Open mike 14/04/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 14th, 2019 - 139 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

139 comments on “Open mike 14/04/2019 ”

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  1. reason 1
    14 April 2019 at 7:37 am

    I put this viedeo link up for Wild Katipo …. after she called a shitty poster a wolf

    The music starts about 6 mins 48 secs

    The Wolf and bear ….. 11 mins 55 secs

    I would describe the music as …. 2 minutes to midnight rock …… as the end depicts

    • Jenny - How to get there? 1.1
      14 April 2019 at 8:40 am

      A 1930s nazi style propaganda newsreel?

      What the….

      Do you really think this is good?

      Intellectually challenged skin heads and fascists love this stuff.

      Are you putting this stuff up as a parody or what?

      http://www.amateinitiative.com/new_wave_of_neo_nazis_take_inspiration_from_russia_and_assad_not_nazi_germany

      • Psycho Milt 1.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 9:25 am

        Intellectually challenged skin heads and fascists love this stuff.

        As do intellectually-challenged socialists. It’s called horseshoe theory.

        • Morrissey 1.1.1.1
          14 April 2019 at 10:27 am

          I see that one of the impeccably researched references in your horseshit link includes a farrago of abuse aimed at the Jewish intellectual Antony Loewenstein from one Tzvi Fleischer of the extreme right wing AIJAC.

          Keep it up Milt—a talkback hosting spot on NewstalkZB is the natural next step after all your hard work.

          • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 10:42 am

            If my assessment of the merits of a particular theory were based on how Morrissey feels about one or other of the people involved, perhaps I’d care about that.

            • Morrissey 1.1.1.1.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 11:16 am

              That’s no defence of your putting up a link to an extreme right wing group to support your horseshit talk.

              Not your best day so far, my friend.

              • Psycho Milt …
                14 April 2019 at 11:37 am

                Removing a duplicate comment

              • Psycho Milt …
                14 April 2019 at 11:37 am

                Wikipedia’s an extreme right-wing group, now?

                • Morrissey …
                  14 April 2019 at 11:44 am

                  No, of course not. But extreme right groups like AIPAC are often unwittingly swept up and quoted by otherwise level-headed and sensible commentators. As has happened, sadly, in comment 1.1.1 on this thread.

                  • Shadrach …
                    14 April 2019 at 12:42 pm

                    Why don’t you actually attempt to refute the theory then, rather than shoot the messenger. For example it would be easy to write a lot of people on the left off as nutters, but that would be the easy option. Much better to actually consider and critique the respective arguments, don’t you think?

                    • reason …
                      14 April 2019 at 1:14 pm

                      Shadrach …… who posts things like …. ‘ most muslims are fundamentalists and incompatible with our society ”

                      and …. ‘ Its radical Islam preachers who are to blame for the rise in attacks on Muslims’

                      And who tried the anti semite smear on Ilhan Omar ….

                      Your an idiot worth ignoring Shadrach …. or do you stand by your views ?????

                      https://twitter.com/MesutOzil1088/status/1110170205748187136

                    • Shadrach …
                      15 April 2019 at 8:57 am

                      ‘ most muslims are fundamentalists and incompatible with our society ”
                      and …. ‘ Its radical Islam preachers who are to blame for the rise in attacks on Muslims’

                      I have never stated I hold those beliefs. Ever. What I have said is that Islam, as practised in countries with Islamic governments, is incompatible with a modern liberal democracy, but then that is self evident (https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/iranian-who-removed-headscarf-sentenced-to-year-in-prison/ar-BBVVB6H?ocid=spartanntp).

                      Muslims, on the other hand, are welcome in my country and my neighbourhood, because most that come to NZ are actually trying to escape those tyranny’s.

                      Oh and it’s a bit rich you quoting a mega-rich footballer who probably knows nothing of the consequences of Islamic extremism. I’m sure his personal security apparatus keeps him well away from danger.

      • reason 1.1.2
        14 April 2019 at 1:05 pm

        Jenny_how to be Asshat …. The woman who cried wolf ….. and claimed Asshat was to blame for our christchurch subhuman supremacist murder spree .

        To quote jenny_ how to be MadAss… ” ” The attack in Christchurch was conducted on the anniversary of the beginning of the popular revolt against Assad, by a gunman who self describes as a fascist””

        Talk about some sicko propaganda Jenny_how to be cracked ass … and she did not stop there.

        ” “Jo Cox was assassinated by a fascist gunman because she supported the Syrian people against the regime.”

        Jen Jenny ……..Watch this video that made joe90 start hating on me …. As my main complaint is it conflates the murderer and chemical weapons user ( with help from the usa & Britian ) …. Saddam with Gadaffi …..

        Gadaffi was no Saddam

        https://www.bitchute.com/video/hUaWa8L9YPXL/

        • Jenny - How to get there? 1.1.2.1
          14 April 2019 at 10:11 pm

          https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-04-2019/#comment-1606325

          reason 1.4
          11 April 2019 at 12:15 pm

          ….Jenny like Wayne Mapp has some peculiar posting habits which makes me doubt their sincerity or remorse over innocent people being killed…. that they have had a hand in.

          But even Wayne would not touch this garbage …. ” Jo Cox was assassinated by a fascist gunman because she supported the Syrian people against the regime.”

          “The attack in Christchurch was conducted on the anniversary of the beginning of the popular revolt against Assad, by a gunman who self describes as a fascist.”

          “The normalisation and acceptance of fascism in Syria has emboldened and empowered fascists everywhere.” ……

          Reason tries to conflate me with Wayne Mapp as somehow being implicated in Operation Burnham and the killing of innocent Afghan villagers

          Jenny like Wayne Mapp has some peculiar posting habits which makes me doubt their sincerity or remorse over innocent people being killed…. that they have had a hand in.

          In no way can it be imagined that I had a hand in innocent people being killed, this is a smear, not a fact.

          ” Jo Cox was assassinated by a fascist gunman because she supported the Syrian people against the regime.”

          Jo Cox supported the Syrian people’s revolt against the Assad regime, this is a verifiable fact.

          That fascists world wide support Assad’s genocidal war against his own people, is a verifiable fact.

          That the attack in Christchurch was carried out on the internationally recognised anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolt against Assad, is a verifiable fact.

          That the killer of Jo Cox and Heather Heyer and the killer in Christchurch and Norway all self identified as “fascists” is a verifiable fact.

          “The normalisation and acceptance of fascism in Syria has emboldened and empowered fascists everywhere.”

          Possibly this last by me, could be termed a judgment call, but it is more than backed up by a mass of evidence that indicates this.

          http://www.amateinitiative.com/new_wave_of_neo_nazis_take_inspiration_from_russia_and_assad_not_nazi_germany

          New Wave of Neo-Nazis Take Inspiration from Russia and Assad, not Nazi Germany

          The recent wave of neo-Nazism, most prominently evident in North America, has adopted traditional Nazi symbolism such as swastikas and Nazi salutes like “blood and soil.” Yet this movement has less to do with Nazi Germany, and much more to do with current political players such as Russia, Bashar al-Assad, and even ISIS….

