While in an act of treachery and cowardice Green Party supporter weka writes that Climate Change is “equally” important to all those “other issues”, without bothering to name them.
Deliberately ignoring the fact that as the Philippines delegate has said Climate Change will make poverty, social justice and inequality worse. (which I presume are the “equally important other issues” weka was alluding to)
Climate Change is not one just one issue equal with all others. To argue that, is to call for the Green Party to sell out.
So if Jenny is allowed to call me a treacherous coward, can I tell her to go fuck herself for deliberately misrepresenting my views, without me having to go into the whole tiresome bullshit?
You have admitted that the Green Party has changed its focus “a bit”.
You should ask yourself, why?
When you have determined what the political pressures were, that worked on the Green Party to change its focus “a bit”.
You could also ask yourself; What is to stop the same political forces that acted on the Green Party to change their focus “a bit”, from influencing the Green Party to change it’s focus “a bit” more, and “a bit” more”, and “a bit” more.
Once you start trading principle for position it is a slippery slope.
Jenny stop being such a patronising idiot. Of course I’ve thought about why the GP has shifted its position, and of course I’ve thought about how much the GP will have to compromise in order to be part of govt. I also have an analysis that looks at those things and what the challenge for the GP are. Which you would know if you were bothering to read my comments and pay even a modicum of intelligence to understanding them. But you’re not. All you are doing is manipulating other people’s arguments to suit your own agenda. I’m not the stupid, ignorant person in this conversation.
Of course I’ve thought about why the GP has shifted its position, and of course I’ve thought about how much the GP will have to compromise in order to be part of govt. I also have an analysis that looks at those things and what the challenge for the GP are. Colonial Weka 15 December 2012 at 9:17 am
CW please could you please just patronise me again by letting me see your “analysis that looks at those things”.
Monomania?
Is this another term of abuse applied inside the Green Party against anyone who tries to make Climate Change a leading issue?
Weka has already accused me of being a climate change “obsessive”.
While this may be a term of abuse inside the Green Party. Not being a member of that party, I can wear this label without fear, or shame. IMO it is far better being a climate change obsessive, than a willful opportunist climate change ignorer for narrow political gain.
“I’d Rather Fight Like Hell” Naomi Kleine. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/12/13 Is climate change is equal with “all other important issues”, or will the fight against climate change inform and invigorate the fight for all other important issues? “Climate change is the human rights struggle of our time” Naomi Kleine. <blockquote>….Climate change has the ability to undo your historic victories and crush your present struggles. So it’s time to come together, for real, and fight to preserve and extend what you care most about — which means engaging in the climate fight, really engaging, as if your life and your life’s work, even life itself, depended on it. Because they do.</blockquote> Monomania? Obsessive? Or telling it like it is? Now, is not the time, for the Green Party to back off on climate change not even “a bit”. Instead they should be hammering it as hard as they can in every forum they can “obsessively”(as if their lives depended on it). But no, instead blinded by the siren call of those soft comfy seats on the front bench, the Green Party have decided to change their focus “a bit”.
“I’d Rather Fight Like Hell” Naomi Kleine. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/12/13 Is climate change is equal with “all other important issues”, or will the fight against climate change inform and invigorate the fight for all other important issues? “Climate change is the human rights struggle of our time” Naomi Kleine. <blockquote>….Climate change has the ability to undo your historic victories and crush your present struggles. So it’s time to come together, for real, and fight to preserve and extend what you care most about — which means engaging in the climate fight, really engaging, as if your life and your life’s work, even life itself, depended on it. Because they do.</blockquote> Monomania? Obsessive? Or telling it like it is? Now, is not the time, for the Green Party to back off on climate change not even “a bit”. Instead they should be hammering it as hard as they can in every forum they can “obsessively”(as if their lives depended on it). But no, instead blinded by the siren call of those soft comfy seats on the front bench, the Green Party have decided to change their focus “a bit”.
I don’t have a problem with you being obsessive about CC. Your obsession with the GP is pretty weird though. I also have a problem with you telling lies, manipulating other people’s views and positions, and being generally stupid when it comes to all that. I also have a problem with how your approach is likely to undermine addressing CC in a real way.
I don’t have a problem with you being obsessive about CC. Your obsession with the GP is pretty weird though Colonial Weka
Why do I pick on the Greens.
Because I think that the New Zealand Green Party could make a real impact on a global scale against Anthropomorphic Climate Change.
New Zealand could become a showcase for the world. That spurs the the populations of the major emitting nations to demand similar programmes.
But do the Green Party see this? Is the Green Party backing off on climate change because they think, like most people do, that this problem is intractable, it is just to big, and that there is nothing meaningful that can be done?
I have full confidence that the Green Party could make a real difference on this issue like no other.
To see them backing off makes me angry.
Climate Change is the most pressing human issue of our era (if not of any era).
Threatening, as it does, mass extinctions not matched since the cretaceous, predicted to wipe out whole ecosystems and the species that rely on them. If humanity survives, (which is not certain) most projections calculate a human death toll not matched since the black death.
What could be more important, or even of equal importance?
Right. So just say that instead of making shit up. Most people can relate to feelings of frustration and anger over important issues.
Because I think that the New Zealand Green Party could make a real impact on a global scale against Anthropomorphic Climate Change.
You wish. But you don’t come up with any credible plan about how that could happen. The GP on the other hand, who are experts in what they can do about CC, has certainly considered this and made decisions based on reality not on wishful thinking.
But do the Green Party see this? Is the Green Party backing off on climate change because they think, like most people do, that this problem is intractable, it is just to big, and that there is nothing meaningful that can be done?
I don’t think so. The people I know aren’t thinking that. I personally do think it’s far too late to do much, but I don’t believe that we should do nothing. Most people I know and read are more optimistic than I am. If you think that the GP have changed tack (and no, again, they haven’t ‘backed off’) because they’ve given up, then show some evidence. Or go ask them.
You have admitted that the Green Party has changed its focus “a bit”.
You should ask yourself, why?
When you have determined what the political pressures were, that worked on the Green Party to change its focus “a bit”.
