Holy fuck the most bizarre interview every between Paul Henry and the head niwa scientist. He blew Henrys tiny selfish little mind. Will be on in 50 minutes on tv3 +1
Embarrassing listening to Paul Henry on this. I’ve never heard anybody trumpet their ignorance on so many topics as loudly as he does. He even described us as “shickered” by climate change, apparently blithely unaware it means drunk. Or maybe he personally does drink to forget it.
I imagine comparatively few Standardistas have given much thought to Key’s next job – always imagining he’d be welcome among the crew that loathed him so much they gave him the nickname the smiling assassin.
Trotter (link not available yet) points to some evidence, being a lapel badge and question answered to the Josie Butler person about it. If she has made shit up like this then it will decimate her credibility – let’s see
“I went to the first security check point which was at the front driveway to the [Rydges] hotel. The guards asked for my ID, and whilst I was getting it out I noticed one of the guys had an army badge pinned to his lapel, I asked him if he was military and he confirmed that all security present today were army personnel.”
– Shouldn’t be too hard to find out if this is true
From accounts I’ve heard from others, the write up mentioned above is a pretty good reflection of the event in Dunedin. I haven’t heard anybody witnessing any members of the military amongst the security in Dunedin but there was certainly a large contingent of police, Armourgard employees and security chaps in suits.
Wonder if there will be the high level of security in Invercargill tomorrow for Todd McClays visit?
“Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide last year rose by the biggest margin since records began, according to a US federal science agency.
Fossil fuel burning and a strong El Niño weather pattern pushed CO2 levels 3.05 parts per million (ppm) on a year earlier to 402.6 ppm, as measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Wednesday.”
And right on call Global temperatures are going through the roof. Following on from a record monthly Global Temperature in January – February 2016 was the warmest month on record by a whopping 0.2o C! That surge in Global Temperatures brings the Earth to the 1.50 C above pre-industrial levels aspirational target that the COP 21 agreed the world must stay just last year.
Now the surge in Global temperatures that we are currently experiencing is not unexpected considering that we are in the middle of an El Nino event the like of which hasn’t been experienced since 1997-98, when there was a similar spike in Global temperatures. However the current spike (and I’m sure that temperatures will drop back – this is a temporary aberration) is far more pronounced than even the massive spike of the 97-98 event. The Earth is now on a new “Plateau” on the upward journey of increasing Global Temperatures.
Here in New Zealand, National are considering “fixing” the ETS. Submissions have been called and I’m sure many have submitted. I have done so in the past but this time I did not. In my opinion submitting again on this new amendment to a now useless Emissions Trading Scheme is a complete waste of time and energy because this is a Government of “consultation” in name only. They think that consultation involves telling others what is to happen. Not only that, there are enough “hot air” credits slopping around in the scheme to cover NZ’s arse for the next couple of years, laundered by the Government, so that NZ can meet its targets without spending any money. So expect nothing creditable to emerge from this new assessment of a scheme that is already worthless, and has done nothing to limit NZs GHG emissions. It is again simply window dressing and the rearrangement of deck chairs on a sinking ship.
NZ’s ETS is beyond redemption. It needs scraping and replaced by a Carbon Tax of at least $50 per tonne initially (I’m sure others would argue for more) and applied across all sectors. The revenue generated to be redistributed through vastly increased initiatives in public transport, alternative energies, energy efficiencies, subsidies for private solar, wind, and electric and hybrid vehicles, insulation of houses, and research and education wrt climate change.
Electric vehicles – Talking of which – much hypocrisy here! But great photo op!/sarc
NZ’s ETS is beyond redemption. It needs scraping and replaced by a Carbon Tax of at least $50 per tonne initially (I’m sure others would argue for more) and applied across all sectors.
Want to grow the economy while also helping the environment? Well, slap a $200 per metric ton tax on carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study by an environmental group that claims such a policy would grow the economy and create jobs.
$200 per tonne of CO2. That puts a price on coal of $600 per tonne before you even start to think about digging it out of the ground. Petrol and diesel get a carbon tax of 50 to 60 cents per litre.
Bring it on. There will be massive economic stimulus from bringing online all the substitutes.
TPP- the ISDS is one of the most contentious parts of the TPP. The countries with which we have ISDS clauses in our FTAs have not featured highly in data on ISDS.
However, as you can see in the linked page of an interactive site on ISDS (showing the countries, the number of cases brought against the country using the ISDS and the Home state of the claimant corporation.) US and Canada are high on the litigant side.
Without ISDS a claimant still can get justice by using the existing judicial systems. ISDS is simply a ploy to bypass these and is used to threaten states.
So how would you test such arguments? Well, in a way we did carry out an experiment. In the early 1990s there was a widespread orthodoxy that “outward-looking” development policies were much more favorable to growth than “inward-looking” policies. This orthodoxy had a lot to do with the rapid growth of Asian economies, which had followed an export-oriented path rather than the import substitution tried by much of the world in the 50s and 60s. The question, however, was whether you would see dramatic acceleration of growth in other places, such as Latin America, when policy shifted away from inward focus.
And the answer turned out to be, not so much. Look at Mexico, which did a radical trade liberalization in 1985-88, then joined NAFTA. It has seen a transformation of its economy in many ways; it has gone from an economy that didn’t export much besides oil and tourism to a major manufacturing export power. And the effect on development has been … undewhelming.
So Brad could be right; but the evidence is far from conclusive. I would still argue very strongly that it’s crucial to keep markets open for poor countries. But we should be cautious in our claims about the virtues of free trade.
