Prostituting Otago Oil is about to release their winged monkeys:
“The businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, said… it would be a counterpunch to the actions of Oil Free Otago, such as last week’s visit to the Anadarko drilling site and today’s Banners on the Beach protest at St Clair Beach.”
That was the one – I didn’t see any anti-protestors on the ground, but apparently one of the boats was pro-drilling too. They seem to have much money spread around very few people. A tiny pyramid scheme with Whiley Coyote at it’s apex.
Fortunately, the ODT initial report doesn’t mention it at all:
TVNZs coverage is pretty brief: “Over 2,000 people on 20 beaches across the South Island took part in the ‘Banners on the Beach’ protest” (but the video mistakes Dunedin for Southland):
TV3 shows A Whiley one pimping the employment prospects while neglecting to mention that; the number of jobs generated by the renewable sector would be far higher, and not mostly go to foreigners. The 8 billion figure quoted is over a 45year productive period and amounts to 256 FTE jobs.
“On average, over the 45 years that the field operates, $428 million is spent annually. Of this $179 million is spent regionally, creating 256 jobs and generating $71 million in regional GDP on average each year. [p20]
“While the impacts appear significant, all production is exported directly from offshore facilities. The main regional impacts are from providing services and provisions to the field, along with some maintenance and repair during production. [p21]”
So it is basically the profit margins of bars and brothels about which Stinky POO is getting their knickers in a twist.
Its another poll showing a decline in National’s support and its claim about the likely number of seats for National is difficult to fathom. No doubt it will be discussed today.
I pick you’ll do your best to ignore cold, hard, reality: the trend is still down, and Fairfax routinely overstates National’s support by 6% or more, so yes, I think they’ll be concerned, and I’m sure you would be too, if you had the cognitive chops.
I suspect that the messiah is going through his wilderness experience at the moment. (as shown by labour’s results in this poll.)
What will be interesting is if the great satan (John Key) tries to tempt the messiah in any sneaky way while he is weak and hungry. (for poll results? adulation?)
Thanks Paul. I know of that site but haven’t visited for awhile. Thanks for reminding me, I had a quick read and it made me think of what truth is up against, an almighty lumbering propaganda machine, crashing through the countryside.
Seti, Chris, you’re late to this discussion. Repeat comment:
Something “interesting” is happening with these Fairfax media polls.
On the 28th October they reported that “…National is also up two points … winning the backing of more than 50 per cent of committed voters.
… On the latest poll numbers National would win 63 seats in a 124 seat Parliament and be able to govern alone.”
Today they say that “A new Fairfax Media-Ipsos poll puts National on 49.4 per cent…On those numbers National would win 64 seats…”
My bold.
So can we infer that the previous peak of “over 50%” is now below 50%, a continuation of the downward trend? Or can we infer that Fairfax media don’t know how to convert vote share into seats?
Chris, Seti, I note that in July 2011 Fairfax gave the National Party 56% support. Diddums.
… On the latest poll numbers National would win 63 seats in a 124 seat Parliament and be able to govern alone.”
Today they say that “A new Fairfax Media-Ipsos poll puts National on 49.4 per cent…On those numbers National would win 64 seats…”
My bold.
So can we infer that the previous peak of “over 50%” is now below 50%, a continuation of the downward trend? Or can we infer that Fairfax media don’t know how to convert vote share into seats?
The previous poll had a higher percentage spread across the three parties over the 5% threshold so the discarded vote increases the share of the other parties, ipso facto National picks up another seat.
Interestingly, with the Conservatives polling 2% if they could pick up an electorate they would have 3 MP’s.
I don’t trust any of these FF polls, they will continue to wave the Key-National flag in a hope that those people that pay little interest in politics, and think both main party’s are pretty much the same. It’s the same old tactic of trying to con this group into not showing up to vote because the result is a forgone conclusion. This is what happened last election, let’s not let this happen again.
Both Labour and the Greens need to really drive home the message that ‘your vote counts’ and had you voted last election the continued suffering and hardship that you have had to endure over the last 3 years was completely unnecessary, self inflicted because you got swindled out of your vote which was illustrated by how close the final result was.
Here is what gives me heart and a good back straightener. I was in my old home city midweek at a meeting and this former work colleague comes over to me and tells me ” hey mate I am enrolled to vote and man I can’t wait to vote National out and Labour/Greens in, shit I feel such an idiot for doing the whole A political thing.”
This is what National and the Right are really up against, regardless of the positive polling the 800,000 bloc is their weakness, no matter what they do, like portraying a move Left by things like increased paid parental leave etc. The Employment law changes coming up contradict this, and man do we have a platform there to drive another nail into their coffin.
Oh no, i am totally shattered, National Governs alone after the 2014 election how could i not have seen that coming, i might as well give up the fight right now and become resigned to a third term National Government,
YAWN, you would think that the Herald would have at least the ability to think up a new line of lies for each election, hell they have a three year space between them,
Same old mantra which lead us into the 2011 election where if it were not for the baubles on offer being gladly snatched by Turia and Sharple’s i doubt if this present shower of s**t that is Slippery’s National Government would have made it this far through the electoral cycle,
If Slippery the Prime Minister had 49% of the vote sown up in His back pocket we wouldn’t now be being subject to the ugly stream of s**t currently being spewed forth from National, it’s Prime Minister and it’s Front Bench,
If Slippery the Prime Minister for a moment thought He had this election in the bag we all would be getting episode two of ‘smile’n’wave, how any old intellectual vacant space can rule the roost’, instead of an increasingly snide and abusive, through the onset of fear, Prime Minister…
“YAWN, you would think that the Herald would have at least the ability to think up a new line of lies for each election, hell they have a three year space between them,”
It was a Fairfax poll and reported on the Stuff site, not the Herald/APN.
The point is polls such as this become self-fulfilling, causing the lower turnout we saw in 2011 with the thinking that its a foregone conclusion.
Seti, Yawn again, i stand corrected, Fairfux poll Herald poll, is there really a difference when you yourself describe quite precisely what the actual intent of such polls are, on the surface such polls pretend to provide information, the underlying reason for them tho as you have alluded to is to ‘switch off’ a section of voters likely to have a large streak of defeatism running through their nature,
By the way Seti, ‘the left’ will,only concede to have ‘lost’ the election at the point the vote is counted should ‘the left’ have no chance of forming a Governing coalition…
Fran O’Sullivan’s a good laugh. Doing a bit of spin job against Kim Dotcom, she identifies herself as a “content producer”, against the (alleged) way Dotcom abuses copyright.
Fundamentally – as a content producer myself – I line up with those who want to get paid for their efforts.
How much effort does it take to reel off a bit of pro NAct cheerleading?
Edit: and plenty of bloggers put in more effort, write more, and are (usually) fine with not being paid for it.
I have read the article, and its odd. The Nat spin machine is going hard at the angle that Dotcom is broke (innuendo only), then she moans about being a content provider and people taking her content for free.
It’s been well known for months that Dotcom has financial issues
Really do tell? Shouldn’t gossip be covered by Glucina and not a Business Analysis and Comment. Cough, cough.
Most of her content comes from twitter, Glucina and the 9th Floor.
Note to Fran, when the Herald paywall comes it will not be your friend.
And John Armstrong gets his facts muddled to fit his narrative again today.
The Greens seem to believe that the wide discretion the law gives to the Minister of Justice amounts to carte blanche for the minister to pick and and choose who goes and who stays.
That discretion in the law is obviously there to deal with any anomalies or unforeseen circumstances.
He forgets to mention the illegal spying, the raid on the house and all the current court cases as being an anomaly or unforseen circumstance.
Dunno about that BM unless he’s using a feather – Mr dotcom seems to be coming out of this unhurt. But he’s probably pissed off – oh dear for those that have done that I suspect.
No doubt that’s another thing the New Zealand taxpayer is going to have to compensate him for.
Pretty easy for the new justice minister to make that call. “Mr.com, the National Party has treated you abominably, run roughshod over your legal rights. They are trash who have brought shame upon this country. New Zealand will not compound their corruption by inconveniencing you any further.”
It also depends what you mean by being “paid” for something. Sure, in terms of monetary recompense, blogging time is a total waste. In terms of; building 21st century communities, and; developing social awareness on issues disregarded by a sold-out MSM, the payoff is extremely good (even if inconsistent and unpredictable).
..well..i have over 21,000 subscribers (on r.s.s…)..
..(taking 40-50 stories/links from me..every day..)
..and over 20,000 other websites point at me..
(source:..zeald website-audit..)
(and if those subscribers didn’t like what i have on offer..they would unsubscribe..
..’cos..like i said..i am feeding them 40-50 rss feeds..each/every day..
..and if they didn’t want it..it would be like a major spam-attack for them each/every day..)
..and if you multiply all that..
..that is a hell of a lot of faces..each/every day..
..(and quite a bit of work each/every day..)
..and seeing as you asked..
