Open Mike 14/04/2018
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6:00 am, April 14th, 2018 - 126 comments
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- At a glance – Tree ring proxies and the divergence problem
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 ...13 hours ago - Nothing to sneer at
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...15 hours ago - Still on their bullshit
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...17 hours ago - DrawnA ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...17 hours ago
- A nod and a wink that will unnecessarily cost Aucklanders tens of millions per year
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...19 hours ago - Correcting the Corrections announcement – a fiscal farce that should bother the OECD
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...20 hours ago - Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into ‘Pillar 2’ – or they are going to China
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...22 hours ago - A balanced and an unbalanced articleDavid Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...22 hours ago
- Deeply unserious countryEvery bit of this seems insane. And people wonder why productivity is falling through the floor. Energy News reports that the Environment Court finally threw out Allan Crafar’s appeal against a solar farm. From the story: Consent was granted in 2022. Crafar appealed November 2022. On what grounds? That ...22 hours ago
- Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law studentsThe tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied… Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...22 hours ago
- https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/?p=77196
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...24 hours ago - Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, May 7
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...1 day ago - HM Prison Aotearoa.
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...1 day ago - Get Your Webworm Merch!
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...1 day ago - Top OECD economist puts Willis between a rock and a hard place
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...1 day ago - Media Link: “A View from Afar” on the moment of friction, and more.
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading ...2 days ago - Preposterous priorities – politicians preferred pastryNewsroom writer Aaron Smale, in an article triggered by the High Court’s ruling on whether a sitting MP must respond to a summons to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal, reports on issues underpinning the tribunal’s urgent inquiry into the Government’s intention to remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: Forcing accountability in the UKIn 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...2 days ago
- Other councils are keen to be next to strike a water deal with govtBuzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report: District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...2 days ago
- Why India is key to heading off climate catastropheThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections A farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...2 days ago
- Meanwhile “… the disturbing trend of increasing violence towards children continues to worsen”Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s geopolitical friendly fire has its limitsGeoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...2 days ago
- The post-Covid economy: is it in another long stagnation – and if so, why?Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...2 days ago
- On the LTP 2024 FeedbackA few weeks ago Auckland Council released the results of consultation on the Long Term Plan (LTP) that occurred in March. With almost 28,000 submissions, it received the most feedback of any LTP in Auckland. It covered a wide range of topics soliciting feedback on different areas of council funded ...2 days ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, May 6
TL;DR: Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...2 days ago - Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s geopolitical friendly fire has its limits
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...2 days ago - I could be a Florist.
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...2 days ago - The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 12 and beyond
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...2 days ago - Willis on defenceThe price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...2 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...2 days ago
- A prerequisite for Vulture Capitalism.
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...3 days ago - Early evening, April 30
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...3 days ago - Do Newsroom’s staff think they’re culturally superior to the rest of us? Are they arguing that A...Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...4 days ago
- Fun minor grudgesEric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...4 days ago
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- The Dark Side and the Rebel Alliance.
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...4 days ago - Imaginary mandate, imaginary leadership
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.ShareVerity, Ilfracombe ...4 days ago - Winston Peters delivers a speech about NZ’s relationship with China but media focus on Bob Carr’...Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...5 days ago
- The Post-Covid Economy
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...5 days ago - An awkward coincidence!The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...5 days ago
- The Israel/Palestinian metastasis.In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading ...5 days ago
- 27,000That's the number of submissions received on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track legislation. Except its higher than that, because the number doesn't include form submissions, such as the 15,000 people who supported Forest & Bird's submission, or the 14,000 who supported Greenpeace. And so many people want to appear in person ...5 days ago
- MPs’ salaries – when is the best time to increase them?Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...5 days ago
- Genter under fireDavid Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...5 days ago
- New Treasury paper on the productivity slowdown supports the downgrading of forecastsThe Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...5 days ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Friday, May 3
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 9:26 am on Friday, May 3:Climate 'Ministerial override must go' - Hearings begin over fast-track bill RNZ Kate GreenPopulation: Labour hire firm struggling to find staff as Australia lures away workers. HireStaff ...5 days ago - Weekly Roundup 3-May-2024Here we are in May already! And here are a few of the stories that caught our eye this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted that it’s been a decade since Auckland’s rail system was electrified. On Wednesday, Matt looked at AT’s rollout of new ways ...5 days ago
- The Hoon around the week to May 35 days ago
- Pamphlets at Ten Paces.
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...5 days ago - A land without pier
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...5 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18 2024Open access notables Generative AI tools can enhance climate literacy but must be checked for biases and inaccuracies, Atkins et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the face of climate change, climate literacy is becoming increasingly important. With wide access to generative AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, we explore the potential ...6 days ago
- Ruckus over AUKUS – Labour demands Peters step down as Foreign Minister, but he still had the job ...Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...6 days ago
- Secrecy undermines participationThe Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...6 days ago
- Agribusiness following oil and gas playbookAs pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...6 days ago
- Here’s hoping they aren’t counting on a 100 per cent acceptance…The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on unemployment, Winston Peters’ low boiling point and music criticismOn Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events: The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...6 days ago
- TVNZ and poll results6 days ago
- Mana or MoneyMuriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...6 days ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Thursday, May 2
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 11:10 am on Thursday, May 2:Scoop: Government sits on official advice on fast-track consent. The Ombudsman is investigating after official briefings on the contentious regime were held back despite requests from Forest ...6 days ago - The Art of taking no ResponsibilityAlwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...6 days ago
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- Jones has made plain he isn’t fond of frogs (not the dim-witted ones, at least) – and now we lea...This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the Beehive There we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...6 days ago
- Infrastructure & home building slumping on Govt funding freeze6 days ago
- Brainwashed People Think Everyone Else is Brainwashed
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...6 days ago - Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen ClarkWinston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...6 days ago
- NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...6 days ago - Your mandate is imaginary
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...7 days ago - 14,000 unemployed under NationalThe latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...7 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political moodThree opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...7 days ago
- Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...7 days ago - Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...7 days ago
- Winding back the hands of history’s clockChris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...7 days ago
- Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...7 days ago - Business confidence sliding into winter of discontentTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...7 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll resultsOver the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...7 days ago
- Members Bill will prevent Māori land confiscations
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...16 hours ago - TIKANGA IS NOT LAW. IT IS CULTURAL INDOCTRINATION.