Such an outward looking way to boost an economy is underwhelming because everyone can do it and productivity is so high that only a small percentage of the world population is needed to provide everything we need (although, there probably isn’t enough actual resources to do that – the problem of over population).
The only way left to develop an economy is broadly within it’s own scope. In other words, local manufacture from local resources for local use.
I will say this though, the climate change news is scarey beyond what we’ve had in the past. I think a lot of people aren’t well equipped to deal with that, so how about we all try and be a bit kinder to each other this week? (I’m looking at myself there too).
Not surprised that you think its fine to stereotype white males of a certain age, but then call me the bigot. And then try and talk about kindness. Your hypocrisy climbs to new heights.
I didn’t say it’s fine CV and I don’t actually think it’s fine. You’re making an incorrect assumption about my politics. Again. All I did was stand up and point out your behaviour again because I’m sick of the whole bullshit false binaries and pathologising whole groups of people. Pineapples made a single comment and people are free to call them on it as they see fit. You’ve been spraying your negative shit that’s now out and out bigotry around the site for many months. It’s tedious and it’s having a negative effect on discussions and what we can do here. I’m not willing to let that slide in such an important thread.
stereotyping and bigotry aren’t exactly the same thing though, right? Feel free to call me on bigotry any time you like, so long as you can point to an example and explain why you think it’s bigoted and then engage in a conversation about that.
As Bill pointed out, the climate denialists are well represented by older white guys. I don’t think anyone that agrees with that statement thinks that that means that most older white guys are denialists (although I might be tempted to say that if I lived in the US).
You’re the one accusing CV of bigotry though, what was his bigoted comment? pointing out their whiteness doesn’t do anything to help the problem – just gives people more reason to discount what you say
CV’s bigotry is related to people he hates on and likes to now treat as a class eg ‘the left’.
“pointing out their whiteness doesn’t do anything to help the problem – just gives people more reason to discount what you say”
Contrary to what CV was thinking, I wasn’t fine with Pineapple’s comment. I thought it unnecessarily inflammatory and pretty much irrelevant outside of a conversation that was looking at power structures. It might have worked further down the thread, but as the first comment, when people were just finished reading something pretty challenging, having to jump into a conversation like that was jarring and likely to derail the thread.
Do I think that the classes of people who control both the creation of cc and whether we prevent the worst of it are dominated by older white men? Yes. Is there any disputing that? Do I think that most older white men are responsible? No. It always pays to talk to people about their politics and find out what they believe rather than jumping to conclusions based on projection.
But if you yourself stereotype people in that way, it’s all hunky dory, apparently. Seriously, mate, you need to own your prejudices and stop being such a hypocrite.
I’m going to suggest that one of the moderators shifts the whole subthread too because it’s completely off topic and it’s an important thread for people not to be put off by derailments at the top of the comments.
It’s so interesting to see CV being pursued by you weka. He is receiving the same treatment that I used to get when I attempted to say anything about rape culture, and question its pervasiveness. When people like yourself set up as gatekeeper to everything it acts to enforce censorship. But it seems that you weka are trying to dominate the discourse and control the site to the point where critical attacks are common.
And for those who don’t know what all this gerfuffle is about – this was what got it started. I think that everyone should stop, rethink and stick to the political discussion. If someone makes a pointed criticism in the heat of the moment, let it pass, particularly weka, Colonial Viper and Te Reo Putake. It is not impressive to see the unreasoning hostility that amounts to bullying, then provoking reaction. I thought The Standard was aiming higher than this unpleasant nitpicking.
February breaks all records.
esoteric pineapples 1
15 March 2016 at 10:32 am
Now all we have to do is wait for a bunch of white males over 40 to tell us either a) scientists don’t know what they are talking about or b) its a hoax driven by the illuminati or some other conspiratorial group.
Thanks grey. I’m more than happy to be challenged on what I am doing, and I’m not that happy with how I have been here lately (my questioning the macho culture of ts is in part because it tends to bring out the worst in me if I don’t keep an eye on what I am doing).
I’m going to disagree with your interpretation though. The problem I have with CV is his behaviour not his politics, so I’m not sure the comparison works re you trying to bring in a different view on rape culture. It was the same with Pete George. When people’s behaviour affects a community so negatively then I think it’s valid for others to do something about it. If I was the only person challening CV on what he is doing I might agree with your interpretation that I am trying to control the debate somehow. But many people are sick of what he is doing. Many. If you take me out of the equation, CV still sprays his shit around too much and many people react against that. They aren’t doing those things because of me.
Whether my own behaviour makes that situation better or worse, I don’t really know at the moment. I think CV does respond to people encouraging him to be more proactive rather than just spraying shit around the site, so I try and do that until I lose my patience. I think in the instance the other day it was unfortunate that he put up an intentionally provocative post when feelings were already running high about his behaviour, because the subject he raised was important and it just got lost in the mess. I can also see that because of how ts is, he was probably limited in how he could bring that topic up, so in hindsight it was just a clusterfuck that no-one could do much about. For my part I wish I had taken a more proactive approach in my own critiques.
I basically walked out of that recent climate change thread because it was painful, and it was painfully obvious that by far the majority of people here wanted yet another round of talking rather than doing something. I have no tolerance for that and I’m sure it affected how I was posting for some time.
The stuff at the start was nothing to do with that, it was just a distraction. But I think the painful nature of the topic of the post probably contributed to the subsequent aggro. As for that convo *starting the whole thing, again I’ll disagree. It was just a continuation of something that’s pretty much continual here. My main comments at the start were to suggest we didn’t derail the thread and to suggest that the diversion get taken to OM. I’m not sure how that was a problem.