          The Facebook page of James Alex Fields, the white nationalist charged with the murder of Heather Hayer after he rammed a car into demonstrators in Charlottesville, is a dystopian microcosm of the kind of propaganda that populates the minds of these neo-Nazis. Among the plethora of images of swastikas, memes of Trump, and Pepe the Frog, Assad had a seemingly out of place presence on the white supremacist’s social media page. In one photo, Assad is depicted in full military uniform with the caption “UNDEFEATED.”

          Yet Fields is not alone in his admiration for Assad in the growing neo-Nazi movement. In a video posted on Buzzfeed reporter Brandon Wall’s Twitter feed, three other men who took part in the Charlottesville hate rally are shown proudly affirming their support for Assad. One of them wears a t-shirt with the slogan “Bashar’s Barrel Delivery Co”, and says “support the Syrian Arab army and [expletive] fight against the globalists”, while the man filming replies with “Assad did nothing wrong” and “barrel bombs, hell yeah!”

          Assad’s rise to popularity among America’s neo-Nazis perhaps began when David Duke tweeted in support of the Syrian president, describing him as an “amazing leader” and “a modern day hero standing up to demonic forces seeking to destroy his people and nation.” The series of tweets was accompanied by an image of Assad, in dark glasses and military apparel, similar to the one shared by Fields….

          • Jenny - How to get there? 1.1.2.1.1
            15 April 2019 at 6:04 am

            The Christchurch shooter was not a lone wolf. He was part of an international fascist movement.

    • cleangreen 1.2
      14 April 2019 at 11:13 am

      reason regarding your post on 1

      “I put this video link up for Wild Katipo …. after she called a shitty poster a wolf”

      After watching the video this is my sentiments;

      I think It is wise to see both sides of every story no matter what uncomfortable it seems to be watching the movie clip.

      History is the founding evidence we need to plan a better way forward.

      “There are none for dumb than those who will see or hear.”

      Or maybe you may prefer; – “ignorance is bliss”

      Or; – “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.”

      For example, She decided not to read the critics’ reviews-ignorance is bliss.

      Although its truth may be dubious at best, this idea has been expressed since ancient times.

      The actual wording, however, comes from Thomas Gray’s poem, “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” (1742): “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.”

    • Incognito 1.3
      14 April 2019 at 11:49 am

      I note that you still cannot walk without questionable video clips as your crutches.

      If you have a point to make, make it, and do so without the blatant innuendo.

      Are you fishing for approval or support from other commenters for your crusade?

      This is similar comments in three OMs in a row and it is becoming repetitive and boring.

      • reason 1.3.1
        14 April 2019 at 12:47 pm

        The thing with gummy bear posting … is to put across your / my arguement …. in response to the fish mongers and all their red herrings ….

        I like linking to people who put across my points of view better than myself …. and often with more information.

        Like this video on Assange …. As it was James and julian assange that got incognito talking to me.

        So we talk about Assange or james … or Wayne Mapp… aye incog ?

        • Incognito 1.3.1.1
          14 April 2019 at 1:59 pm

          I like linking to people who put across my points of view better than myself …. and often with more information.

          I find that a feeble excuse for not making an effort to put forward your point in your own words. And talking of “red herrings”, since when are clips of Julian Assange or whatever relevant to your comments dedicated to having a go at other commenters here because they, in your opinion, are “blatantly reprehensible” and “fish mongers” [sic]? Julian Assange has got nothing to do with your behaviour here! Please don’t conflate the people you link to with the commenters that you feel outraged about.

          You’re continuing to act like a stalker with halitosis when you called Shadrach an idiot @ 1:14 pm and also had a go at Jenny @ 1:05 pm.

          Please address the issue at hand without resorting to personal attacks.

        • James 1.3.1.2
          14 April 2019 at 6:31 pm

          You seem to have somewhat of an unhealthy obsession with me.

          You really aren’t my type.

          • Robert Guyton 1.3.1.2.1
            14 April 2019 at 7:01 pm

            It’s really weird, James, how often you reference your supposed attractiveness to commenters here. Is there anybody here who you haven’t implied is obsessed with you/ stalking you??
            Just asking. ’cause I’ve noticed a pattern of behaviour from you…

            • In Vino 1.3.1.2.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 10:28 pm

              Um, maybe Puckish Rogue, whose affections are aimed so exclusively elsewhere?

  2. francesca 2
    14 April 2019 at 8:14 am

    Seems like there’s been a massive Wikileaks dump

    https://nationandstate.com/2019/04/13/new-wikileaks-massive-file-dump/

    Wonder if Assange’s arrest will prompt a new torrent of leaks

    • cleangreen 2.1
      14 April 2019 at 11:24 am

      Well done Francesca with a large dossier of incidents.

      That will begin a torrent of others alright

      Today’s news on BBC;

      Is that claims from Julian Assange’s legal team is warning that they will fight the extradition to Sweden and US.

      “It will be a long protracted fight” they claimed.

      • Wayne 2.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 8:37 pm

        IF the Kim Dotcom fight is anything to go by, yes. I don’t think the KDC legal fight will be over till about 2021 or 2022. Though if the Supreme Court says KDC can’t be extradited, it might be over by late this year. Still that would be 8 years since his arrest in Jan 2012.

        I guess more like five years for Assange in the UK. Their courts have more experience of extradition, so many of the precedents have been well established. It won’t take a decade.

        • Andre 2.1.1.1
          14 April 2019 at 8:59 pm

          I guess more like five years for Assange in the UK

          To send him to the US or to Sweden? Looks to me (with precisely zero legal expertise) sending Assange to Sweden should be a lot more straightforward than to the US. There’s some thorny questions about whether what the US accuses him of is even a crime, and he’s got at least some argument around the political aspects of it.

          • McFlock 2.1.1.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 9:05 pm

            The other thing is that it might count for something that they already went through the Swedish thing once – even if they have to start over, appeals opportunities will be limited because the higher courts probably won’t want to relitigate the same points again – the lower courts have their guidance on the matters of substance.

          • Macro 2.1.1.1.2
            14 April 2019 at 9:27 pm

            Except under the UK – US extradition Treaty ratified by the US in 2006.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK%E2%80%93US_extradition_treaty_of_2003

            Among other provisions Part 2 of the Act: Extradition to category 2 territories (non-European Arrest Warrant territories) removed the requirement on the USA to provide prima facie evidence in extraditions from the UK, requiring instead only reasonable suspicion.[5] This was necessary to redress the previous imbalance against the USA under the 1870 Act, as the UK did not have to provide the more onerous prima facie evidence to extradite from the USA. The requirement for the UK is to show probable cause. However, an independent legal review carried out by Sir Scott Baker found that “there is no significant difference between the probable cause test and the reasonable suspicion test. There is no practical difference between the information submitted to and from the United States.”[6]

            And:

            it allows the US to extradite UK citizens and others for offences committed against US law, even though the alleged offence may have been committed in the UK by a person living and working in the UK

            As I have noted elsewhere, the US could have applied for extradition when they charged Manning. This was well before he went to Sweden. The allegation that the rape charges are simply a means to get Assange out of the UK, and off to the US – as some commentators here seem to believe – is just nonsense.