You could also ask yourself; What is to stop the same political forces that acted on the Green Party to change their focus “a bit”, from influencing the Green Party to change it’s focus “a bit” more, and “a bit” more”, and “a bit” more.
Once you start trading principle for position it is a slippery slope.
In the 2000s Labour was responsible, among other things, for getting rid of the much-needed Special Benefit, reintroducing ‘no go zones’ in rural areas, introducing massive structural discrimination against the children of beneficiaries via the In Work Tax Credit, and undermining in legislation the very purpose of social security itself as established by Labour’s own forebears in 1938.
David Shearer’s recent speech in which he talked about a sickness beneficiary in a way guaranteed to appeal to beneficiary bashers nationwide has not given me confidence that Labour will do any better when they are once more part of Government.
So my challenge goes out equally to Labour – please let us know clearly before the next election what your policies on welfare and jobs are going to be. Are you going to overturn all of National’s reforms? Are you going to grant the In Work Tax Credit in respect of all children? Are you ever going to listen to those of us who do know what’s actually happening out here when you formulate your next round of income support and employment policies?
My emphasis. I’m curious now what sources political parties use to inform themselves about welfare issues.
Let me rephrase: what useful and valid sources do political parties use to inform their welfare policy? I think we can just ignore NACTUF. I was thinking more about Labour, the Greens, Mana, the Maori Party, maybe NZF.
Its believed by some that if you give people money for nothing they will asked for more money.
Originally an argument used against welfare, but isn’t and should be applied to bankers and the wealthiest now. They do less and less, some even say driving us to extinction (or atleast massive civilisational collapse). Welfare has always been a compromise, it drives up wages on small firms because it take people out of the workforce, its a jobs program for middle class people to run, its a no monetry tax on the poorest, and it justifies a whole raft of compliance laws on business (which aids the big companies who have a multiplier effect) all justifed (rightly) on removing slums, producing kids who can read and fight in wars, and basically glue civic society together 9as we can see when if fails and we get criminal gangs). So welfare as constructed is bad, but whats on offer from the right would be its removal ad the natural follow on, the communist revolution (or rightwing thousand year reich). What we actually need is the redistribution of
wealth without government conditions, a negative income for everyone to keep them out of poverty, then remove taxes on employment, so people can work for luxuries. The problem is this would wipe out the value of much of the wealth accrued by the richest, and that’s why its the perfect time to do it, since the richest have already done that, wipe out their accrue calls on future wealth, peak oil means the old wealth creators the rich are hoarding aren’t worth the ticket price.
Its time for a rethink because we need every citizen to do the green thing, and the only fair way to do that is to have them engaged in capitalism. Capitalism has been stolen from the people by governments, and turned into faceless markets where their very lives are pored over and profited from.
Want to find out what’s going on in London? Well, the folks who run TV3 had the brilliant idea of sending over one MELISSA DAVIES to keep us informed. Only one flaw in that cunning plan: Melissa Davies is utterly ignorant, and instead of trying to be a reporter, seems to be content to read out press releases prepared by the U.K. government….
SIMON SHEPHERD: And, finally Melissa, another long-running story over there: Julian Assange in the news again.
MELISSA DAVIES: [sniggers] Yes, he’s been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for six months now. He’s announced he’ll be running for a seat in the Australian Senate!
SIMON SHEPHERD: He’s been holed up there. Okay, Melissa Davies in London. Time coming up to 7:30.
Referring to a political dissident as a common criminal—“holed up” instead of “granted political asylum”—is a dereliction of her duty as a journalist. Melissa Davies is nothing but a conduit of black propaganda.
Er, ‘holed up’ is a perfect phrase to descibe Assange’s attempt to avoid facing justice. When chased, rats do tend to ‘hole up’.
It’s the perfect phrase if you’re in the business of black propaganda, as the British regime is. You should apply for a fee for acting as their uncritical mouthpiece.
‘Oh – like what several Assange supporters have been engaged in, from “sex by surprise” to “illegal to have unprotected sex” and so on. Thanks for the clarification.’
You obviously need help with a lot of things—like we all do. But I think you know perfectly well that a dissenter and his supporters pouring scorn on false accusations is stratospherically different from the full machinery of state, plus its ancillary organs like the totalitarian “liberal” media and their uncritical consumers, engaging in a campaign of character assassination.
Nice words, Mozza. The problem is that the accusations don’t appear to be false at all. What Assange himself has admitted about his sexual behaviour tends to make the accusations look very likely to be true. Just to wind you up further, I think that even if the Americans said they intended to extradite him from Sweden and Sweden also agreed to change their laws to allow it, I still think Assange should face his accusers. The hypocrisy of championing transparency and openness while hiding from both is shameful.
No means no. And being a celebrity is no guide to guilt or innocence, nor a defence in court, as operation Yewtree shows all too clearly.
Nothing “nice” about them at all. Simple facts, unadorned—that’s all.
2.) “The problem is that the accusations don’t appear to be false at all.”
Argument by continued assertion of an already discredited accusation. That’s not the most convincing rhetorical strategy, my friend.
3.) “What Assange himself has admitted about his sexual behaviour tends to make the accusations look very likely to be true.”
So the guy was (is) a superstar who suffered the galling indignity of having young women throw themselves at him. You can pretend to be disgusted, as his state accusers do, if you want. But whether or not you despise him for behaving like a rock star, you need something better than the unconvincing, in fact discredited, allegations that the state has forced these young women to make.
4.) “Just to wind you up further,”
Don’t flatter yourself, my friend. I’m not the one hyperventilating about the fact that the U.K. regime has failed dismally in its attempt to prove it’s worthy of its junior partner status by handing a dissenter over to the tender mercies of the world’s worst rogue state.
5.) “I think that even if the Americans said they intended to extradite him from Sweden and Sweden also agreed to change their laws to allow it, I still think Assange should face his accusers. The hypocrisy of championing transparency and openness while hiding from both is shameful.”
That’s fascinating logic. It could have been used against any fugitive from any rogue regime in history. All those hypocritical partisans in the Serbian hills and all those resistance fighters taking refuge in French forests during World War II should, following your reasoning, have openly and transparently handed themselves over to the authorities. (I’m not joking, by the way—and, more worryingly, it seems you are not joking either.)