I don’t know if I am gatekeeper so much as caretaker who’s reached a point of frustration at the mess. Characterising CV’s comments as only something said in the heat of the moment misses the wider context and the impact he has on the site. If you think that I am also having a negative impact, please keep calling me on that (I don’t really get quite what you were meaning above, but I do remember you once telling me I was commenting too often, so I’ll have a think about that and whether I’d be better off making more comments from a more discerning place).
Well we live in a patriarchy that favours white males over males of other skin hue, and so they tend to have accumulated more of the available privilege that comes courtesy of the status quo . And older people tend to have more invested in the status quo than younger people, so…sure, a broad brush stroke, but to say that idiots advocating the status quo can be sort of characterised as”white males over 40″ seems fair enough in my book.
Nothing particularly sexist in it. Nothing particularly ageist in it. Absolutely nothing racist in it (can’t be racist towards whites – impossible)
Lol @ patriarchy and “can’t be racist towards whites” of course you can! It’s easy and people do it all the time, it just isn’t as harmful overall because of where power lies in western societies currently
Racism has very specific roots – Social Darwinism. Sure, other cultures may well have thought of themselves superior, but only one (as far as I’m aware) touted itself, essentially, as a race apart from and above the human race – humanity. That allowed, informed or excused colonisation by the white west of every non-white area of the world.
That all means that a white person can be on the receiving end of discrimination but never racism, because racism’s a very particular type of discrimination that always holds ‘whiteness’ as above and better and ‘god given’ (as it were).
Gawd.
Muldoon, Bolger, Clark and Key all took till their third term before they started displaying their Messiah complexes.
Muldoon and Clark got really virulent cases. Remember how Piggy was going to save the world’s monetary system? Now Little has got the bug.
Little has got it already and he has only had a year and a bit as leader of a minor party.
Please Labour . Get things sorted out. Get rid of Little and all the deadwood.
New Zealand cannot afford such a useless second party.
I have some very simple principles.
Politicians should define what outcome they want.
Then they should get out of the way.
They should never try and run a business. If they do that they will never stop doing something stupid. They are unable to admit they have done something foolish so they keep throwing money at it rather than shut it down.
They are also completely unaware that they really don’t know anything about it.
That is why we have to get a new Government every few years. The new lot don’t have anything committed to the mistake so they are willing to fix things.
If we get Little, or any other politician, making decisions about what a bank should charge in interest or who is to get loans they will make mistakes. Then they will use tax-payers money to hide the mistake. If the bank starts making unhappy noises they will give them more money to shut them up.
In the case of the Reserve Bank for example Roger Douglas laid down the first principles, and left how it was done to the Governor. Everyone since has left the Governor to get on with it and they have done very well. If they don’t they can be sacked because the blame can be put on them, not the poly.
Little seems to think he knows better. So did Muldoon and we ended up with stagflation.
Can I ask, if you are a man of principal, did you vote national in any of the last 3 elections, given that it was as obvious as hell to any one vaguely interested in politics that national us very dirty tactics around election time!
Yes I did. And I didn’t find their tactics any different to their predecessors.
I have voted in 11 of the last 12 elections. 5 Labour, 6 National and 1 when, living overseas I didn’t think I should vote.
However in 2008 I thought Labour were old, tired and corrupt. A change was essential.
They had the same people on 2011. Nothing had really changed had it? In general Labour were still useless so I voted for the ones who were better for New Zealand.
2014 was even worse. Can you really imagine a no-hoper like Cunliffe as PM?
Seriously? He seemed to have more DCMs than anyone I had ever heard of.
Now? I want to see some alternative to the current Government who was competent but at the moment Labour looks just as useless as ever. At the moment Key still seems better for the country.
I want a better option.
I think Helen Clark was responsible for the Labour party woes. She wanted people there who were subservient to her and would do what she demanded. Not a rebel or even a free thinking person in the lot of them. And they are still there!
By the way the word I used was PRINCIPLE, not PRINCIPAL. I bow down to no-one.
” Not a rebel or even a free thinking person in the lot of them.”
Can I point that not one nat with exception to the odius corrupt Collins has ever slightly broken ranks in 7 years.
For a laugh on day I asked the member for Taupo on her Facebook page what her views on keys ponytail pulling where, it got removed quickly I can tell you.
By the way I was pissed with Clarke to , for giving our land to the southern gentry, and not working more with the greens. And I always saw goff as a caretaker leader.
As for Cunliffe I found him a bit cringe worthy but he would of done a good job IMO .
Maybe, but it would still be good to see the Reserve Bank concentrate on more than just inflation. Its job is to balance the growth in the economy with inflation targets, and its concentrating on just inflation.
There’s plenty more signals Little needs to make against the retail banks. He just needs the support of the Reserve Bank to do its actual job.
Things looking pretty damn shity for Israeli Arabs
About half of Israel’s Jews support the transfer of Arabs to other countries, according to a survey by the American Pew Research Center published Tuesday. The poll was conducted among Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis from the end of 2014 until the middle of 2015, before the latest wave of terror.
One of the questions in the survey, based on face-to-face interviews of 5,601 individuals, asked to what degree they agreed with the following statement: “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.” The result, among the Jewish respondents: Twenty-one percent “strongly agree” and 27 percent “mostly agree.” If those two groups are combined, about half of Israeli Jews questioned – 48 percent – support transfer of Arab citizens. On the other hand, a similar proportion – 46 percent – say they oppose such a move, with 29 percent saying that they “don’t really agree” and 17 percent responding that they “don’t agree at all” to the expulsion of Arabs.
