Open mike 13/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 13th, 2011 - 64 comments
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Comment on whatever takes your fancy.

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Step right up to the mike…

64 comments on “Open mike 13/02/2011 ”

  1. vipers revenge 1

    I see Goof’s bedmate Winnie is the slipperist politian going around. Can see now why the sexiest polititian cut him loose.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4651010/John-Keys-pucker-in-big-poli-kiss-off

  2. just saying 2

    http://dimpost.wordpress.com/

    I’m linking to Danyl’s latest because it deals with a myth the left deperately needs to keep on challenging to get the wider working class united and onside. Meritocracy, aka the just world myth, aka ‘you get what you deserve’.

    • Colonial Viper 2.1

      Coddington misses the point completely. We want and need NZers to succeed at the very top levels. Indeed the future of the country depends on it.

      But the rewards of that work cannot just be concentrated in the hands of a few: more needs to be accessible by a larger portion of society so that we can generate new successes and create new opportunities for many more. So that our next Sam Morgan, Sir Edmund Hillary, Rutherford does not depend on being born in a privileged family to fully realise their human potential.

      Coddington is advocating for the concentration of wealth and opportunity in fewer and fewer hands.

      This is a mad attitude for a country with so few people already, and where 1/4 of our most highly skilled and qualified graduates have fled our shores for the long term.

      • LynW 2.1.1

        Further to Deborah Coddington’s article.. a lot of us have been on or acknowledge ‘both sides of the fence’ and of course having plenty is a nicer place to be! But for some, whether it be moral, ethical, religious or political conscience or simple plain caring, wealth is just not as enjoyable when fellow human beings are so disadvantaged. The gap is widening so much in NZ that it is easier to be removed from the day to day struggle of the many or to simply choose to turn a blind eye. ‘Let them eat cake ‘ might be the attitude. A country is only as well off as it’s poorest citizen. I often wondered how the wealthy managed to live with themselves in third world countries surrounded by poverty and hardship. Watching NZ’s demise I guess it’s not so difficult after all!

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2

      Yep, capitalism itself guarantees that wealth distribution cannot be based upon merit as it’s designed to channel all the wealth created into the hands of the few with political power and/or ownership of resources.

      The actual links:
      Yes, They have more money
      On John Key
      Just linking to the top of the blog doesn’t link to the blog post that you’re talking about meaning that people actually have to guess.

  3. Colonial Viper 3

    US democracy needs to learn from Egypt

    The US is 15-20 years more entrenched in their plutocracy than we are. As a country and as a people we must not follow their example.

    The next LAB Government cannot simply be centrist because it must address directly and very strongly issues of economic and income inequality. Of the societal disenfranchisement of huge vulnerable swathes of the electorate. Simply holding off additional rot in these measures is not good enough.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/opinion/12herbert.html?src=me&ref=homepage

    While millions of ordinary Americans are struggling with unemployment and declining standards of living, the levers of real power have been all but completely commandeered by the financial and corporate elite. It doesn’t really matter what ordinary people want. The wealthy call the tune, and the politicians dance.

    So what we get in this democracy of ours are astounding and increasingly obscene tax breaks and other windfall benefits for the wealthiest, while the bought-and-paid-for politicians hack away at essential public services and the social safety net, saying we can’t afford them. One state after another is reporting that it cannot pay its bills. Public employees across the country are walking the plank by the tens of thousands. Camden, N.J., a stricken city with a serious crime problem, laid off nearly half of its police force. Medicaid, the program that provides health benefits to the poor, is under savage assault from nearly all quarters.

    The poor, who are suffering from an all-out depression, are never heard from. In terms of their clout, they might as well not exist. The Obama forces reportedly want to raise a billion dollars or more for the president’s re-election bid. Politicians in search of that kind of cash won’t be talking much about the wants and needs of the poor. They’ll be genuflecting before the very rich.

    • johnm 3.1

      Hi CV Our own kleptocratic,plutocratic financier in chief who has a nice house in Hawaii is and will continue to do the same to kiwi land.God help us if he gets in again.

  4. johnm 4

    Here is a tremendously insightful article on Egypt’s revolution being sparked by the pressures of 1. Trippling of population since 1960. 2. Oil production paid for the importation of food but same production peaked in 1996 and is heading downwards rapidly along with increasing internal demand for the same .Population increase has hit the wall of a declining resource base: What ever ISM takes over cannot change this fact.

    Egypt’s Warning: Are You Listening?
    By Chris Martenson

    Without persistent (and rising) food imports, Egypt cannot feed itself. It has managed to cover up the shortfall by having enough oil to export, but, like every country, their oil reserves are finite and eventually they’ll face a day of reckoning.
    The oil situation in Egypt has only very recently become an enormous and unavoidable issue.

