Green Party co-leader Russel Norman has accused Prime Minister John Key of conspiring to establish a surveillance state in New Zealand by encouraging American data-mining company Palantir to set up shop here.
-snip-
Dr Norman voiced concerns this week about Palantir and its software Prism, which he suggested was similar to the huge online data gathering and tracking tool of the same name used by United States spy organisation the National Security Agency.
He also pointed out Palantir had set up an office in Wellington and was advertising for an analyst to be embedded with the Government.
Yesterday he said: “We need to know, is John Key effectively trying to replicate Prism in New Zealand by getting this organisation Palantir to set up here and start spying on all of our internet communications and everything digital that we do?”
-snip-
And in a tone reminiscent of the scientists of old who crowed that all that there was to be discovered already had been and laughed when the suggestion was made that the world wasn’t flat…here’s Tony Ryall:
State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall said Dr Norman suffered from paranoia and called him the Chicken Little of New Zealand politics. “Every time he talks about anything the sky’s falling in … it’s all big business big politics, the right against the innocent little Greens.”
Palantir: The ancient seeing stones of Middle Earth; originally used to keep the free peoples in contact with one another, but which fell under the power of the Eye of Sauron. Corrupting; Saruman the White, and driving mad with despair; Denethor (steward of Gondor, and lord of Minas Tirith; bulwark against the forces of evil). How appropriate.
@AwW
These scientists of old you mention; which ones do you mean? Aristarchus was the first (circa 300 BC!) to accurately describe the approximate size and shape of the solar system. But his work was more; lost, than derided by other scientists. Copernicus certainly came in for his share of flak, but that was mainly from the church; who demanded his heliocentricism be taught as merely a hypothesis (tactics reminiscent of the present attacks on teaching evolution).
A better example might be Galileo, the first astronomer to make and use telescopes (all Aristarchus had was; his eyes, the phases of the moon, and the length of shadows cast by the sun). In regard to his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, he begged a priest to look through one of his telescopes and see the evidence for himself. The reply? “I don’t need to look, for my faith informs me that they are not there” [paraphrased from the original Italian, obviously].
One you’ll like most is the new interview with snowde in the South China Morning Post, but it seems to have crashed their server, I imagine it’s popular. the link is here
This is great stuff Pb. Some thought provoking and considered commentary. Also good quotes in here. Appreciated.
The citizens of Hong Kong come in for some well deserved praise for their courage for standing up for democracy against the communist regional Power. I see that the citizens of that great city are rallying to support Snowden already.
Meanwhile the communist toady administrator of Hong Kong is calling for Snowden to be promptly sent back to the US. The US and their Communist China rivals and sometimes enemy, rally together against their common foe. Their own people’s thirst for democracy and freedom.
I take back my first impression that Snowden should come here. Hong Kong sounds like the perfect place for Snowden. Snowden has knowingly and willingly placed his life in the hands of the citizens of Hong Kong knowing of their record of standing up for democracy and freedom. Refusing to be bullied by the Communist Leaders of China or the past Colonial rulers.
Snowden has given recognition to the people of Hong Kong and their great history.
I only wish it had been us who had been so honoured.
“But yeah, as you say, no no no….”
Yet another failure by a “liberal” commentator
The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Wednesday 12 June 2013
Tim Dower, Damian Christie, Maria Slade
Larry “Lackwit” Williams is away, possibly with swine flu. But the format of this horror show remains the same: a dim but nasty host (TIM DOWER), a virulently dogmatic right wing opinionator (MARIA SLADE) and one token “liberal” who, in almost every case, is bullied into dithering silence or nervously tries to “find common ground” with the other two. Today that contemptible wimp is played to perfection by DAMIAN CHRISTIE. For anyone concerned at media irresponsibility, mediocrity and downright cowardliness, this little exchange, right at the end of today’s Huddle, is a perfect case study. Note how Christie initially makes a (weak) statement supporting Edward Snowden, but when the other two grunt their disapproval, he not only falls into line, but preposterously compares Snowden to Nazi war criminals hiding in South America….
TIM DOWER: Okay, we’re back with The Huddle. Now, uh, [snicker] this BIZARRE suggestion today that we should grant asylum to this guy Edward Snowden! Ha ha ha ha ha! What do you think of THAT?
MARIA SLADE:[snicker] No, no, no, no, NO.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Well…[nervous snicker]… I have some time for Edward Snowden actually. I think that what this Prism business shows is that the very LEAST, I should at least know that my emails are not being spied on! [nervous snicker]
TIM DOWER:[dubiously] Mmmmmmmmm.
MARIA SLADE:[dubiously] Mmmmmmmmmmm. They must have caught Geoffrey Robinson at a low point! I have a lot of time for him actually and, you know, his stand against the death penalty?
TIM DOWER: Yup.
MARIA SLADE: But THIS? [snicker] This is just…aaaaarrrgghhhh!! And you know he’s married to that FABULOUS novelist Kathy Lette! But THIS? No, no, no, no, no.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: I suppose New Zealand could be like Brazil and Argentina after World War Two, where characters like this could hide out. But yeah, as you say, no, no, no.
MARIA SLADE: Not with our relationship with the United States. It could never happen! No. NO.
TIM DOWER: Damian Christie and Maria Slade, thank you!
Point to Ponder….
The following are all used in NewstalkZB’s on air promos…..
Ranting. Reacting. Reasoning. Reflecting. The Huddle with LarryWilliams, on NewstalkZB!
NewstalkZB. Fair and Balanced.
NewstalkZB. Tune Your Mind.
Here’s the official line on dissent for today, written for the morally unimpeachable Daily Telegraph by one Tim Stanley, who is a British version of Dr Michael Bassett.
It’s full of flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis, but it’s as good as the British and U.S. regimes can manage, short of flinging rape allegations at him.
Those of us with a conscience will simply laugh at statements like this one about Prism: “it’s not a snooping programme but a data management tool.” But you will no doubt fall on such made-to-measure soundbites like a maggot on a chop.
How sweet, and ironic too, Morrissey, given that you’re the bastion of “flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis” around here. I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws, did not take his concerns to Congress, nor protested to the organisations and institutions for which he worked – the system is undoubtedly flawed. It is, however, curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation some weeks before the leaking. It is also rather interesting that Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech. Surely it did not escape one so erudite that Hong Kong remains a part of the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US. In any case, I ceased to have any sympathy for the man when he just recently made the transition (from his plush and expensive hotel room) from whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far. I would postulate that Mr Snowden, if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
Here are some of the ‘flaws’ of the whistle blowing process as told by one who used it:
I differed as a whistleblower to Snowden only in this respect: in accordance with the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, I took my concerns up within the chain of command, to the very highest levels at the NSA, and then to Congress and the Department of Defense. I understand why Snowden has taken his course of action, because he’s been following this for years: he’s seen what’s happened to other whistleblowers like me.
By following protocol, you get flagged – just for raising issues. You’re identified as someone they don’t like, someone not to be trusted. I was exposed early on because I was a material witness for two 9/11 congressional investigations. In closed testimony, I told them everything I knew – about Stellar Wind, billions of dollars in fraud, waste and abuse, and the critical intelligence, which the NSA had but did not disclose to other agencies, preventing vital action against known threats. If that intelligence had been shared, it may very well have prevented 9/11.
But as I found out later, none of the material evidence I disclosed went into the official record. It became a state secret even to give information of this kind to the 9/11 investigation.
I reached a point in early 2006 when I decided I would contact a reporter. I had the same level of security clearance as Snowden. If you look at the indictment from 2010, you can see that I was accused of causing “exceptionally grave damage to US national security”. Despite allegations that I had tippy-top-secret documents, In fact, I had no classified information in my possession, and I disclosed none to the Baltimore Sun journalist during 2006 and 2007. But I got hammered: in November 2007, I was raided by a dozen armed FBI agents, when I was served with a search warrant. The nightmare had only just begun, including extensive physical and electronic surveillance.
In April 2008, in a secret meeting with the FBI, the chief prosecutor from the Department of Justice assigned to lead the prosecution said, “How would you like to spend the rest of your life in jail, Mr Drake?” – unless I co-operated with their multi-year, multimillion-dollar criminal leak investigation, launched in 2005 after the explosive New York Times article revealing for the first time the warrantless wiretapping operation. Two years later, they finally charged me with a ten felony count indictment, including five counts under the Espionage Act. I faced upwards of 35 years in prison.
In July 2011, after the government’s case had collapsed under the weight of truth, I plead to a minor misdemeanor for “exceeding authorized use of a computer” under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act – in exchange for the DOJ dropping all ten felony counts. I received as a sentence one year’s probation and 240 hours of community service: I interviewed almost 50 veterans for the Library of Congress veterans history project. This was a rare, almost unprecedented, case of a government prosecution of a whistleblower ending in total defeat and failure.
And none of the rest is interesting at all in the way you seem to suggest. It can all be explained in the quote above.
It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.
I also don’t see any particular need to spend much time trying to psychoanalyse the guy. His personality is pretty much completely beside the point.
While you mind find your confirmation bias comforting, I still find the remainder interestingL Why did he flee to China? WHy is he now spilling his guts that have nothing to do with domestic spying on US citizens?
My bias is not to believe anything, never trust in an ideology, and when something is current and widely available news, I don’t feel I need to google for you
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
Youbleaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he appears to be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
game theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
You leaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he could well be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. ( ie, telling both the Chinese and the US that he has more stuff, and may talk without letting them know wjhat he has, and to what extent he will talk). It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
That would explain why he went to china. An opponent of the US will act differently toward him than an ally of the US will.
