy that was praised by the PM on election night for his accurate polling?
Polling is one thing. You ring some people, ask some questions, and write the answers down.
Critical thought and analysis is quite another.
Yet the PM that won thought it was a big enough deal to mention him by name
So I’m going to guess theres a bit more to it then what you’re suggesting
Lol. Way to shift the goal posts, mate.
You’ve just demonstrated one of the (many) failings of the left in NZ and that’s to underestimate pretty much anyone on the right
John Key – hes just a money man
David Farrar – makes a lot of mistakes and its just a hate site
and so on and so on
“Farrar makes a lot ………”
You obviously must read it though.
If you didn’t how could you possibly make these comments?
These paid rwnj trolls come on this site to derail conversations and to instigate puerile arguments. They are not interested in debates. They are also very predictable and very dull.
I think the best way to deal with them is to either ignore them completely or just type a word like dull.
It seems to work. They don’t like being described as uninteresting.
Maybe they’ll go away one day.
They’re easily ignored most of the time but when they become abusive online I have to say something.
Zzzzz
You should be careful PR. Bans have been proposed for Zzzzzzs.
“Paul 8.1.1
30 December 2015 at 9:56 am
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
[RL: The ‘zzz’s’ are not needed. You and anyone else repeating them will earn a ban.]”
On the other hand Paul may have learned his lesson. Whereas a couple of weeks ago he seemed to thing the repetition of the final letter of the alphabet was the height of wit he now realises that it is very dull and he was only demonstrating that he was a prat.
If questioning the interest level of pr’s contributions is ‘prattish’, then I am proud to be described by you as one, alwyn.
Thanks for your pleasant contribution.
Thanks Alwyn, I didn’t see that
Good on you Paul for pointing out Kiwiblog. The response speaks massively in only a few short sharp words.
I say again that the blog can be enhanced by some banning action against the silly irritating and smart-arse comments coming daily. If people wanted to hear cloth-eared ideas they would go to radio talkback or some tabloid like the Herald.
Some commenters here find it amusing but these factoids spoil the blog’s ability to converse intelligently with people who at least appear to be left thinking and interested in discussion on political matters. These insects are just spoiling the picnic every day.
And a lot of people don’t understand the idea of being amused in a superior way by the spoilers, and don’t understand why they crop up here, or the negative effect they have on polite discourse here. I despise them, they don’t give a damn about our efforts to think towards better policies for the country. They just fill in their time by being objectionable on purpose. It’s pathetic and stupid behaviour and belongs elsewhere. We would still have disagreements and arguments without them, we wouldn’t settle into an unstirred sludge you, can bet on that.
Kiwiblog.
Reliable source.
@ BM (5.1.1) – your abusive comments towards another poster, in this case Paul, who does offer constructive debate, has invalidated any argument you might have put forward. Getting nasty and personal, automatically puts you on the losing side.
Have a nice day, if you possibly can.
The source is actually a stuff article (see the link)
I know that Fairfax aren’t much more reliable than blogs as a source of info but I would think it is correct.
So if 6000 picture/videos of child abuse aren’t enough to get sent to prison what is?
BM is right – the Judge is out of touch – you can tell this by her refusing to view the evidential images – obviously the viewing would interrupt her do-gooding tinted glasses.
The sad thing is the images are the only way for the victims to cry out for justice.
As for the threat of suicide being a sufficient reason to not send him to jail – what a joke.
I do hope the Prosecution appeal this – damaged children are worth more than a few hours of PD.
You’ve got to wonder
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11291156
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/5555711/Comedian-discharged-over-sex-act-on-daughter
The first article is a shocker, strike 5 now.
Judge Cunningham is said to be firmly entrenched in what is referred to as the legal sisterhood.
Guess that makes her untouchable.
Kind of like the old boys network. Or maybe it’s just that you can’t fire judges easily because we need an independent judiciary. Or maybe her sentencing is not out of the range of normal.
Tell me, what would a judge’s sentencing look like if they understood the value of rehabilitation as well as punishment and protecting the public?
She’s away in her own little world and should be given the boot.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/270325/tougher-child-exploitation-law-wins-approval
Do judges get to pass laws? I thought that was parliament’s job.
Um all permanent judges have security of tenure, even the women judges. It is to stop governments firing them because they do not like their judgments.
And why is it that you are so upset because a Judge showed some compassion. The alternative would have been to send this poor sap to jail, making him permanently unemployable and a permanent burden on the welfare state.
And surely our justice system has to be able to display mercy from time to time.
Absolutely display mercy sure but don’t you think that crimes of a sexual nature against children mean that judges should err on the side of caution?
She did err on the side of caution.
Home detention and discharge without conviction isn’t what I’d call erring on the side of caution and it appears Jan Logie would agree with me as well
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2011/09/05/open-letter-to-judge-philippa-cunningham/
That was another case that went on appeal and had a different sentence imposed.
She was cautious not to push him over the edge. It’s only Cameron Slater and those of his ilk who’d welcome the guy’s suicide. There’d also be a whole lot stuff we wouldn’t know about this case that wasn’t reported but which the judge would’ve seen.
He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children. I agree there are victims of this sort of offending but for a first time offender at his age and with his mental condition I think the decision was not out of what the Judge could do.
What good would sending him to jail do, for him or for society?