Back in 2002, polls suggested more than 40% of Israelis agreed with the expulsion (either through force or encouragement) of Israeli Arabs. By 2006, that sentiment had risen to almost 50% (forced transfer) rising to over 55% (if encouragement of Arab emigration was included).
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of Israelis (polls have generally suggested well over 80%) have long opposed a two-state settlement grounded in international Law (in which Israel withdraws to the pre-June 67 border and allows a significant Palestinian Capital in East Jerusalem). In other words, the Israeli public fully supports the rejectionist stance of consecutive Israeli Govts over the decades.
What the majority of Israelis do support (in some polls, by a very large majority) is the sort of “settlement” of the “conflict” where Israel annexes all of the major settlement Blocs, splitting the West Bank into separate little cantons, annexes most of Jerusalem and nullifies the Right of Return.
Recent polls have also suggested a majority of Israelis support Jewish/Arab segregation on public transport, 55% supported segregated recreational facilities, large minorities agree that Arab-Israelis shouldn’t be employed in hospitals, nursing institutions or kindergartens. 75% opposed living in the same apartment buildings as Arabs, 55% believed Israeli-Arabs didn’t have the ability to reach the same level of cultural development as Jews, 61% were unwilling to have an Arab visit their home, 64% believe Arab-Israelis endanger the state of Israel because of their high birth rates. And a large minority considered Arab culture inferior.
A 2008 poll found 40% of Jewish Israelis believed Arab Israelis should not be allowed to vote, with 78% against Arab politicians having any involvement in govt and 80% opposed to Arabs being involved in “important decisions”. A 2010 poll found 57% agreed that Israeli Human Rights organisations that expose “immoral conduct by Israel” shouldn’t be allowed to operate freely. Majorities also favoured punishing Israeli citizens and journalists who either support sanctions (BDS) or report on facts that reflect badly on Israel’s international reputation.
And, of course, polls suggest overwhelming Israeli support for the IDF’s regular massacres and carpet-bombing of Gaza and Lebanon.
Just enjoying watching questions in the house today on playback, the best bit is being able to fast forward National MP’s vacuous responses and patsy questions.
tbh I’m not sure who bears the costs of these visits. I suspect the US State Dept bears much of the cost but we will be providing a shit load of outer perimeter security, state events/banquets, closing down large areas of cities at Secret Service request etc.
I wonder who this is? Reminds me of another “person of some public interest” from up North who is facing some serious charges in court very soon! Wonder when that case will start rolling out?
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The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
The lead witness in Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater claim says the case raises an “existentialist question” for his people.“My greatest fear is that we will have our connection with our land and waterways extinguished,” Te Maire Tau (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāi Tūāhuriri) said in the Christchurch High Court, before Justice Melanie Harland. The university history ...
New Zealand employers are well-used to the constant evolution of employment and workplace health and safety law – but we think the scope of changes in this area may still surprise in 2025. In our view, the number of changes under active consideration and the potential practical impact of those ...
As New Zealand woke to Waitangi Day, 1600 athletes and their support crew began to descend on the sleepy west coast town of Greymouth, ready to take on the iconic multisport race, the Coast to Coast.Among the cars laden with kayaks, bikes and enough race food to feed a small ...
I collect sailing books, especially solo sailing adventures. I sail a lot and when in meetings, I think about sailing rather than focus on the dry PowerPoint presentations of earnest landlubbers. Just quietly, I also offer dead sailors drinks and occasionally good books over the side when I am at ...
Over the past few weeks, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has had public tiffs with the leaders of both the Cook Islands and Kiribati.The issues: first Peters put foreign aid to Kiribati under review after President Taneti Maamau cancelled a meeting with him. Then this week, Peters accused the PM of ...
Proposed changes to the Fisheries Act 1996 could see on-board cameras, introduced to protect endangered marine and seabird species, shut off from public view. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith explains.Minister for oceans and fisheries Shane Jones was in his element on Wellington’s waterfront on Wednesday morning. While waves crashed onto the rocks ...
The prime minister has had a bad week, and it’s barely Thursday. This week’s Luxon low points, ranked.8. Bad poll, part oneA Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll released on Monday showed that Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori could form a government. Christopher Luxon is down 3.8 points at ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Street vending is a major economic activity in most of Ghana’s urban areas. The vendors bring everyday goods to residents and commuters at affordable prices in ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – The United States shares the pathologies of all dying empires with their mixture of buffoonery, rampant corruption, military fiascos, economic collapse and savage state repression.ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges The billionaires, Christian fascists, grifters, psychopaths, imbeciles, narcissists and deviants who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government has secured bipartisan support for a major new regime covering political donations and spending, after making significant concessions. The government agreed to increase the proposed threshold above which donations must be disclosed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With the election only months away, the Labor government finds itself suddenly battling with the Trump administration for an exemption from new US tariffs on steel and aluminium. The opposition has supported the effort, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julee McDonagh, Senior Research Fellow of Frailty Research, University of Wollongong PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Ageing is a normal part of the life course. It doesn’t matter how many green smoothies you drink, or how many “anti-ageing” skin care products you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University The Conversation, CC BY-SAAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. Colonial commemorations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Masarik/Shutterstock In some overseas countries, pets can travel with their owners in a plane’s cabin, in a carrier under a seat. In Australia, pets must travel in the ...