Game theory, Information theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into. Especially crypto geeks.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
First he tries to pillory Snowden for being a high school and army drop out. Now he’s trying to position Snowden as a Chinese spy.
Mate, just get over the fact that this guy is so smart he got a senior consulting position with Booz Allen on $200K pa (including benefits), which is something you couldn’t do.
And that’s before the fact he just threw that and more in, and put his fucking neck on the line. While you whine about his dirty socks.
And maybe you’re jealous of his pole-dancing girfriend – though it seems his salary was actually considerably less than $200,000 a year. Yep, your right, I couldn’t pull that and neither could he. I’m not actually suggesting anything except something remains very fishy, if only his motivations.
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Ron Paul’s economic theories are beside the point; his comments about the illegal spying of the government are entirely reasonable and solidly mainstream. Not, of course, if you consider the political class the “mainstream”, but then what does public opinion matter?
Ron Paul is what Richard Prebble would be if he had a conscience and the courage to speak plainly.
You delusional narcissists do like to stick together. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that he has in fact “leaked” anything that wasn’t already well known to anyone who cared to think about the Patriot Act for ten seconds. Now he’s giving interviews to the Chinese dailies – curiouser and curiouser….
1.) I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws
We can see the way that the US treats its whistleblowers, simply by looking at the judicial lynching being perpetrated in Fort Meade, Maryland.
2.) ….the system is undoubtedly flawed.
“Flawed”? What Edward Snowden has confirmed irrefutably is that the U.S. government is spying on its own citizens ILLEGALLY. It is perpetrating CRIMES against its own citizens.
3.) ….curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation [sic] some weeks before the leaking…
Yes, it was a momentous action he undertook. Planning was essential.
4.) Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech.
He chose a place where he would be safe from the depradations of another regime which has scant respect for free speech. Similarly, Ai Wei Wei recently sought asylum in the embassy of a regime which has scant respect for free speech. Not that a dedicated servant of state power like yourself is ever likely to anger any criminals like Snowden has done, but you need to remember the concept of “any port in a storm.”
5.) …the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US.
That is for criminal activity, not for political activity. If anyone were to be deported from Hong Kong now, it would be those U.S. operatives in the consul there who have not denounced their country’s criminal activities and are, therefore, still directly or indirectly involved in the commission of those crimes.
6.) …whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far.
He blew the whistle on illegal surveillance of American citizens. THAT is what the criminal U.S. regime wants him for.
7.) …if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
EQC. The government department set up to provide a form of land and building insurance in the event of a major disaster hitting anyone in NZ, but especially hitting a large population centre in one of our cities.
Its very reason for being of course came into play in Christchurch during 2010 and 2011.
EQC’s failings to comply with its own legislated obligations is legendary. It has completely and utterly failed. It has failed to such an extent that EQC offices have no signs, have razor wire around the perimeter and security guards. It is so completely incompetent that if you want to “opt-out” you cannot even speak to the people and you cannot even find out where their offices are to pay a visit.
EQC is the most incompetent and useless bureaucratic organisation I have ever had to deal with, bar none. Fucked.
EQC of course is subject to Gerry Brownlee’s rule in Christchurc. BIG MOST MASSIVE FAIL FOR THE BIG MAN.
So…. when I hear yesterday that the big man Brownlee has had enough of Christchurch City Council building consent delays I laughed. And laughed. and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed
Brownlee wants to take consent processing off the Council due to their delays.
So I look forward to EQC being taken off Brownlee.
Fucking scab-arsed hypocrite prick. I hate shit like this – double standards and total bullshit.
be great for journos to access their media vaults for the statements regarding the EQC reserves,
the ones that after the first quake, had Key saying the following
day one: ” EQC has cash reserves of 15 billion dollars ”
day two: EQC has cash reserves of 6 billion dollars
day three (to present) “EQC has (had) cash reserves of 3 billion dollars”
Yeah. The funny thing is that we are better than this…..
Example – Christchurch City Council building consent applications of all things. We’ve punched a few through there over the years and the staff are brilliant. Helpful, friendly, competent (mostly). We have just pushed our first one through post-earthquake and while there were some biggish delays overall it was not bad and I’ve heard of plenty that have gone through in time. The Council has very real resource constraint issues, just like everybody down here. They are dealing with it better than fucking Brownlee departments with the same issue that’s for sure.
This broadside has wider intent imo.
That can be the only explanation – what does Brownlee expect if the consent process is taken elsewhere? They going to deal with them quicker? Where will he get the staff and competence to do this? Fucking joke ha ha ha ha ha ha. Given Brownlee’s competency with EQC one must expect that if Brownlee is to process consents then it will be on a par with EQC and take bloody shitloads longer than Council. Council outperforms Brownlee.
There is wider intent to this …… keep the ears peeled …….
It is all a part of a general theme the Nats are building up that everything that is wrong is the fault of Local Government and Central Government is not to blame.
Same sort of stuff is happening in Auckland. The Housing Accord stuff is really scary and is clearly an attempt to transfer blame. There is also an underlying anti environmental meme as well and if you look at Environment Canterbury a similar thing is happening.
It is really really scary and my contempt for this Government has hit a new high this year.
Yep, this government is doing everything to shift the blame from them onto government bureaucrats and then we’ll see the private is better meme come front and centre and from there we’ll see even more of our administration shifted into private hands giving National’s rich mates a government guaranteed profit while we get to pay more and get less for it.
Where will he get the staff and competence to do this?
And that is the biggest question of all and the answer is that he will have to get them from the council thus crippling the council even more than it is. National and Labour have no understanding of economics – they just see the money.
The more I think about this attack on the Christchurch City Council by Gerry Brownlee (and it is an attack. The allegation perception and reality are a mullion miles apart) the more I see it as a political stunt as part of a longer campaign (as much as it is).
You watch – this “crisis” will evaporate and nothing will be heard of it in a few weeks. Gets Brownlee and Key and his lot some good headlines for a while though…
VTO – The situation in ChCh, quite clearly contrived , I would not expect to see any opportunity missed, to outsource.
Up here, the attacks are happening from the inside, courtesy of the appointments made by the unelected agency, which is now disbanded, who also signed the city into expensive, long term, damaging contracts, many of which have been *disappeared* from public view, and many which are evident by the numbers of consultants, the agencies they represent, and the *professional*, relationships, which dominate the departments, are easily available to track.
Preferred supplier lists are not adhered to, contractors enter on over-inflated rates/salaries, via the agencies with the *professional connections* – The fraudulant, crony behaviour, to line the pockets of the few, while the many, pick up the tab, is unbelieveable!
It’s a fruadulant enterprise, covering itself, and its actions, in more fraud!
… all appear to be symptoms of a government that has been hell bent on cutting back-office here and back-office there. I suspect that the delay in action is largely because there are not enough operators to deal with queries/phones/ etc.
From my shortish (two terms) experiences in local government (North Shore) it was very clear that the Nats really want to take over local government for themselves and their mates. The infrastructure and potential profit to be made from it is huge.
While it might seem ridiculous for Brownlee to say he’ll take over from Ch’ch city because they’ve got delays in approving resource consents, and you wonder where/how he’ll get the staff to do it any better – this could well be just another form of privatisation and takeover of NZ”s traditional way of doing things. As Mickey Savage says above – its very scarey – and there seems to be no stopping them. There’s still 16 months or so to the next general election – that sufficient time for the Nats to do still more enormous damage.
Does anyone know why Kim Hill is not on Morning Report today?
I woke up invigorated at the prospect of another good morning listening to the much improved programme since Kim has been back – only to find Susie Ferguson on with Simon Mercep and heard no explanation re Kim. I also don’t recall any mention of Kim not being on today in yesterday’s programme.
Nothing against Susie as I am impressed with her, but it seems unusual when she is currently filling in for Mary Wilson on Checkpoint – and then suddenly pops up again on the early morning show as well.
Have Kim’s brilliant interviews of Key and Parata been too revealing for some RNZ management – or their ‘masters’ who pay the cheques using our taxpayer dollars?
I realise that PB – but was it planned for today or is Kim sick or have other commitments today (eg preparation for Saturday)? My understanding from what has been said on MR was that Kim was to on for the full two weeks.
Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.
I reckon after shonkey the word went out to compliant RNZ natty boys, takes a few days. Susie is dogmatic but Kim is incisive and they are trained to cope with susies style, they lack the brains to cope with Kim.
vv
Yes I was wondering wheres Kim. But somebody said she was only standing in for 2 weeks. I think it will definitely be short term as I dont know if she would want the early starts each day to do the morning news and she has the reading and keeping up to date to do that enables her to surprise so many interviewees on her Saturday morning show with her depth of knowledge and understanding and get very memorable and interesting interviews from them. They’re gold, but getting gold requires work, time and commitment.
Fa’foi the Mana MP, no Sky City links to his area.
Cosgrave the Chch MP, no Sky City links to his area.
WTF? Why did they think Sky wanted to grease them?
What a pair of numpties!
Goff? Unbelievable. Sky is a big employer of his constituents. However Phil should have known the huge political risk of accepting this invitation.
Shearer’s ten minutes of fame! He continues to match the low expectations we have of him.
My understanding is that corporate boxes are often rented out to other organisations, for functions etc unconnected to the actual longterm owner/renter of the box. Maybe that was the situation on this occasion.
Memo to Labour’s caucus. Do not accept corporate gifts from anyone, especially a corporate that profits on human misery and is engaged in the selling of our law.