6.) “No means no.”
It certainly does. And no evidence means no evidence. You can rage and threaten to break all international treaty laws, as the U.K. and U.S. regimes have done in their zeal to exact revenge on this dissenter, but when you have no evidence, you have no evidence. Unless, of course, you follow the loon’s logic that all sexual intercourse is rape.
7.) “And being a celebrity is no guide to guilt or innocence, nor a defence in court, as operation Yewtree shows all too clearly.”
Julian Assange is a journalist and a political dissident and the hero of many young women, who want to sleep with him; Jimmy Savile was a third-rate comedian who forced himself on young girls. The BBC has been instrumental in acting as a conduit for false government accusations against Assange, just as it acted as a conduit for young girls for the old paedophile.
You’re trying to suggest that Assange and Savile are comparable, somehow? Does Assange tell unfunny jokes and grope women on camera?
Ooooh, I think I heard a figurative penny dropping in Mozza’s head while that last paragraph was being written!
Just to make it easier for you, Moz, yes, I do think there are some similarities between the two. One is a discredited celebrity who used his fame to have sex with the willing and the unwilling. The other is dead.
The imperialist character assassination of Assange should not be ‘likened’ to that of ‘mad’ Maoists, Stalinists of Trotskyists. They are of a very different order. The US is the no 1 global terrorist that dominates the world. Assange understands that. The Stalinist/Maoist dictators were not ‘mad’ but negotiating their survival with imperialism. Trotskyists never got themselves in to a position where they could conduct genocides and suffered purges and insignificance. Recognising this Hitchens made a career move to become a black propagandist for imperialism. There are liars, major liars and hegemonic liars.
Why on earth would you trust the british system? And if you do so trust it then how does the Leveson enquiry and its findings around politicians and police fit into that?
One would be a complete moron to assume any system is perfect.
But when it gets to be 2 people + 3 or 4 courts vs 1 person’s word, on the balance of probabilities and without clear indications to the contrary I tend to be cool with suggestion that there might be a case to answer.
Fair enough. But I’m not getting at whether the system is perfect or not in a technical sense. It is about corruption. It is about the interest the USA government has in the case (like dotcom here and our government was corrupted all over the place – police, GCSB, Prime Minister). It is about whether the britishenglish system bends itself to demands beyond its mandate.
And everyone knows it does. The leveson enquiry is an indicator.
And on the flipside, everyone also knows that some nice-looking guys who do some very good things in other aspects of their lives commit sexual assault or rape and then deny it to the nth degree.
A prime example being Muzza’s St John post (if at all accurate).
Spoken like a True Believer. Folks like you did very well in Russia in the 1930s—until they found themselves consumed by the same state machinery they had enthusiastically championed. http://lyndonlarouche.org/doctors-plot.gif
No I did not. When there’s ample evidence, corroborated by dozens, often hundreds of independent testimonies, none of whom has been coerced or inveigled into filing a false complaint, I support prosecution.
When there is not a skerrick of evidence, but the state still presses forward with the persecution of a dissenter, it’s an entirely different matter. I do not support that. You, on the other hand, have chosen to align yourself with the state apparatus of persecution and disinformation, for some reason.
Actually, I’ve sided with women who made a complaint, oh and ” British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind”.
But your point seems to be that we should wait until their are dozens or even hundreds of complainants before Assange should answer questions in a court?
And to think you seemed to regard the Savile comparison as unfair.
“wasn’t the Leveson enquiry part of the English system?”
I think you have (perhaps unwittingly) conflated British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind, with the British state, which is often the polar opposite of that.
Again, you’ve confused British justice with the British state. You seem to think that Virtue and Goodness resides in the state and vice versa. It’s the same way that Stalin’s followers used to think, and that Israel’s supporters think today.
So when you talk about “British justice”, what are you talking about?
The rules for cricket?
Or the system of legal precedence and tradition of Crown accountability that is entrenched in legislation going back to the Magna Carta and enforced by a system of courts and circuit judges to provide consistency in legal interpretation across the nation?
“Or the system of legal precedence and tradition of Crown accountability…”
Yes. It’s called the Law. You know, that thing that the British and U.S. governments are so frustrated by.
“Law without courts is wishful thinking.”
Wishful thinking is that I’ll win Lotto tomorrow night. That the British government must observe the law is not a matter of wishful thinking, it’s a requirement. Either Britain is a rechtstaat or it’s a rogue state—like it threatened to be when it was contemplating the crime of invading the Ecuadorian embassy.
“Like your baseless assumption that Assange is definitely, without a skerrick of a doubt, innocent.”
I’ve never said Assange is an angel. He has obviously enjoyed the attentions of some of his young admirers. But his accusers and persecutors are charged with backing up their charges with credible evidence. They have failed utterly.
And who holds the British government to account? The courts.
The same courts that decided during the extradition hearing that Assange’s accusers had actually demonstrated that he has a case to answer.
I repeat: the system that ensures the British government follows its requirement to obey its own laws also disagrees with your assessment that Assange’s accusers have failed to provide credible evidence.
“And who holds the British government to account? The courts.”
No. The people holding the British government to account are the likes of Julian Assange. Which is the reason for the massive mobilization of state propaganda against him.
“I think you have (perhaps unwittingly) conflated British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind, with the British state, which is often the polar opposite of that.”
Yes. We have the exact same problem here in NZ and the best recent example of that is Collins shenanigans.
And I’m really annoyed that in the media coverage (honestly who actually reads the entire Bill??) I managed to miss this little jem:
“Under the Bill, an invalid’s beneficiary who is reclassified as a ‘job-seeker’ will face a cut in income from $256 to $213 a week – effectively a benefit cut of $42 per week.”
God only knows how you are reclassified as a “job-seeker”. Probably if you so much as glance at a job ad….seems like an insidious way to save $$$ at the expense of disabled. Those with disabilities already have higher costs and are more likely to struggle in maintaining long term employment which means their level of debt and quality of life suffers.
All up it is too closely modeled on the disasterous UK welfare model.