  3. Andre 3
    14 April 2019 at 9:39 am

    Bernie just doesn’t get it.

    He’s earned over a million bucks from his book. He could use that to illustrate an argument for higher taxes on high earners and the wealthy by talking about all the different sectors of society supported by taxes had to come together to make that possible.

    But no, he just gets entitled and defensive about it.

    “If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.”

    “I didn’t know that it was a crime to write a good book which turns out to be a bestseller,”

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/13/politics/bernie-sanders-millionaire-book-sales-tax-returns/index.html

    • Tuppence Shrewsbury 3.1
      14 April 2019 at 9:47 am

      What a surplus, a socialist achieves something for themselves and realises the errors of socialism and the benefits of free enterprise

      • KJT 3.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 10:03 am

        Funny..
        I note the “Free enterprisers” especially in the States, are the most expensive beneficiaries, of “socialist” tax dollars.
        And favourable Government regulation.

        Like the “business people” here who go on about “Pretty communists”, “useless people” and the like, as we, “socialists” bail out their failures, with our tax dollars.

        Taxes which they avoid.

      • cleangreen 3.1.2
        14 April 2019 at 11:32 am

        ‘The eminent ‘voice of free enterprise’

        But few really believe the “honesty” of ‘free enterprise’ as the word “free” does send a message of ‘no principals towards the society it wants to exploit’.

        • KJT 3.1.2.1
          14 April 2019 at 11:44 am

          When you have a business.
          An honest one, giving value for money, you realise how much you depend on regulation and state support, to keep you competitive, against the crooks and cowboys.

          Businesspeople who argue for a smaller State, are delusional. Or, they are the crooks and cowboys!

          • Tuppence Shrewsbury 3.1.2.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 1:26 pm

            how many businesses have you had now? If you need regulations to keep yourself competitive, you are a lazy business owner. Regulations are only there to make sure people play fair, if they don’t the market and the regulators find them out.

            Socialists have never bailed out anyone. it’s normally business people getting there own tax dollars back.

            But it’s amusing that a socialist hero like bernie finally sees the error of his ways

            • KJT 3.1.2.1.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 2:32 pm

              The business people getting bailed out, don’t pay taxes, you twit.

              Thanks for confirming my point, about regulations keeping the market fair.

              Which one are you TP? The crook or the cowboy. Or just a wannabee, successful who dreams that they world will one day see your brilliance, and make you rich, like so many right wingers?

              “The only problem with socialism is that it allows the deluded to survive to adulthood, to claim it doesn’t work”.

              The real laugh is that the f wits who don’t like socialism, would be the ones living in a cardboard box on the street, without our welfare state, under a “free market”, that paid them according to their capabilities.

              • Tuppence Shrewsbury …
                14 April 2019 at 6:44 pm

                I’m comfortable. I pay lots of tax. Too much given the attitudes of people who pay none and can’t manage businesses properly. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to pay it, jid rather pay less.

                Anyone who makes out that socialism is the saviour of society is so sadly deluded there is no point talking to them. They won’t believe anything not socjalist no matter how societies fail under its yoke

                • KJT …
                  14 April 2019 at 7:15 pm

                  More socialist societies doing rather well, actually.

                  Just compare blue states with red states in the USA.

                  Where is your successful free market capitalist State again.

                  Somalia, Honduras, San Salvadore, Mexico, Haiti, Appalachia?

                • KJT …
                  14 April 2019 at 7:52 pm

                  Done well out of our “socialist” welfare State, eh?

            • Psycho Milt 3.1.2.1.1.2
              14 April 2019 at 7:55 pm

              Socialists have never bailed out anyone. it’s normally business people getting there own tax dollars back.

              Wtf? Leaving aside the use of accountants to ensure that the business owner appears to have little income and qualifies for all kinds of transfers aimed at people who genuinely do have little income, in the last two weeks we’ve had Simon Bridges telling us that small businesses in NZ are only viable because the taxpayer subsidises low wages via Working for Families, and trucking companies announcing that they can’t stay in business if they have to actually comply with safety regulations.

              • Wayne …
                14 April 2019 at 8:30 pm

                The notion that New Zealand is a uniquely low wage economy simply doesn’t stack up. Wages in NZ are about the same percentage of per capita GDP as Australia. Our per capita GDP is about 30% lower than Aus, and so are our wages and salaries.

                Another way of looking at it, is that the Gini index measuring inequality is about the same in both countries. That means average and mean wages will be roughly the same percentage of GDP per capita.

                New Zealand’s problem is that Australia is significantly more wealthy, and has been for many decades, especially once the mineral boom really took off in the 1970’s. The gap has closed a little in the last ten years, but not a huge amount.

                It is very hard to see how the gap will change much in the next ten years. If the gap closed to 20%, that would be a major gain for New Zealand.

                • Psycho Milt …
                  14 April 2019 at 8:49 pm

                  And yet, Simon Bridges recognises the need for Working for Families (as did the previous Key/English National-led governments) and says there’s no way NZ businesses could cover that in the wages they offer. Perhaps Australia has a similar subsidy for employers, I don’t know.

                  Accommodation costs are probably the main reason that wages need to be subsidised via tax transfers in NZ, but it’s not the people who need two jobs and WfF to make ends meet who are causing those high accommodation costs, it’s the well-off like me who’ve bought multiple properties as a retirement fund, and successive governments that have encouraged runaway immigration in the interest of being able to show positive annual growth figures. For those WfF recipients, the news that their wages aren’t particularly low, it’s just that their accommodation costs are particular high, isn’t a particularly helpful piece of information.

                • KJT …
                  15 April 2019 at 8:16 am

                  You would say that, Wayne.

                  Wages are defined in terms of buying power.

                  In fact, workers share of the economy dropped sharply after your unfortunate experiment, and has never recovered.
                  The wage gap between us, and Australia would be even greater, 36%, if conservative Australian Governments hadn’t adopted aspects of your unfortunate experiment, more recently.

                  https://www.union.org.nz/economicbulletin202/

                  “New Zealand workers now receive among the lowest shares of the nation’s income in the OECD. In Denmark for example, with much stronger collective bargaining and unionisation supporting a high value economy, the share was similar to New Zealand’s in the late 1970s but has stayed there ever since. Yes, New Zealand does have a low wage economy”.