When do we seriously start asking if Shearer has been planted as leader by National? Because no leader could be this shit, without trying to be this shit
I know the tory-fan-boys did all they could to make him leader, and now they are doing all they can to keep him there. But I’m beginning to think that National run the Labour party
Could be the database process. It has been boosting over 50% midday. Or the email, which is on a amazon server and seems to get dup issues with the emails from people monitoring via email.
But when National Party’s no 1 PR Man….John Armstrong writes about it, it does serious damage.
I would expect far better discipline from Labour MP’s, what the hell was going through their mind when they were invited and then accepted an invitation to Sky’s box…using the same thick part of their brain that made them select Shearer as leader.
Surely you don’t mean “weren’t happy with the National govt using the Hobbit as an excuse to ram through changes to employment law while giving massive subsidies to the foreign corporates who insisted on the changes”.
If not, then you’ll be able to find me an example of someone – anyone – from Labour being not happy with the Hobbit. gogogo.
Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong but what I know is that Sir Peter Jackson is more trusted and respected then anyone in the Labour party
And when the election campaign starts the MSM (in the pay of the National party backers) will be running the line that Labour were against the Hobbit movies
But hey I’m sure David Shearer will be able to succinctly and clearly put the matter to rest eh
So you might have told a bit of a fib before (labour being anti the hobbit), but you’re pretty confident that PJ the titular knight and the band of merry MSM will repeat the story even if it’s untrue.
And everyone will believe Sir PJ the publicly-funded VJ because Reader’s Digest says so.
The thing about evil plans to mislead the public is that they tend to not work if you tell everyone about them. You should have learned that at Minitrue.
Goff, ‘n, King (sounds like a famous songwriting pair) are obviously making hay while the sun shines. They won’t be around parliament much longer, so won’t get many more opportunities. Appalling judgement though. We had to watch the match, full of adverts, on Prime after the match had finished.
Just as an aside, we caught a glimpse of Joky Hen in some important seats. Who supplied them?
They don’t seem to get it do they. Three of them have received huge ministerial salaries and are currently paid amounts that the ordinary punter can only dream of – why don’t they just spend their own “hard earned” for once. In this household, we have been waiting some time now for Shearer to show some leadership and authority. Won’t be supporting this shower of a party next election now, (though local electorate MP may still get the votes).
Wishful thinking.
They are 2 of Shearer’s 3 enforcers.
They are awaiting their 2014 reward, and will on current track be even more necessary to prop up what will be our weakest pm since Palmer.
If you have any doubts about Phil’s commitment to the cause take a look at 3 News footage last night of him tearing into Tolley over the Hutton euology. I wish he had been a bit more like that in the last election.
From what I can see, Labour not being elected next year would be the best thing for NZ.
At least Key amuses me, he’s our version of George W, or Berlusconi without the sex appeal.
Shearer just makes me want to shove my face in a food blender.
He also surely had the opportunity to expedite the police review into the Thomas / Crewe investigation when in office. Yet, here we are in 2013 still knocking it around the paddock..
Not to mention the Ellis case which was shamefully handled on Goff’s watch.
Yes, him and Ahmed Zaoui would be a good reminder to anyone who thinks that the Labour Mandarins such as Goff – who are still front benchers – are liberal in any real way. Fucking hypocrites.
Heard on Radionz this morning.
The Turkish leader is talking about a referendum about confiscating green area in the city used as a park and allocating it to businesspeople to build on. It’s a step towards fairness though shouldn’t need to be considered because taking the park should never have been considered.
The Afghani interpreters and their families have arrived, but there are still about ten they are worried about. And the way things are going there the truth that they could be endangered seems evident.
Queenstown is unhappy with government withdrawal of personal services and replacing with on line etc distant communication by voice or electronics. Do we want our government to be constantly breaking down their relationship with us in this way? Computers are great as an adjunct and aid but they have bugs and we don’t want to feel that we are being ordered by machines which is what will happen as they increase the automation and drop the amount of actual people staff employed. I have thought of a name for this government at a distance approach – Portcullis government. This brings to mind the barred gate that dropped down at the entrance to castles in days not so different as now.
Christchurch is being threatened with a takeover of its services. The problem is that there are millions to be invested in the CBD and they can’t get timely okays on their plans. Bob Parker is his usual smooth self. He was very involved in who was employed as ceo and one wonders if both are the right people for the job. More takeover by the central government. They will rule us all soon, in every way. We have to be brave and wise hobbits and make our supportive relationships to prevent being swamped by the corrupted ones.
In an old Listener Gareth Morgan commented unfavourably on the corruption and selfishness of African governments and officials and blamed them for being greedy and preventing so many African countries from being able to provide decent living standards and effective systems for the people.
Viewing NZ I think we need to be under scrutiny for the same reason. The latest – our mining approach is all right Australia and Canada provide the example of good practice. We don’t look to see what is good for the country beyond immediate gratification of new industry bringing in some money and turnover, and of course its so macho, men in hard hats and big machines doing big things – really it’s very like Think Big all over again.
Gareth in Under African Skies -My country, my aid money p.50 20/10/2007 comments on shoddy government screwing the people. But I think he also shows how public-private type partnerships do the same and says:
Africa will go nowhere so long as dictatorships equipped with the machinery of democratic government institutions are able to abuse their public. It’s a toxic mix of village or tribal feudalism controlling Westminster-style institutions, significantly funded by money derived from Euro-American, Middle Eastern and Chinese imperialist and development strategies. Global expansionism is driven by the coveting of access to oil and the other natural resources…and pursuit of military alliances and accommodations.
“The first wave of post-colonial rulers in Africa, who having led their peoples to independence, felt the need to articulate the theoretical foundations of their programmes for socio-economic development and cultural renewal. With rare exceptions they argued for forms of socialism based on first principles deriving from traditional African communalism. The African provenance of their philosophies was clearest in the ‘Ujamaa’ (Familyhood) socialism of Nyerere of Tanzania and the ‘Zambian humanism’ of Kaunda, who both steered studiously clear of foreign ideological admixtures.More indebted to foreign philosophies, specifically to Marxism-Leninism, though no less sincere in their pursuit of African authenticity, were the ‘scientific’ socialisms of Nkrumah of Ghana and Sekou Toure of Guinea. In between these philosopher-kings was Senghor of Senegal, poet, statesman, scholar, and philosopher of Negritude, whose writings display more scholarly appreciation for Marx than ideological commitment to him.
Although no continental unanimity is assumed, traditional African conceptions of the cosmos in many instances involve homogenous ontologies that cut across the natural / supernatural opposition in Western philosophy. God is conceived of as a cosmic architect of the world rather than it’s ex nihilo creator, and minds as capacity rather than entity. The associated conception of the human personality, though postulating a life principle not fully material, is still devoid of any sharp dualism of body and spirit. That conception also has a normative dimension which incorporates a communalist and humanistic (as distinct from a religious) notion of moral responsibility into the very definition of a person. At the level of the state this goes along naturally with a consensual philosophy of politics based on kinship representation under a kingship dispensation.
How to adapt this understanding of politics to current African conditions is oone of the severest challenges facing African philosophy today.” 🙂
Hey Rogue that is a mighty comment and one I’ll read more than once for best understanding. But unfortunately for Africans the west knows how to prise the community part from the personal enrichment (including nepotism) part. We don’t have that here though it is noticeable common connections between power givers and peer compatriots.
What have you to say about Botswana? I have read Alexander McCall Smith’s books on Mma Ramotswe and he has spent time there I think. They are simple books with a sentimental approach. It would be good to hear that there is a core of goodness and pride running strong in that country as he portrays it.
mighty reply. chose not to read the McCall Smith books; RGP enjoyed them from memory. Have you circumnavigated The Pillars of The Earth or studied The Testament of Gideon Mack Stone ; just biding time, Minnie keeps Mickey honest, 1979, the old man’s favourite song, lying cheating, that’s all they seem to do, their Time is gonna’ come. the cooper has refilled with chunks (and the Sargent is at arms length,1 2 3). If not free, then a spree.
Seen this?
______________________________________________________________________________
Professor Prem Sikka exposes STATE CAPTURE BY BIG BUSINESS IN THE UK.
“In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders.”
Ahead of the G8 meeting I have an article on the website of The Conversation.
It provides examples to show that big business has thoroughly penetrated and captured the state. In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders. Yet this is not on the G8 agenda and without this no fight against organised tax avoidance is going to be effective.
The article is titled “Without curbing corporate power the G8 have no chance of combating tax avoidance” and is available at
Prem Sikka
Professor of Accounting
Centre for Global Accountability
Essex Business School
University of Essex
Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK
Office Tel: +44(0)1206 873773
Office Fax: +44 (01206) 873429
AABA Website: http://www.aabaglobal.org
Scabby Jami-Lee Ross’ Employment Relations (Continuity of Labour) Bill has been drawn from the ballot.
According to the draft legislation, the bill aims to repeal section 97 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. Which prevents replacement/causal/management aka SCAB labour being employed during a strike or lockout. Ross is another brown nosing piece of detritus that needs to be jumped on from a great height.
Peoples livelihoods in the hands of a beige man who left school with no qualifications to become a career trougher. His bio says that he had a crack at tertiary with so far nothing to show for it and the only thing that he’s done that looks even remotely like a job was a sinecure as Williamson’s electorate office toe sucker. Peachy.
I look forward to the council telling Brownlee to go fuck himself when he tries to do to the CCC what was done to ECan, which is the government’s standard response to council’s not submitting to stupidity.