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...17 hours ago - Release: National won’t commit to full Nelson Hospital upgrade
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...23 hours ago - Release: Labour calls for fast track list to be releasedMinisters must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...2 days ago
- Release: National gaslights women fighting for equal payNational has scrapped the pay equity taskforce that fights for equal pay for women and looks at ethnic pay gaps. ...6 days ago
- Release: More job cuts, fewer houses under NationalThe Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...6 days ago
- Release: Children fall deeper through the cracks in Govt cutsWith Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...6 days ago
- Release: Labour honours memory of Sir Robert MartinThe Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...6 days ago
- Release: 130,000 cattle saved from live exportLabour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...7 days ago
- Central Bank makes clear Government is pouring fuel on housing crisis fireToday’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...7 days ago
- New unemployment figures paint bleak pictureThe Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...7 days ago
- Release: National’s job cuts already starting to bite as unemployment risesUnemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...7 days ago
- Release: National hiking transport costs for families and young New ZealandersWeekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour welcomes EU free trade agreementThe New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...1 week ago
- Surprise: Landlord tax cuts don’t trickle downThe Green Party is renewing its call for rent controls following reports of rental prices hitting an all-time high. ...1 week ago
- Release: $1.7b for no increase in access to medicineThe National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...1 week ago
- Release: National should heed Tribunal warning and scrap coalition commitment with ACTThis afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...1 week ago
- Release: More accountability for preventable workplace deaths this Workers’ Memorial DayLabour is calling for more accountability for preventable workplace deaths because everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely. ...1 week ago
- Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass GravesTe Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac DayOur two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...2 weeks ago
- Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summonsTonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery fundingIt appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...2 weeks ago
- Further environmental mismanagement on the cardsThe Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environmentThe Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management systemLabour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise PalestineThe Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kindThe Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...2 weeks ago
- Three strikes has failed before and will fail againResurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freezeCuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...3 weeks ago
- Fast-track submissions period must be extendedThe 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Progress on climate will be undone by GovtNew 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Low gas production threatens energy security
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...3 hours ago - Defence industry talent, commitment recognisedDefence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...11 hours ago
- Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for IndustryWelcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...12 hours ago
- Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data SummitIt is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...13 hours ago
- Ceasefire agreement needed now: PetersNew Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...18 hours ago
- Daily school attendance data now availableA new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...19 hours ago
- Ambassador to United States appointedForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...22 hours ago
- New permit proposed for recreational gold miningThe Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...23 hours ago
- NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiationsMinister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...1 day ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to signNew Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...2 days ago
- Next stop NASA for New Zealand studentsSix tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...2 days ago
- $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crimeNew Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...2 days ago
- OECD reinforces need to control spendingThe OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...2 days ago
- Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for AucklandThe Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...3 days ago
- Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with GermanyForeign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...4 days ago
- Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of PlentyThe Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...5 days ago
- Speech to New Zealand China CouncilThank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...5 days ago
- Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi householdsThe Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...6 days ago
- Government recommits to equal payThe coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...6 days ago
- Transforming how our children learn to readStructured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...6 days ago
- NZ not backing down in Canada dairy disputeTrade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...6 days ago
- Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable childrenThe rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...6 days ago
- Streamlining Building Consent ChangesThe Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...6 days ago
- Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...7 days ago
- Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...7 days ago
- Accelerating airport security linesFrom today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...7 days ago
- Community hui to talk about kina barrensPeople with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...7 days ago
- Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into forceKiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...7 days ago
- Mining resurgence a welcome signThere are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...7 days ago
- Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first readingThe return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...1 week ago
- Government to boost public EV charging networkEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...1 week ago
- Residential Property Managers Bill to not progressThe coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...1 week ago
- Independent review into disability support servicesThe Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...1 week ago
- Justice Minister updates UN on law & order planJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...1 week ago
- Ending emergency housing motels in RotoruaThe Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...1 week ago
- Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and DubaiTrade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...1 week ago
- Education priorities focused on lifting achievementEducation Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...1 week ago
- NZTA App first step towards digital driver licenceThe new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...1 week ago
- Supporting whānau out of emergency housingWhānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...1 week ago
- Tribute to Dave O'SullivanRacing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...1 week ago
- As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here’s how communities can become ‘sponge cities’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary. Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...56 mins ago - Genesis Energy to fire up coal imports, citing increased demand, dwindling gas supply
Genesis Energy is to resume importing coal, as reduced gas supplies and increased demand add to the problems of keeping the lights on. ...1 hour ago - The Boy in the Water: ‘Someone was struggling at a fence’
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...1 hour ago - Te Pāti Māori comments: 'That kind of language isn't helpful'Political parties have roundly criticised Te Pāti Māori for using words like 'extermination' and 'white supremacy' in the House. ...2 hours ago
- Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey sought advice on ‘social impact bonds’ to fund servicesMinisters have sought advice on 'social impact bonds', which offer a potential return on private investment in public services. ...2 hours ago
- Managed retreat: How do we get out of the way of climate change?"Ad hoc" house buyouts after major disasters cannot continue, the Climate Change Minister says. ...2 hours ago
- Rules for property managers are scrapped. But what’s the worst that could happen?
