Given the pushback now over stopping oil exploration in 30 years, what messages should the left be promoting about NZ’s transition to low-carbon employment?
Seems peculiar that some are getting hot and bothered about possible low carbon job losses when the greater ‘threat’ to employment is AI and automation.
I envisage that jobs will be created as new, low/no carbon tech is developed.
Because,of course, the government has already earmarked $$$ for this purpose.
I’m struggling to recall anyone on the right giving a rats about the future of the ten of thousands of folk who lost jobs during their mob’s most recent tenure.
They don’t give a rats arse about poor people having jobs unless it’s to the point where wages are going up because of a shortage of workers at which point National will open the borders to skill shortages like café workers and labourers just to keep wages down and the majority in poverty.
Yes, I agree, and it covers quite a diverse range of technology.
“Only the ignorant aren’t aware of it.”
Now, that’s not fair. Of course, we have hydro, solar, wind, geothermal that are in commercial use.
The other techs are still in development, commercialization process. I would not expect most people to be fully aware of them atm.
I have visited a number of sites where new green tech is being used, the latest visit was in the Dominican Republic. They have a 100 MW power plant that normally uses heavy fuel oil, in part converted to using rice husks and other biomass to supplement the fuel oil via Bio oil and syngas. The emission profile and cost to run the plant have substantially reduced.
I know for a fact that, Fonterra for instance, has a lot of low carbon plans ready to implement just sitting on a shelf at their head office in Fanshaw Street. Plans that will never be implemented, developed or realised while fossil fuels are cheap and readily available.
Cut ’em off, and the search for the alternative solutions will tumble out.
Mark my words; Jobs, lots of them will be the result.
It’s been called White Gold”, and for a reason. Powdered milk for the export market has been the behind Fonterra’s global success, with China taking all Fonterra can produce, and more.
Just two of the technologies that Fonterra have looked into for development, if their supply of cheap fossil fuels is cut off, is micro drying and condensing of milk at the farm gate. And Salt Solar for industrial heat at the factory.
Micro drying using not much more energy that is currently being used to refrigerate milk in vats prior to collection . Currently Milk tankers are carrying mostly water by weight to Fonterra’s plants where it is then driven off, by burning coal. Condensed at the farm, Milk does not need as many tankers on the roads, nor refrigeration. Nor does it need as much coal or other industrial heat source to reduce it to its final powdered form.
And molten salt solar for industrial heat will remove the need for fossil fuels altogether.
Yep. It’s rocket science, luckilly for us, New Zealand has a mature rocket technology.
Jobs, heaps of them.
In fact the attraction of fossil fuels to business is that they are less labour intensive than almost every other form of energy.
Actually, many of the green-tech has been invented. Solar panels, wind generators, geo-thermal.
What the problem is is that too many people are used to using fossil fuels and are scared of the change while the people who get rich from the use of fossil fuels can afford the propaganda and political lobbying which influences the people scared of the necessary changes.
If it hasn’t been developed yet then the government can hire all the over-educated café assistants to develop them and create even more jobs.
What the problem is is that too many people are used to using fossil fuels and are scared of the change while the people who get rich from the use of fossil fuels can afford the propaganda and political lobbying which influences the people scared of the necessary changes.
Draco T Bastard
Unlike the harm caused by slavery, the harm in the use of fossil fuels is of course indirect, long range, even unintended. It seems at first glance to be a fundamentally different kind of harm, and the unintended consequences of ongoing use of fossil fuels have only recently become understood. Initially, their use was seen as positive and progressive. But now that we know the consequences, and continue, globally, to increase emission levels, how can we still consider these consequences “unintended”?
Consumers of goods made by slaves or absentee plantation owners who lived in Britain in the 18th century also benefited from the slave system without maintaining direct connections to it. Those beneficiaries can certainly be said to have committed a morally comparable sort of human transgression to that of people who benefit from fossil fuels today.
Why is all of this relevant for climate change policy? Our contemporary economies have become extremely dependent on fossil fuels, just as slave societies were dependent on their slaves – indeed far more than the latter ever were. As one scholar remarked: “That US Congressmen tend to rationalise fossil fuel use despite climate risks to future generations just as southern congressmen rationalised slavery despite ideals of equality is perhaps unsurprising.”
The flipside of the slavery argument is that the government didn’t sell the slaveholders their slaves.
Revoking previously-issued permits that were being complied with, one could argue, goes back to the Magna Carta, the basic principle of whether the government of the day is subject to its own laws or whether subjects must adapt to the capricious whims of totalitarian rule.
Yup. Block contracts for preliminary minerals exploration which, if it pans out, might lead to an application for a mining permit that might or might not be granted is totally morally equivalent to selling someone a slave 🙄 /sarc
If we want solar to be a significant contributor, there needs to be a rule that powercos must pay the same as they sell it for. Ditto for microhydro or any other home sustainability improvement.
If we want solar to be a significant contributor, there needs to be a rule that powercos must pay the same as they sell it for.
That would be the best option but even having them pay the current Spot price would help. After all, the Spot Pricing is there to determine which generators come online. The high Spot prices will encourage more people to install solar to get the returns from it.
Of course, the cheap solar power will, eventually, make fossil fuelled power generation obsolete.
BTW, The Greens had such a bill drawn from the basket but it was voted down by National and Act. I’m pretty sure that they did so because they understood what would happen to the donors profits as more power generation outside of the control of the corporates came online.
Spot prices are one tool to protect profits of the power companies. People installing solar panels and batteries are a counter-measure to prevent their money flowing back into the pockets of the power companies and their shareholders.
But it does occur and even on cloudy days solar panels still generate electricity. I assume it’s those cloudy days when people turn on their heaters that you’re concerned about.
So, it will still have some effect.
And then there’s the fact that if it’s cloudy in one area doesn’t mean that it’s cloudy everywhere and so the solar panels in the sunny area will be doing really well as the demand rises in the cloudy area.
The point, of course, is that with enough solar panels installed across the country the spot prices won’t be getting high enough to turn on the old fossil fuelled generators.
And that’s going to upset the owners of that out dated and dangerous plant as they won’t be able to get their unearned income from it.
Who would you propose as being the person who pays for the cost of the National Grid to ship it around the country?
And you don’t really think that you producing power at your home far from anywhere in Central Otago should be paid the same rate for the excess power you generate on a fine day in mid-summer when supply is vastly above demand as the price you will expect your power to be delivered on a day when a miserable Southerly is hitting the whole country do you?
National grid. Common necessary infrastructure like road, rail lines, ports and schools.
As we have found, best supplied by a Democratic Government on a non profit basis.
Surely if the extractive industries are wound down, then there’ll be a whole re-structuring of the working class. Must check if this has been written about.
Basically, the working class that formed in the 18th-20th centuries, was developed around extractive industries: either directly eg mining; or indirectly ie industrial factories, which processed extractive materials, and used extracted resources for industrial processes.
Working class communities developed around these systems.
So, with a restructuring of work, must also surely mean a big upheaval for working class people?
The next couple of decades will continue our long shift from extractive to manufacturing to service to creative industries – and the range of jobs available will evolve accordingly. Making sure that people who do not own the banks or the means of production are involved in the shaping of that evolution is a big political challenge.
What can the left do and say to reassure current workers that they and their children will have solid jobs and income to rely on?
In some ways this should suit NZ. NZ has never been a highly industrialised country. We have relied more on the primary sector – farms and extractive industries – forestry, etc. And there has always been a relatively big service sector – our urban populations have been bigger than our rural ones, and it is in urban areas that the service sector has been strongest.
Rod Oram’s article today addresses climate change and the farming sector.
On one hand, agriculture emissions are 49 percent of our total emissions, by far the highest proportion for a developed economy. On the other, our farmers and the scientists and businesses that support them, are among the most innovative in the world.
The answers are the same for agriculture as other sectors. Science, design, innovative business methods and strong, inclusive governance are our key tools. Let’s invest in, monitor and insist they all perform.
The answers are the same for agriculture as other sectors.
Not really. IMO, we need to seriously decrease the amount of land that is dedicated to farming and let that which is freed up return to the wild. Plant native trees on that land and then simply watch it.
We need the biodiversity to return and the evolutionary paths that it opens up.
No more than ~15% of land area should be dedicated to growing food for humans. That’s enough to feed us in NZ but not enough for exports.
High tech. It’s already doing well and is growing and has less effect upon the environment.
But even then it’s something that we have to do even if we didn’t have a replacement. The economics tells us that we can’t continue farming to the extent that we are.
The problem I have with GE farming is that to get that higher yield requires artificial fertilisers which cause run-off into streams etc. In other words, its probably not sustainable and is polluting.
I was at the future food tech. A couple weeks back.
3D food printers. Amazing and potentially a massive disruption to the food industry. Uses protein base components, vegetable base and then prints the food each meal takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
You choose the program/menu item you want and come back and enjoy.
The protein and vege base components can come from anywhere seaweed, soy, rice, man made. Plus no wastage. They were talking as tech gets better you simply put left overs back into machine and it breaks it down again. (That’s someway off but being worked on).
Imagine the disruption to supermarkets. As all you would need is a bag of powder or flavouring. Does a house need a kitchen.
Whole new industries would be invented and existing ones would have to adapt.
Having a steak or real fish would be a rare special event as your every day food is printed.
Yes its time now to step up Permaculture, Organics and all other forms of sustainable land management. People ,not chemicals, will again be involved in the growing of produce. Soil and water will be restored. Made in New Zealand will be pure and green.
I think it’s great that those 10,000’s of un or underemployed that couldn’t (or didn’t want to) work in old tech jobs (dairying, metal trades etc) will suddenly be snapped up at high wage by new tech, creative type positions. Not sure how they’ll get to work when petrol is priced out of existence – maybe there will be an electric light rail to every street, or everyone will be give a Tesla by Gummint. Maybe the Ministry of Power will build hi- performance battery plants everywhere – it must be easy to do as Musk is finding. Or maybe everyone will be like the Green MP’s and have PV on their roofs..oh hang on, they don’t. Or more likely, we’ll build more solar & wind pumped hydro storage..hang on, more hydro is out.
Luckily we’ll have gas turbines for peak demand in the evenings when the sun is down..no, that’s right we don’t like gas anymore.
But the feelz will be there of course.
FFS
“Pushback” I think is being kind.
Anybody who believes that in 20-30 years time we can still be finding, digging up and burning NEW sources of oil, is frankly nuts. The oil industry and the people of Taranaki already know this is a sunset industry.
Most of the supposed ‘pushback’ is just the usual suspects using this rather timid and completely non-controversial announcement as a convenient stick to keep beating a mildly leftish government with.
In the past, rapid technology change has always cause massive disruption – usually some people do very well and make out like bandits while lots of others go to the wall. That’s the supposed ‘creative destruction’ of capitalism that is so lauded on the right and it is assumed to be just the way change happens. The huge challenge is to convince people that this time it won’t be like that (so the layers of irony are thick here)
The Royal prerogative of mercy provides a way for criminal cases to be re-opened where a person may have been wrongly convicted. The prerogative is exercised by the Governor–General but in reality it is a decision for the Minister of Justice. The most common result is for the case to be referred back to the courts.
Wallace Chapman, like the lame Jacinda Ardern, is not up to the job.
RNZ National, Sunday 15 April 2018, 7:25 a.m.
Wallace Chapman has just made the following statement: “The Russian media have swallowed the Kremlin line….”
That statement is no doubt true, but Chapman seems to have made no such statement about the U.S. media, which have unashamedly parroted the Trump maladministration’s line. Nor has he said anything about the media parrots in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
As I write this, RNZ’s go-to expert Al Gillespie, grandly titled “the Professor of International Law at Waikato University”, has just told Chapman: “This looks good for Trump.”
In the real world, the “western media” do indeed have it wrong, just like they did fifteen years ago when they parroted the lies of the Bush/Blair axis.
Your comments about Galloway, James, might have some credibility if they were accompanied by similar expressions of distaste for the far more puerile antics of Donald Trump.
I asked (nicely) for a credible source – you know that’s one with facts (proving Assad didn’t has his people as an example) to back up your argument and proving your point.
Russia may have a deep state but not a “”global deep state” as the west has now under the control of Elitists.
That is a serious problem now as this western deep state is now bigger than any government can reign in James.
So we are being swept into a large scale control of another kind never seen before now.
Question to you is; “are you happy with not being able to control your future and that all future control of issues are now under the control of a “elitists state and no longer by any government?”
These organisations are under the umbrellas of the likes of NATO/The Bilderberg Group and their associates, https://www.illuminatirex.com/secret-societies/ and they are run under “the Chatham rules” where the meetings are always secret and no details are given as to the ‘complete list of attendees’ and sometimes other ‘truth seekers’ folks get into the meetings and post some real facts as to who actually had attended some of those meetings.
The Bilderberg Group meetings for instance was attended by John Key and four National Party members to their 2011/12 meetings but we could never find out much about what key promised to do other than he agreed to sell off public assets as Bilderberg members were asking what Kiwis would do if he tried to do this.
Note; according to this site list; https://www.illuminatirex.com/secret-societies/
anyone who is a ‘freemason’ member will be sworn to carry out the wishes of the ‘freemasons’ and their associates so you see how we are being structured for control takeover?
If you want the evidence of John Key’s attendance/involvement I am happy to post it for you.
These organisations are under the umbrellas of the likes of NATO/The Bilderberg Group and their associates, https://www.illuminatirex.com/secret-societies/ and they are run under “the Chatham rules” where the meetings are always secret and no details are given as to the ‘completer list of attendees and sometimes other dfolks get into the meetings and post some real facts as to who actually had attended some of those meetings
Oh dear…..
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like they say; – “the first casualty of war is the truth.”
This goes simply to both sides.
Our worry is that ‘the west’ including our ‘west’ media is blindly following the global ‘west’s narratives only.
So we need to take caution not throw it to the wind as the pudits above for war from the right has,
Many including UN secretary have said we need to see proof firstly but the west went and blew it up so now we will never be able to prove the “truth”from opinion.
A clever way to start a war it seems as hitler did with poland right?
Sorry totally off topic, but a genuine question re the Green Party.
I recall that the Party used to have a set of Values, which used to be on the website. I tried finding this on the website a few days ago without success. I found the Charter, Constitution and Standing Orders – but no Values.
Google came up with this link as the first in a list but no success with this (site cannot be reached) or the other links.
The NZ Green Party website has been undergoing “reconstruction” in recent times and that page seems to have disappeared temporarily.
But here are the Ten Key Values:
Social Justice
Community-Based Economics
Nonviolence
Decentralisation
Future Focus/Sustainability
Feminism
Personal and Global Responsibility
Respect for Diversity
Grassroots Democracy
Ecological Wisdom
Im just going to quote to you from the second paragraph of the “factual documents” you linked to.
“Their goal is nothing less than total enslavement of the human race through mind control, police state laws, population culling, and constant tracking. All of this will be done to please the Dark Lord himself: Satan”
Yep – that sounds all legit and factual.
When you start quoting things like that to back up your argument – you know you have lost the argument.
Cleangreen facts “enslavement of the human race through mind control to please the Dark Lord Satan”
And here we were trying to keep this secret – but you were to clever for us and found it on the internet.