                  Despite all the evidence worldwide that trickle down and austerity doesn’t work, it still has all these supporters. Go figure.
                  Only Jim Bolger has the guts to admit you got it wrong.

                  The lower incomes to Labour, and the higher share to banking and capital depressing the communities wealth, is the reason for New Zealand’s stagnation, compared to Australia.

                  We had a boom in commodity sales and prices roughly equivalent to Australia over the same time period. The increase per capita was greater than theirs. So to attribute Australia’s higher wages to mineral booms, is self serving bullshit.

  4. Morrissey 4
    14 April 2019 at 10:05 am

    Britain’s version of “Sir” Bob Jones is getting caramelised on Twitter

    https://twitter.com/Lord_Sugar/status/1116413655254540290

  5. Morrissey 5
    14 April 2019 at 10:17 am

    Assange’s ‘Conspiracy’ to Expose War Crimes Has Already Been Punished
    by JOE EMERSBERGER, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, April 12, 2019

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should never have been punished for working with a whistleblower to expose war crimes. Chelsea Manning, the whistleblower, has done more time in prison, under harsher conditions, than William Calley, a key perpetrator of the My Lai massacre. Remarkably, Manning is in jail again, failed by organizations that should unreservedly defend her, as the US tries to coerce her into helping inflict more punishment on Assange.

    As for Assange, he has already been arbitrarily detained for several years, according to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Its 2016 press release on the matter stated: “The expert panel called on the Swedish and British authorities to end Mr. Assange’s deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation.”

    Now Assange could be punished even more brutally if the UK extradites him to the US, where he is charged with a “conspiracy” to help Manning crack a password that “would have” allowed her to cover her tracks more effectively. In other words, the alleged help with password-cracking didn’t work, and is not what resulted in the information being disclosed. It has also not been shown that it was Assange who offered the help, according to Kevin Gosztola (Shadowproof, 4/11/19). The government’s lack of proof of its charges might explain why Manning is in jail again.

    The indictment goes even further, criminalizing the use of an electronic “drop box” and other tactics that investigate journalists routinely use in the computer age to work with a confidential source “for the purpose of publicly disclosing” information…..

    Read more….
    https://fair.org/home/assanges-conspiracy-to-expose-war-crimes-has-already-been-punished/

    • Adrian Thornton 5.1
      14 April 2019 at 10:54 am

      Hi Morrissey, to bad you wern’t around a couple of days ago, you would have seen TRP and several other Standard Oil reactionaries roll around in Assanges arrest like dogs in shit, it was quite a sad spectacle to watch, and not at all a good look for what ever remains of the reputation of The Standard…well in opinion anyway.

      Thanks for the FAIR link.

      Ecuadorian President’s Motives for Surrendering Assange: Vengeance & IMF Loan?

      “$4.2 billion IMF loan, submission to the US, and vengeance appear to have been President Moreno’s true motives for revoking Assange’s asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy, says Ecuador’s former foreign minister Guillaume Long”

      • Andre 5.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 11:04 am

        The mozzie’s sockpuppet put in an appearance. An astonishingly low-key appearance, all things considered.

      • Morrissey 5.1.2
        14 April 2019 at 11:26 am

        Thanks, Adrian. In fact I did have a look at the site but I was just too overwhelmed by the horror of that scene—it was like something out of Stalin’s Russia—to be able to formulate any response.

        Your description of the behaviour of many of our Standardisti comrades is depressingly accurate. They’re not the only ones of course. As I type this I’m listening to Jim Mora talking, and sighing empathetically, on the radio. I wonder if the sight of Assange’s humiliation on Friday amused him as much as Assange’s suffering amused him in 2013….

        https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/an-unusually-inane-and-depraved-edition.html

        • cleangreen 5.1.2.1
          14 April 2019 at 11:51 am

          Morrissey; about Mora he is a pathetic troll for national.

          Especially when he says this;

          MORA: Is it a human right to get enough sun?

    • aj 5.2
      14 April 2019 at 11:04 am

      A very good point. USA War criminals who participate in the most disgusting crimes get kid gloves treatment, if they even get to the point of being prosecuted. Calley, sentenced to life, then Nixon changed Calley’s sentence to house arrest, and he served three years.
      My Lai was only the tip of the iceberg in Vietnam. The military and government simply didn’t want to know. Whistle blowers exposing criminal acts are hounded to the ends of the earth.

    • joe90 5.3
      14 April 2019 at 11:44 am

      He must be ruing his preference for tRump when he was pretty much off the hook.

      The Justice Department has all but concluded it will not bring charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing classified documents because government lawyers said they could not do so without also prosecuting U.S. news organizations and journalists, according to U.S. officials.

      The officials stressed that a formal decision has not been made, and a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks remains impaneled, but they said there is little possibility of bringing a case against Assange, unless he is implicated in criminal activity other than releasing online top-secret military and diplomatic documents.

      http://archive.li/wHEI0

      • Morrissey 5.3.1
        14 April 2019 at 11:51 am

        Support for Trump? He should have supported Clinton, who called for his trial as a criminal for his exposing of U.S. crimes in Iraq?

        Of course he wanted Clinton to lose.

        That means he “supported Trump”?

        You do realize that the Mueller investigation has discredited the fantasies of the DNC and its hapless media parrots like Rachel Maddow forever? You’re allowed to stop quoting them if you want.

  6. Andre 6
    14 April 2019 at 10:26 am

    Y’know, commentary here has been remarkably muted over the mandarin messiah greenlighting Israel holding on to the Golan Heights.

    Could it be that those who would normally be frothing over outrages like this are reluctant to voice disapproval of their fake-bronzed beelzebub?

    https://www.salon.com/2019/04/13/afraid-of-its-role-in-the-globalized-world-donald-trump-perverted-the-us-role-as-economic-global-cop/

    • francesca 6.1
      14 April 2019 at 11:03 am

      You’ve led a sheltered life if you think breaches of international law started with Trump. They won’t end when he’s gone either.

      • Andre 6.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 11:08 am

        My comment wasn’t about the breach of international law per se, it was about the lack of reaction to it from the usual suspects here that one would expect to be very vocal.

        • Macro 6.1.1.1
          14 April 2019 at 1:31 pm

          But don’t expect them to understand that Andre. They can’t even understand the depths that tRump has now brought his country too. The latest tweeting of a video that included footage of Ilhan Omar* speaking and graphic images of the 9/11 terror attacks has to be one of his most despicable acts ever.
          https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/12/ilhan-omar-democrats-trump-attacks-sanders-warren

          * For those unfamiliar with this amazing young woman; Omar, emigrated to the US from Somalia as a refugee and became one of the first Muslim women in Congress

          • Andre 6.1.1.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 1:40 pm

            As a standalone act that attack on Omar would be despicable. But given the ball of toilet-bowl scrapings’ own history of trying to exploit 911 for his own self-gratification and benefit, the vileness is geometrically compounded.