Nice to see her ability to construct a mangled sentence hasn’t improved since her outing on WO. Let’s hear it for the comma! 😈
There is a lack of affordable entry-level homes, in the 1960s and 1970s, when home ownership was on the rise, 30-35 per cent of the new houses built were entry-level homes. Today, that proportion has fallen to 5 per cent.
Anyway. All mangling aside, maybe the focus should be on the diminishing amount of disposable income people have? Or maybe an acknowledgement that 30 odd years of wealth redistribution results in more people being able to afford less?
Or maybe the best idea is just to ‘follow the leader’ and cash in those loyalty bonus points?
Here’s the link. (And not too sure about the repeated reference to being ‘hands on’. Am I the only one who senses a degree of grubiness in that phrase?)
Maybe it’s the old thing that when she did it professionally she managed just well enough to keep up with a high client turnover rate. and because she did it professionally she assumes that her rushed first drafts don’t need to be proof-read or edited in any way.
I love the way “Labour will fight to create jobs, opportunities and build a smart, powerful economy.” is tacked on with the same relevance as “and Carthage must be destroyed”.
Apart from the possibility that the contents at the link muzza posted are defamatory this issue has been spammed across local bloggs for the past year or more. The names that keep on popping up all have connections to an organisation run by a convicted child sex offender.
That’s my point.
The allegation is that there is a particular group involved in widespread sexual offending of an especially egregious nature and that there’s a grand conspiracy by officials of the state and their allies, the evil femin*z*s and their misandrist gynocracy, to cover up the offending.
Building up the feel good vibe for when the shares scheme eventually comes home to roost and people realise they just sold more of NZ offshore under the con of diversity and stability.
@ ANDRE
Had a look at the latest maps and they have down-graded the predicted intensity. Looks like someone in the Met. Office might have got a bit carried away. Still will pack a punch though.
Doing the rounds on facebook.
Apparently the post-communist “shock therapy” of privatisation in Eastern Europe killed possibly as many as a million workers:
During the 1990s, former communist countries underwent the world’s worst peacetime mortality crisis in the past 50 years – with over three million avoidable deaths and 10 million ‘missing’ men, according to the United Nations.
Why does she bother? It’s obvious what outcome she prefers. Just tell Cabinet that it’s politically expedient to deny compensation to Mr Bain, and avoid further costly reviews. And, in the case of Auckland, just ignore Auckland’s wishes and tell us what Mr Key wants to happen. It will save time and money, and reflect the top-down, sod other views model that this government promotes.
The Standard has become a bit devoid of high level comments and criticism, although some still here do offer a fair bit of this. It is a bit like a “Stalinist Purge” that appears to have happened!
I miss MANY commenters of past days, and it is disconcerting!
How can a David (Joseph) Shearer sleep straight and well at night, if this is supposed to be the “future” of the “Labour led left”?
NZ is already a dearth, when it comes to social and especially mainstream media. For f. sake, do not let it die. Cancel your bloody memberships and start a bloody new party from scratch, if that is what they do to all you guys, who used to frequent this blog site and keep it so alive.
Ah. I was thinking the overall number of comments would probably start dropping about now. So I went to look at the site stats for this time last year. But I only found the top posts for the whole year. Then I got side-tracked looking at some of those golden oldie posts.
This National/ACT Government is VERY vulnerable on corruption, ‘white collar’ crime and ‘corporate welfare’.
Where the people lead – the politicians will follow?
(Hopefully …………….. 🙂
________________________________________
New Zealand – ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ according to the 2012 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ (along with Denmark and Finland) – has a Prime Minister who used to be a Wall St BANK$TER – (in 1999 – 2000 John Key was a former foreign exchange advisor for the New York Federal Reserve, and was the Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch.
NZ Prime Minister John Key, is currently a shareholder in the Bank of America.
(This would be unlawful in Australia – but NZ hasn’t even yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption!)
EVIDENCE!
http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rd…
Rt Hon John KEY (National, Helensville)
Bank of America – banking
Bank of America – short term deposit
__________________________________________
The reality is that New Zealand is a corrupt, polluted tax haven.
Sorry to pop the hot air balloon……
“Ms Killeen was invited to sit next to her counsel at the table. I have never seen this happen before,” he told Mr Byers.
Under a section of the Sentencing Act, Killeen was acquitted, even though she pleaded guilty to both forgery charges. A sentencing indication hearing was held in October but all aspects were suppressed
How the legal/judical insiders work together to protect its own, while giving the plebs a written inside article on how to avoid the *workings of a courtroom* , should they ever find themselves in one!
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
Tears for a dying world
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-502563/Floods-tears-climate-change-hard-man-breaks-summit.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/dec/06/philippines-delegator-tears-climate-change
While in an act of treachery and cowardice Green Party supporter weka writes that Climate Change is “equally” important to all those “other issues”, without bothering to name them.
Deliberately ignoring the fact that as the Philippines delegate has said Climate Change will make poverty, social justice and inequality worse. (which I presume are the “equally important other issues” weka was alluding to)
Climate Change is not one just one issue equal with all others. To argue that, is to call for the Green Party to sell out.
So if Jenny is allowed to call me a treacherous coward, can I tell her to go fuck herself for deliberately misrepresenting my views, without me having to go into the whole tiresome bullshit?
+1
Jenny’s fundamentalist monomania undermines her message better than any fossil fuel shill ever could.
/agreed
Time will tell.
You have admitted that the Green Party has changed its focus “a bit”.
You should ask yourself, why?
When you have determined what the political pressures were, that worked on the Green Party to change its focus “a bit”.
You could also ask yourself; What is to stop the same political forces that acted on the Green Party to change their focus “a bit”, from influencing the Green Party to change it’s focus “a bit” more, and “a bit” more”, and “a bit” more.
Once you start trading principle for position it is a slippery slope.
Jenny stop being such a patronising idiot. Of course I’ve thought about why the GP has shifted its position, and of course I’ve thought about how much the GP will have to compromise in order to be part of govt. I also have an analysis that looks at those things and what the challenge for the GP are. Which you would know if you were bothering to read my comments and pay even a modicum of intelligence to understanding them. But you’re not. All you are doing is manipulating other people’s arguments to suit your own agenda. I’m not the stupid, ignorant person in this conversation.