A raft of proposed legislation changes to the media and screen industry have been announced this morning – we read through it all all so you don’t have to. What’s all this then? This morning the Ministry for Culture and Heritage released its draft proposed changes to media and screen ...
David Seymour's recent off-road parliamentary excursion led to a reprimand from the Speaker, who also said the rules didn't apply to this instance. What are the rules? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Morgenbesser, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Griffith University Many Americans have watched in horror as Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has been permitted to tear through various offices of the United States government in recent ...
By Patrick Decloitre,RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has announced he will travel to New Caledonia later this month to pursue talks on the French territory’s political future. These discussions on February 22 follow preliminary talks held last week in Paris in “bilateral” mode ...
As Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to resume war, Hamas outlines widespread Israeli ceasefire violations in document sent to the mediators.By Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous of Dropsite News Hamas officials submitted a two-page report to mediators yesterday listing a wide range of Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire since ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Print, Professor of Education, University of Sydney A federal parliamentary inquiry has just recommended civics and citizenship become a compulsory part of the Australian Curriculum, which covers the first year of school to Year 10. The committee also recommended a ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Claire Baylis, author of Dice and guest at the forthcoming HamLit programme at the Hamilton Arts Festival. The book I wish I’d writtenMy mind seems surprisingly unwilling ...
The courts should deal with illegal fishing, not the "court of public opinion", Shane Jones says, as he announces proposed changes to the Quota Management System. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan McElhone, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Monash University A London court has found Sam Kerr not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell. As captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, Kerr was widely condemned when ...
Could iwi and hapū be the unexpected solution to the government’s asset dilemma? David Seymour pressured the prime minister into an unwelcome conversation, and in the couple of weeks since the Act leader raised the issue in his state of the nation speech, privatisation has shifted from absent in the ...
Human rights advocates must uphold human dignity, rights and justice, while rejecting the discriminatory tactics we oppose, writes Taimor Hazou.Two weeks ago the Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) launched a campaign inviting New Zealanders to call a hotline if they suspected an Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldier that had ...
Immigration New Zealand figures shows more people have been looking at the ETA and visitor visa pages on the website, however fewer people have applied to come or to extend their stay. ...
New Zealand talks with Iran.
So RNZ allows an Israeli spokesperson on air to tell what New Zealand to do.
And then a wretched interview ensues.
‘wretched’ ? You are being kind. Try unprepared, incoherent, self-aggrandising, self-delusional ..
According to Sputnik & RT, Russia is to start withdrawing its main forces in Syria
https://www.rt.com/news/335554-putin-orders-syria-withdrawal/
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160314/1036274550/putin-orders-syria-withdrawal.html
Reaction from Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem ..
http://m.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Syrian-opposition-says-Russian-withdrawal-would-be-positive-44791
yes RNZ propaganda is one sided, uncritical and pathetic …I listen to RNZ less and less
I think that should have read *ground* forces ..
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-withdraws-ground-troops-not-air-force/
Exposing the Libyan Agenda: A Closer Look at Hillary’s Emails’
http://www.globalresearch.ca/exposing-the-libyan-agenda-a-closer-look-at-hillarys-emails/5514010
Holy fuck the most bizarre interview every between Paul Henry and the head niwa scientist. He blew Henrys tiny selfish little mind. Will be on in 50 minutes on tv3 +1
Any chance of a link ? I’d like to see &/or hear that .. I lost interest in teevee a long time ago.
Audio only but that was hard enough for this Henry avoider to listen to, even though it would have been interesting to watch his facial expressions.
Have similar to Morrisey’s view on the banter and sycophantic laugh track so best leave it at that for comments from me.
Embarrassing listening to Paul Henry on this. I’ve never heard anybody trumpet their ignorance on so many topics as loudly as he does. He even described us as “shickered” by climate change, apparently blithely unaware it means drunk. Or maybe he personally does drink to forget it.
A bit of fun from a mate of mine that pretty much encapsulates (in less than 1 minute) my view of the the current flag debate… 🙂
F**king Flag by RedKey (expliciy lyrics)
+1
I imagine comparatively few Standardistas have given much thought to Key’s next job – always imagining he’d be welcome among the crew that loathed him so much they gave him the nickname the smiling assassin.
But there is a role in which his talents would give him a unique competitive advantage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPwtDjzJMI
Even narcissists can benefit society if they find the appropriate position.
So has the military been protecting the TPPA roadshow, as Chris Trotter asks in his piece this morning in the paper?
As Trotter outlines, this is surely the most pressing and substantial issue.
Is the military protecting the TPPA roadshow?
Does anybody know?
The consequences and implications are fucking scary
Was there any evidence attached? I am in the military and to be honest would find it very surprising if this was the case.
Yes same.
Trotter (link not available yet) points to some evidence, being a lapel badge and question answered to the Josie Butler person about it. If she has made shit up like this then it will decimate her credibility – let’s see
It should be followed up quite seriously imo
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/77838411/chris-trotter-protecting-the-tpp
“I went to the first security check point which was at the front driveway to the [Rydges] hotel. The guards asked for my ID, and whilst I was getting it out I noticed one of the guys had an army badge pinned to his lapel, I asked him if he was military and he confirmed that all security present today were army personnel.”
– Shouldn’t be too hard to find out if this is true
The police can’t waste money on this – they’ve got burglars to hunt down.
I’m not saying shes wrong, lying or mistaken but, when it comes to the TPPA, I’ll need more evidence from her before I believe her
I’ve seen someone on twitter who was at a roadshow talking about the army being there. I agree, it would be good to see it confirmed.