Micky, do offenders in that situation have ongoing supervision to make sure they’re likely to reoffend, or are they basically left to it once the sentence is served?
There are standard conditions that are imposed for a period f 12 months and the Judge also has the power to impose further conditions. It is not clear from the report what happened here.
http://legislation.co.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM136414.html
Can you please put this particular sentence in the context of other similar offending and the sentences they’ve received?
It is not an unusual sentence for this offence although this guy had quite a few images. For instance this guy received home detention for a second offense.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6440189/Home-detention-for-child-porn-offences
But that’s just madness! What if they start breastfeeding in court, or crying???!!!???
@mickeysavage
“The alternative would have been to send this poor sap to jail, making him permanently unemployable and a permanent burden on the welfare state.”
“poor sap”…you have to be joking…right…?
Find him a job that allows him NO access to a computer or the internet, and no access to children.
After work, make sure of the same conditions. Forever.
He is peadophile.
How much mercy did he show his victims?
And…we don’t know who he is or what his profession is…how can we keep our children safe?
Stop enabling the enablers of perverts mickeysavage.
And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?
I have had some professional dealings with people facing these charges. They are sad and often have awful backgrounds. They can be treated. Some compassion, such as that shown by Judge Cunningham, helps.
“And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?”
Shit…why does it have to be one extreme or another?
I have had professional dealings with the victims of child sexual assault…some, no, all of those people have had their youth destroyed to some extent by those sad bastards you are advocating for.
Great….they have a ‘friend’….but show a modicum of respect and compassion for their victims.
“He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children.”
from 5.2.1.2.1.2
Spare me the ‘child pornography is a victimless crime’ line….do you know how much credibility the legal profession lost when the Law Society did not eject their child porn perving member?
Let’s spell it out….for every image of a child being sexually assaulted there is a child victim involved.
Without a customer there wouldn’t be a product.
http://www.stopdemand.org/wawcs0154994/idDetails=191/Child%20sex%20abuse%20images%20(child%20pornography)
This….thing….didn’t just have a ‘whoops I’ve accidentally stumbled upon a child porn site ‘ moment…he had over 6060 images of extreme assaults on children.
IMHO he should have done time in jail(getting ‘treated’) ….the tea and sympathy from the judge, on top of the leniency, was a gross insult to his victims.
“And what do you propose? Execution by firing squad?”
Shit…why does it have to be one extreme or another?
Fair call. I was responding to your comment that I was “enabling the enablers of perverts”. I was merely suggesting that home detention is not an unsuitable punishment for those who collect pornography.
I am not advocating for them. I am suggesting that sending them to jail may be counterproductive.
“He was charged with possession of objectionable material not sexual offences against children.”
…
Let’s spell it out….for every image of a child being sexually assaulted there is a child victim involved.
Agreed. That is why I made the comment that “I agree there are victims of this sort of offending but for a first time offender at his age and with his mental condition I think the decision was not out of what the Judge could do.”
Nothing can repair the damage caused by sexual abuse. But a preventative approach rather than a retributive approach may result in a different sentence. And there is no such thing as adequate treatment in jail.
Immediately after they were found he sought help…
Remorse demonstrated only after you’ve been caught red-handed ought to count for shit at sentencing.
This sentence is what got me.
Christ, it’s like she thinks he’s the victim.
Mate, this news is about 3 weeks old. Why scour Farrar’s hate site looking for old, trollable articles?
You seem to have an agenda…
BM raises a good point, how do you get rid of judges that are completely out of touch with reality?
I assume they undergo some sort of peer review.
The current government will have it all sorted out, I’m sure.
Nationals in cruise control so they’ll probably ignore like every other government has
how do you get rid of judges that are completely out of touch with reality?
But who says she is? Occasional displays of compassion by our justice system should not be frowned on. Otherwise we may as well design a computer system to handle it and leave it to the machines.
I’d have thought that crimes of a sexual nature especially against children might have judges erring on the side of caution as opposed to granting home detention or discharge without conviction
I only read stuff or herald, if I see a link to an article that is of interest.
I’ve got better things to do than wade through all that click bait dross.
Here are some other options for you
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/category/most-recent-blogs/
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/
http://www.theautomaticearth.com/the-automatic-earth/
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/
http://www.scoop.co.nz/
@ Paul – (5.3.1.1.2.1) 🙂
“Remorse demonstrated only after you’ve been caught red-handed ought to count for shit at sentencing.”
For people who are using child rape porn I’d prefer that for first offences the focus is on rehabilitation and supervision. The thing most likely to turn that man into an active rapist is a term in prison.
I do think his home detention and fining were light, but I don’t know if that’s because of sentencing guidelines and rules, or leniancy by the judge.
I actually agree with you on some of your points but I’m thinking that in light of some of her other judgements its leniency on her side
That doesn’t make sense though. To understand if any of her sentences are lenient, you’d have to compare them to similar offending sentences of other judges, not her own sentences.
Well true, I guess I’m more suggesting she has a bias towards leniency
That depends very much on your point of view: most right wingers are deranged and utterly incompetent when it comes to effective (ie: actually reducing crime) penal policy.
I’m guessing that you really don’t have a clue having taken your lead from DPF and not even bothered looking at other sources.
That’s nice dear
Clocked on at 8.30 a.m.