Russian trolls are currently very active online, all sorts of narratives are being pushed and shoved around the social media atm. Easy way to spread propaganda.
Assad claimed he went to work in the morning as normal, clip was shown on Syrian TV, the shadow of a tree clearly shows it is the middle of the day.
Meanwhile there are conflicting accounts of how many of the air strikes actually reached their targets, and different reports on the amount that were intercepted.
I don’t believe any of them, not the russians, not syria and not the west.
We can’t show you the proof, it’s a matter of intelligence, just believe us, say’s the west. Watched the ambassadors pleading their countries cases at the UN on a live stream early this morning, they are all very convincing.
Then I wonder….. if bombs were used to blow up suspected chemical weapons manufacturing sites….. wouldn’t the chemicals stored there be released into the atmosphere after being hit? Would it not create cloud of gas etc?
Look at the information you do know is the truth and analyse that.
A country was bombed.
Was that country a threat to any other?
If not, why was it bombed?
Answer;
US chose to bomb Syria as the evidence was about to be found by the international inspectors who were about to arrive in syria to complete the examination of the sites “alleged” to be making chemical weapons so US chose to destroy the evidence firstly.
@ Stunned Mullet … perhaps it is you who needs the enema. Inserted high enough to flush out all the impacted crap in your brain, with all the other shit!
It seems to me to be the height of irresponsibility to bomb a ‘chemical factory’ in the middle of urban areas because of the chance of those very gases being released and killing innocent civilians.
Unless, of course, there were no gases there in the first place – oops, I shouldn’t have said that – not received wisdom, don’t you know.
Sarin is usually stored as a two part mix, and it degrades rapidly at high temperatures such as are found in fires and explosions. It’s possible some sarin would be formed destroying a stockpile, but it would likely be rapidly destroyed. This tends to cast doubt on “bombing terrorist stockpiles” stories.
It’s depressing listening to the likes of Wallace Chapman and Kathryn Ryan. I recommend anyone who wants to hear intelligent and serious commentary to watch Democracy Now! on Sky Channel 83, 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday. It gives me hope and reassurance in the basic goodness of Americans, and it’s a reminder that there are indeed principled and honest journalists….
Haven’t listened to Kathryn Ryan since she had Hooten screaming invective anti- left rubbish during the election. Typical “Good cop Bad cop” routine. Not convincing. Her guests favoured the right quite often… it became too much.
Too too obvious.
[The following is the text of a comment submitted by Red Blooded that fell foul of the gremlins. This is the quickest and easiest way to bring it back] – Bill
Al Gillespie is “Grandly titled” because he’s earned that title, Morrisey. You don’t have to agree with his comments, but he has considerable expertise and experience. It’s perfectly appropriate for RNZ to call on him as an expert commentator.
from the Uni of Waikato’s website:
Professor Alexander Gillespie
LLB LLM(Hons) Auckland PhD Nottingham
Professor Alexander Gillespie obtained his LLB and LLM degrees with Honours from The University of Auckland. He did his PhD at Nottingham and post-doctoral studies at Colombia University in New York City. His areas of scholarship pertain to international and comparative environmental law; the laws of war; and a number of pressing issues of social concern such as drug policy; and refugees.
Alexander has published sixteen books. The latest works have been Waste Policy: International Regulation, Comparative and Contextual Perspectives. (Edward Elgar, London, 2015); International Environmental Law, Policy and Ethics. (OUP, Second edition, 2015); and The Causes of War: Volume II (1000-1400) and Volume III (1400-1650), both published by Bloomsbury, NYC, 2017. The Long Road to Sustainability, published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, late 2017, is his most recent work. He has also written over forty academic articles.
Alexander has been awarded a Rotary International Scholarship, Fulbright Fellowship, Rockerfeller Fellowship, and the New Zealand Law Foundation International Research Fellowship. His most recent award is from the Franqcui Foundation in Belgium, with which he will hold a professorship at Ghent University for six months during 2018. Alexander has also been the lawyer/expert on a number of international delegations and advised the New Zealand government on multiple matters of international concern. Professor Gillespie was the first New Zealander to be named Rapporteur for the World Heritage Convention, involving international environmental diplomacy under the auspice of UNESCO. Alexander has also been engaged in policy formation for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and governmental, commercial and non-governmental organisations in New Zealand, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland.
I note that he also teaches Master’s papers in Laws of Armed Conflict & International Humanitarian Law. Don’t let’s disparage the guy’s expertise just because he’s said something (or even many somethings) you don’t like.
That is an exceptional biography – and credentials over a range of fields. I knew that Gillespie had advised the NZ government on a number of international matters, but did not realise the extent of his experience and international recognition.
If credentials are what you judge a person by, then, yes, Alexander Gillespie is indeed a grand man. And, judging by his impressive credentials, so is another academic parrot of propaganda, Robert Patman of Otago University… https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11092013/#comment-694967
Also highly credentialled is one Condoleezza Rice, who instead of being in prison, is ensconsed in a nice sinecure at Stanford University.
I judge Gillespie not by his credentials, but by his repeated failure to speak clearly about the things he’s allegedly an expert on. Perhaps the nadir was reached on one episode of The Panel in 2015, when he stated in high seriousness that “we” had to trust whatever the National Government told us about its secret TPPA negotiations, and then going on to top that classic by stating that the United States and Britain had “tried to bring democracy and freedom” to the Middle East….
The voice of the middle class expert, how dare you call it into question Morrissey. Next you will be spouting socialist economics, arguing working people can sort out their own lives, and demanding that war criminals go to jail.
No wait, sorry, yes you did say war criminals should go to jail. My bad…
Anything to do with discussion with Kathryn Ryan is littered with right wing policies, so these are old guard national supporters brought into RNZ by the last government and “carefully hand picked to continue to spout their gospel as Ryan still does faithfully and very willingly.
I have complained to Broadcasting minister and Clare Curran refused to do anything about it and their “biased views.”
Clare Curran needs to be removed from the broadcasting and digital portfolio and replaced by someone who does good work for her Party in Government for the people who supported labour and not give any help not for National as Curran seems to want to do all the time!!!!!!!
I don’t think Ryan is a National supporter. Her problem is that she’s not very well informed, and so she’s easy pickings for the likes of Dame Ann Leslie….
I tend to agree with you Math….. oops Morrissey.
No doubt she attempts accuracy and non-partisan analysis of the ‘iss youse’.
I’ve learned to forgive her over the years because she does make an effort and tries hard. A couple of years ago, I’d have said a ‘tryhard’, my father (who’d now be over 100 if still alive) would have said something like ‘a social-climbing wanker.
I’m more charitable these days because she’s actually intelligent and capable – if a little overambitious, and you have to try to understand the bubble and culture within which she operates.
But you know …… Hark at me judging her! (or anybody else for that matter). It’s becoming regular feature of some of the commenters on this site. Many times it’s all they contribute
She does have her moments, I must admit. One day she lost all patience with Hooton and actually challenged him, which provoked him no end. Usually, however, she does no more than parrot what she’s heard on the BBC or skimmed over on the Guardian website. In other words, she’s the equivalent of John Campbell, except she doesn’t call everyone a “good bugger.”
I don’t know whether you heard this a few days ago on Nine to Noon, but Ryan actually did a very good job as facilitator of a discussion last weekend in Wanaka between Jacinda Ardern and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on working for change at local, national and international levels.
IMHO it was a half-hour well worth listening to. All three women were relaxed and interacting brilliantly.
“IMHO it was a half-hour well worth listening to. All three women were relaxed and interacting brilliantly.”
Agreed! Toetilly!
Despite all that’s wrong with RNZ (stacked board et al), its actually bloody good with some really dedicated people (Rinny Ryan included).
And although it can be criticised on a number of levels, it’s really all we’ve got.
Alongside student radio, RNZ National , Concert and Pacific is really all I can bear listening to these days. I’d like to see The Wireless become an on air platform too. (I must be entering curmudgeonhood)
I mean to say, Aunty BBC flounders, we can find fault with BobJazeera and DW, and RT, CCTV and others are easy targets.
Each have some good people working for them. And when you’re in some of the most remote places on Earth (thankfully not too far from a powerful 4G cell tower), RNZ is absolutely the best when you’re addicted to news and current affairs. Matinee Idle ain’t too bad either
cleangreen, the Broadcasting Minister has absolutely no power to intervene in hiring decisions for RNZ or to tell broadcasters what sort of opinions they should express or what sort of people they should interview. Would you have approved of the last Broadcasting Minister being able to do that? Of course not! So why do you demand it of Curran?
I don’t think you’re being fair to Ryan, but even if you were, this would be totally irrelevant. Your demand is unreasonable and anti-democratic. The public media is there to represent all viewpoints, including those you don’t agree with, and there’s a very clear line between the responsibilities of the Broadcasting Minister (which relate to broadcasting policy, structural issues and resourcing) and the head and board of RNZ (who’re in charge of things like staffing, programming and planning for RNZ etc).
If you want to complain about content, you’ve first got to go to the Board of RNZ, and then if you’re not satisfied you can complain to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. RNZ publicises this fact regularly, and it’s on their website. Be aware that the grounds for complaint are clearly specified, though, and disagreeing with political views isn’t one of them.
Go to the RNZ board, shitnwe went to the CEO and got nowhere!!!!!! Got a letter to prove it. — Ha ha.
The RNZ Board; – It is stacked with National appointees so don’t send bad information to us please red blooded please.
Government need to grow balls and instead reinstate a new version of Channel Seven which the last labour government started back when they were with ‘balls.’
cleangreen, I note you have no reply to my main point, which was that the Broadcasting Minister has no direct power over staffing our editorial content, and this separation of roles is crucial in a democracy.
As for your “grow some balls” comment:
1) How about finding a less gendered expression – especially when you are talking to a woman about another woman?
2) What do you think the “RNZ+” policy is all about? It’s an attempt to have an independent state-funded public service TV channel. Pretty much what TVNZ 7 was, but with ongoing funding and run by the people who are responsible for RNZ, as the TVNZ people have proven many times that they’re not committed to public service. Maybe this policy is what we need, maybe it needs considerable development or even a change in direction, but it’s very definitely a step towards providing what you say you want.
Slightly off topic, but In case you missed it, you would probably really enjoy the discussion between Jacinda Ardern and Mary Robertson last weekend facilitated by Kathryn Ryan and played on Nine to Noon a few days ago. Have just put up the link at 4.1.1.2 above but here it is again. Half an hour that was well worth it!
Well, gotta say – two very impressive women. As Kathryn Ryan pointed out, Robertson and Ardern are at different ends of their leadership careers, but it’s clear that they share similar values and they clearly respect and admire each other. I thought that was a great discussion.
I said (to HNZ), ‘you probably can’t help me because it’s not your issue,’ but they went into gear. I got one of the area managers and he said, ‘right this is no good you can’t be in there like you are’. He said, ‘I’ll get back to you’.”
Very soon two HNZ representatives arrived to the home to inspect the door and came replete with food including buns, cold meats and chocolate.
They organised a generator, spent more than an hour on the phone to Vector trying to organise repairs, and informed local police of McQuillan’s situation which promoted three welfare checks by the local constable.
On Saturday morning HNZ called again, just to check on him.
“They’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty,” McQuillan said.
“I made one phone call and they have bent over backwards to try and help me. This is the first time I’ve been put in this situation thinking, ‘shit what do i do now?’ But people have helped out a lot.”
Wrong gender, adam. My birth certificates says female and I have had no reason to change that or want to.
Re HNZ, from neighbours who work in HO HNZ, there is considerable change going on in HNZ, particular in the areas of re-education in relation to HNZ’s role, culture and customer service. So hopefully we will see lots more instances of the type of approach reported in the Herald article.
And adam, I have had quite a lot of interaction with WINZ etc both in respect of my own situation (early retirement due to health problems, disabilities etc) over recent years, and previously prior to retirement, as a CAB volunteer advocate for people with health (physical/mental) and other problems with their interactions with WINZ, HNZ etc.
From some of the things you have written, do I take it that you are now doing this type of volunteer/paid work?
There’s much good news about but the MSM and the public tend to concentrate on the depressing side of life and fluff such as royal weddings and PMs babies.
Yes, I know. Although, back in the early 1990s, the MSM followed US TV stations and started putting in the ‘human interest’ story as well. So you’d see articles about pets and flowers.
This one seems to be part human interest (Disabled man helped by HNZ) and propaganda by telling us that a government SOE that’s been getting a lot of flak recently for their actions regarding homeless people and the selling of statehouses (Yes, a lot of that responsibility belongs to National unfortunately we have a tendency to focus on the people who actually do it rather than the people who order it done) is actually good.
Jeesus! What’s wrong with everyone? Pull in heads. Please. Thank you.
Deleting all that pointless nonsense, and apologies to anyone who had written any little snippet of anything worth while in amongst it all.
If people only want to stand around pointing fingers and doing some wee childish “nya, nya, nay nay nya” thing, then take it to facebook or a notice board some where.
Ditto. It’s getting bloody tedious and close to becoming a reason to give TS the flick as part of my media consumption.
Could you possibly oblige with a ban?. My phat fingers sometimes find it hard to scroll past a lot of it
After your editing I think the last 10 comments are now the most meaningful of the day.
Go easy on them though. I fear that they may all be dedicated netball fans who have had to accept that New Zealand couldn’t even win a bronze medal.
I feel like the All Black fans of 1990. Then it was “Bring Back Buck”
Now it perhaps should be “Bring Back Irene”.
In times of stress and tension, a little bit of humour or similar is recognised as a healthy and natural valve release – not as a denial or denigration of the much more serious matters causing the stress and tension.
From your performance here this morning, you could do well with a bit of valve release of your own outrage, as you are accusing others here of all sorts of things you cannot back up.
I have not made one comment back to any of your comments above re your views of the “truth” – or elsewhere on TS over recent times.
In addition, I have not made one comment on TS in recent months on the very sad and disturbing events in Syria and in similar situations around the world, or on Trump, May, Macron, Assad etc or their governments’ actions in these situations.
Why? Because I am trying to keep an open mind and not rush to judgement, and I don’t rush to my keyboard to do so on such serious matters.
I have no “champions” when it comes to warmongering, bombing and/or use of chemical weapons on innocent people or similar, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
So how you have determined that “does the real truth of how the world is being pushed to war by your ‘champions’ offend you?” beats me.
Go face the problems and responses you have created for yourself elsewhere here.
So do I. I seriously considered making cheese rolls for breakfast, but stuck with cereal. Maybe lunch????? I’ve got some really thin wheatmeal sandwich bread that needs using up, plus onion soup mix, plus cheese …
May as well use them up even if rationing is apparently coming ……………
I’m still trying to come to terms with the egg roll. There seems to be a lot of them about and they dress up in all sorts of guises and names. Still learning though.
Rampant infestation today; James’ prolific comments (20 on Open Mike, and a sprinkling elsewhere) never leave me wanting more. The ‘onion dip’ evaluation could be his most valuable contribution to date, but where does he sit on spaghetti pizza?
What word best describes James’ behaviour on this site? Based on his comments (and as others have observed), the Standard ‘stirrer‘ hat fits. Hope ‘stirrer James‘ isn’t too strong a ‘name call’ to deal with.