This person has a write up about attending (no idea who they are),
https://skepticnz.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/inside-the-tppa-roadshow-experience/
From accounts I’ve heard from others, the write up mentioned above is a pretty good reflection of the event in Dunedin. I haven’t heard anybody witnessing any members of the military amongst the security in Dunedin but there was certainly a large contingent of police, Armourgard employees and security chaps in suits.
Wonder if there will be the high level of security in Invercargill tomorrow for Todd McClays visit?
I have a feeling the army were at the Chch one?
CO2 and Global Temperatures reach record Highs, and National fiddles with the ETS.
As reported in the Guardian today
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/10/co2-levels-make-largest-recorded-annual-leap-noaa-data-shows
And right on call Global temperatures are going through the roof. Following on from a record monthly Global Temperature in January – February 2016 was the warmest month on record by a whopping 0.2o C! That surge in Global Temperatures brings the Earth to the 1.50 C above pre-industrial levels aspirational target that the COP 21 agreed the world must stay just last year.
Now the surge in Global temperatures that we are currently experiencing is not unexpected considering that we are in the middle of an El Nino event the like of which hasn’t been experienced since 1997-98, when there was a similar spike in Global temperatures. However the current spike (and I’m sure that temperatures will drop back – this is a temporary aberration) is far more pronounced than even the massive spike of the 97-98 event. The Earth is now on a new “Plateau” on the upward journey of increasing Global Temperatures.
Here in New Zealand, National are considering “fixing” the ETS. Submissions have been called and I’m sure many have submitted. I have done so in the past but this time I did not. In my opinion submitting again on this new amendment to a now useless Emissions Trading Scheme is a complete waste of time and energy because this is a Government of “consultation” in name only. They think that consultation involves telling others what is to happen. Not only that, there are enough “hot air” credits slopping around in the scheme to cover NZ’s arse for the next couple of years, laundered by the Government, so that NZ can meet its targets without spending any money. So expect nothing creditable to emerge from this new assessment of a scheme that is already worthless, and has done nothing to limit NZs GHG emissions. It is again simply window dressing and the rearrangement of deck chairs on a sinking ship.
NZ’s ETS is beyond redemption. It needs scraping and replaced by a Carbon Tax of at least $50 per tonne initially (I’m sure others would argue for more) and applied across all sectors. The revenue generated to be redistributed through vastly increased initiatives in public transport, alternative energies, energy efficiencies, subsidies for private solar, wind, and electric and hybrid vehicles, insulation of houses, and research and education wrt climate change.
Electric vehicles – Talking of which – much hypocrisy here! But great photo op!/sarc
Yep, $200 per tonne:
$200 per tonne of CO2. That puts a price on coal of $600 per tonne before you even start to think about digging it out of the ground. Petrol and diesel get a carbon tax of 50 to 60 cents per litre.
Bring it on. There will be massive economic stimulus from bringing online all the substitutes.
Whilst we won’t be like Mexico. To many white people live here. The TTP will make us poorer.
‘EXCLUSIVE: Why US Spy Boss is really in NZ’
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/03/15/exclusive-why-us-spy-boss-is-really-in-nz/
Why would you travel in a Globemaster?
Surely a Lear or Gulfstream would be much quicker and comfortable.
There was discussion here yesterday on the three planes that arrived in Wellington – see this link and the thread, plus the links to photos.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14032016/#comment-1146112
One of my favourite thinkers this century.
Dr. Vijay Prashad is interviewed by Abbey Martin, about Syria. If you have not read any of his books take the time, it is worth it.
The last 2 minutes of this interview is just wonderful.
please swap “is just wonderful” to “are just wonderful”
Sheesh how bad was that error…
Most excellent my friend..your old flatmate from Chambers ST.
TPP- the ISDS is one of the most contentious parts of the TPP. The countries with which we have ISDS clauses in our FTAs have not featured highly in data on ISDS.
However, as you can see in the linked page of an interactive site on ISDS (showing the countries, the number of cases brought against the country using the ISDS and the Home state of the claimant corporation.) US and Canada are high on the litigant side.
http://investmentpolicyhub.unctad.org/ISDS/FilterByCountry
Without ISDS a claimant still can get justice by using the existing judicial systems. ISDS is simply a ploy to bypass these and is used to threaten states.
Notice that the claims/cases per year has doubled in five years. Who is next?
Globalization and Growth
Such an outward looking way to boost an economy is underwhelming because everyone can do it and productivity is so high that only a small percentage of the world population is needed to provide everything we need (although, there probably isn’t enough actual resources to do that – the problem of over population).
The only way left to develop an economy is broadly within it’s own scope. In other words, local manufacture from local resources for local use.
Trade is defunct.
[r0b: This comment was moved, as per request below, to open mike. It was originally a reply to
http://thestandard.org.nz/february-breaks-all-records/#comment-1146794 ]
what is this crappy racist sexist ageist shite.
LOL!
As usual, the Left leads the way.
As usual, another day of CV’s bigotry.
I will say this though, the climate change news is scarey beyond what we’ve had in the past. I think a lot of people aren’t well equipped to deal with that, so how about we all try and be a bit kinder to each other this week? (I’m looking at myself there too).
Not surprised that you think its fine to stereotype white males of a certain age, but then call me the bigot. And then try and talk about kindness. Your hypocrisy climbs to new heights.
I didn’t say it’s fine CV and I don’t actually think it’s fine. You’re making an incorrect assumption about my politics. Again. All I did was stand up and point out your behaviour again because I’m sick of the whole bullshit false binaries and pathologising whole groups of people. Pineapples made a single comment and people are free to call them on it as they see fit. You’ve been spraying your negative shit that’s now out and out bigotry around the site for many months. It’s tedious and it’s having a negative effect on discussions and what we can do here. I’m not willing to let that slide in such an important thread.