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...3 hours ago - Explainer: What’s the deal with Auckland’s new water deal?Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...3 hours ago
- ‘We didn’t behave very well in NZ’, says Wakefield heirI knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...3 hours ago
- Govt risks another Havelock North by undoing water protectionsOpinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...3 hours ago
- Where to next for the Aukus ruckus?Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 MayLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projectsOpinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- A controversial driving exam – put to the testWhat do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...3 hours ago
- A long road back to a very long jumpWellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...3 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 8 MayThe post Daily crossword, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus resetAfter replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- Coutts’ call prompts urgent board meeting over SailGPDespite Sir Russell Coutts vowing SailGP wouldn’t return to Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour, negotiations over 2025 are ongoing The post Coutts’ call prompts urgent board meeting over SailGP appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- Meet the man behind the Government’s education policyThe parallels between the Government’s education policy and those put forward by researcher Michael Johnston, is raising questions The post Meet the man behind the Government’s education policy appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- From Gallipoli to Gaza: remembering the Anzacs not as a ‘coming of age’ tale but as a lesson for...ANALYSIS: By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...5 hours ago
- NZ local council calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza as strikes hitBy Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...6 hours ago
- End this ‘cruel, barbaric use of force’ on Gaza – WILPF plea to NZAsia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...6 hours ago
- Albanese government to invest $566 million for ‘generational’ mapping to promote resource explor...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...7 hours ago
- Prison spending: Waikeria to have capacity for nearly 2000 bedsThe government has clarified just how many beds the Waikato prison will get after a series of maths gaffes - 455, 600, 810 or 1865? ...9 hours ago
- ‘Repair colonial violence’ and support Gaza ceasefire, say Otago academicsAsia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...10 hours ago
- Expelling students for bad behaviour seems like the obvious solution, but is it really a good idea?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...11 hours ago
- Green MP Julie Anne Genter responds after behaviour in the House, florist's accusations"I can do better," she says, acknowledging the need to work on her de-escalation strategy. ...11 hours ago
- If the RBA’s right, interest rates may not fall for another year. Here’s why – and what it mea...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...12 hours ago
- ‘Eye watering’ spending, growing debt make up surprisingly generous Victorian state budgetSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...12 hours ago
- Budgeting service cuts: 'It's like watching a train derail'With some services facing closure after missing out on the latest government funding, there are for some of NZ's most vulnerable. ...12 hours ago
- Coalition demands amendments to government’s deportation bill, as crucial High Court judgement set...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...12 hours ago
- MP's comments 'bang on' despite negative response from other parties – Te Pāti...Te Pāti Māori is standing by comments made by MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi which other parties have called inflammatory and offensive. ...15 hours ago
- A story of trauma, hope and regaining control, Nayika: A Dancing Girl is soul-stirring dance theatreSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...15 hours ago
- 'Pretty dire' situation for patients as junior doctors strike over pay cutsDisruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...16 hours ago
- How does the drug abemaciclib treat breast cancer?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...16 hours ago
- How a filmmaker, a pile of old shells and a bunch of amateurs are bringing our oyster reefs backSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...16 hours ago
- Official 2023 election result final check done in a few hours, under extreme pressureThe rushed assessment, which failed to identify multiple errors in the official results, would normally take two days. ...17 hours ago
- Curious Kids: what stops meteors hitting Earth and hurting people?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...17 hours ago
- From pride rounds to rainbow guernseys, sports can be smarter when it comes to diversity and inclusi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...17 hours ago
- Grand designs? Why many Australian architects say their career makes them unhappySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Stead, Director of the Design and Creative Practice Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT, RMIT University SORN340 Studio Images/Shutterstock For years there have been suggestions of widespread poor wellbeing among architects. In many ways this is not surprising. It’s well established the ...17 hours ago
- Don’t embarrass the bossComment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...17 hours ago
- Green MP Julie Anne Genter referred to Privileges CommitteeGerry Brownlee referred her to the Privileges Committee over complaints about her behaviour in the House. ...18 hours ago
- Six telling tidbits from the review of vote-counting errors at the 2023 electionDouble votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period during which we waited, and waited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...18 hours ago
- Government begins weekly reporting of school attendance figuresSchools should aim to have 94 percent of their pupils in class every day, David Seymour says. ...18 hours ago
- A ‘blistering’ ‘tour de force’: Australia loves After the Party tooInternational audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party. When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...18 hours ago
- Iran is gaining credibility in the Muslim world and feeling emboldened. This doesn’t bode well for...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...18 hours ago
- ‘Uncanny notes that plague this place’: Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson, reviewedClaire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events. When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...19 hours ago
- Bougainville ‘other avenues’ report ‘sensationalised’, claims MakibaPNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...19 hours ago
- Government on track for increased deficit despite fall in spending – TreasuryThe government books are worsening as a fall in tax outpaces cuts to spending, leaving it on course to post a sizable deficit. ...20 hours ago
- Luxon and Mitchell weren’t mixed up, they were using girl mathsWhere some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game. Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.” Some think that’s ...21 hours ago
- Interim Financial Statements Of The Government Of New Zealand For The Nine Months Ended 31 March 20...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...21 hours ago - NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle, who wanted to keep his pay as councillor pay too, changes his mindJamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...21 hours ago
- Jamie Arbuckle MP – Re: My Position As Marlborough District CouncillorThis is my fifth term as a Marlborough District Councillor, I am passionate about local issues, and I will continue to work hard for my community. ...21 hours ago
- Adding gender to the Human Rights Act – what’s the big deal?Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...21 hours ago
- Carmel Sepuloni believed to be contestant on new season's Celebrity Treasure IslandThe new season of Celebrity Treasure Island is due to hit New Zealand screens later this year. ...22 hours ago
- The cost of being: A flatting student who’s saving for more tattoosAs part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...23 hours ago
- 'He got it mixed up' – PM backs Corrections Minister despite announcement muddleThe prime minister is backing Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell, saying he "quickly clarified" a confusing media conference announcement. ...23 hours ago
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https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/103105285/russia-claims-alleged-chemical-attack-in-syria-staged-by-uk
Russia claims the UK staged the chemical attack in Syria.
Who would be crazy enough to believe that ?
What sort of person would post that question at 7am on a Saturday just to provoke a flame war?
Yes true Tracey, DNFTT.
An Ed-like person…has anyone seen Ed and James in the same room together ?
We’re through the looking glass ….
Ed is a very sweet man. Nothing like James.
Yes – an important point. I may find Ed repetitive or unconvincing at times, but I don’t doubt that it all comes from a base of decency.
James is just as decent as Ed. In fact Ed can be pretty nasty at times, name calling and such.
disagreeing with James’s ideological stance (which I do) is not him being indecent.
James’ ideological stance is indecent/immoral.
No it’s not. Good god people are allowed opinions and calling him indecent and immoral is a shit statement just because you don’t like him.
How boring would the world be if everyone was brainwashed and just thought the same way.
Do you need reading lessons? I didn’t call James indecent/immoral – I said his ideological position was. Of course, holding an immoral ideological position does call into question someone’s character.
Capitalism is immoral and James supports capitalism. In fact, he supports the destruction caused by National as they super-powered capitalism.
It’s not really about thinking the same way but accepting the facts as they are rather than trying to spin them to suit an ideological position.
Thanks veiled personal attack on my intelligence.
I can read and calling his ideology immoral and indecent is the same as calling him it.
In fact you confirmed it.
“Of course, holding an immoral ideological position does call into question someone’s character.”
On the flip one could say you authoritarian way that you agree below you have are immoral and indecent to people who like freedom, democracy and choice.
Thanks for doing the heavy lifting DTB.
No it’s not. It could be that they’re ignorant and stick with what they’ve been taught through friends/family and culture. Learning something new may allow them to realise that their position is immoral and they change.