When does your shift end?
Can you prove I get paid to do this? If not I expect a retraction and an apology
AFAIK …. organisations like samaritans and others have ‘shifts’ and it’s voluntary (you know – philanthropy – the way the Natzis think compassion and aid for fellow humankind should work). IT’s a win win situation – it allows the philanthropist to feel good about themselves if and when they have the means, there’s no guilt feelings involved, they can cling to any Christian religious beliefs they may have, they can feign concern and their friends can see them being nice blokes, and they don’t have to inconvenience themselves in any way whatsoever. Most times – even their kuds can claim their tragic aging old parents are decent ‘stock’ and are their bestest ever best freinds.
They really are ‘decent’ lore-biding folk!
For people who are using child rape porn I’d prefer that for first offences the focus is on rehabilitation and supervision.
Sure. But what does “supervision” mean? It doesn’t mean this prick never gets to use a password to ensure his privacy on a network-connected computer ever again, which is really the only supervision that would address his particular problem. Also, he gets name suppression, which is very much up to the judge. I wouldn’t want this guy anywhere computers I was responsible for, but the judge has decided I don’t need to know. Rehabilitation for him should involve learning to do something that doesn’t involve computers – there’s plenty of work out there for cleaners and other forms of unskilled labour.
Name suppression is an interesting and difficult subject.
In an unreal world he would be banned from owning and using electronic devices for the rest of his life, probably in a real world if he was a citizen of Saudi Arabia he would have his hands cut off to absolutely make sure he didn’t. I wonder what the Judge would have brought down if he had been just poor, uneducated and not employed – jail time and hell in the showers. I hope his wife and kids leave him for the kids sake and well being. What a tosser.
That’s the crux of it for me too Kate. Loss of status is being considered a punishment by judges now and one has to ask how that can be considered justice.
A poor person has little status so they can go to jail whereas a rich or important person has some perceived stature so they get a slap on the wrist because sending them to jail will demean them in the public’s eye. Lovely.
Absolutely DH – its a closed off world where they have a law for themselves and they make sure they look after each other. Child sex offending and child porn is repugnant and there should be serious consequences for such offenders. Its odd how it seems to me to be a “sport cum pastime” for the wealthy and well educated with their secret clubs and places where they go for their kicks – so many people in power seem to get caught at it. Its sickening and so many of them have children of their own, beggars belief really how sick some people can be. I have absolutely no sympathy for them and believe they are unable to be rehabilitated and we shouldn’t be wasting good money on them. The judge should be reprimanded and told to re look at her findings.
Absolutely agree.
As do these guys…http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11525657
and these interesting stats…
“The graphic details
• 30 per cent – of all internet bandwidth is used for pornography. (Source: Huffington Post)
• 70 per cent – of men and 30 per cent of women watch porn. The average time spent on a porn site is 12 minutes. (Huffington Post)
• 450 million – Unique visitors to porn sites each month. When combined, Netflix, Amazon and Twitter get 316 million visitors. (Huffington Post)
• 90 per cent – of all content included verbal or physical abuse against women in one study of 50 popular pornographic websites and DVDs. (Violence Against Women)”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10892165
@Whispering Kate
Nail hit firmly on head.
This is an ‘old’ story, but one that does deserve more air.
Fifty year old ‘professional’ is caught perving at 6000 images of child pornography so hideous that the Judge can’t bear to view them and gets sentenced to stay home.
And…gets name suppression.
In an ideal world he’d be rendered incapable of further offending….ever.
His ‘mental illness’…what a crock.
But, the Judge…bless her for her many acts of mercy…has let him of, and protected his identity, and suppressed his ‘profession’.
Is he a lawyer? Can’t trust any of them if male and fifty years old.
Is he a doctor? A judge? An IT consultant? An engineer?
So many fifty year old male professionals we can no longer trust…is it him that gets off on watching children being sexually abused?
See, guys, this is what happens when sexual predators are protected…we can’t trust any man.
Farrar is more of a creep than Slater…….being the good cop in the bad cop/good cop routine that he and Slater played for John Key makes him the more dishonest one.
I also suspect he did the polling and advised John Key he did not have to apologize to Tania Billington as the numbers were not hurting him…….
Farrar is a grubby little fuck …………………. you should spend more time at his blog BM
Why the NZ media sucks:
example 1
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/368859/woman-punched-head-speaking-te-reo
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11570046
example 2
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11572163
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/369447/beached-car-recovery-rocky-road-rescuers-say
I don’t see your point. The Herald led with the same article as the ODT in example 1, both major ‘papers seem to be syndicating off each other a lot these days.
I’d think correcting a wrong report to be ethical media behaviour. Where the Herald in particular get a bit ratlike is they sometimes print the false claim on the front page with a big print headline & many column centimetres and hide the subsequent retraction or alternate view deep in the paper using small print and only a few words.
They suck because instead of trying to get both sides of the story they just went with the most sensationalist headline they could get without even the pretence of balance
Hey, that’s BM’s favourite news source you are bad-mouthing there.
Is pr at last seeing the light?
The Herald has been a rag for ages. Has he finally noticed?
Zzzzz
You are going to get suspended if you keep that up.
Thank me later.
Whenever I see a post from Paul I’m reminded of The Young Ones
Rick: Oh, God, I’m bored. Might as well be listening to Genesis.