..i’m open to ideas/offers to somehow monetise that traffic..
..(of course any ads (if going that route..)..have ethical-hoops to jump thru..
..(as a rough-guide..no macdonalds/planet-fuckers etc..eh..?..)
..(and as a footnote:..it was cheering the other day to get a message of appreciation of my news-curating efforts..with a promise of koha in appreciation of those efforts..
..the person said:..’it’s cool to have all the good stuff in one place’
Lolz Phillip, if you have 20,000 adherents and you cannot squeeze enough filthy lucre out of them to suit your lifestyle choices it could be said that perhaps your writing is actually not quite up there as you appear to think it is,
i recommend that you put the degree to good use and get a real fucken job…
Knickers knotted Phillis, not me, the closest i get is wearing shorts and they don’t seem capable of knotting,
Something you said Phillis, indeed it was, you seemed to have asked for any advice on how you could monetize your abysmal writing if any one could call it that, writing that is,
Hardly original which i assume is your intent with your barely decypherable script, a French writer, forgot the name, wrote in the same vein including dot dot dot way early in the piece, think 1800’s,
In little old Noo Zelind the same ‘style’ of dot dot dot was used in a little underground anti-government magazine produced in Wellington in the early 1990’s which would all in all make you hardly original, barely above plagarism, and, as far as content goes, oh so pretty vacant,
You asked for advice, you got it, get a real fucken job,and a haircut along with it i might add…
What a disappointment of an answer Phillis, what happened to the ‘fire’ of your usual elongated barely readable…diatribes…did a small dose of the truth…cut you too close to the bone…
So Phillis…your obviously one of those hero’s in your own lunchtime…what a surprise it is that you find the time to splash your…stream of utter drivel…across the internet…it must be hectic between bouts of…disjointed invective and running to the mirror for another session of…how great you are…
You havn’t as yet told the audience just who you are copying with the…the 1800’s French writer…or…the underground anti-Government mag circulated round Wellington in the early 90’s with the same…as the only form of punctuation…
Whats a real gut-buster of a laugh…is the fact that you seen the need to gain a university degree only to misuse said degree by commenting 1000’s of times here…and…on your own site…90% of which is just bland drivel…containing zilch of substance…which pretty much explains what goes on in your head…but
In no way explains the waste of the Universities time in the actual provision of the higher education…spill the beans Phillis…the Uni???…an exercise in avoiding real work of any substance???…looks like it to me…
Then…to the sounds of crowd-laughter…you have the gall to say you deserve payment Phillis…sorry to inform you…wastes of space get paid what your getting now…and…considering the degree…from the Uni…i am sceptical if you even deserve that…
Here i am tho…besides laughing in the face of one who i see as pretty much vacant…oh so pretty vacant…always helpful…seek your much desired pile of silver…from the effortless writing of that which is mostly vacant…oh so pretty vacant…from a spot of crowd sourcing…you claim to be being read by a big one…crowd that is…if your worth more than 20 cents…the crowd will happily be the source of your desired riches…
A planet where my job pays my bills and provides for my family, and I don’t need to invent one like you seem to have. I assume you draw a benefit whilst you’re doing all this ‘altruistic’ ‘work ‘? Don’t be so precious. If your followers were asked to pay, do you really think they’d stay your followers ? You’re just not that interesting.
Seeing as Phil Ure won’t allow a response despite asking for one; who reads my words? I am a published academic, so people willingly pay to hear my words both written and at conference. Am I good at anything? I am a chartered engineer and an academic, I have had a hand in producing thousands of productive professional engineers in my academic career, I have either designed or supervised infrastructural projects all over New Zealand worth tens of millions of dollars, I have through my work ensured water is clean and transport is safe and efficient, that structures are safe and Local Authorities get sound guidance. Apart from being a recovering heroin addict, which you perversely seem to announce with some pride, what use are you to anyone? You really are a sad little keyboard warrior aren’t you?
Blue, the lack of reply isn’t any ability of Phillis to grant or with-hold, it’s just how the web-page has been set up,
For some reason in ‘a on-going conversation’ the reply tab at the bottom of an individual comment stops appearing,
Not being at all tech savvy i don’t know the intent of how and why the page operates like this, Lprent could explain it to you in 10 seconds,
But, to reply to Phillis you simply need to find the last reply tab that appears at the bottom of a comment in the on-going conversation, hit on that, make and submit your comment, and,it should appear in the right place in the continuing ‘stream’…
Phillis, your continuous stream of barely understandable invective aimed at Blue…who obviously isn’t present in this morning’s conversation…is more than a little weird don’t you think…
Perhaps tho…this explains your need of a benefit…while being in receipt of this ‘fine arts’ degree ha ha ha…excuse the mirth Phillis…but…did you major in driveling bullshit…appears to be the case from my view…
Perhaps Phillis…getting back to the ‘need’ or otherwise of you to be an apparent shirker…with a Uni degree and a welfare benefit…i have been operating under a small misconception…and…as evidenced by your bizarre need to keep spilling invective…long after the target of your invective has left the conversation… you have something seriously amiss inside your cranial cavity…
The light goes on..illumination is achieved…recognition is enlightenment…it would appear from here Phillis…and…you will have to excuse me for borrowing a phrase…that your spewing of invective is simply caused by a brain…that is as weak as piss…
Phillis, pleas refer to my comment at 10.26am…as you raise nothing new but the usual snivel the 10.26am comment is sufficient in answer to your present little whine…
The biggest problem, in my opinion, is not so-called “piracy,” it’s that the “war on piracy” has grown so intense it is having a seriously damaging effect on the culture as a whole. The whole idea of copyright and our understanding of the relationship between artists and their audience and society as a whole has become distorted in a way I feel is increasingly toxic. It’s being used to force control over the Internet by government and corporations, to justify increasing surveillance of online activity, to break down net neutrality, to extend copyright terms ad infinitum, to do away with fair use and the public domain, to curtail free speech, to stifle innovation and prevent young web-savvy experimenters from coming up with new business models that could liberate artists from the kind of constraints and dependency we’ve become accustomed to in dealing with the old art industries.
That, to me, is far more serious than some 13-year old in Alaska or Peru downloading my comics from an unauthorized site. For every 1000 such downloads, maybe one might have bought it if they could? Maybe more — I don’t know. But while we’re fretting over all those possibly mythical lost potential sales, our fears are being exploited in a way that’s causing much more serious harm.
In the interview Horrocks talks about how writing for DC comics (big US corporate) distorted and stifled his creativity.
What were seeing is the new feudalism and it’s far more invasive than the old one. George Orwell had a good term for it – thought crime – and it’s come about through the only agency it could have come through – capitalism and the belief that we’re free when we’re not.
Those who want to make an ordinary living out of something creative should have every right to do so. If they don’t want their property rights enforced, that’s entirely their gig. Dylan Horrocks has found his perfect sine curve, and discovered that it’s not about about working for a company.
Then there are those who want to get spectacularly rich. I think they should have the right to defend their property rights if they want to. To me that is what copyright enforcement is for.
Does John Key have regula chats with Fran also? It would appear that she must be on the contact list so he can ask what she is writing about.
Both her and Whaleoil were twitter stalking Dotcom when he was at Huka Lodge. Creepy.
So, when Dotcom went down to the luxurious Huka Lodge and tweeted, “The view from my bedroom right now. Listening to the river & birds while thinking about the future.”
Key must be worried about Dotcom for WhaleSpew to be publishing that load of shit. Maybe Dotcom does actually have something concrete on the smarmy one?
Now that the boundaries between social gossip and political commentary are all a blur, is it okay to say, that this is just the thick skinned Fran O’Sullivan & Rachel G showing their visible party line?
SD, definitely not OK in my opinion, thick skinned is not a suitable epithet for O’Sullivan and the little cabal of NZHerald ‘writers’ who blatantly side with the National Party,
Willfully, cynically, thick headed would seem more appropriate…
‘Edit: and plenty of bloggers put in more effort, write more, and are (usually) fine with not being paid for it.’
Fantastic, every journalist (and some bloggers are journalists, some are not) should have a private/independent income, because then they won’t be captured by vested interests. Yeah, right. Reminds me of the old Tory argument that politicians should not receive an income, as it attracts careerists. Which in effect meant only those with inherited wealth could stand for Parliament.
Sorting out a business model for new media has to involve a continuation of the advertiser/subscriber model in some form, because despite all its faults, it’s better than the alternatives.
What sort of BS is this? (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9724858/Blackmailer-rues-her-actions).
A 17 year old threatens to name and shame a client who appeared destined to dishonour a financial deal. She is then named and shamed by the Court and MSM while the client has name suppression. Why should the service provider be subjected to opprobrium for the consequences of the bad conscience of a non-paying blowjobee.