“Also – Im pretty sure you [cleangreen] name call all the time – so again – How about trying to lead by example and stop that – and perhaps people might not do the same to you.” – James (@5.3.1.1.3)
“Im going with both stupid and a liar.”
“I dont want your perspective, chump.”
“You keep getting more stupid.”
“You realise how stupid you sound?” … “Moron.”
“You realise how stupid you look right?”
“You are an idiot.”
“You are an idiot”
“I never said it did you moron.”
“Moron.”
“Its just ignorant, stupid and moronic…”
“You can see how stupid that comes across right?”
“Do you cut and paste your own bullshit?”
“Now you just look like an idiot>/b>”
“Those idiots are not brave – they are morons.”
“My point is calling some stupid, a moron etc (as a number of people in here have done about trump) when he is smarter then they are is ironic.”
“And you are right – my BBQ is huge.”
Stupid idiot morons; moronic stupid idiots; idiot moron ‘stupids’ – these are a few of James’ favourite things.
“Do it, Iran, For like the hectic in my blood he rages,. And thou must cure me. Till I know ’tis done,. Howe’er my haps, my joys were ne’er begun.” ~ Hamlet
ah…. now there really is an egg roll that’s not particularly tasty. I still can’t figure out whether it’s because it’s soaked in gin or whiskey or just duplicity
Going for our shingles vac. Recommended even though I had shingles 3 years ago. It apparently can re-occur. I sure would’t want that!! After seeing that, N is being brave!! xx
Shingles can reoccur as I know, although the second time mine was much less serious than the first time.
You would be amazed at how easy doing your own intramuscular injections are into the thigh muscles. Painless once you know what to do, far nicer than top of arm ones. And I have to have them every 10 days or so, and can do them from start to finish in about one minute, even though the B12 does not come in preloaded needle pens like insulin. And it saves me about 1 – 2 hours to doctors and back, and then $25 – $30 per injection. Just part of everyday life now – and I am in control, thanks to a great doctor.
Yes Patricia – make sure you get it – I had mine just the other day and no problems. I too had shingles a few years back – and a friend of mine had a second attack just recently and is now blind in one eye.
It used to cost $200 but is now free for seniors.
Thanks for that information about the shingles vac now being free to seniors, Macro. I looked at it a year ago but could not afford it. Will check with my doctors.
Also thanks for the information re the Greens Values. I could not reply directly to you on the other thread and did not want to derail that thread further.
My interest was that I thought that the Values also included things like this:
“Let’s be clear. The Greens love debate. We love hearing the views of New Zealanders. Indeed, one of our core Green principles is appropriate decision making/whakarite totika, something that only happens when you listen to others speaking. On the other hand, our values also mean that we should:
engage respectfully, without personal attacks,
actively respect cultural and individual diversity and celebrate difference,
enable participation with dignity, and challenge oppression, and
foster compassion, a sense of humour and mutual enjoyment in our work… “
That was supposedly a quote from the GP website back in July 2016 – but quoted on Kiwiblog in relation to the decision by the GP to no longer allow comments of the GP blog. So, obviously was trying to check that this quote was from the GP website!
But the principles /behaviours in the quote are ones that I, for one, would like to see more on here at TS.
I haven’t visited the Green Blog site for some time because (I suspect due to lack of moderation) there were a number of people who were quite strident in their “views” – not always values shared by Greens – and they were quite disruptive to sensible discussion.
Thanks so much for your replies here and below. I really appreciate them. Certain other people connected to the Party have not appeared here for a few days …
As you suggest, the situation you describe above appears to be exactly the reason made in July 2016 (apparently led by Marama Davidson) to disallow comments on the GP blog. Unfortunately the stridency etc seems to have moved to here on the part of a small few (but by no means a majority or all) GP members/voters but including one or two in positions of power. Enough said, but some behaviours seems to be way out of whack with these Values etc and similar to what you expressed about a week ago wrt commenting on world events, but also in relation to coalition partners and their voters (such as me as a dastardly two tick Labour voter in 2017 but previously one L and one G*) as well as those who have other political views.
Just a case of deciding how to use this info re values and their application wisely in a constructive – not critical/abusive – way here, and not cop an involuntary holiday. One can but try.
* Not anti-MT or anti- Green, far from it; but was appalled by the lack of political nous and risk management on the part of decision makers in deciding to use (or agreeing to use) her back story in the beneficiaries campaign when there were well known fish hooks in that back story likely to surface – eg the relationship to Ann Hartley and family, and their financial circumstances etc. Sadly MT was the biggest loser of that decision.
The link under the words “our core Green principles” took me to the Green Charter with its four principles of: Ecological Wisdom: Social Responsibility: Appropriate Decision-making: Non-Violence.
So is it the case that while the website is undergoing some renovation, the Charter with its four principles and the ten Values have not changed?
And that the quote from the 2016 blog post is still relevant (broadly anyway) in terms of its hopes/expectations of respectful engagement without attacks, active respect of diversity and difference, dignity etc ?
Sorry to put you on the spot. If you are uncomfortable commenting, just let me know and I will send an email to the GP. Probably should do that anyway, but would appreciate an indication as to whether I am making wrong assumptions etc.
Sorry for the slow reply. You have it correct veutoviper. The ten values are essentially shared by all Greens parties world wide, however the founding document of the NZ Greens is the charter which states:
The charter is the founding document of The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand accepts Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand; recognises Maori as Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand, and commits to the following four Principles:
Ecological Wisdom
Social Responsibility
Appropriate Decision-making
Non-Violence
The emphasis on Te Tiriti is obviously unique to NZ and all policy must also take into account just how that fits with Ti Triti.
Appropriate decision making would obviously include hopes/expectations of respectful engagement without attacks, active respect of diversity and difference, dignity etc with the objective of working towards a consensus.
“Given the pushback now over stopping oil exploration in 30 years, what messages should the left be promoting about NZ’s transition to low-carbon employment? ”
Apart from trying to slow down relentless Climate Change which national politicians and corporations do not believe in, the transition from filthy Fossil Fuel to Electricity will have a profoundly good affect on human health.
Burning Oil (Diesel) and (Petroleum) produce Toxic Particulates that enter the bios of living things. Even the very smallest of Particulates are a danger.
Young children mostly suffer from the Toxicity, as do older persons. Although age groups in between are not exempt. There are many studies. Some find that early Stroke may be a product of Diesel and Petrol. These Toxins are profoundly evil. Urbanites are most affected.
I can imagine that within a relatively few years there will be massive claims for compensation laid against promoters of Diesel and Petrol – such as Simon Bridges. The Oil Explorers; Producers; Retailers and their Corporations and lawyers will be cited and held to account.
So Sacha. You obviously know you can do a fair bit with electricity via the Sun. It transits safely and purely down to panels. Not Heat. Light. Okay
For extensive hard tack Info : Google Health issues of Diesel and Petroleum
So why are the bastions of trucking pushing for using more roads for trucks now that the real scientific proof that diesel emissions are poisonous carcinogen polluting vehicles to residents in cities and built up areas????
These truck lobbyists like Road Freight Forum (RTF) spokesman Ken Shirey should be sanctioned now and be shut down in the interest of “public health” as this man now is requesting trucks be allowed to use the Kaimai Tunnel through from Tauranga to Auckland too???? We should be using rail not bloody roads.
I am sick of trucks more trucks and yet more trucks. When the hell can they stop this nonsense.
It may bring tolls to get funding but the trucks will still go through suburbs in all areas out of this tunnel so we all will just get poisoned by yet more trucks, so we oppose this use of a rail route that could be used rather than a road for trucks..
Your an authoritarian little prick aren’t you? You are so miserable you can’t even have someone who possesses an opinion different to yours express it. Let people decide for themselves if a road users lobby group is right or wrong.
So? They should be denied a voice under “public health” auspices? Toeing an awfully facist line there gabby. Good to know you support such actions. Must feel good being able to brush the brown shirt off
We attended a Gisborne District Council “pre-hearing” meeting for Eastland Port’s log berth expansion plans.
A few community members’ continuing submissions were heard at this pre-hearing at the Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club, before “secret” Chatham House Rules applied.
Our submitter was ignored during earlier submissions, saying the planned expansion should be made under the usual “regional plan change”, rather than a Resource Management Act application.
The aim is to have the process made transparent, and allow the community to have their right to make changes to the way the port operates in future, in a more environmentally responsible manner.
Transportation of logs to the port almost 24 hours a day is a major concern, with the bulk of submitters voicing opposition to the industrial noise generated. Many were losing sleep.
Past submissions to GDC on logging truck noise may have been overlooked.
We made a strong case after receiving a petition in 2011-12 from the Esplanade community group, signed by 280 people, asking GDC to mitigate against the excessive noise, vibration and air pollution of port-bound logging trucks.
The pre-hearing chairman, GDC’s consents manager, may wish to consider our submitter’s push for a regional plan change scenario rather than the restrictive, secretive process Eastland Community Trust-owned Eastland Port appears to prefer.
Does Eastland Port care about wider community impacts of negative noise, vibration and air pollution from its “industrial activities in a built environment”? If not, can GDC encourage ECT and its company to be environmentally and socially responsible?
As former residents of Napier before settling in Gisborne in 2005, our community there suffered similar problems to what Eastland Port is causing. Fourteen suburban communities surrounding Port of Napier have truck noise, vibrations and air pollution from export freight being carried to the port.
Our groups there have met with Napier Port executives at their boardroom, receiving a strong level of support from the port company over these issues.
So we are surprised ECT and Eastland Port are not reciprocating with suburban communities surrounding their port. Are they worried about criticism from the wider community of Gisborne?
Since 2002 my wife and I have operated an environmental monitoring company, that has partnered with government agencies as well as Watercare and Niwa. Our company has reviewed Eastland Port’s “independent environmental assessment” report and we have several concerns.
Many communities around New Zealand suffer from truck traffic to ports. A new method of measuring “industrial noise” is warranted, as used by the World Health Organisation and the European Union. The monitoring of residential urban noise, vibration and air pollution from truck freight is a long debate now which we will take up again with GDC/ECT.
We support the request made by Winston Morton to change the port’s application to a more inclusive, far less secretive procedure.
The port, with its narrow focus “only inside the port noise zone”, is restricting residents from seeking mitigation to the negative truck effects of noise, vibration and air pollution.
Our other submitter at the GDC pre-hearing was Rail Action Group chairwoman who expressed the wish that Eastland Port consider rail to move logs to its wharves.
We support rail freight to ports around New Zealand, which was the plan in the Labour government policy from 2004 called NZ National Rail Strategy to 2015.
The new Labour-led Government has committed to the transition to a low-carbon or a net-zero carbon economy.
So the Government needs to get our rail line reopened, and to plan to electrify the rail service.
Save lives with rail freight lowering ‘truck gridlock.’
James you hardly read by scrips however we write them.
Not once have you agreed with anything we have ever said so please do not instruct us how to write our blogs unless you promise to read and consider every word.
The proposed amendment to Education Act 1989 to restrict the use of the title of “teacher” to people who have completed certain recognized qualifications.
I would continue to “teach” in the area of my speciality and experience because “teacher” is a widely used generic English word and cannot be successfully hijacked to specifically apply to a person who has gained “ certain recognized qualifications”
The term “registered teacher” already does this.
“Registered Teachers” should be freely registered and administered by the New Zealand Education Department ( they are not now ) as an integral part of undertaking the public service of providing education to New Zealanders.
What do others think?
I’m a trained and registered teacher and I entirely agree with the bill. It clearly specifies that it is referring only to classroom teachers in schools (not ballet teachers, or swimming teachers, or tertiary lecturers or tutors) and is delineating the difference between qualified, trained, registered teachers and others, like teacher aides or people working in charter schools with no teacher training or registration.
Nat governments have a history of attacking the professional status of teachers (usually linked to cost-cutting) and following governments have to tidy up. The Bolger govt abolished teacher registration (linked to bulk funding). Many schools hired (cheaper) unqualified people and when the Clark govt reinstated registration they had to spend big bucks to train and improve the qualifications of those people so that they were eligible for registration. Some couldn’t meet the standard and left teaching.
The Key govt restructured the registration (and discipline) boards, removing teacher representation and nearly doubling the cost to teachers (from $280 every 3 years to $520) while allowing totally unqualified, unregistered people to be hired as teachers in charter schools. This govt is tidying up, again. They’re reinstating teacher reps, defining what is meant by “teacher” in a school situation and reassessing all charter schools. Some will become schools of special character – ie, integrated schools, some might close down. None will be allowed to use anyone with a pulse as a teacher.
So why cannot a teacher in a classroom in a school be a “registered teacher” or even as we used to say a “school teacher” which differentiates from someone who is teaching for example a craft in their own studio?
Thats what I was trying to ascertain. If it applies to only someone working in a school fine but sometimes I am employed to teach my craft in a school – then am I not a “teacher” ?
Indeed, although in some jurisdictions/countries the title is legally protected and can only be used by people who have obtained a doctorate at an approved academic institution.
Sorry, I may have been unclear; I was asking because you asserted that these titles have “specific meanings” and you’ve answered my question, which shows that they are not so specific after all 😉
In NZ there is no such thing as Assistant Professor.
Well that’s ok as long as you can happily apply the name of ‘dentist’ to anyone who can pull a tooth out.
There is a sense in which ‘teacher’ is generic, but it should not be applied as the formal title of a person untrained in the skills of teaching.
“In France the Macron Government has set in motion plans for the destruction of the terms and conditions of approximately 150,000 workers in the national rail network, the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF). The level of workers’ anger has produced an impressive response. The major unions involved have been forced into putting forward plans for industrial action and in a show of unity 13 organisations on the left have presented a joint statement of solidarity. . .”
This is how the baby boomers got a lot of their wealth – the generous redundancy payments allowed a lot of those workers to pay off their mortgages, and start their own businesses, allowing them to leap into the burgeiouse class.
Except for a majority. Who never had a decent secure full time job again.
Not of course those owning houses in Auckland.
The ones with underpaid lawn mowing rounds, truck owners who cannot take home minimum wage, labour hire company workers and all the rest of the “fortunate” boomers who were forced into a shrinking job market with skills unwanted in the brave new “service economy”.
Yes Phillip – we have private french rail company now running Auckland’s Passenger rail system (with may funds given by the national Government during the last few years.)
We need all public owned “essential services” not these money grabbing privateers coming to feed off of government handouts.
I do see that Bernie sanders is challenging Trump for his right to bomb the targets in Syria without the Congress approval so there are lots of legs to go here.
I especially love the video of Sarah Huckabee-Sanders attempted assassination of Comey’s character. Very funny… but not so funny when you think she’s just one of many seriously unhinged nut-jobs who currently inhabit the White House.
@ Cleangreen (13.1) … yep, go Bernie, man of the people. Be interesting how his challenge is responded to! Good to see Bernie out there, taking on the mad dangerous rabid Trump.
You appear to choose the narrative that you are beholding to a higher order of humanity and understanding but then you are also a capping critic of others on your own moral grounds perhaps?
So I don’t buy your narrative that you are always on the absolute right and all others you don’t wish to agree with are not.