So you found the article from the Guardian about the oncoming market collapse dull?
Or the one on the consequence of the TPP on copyright dull?
OK……
For your enjoyment
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Dull
Not sure I can follow that PR. Both incidents appear to have had timing issues where more information was revealed later and I don’t think you can blame the media for printing what was topical, and appeared truthful, at the time.
“Appeared truthful”
That’s the thing though isn’t the fourth estate supposed to find out whether its truthful or not? It just appears to be lazy in that someone runs to the media and the media print the story without doing their jobs and the media wonder why people are turning away
What do you expect from them? If they thoroughly investigated every act that was reported to them they’d have nothing to print.
Filling a newspaper every day can’t be an easy task. Sure they put some drivel in it and yes they can be a bit hasty at times but so long as they maintain a genuine balance with the storyline I don’t see it being a problem.
I thought they did ok on the Te Reo one. The media have adopted a practice of milking a story for as long as they can keep people interested and they killed that one with the follow up. With the first article the way they worded it they looked to be priming the rednecks for more gossip & innuendo and instead the story just died.
They tried to make the Te Reo one into a race issue, that’s pretty poor reporting
genuine uestion for you PR;
Why do you think journalism was traditionally called ‘the first draft of history’?
Well I haven’t heard that one before but it does sound rather pertinent
Yeah, I like it coz it’s neither a praise of journlaism nor a condemnation of it. It just calss it what it is, an important part of the eventual discussion that becomes ‘what we accept as historical truth’.
It’s job is to get stuff fast, and as accurate as fast allows. It’s going to get stuff wrong, and will need to revise itself and update itself and generally keep on journalisming. No one has yet come up with a better model that actually works.
I think the problem is you simply can’t but what makes it worse is the news media (imho) are trying to go head to head with blogs
The news media can’t compete with speed but they can compete with quality, instead of going down market and going after the lowest common dominator it’d be nice to see a newspaper go the other way and compete on quality of reporting instead
I wish that the newspapers would just try and get the simplest things right.
The DomPost this morning had a story that Singapore Airlines were going to start a service from Wellington to Canberra using an Airbus A330. They put a picture on the front page which they labelled as being an A330.
The only problem is that the A330 is a twin engine single deck aircraft. The photo was of a four engine double decker A380. Can’t they get even the simplest things right? Do they even care?
Trouble is that quality costs.
Heh – what’s the old quote from tradies: you can have any combination you want of fast, cheap and good that you want, but you can only have two out of three. Well, in modern media fast is cheap, but good is extremely expensive – good investigators, good editors, good sub editors, lose one and the others become precarious.
The “both sides of the story” is a crock.
In most cases the call for both sides results in false balance; giving more equal weight to opposing views than actual evidence supports.
The reporting around climate change being primarily caused by human activity is an obvious example of the failure of “both sides” reporting.
And then there is the similar argument to moderation where the middle ground between two opposing views is viewed as the correct one, and discounts views at either extreme end simply because they are at the edges.
The reporting around the effects of climate change is a good example.
With the Te Reo story, it looks like the Herald ran with a breaking story without investigating the actual facts of the matter, and tacked on a headline that can best be described as race-baiting.
Or, to put it another way, they couldn’t be arsed actually doing their job and decided to poison the public discussion around Te Reo instead.
That’s a good point about the both sides being a crock, I hadn’t considered that.
Probably best to add that hearing from both sides is sometimes essential to actually understanding what is being reported.
Reporting of court cases is an example.
The interesting thing to me is that the ODT clearly attributes both the story and the photo to the Herald, but the Herald only attributes the photo, not the identical story, or any other indication it’s syndicated content.
FFS you lot, is it going to be like this all day? Really?
Maybe we should ask lprent for a “Daily Troll-Pit” as well as “Open Mike”
I endeavoured to open debate on the warnings by the RBS at 2, and to generate conversation about some of the future effects of the TPP at 3 and 4.
yes, and that’s all good but it’s not all you did is it.
Care to comment on either of the issues?
No. In this subthread I’m talking about behaviour on ts. Shall we turn this one into a long boring trollfest too? You are better than this usually, so feel free to not take my original comment personally.
If any body can pick the top of a market or the bottom they would be infinitely rich Take these announcement with a grain of salt, similar advice to buy . if RBS believed as thier predictions are 100pc kosher and so do you Paul I suggest you short the total market with every thing you got, you can’t loose
I called out abusive language directed at another member.
Public service innit?
Looks like you want to fight RWNJ and/or trolls rather than discuss politics. I think there are better ways to do that if you want it to also be a public service.
Ah well, the more considered approach is fine to a point but every now and then it’s better to be more direct. Not sure some people understand any other way.
I note you have said yourself below that the month old story about the judge and the professional was a set up. What’s wrong with calling that out early?
I don’t have a problem with calling out bullshit. It was more just that I came onto OM this morning and it was full of bickering. Naming bullshit is one thing, arguing about it endlessly is another. I know how easy it is to get sucked into that, do it myself, but it was just a bit much and I thought it might be good to name it and see if it changed 🙂
I seem to remember it getting like this last year at about the same time, its caused by the lack of fresh meat to feed them.
It did seem like a bit of a feeding frenzy this morning.