            • Macro 6.1.1.1.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 1:48 pm

              This past week or so has seen a steep decline. The vileness and posturing of that inhumane being in the WH is getting worse by the day – everyday now it seems he plunges to a new low. I cannot for the life of me see how any self respecting Republican law maker can continue to sit by and watch. The country is in an absolute shambles. We thought Key was bad enough here – tRump is a thousand times worse.

              • marty mars …
                14 April 2019 at 2:47 pm

                yep so true

              • Anne …
                14 April 2019 at 6:10 pm

                I don’t think I can take much more of it. This is what it must have been like for sane folk around the world when Hitler rose to power in the 1930s.

                What horrifies me: it was my father’s prediction 45 years ago that the next country to produce a ‘Hitler’ would be America. Yes I know, he was far from being the only one to do so.

                And yes, Macro. Key was almost a saint in comparison. 😯

          • joe90 6.1.1.1.2
            14 April 2019 at 3:37 pm

            While tRump is busy using 9/11 to incite violence against a Muslim woman his regime is trying to illegally transfer nuclear technology to the country that produced most of the 9/11 hijackers

            https://twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/1097901883107229699

          • KJT 6.1.1.1.3
            14 April 2019 at 4:00 pm

            Notable lack of support and even outright denigration of Omar, and Ocasio Cortez, from old line Democrats.

            Reminds me of the our Labour party, whenever someone making vaguely leftish statements, springs up.

            • Macro 6.1.1.1.3.1
              14 April 2019 at 4:04 pm

              Notable lack of support and even outright denigration of Omar, and Ocasio Cortez, from old line Democrats.

              Such as??

              NB: Pelosi isn’t one of them.

              • KJT …
                14 April 2019 at 4:11 pm

                http://tinyurl.com/y5yj2yz3

                “With the exception of a handful of Omar’s progressive colleagues—including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—Democrats have largely been silent as the Minnesota congresswoman has faced vitriolic and racist smears from right-wing outlets, including the New York Post and Fox”

                • Macro …
                  14 April 2019 at 4:28 pm

                  Senator Bernie Sanders called attacks on Omar “disgusting and dangerous” and said Omar would not “back down to Trump’s racism and hate, and neither will we”.

                  Senator Elizabeth Warren said: “The president is inciting violence against a sitting congresswoman – and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It’s disgusting. It’s shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it.”

                  Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana who has surged in 2020 polls, wrote: “After 9/11 we all said we were changed. That we were stronger and more united. That’s what ‘never forget’ was about. Now, a president uses that dark day to incite his base against a member of Congress, as if for sport. As if we learned nothing that day about the workings of hate.”

                  Buttigieg added: “The threats against the life of [Omar] make clear what is at stake.”

                  Among other candidates, former Hud secretary Julián Castro said he stood with Omar and “others targeted by the president’s anti-Muslim rhetoric”. Former congressman Beto O’Rourke said: “We are stronger than this president’s hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid.”

                  The California senator Kamala Harris wrote: “For two years, this president has used the most powerful platform in the world to sow hate [and] division. Putting the safety of a sitting member of Congress at risk [and] vilifying a whole religion is beyond the pale. I’ll be blunt – we must defeat him.”

                  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/12/ilhan-omar-democrats-trump-attacks-sanders-warren
                  https://www.vox.com/2019/4/13/18309127/democrats-trump-ilhan-omar-tweet-9-11

              • Poission …
                14 April 2019 at 4:37 pm

                “NB: Pelosi isn’t one of them.”

                Got problems of her own,always be careful what you ask for.

                https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1117242926654947328

                • Macro …
                  14 April 2019 at 4:50 pm

                  https://www.latimes.com/opinion/enterthefray/la-ol-trump-migrnats-sanctuary-cities-20190412-story.html

                  President Trump confirmed Friday that he is considering a new policy of “placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,” as he wrote in a tweet. “The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy — so this should make them very happy!”

                  There are three main responses to that. The first is that the president is likely trolling to get a rise out of liberals and to elicit some fist pumps from his base, but it’s fundamentally impractical. How would the president move thousands of migrants from, say, El Paso, to San Francisco? And conservatives would be OK with that kind of spending? Plus, migrants don’t have to remain in the jurisdiction into which the government releases them.

                  The second is that if Trump truly believes the people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum are dangerous threats to American neighborhoods, to concentrate them in areas where his political opponents hold sway is an egregious abuse of power. No president should intentionally undermine the public safety of communities, especially for political reasons.

                  The third is: Bring ’em on.

                • joe90 …
                  14 April 2019 at 4:55 pm

                  Mobster – nice cities you have, pity if anything should happen to them.

                  Mayors – bring it.

                  https://twitter.com/LibbySchaaf/status/1117233768639549440

                  “Here’s a message to President Trump: Seattle is not afraid of immigrants and refugees. In fact, we have always welcomed people who have faced tremendous hardships around the world. Immigrants and refugees are part of Seattle’s heritage, and they will continue to make us the city of the future,” she wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Friday.

                  https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/438731-seattle-mayor-pens-op-ed-saying-his-city-isnt-afraid-of-immigrants-amid

                  • Poission …
                    14 April 2019 at 5:07 pm

                    “in fact, we have always welcomed people who have faced tremendous hardships ”

                    Seattle looks like the kind of place to go to experience hardship.

                    https://www.seattle.gov/homelessness/the-roots-of-the-crisis

                    large indian homeless problem there ugly statistics.

                    • Macro …
                      14 April 2019 at 5:39 pm

                      That criticism could be levelled at almost all American cities.
                      https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/bf02712505

                      Abstract
                      Economic indicators in the United States document the poor economic straits in which Native Americans find themselves. Historically, scholars have explained delayed economic development using Linear Stage, Structural-Change, Dependency and Neoclassical Counter Revolution Models. All of these, however, are unable to fully explain the Native American case. We discuss the deficiencies of these models and point out the effects of constantly changing United States policies on Native American economic well-being. We present data from a survey of tribal government respondents about preferred business arrangements on the reservation to support greater attention to cultural identity in economic development studies. A model that incorporates cultural and sovereignty variables is presented.

                      It does not negate the fact that these cities are open to accepting others who have been forced to flee from their homes and families.

                    • Poission …
                      14 April 2019 at 6:15 pm

                      Alexis De Tocqueville IN Democracy in America suggested

                      “These are great evils; and it must be added that they appear to me to be irremediable. I believe that the Indian nations of North America are doomed to perish; and that whenever the Europeans shall be established on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, that race of men will be no more. *i The Indians had only the two alternatives of war or civilization; in other words, they must either have destroyed the Europeans or become their equals. ”

                      https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm#link2HCH0045

                      [I leave this chapter wholly unchanged, for it has always appeared to me to be one of the most eloquent and touching parts of this book. But it has ceased to be prophetic; the destruction of the Indian race in the United States is already consummated. In 1870 there remained but 25,731 Indians in the whole territory of the Union, and of these by far the largest part exist in California, Michigan, Wisconsin, Dakota, and New Mexico and Nevada. In New England, Pennsylvania, and New York the race is extinct; and the predictions of M. de Tocqueville are fulfilled. —Translator’s Note.]