That’s an interesting ‘interpretation’ of the story, it appears that this young lady was paid for all the ‘sexual acts’ but upon learning that the procurer of Her favors was married which prompted Her to openly try and blackmail Him out of cash,
Fact: the young lady pleaded guilty to the blackmail charge,
Fact: the young lady had previously been warned by Police for doing the exact same thing to another of Her ‘clients’,
Fact: After telling His wife of the blackmail the man committed suicide so what benefit is there to anyone of naming this man, He cannot be dug up and charged with procuring sex from an under-aged prostitute,
Fact: In Her own words She decided to be a bitch and blackmail this man even tho She had been previously warned by Police over the earlier incident of the same nature,
Fact: This young lady deserves no-ones sympathy and in my view fits the profile of a cold,cruel, calculating sociopath…
This morning with Kim Hill good interview on education and touching on what is behind the Leaders in Education idea. It has good points – worth a listen.
9:05 Stuart McNaughton
Professor Stuart McNaughton is Director of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education. He researches and publishes widely in areas of children’s development and the design of effective educational programmes including models of large scale interventions with schools. For the past three years he has worked with more than 15 schools instigating the Woolf Fisher Lead Teacher Masters Scholarships that are focused on improving achievement in their schools through leadership problem solving, and recently in a research partnership with Manaiakalani schools in Tamaki has co-developed a post-graduate programme to support the digital learning, community-based programmes they have developed across their cluster. He is a member of a number of international scientific organisations in child development, educational research and literacy, and is about to be inducted into the International Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame.
Yes greywarbler. I listened to that and thought it was good and positive, though it was a bit hard to know the specifics. Well worth the listen. Interesting that part of his research dates back to 1998.
I think that Media after 9am Sunday, tomorrow will also have a section on Education.
ianmac
Tomorrow Sunday on Mediawatch after 9am they are tslking about Radionz merry go round.
Mediawatch looks at significant changes announced for some of Radio New Zealand National’s key programmes – and asks the man at the top what it all means for RNZ’s future. Also: How one Australian criminal overseas hogged headlines here; how plumbing, paving and light bulbs overshadowed the Winter Olympics; and how some recent social media activity drew an anti-social response from media people.
Media Watch is a treasure. New CEO Paul Thompson gutted the regional editorial offices when he was Press editor, arguing regional stories had to earn their place against all other stories (i.e no dedicated editorial pages for regions), and that all such stories could be written from Christchurch. So regionally-based reporters with decades of experience lost their jobs, and the Press cut adrift the regions editorially. Stupid decision, especially given the huge changes in the rural economy over the past 10 years.
But he won’t have that degree of freedom at a public broadcaster, and also (hopefully) might have learnt something from those mistakes.
The signs aren’t all bad, as Guyon Espiner, much as I don’t like him, is an improvement on Mercep, who was completely out of his depth. Right-wingers are often better interviewers for some reason, maybe something to do with their degree of detachment from the world and their feelings. I don’t know.
No I don’t think that’s a fair reading of Trotter’s point at all.
What he’s saying is that given there are no economic, nor scientific reasons for the Japanese to actually be whaling, the only motivations left must be primarily emotional and symbolic.
Give them a path to back down without losing face and there is every possible expectation that they may well be happy to stop whaling on rational grounds.
It’s an idea worth exploring. Because while I admire Sea Shepherd intensely (and donate to them) – the current situation stinks of unproductive stalemate.
If there was indeed a legal mechanism that legally outlawed this whaling, and there was a way for the law to be implemented then we would not be having this conversation.
Give them a path to back down without losing face and there is every possible expectation that they may well be happy to stop whaling on rational grounds.
Yep, if ‘diplomacy’ is to be the means of stopping the Japanese from killing whales, and, there appears little else that New Zealand can do, then Chris Trotter is on the right track with what He says,
Murray McCully should put the feelers out to the Japanese Ambassador with an attempt to broker such a ‘face saving victory’ for the Japanese whalers,(which should also involve the US Ambassador),
The alternative if a solution cannot be brokered is for us all to wake up one morning to the news that the Japanese have sunk one of the protest boats with loss of life…
The alternative is that Sea Shepherd continues to stop the Japanese from killing whales.
So we are supposed to ban Sea Shepherd from our ports because…
(a) we can’t let the Japanese lose at anything because they are SO sensitive or
(b) the Japanese are dangerous bullies who might cause the death of protesters or
(c) both.
Huh?
Well if you have to HuH? at attempts to find a diplomatic means of stopping Japanese whaling you are probably too stupid to realize the implications,
For instance, should either side, the Japanese using wire rope and sea Sheppard using traditional rope succeed in snaring a ships propeller via such a ‘tactic’ there is a chance that one of these ships could be sunk via ripping the whole propeller drive out of the rear of the ship,
As this fight has escalated it is also conceivable that the ramming that has occurred will at some stage result in the sinking of one or both the ships involved,
i have a definite admiration for the fight Sea Sheppard has so far taken to the Japanese whaling fleet but it is obvious that this will not stop this whaling, i think Chris Trotter is pointing out another means that should at the least be explored between Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Ambassador…
RedLogix donates to Sea Shepherd. How do you equate this with banning them from our ports?
My view is that Sea Shepherd by itself will never stop the Japanese whaling completely, we cannot use our navy to stop them in our waters, and no other navy is going to step up. Therefore we need to get the Japanese to agree to stopping. Pressure from Sea Shepherd and other organisations might help with this, consumer boycotts could contribute, maybe bans on sporting contacts. Some of us did our bit with South Africa, and in the end there was some progress, but basically when the Boers realised they couldn’t just keep calm and carry on. We can do it with Japan, but I suspect it will be a multi-pronged campaign.
In the meantime, I suspect that seismic exploration connected with oil and gas surveys is killing more whales than the Japanese ever have. Our government is enabling this, and Labour has not really given any signs that they would stop it.
Not so much unproductive stalemate as heading for environmental disaster by fouled prop.
No easy fix im afraid but trying to disable ships down there is a bridge to far tactics wise for me and both sides are playing that game…
Japan’s behaviour over whale killing seems unexplainable and senseless. We would like them to stop but they will not.
If wanting to know how to do something like achieving their agreement to stop, to do it successfully, first it is necessary to understand the best way to do it, what methods to use, and whether it is likely to work effectively.
The fact that we do not like what the Japanese are doing, is a huge reason to try and understand why, looking from their point of view. Other methods have not worked so far. It would be wise to do some study on why this is, and more information will help and may be more successful than kneejerk emotional responses.
As i have given Labour front bench’er Shane Jones plenty of stick in the pages of the Standard over the course of time, such stick having in my opinion been the just rewards of Shane’s efforts as a highly ranked Labour MP, in the interests of balance and fairness i would have to give the MP a 9 out of 10 for this weeks performance in the house,
A BIG UPS to Jones for stepping into the middle of an issue that concerns us all when it comes down to the behavior of those who control the very basics of life, the supermarkets,
Seems that Shane, once He has dropped the barely lucid waffle with which He has previously tried to get His point across, can make a speech in the Parliament in cold clear English with a voice that forced the Government benches to sit up and take notice,
A note to Mr Jones should include the advice that ‘yes Shane we all know you attended Oxford there is no need to prove this by the insertion of grandiose phraseology into your speech that for many would need the intervention of a professor of English literature to interpret, plain, direct English does the job fine’,
it is obvious that in plain English with the vocal ability that He has Jones should be speaking with a passion that is sadly lacking from Labour’s side of the House on a few more issues leading into this election,
The 9 outta 10 Shane is in the vein of what took you so long???…
It often doesn’t. There’s a difference in meaning between the words gigantic and huge. And then we’re also looking at the impression/feeling that someone wants to get across that just doesn’t work with some words.
Having a good understanding of language is often what makes an excellent orator.
Draco, really??? having the target audience being able to fully understand the content of your speech i would think for a politician would be of more import than being able to waffle in 12 letter words at will…
Refer to my answer below Draco, i am not in the slightest bit interest in having an elongated debate with you or anyone else about part of a sentence in part of a paragraph which was part of a comment,
Shall we debate where i choose to put my comma’s and full stops…
You might be getting at something similar to what Trotter said in this article , where he says : “New Zealanders do not admire intellectuals and they positively despise academics.”
+100, Jane McAllister, NICE, takes the cane to National’s Ministers for their stupid attack on Metiria Turei’s life-style in the Herald online,
Hit’s every nail on the head while She is at it as far as the foibles of the ‘silver spoon brigade’ goes, well worth a read,
A small hat tip to the Herald for running with the article, none of us expect the Herald to print a continuous gush of pro Labour/Green propoganda,(which is what most would consider is the daily fair churned out by the likes of O’Sullivn, Armstrong, and, Trevett, just to name a few,
What we want is a balanced view where there are obviously two or more sides to every story and the Herald should be ensuring that all sides of an argument get an equal airing, informing the readership i think it is called as opposed to telling them what they should think…
Herald should be ensuring that all sides of an argument get an equal airing,
And what makes that balanced? Climate change deniers get equal hearing through the MSM and yet only 3% or less of climatologists have an argument against AGW. In such cases I want proportional airing of views.