    The monthly peak occurred in December 1996 (the yearly peak was also 1996), and oil production is now down some 30 percent since then.
    Of course, there are two things that typically chew on a nation’s oil exports: falling production and rising internal consumption. With both of these dynamics in play, Egypt’s exports have been getting mauled, not by one, but by two exponential functions:
    Any country that has to import both oil and food is living on borrowed time. It was only a matter of time before something gave way, and apparently that time is now.
    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that with water shortages and oil running out, governments may be able to hold back the tide of change for a short while but not for long.

    http://www.countercurrents.org/martenson120211.htm

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1

      Italy declares migrant emergency

      Italy has called a humanitarian emergency after thousands of migrants sailed across the Mediterranean from Tunisia, overwhelming authorities on a remote island.

      “The cabinet today… has proclaimed a state of humanitarian emergency following the influx of the large number of citizens from North Africa,” the government said in a statement on Saturday.

      The statement said that the decision to call an official emergency would enable civil protection officers “to take immediate action needed to control this phenomenon and assist citizens who have fled from North Africa”.

      The other side of the revolutions sweeping across the Middle East. As the article you link to points out:

      Editorially, it’s not at all clear to me how the poorly defined concept of ‘democratic change’ will really change the equation much, as limits are immune to which ‘ism’ you happen to be running, but I am sure there are some in Washington DC who think ideology can trump reality.

      I’m sure that there are some here as well especially in the NACT camp and probably quite a few in the Labour camp as well. Our world is limited and no amount of ideology will change that and yet we still do everything we can to grow the economy.

      We will be seeing more resource refugees and more political instability over the coming years and decades.

    • anarcho 5.1

      Yeah it’s just the same old shit over and over. Her hatred of the poor seems fed by an absolute unwillingness to forgo any aspect of her privilages. This impossible neo-lib dream of ‘milionaire-equality’ in turn feeds dispair, hopelessness and selfish individualism amonst my peers – a drunk mate bled my ears last night with “I don’t want a Ferrrari or anything, I just want to be rich.”

      That ordinary Kiwi’s buy this paper is depressing in itself.

      • Tigger 5.1.1

        It’s that same argument that anyone seeking equality is envious. What a great way to slam down justice, by calling it vile and jealous. This one is wrapped up on some bizarre logic.

        The most jealous people I know are the richest for whom enough is never enough.

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1

          Its the basis of the whole “Keeping Up With the Joneses” mentality.

          You buy a new BMW X5, you don’t keep it in your garage for the first day or two. Park it out on the driveway for all your neighbours to check out first.

      • prism 5.1.2

        This is the vile politics of envy,
        There goes Deborah Coddington again. Too much uncontrolled energy sparking off her, so that no new neuron activity can penetrate. Someone should chase her around Auckland or where important, successful people like her live.

        And these successful people who need so much money to live, what are the attributes and activities that they do for it? Are they top scientists discovering new things to help the planet and mankind, do they run engineering firms making new designs that are energy saving, do they run future building training courses for the human resources of the country, do they study how our activities can nurture our environment etc? No, likely they are managers of other people’s businesses, or owners manipulating the existing environment looking for the easiest way to puff their salaries and please shareholders. Their excess of money does not fund new innovations and useful entrepreneurial activity it fuels trips to Oz to see the latest shows, takes them to fine dinners and wine tastings or makes them so tired they need time out in Hawaii or… the world is their oyster.

        To have a successful, happy life doesn’t require huge excesses of money. So if some ask that the top strata cut down a bit so that others with a lack of opportunity can rise, that is not envy. It is down-to-earth practical economics, something that Coddington doesn’t mix with – like oil and water.

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.2.1

          Damn man, how do you expect the privileged to continue feeling they so special if society allows the masses to start doing better for themselves?

        • M 5.1.2.2

          Prism, this is inspired.

          I particularly liked the part where you said that having a successful, happy doesn’t require a huge excess of money but many people seem to blindly believe this.

          All the crap about the people who give a damn about the poor wanting to drag the rich down to their level needs to be refuted emphatically at every turn, no matter how much derision the speaker of the truth receives – Phil Goff are you ready to step up to the plate?

          I tend to be suspicious of people with loads of money because they tend to be disconnected from the reality of most people’s lives, y’know the sort that would ask a person on minimum wage where they went away to for the Christmas break.