I don’t have an authoritarian way. I do have authoritarian tendencies but I know about them and so don’t do it.
That would be you, and JohnSelway below, twisting my words.
Are you sure don’t need those reading lessons?
Pity you are unable to learn and you admitted you had those authoritative tendencies.
You have authoritarian ways and you use them with your blind ideology and refusal to accept you made a mistake you are not able to even consider others opinion if it differs from you.
If we look to history we find like Hitler, Stalin who’s blind ideology and authoritarian lead to great harm and how many people did they kill.
No twisting of your words your just incable of believeing your wrong.
James is the pits …
Tax havens are the biggest drivers of corruption, poverty and inequality in the world.
The biggest drivers of this sort of easily prevented sickness … http://100photos.time.com/photos/kevin-carter-starving-child-vulture
David Cameron, John Key and other sick crooks …. supported, participated in and helped spread this disease …. James is their number 1 fan.
You can not reconcile being nice with that …. and he’s well past the defense of ignorance
For someone who goes on about authoritarians you have a few tendencies to it yourself
Yep, I do.
Still, that has nothing to do with what I said.
I’m glad we agree – next you complain about how Right Wingers are authoritarian I’ll make sure to remind you of your own tendency
You therefore think it’s possible for decent people to believe indecent things.
I accept that it’s possible, but I’m not sure it’s common.
JohnSelway I agree with you. Maui I completely disagree with you playing the man and not the story. I don’t like Jame’s politics but respect he has an opinion.
I think Ed’s heart is in the right place. James not so much.
Easy to tell us apart – I don’t wear a tin foil hat.
Other that that – I think it safe to say we look at matters somewhat differently.
Easy to tell us apart – I don’t wear a tin foil hat.
No, you’re the one at the BBQ eating home-killed animal flesh.
Yeah – so?
You can’t see the relevance of the comment. Therein lies the problem.
I can’t see relevance. Perhaps you could expand on what your saying.
You usually ride to James’s defence. However the challenge was to work it out was to him not you.
I don’t ride to his defence I challenge when I see things based on personality. Vetuviper put it really well earlier on open mike.
You seem very narrowed minded to read what I commentate as defending James. I have said many times I don’t like his politics but I respect people have opinion and you should play the ball not the person.
I respect the right of people to have their own opinion like you do but I question people like James who seem to come here to hinder discussion for what is described as “shit and giggles”, and others whose purpose seems to be to divert and hinder rather than enhance debate .
Huzzah the sock puppets are back in town.
And so you try to stoke it…
I posted it because it was in the news and interesting.
Seriously- does anyone believe that the UK were behind the chemical attacks ?
I believe you are a national party supporting 48 year old man that lives in coatesville who enjoys posting agitating comments on a left leaning blog site…..
But similar to the alleged chemical attack in Syria…..it could all be a charade….
Don’t forget he has at least two kids in their 20s already with successful business of their own!
48!!?
84.
That’s not what the article said. Russia has claimed the UK were involved in the faking of the chemical attack.
Why try to shift the goalposts?
I’d be happy to consider evidence of it – haven’t seen any though. Speculation doesn’t cut it.
+1
Frank Macskasy has a good piece on Daily Blog that is worth consideration…
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/04/13/one-minute-to-midnight/
p.s. which looks as it may be moot
I posted it because it was in the news and interesting.
But then you immediately framed the interesting news in your inimitable way:
Who would be crazy enough to believe that ?
And later:
Seriously- does anyone believe that the UK were behind the chemical attacks ?
Hardly conducive to a healthy challenging exchange of ideas is it?
Do we know for sure who was responsible? No.
Do I think the UK were involved in some way? Not likely.
Is it possible? Yes.
Please open your brain up if you are going to continue to comment here.
I have as much evidence, or more, that it was Zionists …. who are presently fighting Russia in Syria …. as you have it was Putin … James
We have both Motive and escalating violence from the racist thug nation Israel https://electronicintifada.net/content/rejoicing-ethnic-cleansing/20621
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
Thats nice – do you have as much evidence, or more than the UK, French or US governments?
Are you really that important and informed?
Yeah, I thought not.
Is that your sham dunk James ,,, You put up as ‘evidence’ … words from the three participants fighting Russia in their war / attempted overthrow of the Syrian government? …
The same three incidentally who together …. attacked and destroyed Libya as a modern society / state ,,,,based on a pack of lies …
Who Invaded under false pretenses ,,,,,, and 16 years later are still there murdering innocent Afghan people … based on a pack of lies ….
Who illegally attacked and invaded Iraq …. based on a pack of lies
I would say wipe your dribble off your chin James … but it’s not your own dribble … mad war dog mays been drooling on you ,,, and you’ve been licking it up.
Just because you respect dishonesty …. don’t expect others to lap it up ……….
And finally …. as you think Israel being a murderous little thug nation is ‘nice’ …. here’s some nice quotes from them
“Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg unequivocally declared:
“Any trial based on the assumption that Jews and goyim are equal is a total travesty of justice.”[10]
“In our neighborhood,” said Benjamin Netanyahu, “we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts.” If an Israeli soldier is convicted of manslaughter, says Netanyahu, he should be released immediately. Long before Netanyahu came on the political scene, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir compared the Palestinians to “grasshoppers.”[11]
Former IDF Chief of Staff Raphael Eitan declared way back in the 1980s:
“We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel….Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours.”
Rabbi Yaacov Perrin: “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.”[12]
MK Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan himself declared that Palestinians “are beasts, they are not human.” MK Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan added: “A Jew always has a much higher soul than a gentile, even if he is a homosexual.”
Nice James?
So what you saying Tracey. Is when someone you don’t like post something it’s a Flame war but when Ed posts his repeated, relentless and pointless posts then expects people watch them and gets nasty when people don’t agree is not starting flame wars.
Tracey, I totally agree with the comments made by John Selway and Monty below.
Most days since Ed returned from his recent ban, the first comment(s)in Open Mike have been Ed raising the exact same issue or similar but not a peep from you – or others – about them. Only today when someone else finally gets in first, and it happens to be James, do we get:
What sort of person would post that question at [Xam on a ….ay] just to provoke a flame war?
Well here you are, how do these stack up against your question? And these are just in the last week:
1 on OM Friday 13/4/2018 Ed at 6.18am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-04-2018/#comment-1473627
OM Thursday 12/4/2018 – no Ed first, a welcome relief.