In the case of National’s attack on Meteria’s jacket the correct response from the journos should have been to laugh in their faces and either not publish as it wasn’t even news or to use such a story so as to point out the contempt that National has for everyone else.
Draco, i would answer that but honestly i don’t understand what your current bee in the bonnet blather is on about and quite frankly cannot be bothered reading it a second or third time to ascertain it’s meaning, which i really think is more to do with your overblown ego than anything i may have written…
“It turns out that, when people are holding something heavy, they will report an issue to be more serious, compared to when they are holding something lighter.”
Just as well Key doesn’t have a conscience, because if he did it would be so heavily laden he would be severely troubled by his friendship with the oily one.
Been thinking about Mr Key hinting at Whaleoil. Would Mr Key hint at that to send we inquirers hunting and away from the real answer. Clearly he knew that the Whaleoil would keep us very exercised. ????
But why didn’t they remember the lessons learned in the thirty years after World War II – that widely-shared prosperity is good for everyone, including them?
Perhaps because they didn’t care to remember. They discovered that wealth is also relative: How rich they feel depends not just on how much money they have, but also how they live in comparison to most other people.
From Robert Reich quoted in today’s “Irascible Cumudgeon”
An important point and one that is not given the consideration it deserves imo.
The uber-competitive mode is not just about individuals desperate to succeed or be rich, it is also about wanting others to fail and suffer badly. This is a major motivation in itself. The worse others do, the greater the extent of the victory for the victor. Poverty is not just some unfortunate by-product of neoliberalism it is an important part of the motivation for the wealthy and even many of the merely comfortably-off. This is part of what we are up against imo.
Poverty is not just some unfortunate by-product of neoliberalism it is an important part of the motivation for the wealthy and even many of the merely comfortably-off.
Yes – this. Herein lies the real ‘politics of envy’. Monbiot wrote a powerful essay on this last year:
1. the circumstance prior to 1975 when there was a means tested rate for the first 5 years before the universal rate kicked in?
Why not excluding those working from age 65 to 70 from super (currently 20% work) rather than increasing the age to 67 (see 2, a policy to apply between now and 2030-2050 to reduce the baby boom period cost – with the impact falling those who can afford it, those still able to work at good wage rates).
A 5-10% cut in super cost without any harm to those seeking to retire at age 65 or losing employment before age 65.
2. delay any age increase to 2030 – then increase the age from 65 to 70 over the next 20 years. To account for the extended life span.
The old system pre 1975 was to assess this by a means test.
It’s simple enough to distinguish between a part-timer earning $20 an hour for 10 -20 hours and someone still working in their profession clearing $100,000+ pa.
A rule of thumb, where if job income is at the median wage or above – then no super till age 70.
An alternative in response to Labour policy in support of young families.
A more clear differentiation to the policy.
1. Parental Leave.
a 12 months total leave available to the 2 parents.
b1 Payment of MW for 6 months or a half rate payment over 12 months (the parental leave period) to either parent while off work. Parents choose (both parents could take 6 months off during the 12 month period) .
b2 Support is also given to a non working partner while the child is under 1 at the same rate – half the MW for the 12 month period.
To differentiate between the working parent and non working parent is to discriminate family support on employment status and not need. It is a poor policy setting and Labour should confront it more directly.
I would not include the beneficiary parent in this.
2. Young family support (for those with children 1 to 3).
As is, the $60 payment – being means tested, but again I would not include the beneficiary parent in this.
The issue here is of course the practice of many women to go back to work after the first child but to take a longer break with the birth of the second (because of the child care cost of two children makes working non rewarding).
Labour is wise to note that many women have two children, and the need to re-design support around modern family practice (the one income period). Thus of course ECE funding reduces child care cost and enables women advantage from a return to full-time employment (either when the youngest turns 3 and the eldest goes to primary school or when the eldest turns 3 and the youngest turns 1). After school care from ages 5-11 completes the support.
3. Beneficiary parents. Simply propose a higher benefit to those raising children. Connect the issue to a GMFI for families dependent on benefit income. Sell it by offering it only to those who spend off a card, if that is the only way to grow a pair.
Well the Countdown smack down looks like it’s in full swing. Went to the local supermarket and two hours after they normally close a bunch of checkouts they were still in full swing, checkies confirmed that more than a few going thr’ were ex Countdown.
And while I am here, what is it with toothpaste, the stuff is made in australia ,england, south africa, india ,thailand. I’d have though we would have consumed enough of it to make some of it here. And for all the blabber about being a low income country we now seem to be importing from higher wage countries than ours. So clearly this low wage stuff doesn’t actually work?
The Right seem desperate to measure stuff and the hidden curriculum is very hard to measure. Developing interest in growing food? Nah! Reading scores? Maybe.
So yes. Borton good to read.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
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Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
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Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
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Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
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In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
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“..Can you make meat without killing?..”
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/14/silicon-valley-hack-food-industry
phillip ure..
http://thestandard.org.nz/ethical-meat-on-its-way/
Your brain is made of meat glued together phool
Go back to the beach, please
Prostituting Otago Oil is about to release their winged monkeys:
“The businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, said… it would be a counterpunch to the actions of Oil Free Otago, such as last week’s visit to the Anadarko drilling site and today’s Banners on the Beach protest at St Clair Beach.”
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/291777/progas-actions-add-balance-debate
Any Waipounamu/ South Island beach at noon today is a good time to show resistance to these anonymous businessmen and their Whiley ways.
http://www.getfree.org.nz/banners/
was that plane today flying above st clair, the banner said ‘progas 4 drilling’, bit too cryptic for me.
idlegus
That was the one – I didn’t see any anti-protestors on the ground, but apparently one of the boats was pro-drilling too. They seem to have much money spread around very few people. A tiny pyramid scheme with Whiley Coyote at it’s apex.
Fortunately, the ODT initial report doesn’t mention it at all:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/291799/corwd-turns-out-beach-protest
TVNZs coverage is pretty brief: “Over 2,000 people on 20 beaches across the South Island took part in the ‘Banners on the Beach’ protest” (but the video mistakes Dunedin for Southland):
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/oil-exploration-protesters-take-beaches-5837422
TV3 shows A Whiley one pimping the employment prospects while neglecting to mention that; the number of jobs generated by the renewable sector would be far higher, and not mostly go to foreigners. The 8 billion figure quoted is over a 45year productive period and amounts to 256 FTE jobs.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Dunedin-protests-for-and-against-Anadarko-drilling/tabid/1160/articleID/332375/Default.aspx
http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/natural-resources/pdf-docs-library/oil-and-gas/economic-contribution-of-oil-and-gas-industry/BERL%20report.pdf
“On average, over the 45 years that the field operates, $428 million is spent annually. Of this $179 million is spent regionally, creating 256 jobs and generating $71 million in regional GDP on average each year. [p20]
“While the impacts appear significant, all production is exported directly from offshore facilities. The main regional impacts are from providing services and provisions to the field, along with some maintenance and repair during production. [p21]”
So it is basically the profit margins of bars and brothels about which Stinky POO is getting their knickers in a twist.
What, nothing yet about the left losing the election?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9724511/National-on-wave-of-optimism-poll
Didn’t you know that polls are only mentioned when they’re good for the left but ignored when its bad
Its another poll showing a decline in National’s support and its claim about the likely number of seats for National is difficult to fathom. No doubt it will be discussed today.
You’ve started my day with a laugh and for that I thank you 🙂
“A new Fairfax Media-Ipsos poll puts National on 49.4 per cent against 31.8 per cent for Labour and 10 per cent for the Greens.”
Yes its a real problem for National at the moment I’d hate to be them at the moment 🙂
I pick you’ll do your best to ignore cold, hard, reality: the trend is still down, and Fairfax routinely overstates National’s support by 6% or more, so yes, I think they’ll be concerned, and I’m sure you would be too, if you had the cognitive chops.
I suspect that the messiah is going through his wilderness experience at the moment. (as shown by labour’s results in this poll.)
What will be interesting is if the great satan (John Key) tries to tempt the messiah in any sneaky way while he is weak and hungry. (for poll results? adulation?)
It’s fearfux, loud-hailer for the Right. No need to get all giddy Chris73
A website for for you ..
http://fearfactsexposed.wordpress.com/
Thanks Paul. I know of that site but haven’t visited for awhile. Thanks for reminding me, I had a quick read and it made me think of what truth is up against, an almighty lumbering propaganda machine, crashing through the countryside.
Well what do you expect when they call land lines in Remuera and all the other rich area’s where they all just love that nice Mr Key.
Meanwhile in the real world of not being able to afford a land line no one can ever call us to ask our opinion.
Seti, Chris, you’re late to this discussion. Repeat comment:
Something “interesting” is happening with these Fairfax media polls.