We all are human and as so err in judgement from time to time alten called “human error”.
What incites many is the ” “Holier-than-thou”. mannerism some show.
Everyone needs to allow others to “speak their minds” without consistent attacks upon them as we see here often now.
Some have said it was generated by the “sore losers from the national party supporters”
I am still not 100% ready to believe this, but there is an element of deep hate in some we ‘encounter now’.
I will continue to speak my mind and not be guided by your comments or others who criticise me.
“Everyone needs to allow others to “speak their minds” without consistent attacks upon them as we see here often now.”
It’s true – see your own attacks as evidence.
But yes we should be able to speak our minds – but when you make statements like today linking the following under the heading of a factual document I think it is only fair that you get called out.
““Their goal is nothing less than total enslavement of the human race through mind control, police state laws, population culling, and constant tracking. All of this will be done to please the Dark Lord himself: Satan”
I stand by what I said to you at 7.1.1. This was simply querying why you had made a snide assumption about my beliefs, ‘champions ‘etc when as I pointed out, I have made no comments on TS which could have led you to that wrong assumption.
I did not call you names, or question your beliefs, or make any form of attack on you – other than to point out you had been in full flight today in making such type of comments about a lot of people here today.
Yes you have a right to speak your mind – just as the rest of us have. I did not question your right to do so.
Call it ‘holier than thou’ if you wish. I am also human and subject to human error etc, but I have decided that I am going to try to not join in the personal accusations, insults and attacks that seem to happen here too often these days.
Be assured I am more than capable! And when I do, I don’t play around – I go straight for the jugular, as my friends and family love reminding me.
But also be assured that when I am the subject of such accusations, attacks etc, I will stand up for myself, and for others, when I considered it appropriate.
And as a PS – isn’t self-moderation by commenters what some of the moderators here have been calling for to take pressure off of these volunteers who give of their time and energy freely to keep this blog available to us all?
As in the case of your misunderstanding the other day of slander, libel and defamation (and their relationship under NZ law), I suggest that you brush up on your understanding of the meanings of ‘ethos’, logos’ and ‘pathos’ – in the case of ‘logos’ in a Greek sophist sense, not the later theological sense.
As i have just said to James; – you also along with others consistently teamed up to harass others who have opposing views.
For the record go back and see who attacked who first; – to see that you as part of a a group that have consistently attacked others like minded as we are, and have attempted to hound us and them off the TS site and it was very apparent.
If you cease your attacks, then you won’t receive retaliation;
That is fair enough for us; – and should be for you if you are of human character as you profess to be.
[Take the rest of the day “away”. Thank you. I’m done with this nonsense. It seems a few polite requests have been ignored.] – Bill
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria is a series devoted to publicizing the moral titans and inspiringly brave souls who have loudly supported the Paris/London/Washington axis. It is compiled by Morrissey Breen, for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
I just made a post in Bills thread, and giving it some thought – Im just going to shut up and not make any more comments on the Syria attack – its a very complex and emotive subject.
I have my views – I think they are right, but I accept that others view will be the binary opposite of mine – and they well may be correct in this instance.
However they are also based on little knowledge (despite how intelligent some posters may think themselves).
To the moderators: I’ve tried twice now to reply to a comment from Morrissey. I don’t seem to be getting through. Any ideas what’s happened to my comments? I’m on a new machine, but my log-in details haven’t changed.
I note I’m able to post this comment. If there’s a version of my previous reply stored somewhere in the system, I’d appreciate it being added to the thread. It related to Al Gillespie (at 3, above).
I cut and pasted from the trash folder and re-submitted under my log-in, but have clearly indicated it’s your comment.
I don’t know why it went trash side. Gremlins. There is a very convoluted process that I could have gone through had I the time and the memory to remember exactly what it is.
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria is a series devoted to publicizing the moral titans and inspiringly brave souls who have loudly supported the Paris/London/Washington axis. It is compiled by Morrissey Breen and james, for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
No. 3 Jacinda Ardern
No. 2 Justin Trudeau
No. 1 Boris Johnson
In fact Auckland’s infrastructure has been shown to be surprisingly fragile.
Tuesday’s storm was only a minor event compared to what’s coming.
In the face of climate change turbo powered storms, Auckland will need to harden up its infrastructure if it is to become anywhere near ‘resilient’.
Emergency services will continue to make welfare checks on Auckland residents in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s storm, with thousands of people still without power on Sunday.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that his country had strong evidence that the bombing of the Syrian city of Douma with a chemical weapon was merely a staged “ploy” and warned that any military escalation would be followed by a major wave of immigration to Europe.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow with his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok, Lavrov clarified that the intelligence of one of the countries involved in the anti-Russian campaign was behind the chemical attack on Douma.
The Russian minister warned that any “venture” in Syria that is similar to what happened in Iraq and Libya “will entail new waves of immigration to Europe and other repercussions that we and our European partners do not want.”
Lavrov’s comments appear to be an implicit threat of escalating the strikes against Syrian civilians in order to force them to flee to Europe.
In 2016, Helsinki accused the Kremlin and its intelligence services of flooding Finland with refugees as a political weapon to destabilize Europe.
So there’s good reason to take Lavrov at his word.
KANDALAKSHA, Russia — So many decrepit Soviet-era cars carried migrants into Europe from this frozen Russian town in recent months that border officials in Finland, who confiscate the rust-bucket vehicles as soon as they cross the frontier, watched in dismay as their parking lot turned into a scrapyard.
To clear up the mess and provide some space for freshly confiscated cars, the Finnish customs service set up a separate dumping ground.
Then last month, as suddenly and as mysteriously as it had started, the parade of migrants in rusty old cars came to an abrupt halt, or at least a pause.
“We don’t know what is going on,” said Matti Daavittila, the head of the ice-entombed Finnish border post near Salla. “They suddenly stopped coming. That is all we know.”
[…]
The intrigue flows from a growing suspicion in the West that Russia is stoking and exploiting Europe’s migrant crisis to extract concessions, or perhaps crack the European unity over economic sanctions imposed against Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. Only one of the European Union’s 28 member states needs to break ranks for a regime of credit and other restrictions to collapse.
“Unfortunately, this looks like a political demonstration by Russia,” said Ilkka Kanerva, Finland’s former foreign minister and now the chairman of its parliamentary Defense Committee. “They are very skillful at sending signals. They want to show that Finland should be very careful when it makes its own decisions on things like military exercises, our partnership with NATO and European Union sanctions” against Russia.
Russian support for Serbia lead to WW1, a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany enabled WW 2 and its atomic weapons program stoked the Cold War. More of the same.
‘Avoid Gulf stream disruption at all costs, scientists warn
How close the world is to a catastrophic collapse of giant ocean currents is unknown, making halting global warming more critical than ever, scientists say’
Dude born and raised in Austria by Afghan parents must be CIA Zionist Islamist imperialist plant.
/
Today, several protests took place in German cities. On one side you had pro-revolution Syrians, incl. many refugees. On the other side you had white, "anti-war", "anti-imperialist" folks, denying Assad's crimes, supporting Russian bombs & lecturing Syrians about their country.— Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz) April 14, 2018
Mostly it's like that:Syrian: "I lost everything. My relatives were tortured and killed. Now I'm a refugee." Tankie: "It's not like you think. Situation is complex. Why are you pro-CIA? Islamists, Al Qaeda, ISIS! It's all about the pipeline. You are a puppet."— Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz) April 14, 2018
Other example:Syrian: "Russia and Iran act like imperialist powers in my country."Tankie: "Fake news. They defend themselves against US imperialism and they are legitimate allies of the Syrian government. Are you a Zionist?"— Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz) April 15, 2018
Next one makes clear how widespread the propaganda is:Syrian: "Assad kills innocent people daily. He bombed schools and hospitals and used chemical weapons."Tankie: "Who is your source? The terrorist White Helmets? They are Al Qaeda!"— Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz) April 15, 2018
The AM Show well we won 46 medals that’s excellent many thanks to all the athletes at the Common Wealth Games not everyone can be a winner Kia kaha
I had a busy day yesterday the vac pump in the cowshed would not start and I had to mow in Tauranga so this put me behind by 3 hours the sandflys there are idiots swarming but keep there distance .I was on the go till 8 pm .
Yes that is raciest the two brown men arrested in Star Bucks Amercia waiting for there
M8 just sitting at the table. Most people are raciest alot are in denial of this fact I know a lot of people that I have associated with that are raciest ka kite ano
Newshub good on Jacinda for not using the words support for that missile attack on Syria and saying she understands the (reason why the missile used to attack Syria) .
Many thanks to James Comey the ex FBI Director having the——- to tell exactly what he thinks of trump.On the Star Bucks issue in America there a lot of brown people inpower who are white onthe inside they are racies that the way the systems shape there views on reality .
Thats a good move that Sam Niel is acting in it shows that people need to respect all cultures . On my trip home to the Waiapu vally I learnt a lot Im self taught in everything I know .I was not going to go because of Gisbone mans influence but I new that was a very important occasion 1 in a hundred year occasion so I overrode my fears and went I new that nothing would happen at that point in time there were still actors there to I will forgive them but I wont trust them.Kia kaha ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James Ivan Major is a great Kiwi Legend for motocycle speedway he won 6 world titles condolences to his family.
Many thanks to NZ Rugby Union for acknowledging the Ladies New Zealand 7 team.
Kronfeld looks ok wresting I wont comment on his outfit .
ka kite ano P.S The Ladies black sticks did us proud Mana Wahine.
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
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 ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
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 ...
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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 ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
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Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
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Given the pushback now over stopping oil exploration in 30 years, what messages should the left be promoting about NZ’s transition to low-carbon employment?
Seems peculiar that some are getting hot and bothered about possible low carbon job losses when the greater ‘threat’ to employment is AI and automation.
I envisage that jobs will be created as new, low/no carbon tech is developed.
Because,of course, the government has already earmarked $$$ for this purpose.
I love the comments a few have made about jobs being lost.
But it’s ok they will all be hired in some amazing green tech which hasn’t been developed / invented yet.
I’m struggling to recall anyone on the right giving a rats about the future of the ten of thousands of folk who lost jobs during their mob’s most recent tenure.
@ joe90 Indeed you are correct. The Right’s new found concern for “jobs” is actually code for “profits”.
They don’t give a rats arse about poor people having jobs unless it’s to the point where wages are going up because of a shortage of workers at which point National will open the borders to skill shortages like café workers and labourers just to keep wages down and the majority in poverty.
Amazing green tech has been developed. Only the ignorant aren’t aware of it.
“Amazing green tech has been developed.”
Yes, I agree, and it covers quite a diverse range of technology.
“Only the ignorant aren’t aware of it.”
Now, that’s not fair. Of course, we have hydro, solar, wind, geothermal that are in commercial use.
The other techs are still in development, commercialization process. I would not expect most people to be fully aware of them atm.
I have visited a number of sites where new green tech is being used, the latest visit was in the Dominican Republic. They have a 100 MW power plant that normally uses heavy fuel oil, in part converted to using rice husks and other biomass to supplement the fuel oil via Bio oil and syngas. The emission profile and cost to run the plant have substantially reduced.
Never forget James, “Necessity is the mother of invention”.
I know for a fact that, Fonterra for instance, has a lot of low carbon plans ready to implement just sitting on a shelf at their head office in Fanshaw Street. Plans that will never be implemented, developed or realised while fossil fuels are cheap and readily available.
Cut ’em off, and the search for the alternative solutions will tumble out.
Mark my words; Jobs, lots of them will be the result.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/03/fossil-fuels-slavery
It’s been called White Gold”, and for a reason. Powdered milk for the export market has been the behind Fonterra’s global success, with China taking all Fonterra can produce, and more.
Just two of the technologies that Fonterra have looked into for development, if their supply of cheap fossil fuels is cut off, is micro drying and condensing of milk at the farm gate. And Salt Solar for industrial heat at the factory.
Micro drying using not much more energy that is currently being used to refrigerate milk in vats prior to collection . Currently Milk tankers are carrying mostly water by weight to Fonterra’s plants where it is then driven off, by burning coal. Condensed at the farm, Milk does not need as many tankers on the roads, nor refrigeration. Nor does it need as much coal or other industrial heat source to reduce it to its final powdered form.
And molten salt solar for industrial heat will remove the need for fossil fuels altogether.
Yep. It’s rocket science, luckilly for us, New Zealand has a mature rocket technology.
Jobs, heaps of them.
In fact the attraction of fossil fuels to business is that they are less labour intensive than almost every other form of energy.
https://greentransportation.info/fossil-fuels/days-human-labor.html
Actually, many of the green-tech has been invented. Solar panels, wind generators, geo-thermal.
What the problem is is that too many people are used to using fossil fuels and are scared of the change while the people who get rich from the use of fossil fuels can afford the propaganda and political lobbying which influences the people scared of the necessary changes.
If it hasn’t been developed yet then the government can hire all the over-educated café assistants to develop them and create even more jobs.
Yup. Block contracts for preliminary minerals exploration which, if it pans out, might lead to an application for a mining permit that might or might not be granted is totally morally equivalent to selling someone a slave 🙄 /sarc
Otherwise, they and their children would die early. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
If we want solar to be a significant contributor, there needs to be a rule that powercos must pay the same as they sell it for. Ditto for microhydro or any other home sustainability improvement.
No-one should get to gatekeep it for profit.
That would be the best option but even having them pay the current Spot price would help. After all, the Spot Pricing is there to determine which generators come online. The high Spot prices will encourage more people to install solar to get the returns from it.
Of course, the cheap solar power will, eventually, make fossil fuelled power generation obsolete.
BTW, The Greens had such a bill drawn from the basket but it was voted down by National and Act. I’m pretty sure that they did so because they understood what would happen to the donors profits as more power generation outside of the control of the corporates came online.
“The high Spot prices will encourage more people to install solar to get the returns from it.”
Wrong Draco…spot prices surge when demand is highest. That does not happen on a nice sunny day.
Spot prices are one tool to protect profits of the power companies. People installing solar panels and batteries are a counter-measure to prevent their money flowing back into the pockets of the power companies and their shareholders.
But it does occur and even on cloudy days solar panels still generate electricity. I assume it’s those cloudy days when people turn on their heaters that you’re concerned about.
So, it will still have some effect.
And then there’s the fact that if it’s cloudy in one area doesn’t mean that it’s cloudy everywhere and so the solar panels in the sunny area will be doing really well as the demand rises in the cloudy area.
The point, of course, is that with enough solar panels installed across the country the spot prices won’t be getting high enough to turn on the old fossil fuelled generators.
And that’s going to upset the owners of that out dated and dangerous plant as they won’t be able to get their unearned income from it.
Who would you propose as being the person who pays for the cost of the National Grid to ship it around the country?
And you don’t really think that you producing power at your home far from anywhere in Central Otago should be paid the same rate for the excess power you generate on a fine day in mid-summer when supply is vastly above demand as the price you will expect your power to be delivered on a day when a miserable Southerly is hitting the whole country do you?
National grid. Common necessary infrastructure like road, rail lines, ports and schools.
As we have found, best supplied by a Democratic Government on a non profit basis.
Surely if the extractive industries are wound down, then there’ll be a whole re-structuring of the working class. Must check if this has been written about.