1 on Wednesday 11/4/2018 Ed at 6.08am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-04-2018/#comment-1472902
1 on Tuesday 10/4/2018 Ed at 6.07am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-04-2018/#comment-1472338
1 on Monday 9/4/2018 Ed at 7.22am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09-04-2018/#comment-1471840
1 on Sunday 8/4/2018 Ed at 6.39am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-08-04-2018/#comment-1471444
1 on Saturday 7/4/2018 Jenny at 6.57am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07-04-2018/#comment-1470991 (Not Syria And no Ed …)
1 on Friday 6/4/2018 Ed at 6.13am https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06-04-2018/#comment-1470634
1 on Thursday 5/4/2018 Ed at 6.3 3am ttps://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05-04-2018/#comment-1470254
And Daily Review has not been much better some days recently.
Re James, yes he is a self-identifying National voter who likes stirring, but I have yet to see him use some of the vitriol and personal abuse that comes from some others here.
And just in case anyone here decides to call me a ‘right wing tool’ or similar for defending someone who is not a leftie (as I have been called several times in the last few days over on the “We did not know it would be this bad” post), as I said there, personal abuse and name calling denigrates the person doing it far more than it does the person it is aimed at.
And no, as was suggested to me there, I am not just going to scroll past when I see such abuse being applied to someone else. To me that is the equivalent of pretending you haven’t seen a stranger being attacked and beaten up in the street, or a neighbour in their own home, and doing nothing to help them, no matter who they are.
Absolutely. Well said.
Absolutely, tosh.
‘
Or, who would be crazy enough to believe that the rebels are gassing themselves to make the Assad regime look bad?
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-04-2018/#comment-1472338
Yup – it’s like a line from The Man With The Deadly Lens.
Roughly translated this protest song is called:
“We want to be free”
“Even if you don’t agree”
Note the Free Syrian flags and the Palestinian flag flying together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUgA4_00MKY
According to some conspiracy theories, these protesters are all foreign agents in the pay of the CIA and Saudi Arabia, If you can believe that when both the US and Saudi are allies of Israel and enemies of the Palestinian people.
Jenny ,
You should focus on the areas which are more aligned to your simplistic way of thinking….
Israel/Palestine is ‘simple’ enough to evaluate who is carrying out the atrocities there….
Syria has too many levels of complexity for you, it would seem….
And your comments are an affront to the situation in Syria….
Yep – the Syria situation is a far more complicated beast than Israel/Palestine
Well clearly it’s too complex for you – Jenny’s been there, she has a real idea of the complexity – certainly doesn’t need lessons from the likes of you.
That’s you trying to convince yourself, Stu…Again..
Both Jenny and yourself have taken sides in an untenable situation…
You’re still pushing the Salisbury falsehoods arounds…despite the the total capitulation of the ‘official natrative’….
Given that you believe in the story which has been used as precursor to yet another illegal war waged by the imperialists…you have the souls of more dead innocents on your conscience….you can’t hide…no matter how hard you try…
The Syrian situation is complex…on that we can agree…the difference between me…and people who take sides such as yourself and Jenny…
I’m aware enough to not feed energy into a complex situation…by choosing a side…
The both you take the position of choosing a side…
Take a look.in the mirror…and take look at who/what side you’re on…
I’ll help you….it’s not those you think it is…
Occam’s Razor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
But I don’t have to rely on Occam’s razor, to dismiss complicated conspiracy theories (with too many levels of complexity beyond my simple mind). because I have actually been to Syria and seen this horrendous regime close up.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18122016/#comment-1277374
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18122016/#comment-1277081
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18122016/#comment-1277137
All you have achieved, Jenny, is to emphatically illustrate that you should not be commentating openly about Syria…leaving aside your stated prejudice based on experiences with some Syrians…..
Occams Razor is inline with simplistic levels of thinking and shallow, if any analysis on a now 7 years long…well documented foreign interference within Syria….Not withstanding the annexed Golan Heights….under the control of Israeli forces…. I presume you are not aware of Golan Heights….
As per another response I have made to you…..
Hang your head….you’ve now gotten the war machine response that your comments have been baying for….
Edit: I’ve no doubt your heart is ‘in the right place’…..The energy you’re feeding into the Syrian discussion…..is not…..
You should hang your head in shame for denigrating Jenny without offering any other line of enquiry or point of discussion. Disgusting sexism to just dismiss Jenny’s statements as simplistic, despite her obvious first hand experience and interest.
What first hand experience do you have if the issue? second hand sourcing from the internet isn’t helping you
1-2 is a funny creature that simultaneously knows nothing and everything.
Basically, a cosmic waste of space.
Once you’ve gone back through recent weeks and months worth of Jennys comments regarding Syria, feel free to come back and start up this conversation….I’ll engage with you once you’ve done that….with a caveat…
disgusting sexism
The above would require an explanation…I’ll be open to hearing what exactly it was that triggered you…
Once we’ve worked through that…we can unpack your assessments of the weeks and months of Jennys Syria comments…and how they’re juxtaposed against what can only be described as mainstream sources…
Inevitably, we will discuss the problems with taking sides and how positive intentions can create negative energy…
Until then….balls in your court…
Jenny, I could say, without a doubt, there is no Syrian living in Syria, having had their country damn near destroyed by your dear FSA et al, appreciates your ignorance.
How are the people in Aleppo managing now the government has rid the city of your murderous friends Jenny?
Why don’t you tell us Brigid?
With pleasure dear Jenny, assuming you don’t care really about Syrians enough to find out for yourself.
https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-aleppo/syrias-aleppo-expects-iran-power-boost-soon-idUSL8N1QG4Y6
Here’s some pictures for you. Odd that people are returning to the city that the Syrian government now controls don’t you think?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2017/jul/06/syrians-return-to-normal-life-in-aleppo-in-pictures
And from an ordinary tourist
https://www.unusualtraveler.com/aleppo/
Jenny,
* Are there only one type of ‘rebel’ are far as you are concerned ?
* Do you believe that paid mercenaries and or ‘rebels’ could perform such an act…assuming said act actually look place at all….
Perhaps the paid mercs and rebels have contracts stating which type of atrocity they will not engaged in…
So the question about crazy enough…..is as ignorant as it is asinine…..
To One Two I would ask, as I do for all Assad regime apologists and authors on this site:
Who did this?