CW please could you please just patronise me again by letting me see your “analysis that looks at those things”.
Monomania?
Is this another term of abuse applied inside the Green Party against anyone who tries to make Climate Change a leading issue?
Weka has already accused me of being a climate change “obsessive”.
While this may be a term of abuse inside the Green Party. Not being a member of that party, I can wear this label without fear, or shame. IMO it is far better being a climate change obsessive, than a willful opportunist climate change ignorer for narrow political gain.
“I’d Rather Fight Like Hell” Naomi Kleine. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/12/13 Is climate change is equal with “all other important issues”, or will the fight against climate change inform and invigorate the fight for all other important issues? “Climate change is the human rights struggle of our time” Naomi Kleine. <blockquote>….Climate change has the ability to undo your historic victories and crush your present struggles. So it’s time to come together, for real, and fight to preserve and extend what you care most about — which means engaging in the climate fight, really engaging, as if your life and your life’s work, even life itself, depended on it. Because they do.</blockquote> Monomania? Obsessive? Or telling it like it is? Now, is not the time, for the Green Party to back off on climate change not even “a bit”. Instead they should be hammering it as hard as they can in every forum they can “obsessively”(as if their lives depended on it). But no, instead blinded by the siren call of those soft comfy seats on the front bench, the Green Party have decided to change their focus “a bit”.
“I’d Rather Fight Like Hell” Naomi Kleine. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/12/13 Is climate change is equal with “all other important issues”, or will the fight against climate change inform and invigorate the fight for all other important issues? “Climate change is the human rights struggle of our time” Naomi Kleine. <blockquote>….Climate change has the ability to undo your historic victories and crush your present struggles. So it’s time to come together, for real, and fight to preserve and extend what you care most about — which means engaging in the climate fight, really engaging, as if your life and your life’s work, even life itself, depended on it. Because they do.</blockquote> Monomania? Obsessive? Or telling it like it is? Now, is not the time, for the Green Party to back off on climate change not even “a bit”. Instead they should be hammering it as hard as they can in every forum they can “obsessively”(as if their lives depended on it). But no, instead blinded by the siren call of those soft comfy seats on the front bench, the Green Party have decided to change their focus “a bit”.
Liar.
Paranoid monomania then.
I don’t have a problem with you being obsessive about CC. Your obsession with the GP is pretty weird though. I also have a problem with you telling lies, manipulating other people’s views and positions, and being generally stupid when it comes to all that. I also have a problem with how your approach is likely to undermine addressing CC in a real way.
Why do I pick on the Greens.
Because I think that the New Zealand Green Party could make a real impact on a global scale against Anthropomorphic Climate Change.
New Zealand could become a showcase for the world. That spurs the the populations of the major emitting nations to demand similar programmes.
But do the Green Party see this? Is the Green Party backing off on climate change because they think, like most people do, that this problem is intractable, it is just to big, and that there is nothing meaningful that can be done?
I have full confidence that the Green Party could make a real difference on this issue like no other.
To see them backing off makes me angry.
Climate Change is the most pressing human issue of our era (if not of any era).
Threatening, as it does, mass extinctions not matched since the cretaceous, predicted to wipe out whole ecosystems and the species that rely on them. If humanity survives, (which is not certain) most projections calculate a human death toll not matched since the black death.
What could be more important, or even of equal importance?
Nothing
“To see them backing off makes me angry.”
Right. So just say that instead of making shit up. Most people can relate to feelings of frustration and anger over important issues.
You wish. But you don’t come up with any credible plan about how that could happen. The GP on the other hand, who are experts in what they can do about CC, has certainly considered this and made decisions based on reality not on wishful thinking.
I don’t think so. The people I know aren’t thinking that. I personally do think it’s far too late to do much, but I don’t believe that we should do nothing. Most people I know and read are more optimistic than I am. If you think that the GP have changed tack (and no, again, they haven’t ‘backed off’) because they’ve given up, then show some evidence. Or go ask them.
I feel a response of “link or GTFO” is definitely warranted.
Time will tell.
You have admitted that the Green Party has changed its focus “a bit”.
You should ask yourself, why?
When you have determined what the political pressures were, that worked on the Green Party to change its focus “a bit”.
You could also ask yourself; What is to stop the same political forces that acted on the Green Party to change their focus “a bit”, from influencing the Green Party to change it’s focus “a bit” more, and “a bit” more”, and “a bit” more.
Once you start trading principle for position it is a slippery slope.
No. But you do have a duty to point out where I have misrepresented your views.
I wish I’d made a submission against the changes to the Social Security Act. What we have is bad enough without punative changes that are coming…
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/beneficiary-impact-highlights-poverty-of-social-policies
Very good post by Bradford.
My emphasis. I’m curious now what sources political parties use to inform themselves about welfare issues.
Thanks for pointing that out. Looks like it was posted on Pundit:
http://pundit.co.nz/content/beneficiary-impact-highlights-poverty-of-social-policies
Ideology mainly. And at least two Key politicians who can claim they’ve been there.
Let me rephrase: what useful and valid sources do political parties use to inform their welfare policy? I think we can just ignore NACTUF. I was thinking more about Labour, the Greens, Mana, the Maori Party, maybe NZF.
“And at least two Key politicians who can claim they’ve been there.”
Yeah, way back in the past when things were very different to how they are now.
Its believed by some that if you give people money for nothing they will asked for more money.
Originally an argument used against welfare, but isn’t and should be applied to bankers and the wealthiest now. They do less and less, some even say driving us to extinction (or atleast massive civilisational collapse). Welfare has always been a compromise, it drives up wages on small firms because it take people out of the workforce, its a jobs program for middle class people to run, its a no monetry tax on the poorest, and it justifies a whole raft of compliance laws on business (which aids the big companies who have a multiplier effect) all justifed (rightly) on removing slums, producing kids who can read and fight in wars, and basically glue civic society together 9as we can see when if fails and we get criminal gangs). So welfare as constructed is bad, but whats on offer from the right would be its removal ad the natural follow on, the communist revolution (or rightwing thousand year reich). What we actually need is the redistribution of
wealth without government conditions, a negative income for everyone to keep them out of poverty, then remove taxes on employment, so people can work for luxuries. The problem is this would wipe out the value of much of the wealth accrued by the richest, and that’s why its the perfect time to do it, since the richest have already done that, wipe out their accrue calls on future wealth, peak oil means the old wealth creators the rich are hoarding aren’t worth the ticket price.