Basically, the working class that formed in the 18th-20th centuries, was developed around extractive industries: either directly eg mining; or indirectly ie industrial factories, which processed extractive materials, and used extracted resources for industrial processes.
Working class communities developed around these systems.
So, with a restructuring of work, must also surely mean a big upheaval for working class people?
The next couple of decades will continue our long shift from extractive to manufacturing to service to creative industries – and the range of jobs available will evolve accordingly. Making sure that people who do not own the banks or the means of production are involved in the shaping of that evolution is a big political challenge.
What can the left do and say to reassure current workers that they and their children will have solid jobs and income to rely on?
In some ways this should suit NZ. NZ has never been a highly industrialised country. We have relied more on the primary sector – farms and extractive industries – forestry, etc. And there has always been a relatively big service sector – our urban populations have been bigger than our rural ones, and it is in urban areas that the service sector has been strongest.
Rod Oram’s article today addresses climate change and the farming sector.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/04/14/104969/fixing-farming-our-climate-change-job
Good article, thanks.
The answers are the same for agriculture as other sectors. Science, design, innovative business methods and strong, inclusive governance are our key tools. Let’s invest in, monitor and insist they all perform.
Not really. IMO, we need to seriously decrease the amount of land that is dedicated to farming and let that which is freed up return to the wild. Plant native trees on that land and then simply watch it.
We need the biodiversity to return and the evolutionary paths that it opens up.
No more than ~15% of land area should be dedicated to growing food for humans. That’s enough to feed us in NZ but not enough for exports.
What do you envisage replacing that export revenue?
High tech. It’s already doing well and is growing and has less effect upon the environment.
But even then it’s something that we have to do even if we didn’t have a replacement. The economics tells us that we can’t continue farming to the extent that we are.
GE farming man, way of the future
Just so long as it takes up no more than 15% of the land area.
Well that’s kinda the point of most GE farming. High yield from a smaller plot
The problem I have with GE farming is that to get that higher yield requires artificial fertilisers which cause run-off into streams etc. In other words, its probably not sustainable and is polluting.
I was at the future food tech. A couple weeks back.
3D food printers. Amazing and potentially a massive disruption to the food industry. Uses protein base components, vegetable base and then prints the food each meal takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
You choose the program/menu item you want and come back and enjoy.
The protein and vege base components can come from anywhere seaweed, soy, rice, man made. Plus no wastage. They were talking as tech gets better you simply put left overs back into machine and it breaks it down again. (That’s someway off but being worked on).
Imagine the disruption to supermarkets. As all you would need is a bag of powder or flavouring. Does a house need a kitchen.
Whole new industries would be invented and existing ones would have to adapt.
Having a steak or real fish would be a rare special event as your every day food is printed.
Do you and John Selway have a way of keeping GM pollen and seeds within the 15% allocation?
Yes its time now to step up Permaculture, Organics and all other forms of sustainable land management. People ,not chemicals, will again be involved in the growing of produce. Soil and water will be restored. Made in New Zealand will be pure and green.
I think it’s great that those 10,000’s of un or underemployed that couldn’t (or didn’t want to) work in old tech jobs (dairying, metal trades etc) will suddenly be snapped up at high wage by new tech, creative type positions. Not sure how they’ll get to work when petrol is priced out of existence – maybe there will be an electric light rail to every street, or everyone will be give a Tesla by Gummint. Maybe the Ministry of Power will build hi- performance battery plants everywhere – it must be easy to do as Musk is finding. Or maybe everyone will be like the Green MP’s and have PV on their roofs..oh hang on, they don’t. Or more likely, we’ll build more solar & wind pumped hydro storage..hang on, more hydro is out.
Luckily we’ll have gas turbines for peak demand in the evenings when the sun is down..no, that’s right we don’t like gas anymore.
But the feelz will be there of course.
FFS
We have several decades to make the change.
“Pushback” I think is being kind.
Anybody who believes that in 20-30 years time we can still be finding, digging up and burning NEW sources of oil, is frankly nuts. The oil industry and the people of Taranaki already know this is a sunset industry.
Most of the supposed ‘pushback’ is just the usual suspects using this rather timid and completely non-controversial announcement as a convenient stick to keep beating a mildly leftish government with.
In the past, rapid technology change has always cause massive disruption – usually some people do very well and make out like bandits while lots of others go to the wall. That’s the supposed ‘creative destruction’ of capitalism that is so lauded on the right and it is assumed to be just the way change happens. The huge challenge is to convince people that this time it won’t be like that (so the layers of irony are thick here)
+11
‘Don’t worry, you’ll be dead by then.’ Would that work sashy?
Admirably clear.
Re: flatmate as partner
Check out last paragraph.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/103039891/black-widow-killer-helen-milner-wants-husbands-body-samples-for-last-ditch-appeal
My bold.
Seems like a waste of legislature.
Wallace Chapman, like the lame Jacinda Ardern, is not up to the job.
RNZ National, Sunday 15 April 2018, 7:25 a.m.
Wallace Chapman has just made the following statement: “The Russian media have swallowed the Kremlin line….”
That statement is no doubt true, but Chapman seems to have made no such statement about the U.S. media, which have unashamedly parroted the Trump maladministration’s line. Nor has he said anything about the media parrots in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
As I write this, RNZ’s go-to expert Al Gillespie, grandly titled “the Professor of International Law at Waikato University”, has just told Chapman: “This looks good for Trump.”
More on Al Gillespie….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14-03-2018/#comment-1460725
The western corporate media with few notable brave exceptions repeat the lies of the deep state.
Al Gillespie is just another captured academic.
So In Ed’s world almost all the western media have it wrong – it a few people on obscure blogs and Russian media have it right?
Oh and of course Galloway (the man who likes to get around on all fours pretend to be a pussy cat)
So question Ed:
Does Russia have a deep state?
Or are their papers immune to it ?
In the real world, the “western media” do indeed have it wrong, just like they did fifteen years ago when they parroted the lies of the Bush/Blair axis.
Your comments about Galloway, James, might have some credibility if they were accompanied by similar expressions of distaste for the far more puerile antics of Donald Trump.
“In the real world, the “western media” do indeed have it wrong,”
Since you state it as a fact – any (and I mean any) credible source to back up you comment.
You haven’t read much, James. This would be an excellent start for you…
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/9/glenn_greenwald_on_syria_us_israel
I asked (nicely) for a credible source – you know that’s one with facts (proving Assad didn’t has his people as an example) to back up your argument and proving your point.
Might be harder for a link to that.
I provided you with a link to possibly the world’s most respected journalist. As I suspected, you are not interested.
And I asked for actual facts – and unsurprisingly you don’t seem interested.
Also he is not the worlds most respected journalist but a decent way.
“..possibly the world’s most respected journalist.”
When he takes parts in debacles such as the link below ?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11325158
Perhaps ‘one of journalism’s largest egos’ would be closer to a moment of truth.
Like James, you are notorious here for your lack of reading. Perhaps you should read some of Greenwald’s articles before you comment.
Greenwald’s articles are a bore one only needs to see the subject of to know what the article will say.
At least he hasn’t stooped to the third rate stenography of hacks such as yourself though.
Your comments tell us nothing about Greenwald, but everything we need to know about you.
Ah, the wilful ignorance of the RWNJs.
James;
Russia may have a deep state but not a “”global deep state” as the west has now under the control of Elitists.
That is a serious problem now as this western deep state is now bigger than any government can reign in James.
So we are being swept into a large scale control of another kind never seen before now.
Question to you is; “are you happy with not being able to control your future and that all future control of issues are now under the control of a “elitists state and no longer by any government?”
So who is this mysterious deep state ?
Is Jacinda a member ?
James,
These organisations are under the umbrellas of the likes of NATO/The Bilderberg Group and their associates, https://www.illuminatirex.com/secret-societies/ and they are run under “the Chatham rules” where the meetings are always secret and no details are given as to the ‘complete list of attendees’ and sometimes other ‘truth seekers’ folks get into the meetings and post some real facts as to who actually had attended some of those meetings.
The Bilderberg Group meetings for instance was attended by John Key and four National Party members to their 2011/12 meetings but we could never find out much about what key promised to do other than he agreed to sell off public assets as Bilderberg members were asking what Kiwis would do if he tried to do this.
Note; according to this site list; https://www.illuminatirex.com/secret-societies/
anyone who is a ‘freemason’ member will be sworn to carry out the wishes of the ‘freemasons’ and their associates so you see how we are being structured for control takeover?
If you want the evidence of John Key’s attendance/involvement I am happy to post it for you.
Oh dear…..
/
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What’s truth
got to do with it got to do with it
What’s truth
but a second hand opinion
Like I said – on 3.1.1.3.1
like they say; – “the first casualty of war is the truth.”
This goes simply to both sides.
Our worry is that ‘the west’ including our ‘west’ media is blindly following the global ‘west’s narratives only.
So we need to take caution not throw it to the wind as the pudits above for war from the right has,
Many including UN secretary have said we need to see proof firstly but the west went and blew it up so now we will never be able to prove the “truth”from opinion.
A clever way to start a war it seems as hitler did with poland right?
Truth is the first casualty of cleangreen.
Our worry is that ‘the west’ including our ‘west’ media is blindly following the global ‘west’s narratives only.
Better than blindly believing what one reads on a joke site.
I’m fucking gasping for air right now
That is too good
solkta,
Sorry totally off topic, but a genuine question re the Green Party.
I recall that the Party used to have a set of Values, which used to be on the website. I tried finding this on the website a few days ago without success. I found the Charter, Constitution and Standing Orders – but no Values.
Google came up with this link as the first in a list but no success with this (site cannot be reached) or the other links.
https://home.greens.org.nz/values?width=50%25&height=50%25&inline=true
Can you help with a link or a copy and paste, if they are still valid?
Many thanks in advance.
The NZ Green Party website has been undergoing “reconstruction” in recent times and that page seems to have disappeared temporarily.
But here are the Ten Key Values:
Social Justice
Community-Based Economics
Nonviolence
Decentralisation
Future Focus/Sustainability
Feminism
Personal and Global Responsibility
Respect for Diversity
Grassroots Democracy
Ecological Wisdom
Oh sweet Jesus – I haven’t laughed so much in so long.
We believe Wikipedia;
So they confirm all this list of associated groups ,so what is truth when you see it then?
http://www.illuminati-news.com/bilderberg-secret-world-government.htm
See factual documents of the secretive nature of the associated group.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group
https://www.ranker.com/list/organizations-connected-to-the-illuminati/mike-rothschild
Im just going to quote to you from the second paragraph of the “factual documents” you linked to.
“Their goal is nothing less than total enslavement of the human race through mind control, police state laws, population culling, and constant tracking. All of this will be done to please the Dark Lord himself: Satan”
Yep – that sounds all legit and factual.
When you start quoting things like that to back up your argument – you know you have lost the argument.
Cleangreen facts “enslavement of the human race through mind control to please the Dark Lord Satan”
And here we were trying to keep this secret – but you were to clever for us and found it on the internet.
And don’t forget the lizards. Trust nobody.
Russian trolls are currently very active online, all sorts of narratives are being pushed and shoved around the social media atm. Easy way to spread propaganda.
Assad claimed he went to work in the morning as normal, clip was shown on Syrian TV, the shadow of a tree clearly shows it is the middle of the day.
Meanwhile there are conflicting accounts of how many of the air strikes actually reached their targets, and different reports on the amount that were intercepted.
I don’t believe any of them, not the russians, not syria and not the west.
We can’t show you the proof, it’s a matter of intelligence, just believe us, say’s the west. Watched the ambassadors pleading their countries cases at the UN on a live stream early this morning, they are all very convincing.
Then I wonder….. if bombs were used to blow up suspected chemical weapons manufacturing sites….. wouldn’t the chemicals stored there be released into the atmosphere after being hit? Would it not create cloud of gas etc?
cinny, like they say; – “the first casualty of war is the truth.”
This goes simply to both sides.
Our worry is that ‘the west’ including our ‘west’ media is blindly following the global ‘west’s narratives only.
Look at the information you do know is the truth and analyse that.
A country was bombed.
Was that country a threat to any other?
If not, why was it bombed?
Bridgit, why was it bombed?
Answer;
US chose to bomb Syria as the evidence was about to be found by the international inspectors who were about to arrive in syria to complete the examination of the sites “alleged” to be making chemical weapons so US chose to destroy the evidence firstly.
🙄 They didn’t bomb the area in which there was the most recent alleged use of chemical weapons.
i really do suggest you have an enema.
Stunned mullet;
Insults again from you are becoming sad.
Stunned mullet you are a sick person as you claim to know all the facts ahead of anyone else.
So are you now a propagandist or just pushing ‘false media’ reports from doggy sources?
We all are only guessing the truth here.
Until the inspectors actually produce the evidence we should not speculate here.
What insult ?
What false media report an I pushing ?
Have you had your enema ?
Was your lobotomy successful?
Hi Moz ..nice handle.
Specialist knowledge as ex enema tester coming into play there Stunted?
@ Stunned Mullet … perhaps it is you who needs the enema. Inserted high enough to flush out all the impacted crap in your brain, with all the other shit!
Agree with you Cleangreen, in particular your final paragraph.
I too wondered about that, Cinny.
It seems to me to be the height of irresponsibility to bomb a ‘chemical factory’ in the middle of urban areas because of the chance of those very gases being released and killing innocent civilians.
Unless, of course, there were no gases there in the first place – oops, I shouldn’t have said that – not received wisdom, don’t you know.
Chemical weapons experts have only just arrived in Damascus. Wonder what they will discover and who said experts are?
Just remembered about the dedicated thread, so will continue over there 🙂
Sarin is usually stored as a two part mix, and it degrades rapidly at high temperatures such as are found in fires and explosions. It’s possible some sarin would be formed destroying a stockpile, but it would likely be rapidly destroyed. This tends to cast doubt on “bombing terrorist stockpiles” stories.
https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/articles/2017/04/13/anatomy-sarin-bomb-explosion-part/
Thanks for the link and info Stu, much appreciated.
!000%
It’s depressing listening to the likes of Wallace Chapman and Kathryn Ryan. I recommend anyone who wants to hear intelligent and serious commentary to watch Democracy Now! on Sky Channel 83, 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday. It gives me hope and reassurance in the basic goodness of Americans, and it’s a reminder that there are indeed principled and honest journalists….
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/9/apartheid_rogue_terrorist_state_glenn_greenwald
Haven’t listened to Kathryn Ryan since she had Hooten screaming invective anti- left rubbish during the election. Typical “Good cop Bad cop” routine. Not convincing. Her guests favoured the right quite often… it became too much.
Too too obvious.
That’s sad because you miss a lot of very informed journalism wrt a wide range of topics. The first hour 9 – 10 is usually very good.
Give me Kim Hill.
[The following is the text of a comment submitted by Red Blooded that fell foul of the gremlins. This is the quickest and easiest way to bring it back] – Bill
Al Gillespie is “Grandly titled” because he’s earned that title, Morrisey. You don’t have to agree with his comments, but he has considerable expertise and experience. It’s perfectly appropriate for RNZ to call on him as an expert commentator.
from the Uni of Waikato’s website:
Professor Alexander Gillespie
LLB LLM(Hons) Auckland PhD Nottingham
Professor Alexander Gillespie obtained his LLB and LLM degrees with Honours from The University of Auckland. He did his PhD at Nottingham and post-doctoral studies at Colombia University in New York City. His areas of scholarship pertain to international and comparative environmental law; the laws of war; and a number of pressing issues of social concern such as drug policy; and refugees.