On the 28th October they reported that “…National is also up two points … winning the backing of more than 50 per cent of committed voters.
… On the latest poll numbers National would win 63 seats in a 124 seat Parliament and be able to govern alone.”
Today they say that “A new Fairfax Media-Ipsos poll puts National on 49.4 per cent…On those numbers National would win 64 seats…”
My bold.
So can we infer that the previous peak of “over 50%” is now below 50%, a continuation of the downward trend? Or can we infer that Fairfax media don’t know how to convert vote share into seats?
Chris, Seti, I note that in July 2011 Fairfax gave the National Party 56% support. Diddums.
The previous poll had a higher percentage spread across the three parties over the 5% threshold so the discarded vote increases the share of the other parties, ipso facto National picks up another seat.
Interestingly, with the Conservatives polling 2% if they could pick up an electorate they would have 3 MP’s.
I don’t trust any of these FF polls, they will continue to wave the Key-National flag in a hope that those people that pay little interest in politics, and think both main party’s are pretty much the same. It’s the same old tactic of trying to con this group into not showing up to vote because the result is a forgone conclusion. This is what happened last election, let’s not let this happen again.
Both Labour and the Greens need to really drive home the message that ‘your vote counts’ and had you voted last election the continued suffering and hardship that you have had to endure over the last 3 years was completely unnecessary, self inflicted because you got swindled out of your vote which was illustrated by how close the final result was.
Here is what gives me heart and a good back straightener. I was in my old home city midweek at a meeting and this former work colleague comes over to me and tells me ” hey mate I am enrolled to vote and man I can’t wait to vote National out and Labour/Greens in, shit I feel such an idiot for doing the whole A political thing.”
This is what National and the Right are really up against, regardless of the positive polling the 800,000 bloc is their weakness, no matter what they do, like portraying a move Left by things like increased paid parental leave etc. The Employment law changes coming up contradict this, and man do we have a platform there to drive another nail into their coffin.
Oh no, i am totally shattered, National Governs alone after the 2014 election how could i not have seen that coming, i might as well give up the fight right now and become resigned to a third term National Government,
YAWN, you would think that the Herald would have at least the ability to think up a new line of lies for each election, hell they have a three year space between them,
Same old mantra which lead us into the 2011 election where if it were not for the baubles on offer being gladly snatched by Turia and Sharple’s i doubt if this present shower of s**t that is Slippery’s National Government would have made it this far through the electoral cycle,
If Slippery the Prime Minister had 49% of the vote sown up in His back pocket we wouldn’t now be being subject to the ugly stream of s**t currently being spewed forth from National, it’s Prime Minister and it’s Front Bench,
If Slippery the Prime Minister for a moment thought He had this election in the bag we all would be getting episode two of ‘smile’n’wave, how any old intellectual vacant space can rule the roost’, instead of an increasingly snide and abusive, through the onset of fear, Prime Minister…
“YAWN, you would think that the Herald would have at least the ability to think up a new line of lies for each election, hell they have a three year space between them,”
It was a Fairfax poll and reported on the Stuff site, not the Herald/APN.
The point is polls such as this become self-fulfilling, causing the lower turnout we saw in 2011 with the thinking that its a foregone conclusion.
Seti, Yawn again, i stand corrected, Fairfux poll Herald poll, is there really a difference when you yourself describe quite precisely what the actual intent of such polls are, on the surface such polls pretend to provide information, the underlying reason for them tho as you have alluded to is to ‘switch off’ a section of voters likely to have a large streak of defeatism running through their nature,
By the way Seti, ‘the left’ will,only concede to have ‘lost’ the election at the point the vote is counted should ‘the left’ have no chance of forming a Governing coalition…
Fran O’Sullivan’s a good laugh. Doing a bit of spin job against Kim Dotcom, she identifies herself as a “content producer”, against the (alleged) way Dotcom abuses copyright.
How much effort does it take to reel off a bit of pro NAct cheerleading?
Edit: and plenty of bloggers put in more effort, write more, and are (usually) fine with not being paid for it.
I have read the article, and its odd. The Nat spin machine is going hard at the angle that Dotcom is broke (innuendo only), then she moans about being a content provider and people taking her content for free.
It’s been well known for months that Dotcom has financial issues
Really do tell? Shouldn’t gossip be covered by Glucina and not a Business Analysis and Comment. Cough, cough.
Most of her content comes from twitter, Glucina and the 9th Floor.
Note to Fran, when the Herald paywall comes it will not be your friend.
And John Armstrong gets his facts muddled to fit his narrative again today.
The Greens seem to believe that the wide discretion the law gives to the Minister of Justice amounts to carte blanche for the minister to pick and and choose who goes and who stays.
That discretion in the law is obviously there to deal with any anomalies or unforeseen circumstances.
He forgets to mention the illegal spying, the raid on the house and all the current court cases as being an anomaly or unforseen circumstance.
Go have a read of whaleoil, it’s all there.
Quite a few kiwi businesses owed money by the chunky German, not a good look.
BM
“Well known on whaleoil” does not equal true.
Like Peters visiting Dot com 3x.
I see lots of articles Jan – Feb 2014, but no evidence. Lots of requests for creditors to go to his tip line.
Could you please give me a link to the evidence that he is not paying people. An email, or scan of a letter would be nice.
Thanks in advance.
Slater’s doing the death by 1000 cuts on Dot com.
No doubt it will all come out over the next few months.
So nothing, your just making stuff up.
Thanks for confirming that.
So a fact free death by a thousand cuts. Good to know what we are dealing with.
Dunno about that BM unless he’s using a feather – Mr dotcom seems to be coming out of this unhurt. But he’s probably pissed off – oh dear for those that have done that I suspect.
Slater also promised follow ups on the Brown extramarital sex story – the other women yet to come forward. Still …
No doubt that’s another thing the New Zealand taxpayer is going to have to compensate him for.
Pretty easy for the new justice minister to make that call. “Mr.com, the National Party has treated you abominably, run roughshod over your legal rights. They are trash who have brought shame upon this country. New Zealand will not compound their corruption by inconveniencing you any further.”
“Go have a read of whaleoil, it’s all there.”
Sorry. I prefer to keep my brunch down thanks.
@ karol..
(ahem..!..)
“.. plenty of bloggers put in more effort, write more, and are (usually) fine with not being paid for it…”
while considering myself one of the above..
..i would just like to go on the record as being not:
“.. fine with not being paid for it..”
phillip ure..
That’s why I said “usually”.
Myself, I’m fine with it.
Karol
It also depends what you mean by being “paid” for something. Sure, in terms of monetary recompense, blogging time is a total waste. In terms of; building 21st century communities, and; developing social awareness on issues disregarded by a sold-out MSM, the payoff is extremely good (even if inconsistent and unpredictable).
Agreed, Pasupial.
Phillip, who exactly do you think should ”pay for it”…
@ bad..
..well..i have over 21,000 subscribers (on r.s.s…)..
..(taking 40-50 stories/links from me..every day..)
..and over 20,000 other websites point at me..
(source:..zeald website-audit..)
(and if those subscribers didn’t like what i have on offer..they would unsubscribe..
..’cos..like i said..i am feeding them 40-50 rss feeds..each/every day..
..and if they didn’t want it..it would be like a major spam-attack for them each/every day..)
..and if you multiply all that..
..that is a hell of a lot of faces..each/every day..
..(and quite a bit of work each/every day..)
..and seeing as you asked..
..i’m open to ideas/offers to somehow monetise that traffic..
..(of course any ads (if going that route..)..have ethical-hoops to jump thru..
..(as a rough-guide..no macdonalds/planet-fuckers etc..eh..?..)
..(and as a footnote:..it was cheering the other day to get a message of appreciation of my news-curating efforts..with a promise of koha in appreciation of those efforts..
..the person said:..’it’s cool to have all the good stuff in one place’
..now..that..and the issues i am fighting for..
..is what gets me up very early in the morning..)
..phillip ure..
Lolz Phillip, if you have 20,000 adherents and you cannot squeeze enough filthy lucre out of them to suit your lifestyle choices it could be said that perhaps your writing is actually not quite up there as you appear to think it is,
i recommend that you put the degree to good use and get a real fucken job…
“You better get yourself a new line
’cause that shit just ain’t worth selling”
i’ll see yr shihad..
..and raise you with a snapper..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhyIV-XLgPo
phillip ure..
Kiwi music rulez
rules
rools
Keeping it on topic
for just one dollar a year, you can keep him in tofu…
you seem quite bitter there..bad..
..knickers well knotted..
..was it something i said..?
..phillip ure..