As for the whining over consent times, it seems a good deal of unwarranted self-importance is present in some, along with a detachment from reality vis the shear number of new consents vs the lack of graduate planners to process them. As planners have to go through a 4 year degree, and can’t be imported, combined with the quakes, it’s created a man-power shortage for the council that wont disappear with bloody stupid solutions. Solutions that the RMA was created in the first place to lock away and so try to prevent long-term issues with environment or building issues.
QT 11.6 : Collins on the uptake from maori to enrol on the Maori Roll, “has not been favourable-only 5000 new enrolments”. Need for the ministry (Justice) and Electoral Commission to encourage face-to-face assistance. mana to MANA for solicitation at local P ‘n’ S, although some officious prat followed up complaints about the flags. I canvassed the cu-de-sac; officer does not vote, next neighbour, ambivalent, next, on roll and advised of by-election date, next, on General Roll and so on.
Q.3 Nats put Shanks in the camera; own goal. “economic growth (mainly) due to private consumption”.-English.
Q.4 Hipkins is on the right track re Nat.Stds moderation. (Carter-suggests he answer his own question by Google :-D). This “progression” explanation of Parata’s is not relevant to current results.This is gonna be another f*ck-up, to paraphrase the “education academics” surveyed on RNZ -“this is a farce”.
(can see the subdued demeanour of the govt. benches; how they believe their own spin is beyond comprehension 😉 )
But (they) have planted wickedness, (they) have reaped evil, (they) have eaten the fruit of deception…
-Hosea 10:13.
as even Stephen Franks finds, the Sky City agreement is “unlawful”, with the BORA implications not sought-Turei.
Q.7 “restrictive land supply issues favouring the old and rich, penalising the poor”- Nick Smith
(“the grey greedies”- Susan Wood).
Q.8″ MRI and ultra-sound waiting times pose a risk to patients right now; 25,000 awaiting”-King.
Q.10 “I trust the collective judgement of teachers”- Parata. yet they oppose National Standards in general; tie your stoopid self up in pony-tails Parata.
Key continued to minimise the Henry Report deficiencies.
Mallard and Metiria have been like attack dogs; “(have) cobbled together a coalition of disgrace”.
and as Dunne’s e-mails are likey subject to OIA, “will eventually come out, while Key continues to defend the indefensible”.
17:23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.
17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.
18:9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys (Joyce and Guy come to mind).
Paul Thompson – new head of RNZ.
Mmmmm …. From my perspective, that doesn’t bode well for its future.
Business business business
We’re in the business of story-telling [tall story telling]
Right-sizing
No doubt Jim and others will be creaming themselves.
Question for Morissey….
Did I just hear that vacuous …. on the Panel correctly? She effectively referred to the Police as a Corporation.
I’ll wait till audio is posted, but it went over the nicest man on Earth completely.
(Jim was – as usual – too busy trying to be ‘nice’)
… PolCorp (needs a new logo and some severe ‘re-imaging’)
Denise Strange Sorbet was on the afternoon radionz saying that really victims ought to decide on the severity of crimes. Apparently having a disinterested and stable justice system hasn’t caught on in her neck of the woods doing its pilot period. I think it’s nice that in one country someone who will otherwise be stoned to death can be forgiven by the other party. Perhaps that’s what we need more of, she feels, after someone broke into her van and stole money etc.
I knew it would be a substandard Panel as soon as I learned the guests were Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Barry Corbett. I have never heard Denise L’Estrange Corbet utter a single sentence that indicates she has even a lick of common sense, let alone ever sat down with a book and engaged in some higher order thinking, or even lower order thinking.
And Barry Corbett is a dunderhead, pure and simple.
“The property market favours the older people, disadvantages the younger”. -Luke Malpass, The New Zealand Initiative (think-tank).(fingers down throat).
“…widening inequalities due to house prices”. -Hickey (feeling better again).
Immigration Amendment Bill; Committee Stage Pt.2 : Woodhouse vs Cunliffe. It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).
Ratana “unity under God, negation of the Tohunga” hmmmm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga
that was a broad wero. anyway, the establishment turned against Ratana-prophet of innovation, hope and potential. interesting.
C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves
-agape’, equivalent to Kant’s ‘practical love’
-affection
-friendship
-eros.
“agent-relative moralities are difficult to reconcile with consequentialism-that each agent should pursue the common aim of promoting the best outcome from an impartial perspective”.
One of my anarchist fellows listens to political pod-casts while he works, Behind The News, Democracy Now etc, and he reads from the consensus that the financial mess will wash-up in 4-5 years time, Winston S.
“It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).”
Call me fick Rogue – but whats pwn mean?
I’m genuinely interested – since my brother was Christened Ratana and I well remember the ‘discovery’ – even including the symbolism of Rising Suns and Rising Moons (WWII time – all that – and who and where Ratana was going to have to ‘stick phat’ with)
“pwn” is netspeak (l33tspeak) that rumour has it came from one of the earlier incarnations of Warcraft. Or hackers.
To thoroughly thrash someone in the game is/was to “own” them, and legend has it that a rushed programmer made an undetected typo in a message box “you’ve been pwned!”. Because it was the mark of a strong victory, it became a bit like a gold medal to “pwn” someone. The other option is that when a hacker gains control of a server they “own” it – but then gleeful messages written on sleep-deprived caffeine highs can create the “o/p” typo.
[edit] lol – and because it’s a gloating claim of outright victory, use of the “p” variant shunts a comment straight to the moderation list: sorry ’bout the workload 🙂
Samuel Alexander http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Alexander
Space, Time and Deity
-emergent evolution
-existence, hierarchically ordered (apologies Bill); an ongoing evolutionary process with the emergence of ever-higher levels of existence-principles of organization (apologies RL).
meanwhile, back in Hawkes Bay, according to the HBRC propaganda, land-owners are increasingly turning to ground-water (currently easier to get) which may start affecting the reliability of takes, as the aquifiers may not have time to recover over winter.
Rabbit numbers are on the rise ;); 70% of the rabbit pop. have immunity tp strains of RHD.
h/t to Eugenie Sage (sage); the RWSS includes allowable levels of nitrates in the Tukituki to increase 1000%, with the only mitigating ‘benefit’, the return of summer flows close to natural levels.(QT 12.6,Q.9).
Q.4 Rebuilding ChCh is redirecting investment from the tradeables sector. treasury has no forecast of an increase in export-related jobs. Exports to decline 2.8% in year to March 2014. (17% decline in manufacturing exports since 2008, excluding the primary sector. This is despite business-growth initiatives numbering 300 and the public funds being poured into Primary Growth Partnerships.
Q.6 Ardern- “govt. will not measure ‘deprivation’.
English- “income =/= deprivation.hmmm.Even Treasury identifies there is currently a gap in the monitoring of material-living standards.
From a different cell; “tensions are rising in the nation’s prisons”, despite Tolley’s denials. The word from the dog across the way with 18 years experience up his sleeves ) and across his fore-head; “no nicotine bro!”
RNZ- “globally, a mining slow-down, particularly as small companies cash-strapped”.
3: Business News / Sharemarket Shill – “credit-card spending up, consumption sign of the economy going forward” Yep (echoed by English- a “consumption-driven re-bound) Rubber Ball 😉
It beggars belief that Key, the minister in charge of the nation’s security and the member of parliament for the seat that K.dc resides in, new nothing of these raids.
It has come to my attention that Andrea Vance is friendly with Jordan Williams, to the point of helping him make some contacts in London. Jordan Williams is, of course, Simon Lusk’s minion. Make of that what you will…..
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
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Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
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Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
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TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
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Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
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Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
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This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10890189
Quotes:
Green Party co-leader Russel Norman has accused Prime Minister John Key of conspiring to establish a surveillance state in New Zealand by encouraging American data-mining company Palantir to set up shop here.
-snip-
Dr Norman voiced concerns this week about Palantir and its software Prism, which he suggested was similar to the huge online data gathering and tracking tool of the same name used by United States spy organisation the National Security Agency.
He also pointed out Palantir had set up an office in Wellington and was advertising for an analyst to be embedded with the Government.
Yesterday he said: “We need to know, is John Key effectively trying to replicate Prism in New Zealand by getting this organisation Palantir to set up here and start spying on all of our internet communications and everything digital that we do?”
-snip-
And in a tone reminiscent of the scientists of old who crowed that all that there was to be discovered already had been and laughed when the suggestion was made that the world wasn’t flat…here’s Tony Ryall:
State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall said Dr Norman suffered from paranoia and called him the Chicken Little of New Zealand politics. “Every time he talks about anything the sky’s falling in … it’s all big business big politics, the right against the innocent little Greens.”
Palantir: The ancient seeing stones of Middle Earth; originally used to keep the free peoples in contact with one another, but which fell under the power of the Eye of Sauron. Corrupting; Saruman the White, and driving mad with despair; Denethor (steward of Gondor, and lord of Minas Tirith; bulwark against the forces of evil). How appropriate.
@AwW
These scientists of old you mention; which ones do you mean? Aristarchus was the first (circa 300 BC!) to accurately describe the approximate size and shape of the solar system. But his work was more; lost, than derided by other scientists. Copernicus certainly came in for his share of flak, but that was mainly from the church; who demanded his heliocentricism be taught as merely a hypothesis (tactics reminiscent of the present attacks on teaching evolution).
A better example might be Galileo, the first astronomer to make and use telescopes (all Aristarchus had was; his eyes, the phases of the moon, and the length of shadows cast by the sun). In regard to his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, he begged a priest to look through one of his telescopes and see the evidence for himself. The reply? “I don’t need to look, for my faith informs me that they are not there” [paraphrased from the original Italian, obviously].