Alexander has published sixteen books. The latest works have been Waste Policy: International Regulation, Comparative and Contextual Perspectives. (Edward Elgar, London, 2015); International Environmental Law, Policy and Ethics. (OUP, Second edition, 2015); and The Causes of War: Volume II (1000-1400) and Volume III (1400-1650), both published by Bloomsbury, NYC, 2017. The Long Road to Sustainability, published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, late 2017, is his most recent work. He has also written over forty academic articles.
Alexander has been awarded a Rotary International Scholarship, Fulbright Fellowship, Rockerfeller Fellowship, and the New Zealand Law Foundation International Research Fellowship. His most recent award is from the Franqcui Foundation in Belgium, with which he will hold a professorship at Ghent University for six months during 2018. Alexander has also been the lawyer/expert on a number of international delegations and advised the New Zealand government on multiple matters of international concern. Professor Gillespie was the first New Zealander to be named Rapporteur for the World Heritage Convention, involving international environmental diplomacy under the auspice of UNESCO. Alexander has also been engaged in policy formation for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and governmental, commercial and non-governmental organisations in New Zealand, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland.
I note that he also teaches Master’s papers in Laws of Armed Conflict & International Humanitarian Law. Don’t let’s disparage the guy’s expertise just because he’s said something (or even many somethings) you don’t like.
Thanks so much for posting this, red-blooded.
That is an exceptional biography – and credentials over a range of fields. I knew that Gillespie had advised the NZ government on a number of international matters, but did not realise the extent of his experience and international recognition.
And a big thanks, Bill, for saving it.
111+
Thanks for reinstating that comment, Bill.
If credentials are what you judge a person by, then, yes, Alexander Gillespie is indeed a grand man. And, judging by his impressive credentials, so is another academic parrot of propaganda, Robert Patman of Otago University…
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11092013/#comment-694967
Also highly credentialled is one Condoleezza Rice, who instead of being in prison, is ensconsed in a nice sinecure at Stanford University.
I judge Gillespie not by his credentials, but by his repeated failure to speak clearly about the things he’s allegedly an expert on. Perhaps the nadir was reached on one episode of The Panel in 2015, when he stated in high seriousness that “we” had to trust whatever the National Government told us about its secret TPPA negotiations, and then going on to top that classic by stating that the United States and Britain had “tried to bring democracy and freedom” to the Middle East….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04092015/#comment-1066917
The voice of the middle class expert, how dare you call it into question Morrissey. Next you will be spouting socialist economics, arguing working people can sort out their own lives, and demanding that war criminals go to jail.
No wait, sorry, yes you did say war criminals should go to jail. My bad…
Morrissey
Anything to do with discussion with Kathryn Ryan is littered with right wing policies, so these are old guard national supporters brought into RNZ by the last government and “carefully hand picked to continue to spout their gospel as Ryan still does faithfully and very willingly.
I have complained to Broadcasting minister and Clare Curran refused to do anything about it and their “biased views.”
Clare Curran needs to be removed from the broadcasting and digital portfolio and replaced by someone who does good work for her Party in Government for the people who supported labour and not give any help not for National as Curran seems to want to do all the time!!!!!!!
I don’t think Ryan is a National supporter. Her problem is that she’s not very well informed, and so she’s easy pickings for the likes of Dame Ann Leslie….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18082016/#comment-1220181
Even no-hopers like Willem de Lange are too smart for her….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24102013/#comment-715845
I tend to agree with you Math….. oops Morrissey.
No doubt she attempts accuracy and non-partisan analysis of the ‘iss youse’.
I’ve learned to forgive her over the years because she does make an effort and tries hard. A couple of years ago, I’d have said a ‘tryhard’, my father (who’d now be over 100 if still alive) would have said something like ‘a social-climbing wanker.
I’m more charitable these days because she’s actually intelligent and capable – if a little overambitious, and you have to try to understand the bubble and culture within which she operates.
But you know …… Hark at me judging her! (or anybody else for that matter). It’s becoming regular feature of some of the commenters on this site. Many times it’s all they contribute
She does have her moments, I must admit. One day she lost all patience with Hooton and actually challenged him, which provoked him no end. Usually, however, she does no more than parrot what she’s heard on the BBC or skimmed over on the Guardian website. In other words, she’s the equivalent of John Campbell, except she doesn’t call everyone a “good bugger.”
Spot on Morrissey.
I don’t know whether you heard this a few days ago on Nine to Noon, but Ryan actually did a very good job as facilitator of a discussion last weekend in Wanaka between Jacinda Ardern and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on working for change at local, national and international levels.
IMHO it was a half-hour well worth listening to. All three women were relaxed and interacting brilliantly.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018639887/the-leadership-of-change-mary-robinson-and-jacinda-ardern
“IMHO it was a half-hour well worth listening to. All three women were relaxed and interacting brilliantly.”
Agreed! Toetilly!
Despite all that’s wrong with RNZ (stacked board et al), its actually bloody good with some really dedicated people (Rinny Ryan included).
And although it can be criticised on a number of levels, it’s really all we’ve got.
Alongside student radio, RNZ National , Concert and Pacific is really all I can bear listening to these days. I’d like to see The Wireless become an on air platform too. (I must be entering curmudgeonhood)
I mean to say, Aunty BBC flounders, we can find fault with BobJazeera and DW, and RT, CCTV and others are easy targets.
Each have some good people working for them. And when you’re in some of the most remote places on Earth (thankfully not too far from a powerful 4G cell tower), RNZ is absolutely the best when you’re addicted to news and current affairs. Matinee Idle ain’t too bad either
cleangreen, the Broadcasting Minister has absolutely no power to intervene in hiring decisions for RNZ or to tell broadcasters what sort of opinions they should express or what sort of people they should interview. Would you have approved of the last Broadcasting Minister being able to do that? Of course not! So why do you demand it of Curran?
I don’t think you’re being fair to Ryan, but even if you were, this would be totally irrelevant. Your demand is unreasonable and anti-democratic. The public media is there to represent all viewpoints, including those you don’t agree with, and there’s a very clear line between the responsibilities of the Broadcasting Minister (which relate to broadcasting policy, structural issues and resourcing) and the head and board of RNZ (who’re in charge of things like staffing, programming and planning for RNZ etc).
If you want to complain about content, you’ve first got to go to the Board of RNZ, and then if you’re not satisfied you can complain to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. RNZ publicises this fact regularly, and it’s on their website. Be aware that the grounds for complaint are clearly specified, though, and disagreeing with political views isn’t one of them.
red blooded please.
Go to the RNZ board, shitnwe went to the CEO and got nowhere!!!!!! Got a letter to prove it. — Ha ha.
The RNZ Board; – It is stacked with National appointees so don’t send bad information to us please red blooded please.
Government need to grow balls and instead reinstate a new version of Channel Seven which the last labour government started back when they were with ‘balls.’
cleangreen, I note you have no reply to my main point, which was that the Broadcasting Minister has no direct power over staffing our editorial content, and this separation of roles is crucial in a democracy.
As for your “grow some balls” comment:
1) How about finding a less gendered expression – especially when you are talking to a woman about another woman?
2) What do you think the “RNZ+” policy is all about? It’s an attempt to have an independent state-funded public service TV channel. Pretty much what TVNZ 7 was, but with ongoing funding and run by the people who are responsible for RNZ, as the TVNZ people have proven many times that they’re not committed to public service. Maybe this policy is what we need, maybe it needs considerable development or even a change in direction, but it’s very definitely a step towards providing what you say you want.
Well said, red blooded.
Particular thanks for the point re less gendered expressions – as one woman to another woman. It seems some here think I tick the M box. LOL.
Slightly off topic, but In case you missed it, you would probably really enjoy the discussion between Jacinda Ardern and Mary Robertson last weekend facilitated by Kathryn Ryan and played on Nine to Noon a few days ago. Have just put up the link at 4.1.1.2 above but here it is again. Half an hour that was well worth it!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018639887/the-leadership-of-change-mary-robinson-and-jacinda-ardern
Thanks, vv. I didn’t hear the original show, but I had seen this highlights piece. I wish I’d heard the original – maybe I’ll try to track it down.
The link to listen to the 33 minute audio is in the RNZ article I linked to – the red circle with the white arrow.
Cool, thanks. I can’t have noticed it. I’ll listen in.
Well, gotta say – two very impressive women. As Kathryn Ryan pointed out, Robertson and Ardern are at different ends of their leadership careers, but it’s clear that they share similar values and they clearly respect and admire each other. I thought that was a great discussion.
Oh no – I see what you mean! Brownlee – no, no, no.
Will track it down after dinner – about to make my favorite fish curry. Yummy.
HNZ!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12032608
I said (to HNZ), ‘you probably can’t help me because it’s not your issue,’ but they went into gear. I got one of the area managers and he said, ‘right this is no good you can’t be in there like you are’. He said, ‘I’ll get back to you’.”
Very soon two HNZ representatives arrived to the home to inspect the door and came replete with food including buns, cold meats and chocolate.
They organised a generator, spent more than an hour on the phone to Vector trying to organise repairs, and informed local police of McQuillan’s situation which promoted three welfare checks by the local constable.
On Saturday morning HNZ called again, just to check on him.
“They’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty,” McQuillan said.
“I made one phone call and they have bent over backwards to try and help me. This is the first time I’ve been put in this situation thinking, ‘shit what do i do now?’ But people have helped out a lot.”
What a good link !
squirrel
Nope – excellent customer service from government employees.
You know – there is good in people and in the world.
If you open your eyes to it – you will be a happier and more well rounded person.
You obviously don’t deal with these services much, otherwise you see it for the propaganda piece that it is.
Where is ventueviper when you need them on the personal attack front. Oh wait I’m a lefty, he only defends his rwnj mates.
Wrong gender, adam. My birth certificates says female and I have had no reason to change that or want to.
Re HNZ, from neighbours who work in HO HNZ, there is considerable change going on in HNZ, particular in the areas of re-education in relation to HNZ’s role, culture and customer service. So hopefully we will see lots more instances of the type of approach reported in the Herald article.
And adam, I have had quite a lot of interaction with WINZ etc both in respect of my own situation (early retirement due to health problems, disabilities etc) over recent years, and previously prior to retirement, as a CAB volunteer advocate for people with health (physical/mental) and other problems with their interactions with WINZ, HNZ etc.
From some of the things you have written, do I take it that you are now doing this type of volunteer/paid work?
Well we’re quick to bag HNZ and the police but this is an example of outstanding care for a vulnerable member of the public.
But this is one example of them doing good – we have several (hundreds, thousands?) every year of them doing the exact opposite.
One good story doesn’t magically make all that they do wrong right. But to make it seem that way does seem to be why that story is even in the news.
As you may be aware good news is seldom news.
There’s much good news about but the MSM and the public tend to concentrate on the depressing side of life and fluff such as royal weddings and PMs babies.
Yes, I know. Although, back in the early 1990s, the MSM followed US TV stations and started putting in the ‘human interest’ story as well. So you’d see articles about pets and flowers.
This one seems to be part human interest (Disabled man helped by HNZ) and propaganda by telling us that a government SOE that’s been getting a lot of flak recently for their actions regarding homeless people and the selling of statehouses (Yes, a lot of that responsibility belongs to National unfortunately we have a tendency to focus on the people who actually do it rather than the people who order it done) is actually good.
No-one would be treated in this kind, considered way if the NZ Housing agency was privatised would they?
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Jeesus! What’s wrong with everyone? Pull in heads. Please. Thank you.
Deleting all that pointless nonsense, and apologies to anyone who had written any little snippet of anything worth while in amongst it all.
If people only want to stand around pointing fingers and doing some wee childish “nya, nya, nay nay nya” thing, then take it to facebook or a notice board some where.
Thanks Bill.
Ditto. It’s getting bloody tedious and close to becoming a reason to give TS the flick as part of my media consumption.
Could you possibly oblige with a ban?. My phat fingers sometimes find it hard to scroll past a lot of it
After your editing I think the last 10 comments are now the most meaningful of the day.
Go easy on them though. I fear that they may all be dedicated netball fans who have had to accept that New Zealand couldn’t even win a bronze medal.
I feel like the All Black fans of 1990. Then it was “Bring Back Buck”
Now it perhaps should be “Bring Back Irene”.
Things are changing.
..and now for something completely different..
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/103112335/the-trouble-with-my-brother-david-nyika-is-hes-really-good-at-beating-people-up
Well done to David Nyika winning the gold medal. Reading his story makes it even more special.
Cracker backstory, too.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/98403349/remembering-uganda-under-idi-amin
Thanks for that – agreed a great read
A bit of laugh which I think we all need at present. Poor Barry meets US Immigration.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12032705
And daughter misses out on cheese rolls and Kiwi onion dip.
veutoviper 7
“A bit of laugh which I think we all need at present”
So does the real truth of how the world is being pushed to war by your ‘champions’ offend you?
cleangreen
In times of stress and tension, a little bit of humour or similar is recognised as a healthy and natural valve release – not as a denial or denigration of the much more serious matters causing the stress and tension.
From your performance here this morning, you could do well with a bit of valve release of your own outrage, as you are accusing others here of all sorts of things you cannot back up.
I have not made one comment back to any of your comments above re your views of the “truth” – or elsewhere on TS over recent times.
In addition, I have not made one comment on TS in recent months on the very sad and disturbing events in Syria and in similar situations around the world, or on Trump, May, Macron, Assad etc or their governments’ actions in these situations.
Why? Because I am trying to keep an open mind and not rush to judgement, and I don’t rush to my keyboard to do so on such serious matters.
I have no “champions” when it comes to warmongering, bombing and/or use of chemical weapons on innocent people or similar, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
So how you have determined that “does the real truth of how the world is being pushed to war by your ‘champions’ offend you?” beats me.
Go face the problems and responses you have created for yourself elsewhere here.
I love kiwi onion dip.
And the odd cheese roll.
Remember these goodies may soon be rationed when your welcomed in war begins James.
So do I. I seriously considered making cheese rolls for breakfast, but stuck with cereal. Maybe lunch????? I’ve got some really thin wheatmeal sandwich bread that needs using up, plus onion soup mix, plus cheese …
May as well use them up even if rationing is apparently coming ……………
I’m still trying to come to terms with the egg roll. There seems to be a lot of them about and they dress up in all sorts of guises and names. Still learning though.
Rampant infestation today; James’ prolific comments (20 on Open Mike, and a sprinkling elsewhere) never leave me wanting more. The ‘onion dip’ evaluation could be his most valuable contribution to date, but where does he sit on spaghetti pizza?
What word best describes James’ behaviour on this site? Based on his comments (and as others have observed), the Standard ‘stirrer‘ hat fits. Hope ‘stirrer James‘ isn’t too strong a ‘name call’ to deal with.