      • cleangreen 6.1.2
        14 April 2019 at 11:44 am

        francesca,

        Perfectly said as the ‘deep state’ is a global control system that keeps all governments under control no matter who they are run by.

    • Ad 6.2
      14 April 2019 at 5:45 pm

      Go on Andre, warm your cockles up and do a post on changing U.S. State Department policy.

      Would do you good to stretch your legs.

  7. Morrissey 7
    14 April 2019 at 10:33 am

    The U.S. is a “global cop”?

    Aren’t the police supposed to uphold law and order? I know they don’t always do that, and in fact often do the opposite, as we saw in London on Friday morning (NZ time).

    But, seriously, the worst purveyor of violence in the world, the global guarantor and protector of terrorists and lawbreakers from Manila Tel Aviv is a “global cop”? Stop kiddin’ around.

  8. Herodotus 8
    14 April 2019 at 10:49 am

    Can anyone please explain to me the difference between administering a drug to end life and withholding a drug to cure/prolong someone’s life ?

    • greywarshark 8.1
      14 April 2019 at 8:43 pm

      That’s why we need a law arout it so that confused people can work out one situation from another and see the difference.

    • Incognito 8.2
      14 April 2019 at 8:54 pm

      The first one is relatively cheap, almost guaranteed to work, aimed at ending intolerable suffering, and not (yet) marketed by Big Pharma. The second one is usually ridiculously expensive, uncertain to be effective, may prolong, cause or aggravate suffering, and aggressively marketed by Big Pharma.

  9. patricia 9
    14 April 2019 at 11:10 am

    Wonder what is going wrong at Jetstar ? At least 3 flights out of Auckland cancelled on Friday because of engineering difficulties. And today a flight ex Wellington cancelled because of crewing issues. On Friday the long queue of frustrated customers at the help desk remarkably well behaved considering that only one person with a screen was able to assist – sadly not enough seats available to accommodate the twice bumped off Wellington bound passengers.

    • cleangreen 9.1
      14 April 2019 at 11:35 am

      Patricia,
      Could be that the load of extra freight was late to be delivered before the scheduled departure?

    • Graeme 9.2
      14 April 2019 at 9:10 pm

      Another possible explanation is they didn’t have enough passengers to make the flight profitable, so canceled it. “Low cost” carriers are great for that. Can add to that not enough passengers paying enough to make it economic, could be a lot of people but they all bought really cheap fares.

      Queenstown has been deathly quiet for the last few weeks and we hear through the trade that international tourists have stopped all around the country from mid / late March.

      And to add to deathstar’s woes, they’ve got an aircraft on the ground in Queenstown tonight and a canceled flight to Melbourne. Same thing happened earlier in the week too, but that one was definitely a breakdown, and they couldn’t work around the ATC staffing issue so lost 2 flights.

  10. patricia 10
    14 April 2019 at 11:51 am

    Hi Cleangreen ; not sure about the freight question but there were certainly some angry passengers waiting 90 minutes for service at the help desk. Others were trying to get flights on Air NZ at amazingly high prices. I missed a special family event in Wellington yesterday because Jetstar couldn’t get me down there in time and now to find my booked return flight today cancelled means I may well have been trapped there.
    Won’t be using Jetstar again ; their help desk at the airport was well under resourced and the on line help desk of no help whatsoever.

    • greywarshark 10.1
      14 April 2019 at 8:52 pm

      Yes that has put me right off Jetstar – I’ve seen their queues before, but 90 minutes and only one on desk. The stress too, what if they had to go to the toilet. Perhaps they keep a wide mouthed bottle behind the desk, a couple of towels?
      Oh Brave New World of choice and private enterprise unfettered by those silly rules and controls.

      I’ve forgotten – there was a recent limitation of flights by one of the airlines wasn’t there? Flights also held up recently because someone was sick in the control tower staffing. Are they running too lean on staff, slimming down till they can do everything by machine? Do I like this thought – no.

      • alwyn 10.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 10:47 pm

        What they have really been doing is to listen to, and adopt, the dictates of the New Zealand Green Party.
        They have accepted the opinion that we must reduce the amount of flying that goes on. Since the Green MPs are far to important to cut back on their taxpayer funded travel it is the General Public who have to miss out.

        Consider yourself privileged that you can sacrifice your own interests so that James Shaw can have another junket to warmer climes.

  12. Skunk Weed 12
    14 April 2019 at 12:16 pm

    DOC predicting a mega mast of seeding in the Native Beech Forests in the South Island hence a need for a big 1080 drop, it would be interesting to see some accurate qualitative science on this ?

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12222071

    I am not privy to DOC scientific reports, and have not been in these Native Beech Forests for 40+ years but is the rodent problem really that bad ?

    • vto 12.1
      14 April 2019 at 3:05 pm

      when there is a mast thing it is pretty difficult to drive along a beech forest highway without the ‘plip plip…. plip…. plip……….’ of rodents popping under your tyres …..

    • WeTheBleeple 12.2
      14 April 2019 at 5:15 pm

      The only thing to stop rodents breeding like mad is limits on food supply. This is not only a mast year it is a mega-mast year. The food supply is huge and the populations will subsequently be huge. When they run out of mast to eat they’ll start on the wildlife.

      There should be more government intervention than there currently is. We need private help too. All hands on deck. Rodents and mustelids, trap em out of your neck of the woods if you can.

      • greywarshark 12.2.1
        14 April 2019 at 8:29 pm

        How long does the mast season last – when does it reach its peak? What can we do? I guess you would need to be fit and I am very not.

          • greywarshark 12.2.1.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 9:10 pm

            There is a lot of information on the above halo site but not much on the best way to go about it. It appears that if you put down some chew cards and check them out daily I suppose, then you will know the best place/s to put traps. The tunnel trap for $35 is the cheapest limited handling one. Have a look at the Schools info. They try to set out some details there.
            https://shop.predatorfreenz.org/

            • joe90 12.2.1.1.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 9:47 pm

              I’ve made a huge dent in the local rat population using a variety of home made bait stations.
              Coincidentally, this morning our tui announced their winter arrival

              We back on to a reserve and there seems to a never ending parade of possums to be exterminated so I’ve bought a Timms possum trap and I’m thinking about upping the ante and buying one of these, too.

              • Andre …
                14 April 2019 at 9:54 pm

                Had a big explosion in rat and possum numbers?

                At my place the usual pattern for possums is 2 or 3, then none for 6 or 8 weeks, then another 2 or 3. But I’ve dealt to 9 in the past 3 weeks (all females too, really weird).