Plus I suspect the sexual offending one is a set up. Cue post from Pete George saying that the standard supports child pornography watchers.
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/it-is-time-for-australia-to-set-the-refugees-free-20151227-glvflx.html
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/75808937/New-Zealand-refugee-settlement-given-to-Syria-because-Australia-hasn-t-taken-up-offer
Its time key “got some guts” and put pressure on these Aussie wankers.
Oil price plummeting. Why has all the alarmist Peak Oil crap gone silent? What will be the next alarmist warning Ah yes TPPA, the end of civilisation. Welfare reform-?
Clearly the world’s oil market was not functioning as a effective market and we were paying too much for oil.
The Saudis are playing games so that American fracking and off-shore drilling becomes to expensive to continue and that the Russian war chest gets depleted.
The Americans used to rely on the Saudis for oil and the Saudis don’t like it that they don’t need to anymore. It hard to make them fight your enemies when you can’t blackmail them over their oil needs.
Actually I’m not sure America actually purchased oil directly from SA. I think the US purchased oil from Canada and Mexico, and no now longer need to do it. So Canada and Mexico are selling their oil to countries that would have bought from SA.
Oil is fungible.
They do still import oil from the Kingdom.
It peaked at about 50 million bbl/month in 2003 and is now down to about 30 million.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIMUSSA1&f=M
You are quite right about it being basically fungible. There is a difference in properties but that can be got around if you don’t want the cheapest price. New Zealand of course both imports AND exports crude. Our production isn’t very good for producing the mix of products we want.
Thanks.
“Why has all the alarmist Peak Oil crap gone silent?”
It hasn’t.
Read up, fisi: http://ourfiniteworld.com/
The media suck
example 3
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75747157/minister-denies-meeting-chinese-billionaires-rep
Minto said the information came from an anonymous source but it seemed credible as it matched with Pinnacle’s stated intentions.
Minto said: “Whether or not [Bennett] met with them, it’s clear Dr Cheng’s Pinnacle group want to buy state houses. They’ve been quite explicit about that.”
Sounds the same as the old question of have you stopped beating your wife…
yes, the MSM suck. Now, which political parties have policies on improving the quality and standard of the MSM in NZ?
I’m not comfortable with political parties having anything to do with journalistic standards except in the most broadest possible terms
Oh, I think a couple of laws about the MSM sticking to the truth should bring about a few changes. The reporting of the Donghua Liu (sp?) affair should have brought about significant consequences to the publishing houses. Maybe if they’d been looking at a fine of a few million dollars they would have investigated it properly before jumping on National’s Dirty Politics bandwagon.
The Labour Party did have the opportunity to sue the Herald and it’s reporters for defamation. And Donghua Liu for libel*.
But they didn’t.
So if the Labour Party shows no interest in defending itself, why would anyone assume they would stand up for New Zealanders?
* I’m assuming Liu’s statement false statement was quoted instead of paraphrased – I can’t remember, and don’t want to wade through all that muck again.
The problem is though that you may get a government that comes and decides to make their own changes, changes you may not like or agree with
Interesting, you’re actually complaining about the dictatorial political system we have.
And that’s why we need a democracy rather than an elected dictatorship where policy is decided by the people and not a small clique of dictators as we have now.
Well we have a two party state as it, I mean in 2020 Labour will get in for two or three cycles then it’ll be National and so on and so on
How can we change that?
Have you heard of MMP?
The Greens have been steadily creeping their vote up. Recently NZF has as well.
I’d expect that after National get handed their arse because they haven’t managed to build any coalition partners, and they booted off the treasury benches in 2017, that they will have other parties form – probably along the obvious internal fracture lines.
Some of those parties may grow. But in the end, a party needs to get above 5% vote to get into parliament (electorate seats are hard to keep for a small party – they kill party vote), and above about 15% of MPs to be viewed as a major party.
To do that, they have to get a dedicated party membership and activists, both as a source of candidates and to provide the room to groom viable candidates who don’t bug out. Think of Pam Corkery and a number of other celeb candidates over the years.
No secret…
I just don’t see the Greens overtaking Labour so they’ll always be a support partner for Labour and same with NZFirst
I just think with NZ, due to our size, it’ll be a choice of blue or red so basically a two party state
Easier said then done as Colin Craig found out
Yes, but CC is just a weirdo. Everything was going very well for them until his weirdness overshadowed everything.
Their policy positions were popular. Probably the only thing that stopped them getting more votes was scepticism that they would get enough votes to be elected – catch 22.
If the threshold had been 4% they would have easily gotten in, and probably polled 5%+ anyway.
Of course with Colin’s meltdown, we could have been looking at an early election.
I enclose a polling graph. I assume it is accurate. Can you confirm that the Greens have been steadily creeping their vote up. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/01/december_public_polls-2.html
Try this one,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_Aotearoa_New_Zealand#Parliament
From zero to 14 MPs in 24 years and only one election did they lose MPs.
After observing politics for a few decades, I’ve come to the general conclusion that most of the people interested in politics are interested in being critics rather than doing the political leg work. That definitely includes me. I prefer to find a decent seasoned candidate and to support them.
That job is too hard. I just don’t have the stamina.