And is it not evidence of genocide?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/feb/04/drone-footage-homs-syria-utter-devastation-video
So One Two will you, just like every other regime supporter at this site that I have posed this question to, also refuse to answer it?
Jenny, you’ve asked if I will ignore questions from you, while you’ve not responded to my questions…or questions from others…
Why do you keep doing that?…
Why do you continue to ignore my statements that I am NOT a ‘regime supporter’…
More innocent people right this moment are dying and being injured and their nation torched…USA UK FRANCE…all who have supported, funded and armed ‘moderate rebels’…
Why do you continue to avoid that aspect of Syria….why Jenny…
Hang your head Jenny…this is what your comments have been begging for…
My apologies, I am sorry I did not respond to your questions immediately, as I was busy. However to extrapolate that to, I do not respond to “questions from others”, is false. I have always tried to answer questions put to me by commenters and/or authors on this site. If I have missed any please point them out to me.
I will answer your questions, in return I would expect the same level of respect from you; and answer the single simple question that I put to you, O.T. and which is the same question that I have been putting to other regime apologists at this site for some months now, and which to date is a question every single one of you has avoided. And which of course you too will also refuse to answer.
Who did this?
And is it not evidence of genocide?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/feb/04/drone-footage-homs-syria-utter-devastation-video
Now to the questions you have raised;
O.T. Question: * Are there only one type of ‘rebel’ are far as you are concerned ?
J. Answer: No, obviously there are several, but in my opinion the main and biggest opposition to the regime came from, and still does come from Syrian civil society, despite all the massacres and atrocities committed by the regime and its foreign allies.
I have addressed this question, more fully HERE
I also generally agree with this timeline and explanation expounded HERE
If you have any questions springing from these links, I would be happy to expand on them with my own personal comments and observations based on my own experience and knowledge.
O.T. Question: * Do you believe that paid mercenaries and or ‘rebels’ could perform such an act…assuming said act actually look place at all….
J. Answer: Presuming of course that they exist. The regime has long claimed that they are being victimised by paid professionals, the regime has even claimed to have captured some. Unfortunately the regime were never able to present these captured individuals to world’s media as evidence of this plot, or even release the names and nationalities or identities of these alleged captives. Also the small group men and women the so called foreign spies captured by the regime in Aleppo after the fall of the city to the regime, were nothing of sort, and again nothing was heard ever again about these individuals. As I said at the time, in a city of over 4 million people, there is sure to be some foreign nationals living there.
https://thestandard.org.nz/question-4/
Maybe One Two if you have any evidence of murderous foreign mercenaries prepared to murder civilians with gas in rebel held territory to make the regime look bad, you should present it.
The UK has done False Flag operations before so I certainly wouldn’t put it past them.
In fact, pretty much every single major has done so in the not so distant past.
True, but it’s also a theory put forward by the same people who said the Skripals had food poisoning and that a Ukrainian aircraft shot down MH17.
So I can’t really fault the bombing on the grounds that Assad’s innocent at this stage.
“From the study of past climate, we know changes in the Amoc have been some of the most abrupt and impactful events in the history of climate,” said Prof Stefan Rahmstorf, at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and one of the world’s leading oceanographers, who led some of the new research. During the last Ice Age, winter temperatures changed by up to 10C within three years in some places.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/13/avoid-at-all-costs-gulf-streams-record-weakening-prompts-warnings-global-warming
How much adaptation and mitigation do you think would occur in 3 years…..or adaptive evolution for that matter?
Hey Pat, the girls and I have been watching a new TV series online about the Earth and how delicate and intertwined every thing is, it’s a fantastic series.
It’s by National Geographic, “One Strange Rock”
looks interesting…see one episode is titled Survival v Destruction (the last?)
Crikey ! We are currently up to episode 3 via the putlocker.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Strange_Rock_(TV_series)
am guessing this available through Sky?..or is it available via net somehow?
Should be on sky, as it’s national geographic.
We’ve been watching via the ‘putlocker’ sites online. FYI those sites have revolting popup ad’s, but one can quickly close them before their ad’s load.
K, thanks…will have a hunt and watch.
You should install an adblocker, useful if your kids are watching and you don’t want it to inadvertently appear before you have a chance to block.
good advice…though my kids are adults and will probably roll their eyes when I ask how to install an ad blocker
The New Normal
Headlines today 14 April 2018
“Droughts, floods to become more common in Southland”
Tim Brown, Otago-Southland Reporter tim.brown@radionz.co.nz
“Storm-hit Auckland braces for more”
Pre-warned is pre-armed. Some time ago I was gifted an emergency power supply and was able to keep the power on throughout the power cuts.
I would recommend everyone who can to take the precautions they can afford.
The authors of The Valley take the Govt to task for missing the point in their Afganistan inquiry.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/103031208/stuff-circuit-missing-the-target–the-government-inquiry-into-afghanistan-raid
Like GCSB, the SAS operate in a field of lies and secrecy. Simply taking at face value what they want to tell us is clearly not enough to ensure accountability and conduct becoming…
“Like GCSB, the SAS operate in a field of lies and secrecy.”
Tracey the GCSB and SAS operate in a field of dealing with the most unsavory type of person/organisation.
Do you expect the SAS to be an open book on their operations? I am sure a lot of very bad people will thank you for the intel.
A degree of secrecy would be expected but are you okay with the lies?
With secrecy comes a lot of “grey void” and people can fill that void with different narratives.
The inquiry into the Afghan raid will no doubt disappoint, as key evidence will be withheld from the public view. Especially if the inquiry concludes the “hit and run book” to be misleading.
You didn’t answer the question.
Don’t expect on from chunky, you will be waiting a very long time.
GCSB has been repeatedly shown to be doing illegal things. SAS are probably involved in operation Burnham that just killed kids and civilians and SIS were surveilling Keith Locke since he was a boy and he probably doesn’t even have a parking ticket to his name!
You have to wonder that they justify all their addition funding taking from other government departments when there is little threat and they are actually using their powers to harm the country and people on political crusades, not help them!
Chuck ‘Tracey the GCSB and SAS operate in a field of dealing with the most unsavory type of person/organisation.’ …. to which I’d say they no longer report to John Key.
Or did you mean their targets like Nicky Hager , wiki leaks etc ?
The authors of the book know that if the inquiry decision comes out and their book and allegations are found to be incorrect their reputations will be smashed.
So yes they will do everything they can to get a the inquiry weighted to their side.