                Also had at least 7 rats ignore the bait stations outside and get up between the ground floor and upstairs. They’ll eat the bait I put there in desperation (and have probably died there too).

                • Macro …
                  14 April 2019 at 10:13 pm

                  You’ll find out soon enough. When living on the farm had a similar solution to the rat problem – one obviously died in the wall. OMG! stunk for days!
                  The best solution was our little miniature long haired dashhound. One day I saw a rat sleeping in the sun in the doorway of the woodshed. Snuck back inside and brought the dog out – crept round so the rat wasn’t aware we were approaching – showed her the rat – 5 seconds later it was dead. Impressive! She was just as good on catching mice the cat brought in to play and let go. One day the cat had brought in a mouse and let it get away. The dog knew it was around – but it had disappeared into a sofa and wasn’t to be found. Next morning getting breakfast the dog was getting under my feet. “For goodness sake HoneyBear (that was her name) Go and find that mouse the cat brought in yesterday!” Next minute she was sniffing around the base of a standard lamp. I lifted the lamp off the floor and sure enuf there was the mouse. It was dead immediately after I lifted the lamp. It didn’t have a chance.

                • joe90 …
                  14 April 2019 at 10:13 pm

                  Whanganui has culverts for Africa, a legacy of child drownings in a city straddling a river, and they’re an extraordinarily good mass transport system for rodents. Consequently, if we don’t poison, we’re plagued by the fuckers.

                  And fronting a coastal reserve, the possums just keep on coming.

                  • Macro …
                    14 April 2019 at 10:29 pm

                    Oh yeah! I Kayaked down the Whanganui River a few years back. At night we would sit around a campfire and you could see dozens of gleaming eyes in the bush. I’ve never seen so many. They were in impressive condition. Obviously well fed. Maybe we could ship them back home – they are dying out in Aussie. Apparently the vegetation over there – gum leaves – has this effect of controlling their fertility so they don’t bred as profusely as they do here. At least that is what I was told by a mate in Queensland who studies these sorts of things.
                    Koalas are asleep most of the day – high on gum leaves apparently.

        • WeTheBleeple 12.2.1.2
          15 April 2019 at 6:19 am

          That’s a good question. It’s also difficult to answer. Most seeds in temperate climates have protective coats and can last a considerable amount of time. Some species are viable after decades, so, as one might imagine, they’ll be ingested long before they decay.

          The ‘length of the mast season’ is approximately one Autumn (harvest season). Any gardener can observe actual harvests vary by species, microclimate, weather and zone for ‘productive’ trees. The same can be said of our natives. The length and extent of rodent and mustelid population booms will coincide with local availability and season of fruit set/drop. There will be a time lag where animal numbers peak after the food source peaks.

          Then, the food source plummets, and we have stupidly large numbers of hungry rodents which in turn boost mustelid populations.

          Ferrets, stoats and weasels might be just over the peak of a population boom as spring hits. They might effectively wipe native species out then.

          Notice your hay fever is a bit worse this year? Mega mast years start with mega doses of pollen.

  13. Rosemary McDonald 13
    14 April 2019 at 1:49 pm

    It will be interesting to see the details…any detail…about this…

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12222200

    and this…https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/112025068/prime-minister-launches-accord-to-repair-broken-building-sector

    ” The Government is partnering with some of New Zealand’s largest construction companies in a bid to tackle the sector’s reputation after company collapses and poor-quality builds.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, along with Fletcher’s Construction chief executive Peter Reidy and other industry players, have unveiled a new plan to tackle the problems that have led to high-profile building company collapses, poor-quality builds and skills shortages.

    The plan would, according to Ardern, improve the construction sector’s culture and reputation, increase its workforce and deliver more houses.

    “The wellbeing of New Zealanders is intrinsically linked to safe, durable and affordable homes, buildings and infrastructure,” she saidat today’s launch.”

    Woefully lacking in any specifics, and peppered with the usual aspirational waffle.

    And nothing on Beehive.govt.nz either.

    We need a government run state housing building programme that excludes business.

    This ‘government partnering with industry’ narrative smacks of SSDD.

    Slightly more information on Natrad…https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/387037/government-announces-construction-industry-agreement

    ….but still no specifics. Yawn. Heard it all before.

    • Skunk Weed 13.1
      14 April 2019 at 3:26 pm

      We did have good tradesmen here in NZ in the past until Dr Nick Smith dissolved the Apprenticeship Schemes and left the training to the Industry and the Free Market Duh ?

      • KJT 13.1.1
        14 April 2019 at 6:01 pm

        Can certainly vouch for that.

        The extensive range of skills, training and experience i gained, from an indentured apprenticeship in the 70’s, has benefited me, and every employer since.

        Now. Apprentices come out of their time with a skill level equivalent to our first year.

        Modern apprenticeships have no incentive for an employer to give good training, or the apprentice to stay with the employer. With apprentices mostly used as cheap unskilled labour, rather than trainees.
        I’ve seen certificated people who have swept the floor for their entire apprenticeship. Not their fault, but, useless without several more years of training,
        Which is why we favour, the ones we have trained, ourselves.
        The rise of, unpaid, internship type training positions, means you have to have pretty flush parents, to complete an apprenticeship.

        The situation is so dire, that only a very few get apprenticeships.

        And. Before anyone says the kids aren’t motivated. All the time i was building i had kids ringing up weekly, begging for a chance. Still have many asking, for the way in, where I am now. I have to tell them it is very unlikely they will get time, let alone a job, as the tech puts through many more kids than can ever get employment.

        • Rosemary McDonald 13.1.1.1
          14 April 2019 at 6:17 pm

          We stuffed up didn’t we???

          What happened to the thousands of tradespeople we were going to train up after the quakes??

          • KJT 13.1.1.1.1
            14 April 2019 at 7:34 pm

            Imported thousands of South Africans and Filipino’s instead.

            So Fletchers could make a profit.

            At least the Filipino’s are nice people, though woefully unskilled in Kiwi housebuilding.

            Which is going to come back and bite us in a decade or so. Just like National’s other great achievement, Leaky homes!

            While dickheads call the Maori kids in Northland without any jobs, “Lazy”.

            • Rosemary McDonald 13.1.1.1.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 7:49 pm

              And look!

              Detail..of sorts…. https://www.constructionaccord.nz/

              …and heading up the list of signatories is… Fletchers!

              And, and, Fletcher boss Reidy heads the Accord development group.

              What could possibly go wrong?

              Sorry Labour supporters…this smells bad.

              • KJT …
                14 April 2019 at 7:57 pm

                Yes.

                Don’t see why Fletchers, a semi monopoly, who have made a fortune off tax payer dollars, should be favoured above the myriad of functional and competent small builders, in New Zealand.

                Don’t they believe in capitalist competition?