Its time for a rethink because we need every citizen to do the green thing, and the only fair way to do that is to have them engaged in capitalism. Capitalism has been stolen from the people by governments, and turned into faceless markets where their very lives are pored over and profited from.
Melissa Davies, TV3’s substandard “London correspondent”
TV3 Sunrise, Friday 14 December 2012, 7:28 p.m.
Want to find out what’s going on in London? Well, the folks who run TV3 had the brilliant idea of sending over one MELISSA DAVIES to keep us informed. Only one flaw in that cunning plan: Melissa Davies is utterly ignorant, and instead of trying to be a reporter, seems to be content to read out press releases prepared by the U.K. government….
SIMON SHEPHERD: And, finally Melissa, another long-running story over there: Julian Assange in the news again.
MELISSA DAVIES: [sniggers] Yes, he’s been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for six months now. He’s announced he’ll be running for a seat in the Australian Senate!
SIMON SHEPHERD: He’s been holed up there. Okay, Melissa Davies in London. Time coming up to 7:30.
Referring to a political dissident as a common criminal—“holed up” instead of “granted political asylum”—is a dereliction of her duty as a journalist. Melissa Davies is nothing but a conduit of black propaganda.
Er, ‘holed up’ is a perfect phrase to descibe Assange’s attempt to avoid facing justice. When chased, rats do tend to ‘hole up’.
Er, ‘holed up’ is a perfect phrase to descibe Assange’s attempt to avoid facing justice. When chased, rats do tend to ‘hole up’.
It’s the perfect phrase if you’re in the business of black propaganda, as the British regime is. You should apply for a fee for acting as their uncritical mouthpiece.
‘Black propaganda’. Is that a new euphemism for sexual assault?
“Black propaganda’. Is that a new euphemism for sexual assault?”
No, it means a sustained programme of lying, defamation and character assassination. It’s the kind of thing that mad Maoists, Stalinists and Trotskyists did in the 1960s, and ex-Trots like this fool did until his sudden demise last year…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4C_tSMqS810/Sj0tGFTshlI/AAAAAAAAEDc/FKbFx167wIQ/s400/Christopher+Hitchens+and+atheism.JPG
ERRATUM
“…until his sudden demise last year…”
Apologies for the error. I should have written “…until his long-drawn-out and public demise last year.”
Please correct your print-outs.
Oh – like what several Assange supporters have been engaged in, from “sex by surprise” to “illegal to have unprotected sex” and so on.
Thanks for the clarification.
‘Oh – like what several Assange supporters have been engaged in, from “sex by surprise” to “illegal to have unprotected sex” and so on. Thanks for the clarification.’
You obviously need help with a lot of things—like we all do. But I think you know perfectly well that a dissenter and his supporters pouring scorn on false accusations is stratospherically different from the full machinery of state, plus its ancillary organs like the totalitarian “liberal” media and their uncritical consumers, engaging in a campaign of character assassination.
Nice words, Mozza. The problem is that the accusations don’t appear to be false at all. What Assange himself has admitted about his sexual behaviour tends to make the accusations look very likely to be true. Just to wind you up further, I think that even if the Americans said they intended to extradite him from Sweden and Sweden also agreed to change their laws to allow it, I still think Assange should face his accusers. The hypocrisy of championing transparency and openness while hiding from both is shameful.
No means no. And being a celebrity is no guide to guilt or innocence, nor a defence in court, as operation Yewtree shows all too clearly.
1.) “Nice words, Mozza.”
Nothing “nice” about them at all. Simple facts, unadorned—that’s all.
2.) “The problem is that the accusations don’t appear to be false at all.”
Argument by continued assertion of an already discredited accusation. That’s not the most convincing rhetorical strategy, my friend.
3.) “What Assange himself has admitted about his sexual behaviour tends to make the accusations look very likely to be true.”
So the guy was (is) a superstar who suffered the galling indignity of having young women throw themselves at him. You can pretend to be disgusted, as his state accusers do, if you want. But whether or not you despise him for behaving like a rock star, you need something better than the unconvincing, in fact discredited, allegations that the state has forced these young women to make.
4.) “Just to wind you up further,”
Don’t flatter yourself, my friend. I’m not the one hyperventilating about the fact that the U.K. regime has failed dismally in its attempt to prove it’s worthy of its junior partner status by handing a dissenter over to the tender mercies of the world’s worst rogue state.
5.) “I think that even if the Americans said they intended to extradite him from Sweden and Sweden also agreed to change their laws to allow it, I still think Assange should face his accusers. The hypocrisy of championing transparency and openness while hiding from both is shameful.”
That’s fascinating logic. It could have been used against any fugitive from any rogue regime in history. All those hypocritical partisans in the Serbian hills and all those resistance fighters taking refuge in French forests during World War II should, following your reasoning, have openly and transparently handed themselves over to the authorities. (I’m not joking, by the way—and, more worryingly, it seems you are not joking either.)
6.) “No means no.”
It certainly does. And no evidence means no evidence. You can rage and threaten to break all international treaty laws, as the U.K. and U.S. regimes have done in their zeal to exact revenge on this dissenter, but when you have no evidence, you have no evidence. Unless, of course, you follow the loon’s logic that all sexual intercourse is rape.
7.) “And being a celebrity is no guide to guilt or innocence, nor a defence in court, as operation Yewtree shows all too clearly.”
Julian Assange is a journalist and a political dissident and the hero of many young women, who want to sleep with him; Jimmy Savile was a third-rate comedian who forced himself on young girls. The BBC has been instrumental in acting as a conduit for false government accusations against Assange, just as it acted as a conduit for young girls for the old paedophile.