“Also – Im pretty sure you [cleangreen] name call all the time – so again – How about trying to lead by example and stop that – and perhaps people might not do the same to you.” – James (@5.3.1.1.3)
Stupid idiot morons; moronic stupid idiots; idiot moron ‘stupids’ – these are a few of James’ favourite things.
Barry Soper can’t stop over in US because of his trip to Iran with Obama’s golfing mate.
“Do it, Iran, For like the hectic in my blood he rages,. And thou must cure me. Till I know ’tis done,. Howe’er my haps, my joys were ne’er begun.” ~ Hamlet
Well done!
ah…. now there really is an egg roll that’s not particularly tasty. I still can’t figure out whether it’s because it’s soaked in gin or whiskey or just duplicity
Yes, couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke, cough cough!!
Think he needs some vitamin B12. LOL.
Damn, just realised today was an injection day, but its now too late as I can’t sleep if I do it later than 12pm. The joys of Pernicious Anaemia.
Going for our shingles vac. Recommended even though I had shingles 3 years ago. It apparently can re-occur. I sure would’t want that!! After seeing that, N is being brave!! xx
Shingles can reoccur as I know, although the second time mine was much less serious than the first time.
You would be amazed at how easy doing your own intramuscular injections are into the thigh muscles. Painless once you know what to do, far nicer than top of arm ones. And I have to have them every 10 days or so, and can do them from start to finish in about one minute, even though the B12 does not come in preloaded needle pens like insulin. And it saves me about 1 – 2 hours to doctors and back, and then $25 – $30 per injection. Just part of everyday life now – and I am in control, thanks to a great doctor.
Well done.
Yes Patricia – make sure you get it – I had mine just the other day and no problems. I too had shingles a few years back – and a friend of mine had a second attack just recently and is now blind in one eye.
It used to cost $200 but is now free for seniors.
Thanks for that information about the shingles vac now being free to seniors, Macro. I looked at it a year ago but could not afford it. Will check with my doctors.
Also thanks for the information re the Greens Values. I could not reply directly to you on the other thread and did not want to derail that thread further.
My interest was that I thought that the Values also included things like this:
“Let’s be clear. The Greens love debate. We love hearing the views of New Zealanders. Indeed, one of our core Green principles is appropriate decision making/whakarite totika, something that only happens when you listen to others speaking. On the other hand, our values also mean that we should:
engage respectfully, without personal attacks,
actively respect cultural and individual diversity and celebrate difference,
enable participation with dignity, and challenge oppression, and
foster compassion, a sense of humour and mutual enjoyment in our work… “
That was supposedly a quote from the GP website back in July 2016 – but quoted on Kiwiblog in relation to the decision by the GP to no longer allow comments of the GP blog. So, obviously was trying to check that this quote was from the GP website!
But the principles /behaviours in the quote are ones that I, for one, would like to see more on here at TS.
I haven’t visited the Green Blog site for some time because (I suspect due to lack of moderation) there were a number of people who were quite strident in their “views” – not always values shared by Greens – and they were quite disruptive to sensible discussion.
Thanks so much for your replies here and below. I really appreciate them. Certain other people connected to the Party have not appeared here for a few days …
As you suggest, the situation you describe above appears to be exactly the reason made in July 2016 (apparently led by Marama Davidson) to disallow comments on the GP blog. Unfortunately the stridency etc seems to have moved to here on the part of a small few (but by no means a majority or all) GP members/voters but including one or two in positions of power. Enough said, but some behaviours seems to be way out of whack with these Values etc and similar to what you expressed about a week ago wrt commenting on world events, but also in relation to coalition partners and their voters (such as me as a dastardly two tick Labour voter in 2017 but previously one L and one G*) as well as those who have other political views.
Just a case of deciding how to use this info re values and their application wisely in a constructive – not critical/abusive – way here, and not cop an involuntary holiday. One can but try.
* Not anti-MT or anti- Green, far from it; but was appalled by the lack of political nous and risk management on the part of decision makers in deciding to use (or agreeing to use) her back story in the beneficiaries campaign when there were well known fish hooks in that back story likely to surface – eg the relationship to Ann Hartley and family, and their financial circumstances etc. Sadly MT was the biggest loser of that decision.
Sorry, me again re Greens. Would love your peer review that I have got the following right.
The Ten Values you quoted seem to be the same as these from the Green Party of the US – so i take it these are the same for the NZ GP?
http://www.gp.org/ten_key_values_2016
I have also now found the quote in my earlier message above which is in fact from this GP blog post on the closing off of comments in July 2016:
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2016/07/21/a-change-to-our-blog-switching-off-comments/
The link under the words “our core Green principles” took me to the Green Charter with its four principles of: Ecological Wisdom: Social Responsibility: Appropriate Decision-making: Non-Violence.
So is it the case that while the website is undergoing some renovation, the Charter with its four principles and the ten Values have not changed?
And that the quote from the 2016 blog post is still relevant (broadly anyway) in terms of its hopes/expectations of respectful engagement without attacks, active respect of diversity and difference, dignity etc ?
Sorry to put you on the spot. If you are uncomfortable commenting, just let me know and I will send an email to the GP. Probably should do that anyway, but would appreciate an indication as to whether I am making wrong assumptions etc.
Sorry for the slow reply. You have it correct veutoviper. The ten values are essentially shared by all Greens parties world wide, however the founding document of the NZ Greens is the charter which states:
The emphasis on Te Tiriti is obviously unique to NZ and all policy must also take into account just how that fits with Ti Triti.
Appropriate decision making would obviously include hopes/expectations of respectful engagement without attacks, active respect of diversity and difference, dignity etc with the objective of working towards a consensus.
To: Sacha
Yours was a good Question !
“Given the pushback now over stopping oil exploration in 30 years, what messages should the left be promoting about NZ’s transition to low-carbon employment? ”
Apart from trying to slow down relentless Climate Change which national politicians and corporations do not believe in, the transition from filthy Fossil Fuel to Electricity will have a profoundly good affect on human health.
Burning Oil (Diesel) and (Petroleum) produce Toxic Particulates that enter the bios of living things. Even the very smallest of Particulates are a danger.
Young children mostly suffer from the Toxicity, as do older persons. Although age groups in between are not exempt. There are many studies. Some find that early Stroke may be a product of Diesel and Petrol. These Toxins are profoundly evil. Urbanites are most affected.
I can imagine that within a relatively few years there will be massive claims for compensation laid against promoters of Diesel and Petrol – such as Simon Bridges. The Oil Explorers; Producers; Retailers and their Corporations and lawyers will be cited and held to account.
So Sacha. You obviously know you can do a fair bit with electricity via the Sun. It transits safely and purely down to panels. Not Heat. Light. Okay
For extensive hard tack Info : Google Health issues of Diesel and Petroleum
Yes Observer Tokoroa,
http://www.ohsrep.org.au/hazards/chemicals/diesel-declared-carcinogen
So why are the bastions of trucking pushing for using more roads for trucks now that the real scientific proof that diesel emissions are poisonous carcinogen polluting vehicles to residents in cities and built up areas????
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12029689
These truck lobbyists like Road Freight Forum (RTF) spokesman Ken Shirey should be sanctioned now and be shut down in the interest of “public health” as this man now is requesting trucks be allowed to use the Kaimai Tunnel through from Tauranga to Auckland too???? We should be using rail not bloody roads.
I am sick of trucks more trucks and yet more trucks. When the hell can they stop this nonsense.
It may bring tolls to get funding but the trucks will still go through suburbs in all areas out of this tunnel so we all will just get poisoned by yet more trucks, so we oppose this use of a rail route that could be used rather than a road for trucks..
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12029689
Your an authoritarian little prick aren’t you? You are so miserable you can’t even have someone who possesses an opinion different to yours express it. Let people decide for themselves if a road users lobby group is right or wrong.
They’re wrong tuppy.
So? They should be denied a voice under “public health” auspices? Toeing an awfully facist line there gabby. Good to know you support such actions. Must feel good being able to brush the brown shirt off
No tuppy, can you not read? Brown shirt = I win right?
Thanks, Observer. Health is an angle I haven’t heard much but it’s definitely something that touches everyone.
Yes it does so Sacha read this;
We attended a Gisborne District Council “pre-hearing” meeting for Eastland Port’s log berth expansion plans.
A few community members’ continuing submissions were heard at this pre-hearing at the Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club, before “secret” Chatham House Rules applied.
Our submitter was ignored during earlier submissions, saying the planned expansion should be made under the usual “regional plan change”, rather than a Resource Management Act application.
The aim is to have the process made transparent, and allow the community to have their right to make changes to the way the port operates in future, in a more environmentally responsible manner.
Transportation of logs to the port almost 24 hours a day is a major concern, with the bulk of submitters voicing opposition to the industrial noise generated. Many were losing sleep.
Past submissions to GDC on logging truck noise may have been overlooked.
We made a strong case after receiving a petition in 2011-12 from the Esplanade community group, signed by 280 people, asking GDC to mitigate against the excessive noise, vibration and air pollution of port-bound logging trucks.
The pre-hearing chairman, GDC’s consents manager, may wish to consider our submitter’s push for a regional plan change scenario rather than the restrictive, secretive process Eastland Community Trust-owned Eastland Port appears to prefer.
Does Eastland Port care about wider community impacts of negative noise, vibration and air pollution from its “industrial activities in a built environment”? If not, can GDC encourage ECT and its company to be environmentally and socially responsible?
As former residents of Napier before settling in Gisborne in 2005, our community there suffered similar problems to what Eastland Port is causing. Fourteen suburban communities surrounding Port of Napier have truck noise, vibrations and air pollution from export freight being carried to the port.
Our groups there have met with Napier Port executives at their boardroom, receiving a strong level of support from the port company over these issues.
So we are surprised ECT and Eastland Port are not reciprocating with suburban communities surrounding their port. Are they worried about criticism from the wider community of Gisborne?
Since 2002 my wife and I have operated an environmental monitoring company, that has partnered with government agencies as well as Watercare and Niwa. Our company has reviewed Eastland Port’s “independent environmental assessment” report and we have several concerns.
Many communities around New Zealand suffer from truck traffic to ports. A new method of measuring “industrial noise” is warranted, as used by the World Health Organisation and the European Union. The monitoring of residential urban noise, vibration and air pollution from truck freight is a long debate now which we will take up again with GDC/ECT.
We support the request made by Winston Morton to change the port’s application to a more inclusive, far less secretive procedure.
The port, with its narrow focus “only inside the port noise zone”, is restricting residents from seeking mitigation to the negative truck effects of noise, vibration and air pollution.
Our other submitter at the GDC pre-hearing was Rail Action Group chairwoman who expressed the wish that Eastland Port consider rail to move logs to its wharves.
We support rail freight to ports around New Zealand, which was the plan in the Labour government policy from 2004 called NZ National Rail Strategy to 2015.
The new Labour-led Government has committed to the transition to a low-carbon or a net-zero carbon economy.
So the Government needs to get our rail line reopened, and to plan to electrify the rail service.
Save lives with rail freight lowering ‘truck gridlock.’
Its rude to post a ton of text without formatting or giving a link.
Wrong again dude;
As this was our “comment” to a submission to GDC hearings panel!!!
This shifty hearing was attempted to be done under the “Chatham rules” so this was my comments after that hearing.
Am I not allowed to comment on council activities now?
if so why? – Are you attempting to push for “Chatham rules” to apply here too?
Of course you should be allowed to comment on council activities.
It was hard to tell it was your submission as it was simply a great big wall of text.
Formatting helps makes it more readable.
Question – is the council working to appease the dark lord Satan as you linked to earlier?
“Formatting helps makes it more readable.”
James you hardly read by scrips however we write them.
Not once have you agreed with anything we have ever said so please do not instruct us how to write our blogs unless you promise to read and consider every word.
Fair enough?
Did you read it James?
1000% Asthma sufferers especially.
The proposed amendment to Education Act 1989 to restrict the use of the title of “teacher” to people who have completed certain recognized qualifications.
I would continue to “teach” in the area of my speciality and experience because “teacher” is a widely used generic English word and cannot be successfully hijacked to specifically apply to a person who has gained “ certain recognized qualifications”
The term “registered teacher” already does this.
“Registered Teachers” should be freely registered and administered by the New Zealand Education Department ( they are not now ) as an integral part of undertaking the public service of providing education to New Zealanders.
What do others think?
I’m a trained and registered teacher and I entirely agree with the bill. It clearly specifies that it is referring only to classroom teachers in schools (not ballet teachers, or swimming teachers, or tertiary lecturers or tutors) and is delineating the difference between qualified, trained, registered teachers and others, like teacher aides or people working in charter schools with no teacher training or registration.
Nat governments have a history of attacking the professional status of teachers (usually linked to cost-cutting) and following governments have to tidy up. The Bolger govt abolished teacher registration (linked to bulk funding). Many schools hired (cheaper) unqualified people and when the Clark govt reinstated registration they had to spend big bucks to train and improve the qualifications of those people so that they were eligible for registration. Some couldn’t meet the standard and left teaching.
The Key govt restructured the registration (and discipline) boards, removing teacher representation and nearly doubling the cost to teachers (from $280 every 3 years to $520) while allowing totally unqualified, unregistered people to be hired as teachers in charter schools. This govt is tidying up, again. They’re reinstating teacher reps, defining what is meant by “teacher” in a school situation and reassessing all charter schools. Some will become schools of special character – ie, integrated schools, some might close down. None will be allowed to use anyone with a pulse as a teacher.
1000% redblooded.
So why cannot a teacher in a classroom in a school be a “registered teacher” or even as we used to say a “school teacher” which differentiates from someone who is teaching for example a craft in their own studio?
How does this bill (which applies only to people working in schools) hurt you in any way, Janet?
Thats what I was trying to ascertain. If it applies to only someone working in a school fine but sometimes I am employed to teach my craft in a school – then am I not a “teacher” ?
I think the “Hijack” occurs when the term teacher is used loosely.
Dr. Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, all have specific meanings. There should be recognised titles to match in teaching IMO.
Not quite as it depends on context and locality. For example, what does it mean to you when somebody uses the title “Dr.”?
Absolutely nothing as the term is so ambiguous. Anyone with a doctorate degree is properly called doctor.
Indeed, although in some jurisdictions/countries the title is legally protected and can only be used by people who have obtained a doctorate at an approved academic institution.
Incognito, should have written Doctor (PhD) from the latin “to teach”
Perhaps you are asking Dr. (medical?) MD?
Sorry, I may have been unclear; I was asking because you asserted that these titles have “specific meanings” and you’ve answered my question, which shows that they are not so specific after all 😉
In NZ there is no such thing as Assistant Professor.
My bad. Meant as in Assistant Teacher, Associate Teacher, School Teacher.
The word specific was, I agree a poor choice.
Well that’s ok as long as you can happily apply the name of ‘dentist’ to anyone who can pull a tooth out.
There is a sense in which ‘teacher’ is generic, but it should not be applied as the formal title of a person untrained in the skills of teaching.