Mal Brough compares Gillard to a plucked chook at a QLD fund-raiser ..
http://news.google.co.nz/news/rtc?ncl=d9EFS0Jkf887MwMIV4k4E0SIFNofM&topic=w
Nice one, Mal !
Classy
Subtext
The mining industry own the media in Australia and they want more money. Tony Abbott will give it to them.
.. certainly in QLD & WA – where the state governments are refusing federal Labour to campaign in some places.
Paul – please elucidate on your subtext re mining industry owning media
A big chunk of the mining industry is owned by a woman who has MSM aspirations. I doubt she likes Gillard one bit.
Morning jenny. I’m on my morning tea break, thought I’d drop you a few links I’ve seen today coming down the ol’ wires:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/edward-snowden-bradley-manning-and-the-risk-of-the-low-level-tech-savvy-leaker/2013/06/11/f5e3ad72-d2c7-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/10/qa_with_laura_poitras_the_woman_behind_the_nsa_scoops/
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
One you’ll like most is the new interview with snowde in the South China Morning Post, but it seems to have crashed their server, I imagine it’s popular. the link is here
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
you can see some more deets about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/edward-snowden-hong-kong-live#block-51b892e8e4b053cde2ed63d3
Thanks, PB. I am off to work. Will read them when I get home.
Here’s the link to the SCMP story, c&ped from the wrong tab:
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1259422/edward-snowden-let-hong-kong-people-decide-my-fate
This is great stuff Pb. Some thought provoking and considered commentary. Also good quotes in here. Appreciated.
The citizens of Hong Kong come in for some well deserved praise for their courage for standing up for democracy against the communist regional Power. I see that the citizens of that great city are rallying to support Snowden already.
Meanwhile the communist toady administrator of Hong Kong is calling for Snowden to be promptly sent back to the US. The US and their Communist China rivals and sometimes enemy, rally together against their common foe. Their own people’s thirst for democracy and freedom.
I take back my first impression that Snowden should come here. Hong Kong sounds like the perfect place for Snowden. Snowden has knowingly and willingly placed his life in the hands of the citizens of Hong Kong knowing of their record of standing up for democracy and freedom. Refusing to be bullied by the Communist Leaders of China or the past Colonial rulers.
Snowden has given recognition to the people of Hong Kong and their great history.
I only wish it had been us who had been so honoured.
“But yeah, as you say, no no no….”
Yet another failure by a “liberal” commentator
The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Wednesday 12 June 2013
Tim Dower, Damian Christie, Maria Slade
Larry “Lackwit” Williams is away, possibly with swine flu. But the format of this horror show remains the same: a dim but nasty host (TIM DOWER), a virulently dogmatic right wing opinionator (MARIA SLADE) and one token “liberal” who, in almost every case, is bullied into dithering silence or nervously tries to “find common ground” with the other two. Today that contemptible wimp is played to perfection by DAMIAN CHRISTIE. For anyone concerned at media irresponsibility, mediocrity and downright cowardliness, this little exchange, right at the end of today’s Huddle, is a perfect case study. Note how Christie initially makes a (weak) statement supporting Edward Snowden, but when the other two grunt their disapproval, he not only falls into line, but preposterously compares Snowden to Nazi war criminals hiding in South America….
TIM DOWER: Okay, we’re back with The Huddle. Now, uh, [snicker] this BIZARRE suggestion today that we should grant asylum to this guy Edward Snowden! Ha ha ha ha ha! What do you think of THAT?
MARIA SLADE: [snicker] No, no, no, no, NO.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Well…[nervous snicker]… I have some time for Edward Snowden actually. I think that what this Prism business shows is that the very LEAST, I should at least know that my emails are not being spied on! [nervous snicker]
TIM DOWER: [dubiously] Mmmmmmmmm.
MARIA SLADE: [dubiously] Mmmmmmmmmmm. They must have caught Geoffrey Robinson at a low point! I have a lot of time for him actually and, you know, his stand against the death penalty?
TIM DOWER: Yup.
MARIA SLADE: But THIS? [snicker] This is just…aaaaarrrgghhhh!! And you know he’s married to that FABULOUS novelist Kathy Lette! But THIS? No, no, no, no, no.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: I suppose New Zealand could be like Brazil and Argentina after World War Two, where characters like this could hide out. But yeah, as you say, no, no, no.
MARIA SLADE: Not with our relationship with the United States. It could never happen! No. NO.
TIM DOWER: Damian Christie and Maria Slade, thank you!
Point to Ponder….
The following are all used in NewstalkZB’s on air promos…..
Ranting. Reacting. Reasoning. Reflecting. The Huddle with LarryWilliams, on NewstalkZB!
NewstalkZB. Fair and Balanced.
NewstalkZB. Tune Your Mind.
Yeah I heard Dower’s unpleasant jibes against teachers.
Today’s talking points for Populuxe1
Here’s the official line on dissent for today, written for the morally unimpeachable Daily Telegraph by one Tim Stanley, who is a British version of Dr Michael Bassett.
It’s full of flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis, but it’s as good as the British and U.S. regimes can manage, short of flinging rape allegations at him.
Those of us with a conscience will simply laugh at statements like this one about Prism: “it’s not a snooping programme but a data management tool.” But you will no doubt fall on such made-to-measure soundbites like a maggot on a chop.
Don’t say I never do anything for you, my friend.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100221535/is-edward-snowdens-story-unravelling-why-the-guardians-scoop-is-looking-a-bit-dodgy/
How sweet, and ironic too, Morrissey, given that you’re the bastion of “flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis” around here. I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws, did not take his concerns to Congress, nor protested to the organisations and institutions for which he worked – the system is undoubtedly flawed. It is, however, curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation some weeks before the leaking. It is also rather interesting that Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech. Surely it did not escape one so erudite that Hong Kong remains a part of the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US. In any case, I ceased to have any sympathy for the man when he just recently made the transition (from his plush and expensive hotel room) from whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far. I would postulate that Mr Snowden, if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
Here are some of the ‘flaws’ of the whistle blowing process as told by one who used it:
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
And none of the rest is interesting at all in the way you seem to suggest. It can all be explained in the quote above.
It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.
I also don’t see any particular need to spend much time trying to psychoanalyse the guy. His personality is pretty much completely beside the point.
you are on the money bookie.
While you mind find your confirmation bias comforting, I still find the remainder interestingL Why did he flee to China? WHy is he now spilling his guts that have nothing to do with domestic spying on US citizens?
find comfort in your own bias (and read the entire reference you link might be helpful).
My bias is not to believe anything, never trust in an ideology, and when something is current and widely available news, I don’t feel I need to google for you
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
Youbleaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he appears to be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
game theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
You leaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he could well be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. ( ie, telling both the Chinese and the US that he has more stuff, and may talk without letting them know wjhat he has, and to what extent he will talk). It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
That would explain why he went to china. An opponent of the US will act differently toward him than an ally of the US will.
Game theory, Information theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into. Especially crypto geeks.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
P1 is hilarious.
First he tries to pillory Snowden for being a high school and army drop out. Now he’s trying to position Snowden as a Chinese spy.
Mate, just get over the fact that this guy is so smart he got a senior consulting position with Booz Allen on $200K pa (including benefits), which is something you couldn’t do.
And that’s before the fact he just threw that and more in, and put his fucking neck on the line. While you whine about his dirty socks.
And maybe you’re jealous of his pole-dancing girfriend – though it seems his salary was actually considerably less than $200,000 a year. Yep, your right, I couldn’t pull that and neither could he. I’m not actually suggesting anything except something remains very fishy, if only his motivations.
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Ron Paul’s economic theories are beside the point; his comments about the illegal spying of the government are entirely reasonable and solidly mainstream. Not, of course, if you consider the political class the “mainstream”, but then what does public opinion matter?
Ron Paul is what Richard Prebble would be if he had a conscience and the courage to speak plainly.
You delusional narcissists do like to stick together. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that he has in fact “leaked” anything that wasn’t already well known to anyone who cared to think about the Patriot Act for ten seconds. Now he’s giving interviews to the Chinese dailies – curiouser and curiouser….
He took The Bourne Identity too seriously perhaps.
Nah, more like he needed a mate like Jason Bourne.
1.) I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws
We can see the way that the US treats its whistleblowers, simply by looking at the judicial lynching being perpetrated in Fort Meade, Maryland.
2.) ….the system is undoubtedly flawed.
“Flawed”? What Edward Snowden has confirmed irrefutably is that the U.S. government is spying on its own citizens ILLEGALLY. It is perpetrating CRIMES against its own citizens.
3.) ….curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation [sic] some weeks before the leaking…
Yes, it was a momentous action he undertook. Planning was essential.
4.) Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech.
He chose a place where he would be safe from the depradations of another regime which has scant respect for free speech. Similarly, Ai Wei Wei recently sought asylum in the embassy of a regime which has scant respect for free speech. Not that a dedicated servant of state power like yourself is ever likely to anger any criminals like Snowden has done, but you need to remember the concept of “any port in a storm.”
5.) …the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US.
That is for criminal activity, not for political activity. If anyone were to be deported from Hong Kong now, it would be those U.S. operatives in the consul there who have not denounced their country’s criminal activities and are, therefore, still directly or indirectly involved in the commission of those crimes.
6.) …whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far.
He blew the whistle on illegal surveillance of American citizens. THAT is what the criminal U.S. regime wants him for.
7.) …if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
It is telling that you reserve all your bile and vitriol for the whistle-blower, not the criminals he has exposed. Perhaps you would be well advised to spend some of your time dreaming up some adjectives to describe Barack Obama or THIS liar….