You don’t think its fine but you were silent about it. But you point the finger at me for making a bigoted comment.
What was that bigoted comment by the way? I have no idea what I said that you got in such a twist about.
“You don’t think its fine but you were silent about it.”
For various reasons. Plus strange as it may seem, I don’t comment on every thing I disagree with.
“What was that bigoted comment by the way? I have no idea what I said that you got in such a twist about.”
I’m happy to have that conversation but not in this thread because it’s so off topic. Let’s take it to Open Mike.
CV is a negative nelly it’s true but weka you do seem to be quite comfortable stereotyping white males sometimes so I think it’s a fair point
stereotyping and bigotry aren’t exactly the same thing though, right? Feel free to call me on bigotry any time you like, so long as you can point to an example and explain why you think it’s bigoted and then engage in a conversation about that.
As Bill pointed out, the climate denialists are well represented by older white guys. I don’t think anyone that agrees with that statement thinks that that means that most older white guys are denialists (although I might be tempted to say that if I lived in the US).
You’re the one accusing CV of bigotry though, what was his bigoted comment? pointing out their whiteness doesn’t do anything to help the problem – just gives people more reason to discount what you say
CV’s bigotry is related to people he hates on and likes to now treat as a class eg ‘the left’.
“pointing out their whiteness doesn’t do anything to help the problem – just gives people more reason to discount what you say”
Contrary to what CV was thinking, I wasn’t fine with Pineapple’s comment. I thought it unnecessarily inflammatory and pretty much irrelevant outside of a conversation that was looking at power structures. It might have worked further down the thread, but as the first comment, when people were just finished reading something pretty challenging, having to jump into a conversation like that was jarring and likely to derail the thread.
Do I think that the classes of people who control both the creation of cc and whether we prevent the worst of it are dominated by older white men? Yes. Is there any disputing that? Do I think that most older white men are responsible? No. It always pays to talk to people about their politics and find out what they believe rather than jumping to conclusions based on projection.
But if you yourself stereotype people in that way, it’s all hunky dory, apparently. Seriously, mate, you need to own your prejudices and stop being such a hypocrite.
Hey TRP, you’re such a straight shooter, hope you make it high on to the Labour List.
how about we take this to OM?
I’m going to suggest that one of the moderators shifts the whole subthread too because it’s completely off topic and it’s an important thread for people not to be put off by derailments at the top of the comments.
Good call. I’m happy to stop while I’m ahead 😉
I agree – and the irony is that the scientists quoted in the story was … a white male over 40. Too funny for words.
how is that ironical?
The irony is not apparent to everyone it seems.
What was ironical was you getting all het up with your own identity politics.
It seems that you understand irony just fine when you decide to.
Maybe, but I’m willing to be that you can’t explain what the irony was that cyclonemike referred to.
It’s so interesting to see CV being pursued by you weka. He is receiving the same treatment that I used to get when I attempted to say anything about rape culture, and question its pervasiveness. When people like yourself set up as gatekeeper to everything it acts to enforce censorship. But it seems that you weka are trying to dominate the discourse and control the site to the point where critical attacks are common.
And for those who don’t know what all this gerfuffle is about – this was what got it started. I think that everyone should stop, rethink and stick to the political discussion. If someone makes a pointed criticism in the heat of the moment, let it pass, particularly weka, Colonial Viper and Te Reo Putake. It is not impressive to see the unreasoning hostility that amounts to bullying, then provoking reaction. I thought The Standard was aiming higher than this unpleasant nitpicking.
February breaks all records.
esoteric pineapples 1
15 March 2016 at 10:32 am
Now all we have to do is wait for a bunch of white males over 40 to tell us either a) scientists don’t know what they are talking about or b) its a hoax driven by the illuminati or some other conspiratorial group.
Thanks grey. I’m more than happy to be challenged on what I am doing, and I’m not that happy with how I have been here lately (my questioning the macho culture of ts is in part because it tends to bring out the worst in me if I don’t keep an eye on what I am doing).
I’m going to disagree with your interpretation though. The problem I have with CV is his behaviour not his politics, so I’m not sure the comparison works re you trying to bring in a different view on rape culture. It was the same with Pete George. When people’s behaviour affects a community so negatively then I think it’s valid for others to do something about it. If I was the only person challening CV on what he is doing I might agree with your interpretation that I am trying to control the debate somehow. But many people are sick of what he is doing. Many. If you take me out of the equation, CV still sprays his shit around too much and many people react against that. They aren’t doing those things because of me.
Whether my own behaviour makes that situation better or worse, I don’t really know at the moment. I think CV does respond to people encouraging him to be more proactive rather than just spraying shit around the site, so I try and do that until I lose my patience. I think in the instance the other day it was unfortunate that he put up an intentionally provocative post when feelings were already running high about his behaviour, because the subject he raised was important and it just got lost in the mess. I can also see that because of how ts is, he was probably limited in how he could bring that topic up, so in hindsight it was just a clusterfuck that no-one could do much about. For my part I wish I had taken a more proactive approach in my own critiques.
I basically walked out of that recent climate change thread because it was painful, and it was painfully obvious that by far the majority of people here wanted yet another round of talking rather than doing something. I have no tolerance for that and I’m sure it affected how I was posting for some time.