As I said the other day, will people accept the inquiry findings. I suspect unless it comes out in the way they want they call it a farce and accuse the govt of cover ups. At least we are getting an inquiry and we should what till the findings come out.
No, their reputations will not be smashed until they get prosecuted and found guilty of deliberate lying. That will not happen, as you probably well know. What will suffer damage is public confidence in our inquiries which get hamstrung before they even start.
I think you are stirring a little by saying “found guilty of deliberate lying.” As you point out it will never happen.
It will, however, hit them in the pocket for any future book releases. Not to mention reputational damage.
The public has little interest in this inquiry, most understand the hostile conditions the soldiers were facing.
Indeed, we all know that the people are more interested in snapper quota.
https://thestandard.org.nz/gcsb-bill-vs-snapper-quota/
The Government, the Justice system, the Police, etc., should all conduct their affairs based on popularity and public interest or lack thereof. Truth and justice are entirely subjective and relative, of course, and must therefore be decided by popular vote only (with a 5% threshold). I mean, why spend good taxpayers’’ money if the majority (44.4%) doesn’t give a rat’s bottom?
Well proposed, Incognito. No happy ending for all those rats with bottoms…
Oh, and by the way for Chuck, who is so concerned about the poor darling soldiers and the hostile conditions they were facing.
It wasn’t the soldiers who got killed, Chuck. It was innocent civilians.
But no worries, eh?
Any civilian killed in any conflict is one too many.
Its clear from you tone In Vino you do not hold our soldiers and armed forces in good regard.
But no worries eh?
The Chuck has little interest in this inquiry, he understand the hostile conditions the soldiers were facing.
who cares sais chuck … gotta move on
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58bcc6ac893fc04255abbbcc/t/58cfb45a37c5819ccd2bfd50/1490014002150/?format=750w
FYI
Interesting: the latest Hardtalk with Sackur and outgoing head of UK Sereious Fraud Office …
banking, finance and corporate behaviour
My apologies – but just another little dose of common sense on a Saturday morning!
(Unlike James, I’m not interested in starting a flame war!)
I have no idea who Dr. Chris Busby is, but he seems pretty convincing about the nerve gas that affected the Skripals not being able to be traced to Russia.
Just over 10 minutes long.
Thank you for sharing.
Citizen Smith!
He does sound like he knows about Nerve Agents, etc. However, he’s ultimately very political. And for someone of his alleged background, he is recording from a pretty shabby abode.
Yes Caroline, re: the shabby background. I too noticed that. Perhaps there’s not much money in speaking out against the idiots in power – you know, job tenure and all that!
Or maybe he’s just not very good as a snake-oil salesman.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/21/christopher-busby-radiation-pills-fukushima
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Busby
Thanks. And he does so look like an aging Citizen Smith of the Tooting Popular Front.
“pretty shabby abode “??Good grief CN your snobbery is pretty painfully apparent !!!Would you have been more impressed if he,d had gilded pillars in the background ??
I wondered about his credentials. He claimed himself to be a successful scientist, working with various official/significant organisations, etc, yet he doesn’t look like he’s from that background.
Nothing to do with snobbishness. I’ve lived in some pretty shabby places myself, and never in anything very grand.
It’s about his credibility.
Monbiot on Mr Busby.
Christopher Busby’s wild claims hurt green movement and Green party
The Green party adviser’s theories on the Fukushima nuclear disaster and a ‘leukaemia cluster’ in north Wales are baseless scaremongering – even the anti-nuclear lobby must oppose him
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/nov/22/christopher-busby-nuclear-green-party
https://medium.com/dfrlab
Just putting this here.
Also,
https://warisboring.com
This sounds like an interesting book that DTB will have an opinion about.
The clean money revolution : reinventing power, purpose, and capitalism
Author:
Solomon, Joel (Venture capitalist)
Publisher’s Weekly Review
This inspiring memoir from Solomon, chairman of Renewal Funds, a venture capital firm that aims to spark positive social and environmental change, includes a how-to-manual for investing in “clean money” and sustainable initiatives. The book charts Solomon’s trajectory: his early years as the son of a shopping mall developer in Tennessee, his formative years in politics, his career as a Nashville businessman, and his present efforts to transform money and business into forces for regenerating the world.
Solomon has his eye on the estimated $40 trillion in wealth that millennial investors are expected to inherit in the next 20 years, which he sees as a unique opportunity for progress. Interviews with prominent clean money leaders support and add credibility to Solomon’s strategies for change.
The topics are well organized and build persuasively upon the examples of well-managed funds and business leaders supporting meaningful ecological and social initiatives. This is recommended reading for current and future investors looking to align their investments with their values and contribute to a more just global economy. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
radionz interview
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018640646/joel-solomon-the-clean-money-revolution
Joel Solomon chairs Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm, at $98m assets under management, almost all in the organic foods and distribution, green tech and independent media space. Early in his career Solomon served as National Youth Coordinator in Jimmy Carter’s 1976 Presidential campaign, but entered the world of business when he inherited $50,000 in 1983 and invested it into an organic yogurt, eventually selling it to dairy giant Danone for an estimated $180 million.
Joel Solomon is a member of numerous boards and taskforces and has recently written The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism. He’s been in New Zealand to speak at the New Frontiers event in Upper Hutt, an event devised and run by cashed-up Silicon Valley millionaire brothers Matthew and Brian Monahan.
New Frontiers
https://www.newfrontiers.nz/
google – New Frontiers April 2018 is a 3-day event that brings together creative entrepreneurial leaders from New Zealand and around the world, to share, explore and co-create integrated solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Each participant bring their passions, skills and expertise to help shape our experience together …
About · Programme · Join Us
It was 8-10 April at: Where – We’ll be gathering in Aotearoa, in the edgy Trentham Racecourse Complex in Upper Hutt,
($100 a day was not off the planet.)
google – Apply Feb2017 — New Frontiers
https://www.newfrontiers.nz/apply/
If your application is accepted, the ticket price for New Frontiers is $500/full event or $100/day for day visitors. We gratefully welcome your donations above and beyond this ticket cost, to help us sustain New Frontiers. We also have several scholarship options available for those with limited financial means. Please select …
But looking at their website it seems to be a warm and fuzzy event to boost endorphins?, appealing to those who want to progress their particular interest within the present paradigm with lots of warmth and togetherness.