Granny front page today about a tree that cant be cutdown. Another barely hidden whine about supercity rules that developers probably want ‘fixed’…..and they wonder why circulation is declining.
In this case though, it’s a tree that needs to be removed.
So, it’s the opposite of the Kauri up in Titirangi.
Pretty sure the two stories will be conflated in the next couple of days by someone who has both a large public platform and a penchant for magical thinking.
people need reminding who created the clusterf@&k that is supercity.
Anyone know the details of this case*?
It looks like the result of piss poor legislation.
* Owner denied consent to remove a dangerous and failing Norfolk Pine.
That would be actual journalism you expect from nationals herald, move on.
Story has been updated with some more detail.
I expect I’ll have to wait (and hope) that Prof. Geddis or G. Edgeler is curious enough to identify and blog on the legislative conflict that the environment court was unable to resolve.
Yes however the printed version stays out there like a dog whistle not leaving the herders mouth.
The story should be completed first then published but hey thats journalism whereas this is nationals herald
“the printed version stays out there like a dog whistle not leaving the herders mouth”
I saw the headline and my first thought was; “bastards have cut the Kauri down”.
It wasn’t til I clicked and read the story did I realise that it was a different tree at a different locale under different circumstances.
117 comments already and half it seems from RWs. How can anyone concentrate on thinking about anything important when these time and space-wasters block the thread, intelligent discussion gets deflected just when it is required more than ever before.
The RWNJs are mounting a very good attack on TS every day, it’s almost like a denial of service because it is hard to get through to the valuable thoughts and musing coming from real people with integrity. Patience is a virtue goes the saying, but too much turns you into a doormat for others to wipe their feet on.
edited
Agreed as they rely on the egalitarian nature of TS.
Try similar on blubberboy or princessparty blogs and the barrier comes down so the rwnj comments can flow freely for all the others to feed off and feel justified.
It looks like PR, fisiani and BM. All of those people are quite capable of debating properly, although PR often needs knocking into shape and is the most trollish of the three IME. BM likes to drop in somewhat inflammatory comments, but he will engage intelligently if you respond to him intelligently. Bickering with them will almost certainly get met in kind.
I don’t mind their presence so much as the fact that so much of the discussion is personal and squabbling. But that could just as easily be lefties (and in this case it was too) 😉
But yeah, if this were happening under a post rather than OM it would be seriously disruptive. Probably first week back at work dynamics too.
Ok so to provide balance heres my advice to Labour
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11572293
Go hard on this issue, forget about people with Chinese sounding names or crims on Easter Island, this is what will get Labour a much needed bump in the polls, this is what middle NZ cares about
Get your MPs as much coverage as they can, say what you’d do in power (and for goodness sake make sure the costings add up) and make sure you front foot this and frame the argument yourselves
Yes they make reading this thread dull
I agree with greywarshark. I don’t think any of them except PR are genuine. They often display a herd mentality when a strong theme starts propagating here. Their purpose seems to be one of disruption and diversion.
Take a good slow look at the fisiani posts. Is he using his own words, speaking his own mind, or is he just parroting scripts. No-one in real life converses like that IMO.
“The RWNJs are mounting a very good attack …….” I think its the shape of things to come in 2016.
I’m not too sure its a GOOD attack – it’ll certainly be a very vocal one – they’ve started early – the Speaker’s bum boys haven’t even had a chance to warm his sheepskin; Paula’s still getting over HER devastating loss (‘cos it was all about HER); Soimun’s mulling over his next move and wondering where the vulnerabilities are; Todd’s ego has been captured by TTPA grandiose; Anne’s clutching pearls and wondering where she stands ……
The ideologically driven agenda is starting to show signs of wear and failing to the extent that the average Joe is starting to notice, and the CT talking points and language are looking a bit tired (going forward). And all that “on the back of” a ‘Chinese Konomy’ that’s not looking too crash hot, peak real estate, and not even a TVNZ7/Proim Beck Benchas where the trolls can show up – much as they do here on TS to protest how right and correct they are. I agree with the ‘right’ bit.
Jesus H Christ!
Labour have SO MANY opportunities to bust this government eh?
What the fuck is the matter with them!???
Well, I guess I know that already.
I think I might pay another visit to Mal and Scotty’s to at least try and guage a ‘10%’ minority’s perspective of reality. Bloody expensive thing to do though eh!
It’s the other 90% of voters we rely on though that worries me, let alone half the electorate that didn’t.
Who the fuck is running that Labour show btw? I think most people would be buggered (if they knew)
EDIT: ….. Last time I went there btw, there was some poor sap that had romantic notions of Fran fucking Wilde’s contribution to ‘equality’. If he only knew (which he wudn’t – unless he wanted to be a Fran Toi Boi, once was genuine – now Franny’s leaned how to clup the tuckit and American Express Platinum is moidy trektiv,
Once Was Tim
Sure a lot of things happening. They get to be like a bunch of flies buzzing round your head. It will be that we need to mentally record them but spend most of our time planning positive moves rather than registering the dross from the Dark Side.
🙂
What I fear most is that what I once knew as pretty bloody basic creds have been totally LOST by those who now pretend to ‘represent’ a public.
I’m not sure they even understand the idea of a ‘public’.
But there ya go. I guess they’ll have to learn the hard way.
– and there’s another thing – maybe it’s just me running out of life and becoming impatient.