You’re trying to suggest that Assange and Savile are comparable, somehow? Does Assange tell unfunny jokes and grope women on camera?
Ooooh, I think I heard a figurative penny dropping in Mozza’s head while that last paragraph was being written!
Just to make it easier for you, Moz, yes, I do think there are some similarities between the two. One is a discredited celebrity who used his fame to have sex with the willing and the unwilling. The other is dead.
“One is a discredited celebrity who used his fame to have sex with the willing and the unwilling. The other is dead.”
Hell, Te Reo, surely you can do better than that. Who wrote that joke for you? Jimmy Savile?
One is a discredited celebrity who used his fame to have sex with the willing and the unwilling. The other is dead.
*snort*
The imperialist character assassination of Assange should not be ‘likened’ to that of ‘mad’ Maoists, Stalinists of Trotskyists. They are of a very different order. The US is the no 1 global terrorist that dominates the world. Assange understands that. The Stalinist/Maoist dictators were not ‘mad’ but negotiating their survival with imperialism. Trotskyists never got themselves in to a position where they could conduct genocides and suffered purges and insignificance. Recognising this Hitchens made a career move to become a black propagandist for imperialism. There are liars, major liars and hegemonic liars.
That’s the shizzle 🙂
“When chased, rats do tend to ‘hole up’.”
And rats only ever get chased for good reason eh.
Why on earth would you trust the british system? And if you do so trust it then how does the Leveson enquiry and its findings around politicians and police fit into that?
wasn’t the Leveson enquiry part of the English system?
Probably. So then trust the british system but not the english system ………… lol
One would be a complete moron to assume any system is perfect.
But when it gets to be 2 people + 3 or 4 courts vs 1 person’s word, on the balance of probabilities and without clear indications to the contrary I tend to be cool with suggestion that there might be a case to answer.
Fair enough. But I’m not getting at whether the system is perfect or not in a technical sense. It is about corruption. It is about the interest the USA government has in the case (like dotcom here and our government was corrupted all over the place – police, GCSB, Prime Minister). It is about whether the britishenglish system bends itself to demands beyond its mandate.
And everyone knows it does. The leveson enquiry is an indicator.
And on the flipside, everyone also knows that some nice-looking guys who do some very good things in other aspects of their lives commit sexual assault or rape and then deny it to the nth degree.
A prime example being Muzza’s St John post (if at all accurate).
Spoken like a True Believer. Folks like you did very well in Russia in the 1930s—until they found themselves consumed by the same state machinery they had enthusiastically championed.
http://lyndonlarouche.org/doctors-plot.gif
Folks like you did very well defending their local troop leader or deacon when those horrible allegations were made by those nasty delinquents.
No I did not. When there’s ample evidence, corroborated by dozens, often hundreds of independent testimonies, none of whom has been coerced or inveigled into filing a false complaint, I support prosecution.
When there is not a skerrick of evidence, but the state still presses forward with the persecution of a dissenter, it’s an entirely different matter. I do not support that. You, on the other hand, have chosen to align yourself with the state apparatus of persecution and disinformation, for some reason.
Actually, I’ve sided with women who made a complaint, oh and ” British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind”.
But your point seems to be that we should wait until their are dozens or even hundreds of complainants before Assange should answer questions in a court?
And to think you seemed to regard the Savile comparison as unfair.
It’s unfortunate that this needs to be pointed out, but often when women are raped there is no evidence beyond what they say.
“wasn’t the Leveson enquiry part of the English system?”
I think you have (perhaps unwittingly) conflated British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind, with the British state, which is often the polar opposite of that.
oh, okay, because it was the British justice system that decided Assange had a case to answer in Sweden.
Again, you’ve confused British justice with the British state. You seem to think that Virtue and Goodness resides in the state and vice versa. It’s the same way that Stalin’s followers used to think, and that Israel’s supporters think today.
So when you talk about “British justice”, what are you talking about?
The rules for cricket?
Or the system of legal precedence and tradition of Crown accountability that is entrenched in legislation going back to the Magna Carta and enforced by a system of courts and circuit judges to provide consistency in legal interpretation across the nation?
“Or the system of legal precedence and tradition of Crown accountability…”
Yes. It’s called the Law. You know, that thing that the British and U.S. governments are so frustrated by.
Law without courts is wishful thinking. Like your baseless assumption that Assange is definitely, without a skerrick of a doubt, innocent.
“Law without courts is wishful thinking.”
Wishful thinking is that I’ll win Lotto tomorrow night. That the British government must observe the law is not a matter of wishful thinking, it’s a requirement. Either Britain is a rechtstaat or it’s a rogue state—like it threatened to be when it was contemplating the crime of invading the Ecuadorian embassy.
“Like your baseless assumption that Assange is definitely, without a skerrick of a doubt, innocent.”
I’ve never said Assange is an angel. He has obviously enjoyed the attentions of some of his young admirers. But his accusers and persecutors are charged with backing up their charges with credible evidence. They have failed utterly.
And who holds the British government to account? The courts.
The same courts that decided during the extradition hearing that Assange’s accusers had actually demonstrated that he has a case to answer.
I repeat: the system that ensures the British government follows its requirement to obey its own laws also disagrees with your assessment that Assange’s accusers have failed to provide credible evidence.
“And who holds the British government to account? The courts.”
No. The people holding the British government to account are the likes of Julian Assange. Which is the reason for the massive mobilization of state propaganda against him.
So Assange is now a fundamental part of the British justice you hold in high regard, but the British courts are not?
Ever get the feeling you’re making shit up as you go along?
“I think you have (perhaps unwittingly) conflated British justice, which has been and is a real benefit to humankind, with the British state, which is often the polar opposite of that.”
Yes. We have the exact same problem here in NZ and the best recent example of that is Collins shenanigans.
Collins’ summer holiday reading choice: “Mein Kampf”!
TRP. Then you are telling us that you are holed up?