          • prism 5.1.2.2.1

            Thanks M. The bit about being asked about where Christmas breaks were enjoyed I can understand. Have been fairly hard up, and known of people even worse off, it limits your ability to have friendships with others who are better off even to take part in family gatherings. You can’t afford to travel there, you can’t afford the right clothes even to hire them, you can’t afford a present for a wedding couple.

            On and on, and if you can only get minimum wage work, and perhaps that on a casual basis, life becomes a drag. If you are bringing up children, trying to be upbeat, assist them with schoolwork and ensure that they can have the equipment to undertake optional interests, sport music, computers, photography so they can learn and develop their interests and talent in ways that are productive and creative and not have them sinking to self destructive activity is not recognised and honoured. When one teenager’s Japanese class decided to visit Japan I made the decision not to try and raise the thousands needed to go. Cinderella going to the ball thing. At midnight she had to return and in the same situation. Foreign travel was where I drew the line on my effort to give a wide education. Fair enough one might say. But I don’t think anyone else in the class was prevented from going by poverty. To me it wasn’t important, but just another thing that I and my children couldn’t hope to share in.

            PS – Both my children are really great people, warm, friendly, responsible, working at demanding jobs, capable, knowledgable good citizens and a credit to themselves – I only helped with the groundwork and tried to direct them along the right paths, and then supported them in their choices. Which turned out successfully. It would have been less stressful for us all if there had been more family assistance though, willing help when occasionally needed not distaste for someone struggling.

  5. Colonial Viper 6

    Hospitals and courts on hit list for semi-privatisation to foreign multinationals.

    Police next, no doubt. A private corporate police force, how charming. Reminds me of Robocop.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4651480/Hospitals-courts-on-partnerships-list

    And who did he mention this to?

    At a breakfast meeting of high-powered Maori leaders and National Party MPs and officials on Waitangi Day, Key said it “made sense” to release capital to spend on other things by using PPPs.

    “It does make sense, in my view, to fund some assets either by releasing capital from assets we currently own, or alternatively through other aspects of a public-private relationship, whether it’s PPPs or whatever,” Key said.

    • prism 6.1

      There was an item on Chris Laidlaw Radionz this morning on free market economics, Keynesian, PPPs and how they just spread the payment of government assets over a longer period – just putting the exchange of cash in a different part of the balance sheet I think. And no doubt paying extra embedded costs along the way.

      Radionz news announced academic criticism of cuts to back office government functions.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 6.2

      Sounds like the Russian model. Hand over control of state assets to a few oligarch’s. who knows one day we coul have NZers owning Premier League Football franchises just like the Russians. Sounds like a few iwi would not mind being involved too.

      • millsy 6.2.1

        No doubt Boris Yelstin’s supporters got a tractor factory or two for supporting him in the 1991 coup.

        Now the Iwi elite are going to walk away with hydro dams and national parks.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.3

      Easy, much more affordable way to “release capital” for government spending – increase taxes especially on those who already have more than enough.

  6. Colonial Viper 7

    Glenn Beck / Fox News expects Mubarak’s Fall to Mean Chinese Take Over of Australia/NZ

    Yeah I do not get it either.

  7. ianmac 8

    This morning on Sunday Morning: An interesting discussion (if Chris would only stop interrupting) especially regarding whether it is wise or not to cut Government spending during a recession.
    “David Hall is the Director of the Public Services International Research Unit at the University of Greenwich in London. In the week that Prime Minister John Key said there was more to be done to make “government bureaucracy smaller and better” David Hall discusses the value of public services and the economic investment they need.”
    Damn. Doesn’t seem to be a podcast for this?

  8. logie97 9

    What do you think the reasoning behind the Herald reporting that SBW has now embraced Islam?
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10705928
    Isn’t SBW just becoming a distracting side-show?
    As for his religious beliefs – who cares?

    • Vicky32 9.1

      Okay, I am going to follow that link, but what I am asking myself as I looked at the newspaper headlines up at the dairy this morning was who the hell is SBW????
      Oh, is he some kind of sports person?
      Vicky

    • millsy 9.2

      I can just imagine the talkback when the all blacks get beaten..

      “too many bloody pansy muslims in the side, we need more King Country farmers..”

  9. Pascal's bookie 10

    Some Funsunday reading for yall:

    It’s the best round up I’ve seen of one* of the more interesting non-Egypt related stories of the week.

    Skinny is: Security company guy is aiming to get a contract with either, or both, of Bank of America. Reckons he has found out the meatspace identity of the leaders of ‘anonymous’ and that he is going to:

    sell this info to people, and

    show what a clever clogs he is, and

    win fame, glory and possibly riches through his awesome social media skillz based security work.

    Unfortunately, anonymous ate this chump and spat out his innards all over teh internets.