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ETjGOxY5q6U/UUGEcuF1lsI/AAAAAAAAOk4/D_LLTUoCDCs/s1600/Clapper.jpg
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/james-clapper-intelligence-chief-criticism
EQC. The government department set up to provide a form of land and building insurance in the event of a major disaster hitting anyone in NZ, but especially hitting a large population centre in one of our cities.
Its very reason for being of course came into play in Christchurch during 2010 and 2011.
EQC’s failings to comply with its own legislated obligations is legendary. It has completely and utterly failed. It has failed to such an extent that EQC offices have no signs, have razor wire around the perimeter and security guards. It is so completely incompetent that if you want to “opt-out” you cannot even speak to the people and you cannot even find out where their offices are to pay a visit.
EQC is the most incompetent and useless bureaucratic organisation I have ever had to deal with, bar none. Fucked.
EQC of course is subject to Gerry Brownlee’s rule in Christchurc. BIG MOST MASSIVE FAIL FOR THE BIG MAN.
So…. when I hear yesterday that the big man Brownlee has had enough of Christchurch City Council building consent delays I laughed. And laughed. and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed
Brownlee wants to take consent processing off the Council due to their delays.
So I look forward to EQC being taken off Brownlee.
Fucking scab-arsed hypocrite prick. I hate shit like this – double standards and total bullshit.
be great for journos to access their media vaults for the statements regarding the EQC reserves,
the ones that after the first quake, had Key saying the following
day one: ” EQC has cash reserves of 15 billion dollars ”
day two: EQC has cash reserves of 6 billion dollars
day three (to present) “EQC has (had) cash reserves of 3 billion dollars”
V.
I’m so sorry this is happening man. Our country should be better than this.
Yeah. The funny thing is that we are better than this…..
Example – Christchurch City Council building consent applications of all things. We’ve punched a few through there over the years and the staff are brilliant. Helpful, friendly, competent (mostly). We have just pushed our first one through post-earthquake and while there were some biggish delays overall it was not bad and I’ve heard of plenty that have gone through in time. The Council has very real resource constraint issues, just like everybody down here. They are dealing with it better than fucking Brownlee departments with the same issue that’s for sure.
This broadside has wider intent imo.
That can be the only explanation – what does Brownlee expect if the consent process is taken elsewhere? They going to deal with them quicker? Where will he get the staff and competence to do this? Fucking joke ha ha ha ha ha ha. Given Brownlee’s competency with EQC one must expect that if Brownlee is to process consents then it will be on a par with EQC and take bloody shitloads longer than Council. Council outperforms Brownlee.
There is wider intent to this …… keep the ears peeled …….
It is all a part of a general theme the Nats are building up that everything that is wrong is the fault of Local Government and Central Government is not to blame.
Same sort of stuff is happening in Auckland. The Housing Accord stuff is really scary and is clearly an attempt to transfer blame. There is also an underlying anti environmental meme as well and if you look at Environment Canterbury a similar thing is happening.
It is really really scary and my contempt for this Government has hit a new high this year.
Yep, this government is doing everything to shift the blame from them onto government bureaucrats and then we’ll see the private is better meme come front and centre and from there we’ll see even more of our administration shifted into private hands giving National’s rich mates a government guaranteed profit while we get to pay more and get less for it.
passing the bucket is certainly a modus operandi of this government clear to see.
And that is the biggest question of all and the answer is that he will have to get them from the council thus crippling the council even more than it is. National and Labour have no understanding of economics – they just see the money.
The more I think about this attack on the Christchurch City Council by Gerry Brownlee (and it is an attack. The allegation perception and reality are a mullion miles apart) the more I see it as a political stunt as part of a longer campaign (as much as it is).
You watch – this “crisis” will evaporate and nothing will be heard of it in a few weeks. Gets Brownlee and Key and his lot some good headlines for a while though…
I doubt its a stunt. These rightwing people are on a mission : privatise all of NZ for their rich mates.
hmm… it does smell a tad fishy, the private sector to the rescue.
would this be the same private sector that issued consents for leaky buildings in auckland?
the same private sector that seems incapable to settle their insuranse obligations to the insured after taking premiums for decades?
the same private sector that needed $1.2 billion from the state when sth canterbury finance fell over?
there is something else at play here
VTO – The situation in ChCh, quite clearly contrived , I would not expect to see any opportunity missed, to outsource.
Up here, the attacks are happening from the inside, courtesy of the appointments made by the unelected agency, which is now disbanded, who also signed the city into expensive, long term, damaging contracts, many of which have been *disappeared* from public view, and many which are evident by the numbers of consultants, the agencies they represent, and the *professional*, relationships, which dominate the departments, are easily available to track.
Preferred supplier lists are not adhered to, contractors enter on over-inflated rates/salaries, via the agencies with the *professional connections* – The fraudulant, crony behaviour, to line the pockets of the few, while the many, pick up the tab, is unbelieveable!
It’s a fruadulant enterprise, covering itself, and its actions, in more fraud!
It’s merely more of the same: the National Party War Against Christchurch has been in full gear for a while now.
… all appear to be symptoms of a government that has been hell bent on cutting back-office here and back-office there. I suspect that the delay in action is largely because there are not enough operators to deal with queries/phones/ etc.
From my shortish (two terms) experiences in local government (North Shore) it was very clear that the Nats really want to take over local government for themselves and their mates. The infrastructure and potential profit to be made from it is huge.
While it might seem ridiculous for Brownlee to say he’ll take over from Ch’ch city because they’ve got delays in approving resource consents, and you wonder where/how he’ll get the staff to do it any better – this could well be just another form of privatisation and takeover of NZ”s traditional way of doing things. As Mickey Savage says above – its very scarey – and there seems to be no stopping them. There’s still 16 months or so to the next general election – that sufficient time for the Nats to do still more enormous damage.
Does anyone know why Kim Hill is not on Morning Report today?
I woke up invigorated at the prospect of another good morning listening to the much improved programme since Kim has been back – only to find Susie Ferguson on with Simon Mercep and heard no explanation re Kim. I also don’t recall any mention of Kim not being on today in yesterday’s programme.
Nothing against Susie as I am impressed with her, but it seems unusual when she is currently filling in for Mary Wilson on Checkpoint – and then suddenly pops up again on the early morning show as well.
Have Kim’s brilliant interviews of Key and Parata been too revealing for some RNZ management – or their ‘masters’ who pay the cheques using our taxpayer dollars?
She’s filling in for Kim, who is filling in for the usuals. Kim’s last day of filling in will be tommorrow.
I realise that PB – but was it planned for today or is Kim sick or have other commitments today (eg preparation for Saturday)? My understanding from what has been said on MR was that Kim was to on for the full two weeks.
Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.
“Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.”
MR usually doesn’t say why people are gone, just saying “xx is filling in for yy”. Presume because of illness.
I reckon after shonkey the word went out to compliant RNZ natty boys, takes a few days. Susie is dogmatic but Kim is incisive and they are trained to cope with susies style, they lack the brains to cope with Kim.
very likely, but we feel for the poor spinmeisters…. it is so inconvenient when the interviewer listens to the answers given
Relief – as MR closes Suzie stated that Kim is back tomorrow.
vv
Yes I was wondering wheres Kim. But somebody said she was only standing in for 2 weeks. I think it will definitely be short term as I dont know if she would want the early starts each day to do the morning news and she has the reading and keeping up to date to do that enables her to surprise so many interviewees on her Saturday morning show with her depth of knowledge and understanding and get very memorable and interesting interviews from them. They’re gold, but getting gold requires work, time and commitment.
Fa’foi the Mana MP, no Sky City links to his area.
Cosgrave the Chch MP, no Sky City links to his area.
WTF? Why did they think Sky wanted to grease them?
What a pair of numpties!
Goff? Unbelievable. Sky is a big employer of his constituents. However Phil should have known the huge political risk of accepting this invitation.
Shearer’s ten minutes of fame! He continues to match the low expectations we have of him.
My understanding is that corporate boxes are often rented out to other organisations, for functions etc unconnected to the actual longterm owner/renter of the box. Maybe that was the situation on this occasion.
Still looks and smells dodgy and is utterly hypocritical.
However it is par for the course for the current Labour leadership
Hypocritical indeed. Labour should’ve voted for the Sky City deal.
Feckin MPs.
Memo to Labour’s caucus. Do not accept corporate gifts from anyone, especially a corporate that profits on human misery and is engaged in the selling of our law.
Dickheads.
When do we seriously start asking if Shearer has been planted as leader by National? Because no leader could be this shit, without trying to be this shit
You mean you haven’t been asking that, fatty?
I’ve been taking it as read.
I know the tory-fan-boys did all they could to make him leader, and now they are doing all they can to keep him there. But I’m beginning to think that National run the Labour party
You mean you haven’t been asking that, fatty?
I’ve been taking it as read.
Alright alright what’s what’s with with all all the the double double comments comments lately lately??
Must be a temporal rift in space…space…..space……..space……….space……………
Could be the database process. It has been boosting over 50% midday. Or the email, which is on a amazon server and seems to get dup issues with the emails from people monitoring via email.
Agreed, SP. Not a good look.
I doubt Sky would rent their box out for an All Black game.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10890195
But when National Party’s no 1 PR Man….John Armstrong writes about it, it does serious damage.
I would expect far better discipline from Labour MP’s, what the hell was going through their mind when they were invited and then accepted an invitation to Sky’s box…using the same thick part of their brain that made them select Shearer as leader.
Dumb!
10 minutes…yeah right.