At least there are inklings …. even amongst a neighbouring Hataitai-resident fag-hag grandma. (I’m at odds to wonder why as a politician, she’s prepare to …….
nah fuckit – now I think about it – she likes Judith Crusher Collins and Paul Henry, AS WELL as abusers of scared blokes worried about their sex you allty (going forward).
It ain’t political pragmatism either. I’m not sure but I suspect she might be training to be the next Fran Wilde
You’ve obviously got a shit load more energy than I have these days. I’m caught between bothering to put up a fight .versus. letting the inevitable play out and letting something organic happen.
Atm – I think maybe the latter – even tho’ it won’t be pretty for the ‘greedy’, or various minorities; or …. well hopefully you get the pitcha (and if you don’t – no matter). Apparently I’m on the verge of being *****BANNED****** (no doubt with some highly intellectual, ego-driven, how fucking dare he justification.
Kia Kaha ….. alongside anything else that gives you strength ( I know it’s not solely your ego)
Once was Tim
You might find Tim again if you go into something organic! It certainly helps with the frustration of present politics to be supporting something doable and health-oriented putting energies into an achievable project.
May be planting flasbushes for the tui, after Maori have been consulted as to whether they might be a good resource and they might like a particular species? that is good for making a particular article. That would be good, and then making sure that they survived, got watered, weren’t eaten by bugs, pulled out by thoughtless Council contractors etc. Hovering, working angel stuff.
Going to classes on growing organic vegs and learning about how to cope with the potato nematode or whatever. Supporting a group that plan the yearly Christmas parade, giving pleasure and joy to all, could be good. Being a hospital volunteer doing whatever they do. Fixing bicycles so kids can have one where it’s safe to go.
I would like to renew my ties with Amnesty International but have to organise my day better to ensure I send those messages in a timely way to distant countries. And I want to keep writing and reading on this blog. People here are generally good-hearted, so that is a positive thing to do, to keep in touch with people who sincerely care about people and the country, and just disagree about methods and effectiveness.
Academics go head to head over liquor industry funded ‘research’ on alcohol/violence link.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11573183
Despite her protestations, Dr Fox has been bought, plain and simple.
Any reasonable person can see that.
More so, Lion will have approached her specifically to do this report because of her earlier work done on disassociating alcohol from violence.
This kind of research is what happens when academic funding is pushed from the public sector to the private sector, something which the current government is determined to do.
+1
Dr Fox has been bought, plain and simple.
Followed by:
…Lion will have approached her specifically to do this report because of her earlier work…
So, which is it? Lion paid her off, or Lion funded her research because her prior research suited it?
Any conflict of interest she has in being funded by Lion is no greater than Kypris’ in being part of a religious anti-alcohol group, In fact, Kypris’ conflict seems worse – researchers are sometimes willing to tell funding bodies what they don’t want to hear, but religious conviction is impervious to rationalism.
“…but religious conviction is impervious to rationalism.”
You may want to check out the Rechabites PM…they appear to have moved with the times, evolved…and indeed, seem to promote similar ideals to those of many here on TS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Rechabites
The Rechabites commitment to alcohol harm minimisation is a worthy mission….one that most of the poor sods working in A&E departments around the country would support.
– Rosemary McDonald
Yes, and Lion’s commitment to minimising the appearance of alcohol harm is an unworthy one.
It seems that Lion is quite happy with Fox’s report (which is what they would have expected when they commissioned her), so there doesn’t seem to be any indication that they were told something they didn’t want to hear as Psycho Milt suggests.
@PM – why are those things mutually exclusive?.
Dr Fox probably even believes her own shite. Even amongst academics that claim to be non-partisan. It’s not unlike the detective that’s convinced their theory valid (often based on a hunch), and who then gathers evidence on that basis, and with that perspective.
With apologies to Steven Sackur and the Key interview when – well you hopefully know the rest …. claiming academic credentials and being ‘an academic’ can be two very different things. Personally I think Foctor Dox fits.
The good Foctor probably has as many disciples (and if not, they’ll be searching them out hard and fast), as there are opposing.
To be clear (in my opinion), the Foctor is a bullshit artist
…why are those things mutually exclusive?
Because there’s no need to bribe someone who’s already doing what you want. I guess it’s possible Lion are just particularly generous and trouble themselves to bribe researchers whose findings to date were convenient for Lion anyway, but they didn’t get where they are today by being generous with their cash.
To be clear (in my opinion), the Foctor is a bullshit artist
You’ve reviewed her research and found it wanting, have you? To be fair, I have to disclose that I regard anti-alcohol activists like Sellman and his mates at the Uni of Otago school of public health to be bullshit artists, but then I have a low opinion of the social sciences in general. Do you have some evidence for why Fox is a bullshit artist, but not Jackson, Kypris, Sellman et al?
According to the Herald article, Lion commissioned the report to use as a tool with which to lobby governments.
I guess they’d need to pay her for that.
In that case, everyone who accepts payment for their work is “bought.” That clearly isn’t what you meant. Unless you’ve some evidence that her research was falsified or skewed in some way to Lion’s benefit, your comment is just libel.