    I’m not a huge anonymous booster. It is what is and it’s fascinating, but this guy really doesn’t understand what that ‘it’ is. Nor does he understand Glenn Greenwald.

    Nor is he secure.

    ‘Internet security ‘pro’ pisses off “anonymous”, lets them get STUXNET code”

    = #PR.FAIL.All.Time.Champs

    So that’s the skinny, these links contain the phat, including links to all the delicious innards that got spewed of someone who thinks he’s playing in the big leagues, but got chewed out by ‘anonymous’, who actively pretend to play in those leagues whilst throwing batteries from the stands for the lulz.

    It’s, fascinating.

    Part 1

    Part 2

    Part 3

    *(the other best story is about some weird shit in Pakistan, involving death in the streets and a USian with multiple id’s being arrested and diplomatic blowout and who the fuck is this guy and why is he shooting people in the street and why are the USians so anxious about getting him home stateside pronto bloody quick; it’s a goody, but trust me this other shit is even better)

    • joe90 10.1

      Wow!, Mr smarty and corporation gets rolled by kids. And the weirdness in Pakistan, one of their own, perhaps?.

      Also, another wtf is going on, Luis Posada Carriles aka Latin America’s OBL.

    • Deadly_NZ 10.2

      And the moral of the story is… Do Not piss of Anonymous… But thats a given now if only Labour were half as good at politics as Anonymous are at showing their displeasure..

  10. Lanthanide 11

    Interesting story on stuff:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4651477/Intrigue-mounts-in-Epsom

    It’s talking about a potential new centre-right party to stand in Epsom against National and Act, with John Banks saying he’s heard talk of the new party (but denies being involved).

  11. M 12

    Hang on to your hats folks!

    ‘…In the aftermath of that event, the U.S. industrial economy nearly reached its end several times between mid-September 2008 and mid-March 2009. If we assume a similar series of events in the wake of $140 oil between late May and late October, then western civilization could commit suicide between late July 2011 (two months after late May 2011…’

    http://guymcpherson.com/2011/01/third-times-a-charm/

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      If you are able to, taking steps with home water tank systems, vegetable patches, solar water heating, etc. are all going to come in very very handy over the next few years. And make sure you have a reliable easy to maintain bicycle…

      • M 12.1.1

        CV, can’t afford solar and would like to get a water tank but would have to settle for one for watering the garden. The vegetable garden will be expanded from the small patch it is now and have a bike but would love to own a Mamachari. A woman at the local supermarket had a really good imported second hand one and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

  12. Tigger 13

    John Key at Big Gay Out:

    “He reminded the crowd that National had promised not to roll back any gay-rights policies and the Government had stuck to that promise. He also asked the crowd to consider voting for National this election. ”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4651710/Goff-Key-speak-at-Big-Gay-Out

    Vote for me and I won’t recriminalise homosexuality! Ambitious for gays clearly… This is the least friendly we’ve heard Key, not more ‘I’d let Brad Pitt pork me’ now…a definite run to the right in effect here.

    • Carol 13.1

      I’ve been reading the updates on gaynz, and have been wondering about the right-leaning bias of whoever is doing the reports.

      Even Stuff put more focus on Goff and the strong Labour contingent:

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4651710/Goff-Key-speak-at-Big-Gay-Out

      Phil Goff was the first leader to take to the stage and address the crowd, supported by a delegation of about half a dozen Labour MPs, all of whom received a warm welcome from the crowd.

      Goff said despite what had been achieved in terms of gay rights there was still much work to do.

      “There is still discrimination in the community.”

      Goff said Labour had long been the champion of gay rights, unlike some politicians, who he said would also speak today, who just “smiled and waved”.

      The Prime Minister John Key arrived about an hour later, with three National MPs, and spoke only for a brief time.

      He reminded the crowd that National had promised not to roll back any gay-rights policies and the Government had stuck to that promise.

      He also asked the crowd to consider voting for National this election.

      Key spent about an hour walking around the many stalls and meeting people.

      If you scroll down the gaynz updates, you can see Goff and other Labour MPs were out early. Then for a time there was this headline:
      http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_9924.php

      3.25: PM MOBBED ON PROGRESS THROUGH PARK

      And it seems that a lot of the “mob” were mostly the media asking about non-GLBT issues:

      Prime Minister John Key has arrived at the Get It On Big Gay Out and has been slowed down in his progress through Coyle Park by a large group of well-wishers and the occasional protester.

      The PM’s progress has been further slowed by a large general media contingent of reporters and camera people who seem more interested in governmental matters than his presence at the Big Gay Out.