Knickers knotted Phillis, not me, the closest i get is wearing shorts and they don’t seem capable of knotting,
Something you said Phillis, indeed it was, you seemed to have asked for any advice on how you could monetize your abysmal writing if any one could call it that, writing that is,
Hardly original which i assume is your intent with your barely decypherable script, a French writer, forgot the name, wrote in the same vein including dot dot dot way early in the piece, think 1800’s,
In little old Noo Zelind the same ‘style’ of dot dot dot was used in a little underground anti-government magazine produced in Wellington in the early 1990’s which would all in all make you hardly original, barely above plagarism, and, as far as content goes, oh so pretty vacant,
You asked for advice, you got it, get a real fucken job,and a haircut along with it i might add…
what a strange wee man you seem to be..
..phillip ure..
What a disappointment of an answer Phillis, what happened to the ‘fire’ of your usual elongated barely readable…diatribes…did a small dose of the truth…cut you too close to the bone…
you’re just really very boring..eh..?
..(with really nothing stopping presuming you are the same in real life..eh..?..)
..nothing really there to spark off..
..and you are hovering perilously near to the ignore-list..eh..?
..(expelled there for the crime of ‘boring’..)
..and y’know..vent away..eh..?
..i spent quite a while as the only vegan/leftie/pothead commenting @ the kiwiblog-swamp..eh..?
..you’re pathetic attempts at the art of the ad hom/insult..
..are no more effective than the buzzing of a blow-fly..
..eh..?
..hope that goes some way to clarify all that for you..
(..and ‘phillis’..?
..really..?..
..that’s the best you can come up with..?
..have you been drinking..?..)
..phillip ure..
have you thought of training as a foil..?
..phillip ure..
So Phillis…your obviously one of those hero’s in your own lunchtime…what a surprise it is that you find the time to splash your…stream of utter drivel…across the internet…it must be hectic between bouts of…disjointed invective and running to the mirror for another session of…how great you are…
You havn’t as yet told the audience just who you are copying with the…the 1800’s French writer…or…the underground anti-Government mag circulated round Wellington in the early 90’s with the same…as the only form of punctuation…
Whats a real gut-buster of a laugh…is the fact that you seen the need to gain a university degree only to misuse said degree by commenting 1000’s of times here…and…on your own site…90% of which is just bland drivel…containing zilch of substance…which pretty much explains what goes on in your head…but
In no way explains the waste of the Universities time in the actual provision of the higher education…spill the beans Phillis…the Uni???…an exercise in avoiding real work of any substance???…looks like it to me…
Then…to the sounds of crowd-laughter…you have the gall to say you deserve payment Phillis…sorry to inform you…wastes of space get paid what your getting now…and…considering the degree…from the Uni…i am sceptical if you even deserve that…
Here i am tho…besides laughing in the face of one who i see as pretty much vacant…oh so pretty vacant…always helpful…seek your much desired pile of silver…from the effortless writing of that which is mostly vacant…oh so pretty vacant…from a spot of crowd sourcing…you claim to be being read by a big one…crowd that is…if your worth more than 20 cents…the crowd will happily be the source of your desired riches…
Phil, you capitalist you.
@ blue..
..guilty as charged..
..’ethical’-capitalist tho’..
..eh..?
phillip ure..
Ethical or not the hypocrisy is galling
what ‘hypocrisy’..?
..i don’t remember taking a vow of poverty..
..and you feel i should not be able to earn an income for my news curating efforts..?
..you can stick that in yr pipe..eh..?
..what fucken planet are you from..?
phillip ure..
A planet where my job pays my bills and provides for my family, and I don’t need to invent one like you seem to have. I assume you draw a benefit whilst you’re doing all this ‘altruistic’ ‘work ‘? Don’t be so precious. If your followers were asked to pay, do you really think they’d stay your followers ? You’re just not that interesting.
crikey..!
..still..
..where’s the ‘hypocrisy’..?
..you still haven’t addressed/defined that claim..
..and..um..!..how many read yr ideas/words..?
.(.aside from the face that stares at you from the mirror..
..eh..?..)
..heh..!
..there’s now’t like a fool..eh..?
..blue..?
(see..i can even ad-hom better than you..
..lift yr game..!
..eh..?
..are you any good at anything..?..)
..phillip ure..
Seeing as Phil Ure won’t allow a response despite asking for one; who reads my words? I am a published academic, so people willingly pay to hear my words both written and at conference. Am I good at anything? I am a chartered engineer and an academic, I have had a hand in producing thousands of productive professional engineers in my academic career, I have either designed or supervised infrastructural projects all over New Zealand worth tens of millions of dollars, I have through my work ensured water is clean and transport is safe and efficient, that structures are safe and Local Authorities get sound guidance. Apart from being a recovering heroin addict, which you perversely seem to announce with some pride, what use are you to anyone? You really are a sad little keyboard warrior aren’t you?
i repeat..
..where is the ‘hypocrisy’ you allege..?
..and you are an ‘engineer’..eh..?
..but can’t work out how the reply-button works in this forum..?
..whoar..!
..got a mono-mind there..?..blue..?
..had a lateral-thinking bye-pass..?
..heh..!
..phillip ure..
“..You really are a sad little keyboard warrior aren’t you?..”
maybe..but one with a rather large audience..eh..?
..and despite yr dick-waving..
..more read what i say in one day..
..than have read yr words..
..in the course of yr whole life..
..suck that one up..sunshine..
..tasty..?
(and..um..!..have you applied yr big-engineering brain to the reply function on this site yet..?
..close to a ‘solution’/finding yr way..?..
..heh..!..yr funny..!..)
..phillip ure
rabid rightwing ‘engineer’ for breakfast..
..mm!!!..tasty..!
(how’s that reply-button conundrum going for ya there..?
..tearing yr hair out that i can make comments..at will..
..and you can’t..?
..do you have anyone nearby/you trust.. who could explain it to you..?..
..walk you thru it..?..)
phillip ure..
Blue, the lack of reply isn’t any ability of Phillis to grant or with-hold, it’s just how the web-page has been set up,
For some reason in ‘a on-going conversation’ the reply tab at the bottom of an individual comment stops appearing,
Not being at all tech savvy i don’t know the intent of how and why the page operates like this, Lprent could explain it to you in 10 seconds,
But, to reply to Phillis you simply need to find the last reply tab that appears at the bottom of a comment in the on-going conversation, hit on that, make and submit your comment, and,it should appear in the right place in the continuing ‘stream’…
there ya go..!..blue..!
..ya found a buddy..!..eh..?
..awww!!
..and how will you work this reply-button conundrum that so stumped you..
..(and you an engineer..!..eh..?…)
..how will you work this into yr academic/treatises/lectures..?
..or will you just keep mum about it..?..
..phillip ure..
and really..all the above exchange proves..
..is the superior benefits to be received from a fine-arts degree..
..over an engineering-degree..
..(but we all already knew that..eh..?..)
..poor engineers..
..can’t see the bridge for the bolts..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..
cd someone plse call a zambuck..?..for blue..
..phillip ure..
Phillis, your continuous stream of barely understandable invective aimed at Blue…who obviously isn’t present in this morning’s conversation…is more than a little weird don’t you think…
Perhaps tho…this explains your need of a benefit…while being in receipt of this ‘fine arts’ degree ha ha ha…excuse the mirth Phillis…but…did you major in driveling bullshit…appears to be the case from my view…
Perhaps Phillis…getting back to the ‘need’ or otherwise of you to be an apparent shirker…with a Uni degree and a welfare benefit…i have been operating under a small misconception…and…as evidenced by your bizarre need to keep spilling invective…long after the target of your invective has left the conversation… you have something seriously amiss inside your cranial cavity…
The light goes on..illumination is achieved…recognition is enlightenment…it would appear from here Phillis…and…you will have to excuse me for borrowing a phrase…that your spewing of invective is simply caused by a brain…that is as weak as piss…
“..yawn..!..”
..(like i said..vent yr little heart out..
..and while there..try to define in yr mind the difference between invective..
..and taking the piss..when/where seriously deserved..
..eh..?..
..it was a gift..!..
..and i see you’ve really glommed onto the ‘phillis’ thing…..
..(ouch..!..)
..plse tell/show us you have more to give in the way of wit..
(rhymes with ‘git’….eh..?..)
..surely that can’t be ‘it’..?
..phillip ure..
Phillis, pleas refer to my comment at 10.26am…as you raise nothing new but the usual snivel the 10.26am comment is sufficient in answer to your present little whine…
Largely with O’Sullivan, and journalists, novelists, and film-makers on this one.
Dotcom is aligned with the TPP on copyright.
Ad
This just seems flat out wrong: “Dotcom is aligned with the TPP on copyright.”. Care to elaborate?
Try Dylan Horrocks on copyright & how it’s used by corporates to rip off the content creators, and to increase surveillance, etc – to stifle creativity.
In the interview Horrocks talks about how writing for DC comics (big US corporate) distorted and stifled his creativity.
Yes, it is the gradual commercialisation and corporate control of all culture and literature.
They control what is produced, broadcast, distributed, funded and sponsored.
Anything which helps ordinary people realise their own agency and independence in a world of realism and questioning- no thanks.