Seems devoted to BAU with some tweaking to soften life for those allowed to have one so they can forget about the wars raging in the background except for token protests, and overlook the cost of present culture to other humans who are displaced by ‘the System’. Concern for others and charity or aid is carefully chosen to be distant from the aggravating people within the close sphere so commonly needy and fractious.
Some points to think on. This quote from writer John Galsworthy in the Listener9/12/2017 is good because it can be swung to refer to closely observed details, or a distant prospect.
“Idealism increases in direct proportion to one’s distance from the problem.”
And is followed by an apt one from philosopher Bertrand Russell::
“Much that passes as idealism is disguised hatred or disguised love of power.”
Taranaki born and bred Jo Moir is getting poetically nostalgic for:
Must have been like a little night light for her. Trouble is it was a gas powered night light!
It’s yet another article of its type, this time acknowledging the Oil and Gas industry’s days are numbered – they have to be one way or another – but complaining bitterly about how the message was delivered. However as JA alluded to, in stark contrast to past Labour government reforms, this government has given Taranaki 30 years notice!
Which leads me to the comment, in the form of analogy, which was the most insulting, ignorant, and entitled bit of the whole whinge:
This is the very situation which families in private rentals all over New Zealand find themselves in every single day.
At least Taranaki got 30 years notice, Jo. An ever increasing number of young Kiwi families get 90 days, if they are lucky…
Folk with skin in the game say they’re backing the transition to a carbon neutral Aotearoa.
South Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui have commended the government on its decision to stop block offers for offshore oil and gas exploration, despite holding more oil and mineral exploration permits than any other iwi. If only the government were better prepared for the transition, writes Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
Our iwi understands that there needs to be a starting point for a brave new carbon neutral world. In fact, this was not really a surprise; we predicted this was likely to be the government’s first move in this area.
The big question now is what does this transition look like over the next five, 10, and 20 to 30 years?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/14-04-2018/no-oil-permits-no-problem-just-give-us-time-to-prepare/
“I see fields of green,
slowly being churned,
by black, brown, and white,
brown running streams,
and I think to myself,
what a wonderful world.
I see a sea view,
natural blue,
towers in the sea too,
and I think to myself,
what a wonderful world.”
About that trip to Prague.
The Justice Department special counsel has evidence that Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, secretly made a late-summer trip to Prague during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Confirmation of the trip would lend credence to a retired British spy’s report that Cohen strategized there with a powerful Kremlin figure about Russian meddling in the U.S. election.
It would also be one of the most significant developments thus far in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the Trump campaign and the Kremlin worked together to help Trump win the White House. Undercutting Trump’s repeated pronouncements that “there is no evidence of collusion,” it also could ratchet up the stakes if the president tries, as he has intimated he might for months, to order Mueller’s firing.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article208870264.html
The Coalition and the public will have to very discerning and sceptical about much of the professional advice they receive…..as this (somewhat surprising) article by Rod Oram of Newsroom would indicate.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/03/03/93650/rod-oram-a-radical-reinvention-of-our-economy#
McKinsey’s history does not demonstrate any element of public good or service ,,,google ‘delay,deny,defend’ and judge whether this is an organisation that will help deliver an equitable transition from fossil fuels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinsey_%26_Company
http://www.delaydenydefend.com/excerpt/
It’s on. Precision strikes, apparently.
/
New dedicated post on Syria here: https://thestandard.org.nz/whats-the-game/
Outstanding work Women’s Black Sticks.
4-1 against Australia and gold.
Top work.
Perhaps JA will shake their hands for the cameras. Will that make you happy?
It would show the Prime Minister had some sense.
New Zealand “accepts” strikes.
Wait for the rabid right to explode in a frothy rage at language like that. It will be as if Ardern herself went over to Syria and personally gassed kids.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103109334/new-zealand-accepts-reasoning-behind-usled-strike-on-syria
Ah, didn’t have to wait long.
Farrar has gone full troppo and made a special post comparing Putin’s Russia with Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Syria with the concentration camps, and Ardern with Chamberlain I presume.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/04/ardern_statement_on_holocaust.html
I suspect he might get into a bit of trouble for this post.
So full troppo mode to you is putting his own heading on it and then simply quoting Jacindas statement in full with a link back?
Geesh.
He changed a lot more than the heading. You might want to read it.
I didn’t read it to the bottom and had assumed that it was as linked fully (as it appeared at the start)
I stand corrected and apologise.
My post was completely wrong.
Hilarious how the other Ferals had to explain the ‘joke’ to DG.
Farrar should avoid trying to be clever…he is so shit at it.
I’m confused by A) the point Farrah is trying to make and B) what’s wrong with it.
A little help for my wine addled brain?
I guess people have forgotten all about the Assad clan’s neoliberal economic programme and how Syrians first took to the street to protest about declining living standards.
When Hafez’ son Bashar took over upon the former’s death in 2000, he accelerated the neoliberal reforms his father had started. A process of market liberalization was initiated in the 2000s as part of Syria’s transition to a social market economy, and the private sector, which represented 52 per cent of GDP in 2000, had risen to 61 percent by 2007.
While the rise of foreign investment “drove a boom in trade, banking, housing, construction, and tourism in the latter years of the decade,” the agricultural share of GDP declined from 7.8 per cent to 2.2 per cent between 2005 and 2010. This meant that not only were most Syrians repressed politically, but more and more were suffering economically as well. According to a UNDP report, poverty increased from 30.1% of Syria’s population living below the ‘upper’ poverty line in 2004 to 33.6% in 2007. This meant that almost 7 million Syrians were considered poor, including 56% of those living in the countryside.
Social indicators show us that despite the increase in GDP per capita at purchasing-power parity (PPP), this growth was not redistributed among the population but instead brought an increase of poverty, unemployment, and social inequalities. The growing poverty, especially among the rural working class, was exacerbated by the cancellation of state subsidies after 2005, which had particularly negative effects in north-eastern Syria during the severe drought between 2006 and 2010. According to a Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR) report in 2009, the northern and eastern regions had the highest poverty rates in the country.
https://www.aljumhuriya.net/en/content/socio-economic-roots-syria%E2%80%99s-uprising
I got a fairly full run down on them from a Jordanian colleague in Saudi. God knows the Jordanian leadership are crap he said, but Syria is worse – and they don’t have much oil revenue to paper over the cracks. Saudi is full of folk looking for better opportunities – they have to have pretty open immigration policy because of the Haj.
Is this the ‘day of James?