Par for the course for the Labour party though I mean they wern’t happy with the Hobbit but didn’t mind walking the red carpet
Grudging respect for the Greens for not going
Please define “weren’t happy with the Hobbit”.
Surely you don’t mean “weren’t happy with the National govt using the Hobbit as an excuse to ram through changes to employment law while giving massive subsidies to the foreign corporates who insisted on the changes”.
If not, then you’ll be able to find me an example of someone – anyone – from Labour being not happy with the Hobbit. gogogo.
David shearer should hire you, you’d be a better spin meister then the people hes got now.
So, that would mean that you failed to find any evidence to back up what you previously said?
Nope it means I can’t be bothered googling to find what I already know and giving props to someone whos a good spinner
The description you’re reaching for would be “spin-buster” actually Winston.
It’s a straight question. Who in Labour has ever been opposed to the Hobbit?
If you can’t answer it’s because you know you weren’t being honest.
Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong but what I know is that Sir Peter Jackson is more trusted and respected then anyone in the Labour party
And when the election campaign starts the MSM (in the pay of the National party backers) will be running the line that Labour were against the Hobbit movies
But hey I’m sure David Shearer will be able to succinctly and clearly put the matter to rest eh
So you might have told a bit of a fib before (labour being anti the hobbit), but you’re pretty confident that PJ the titular knight and the band of merry MSM will repeat the story even if it’s untrue.
And everyone will believe Sir PJ the publicly-funded VJ because Reader’s Digest says so.
The thing about evil plans to mislead the public is that they tend to not work if you tell everyone about them. You should have learned that at Minitrue.
Goff, ‘n, King (sounds like a famous songwriting pair) are obviously making hay while the sun shines. They won’t be around parliament much longer, so won’t get many more opportunities. Appalling judgement though. We had to watch the match, full of adverts, on Prime after the match had finished.
Just as an aside, we caught a glimpse of Joky Hen in some important seats. Who supplied them?
They don’t seem to get it do they. Three of them have received huge ministerial salaries and are currently paid amounts that the ordinary punter can only dream of – why don’t they just spend their own “hard earned” for once. In this household, we have been waiting some time now for Shearer to show some leadership and authority. Won’t be supporting this shower of a party next election now, (though local electorate MP may still get the votes).
+1
National … The Haves
Left … The Have Nots
Labour … Have Box
Wishful thinking.
They are 2 of Shearer’s 3 enforcers.
They are awaiting their 2014 reward, and will on current track be even more necessary to prop up what will be our weakest pm since Palmer.
It’s like they want to lose the next election. I feel sorry for paid up Labour members and activists. This is how they repay your work.
If you have any doubts about Phil’s commitment to the cause take a look at 3 News footage last night of him tearing into Tolley over the Hutton euology. I wish he had been a bit more like that in the last election.
Tolley will get her come-uppance.
2017 isn’t that far away
iPredict sooner, rather than later; defending Hutton and Bush.a half-century.
2017 isn’t that far away
From what I can see, Labour not being elected next year would be the best thing for NZ.
At least Key amuses me, he’s our version of George W, or Berlusconi without the sex appeal.
Shearer just makes me want to shove my face in a food blender.
Yep, ditto.
He also surely had the opportunity to expedite the police review into the Thomas / Crewe investigation when in office. Yet, here we are in 2013 still knocking it around the paddock..
Not to mention the Ellis case which was shamefully handled on Goff’s watch.
Yes, him and Ahmed Zaoui would be a good reminder to anyone who thinks that the Labour Mandarins such as Goff – who are still front benchers – are liberal in any real way. Fucking hypocrites.
Agree about Zaoui as well. Total travesty and I never understood Clark’s almost feral and apparently irrational dislike of the man.
Heard on Radionz this morning.
The Turkish leader is talking about a referendum about confiscating green area in the city used as a park and allocating it to businesspeople to build on. It’s a step towards fairness though shouldn’t need to be considered because taking the park should never have been considered.
The Afghani interpreters and their families have arrived, but there are still about ten they are worried about. And the way things are going there the truth that they could be endangered seems evident.
Queenstown is unhappy with government withdrawal of personal services and replacing with on line etc distant communication by voice or electronics. Do we want our government to be constantly breaking down their relationship with us in this way? Computers are great as an adjunct and aid but they have bugs and we don’t want to feel that we are being ordered by machines which is what will happen as they increase the automation and drop the amount of actual people staff employed. I have thought of a name for this government at a distance approach – Portcullis government. This brings to mind the barred gate that dropped down at the entrance to castles in days not so different as now.
Christchurch is being threatened with a takeover of its services. The problem is that there are millions to be invested in the CBD and they can’t get timely okays on their plans. Bob Parker is his usual smooth self. He was very involved in who was employed as ceo and one wonders if both are the right people for the job. More takeover by the central government. They will rule us all soon, in every way. We have to be brave and wise hobbits and make our supportive relationships to prevent being swamped by the corrupted ones.
In an old Listener Gareth Morgan commented unfavourably on the corruption and selfishness of African governments and officials and blamed them for being greedy and preventing so many African countries from being able to provide decent living standards and effective systems for the people.
Viewing NZ I think we need to be under scrutiny for the same reason. The latest – our mining approach is all right Australia and Canada provide the example of good practice. We don’t look to see what is good for the country beyond immediate gratification of new industry bringing in some money and turnover, and of course its so macho, men in hard hats and big machines doing big things – really it’s very like Think Big all over again.
Gareth in Under African Skies -My country, my aid money p.50 20/10/2007 comments on shoddy government screwing the people. But I think he also shows how public-private type partnerships do the same and says:
Africa will go nowhere so long as dictatorships equipped with the machinery of democratic government institutions are able to abuse their public. It’s a toxic mix of village or tribal feudalism controlling Westminster-style institutions, significantly funded by money derived from Euro-American, Middle Eastern and Chinese imperialist and development strategies. Global expansionism is driven by the coveting of access to oil and the other natural resources…and pursuit of military alliances and accommodations.
“The first wave of post-colonial rulers in Africa, who having led their peoples to independence, felt the need to articulate the theoretical foundations of their programmes for socio-economic development and cultural renewal. With rare exceptions they argued for forms of socialism based on first principles deriving from traditional African communalism. The African provenance of their philosophies was clearest in the ‘Ujamaa’ (Familyhood) socialism of Nyerere of Tanzania and the ‘Zambian humanism’ of Kaunda, who both steered studiously clear of foreign ideological admixtures.More indebted to foreign philosophies, specifically to Marxism-Leninism, though no less sincere in their pursuit of African authenticity, were the ‘scientific’ socialisms of Nkrumah of Ghana and Sekou Toure of Guinea. In between these philosopher-kings was Senghor of Senegal, poet, statesman, scholar, and philosopher of Negritude, whose writings display more scholarly appreciation for Marx than ideological commitment to him.
Although no continental unanimity is assumed, traditional African conceptions of the cosmos in many instances involve homogenous ontologies that cut across the natural / supernatural opposition in Western philosophy. God is conceived of as a cosmic architect of the world rather than it’s ex nihilo creator, and minds as capacity rather than entity. The associated conception of the human personality, though postulating a life principle not fully material, is still devoid of any sharp dualism of body and spirit. That conception also has a normative dimension which incorporates a communalist and humanistic (as distinct from a religious) notion of moral responsibility into the very definition of a person. At the level of the state this goes along naturally with a consensual philosophy of politics based on kinship representation under a kingship dispensation.
How to adapt this understanding of politics to current African conditions is oone of the severest challenges facing African philosophy today.” 🙂
Hey Rogue that is a mighty comment and one I’ll read more than once for best understanding. But unfortunately for Africans the west knows how to prise the community part from the personal enrichment (including nepotism) part. We don’t have that here though it is noticeable common connections between power givers and peer compatriots.
What have you to say about Botswana? I have read Alexander McCall Smith’s books on Mma Ramotswe and he has spent time there I think. They are simple books with a sentimental approach. It would be good to hear that there is a core of goodness and pride running strong in that country as he portrays it.
mighty reply. chose not to read the McCall Smith books; RGP enjoyed them from memory. Have you circumnavigated The Pillars of The Earth or studied The Testament of Gideon Mack
Stone ; just biding time, Minnie keeps Mickey honest, 1979, the old man’s favourite song, lying cheating, that’s all they seem to do, their Time is gonna’ come. the cooper has refilled with chunks (and the Sargent is at arms length,1 2 3). If not free, then a spree.
The Chinese don’t seem to need to adapt to anything like this.
They just buy what they need, without full colonization.
Cash seems to be the superior translator, and change of ownership the strongest liminal threshold.
that is well-written Ad, particularly the last line.
http://inaliminalspace.com/about/what
(liminal spaces).
Seen this?
______________________________________________________________________________
Professor Prem Sikka exposes STATE CAPTURE BY BIG BUSINESS IN THE UK.
“In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders.”
Ahead of the G8 meeting I have an article on the website of The Conversation.
It provides examples to show that big business has thoroughly penetrated and captured the state. In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders. Yet this is not on the G8 agenda and without this no fight against organised tax avoidance is going to be effective.
The article is titled “Without curbing corporate power the G8 have no chance of combating tax avoidance” and is available at
https://theconversation.com/without-curbing-corporate-power-the-g8-have-no-chance-of-combating-tax-avoidance-15153
Prem Sikka
Professor of Accounting
Centre for Global Accountability
Essex Business School
University of Essex
Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK
Office Tel: +44(0)1206 873773
Office Fax: +44 (01206) 873429
AABA Website: http://www.aabaglobal.org
Scabby Jami-Lee Ross’ Employment Relations (Continuity of Labour) Bill has been drawn from the ballot.