+1
What were seeing is the new feudalism and it’s far more invasive than the old one. George Orwell had a good term for it – thought crime – and it’s come about through the only agency it could have come through – capitalism and the belief that we’re free when we’re not.
Those who want to make an ordinary living out of something creative should have every right to do so. If they don’t want their property rights enforced, that’s entirely their gig. Dylan Horrocks has found his perfect sine curve, and discovered that it’s not about about working for a company.
Then there are those who want to get spectacularly rich. I think they should have the right to defend their property rights if they want to. To me that is what copyright enforcement is for.
“Dotcom is aligned with the TPP on copyright.”
Bullshit. On his Twitter feed, for months KDC has been urging people to support all the various anti-TPP protests etc around the world.
Does John Key have regula chats with Fran also? It would appear that she must be on the contact list so he can ask what she is writing about.
Both her and Whaleoil were twitter stalking Dotcom when he was at Huka Lodge. Creepy.
So, when Dotcom went down to the luxurious Huka Lodge and tweeted, “The view from my bedroom right now. Listening to the river & birds while thinking about the future.”
I asked: “Paying the bill?”
And from Whale
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/01/money-pay-bills-plenty-plus-time-alone-huka-lodge/
Key must be worried about Dotcom for WhaleSpew to be publishing that load of shit. Maybe Dotcom does actually have something concrete on the smarmy one?
Now that the boundaries between social gossip and political commentary are all a blur, is it okay to say, that this is just the thick skinned Fran O’Sullivan & Rachel G showing their visible party line?
SD, definitely not OK in my opinion, thick skinned is not a suitable epithet for O’Sullivan and the little cabal of NZHerald ‘writers’ who blatantly side with the National Party,
Willfully, cynically, thick headed would seem more appropriate…
‘Edit: and plenty of bloggers put in more effort, write more, and are (usually) fine with not being paid for it.’
Fantastic, every journalist (and some bloggers are journalists, some are not) should have a private/independent income, because then they won’t be captured by vested interests. Yeah, right. Reminds me of the old Tory argument that politicians should not receive an income, as it attracts careerists. Which in effect meant only those with inherited wealth could stand for Parliament.
Sorting out a business model for new media has to involve a continuation of the advertiser/subscriber model in some form, because despite all its faults, it’s better than the alternatives.
this is both brilliant..and funny..
..the daily show nails it..
http://www.alternet.org/russian-spokesman-youre-free-make-sex-table
phillip ure..
Apologies to the Many Voices Dunedin meetup, I won’t be making it today.
What sort of BS is this? (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9724858/Blackmailer-rues-her-actions).
A 17 year old threatens to name and shame a client who appeared destined to dishonour a financial deal. She is then named and shamed by the Court and MSM while the client has name suppression. Why should the service provider be subjected to opprobrium for the consequences of the bad conscience of a non-paying blowjobee.
That’s an interesting ‘interpretation’ of the story, it appears that this young lady was paid for all the ‘sexual acts’ but upon learning that the procurer of Her favors was married which prompted Her to openly try and blackmail Him out of cash,
Fact: the young lady pleaded guilty to the blackmail charge,
Fact: the young lady had previously been warned by Police for doing the exact same thing to another of Her ‘clients’,
Fact: After telling His wife of the blackmail the man committed suicide so what benefit is there to anyone of naming this man, He cannot be dug up and charged with procuring sex from an under-aged prostitute,
Fact: In Her own words She decided to be a bitch and blackmail this man even tho She had been previously warned by Police over the earlier incident of the same nature,
Fact: This young lady deserves no-ones sympathy and in my view fits the profile of a cold,cruel, calculating sociopath…
I agree completely
This morning with Kim Hill good interview on education and touching on what is behind the Leaders in Education idea. It has good points – worth a listen.
9:05 Stuart McNaughton
Professor Stuart McNaughton is Director of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education. He researches and publishes widely in areas of children’s development and the design of effective educational programmes including models of large scale interventions with schools. For the past three years he has worked with more than 15 schools instigating the Woolf Fisher Lead Teacher Masters Scholarships that are focused on improving achievement in their schools through leadership problem solving, and recently in a research partnership with Manaiakalani schools in Tamaki has co-developed a post-graduate programme to support the digital learning, community-based programmes they have developed across their cluster. He is a member of a number of international scientific organisations in child development, educational research and literacy, and is about to be inducted into the International Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame.
Yes greywarbler. I listened to that and thought it was good and positive, though it was a bit hard to know the specifics. Well worth the listen. Interesting that part of his research dates back to 1998.
I think that Media after 9am Sunday, tomorrow will also have a section on Education.
ianmac
Tomorrow Sunday on Mediawatch after 9am they are tslking about Radionz merry go round.
Mediawatch looks at significant changes announced for some of Radio New Zealand National’s key programmes – and asks the man at the top what it all means for RNZ’s future. Also: How one Australian criminal overseas hogged headlines here; how plumbing, paving and light bulbs overshadowed the Winter Olympics; and how some recent social media activity drew an anti-social response from media people.
Media Watch is a treasure. New CEO Paul Thompson gutted the regional editorial offices when he was Press editor, arguing regional stories had to earn their place against all other stories (i.e no dedicated editorial pages for regions), and that all such stories could be written from Christchurch. So regionally-based reporters with decades of experience lost their jobs, and the Press cut adrift the regions editorially. Stupid decision, especially given the huge changes in the rural economy over the past 10 years.
But he won’t have that degree of freedom at a public broadcaster, and also (hopefully) might have learnt something from those mistakes.
The signs aren’t all bad, as Guyon Espiner, much as I don’t like him, is an improvement on Mercep, who was completely out of his depth. Right-wingers are often better interviewers for some reason, maybe something to do with their degree of detachment from the world and their feelings. I don’t know.
Chris Trotter is Glen Inwood’s new best friend.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/japanese-pride.html
Apparently an intangible feeling of Japanese pride is far more important than actual deaths of whales.
No I don’t think that’s a fair reading of Trotter’s point at all.
What he’s saying is that given there are no economic, nor scientific reasons for the Japanese to actually be whaling, the only motivations left must be primarily emotional and symbolic.
Give them a path to back down without losing face and there is every possible expectation that they may well be happy to stop whaling on rational grounds.
It’s an idea worth exploring. Because while I admire Sea Shepherd intensely (and donate to them) – the current situation stinks of unproductive stalemate.
You planning on applying such logic to other forms of criminal behaviour then?
If there was indeed a legal mechanism that legally outlawed this whaling, and there was a way for the law to be implemented then we would not be having this conversation.
So no I don’t follow your logic.
They already have one – conservation.
Yep, if ‘diplomacy’ is to be the means of stopping the Japanese from killing whales, and, there appears little else that New Zealand can do, then Chris Trotter is on the right track with what He says,
Murray McCully should put the feelers out to the Japanese Ambassador with an attempt to broker such a ‘face saving victory’ for the Japanese whalers,(which should also involve the US Ambassador),
The alternative if a solution cannot be brokered is for us all to wake up one morning to the news that the Japanese have sunk one of the protest boats with loss of life…
The alternative is that Sea Shepherd continues to stop the Japanese from killing whales.
So we are supposed to ban Sea Shepherd from our ports because…
(a) we can’t let the Japanese lose at anything because they are SO sensitive or
(b) the Japanese are dangerous bullies who might cause the death of protesters or
(c) both.
Huh?
Well if you have to HuH? at attempts to find a diplomatic means of stopping Japanese whaling you are probably too stupid to realize the implications,
For instance, should either side, the Japanese using wire rope and sea Sheppard using traditional rope succeed in snaring a ships propeller via such a ‘tactic’ there is a chance that one of these ships could be sunk via ripping the whole propeller drive out of the rear of the ship,
As this fight has escalated it is also conceivable that the ramming that has occurred will at some stage result in the sinking of one or both the ships involved,
i have a definite admiration for the fight Sea Sheppard has so far taken to the Japanese whaling fleet but it is obvious that this will not stop this whaling, i think Chris Trotter is pointing out another means that should at the least be explored between Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Ambassador…
RedLogix donates to Sea Shepherd. How do you equate this with banning them from our ports?
My view is that Sea Shepherd by itself will never stop the Japanese whaling completely, we cannot use our navy to stop them in our waters, and no other navy is going to step up. Therefore we need to get the Japanese to agree to stopping. Pressure from Sea Shepherd and other organisations might help with this, consumer boycotts could contribute, maybe bans on sporting contacts. Some of us did our bit with South Africa, and in the end there was some progress, but basically when the Boers realised they couldn’t just keep calm and carry on. We can do it with Japan, but I suspect it will be a multi-pronged campaign.
In the meantime, I suspect that seismic exploration connected with oil and gas surveys is killing more whales than the Japanese ever have. Our government is enabling this, and Labour has not really given any signs that they would stop it.
Not so much unproductive stalemate as heading for environmental disaster by fouled prop.