        • Pat 13.1.1.2
          14 April 2019 at 7:52 pm

          the problem is deeper than that…there is a dearth of capable tradesmen to pass on the skills even if the real apprenticeships were on offer….but worse still is the lack of ability further up the chain….the inability of those overseeing the entire industry lacks the required knowledge especially in the regulatory fields.

          30 plus years of dumbing down will take at least as long to remedy…if we can at all.

          • KJT 13.1.1.2.1
            14 April 2019 at 8:01 pm

            Good retirement job for the older builders, who can’t build anymore.

            Some schools, including one I was involved with, are teaching hands on trades. Building houses, repairing cars etc.

            Like the metalwork, woodwork etc of old.

            May be the way forward.

            Note. Regulatory agencies are run by taxi drivers, motel owners, accounting graduates and retired policemen, these days. Knowing anything about the industry you are supposed to be regulating is a career stopper. Or so the qualified people in these agencies, tell me.

            No skill in Government to assess and let contracts.

            • Pat 13.1.1.2.1.1
              14 April 2019 at 8:13 pm

              taxi drivers and motel owners is stretching it but the end result is not dissimilar…..the attached is a frightening read that should be compulsory for anyone involved in the future of the industry.

              https://canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz/documents-by-key/20120813.4973/$file/ENG.SCA.0002.RED.pdf

              • Rosemary McDonald …
                14 April 2019 at 9:11 pm

                Oh my. Mr Scarry was not well pleased.

                “Treasury has long been completely staffed by laissez faire economic loons whose economic theories are detached from all reality, and don’t even work in theory. ”

                ““There were two queen bees in The Beehive – Treasury and the Ministry of Works and Development. One of them was going to be stung to death, and it wasn’t going to be Treasury.”

                52. The MOWD was tasked through legislation with providing independent economic advice to the Government, and with care of the state of the entire public infrastructure of NZ, including local body infrastructure. As a result, it was a rival to the laissez faire loons at Treasury, and their plans.

                53. Between 1984 and 1993, Treasury, aided and abetted by the likes of Douglas, Prebble, Palmer, Moore, Caygill, Richardson and Birch, visited the following devastation on the New Zealand construction industry: The MOWD was dismantled, with the ‘intellectual property’ flogged off to Malaysians,
                The input of the MOWD into maintaining high standards of practice was lost,
                The role of the MOWD in properly training vast numbers of engineers, technicians and especially draftsmen, a role that underpinned the private sector, was lost,
                The similar role that Government departments such as NZED, NZ Railways and the like played was lost,
                Highly competent design departments (which never designed a ‘leaky building’) at bodies like the Ministry of Education were destroyed,
                The often highly competent and very efficient Engineering and Architecture departments of territorial authorities were destroyed. This has severely eroded the ability of the territorial authorities to adequately perform their duties as Building Consent Authorities, and

                In an act of unabashed madness, Bill Birch destroyed the centuries old apprenticeship scheme, that had served this country, and especially the building industry, so well. ”

                Just because I feel it needs an airing.

                Thanks, Pat. That’ll be added to my “You asked for submissions then totally ignored them you stupid government you.” file.

                • Pat …
                  14 April 2019 at 9:27 pm

                  not pleased …and vindicated by recent events…i.e. NZTA, structural steel compliance etc

              • KJT …
                15 April 2019 at 12:20 am

                Not really a stretch.
                MNZ was lead by a taxi driver then a motel owner, or was it the other way around.

                As for the building industry regulators……..

            • WeTheBleeple 13.1.1.2.1.2
              15 April 2019 at 6:38 am

              I can walk into most any trade and find idiots posing as qualified these days. It wasn’t that long ago if I walked on a new job site there was plenty to learn and good people to teach it.

              Now, they need an engineer to work a spirit level… 😀

              Built a shed/greenhouse here using a clear hose and some sticks and string to survey the site. 16 m2 and $800 budget. Dead level, dead square, 20 years standing no issues yet.

              I wouldn’t let our clown builders make me a shed. I have no doubt it would cost multiples of my budget and last up to the first decent storm.

              I built a chicken coop out of bamboo that has been hit by a digger, and later was flattened by a stormfall tree. I replaced two lengths of bamboo, it’s still as functional as the day I made it.

              If weather gets to the point it’s outright dangerous in conventional builds, you’ll find me in a low to the ground shell shaped bamboo house watching all the timber and iron fly past.

    • Ad 13.2
      14 April 2019 at 5:42 pm

      There will be a lot more failures of companies employing hundreds of people each in this year.

      There aren’t any specifics, but anything that brings the whole of the industry leadership together to focus on avoiding failure is better than what we have had before. They would have to get deep into procurement policy across key agencies to solve any of it.

      Kiwibuild together with HNZ and its subsidiaries should be able to go to the Commerce Commission and explain why it needs to manage the housing construction market i.e. deliberately decrease procurement competition.
      But that is too hard at least for this term.

      In the infrastructure and utilities market, we have seen Chorus running the fibre contracts and driving workers to work for near or less than minimum wage. Again a government contract – and clearly the government would prefer to get the job done rather than reopen the Chorus contract it has.

      The governments’ core public agencies such as Kiwirail, NZTA, and HNZ, corral a majority of the market – and with it the fate of massive companies employing tens of thousands of us. The other big players like Auckland Transport and Watercare, Wellington Water and the like drive most of the rest.

      It feels like a really big case of “we hear you”.

  14. One Two 14
    14 April 2019 at 2:17 pm

    Brussels – The site has a secure certificate issue. Link works.

    http://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/14753/radiation-concerns-halt-brussels-5g-for-now

    In July, the government concluded an agreement with three telecom operators to relax the strict radiation standards in Brussels. But according to the Region, it is now impossible to estimate the radiation from the antennas required for the service.

    “I cannot welcome such technology if the radiation standards, which must protect the citizen, are not respected, 5G or not,” Environment minister Céline Fremault (CDH) told Bruzz.

    “The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt,” she added.

    A pilot project is not feasible with the current radiation standards, and Fremault told Bruzz that she does not intend to make an exception.

    The Brussels region has particularly strict radiation standards for telecom applications. The standard of 6 volts per metre has already led to problems in the past with providing fast mobile internet via 4G in the capital.

  15. One Two 15
    14 April 2019 at 2:29 pm

    Swiss canton blocks 5G mobile rollout

    This week the canton of Vaud announced it would temporarily freeze permits to install new 5G transmitters. The resolution calls for a ban on 5G transmitter installation at least until the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has finished its study into the effects of the new technology.

    Other Swiss cantons are following the developments in Vaud. A similar parliamentary motion has been put forward in Geneva and the parliament of Valais will discuss the issue when it next sits.

  17. Sabine 17
    14 April 2019 at 7:51 pm

    Capitalism is lot more important then Democracy says one of the white working class male with economic anxiety.

    https://twitter.com/LaurenWern/status/763236840560271360