      As far as I can see NZ Herald isn’t interested. TV3 is going to do an item on the BGO, and has attached to it the condom poll which voted Key the sexiest polly. Who the frak did they poll for this?

      • Tigger 13.1.1

        That condom survey was done last year at the same time by memory. Not sure about the right bias of GayNZ. I know some of the people behind the scenes and they can be prickly to say the least. Would love them to come here and explain the whole ‘mobbed’ bs. And who the feck was wishing Key well? Their gay cards should be revoked and they should have to sit in the corner with the Maori Party.

        • Carol 13.1.1.1

          I didn’t say that gaynz generally has a right wing bias. I haven’t noticed that. I was just talking about the writer of the updates. I said:
          have been wondering about the right-leaning bias of whoever is doing the reports.

      • kriswgtn 13.1.2

        Alot of the new breed of young gay men that report for Gaynz.com are tories 🙂

        we rark em up @ the forums

        No idea no fucking idea @ all before law reform

        Maybe they need to learn esp if Key and his idiots get back in cos sooner or later theyll run out of minorities to blame

    • millsy 13.2

      On the topic of homosexuality, an openly gay man intends to run for the GOP presidential nomination.

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/13/republicans-gay-rights-presidential-race

      He probably wont succeed of course, and he is going to cop a lot of crap, but good luck to him.

  13. Draco T Bastard 14

    Nats use EPA to de-protect Horokiri Stream

    So to recap, the Govt is using the Environmental Protection Agency to remove protection from endangered New Zealand fish habitat so that we can build a motorway on it, with the resulting increase in greenhouse emissions.

    George Orwell eat your heart out.

    So, who else realised when it was announced that the Environmental Protection Agency was, as a matter of fact, actually the Business as Usual Protection Agency?

    • prism 14.1

      EPA – Environmental Production Agency?

    • orange whip? 14.2

      I did, Draco.

      It was vigourously promoted by Rodney Hide so it was obvious that it wasn’t about protecting the environment.

      As far as I can tell the ultimate goal of it is to be an overarching body which supersedes any other agency with an interest in conservation, so when Rodney’s mates need to get around any pesky environmental protections they can go straight to the one-stop-shop and not have to mess around with Iwi, DoC, local bodies, the RMA or anyone else.

      • millsy 14.2.1

        The irony is, that the Resource Management Act 1991 was devised by the Fourth Labour government (approved by a cabinet that included the likes of Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble and Ken Shirley, later to become ACT MP’s), and passed by the Fourth National government, approved by a caucus that included the likes of Upton, Luxton, Bradford, and Nick Smith.

        From concept, to drafting to final enactment the whole thing was conceived, carried and delivered with the involvement of just about every single neo-liberal luminary who was in office during that period, from Bassett to Richardson.

        It is a collective amnesia among the right that they are attacking a law that was passed under the watch of the neo-liberal right. By their heroes, no less

        • Draco T Bastard 14.2.1.1

          Oh, it wasn’t amnesia but their increasing understanding that the RMA was getting in the way of their rich mates to exploit our environment for their own benefit.

  14. joe90 16

    sigh…

    In other words, THC in plant form or as an extract, will still be illegal. What won’t be illegal is if a pharmaceutical company buys THC from a government-licensed provider, puts it in a pill, receives the DEA’s stamp of approval, and sells it a price that will likely be far higher than the price of marijuana.

    • kriswgtn 16.1

      Sativirex has been made **avail here** but is not subsidised $300 approx a month and you gotta walk over mine field blindfolded to get it

  15. kriswgtn 17

    http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=126336&fm=psp,tst

    This has really fucked me off

    The line*John Key got up on stage and told the crowd National under his leadership has a strong record of standing up for gay rights.”

    WTF

    WHEN!?? WHAT?

    And thousands DIDNT rush to meet him I assure you.MY mates told me so and they were there

    Lying piece of shit

  16. joe90 18

    Iranian authorities are blocking web searches, apparently to prevent the spread of a call to protest on the 25th day of Bahman or Monday the 14th of February.

  17. Draco T Bastard 19

    Bomer’s War on News

    Bloody good this week.

    • Colonial Viper 19.1

      Loved the bit where Bomber basically says – Hey Cameron Slater, remember you work for the people of Auckland, not the National Party in Wellington!

      ROFLMAO

      Yeah that was a good one DTB

    • M 19.2

      Draco, didn’t know this existed – thank you. This will be a weekly staple from now on.

      Anti-spam: marks, as in full

      • kriswgtn 19.2.1

        Being able to watch Stratos and bomber is reason we had tio get freeview- how he dont end up bitch slappin slater is beyond me

        he is very witty is the bomber and he is revered in this house

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