And I’m really annoyed that in the media coverage (honestly who actually reads the entire Bill??) I managed to miss this little jem:
“Under the Bill, an invalid’s beneficiary who is reclassified as a ‘job-seeker’ will face a cut in income from $256 to $213 a week – effectively a benefit cut of $42 per week.”
http://www.caritas.org.nz/newsroom/media-releases/%E2%80%98open-your-eyes%E2%80%99-caritas-tells-committee-considering-welfare-changes
God only knows how you are reclassified as a “job-seeker”. Probably if you so much as glance at a job ad….seems like an insidious way to save $$$ at the expense of disabled. Those with disabilities already have higher costs and are more likely to struggle in maintaining long term employment which means their level of debt and quality of life suffers.
All up it is too closely modeled on the disasterous UK welfare model.
Clearly roads of notional significance are more important to the country than some sick people who sit at home all day playing xbox.
Curran has an article in the southland times,stuff site, today titled ‘hands on housing policies needed’
(sorry can’t link), i have left a comment.
Nice to see her ability to construct a mangled sentence hasn’t improved since her outing on WO. Let’s hear it for the comma! 😈
Anyway. All mangling aside, maybe the focus should be on the diminishing amount of disposable income people have? Or maybe an acknowledgement that 30 odd years of wealth redistribution results in more people being able to afford less?
Or maybe the best idea is just to ‘follow the leader’ and cash in those loyalty bonus points?
Here’s the link. (And not too sure about the repeated reference to being ‘hands on’. Am I the only one who senses a degree of grubiness in that phrase?)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/8039308/Hands-on-housing-policies-needed
Fascinating that she was in comms/pr.
Maybe it’s the old thing that when she did it professionally she managed just well enough to keep up with a high client turnover rate. and because she did it professionally she assumes that her rushed first drafts don’t need to be proof-read or edited in any way.
I love the way “Labour will fight to create jobs, opportunities and build a smart, powerful economy.” is tacked on with the same relevance as “and Carthage must be destroyed”.
Has the Oder of St John covered up sexual abuses..
This is an intertesting timeline of shame!
Nutter!.
What’s your point?
Apart from the possibility that the contents at the link muzza posted are defamatory this issue has been spammed across local bloggs for the past year or more. The names that keep on popping up all have connections to an organisation run by a convicted child sex offender.
That’s my point.
Still not getting it. Is there a reason you are speaking google-ese instead of speaking plainly?
The allegation is that there is a particular group involved in widespread sexual offending of an especially egregious nature and that there’s a grand conspiracy by officials of the state and their allies, the evil femin*z*s and their misandrist gynocracy, to cover up the offending.
Who has made that allegation, and how does that relate to muzza’s comment? And, no, youtube vids don’t help either.
Actually I had contact with Jaimes Wood, and someone called Niels Holm at the Governor Generals office while this was going on, as per the timeline.
I was told after I had contact that Jaimes had resigned.
Defamatory, what the links to the stuff articles as well Joe?
More praise from an unlikely quarter directed at a just as unlikely recipient,
Fonterra have decided to roll out the daily dose of the white stuff ‘milk in schools program’ to all 300,000+ primary school kids next year…
Building up the feel good vibe for when the shares scheme eventually comes home to roost and people realise they just sold more of NZ offshore under the con of diversity and stability.
Better keep a close watch on this next week folks.
(hit the button and move to other end (Monday)
http://www.metservice.com/national/maps-rain-radar/maps/sw-pacific-recent-latest
Re weather map , THANKS .Anne, Sh*# looks like Mr grossers revenge is comming to bight his climate one finger salute!!!!!
@ ANDRE
Had a look at the latest maps and they have down-graded the predicted intensity. Looks like someone in the Met. Office might have got a bit carried away. Still will pack a punch though.
Doing the rounds on facebook.
Apparently the post-communist “shock therapy” of privatisation in Eastern Europe killed possibly as many as a million workers:
Why Bother
You are still here, Draco?!
I am relieved!
The Standard has become a bit devoid of high level comments and criticism, although some still here do offer a fair bit of this. It is a bit like a “Stalinist Purge” that appears to have happened!
I miss MANY commenters of past days, and it is disconcerting!
How can a David (Joseph) Shearer sleep straight and well at night, if this is supposed to be the “future” of the “Labour led left”?
NZ is already a dearth, when it comes to social and especially mainstream media. For f. sake, do not let it die. Cancel your bloody memberships and start a bloody new party from scratch, if that is what they do to all you guys, who used to frequent this blog site and keep it so alive.
What a damned SHAME!
You will find that the comment quality drops leading up to and over Xmas/new year. Seen it 5 times so far.
Ah. I was thinking the overall number of comments would probably start dropping about now. So I went to look at the site stats for this time last year. But I only found the top posts for the whole year. Then I got side-tracked looking at some of those golden oldie posts.
Sigh! Seems I have to get into this weird “x-mas spirit”, or what they call it. Thanks for that feedback!
This National/ACT Government is VERY vulnerable on corruption, ‘white collar’ crime and ‘corporate welfare’.
Where the people lead – the politicians will follow?
(Hopefully …………….. 🙂
________________________________________
NZ IS A CORRUPT, POLLUTED TAX HAVEN!
MY PUBLISHED COMMENT ON THIS ‘ROLLING STONE’ ARTICLE:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/outrageous-hsbc-settlement-proves-the-drug-war-is-a-joke-20121213
New Zealand – ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ according to the 2012 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ (along with Denmark and Finland) – has a Prime Minister who used to be a Wall St BANK$TER – (in 1999 – 2000 John Key was a former foreign exchange advisor for the New York Federal Reserve, and was the Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch.
NZ Prime Minister John Key, is currently a shareholder in the Bank of America.
(This would be unlawful in Australia – but NZ hasn’t even yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption!)
EVIDENCE!
http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rd…
Rt Hon John KEY (National, Helensville)
Bank of America – banking
Bank of America – short term deposit
__________________________________________
The reality is that New Zealand is a corrupt, polluted tax haven.
Sorry to pop the hot air balloon……
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
New Zealand
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
I do not understand why Ms Killeen was allowed to avoid standing or even sitting in the dock like every other prisoner,” he complained.
How the legal/judical insiders work together to protect its own, while giving the plebs a written inside article on how to avoid the *workings of a courtroom* , should they ever find themselves in one!
Games, threatre, actors – Thats all it is!