According to the draft legislation, the bill aims to repeal section 97 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. Which prevents replacement/causal/management aka SCAB labour being employed during a strike or lockout. Ross is another brown nosing piece of detritus that needs to be jumped on from a great height.
Just what we need. A return to 1913 or 1951 style Industrial Relations.
I bet that Jamie dreamt of being one of Massey’s cossacks when he was a young lad.
Peoples livelihoods in the hands of a beige man who left school with no qualifications to become a career trougher. His bio says that he had a crack at tertiary with so far nothing to show for it and the only thing that he’s done that looks even remotely like a job was a sinecure as Williamson’s electorate office toe sucker. Peachy.
Yup, imagine what he had to *offer*, to get himself inside the *career trougher*, club!
Nothing, is for free!
two Conservative words- Todd McClay.
a mirror of the wider mental illness problems facing peoples in the Pacific (Dreaver).
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/brownlee-not-confident-council-can-turn-consent-process-around-5462846
I look forward to the council telling Brownlee to go fuck himself when he tries to do to the CCC what was done to ECan, which is the government’s standard response to council’s not submitting to stupidity.
As for the whining over consent times, it seems a good deal of unwarranted self-importance is present in some, along with a detachment from reality vis the shear number of new consents vs the lack of graduate planners to process them. As planners have to go through a 4 year degree, and can’t be imported, combined with the quakes, it’s created a man-power shortage for the council that wont disappear with bloody stupid solutions. Solutions that the RMA was created in the first place to lock away and so try to prevent long-term issues with environment or building issues.
QT 11.6 : Collins on the uptake from maori to enrol on the Maori Roll, “has not been favourable-only 5000 new enrolments”. Need for the ministry (Justice) and Electoral Commission to encourage face-to-face assistance. mana to MANA for solicitation at local P ‘n’ S, although some officious prat followed up complaints about the flags. I canvassed the cu-de-sac; officer does not vote, next neighbour, ambivalent, next, on roll and advised of by-election date, next, on General Roll and so on.
Q.3 Nats put Shanks in the camera; own goal. “economic growth (mainly) due to private consumption”.-English.
Q.4 Hipkins is on the right track re Nat.Stds moderation. (Carter-suggests he answer his own question by Google :-D). This “progression” explanation of Parata’s is not relevant to current results.This is gonna be another f*ck-up, to paraphrase the “education academics” surveyed on RNZ -“this is a farce”.
(can see the subdued demeanour of the govt. benches; how they believe their own spin is beyond comprehension 😉 )
But (they) have planted wickedness, (they) have reaped evil, (they) have eaten the fruit of deception…
-Hosea 10:13.
as even Stephen Franks finds, the Sky City agreement is “unlawful”, with the BORA implications not sought-Turei.
Q.7 “restrictive land supply issues favouring the old and rich, penalising the poor”- Nick Smith
(“the grey greedies”- Susan Wood).
Q.8″ MRI and ultra-sound waiting times pose a risk to patients right now; 25,000 awaiting”-King.
Q.10 “I trust the collective judgement of teachers”- Parata. yet they oppose National Standards in general; tie your stoopid self up in pony-tails Parata.
Key continued to minimise the Henry Report deficiencies.
Mallard and Metiria have been like attack dogs; “(have) cobbled together a coalition of disgrace”.
and as Dunne’s e-mails are likey subject to OIA, “will eventually come out, while Key continues to defend the indefensible”.
17:23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.
17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.
18:9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys (Joyce and Guy come to mind).
Paul Thompson – new head of RNZ.
Mmmmm …. From my perspective, that doesn’t bode well for its future.
Business business business
We’re in the business of story-telling [tall story telling]
Right-sizing
No doubt Jim and others will be creaming themselves.
Question for Morissey….
Did I just hear that vacuous …. on the Panel correctly? She effectively referred to the Police as a Corporation.
I’ll wait till audio is posted, but it went over the nicest man on Earth completely.
(Jim was – as usual – too busy trying to be ‘nice’)
… PolCorp (needs a new logo and some severe ‘re-imaging’)
Denise Strange Sorbet was on the afternoon radionz saying that really victims ought to decide on the severity of crimes. Apparently having a disinterested and stable justice system hasn’t caught on in her neck of the woods doing its pilot period. I think it’s nice that in one country someone who will otherwise be stoned to death can be forgiven by the other party. Perhaps that’s what we need more of, she feels, after someone broke into her van and stole money etc.
I knew it would be a substandard Panel as soon as I learned the guests were Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Barry Corbett. I have never heard Denise L’Estrange Corbet utter a single sentence that indicates she has even a lick of common sense, let alone ever sat down with a book and engaged in some higher order thinking, or even lower order thinking.
And Barry Corbett is a dunderhead, pure and simple.
I’m not sad I missed this episode..
“The property market favours the older people, disadvantages the younger”. -Luke Malpass, The New Zealand Initiative (think-tank).(fingers down throat).
“…widening inequalities due to house prices”. -Hickey (feeling better again).
Immigration Amendment Bill; Committee Stage Pt.2 : Woodhouse vs Cunliffe. It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).
Ratana “unity under God, negation of the Tohunga” hmmmm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga
that was a broad wero. anyway, the establishment turned against Ratana-prophet of innovation, hope and potential. interesting.
C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves
-agape’, equivalent to Kant’s ‘practical love’
-affection
-friendship
-eros.
“agent-relative moralities are difficult to reconcile with consequentialism-that each agent should pursue the common aim of promoting the best outcome from an impartial perspective”.
One of my anarchist fellows listens to political pod-casts while he works, Behind The News, Democracy Now etc, and he reads from the consensus that the financial mess will wash-up in 4-5 years time, Winston S.
“It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).”
Call me fick Rogue – but whats pwn mean?
I’m genuinely interested – since my brother was Christened Ratana and I well remember the ‘discovery’ – even including the symbolism of Rising Suns and Rising Moons (WWII time – all that – and who and where Ratana was going to have to ‘stick phat’ with)
“pwn” is netspeak (l33tspeak) that rumour has it came from one of the earlier incarnations of Warcraft. Or hackers.
To thoroughly thrash someone in the game is/was to “own” them, and legend has it that a rushed programmer made an undetected typo in a message box “you’ve been pwned!”. Because it was the mark of a strong victory, it became a bit like a gold medal to “pwn” someone. The other option is that when a hacker gains control of a server they “own” it – but then gleeful messages written on sleep-deprived caffeine highs can create the “o/p” typo.
[edit] lol – and because it’s a gloating claim of outright victory, use of the “p” variant shunts a comment straight to the moderation list: sorry ’bout the workload 🙂
own.( you are clearly not ‘fick’, though hard to reduce at times).;)
geez Wayne – I was tired, obviously (and I had the nicest man on Earth on as background noise).
Cheers
thats naughty ‘Tim’; yet I’ll let you off, gotta cycle home and watch the news. 😉
Daniel Ellsberg on Snowdon.
http://www.ellsberg.net/archive/edward-snowden
Joseph Albo Ikkarim
Samuel Alexander
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Alexander
Space, Time and Deity
-emergent evolution
-existence, hierarchically ordered (apologies Bill); an ongoing evolutionary process with the emergence of ever-higher levels of existence-principles of organization (apologies RL).
oh god. Now Fairfax’s chief editor,
Good job.
About time they got some sponsorship in there.
It’s fucking Orwell to the letter.
meanwhile, back in Hawkes Bay, according to the HBRC propaganda, land-owners are increasingly turning to ground-water (currently easier to get) which may start affecting the reliability of takes, as the aquifiers may not have time to recover over winter.
Rabbit numbers are on the rise ;); 70% of the rabbit pop. have immunity tp strains of RHD.
h/t to Eugenie Sage (sage); the RWSS includes allowable levels of nitrates in the Tukituki to increase 1000%, with the only mitigating ‘benefit’, the return of summer flows close to natural levels.(QT 12.6,Q.9).
Q.4 Rebuilding ChCh is redirecting investment from the tradeables sector. treasury has no forecast of an increase in export-related jobs. Exports to decline 2.8% in year to March 2014. (17% decline in manufacturing exports since 2008, excluding the primary sector. This is despite business-growth initiatives numbering 300 and the public funds being poured into Primary Growth Partnerships.
Q.6 Ardern- “govt. will not measure ‘deprivation’.
English- “income =/= deprivation.hmmm.Even Treasury identifies there is currently a gap in the monitoring of material-living standards.
From a different cell; “tensions are rising in the nation’s prisons”, despite Tolley’s denials. The word from the dog across the way with 18 years experience up his sleeves ) and across his fore-head; “no nicotine bro!”
RNZ- “globally, a mining slow-down, particularly as small companies cash-strapped”.
3: Business News / Sharemarket Shill – “credit-card spending up, consumption sign of the economy going forward” Yep (echoed by English- a “consumption-driven re-bound) Rubber Ball 😉
Cemetery Gates .
Have just watched the latest Kim Dotcom video.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8793127/Dotcom-humour-in-raid-music-video
It beggars belief that Key, the minister in charge of the nation’s security and the member of parliament for the seat that K.dc resides in, new nothing of these raids.
Yeah, naah
Wasn’t it that Key knew nothing til about a day or so before the raids took place, when he was alerted to it?
Tory women are way worse though…
That was not meant to be in this thread. Can it be deleted?
It has come to my attention that Andrea Vance is friendly with Jordan Williams, to the point of helping him make some contacts in London. Jordan Williams is, of course, Simon Lusk’s minion. Make of that what you will…..