No easy fix im afraid but trying to disable ships down there is a bridge to far tactics wise for me and both sides are playing that game…
Japan’s behaviour over whale killing seems unexplainable and senseless. We would like them to stop but they will not.
If wanting to know how to do something like achieving their agreement to stop, to do it successfully, first it is necessary to understand the best way to do it, what methods to use, and whether it is likely to work effectively.
The fact that we do not like what the Japanese are doing, is a huge reason to try and understand why, looking from their point of view. Other methods have not worked so far. It would be wise to do some study on why this is, and more information will help and may be more successful than kneejerk emotional responses.
As i have given Labour front bench’er Shane Jones plenty of stick in the pages of the Standard over the course of time, such stick having in my opinion been the just rewards of Shane’s efforts as a highly ranked Labour MP, in the interests of balance and fairness i would have to give the MP a 9 out of 10 for this weeks performance in the house,
A BIG UPS to Jones for stepping into the middle of an issue that concerns us all when it comes down to the behavior of those who control the very basics of life, the supermarkets,
Seems that Shane, once He has dropped the barely lucid waffle with which He has previously tried to get His point across, can make a speech in the Parliament in cold clear English with a voice that forced the Government benches to sit up and take notice,
A note to Mr Jones should include the advice that ‘yes Shane we all know you attended Oxford there is no need to prove this by the insertion of grandiose phraseology into your speech that for many would need the intervention of a professor of English literature to interpret, plain, direct English does the job fine’,
it is obvious that in plain English with the vocal ability that He has Jones should be speaking with a passion that is sadly lacking from Labour’s side of the House on a few more issues leading into this election,
The 9 outta 10 Shane is in the vein of what took you so long???…
It often doesn’t. There’s a difference in meaning between the words gigantic and huge. And then we’re also looking at the impression/feeling that someone wants to get across that just doesn’t work with some words.
Having a good understanding of language is often what makes an excellent orator.
Draco, really??? having the target audience being able to fully understand the content of your speech i would think for a politician would be of more import than being able to waffle in 12 letter words at will…
How can anyone understand what you’re saying if the words you’re using don’t have the right meaning?
Refer to my answer below Draco, i am not in the slightest bit interest in having an elongated debate with you or anyone else about part of a sentence in part of a paragraph which was part of a comment,
Shall we debate where i choose to put my comma’s and full stops…
You might be getting at something similar to what Trotter said in this article , where he says : “New Zealanders do not admire intellectuals and they positively despise academics.”
link
🙄
+100, Jane McAllister, NICE, takes the cane to National’s Ministers for their stupid attack on Metiria Turei’s life-style in the Herald online,
Hit’s every nail on the head while She is at it as far as the foibles of the ‘silver spoon brigade’ goes, well worth a read,
A small hat tip to the Herald for running with the article, none of us expect the Herald to print a continuous gush of pro Labour/Green propoganda,(which is what most would consider is the daily fair churned out by the likes of O’Sullivn, Armstrong, and, Trevett, just to name a few,
What we want is a balanced view where there are obviously two or more sides to every story and the Herald should be ensuring that all sides of an argument get an equal airing, informing the readership i think it is called as opposed to telling them what they should think…
And what makes that balanced? Climate change deniers get equal hearing through the MSM and yet only 3% or less of climatologists have an argument against AGW. In such cases I want proportional airing of views.
In the case of National’s attack on Meteria’s jacket the correct response from the journos should have been to laugh in their faces and either not publish as it wasn’t even news or to use such a story so as to point out the contempt that National has for everyone else.
Draco, i would answer that but honestly i don’t understand what your current bee in the bonnet blather is on about and quite frankly cannot be bothered reading it a second or third time to ascertain it’s meaning, which i really think is more to do with your overblown ego than anything i may have written…
🙄
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11202504
– This was really worrying and I’m ackshully glad Labour are looking into it
Chris, this is not an argument.
Just a snide remark.
Merely pointing out the important things Labour are focusing on and its good they’re doing it, these are the issuess people care about
This article is interesting
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2014/02/06/thats-heavy-the-mind-body-metaphor-connection/
“It turns out that, when people are holding something heavy, they will report an issue to be more serious, compared to when they are holding something lighter.”
The comments are also worth a read.
Just as well Key doesn’t have a conscience, because if he did it would be so heavily laden he would be severely troubled by his friendship with the oily one.
Been thinking about Mr Key hinting at Whaleoil. Would Mr Key hint at that to send we inquirers hunting and away from the real answer. Clearly he knew that the Whaleoil would keep us very exercised. ????
Me too, he could be doing something that would see him in the dock but he isn’t because he said so.
But why didn’t they remember the lessons learned in the thirty years after World War II – that widely-shared prosperity is good for everyone, including them?
Perhaps because they didn’t care to remember. They discovered that wealth is also relative: How rich they feel depends not just on how much money they have, but also how they live in comparison to most other people.
From Robert Reich quoted in today’s “Irascible Cumudgeon”
An important point and one that is not given the consideration it deserves imo.
The uber-competitive mode is not just about individuals desperate to succeed or be rich, it is also about wanting others to fail and suffer badly. This is a major motivation in itself. The worse others do, the greater the extent of the victory for the victor. Poverty is not just some unfortunate by-product of neoliberalism it is an important part of the motivation for the wealthy and even many of the merely comfortably-off. This is part of what we are up against imo.
+1
Poverty is not just some unfortunate by-product of neoliberalism it is an important part of the motivation for the wealthy and even many of the merely comfortably-off.
Yes – this. Herein lies the real ‘politics of envy’. Monbiot wrote a powerful essay on this last year:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/06/politics-envy-keenest-rich
What is Labour’s CGT policy on residential property inheritance?
As to
1. rental and bach property owned by parent/parents
2. the family home.
On the super age issue
Has any thought been given to
1. the circumstance prior to 1975 when there was a means tested rate for the first 5 years before the universal rate kicked in?
Why not excluding those working from age 65 to 70 from super (currently 20% work) rather than increasing the age to 67 (see 2, a policy to apply between now and 2030-2050 to reduce the baby boom period cost – with the impact falling those who can afford it, those still able to work at good wage rates).
A 5-10% cut in super cost without any harm to those seeking to retire at age 65 or losing employment before age 65.
2. delay any age increase to 2030 – then increase the age from 65 to 70 over the next 20 years. To account for the extended life span.
Why not excluding those working from age 65 to 70 from super (currently 20% work) rather than increasing
Many getting super in that age group work part time – some couldn’t live on just super alone, and some may not be up to working full time.
The old system pre 1975 was to assess this by a means test.
It’s simple enough to distinguish between a part-timer earning $20 an hour for 10 -20 hours and someone still working in their profession clearing $100,000+ pa.
A rule of thumb, where if job income is at the median wage or above – then no super till age 70.
An alternative in response to Labour policy in support of young families.
A more clear differentiation to the policy.
1. Parental Leave.
a 12 months total leave available to the 2 parents.
b1 Payment of MW for 6 months or a half rate payment over 12 months (the parental leave period) to either parent while off work. Parents choose (both parents could take 6 months off during the 12 month period) .
b2 Support is also given to a non working partner while the child is under 1 at the same rate – half the MW for the 12 month period.
To differentiate between the working parent and non working parent is to discriminate family support on employment status and not need. It is a poor policy setting and Labour should confront it more directly.
I would not include the beneficiary parent in this.
2. Young family support (for those with children 1 to 3).
As is, the $60 payment – being means tested, but again I would not include the beneficiary parent in this.
The issue here is of course the practice of many women to go back to work after the first child but to take a longer break with the birth of the second (because of the child care cost of two children makes working non rewarding).
Labour is wise to note that many women have two children, and the need to re-design support around modern family practice (the one income period). Thus of course ECE funding reduces child care cost and enables women advantage from a return to full-time employment (either when the youngest turns 3 and the eldest goes to primary school or when the eldest turns 3 and the youngest turns 1). After school care from ages 5-11 completes the support.
3. Beneficiary parents. Simply propose a higher benefit to those raising children. Connect the issue to a GMFI for families dependent on benefit income. Sell it by offering it only to those who spend off a card, if that is the only way to grow a pair.
Well the Countdown smack down looks like it’s in full swing. Went to the local supermarket and two hours after they normally close a bunch of checkouts they were still in full swing, checkies confirmed that more than a few going thr’ were ex Countdown.
And while I am here, what is it with toothpaste, the stuff is made in australia ,england, south africa, india ,thailand. I’d have though we would have consumed enough of it to make some of it here. And for all the blabber about being a low income country we now seem to be importing from higher wage countries than ours. So clearly this low wage stuff doesn’t actually work?
I’m not a teacher but I agree with this.
RT @Borto74: We are teachers. Image
The Right seem desperate to measure stuff and the hidden curriculum is very hard to measure. Developing interest in growing food? Nah! Reading scores? Maybe.
So yes. Borton good to read.