Links to very interesting set of articles produced by the Health Sector Workers Network, a rank-and-file cross-union project:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/support-the-health-workers-struggle/
“In France the Macron Government has set in motion plans for the destruction of the terms and conditions of approximately 150,000 workers in the national rail network, the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF). The level of workers’ anger has produced an impressive response. The major unions involved have been forced into putting forward plans for industrial action and in a show of unity 13 organisations on the left have presented a joint statement of solidarity. . .”
full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/french-public-sector-workers-fighting-back/
There seems to be a good amount of determined resistance to Macron.
Bravo. Unlike NZ in the 80s and 90s, the French unions will not roll over for their tummies to be stroked.
This is how the baby boomers got a lot of their wealth – the generous redundancy payments allowed a lot of those workers to pay off their mortgages, and start their own businesses, allowing them to leap into the burgeiouse class.
Except for a majority. Who never had a decent secure full time job again.
Not of course those owning houses in Auckland.
The ones with underpaid lawn mowing rounds, truck owners who cannot take home minimum wage, labour hire company workers and all the rest of the “fortunate” boomers who were forced into a shrinking job market with skills unwanted in the brave new “service economy”.
Yes Phillip – we have private french rail company now running Auckland’s Passenger rail system (with may funds given by the national Government during the last few years.)
We need all public owned “essential services” not these money grabbing privateers coming to feed off of government handouts.
Am looking forward to James Comey’s book:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/13/comey-on-trump-key-points-book-a-higher-loyalty
And this is just the curtain raiser. The main show has yet to come.
Actually yes it will be a best seller obviously.
I do see that Bernie sanders is challenging Trump for his right to bomb the targets in Syria without the Congress approval so there are lots of legs to go here.
I especially love the video of Sarah Huckabee-Sanders attempted assassination of Comey’s character. Very funny… but not so funny when you think she’s just one of many seriously unhinged nut-jobs who currently inhabit the White House.
@ Cleangreen (13.1) … yep, go Bernie, man of the people. Be interesting how his challenge is responded to! Good to see Bernie out there, taking on the mad dangerous rabid Trump.
The BBC continues to fail the people of the United Kingdom
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/04/14/bbc-shuts-down-jerusalem-office-its-cheaper-and-wont-change-anything-if-we-just-print-israeli-press-releases/
More on Britain’s cowardly state broadcaster….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12-04-2018/#comment-1473474
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15072014/#comment-849022
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01022015/#comment-960862
Here is some interesting analysis of the media black out on Gaza from our friends at FAIR.org …
https://fair.org/home/medias-linguistic-gymnastics-mislead-on-gaza-protests/
https://fair.org/home/phyllis-bennis-on-gaza-massacre-pam-vogel-on-sinclair-propaganda/
Thanks, Adrian. By the way, has Jacinda Ardern uttered a single word about the mass killings of peaceful protestors in Gaza?
veutoviper 7.1.1
You appear to choose the narrative that you are beholding to a higher order of humanity and understanding but then you are also a capping critic of others on your own moral grounds perhaps?
So I don’t buy your narrative that you are always on the absolute right and all others you don’t wish to agree with are not.
We all are human and as so err in judgement from time to time alten called “human error”.
What incites many is the ” “Holier-than-thou”. mannerism some show.
Everyone needs to allow others to “speak their minds” without consistent attacks upon them as we see here often now.
Some have said it was generated by the “sore losers from the national party supporters”
I am still not 100% ready to believe this, but there is an element of deep hate in some we ‘encounter now’.
I will continue to speak my mind and not be guided by your comments or others who criticise me.
“Everyone needs to allow others to “speak their minds” without consistent attacks upon them as we see here often now.”
It’s true – see your own attacks as evidence.
But yes we should be able to speak our minds – but when you make statements like today linking the following under the heading of a factual document I think it is only fair that you get called out.
““Their goal is nothing less than total enslavement of the human race through mind control, police state laws, population culling, and constant tracking. All of this will be done to please the Dark Lord himself: Satan”
See my comment on 8.2.1.1.1.1
You first initiated the attacks on us way back so don’t cry wolf now.
cleangreen
I stand by what I said to you at 7.1.1. This was simply querying why you had made a snide assumption about my beliefs, ‘champions ‘etc when as I pointed out, I have made no comments on TS which could have led you to that wrong assumption.
I did not call you names, or question your beliefs, or make any form of attack on you – other than to point out you had been in full flight today in making such type of comments about a lot of people here today.
Yes you have a right to speak your mind – just as the rest of us have. I did not question your right to do so.
Call it ‘holier than thou’ if you wish. I am also human and subject to human error etc, but I have decided that I am going to try to not join in the personal accusations, insults and attacks that seem to happen here too often these days.
Be assured I am more than capable! And when I do, I don’t play around – I go straight for the jugular, as my friends and family love reminding me.
But also be assured that when I am the subject of such accusations, attacks etc, I will stand up for myself, and for others, when I considered it appropriate.
And as a PS – isn’t self-moderation by commenters what some of the moderators here have been calling for to take pressure off of these volunteers who give of their time and energy freely to keep this blog available to us all?
For a right wing tool, you do pathos well.
As in the case of your misunderstanding the other day of slander, libel and defamation (and their relationship under NZ law), I suggest that you brush up on your understanding of the meanings of ‘ethos’, logos’ and ‘pathos’ – in the case of ‘logos’ in a Greek sophist sense, not the later theological sense.
Save me from people with no humour, who are a dyed in the wool literalist.
veutoviper
As i have just said to James; – you also along with others consistently teamed up to harass others who have opposing views.
For the record go back and see who attacked who first; – to see that you as part of a a group that have consistently attacked others like minded as we are, and have attempted to hound us and them off the TS site and it was very apparent.
If you cease your attacks, then you won’t receive retaliation;
That is fair enough for us; – and should be for you if you are of human character as you profess to be.
[Take the rest of the day “away”. Thank you. I’m done with this nonsense. It seems a few polite requests have been ignored.] – Bill
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria
No. 1: Britain’s Donald Trump, AKA Boris Johnson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seyiYSxkpIo
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria is a series devoted to publicizing the moral titans and inspiringly brave souls who have loudly supported the Paris/London/Washington axis. It is compiled by Morrissey Breen, for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria
No. 2: The “cute one” from the manufactured boy band, AKA Justin Trudeau.
https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2018/04/13/statement-prime-minister-airstrikes-syria
Thanks, James! Trudeau would have indeed made a nice match for a similar smiling ninny, Jacinda Ardern.
You’re now an honorary probationary intern for Daisycutter Sports, Inc. Welcome aboard, my friend.
Why thank you Sir, much appreciated.
“You’re now an honorary probationary intern for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.”
Gratuitous use of bold text a prerequisite.
Actually, Sacha, I try to keep my use of bold and italic to a minimum. I am well aware of how annoying and distracting too much of it can be.
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria
No. 3: The accidental prime minister, AKA Jacinda from Vogue magazine.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103109334/new-zealand-accepts-reasoning-behind-usled-strike-on-syria
Touché! Very good, James—-you beat me to that one. Soon you’re going to be running this organization.
I just made a post in Bills thread, and giving it some thought – Im just going to shut up and not make any more comments on the Syria attack – its a very complex and emotive subject.
I have my views – I think they are right, but I accept that others view will be the binary opposite of mine – and they well may be correct in this instance.
However they are also based on little knowledge (despite how intelligent some posters may think themselves).
You’re doing just fine, James. Hang in there, mate!
The laugh for the day was at 30′ 40″
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018640726/mediawatch-for-15-april-2018
Indeed. Classic Hosking, and followed by Leighton Smith at his funniest. Well, just as funny as he was on this occasion….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18122013/#comment-746897
To the moderators: I’ve tried twice now to reply to a comment from Morrissey. I don’t seem to be getting through. Any ideas what’s happened to my comments? I’m on a new machine, but my log-in details haven’t changed.
I note I’m able to post this comment. If there’s a version of my previous reply stored somewhere in the system, I’d appreciate it being added to the thread. It related to Al Gillespie (at 3, above).
I’ll keep an eye out for that reply, my friend. Don’t worry: these technical issues arise occasionally.
I cut and pasted from the trash folder and re-submitted under my log-in, but have clearly indicated it’s your comment.
I don’t know why it went trash side. Gremlins. There is a very convoluted process that I could have gone through had I the time and the memory to remember exactly what it is.
Hope what I’ve done suffices.
It dropped in at 3.2
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15-04-2018/#comment-1474547
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria
No. 4: Vice-President Mike Pence
This moral Leviathan points out that bombing Syria is the “morally right act to take.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZhDmvxyQrw
Supporters of the “surgical strike” on Syria is a series devoted to publicizing the moral titans and inspiringly brave souls who have loudly supported the Paris/London/Washington axis. It is compiled by Morrissey Breen and james, for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
No. 3 Jacinda Ardern
No. 2 Justin Trudeau
No. 1 Boris Johnson
How about a ‘Critics of the “surgical strike” on Syria’ Moz, you could run them concurrently for some interesting juxtaposition.
Good idea, Mullet! I’ll get on to it one of these days.
Resilient Auckland?
Hardly
In fact Auckland’s infrastructure has been shown to be surprisingly fragile.
Tuesday’s storm was only a minor event compared to what’s coming.
In the face of climate change turbo powered storms, Auckland will need to harden up its infrastructure if it is to become anywhere near ‘resilient’.
if we are to make Auckland a truly Resilient City.
What are the options?
Who’s gonna pay?
Will it be more profitable (ie more expensive), to just to keep fixing it up when it breaks? ie the ‘Disaster Capitalism’ model.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/08/28/enormous-harvey-damage-naomi-klein-warns-against-disaster-capitalism-redux
The New Normal
“Auckland residents could face another week without power following storm”
Why?
Why has this occurred?
Why is our city so vulnerable?
This was not a big storm.
Can anyone remember, when a not that severe a storm, destroyed so much of the city’s power infrastructure?
Are there any plans to harden our city’s infrastructure against such future events?
Will the Council and the Government take this as a warning of worse things to come?
Are there any plans in place to prevent a repeat?
Wasn’t privatisation supposed to cure power cuts? Along with making power cheaper, of course?
Talk about tipping your hand……
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that his country had strong evidence that the bombing of the Syrian city of Douma with a chemical weapon was merely a staged “ploy” and warned that any military escalation would be followed by a major wave of immigration to Europe.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow with his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok, Lavrov clarified that the intelligence of one of the countries involved in the anti-Russian campaign was behind the chemical attack on Douma.
The Russian minister warned that any “venture” in Syria that is similar to what happened in Iraq and Libya “will entail new waves of immigration to Europe and other repercussions that we and our European partners do not want.”
Lavrov’s comments appear to be an implicit threat of escalating the strikes against Syrian civilians in order to force them to flee to Europe.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180414-lavrov-hints-at-punishing-europe-with-massive-wave-of-immigration-from-syria/
Far more likely is a bevy of leaked videos, of conservative MP”s in diapers being beaten by “nursey” appearing in the London tabloids.
In 2016, Helsinki accused the Kremlin and its intelligence services of flooding Finland with refugees as a political weapon to destabilize Europe.
So there’s good reason to take Lavrov at his word.
KANDALAKSHA, Russia — So many decrepit Soviet-era cars carried migrants into Europe from this frozen Russian town in recent months that border officials in Finland, who confiscate the rust-bucket vehicles as soon as they cross the frontier, watched in dismay as their parking lot turned into a scrapyard.
To clear up the mess and provide some space for freshly confiscated cars, the Finnish customs service set up a separate dumping ground.
Then last month, as suddenly and as mysteriously as it had started, the parade of migrants in rusty old cars came to an abrupt halt, or at least a pause.
“We don’t know what is going on,” said Matti Daavittila, the head of the ice-entombed Finnish border post near Salla. “They suddenly stopped coming. That is all we know.”
[…]
The intrigue flows from a growing suspicion in the West that Russia is stoking and exploiting Europe’s migrant crisis to extract concessions, or perhaps crack the European unity over economic sanctions imposed against Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. Only one of the European Union’s 28 member states needs to break ranks for a regime of credit and other restrictions to collapse.
“Unfortunately, this looks like a political demonstration by Russia,” said Ilkka Kanerva, Finland’s former foreign minister and now the chairman of its parliamentary Defense Committee. “They are very skillful at sending signals. They want to show that Finland should be very careful when it makes its own decisions on things like military exercises, our partnership with NATO and European Union sanctions” against Russia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/world/europe/for-migrants-into-europe-a-road-less-traveled.html?_r=0
Russian support for Serbia lead to WW1, a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany enabled WW 2 and its atomic weapons program stoked the Cold War. More of the same.
To be fair, none of those were all Russia’s fault by any stretch of the imagination.
If it takes two to tango, it takes a solid half dozen to do a glabally-catastrophic barn dance.
Kiwi Women’s Sevens get Gold!
And the Kiwi men’s!
heh
https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/985200901815140352
She’s showing real leadership here and something which really touches on the proud tradition of independent thought by progressive NZ PMs.
UN vetoes are one thing holding the UN back and making it ineffectual which is what the UN is always criticised for.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/04/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-pushes-for-un-veto-power-removal.html
We are stuffed.
‘Avoid Gulf stream disruption at all costs, scientists warn
How close the world is to a catastrophic collapse of giant ocean currents is unknown, making halting global warming more critical than ever, scientists say’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/13/avoid-at-all-costs-gulf-streams-record-weakening-prompts-warnings-global-warming
Dude born and raised in Austria by Afghan parents must be CIA Zionist Islamist imperialist plant.
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https://twitter.com/Emran_Feroz/status/985289476393054209
We can know nothing, therefore we must assume nothing, therefore we must do nothing, and be angry at those who do anything.
The AM Show well we won 46 medals that’s excellent many thanks to all the athletes at the Common Wealth Games not everyone can be a winner Kia kaha
I had a busy day yesterday the vac pump in the cowshed would not start and I had to mow in Tauranga so this put me behind by 3 hours the sandflys there are idiots swarming but keep there distance .I was on the go till 8 pm .
Yes that is raciest the two brown men arrested in Star Bucks Amercia waiting for there
M8 just sitting at the table. Most people are raciest alot are in denial of this fact I know a lot of people that I have associated with that are raciest ka kite ano
Newshub good on Jacinda for not using the words support for that missile attack on Syria and saying she understands the (reason why the missile used to attack Syria) .
Many thanks to James Comey the ex FBI Director having the——- to tell exactly what he thinks of trump.On the Star Bucks issue in America there a lot of brown people inpower who are white onthe inside they are racies that the way the systems shape there views on reality .
Thats a good move that Sam Niel is acting in it shows that people need to respect all cultures . On my trip home to the Waiapu vally I learnt a lot Im self taught in everything I know .I was not going to go because of Gisbone mans influence but I new that was a very important occasion 1 in a hundred year occasion so I overrode my fears and went I new that nothing would happen at that point in time there were still actors there to I will forgive them but I wont trust them.Kia kaha ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James Ivan Major is a great Kiwi Legend for motocycle speedway he won 6 world titles condolences to his family.
Many thanks to NZ Rugby Union for acknowledging the Ladies New Zealand 7 team.
Kronfeld looks ok wresting I wont comment on his outfit .
ka kite ano P.S The Ladies black sticks did us proud Mana Wahine.
So much for neighborhood watch they just watch the sandflies break all the rules .Ana to kai