As it happens, her conclusions about alcohol causing violence (that its variability across cultures suggests a social rather than physiological basis for violence, that there is in any case no evidence for alcohol having a physiological means of controlling behavior, and that there are social conditions that are more likely candidates) is compelling on a logical basis alone, regardless of the research behind it. The onus is actually on her opponents to demonstrate that alcohol does control behaviour.
Here are some of her findings – they look pretty credible to me. I wouldn’t disagree with any of it:
1. It’s the wider culture that determines the behaviour whilst drinking, not just the drinking
Different societies with comparable levels and patterns of alcohol consumption experience very different levels of anti-social and violent behaviour in their night-time economies. Most of the differences can be explained by social and cultural factors and, with concerted effort, they can be influenced.
2. The physical effects of alcohol do not determine a behavioural response.
In layman’s terms, Dr. Fox’s research suggests that while alcohol has a very definite physical effect, it doesn’t hijack your moral compass.
Dr Fox says: “Certainly alcohol carries very definite physiological effects. At high doses, the point at which alcohol enters the brain stem, it is easy to see that the physical effects of alcohol can incapacitate all drinkers equally, regardless of cultural differences.
“But just because alcohol relaxes and reduces anxiety does not mean it causes inexplicable changes in behaviour or character or blocks impulse control. There are a couple of very simple observations we can all make that support this conclusion. First, the very same person on the same dose of alcohol can react in myriad different ways on different occasions and in different settings. This simply would not happen if we were talking about a purely physiological response.
“Second, morphologically similar humans in different cultures react completely differently to being ‘under the influence’. Some cultures see very little violence and anti-social behaviour, despite similar levels and patterns of consumption to other nations with high levels of such harm.
“The conclusion of my research, and many previous studies, is that alcohol can, in certain cultures and situations, be a facilitator of aggression if aggression is there to begin with, both in the individual and in the cultural environment. It does not produce it where it doesn’t already exist.”
3. Violent individuals, a violence-reinforcing culture and violent situations are the three interlinked drivers of anti-social behaviour and violence in the night-time economy
Dr Fox makes a number of recommendations to address each of these drivers, with some examples provided below:
* Violent individuals: Australia and New Zealand needs to ensure effective identification and direct intervention to tackle the behaviour of the minority exhibiting a pre-disposition to violence.
* Violent situations: We need to work to reduce situational cues – like poor facilities and transport options – that trigger poor behaviour. We also need to change perceptions of what behaviour is socially acceptable while intoxicated and create a genuine fear of stigma for breaking the rules – as has been achieved with drink driving. Realistic consequences such as fines and other sanctions for bad behaviour are needed.
* Violence-reinforcing-cultures: Australia and New Zealand must address the cultural reinforcers of violence, misogyny, and aggressive masculinity in all its cultural expressions from schoolyards to sports fields, politics and pubs, movies and media. Young men need to be taught that responding with violence is a failure in self-control, not a symbol of masculinity.
seriously?
It’s almost as if being drunk, or being around drunk people, is an unfamiliar experience for her.
oh well, file this under ….they can always move 🙂
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/super-city/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501110&objectid=11572269
Awww, The poor special snowflakes.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/75775117/Official-Information-Act-request-charges-for-media-in-spotlight
National making it harder for people to expose their dishonest practices!!
I’m truly devastated!
I just can’t seem to get people to engage with me and any of my comments (except an occasionale +1 from a Draco)
Why, I can’t even get hard right trolls to engage in debate.
I can’t even get BANNED ffs!
Oh misery!!!! where did I go wrong?
I’m fucking devastated. I’m soos oidle.
No matter how hard oi troi, none of these soshul media specimuns will engage.
Well … oi … oi jiss have to give up!
But hey … didcha hear? Jerry’s married that fukn old relic Rupe and she’s now dripping money and little blue diamond shaped pills
[lprent: Would you feel better if I banned you? 😈 ]
Your comments are to deep for my battered mush of a brain to digest and come up with a reply there, the one who was once Tim.
Yes ekshully, I would.
I know there’s been a delay in my replying, but a ban in this case would serve me well and signal to me what is wrong with our reliance on blogs as a challenge to the status quo.
I’d be in good company I think (not that I don’t appreciate your efforts in trying to battle our current situation)
So PLEASE ,,,, if you see fit and are feeling challenged – go ahead and BAN!
Actually, it’d be akin to all that’s wrong in the Labour Party these days (AND I REALISE YOU’RE IN NO WAY A PLATFORM FOR THE LABOUR PARTY).
You could put a ban down to being ‘very adult’ of you
The TPP is some bs.
Maybe some people will start to get from under the rock now.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11573299
Interesting news story today on the ABC, Malcolm Turnbull has turned down a request from the US to commit more resources to the war effort, this is the first PM in history (Australian) to “say no” to the yanks, I’m a little cynical as there’s an election in 6 months or so, and the most recent state elections (Vic, Queensland) saw there Liberal govts booted out after only one term, the Queensland premiere removed, Campbell Newman was a proponent of the JK way, only problem was the constituency wasn’t, and dealt with his BS policies that saw the destruction of their social fabric, I think they’re a little smarter than most give credit for.
TRP reminded me
My last surviving great aunt is about to hit the ton while I am away on the upcoming business trip. Does anyone have any idea of where to find an age 100 birthday card in Auckland?
The best I idea I have at present is to head to St Lukes.
Amaze
Ponsonby Road