The stuff at the start was nothing to do with that, it was just a distraction. But I think the painful nature of the topic of the post probably contributed to the subsequent aggro. As for that convo *starting the whole thing, again I’ll disagree. It was just a continuation of something that’s pretty much continual here. My main comments at the start were to suggest we didn’t derail the thread and to suggest that the diversion get taken to OM. I’m not sure how that was a problem.
I don’t know if I am gatekeeper so much as caretaker who’s reached a point of frustration at the mess. Characterising CV’s comments as only something said in the heat of the moment misses the wider context and the impact he has on the site. If you think that I am also having a negative impact, please keep calling me on that (I don’t really get quite what you were meaning above, but I do remember you once telling me I was commenting too often, so I’ll have a think about that and whether I’d be better off making more comments from a more discerning place).
(cut and pasted from CC thread)
Well we live in a patriarchy that favours white males over males of other skin hue, and so they tend to have accumulated more of the available privilege that comes courtesy of the status quo . And older people tend to have more invested in the status quo than younger people, so…sure, a broad brush stroke, but to say that idiots advocating the status quo can be sort of characterised as”white males over 40″ seems fair enough in my book.
Nothing particularly sexist in it. Nothing particularly ageist in it. Absolutely nothing racist in it (can’t be racist towards whites – impossible)
Lol @ patriarchy and “can’t be racist towards whites” of course you can! It’s easy and people do it all the time, it just isn’t as harmful overall because of where power lies in western societies currently
You can be bigoted towards towards white people, that is a given
But, how on God’s green earth can the privileged group have racism directed at them?
You get that the exercise of power is a fundamental aspect of racism, Tim?
.
Because people of other races can have power over white people… White people aren’t invincible lol
Racism has very specific roots – Social Darwinism. Sure, other cultures may well have thought of themselves superior, but only one (as far as I’m aware) touted itself, essentially, as a race apart from and above the human race – humanity. That allowed, informed or excused colonisation by the white west of every non-white area of the world.
That all means that a white person can be on the receiving end of discrimination but never racism, because racism’s a very particular type of discrimination that always holds ‘whiteness’ as above and better and ‘god given’ (as it were).
Nice.
/
He’s gotta be troling, I hope.
Nick Kalman Verified account
@NickKalmanFN
.@realDonaldTrump supporters sporting armbands in Florida http://campl.us/suUn
https://twitter.com/NickKalmanFN/status/709460365122338816
They’re a couple of political jokesters it seems
https://twitter.com/mviser/status/709463922059911168
Today’s misanthropy red lining….
Ali Alimadadi
@alialimadadi110
#Hamoo,#Iraqi father who pushes handicapped daughter on #Greek border, seeking a better future beyond barbed wires
https://twitter.com/alialimadadi110/status/709474642122117120
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/77905481/labour-leader-andrew-little-warns-banks-cut-rates-or-face-compulsion
When both National and the Greens think its a bad idea then you know you’ve really outdone yourself
Gawd.
Muldoon, Bolger, Clark and Key all took till their third term before they started displaying their Messiah complexes.
Muldoon and Clark got really virulent cases. Remember how Piggy was going to save the world’s monetary system? Now Little has got the bug.
Little has got it already and he has only had a year and a bit as leader of a minor party.
Please Labour . Get things sorted out. Get rid of Little and all the deadwood.
New Zealand cannot afford such a useless second party.
Ha ha right winger doesn’t like it when a leftwing poly says something that gets him a positive head line. # takingthefuckersonattheirowngame
I have some very simple principles.
Politicians should define what outcome they want.
Then they should get out of the way.
They should never try and run a business. If they do that they will never stop doing something stupid. They are unable to admit they have done something foolish so they keep throwing money at it rather than shut it down.
They are also completely unaware that they really don’t know anything about it.
That is why we have to get a new Government every few years. The new lot don’t have anything committed to the mistake so they are willing to fix things.
If we get Little, or any other politician, making decisions about what a bank should charge in interest or who is to get loans they will make mistakes. Then they will use tax-payers money to hide the mistake. If the bank starts making unhappy noises they will give them more money to shut them up.
In the case of the Reserve Bank for example Roger Douglas laid down the first principles, and left how it was done to the Governor. Everyone since has left the Governor to get on with it and they have done very well. If they don’t they can be sacked because the blame can be put on them, not the poly.
Little seems to think he knows better. So did Muldoon and we ended up with stagflation.
Can I ask, if you are a man of principal, did you vote national in any of the last 3 elections, given that it was as obvious as hell to any one vaguely interested in politics that national us very dirty tactics around election time!
Yes I did. And I didn’t find their tactics any different to their predecessors.
I have voted in 11 of the last 12 elections. 5 Labour, 6 National and 1 when, living overseas I didn’t think I should vote.
However in 2008 I thought Labour were old, tired and corrupt. A change was essential.
They had the same people on 2011. Nothing had really changed had it? In general Labour were still useless so I voted for the ones who were better for New Zealand.
2014 was even worse. Can you really imagine a no-hoper like Cunliffe as PM?
Seriously? He seemed to have more DCMs than anyone I had ever heard of.
Now? I want to see some alternative to the current Government who was competent but at the moment Labour looks just as useless as ever. At the moment Key still seems better for the country.
I want a better option.
I think Helen Clark was responsible for the Labour party woes. She wanted people there who were subservient to her and would do what she demanded. Not a rebel or even a free thinking person in the lot of them. And they are still there!
By the way the word I used was PRINCIPLE, not PRINCIPAL. I bow down to no-one.
” Not a rebel or even a free thinking person in the lot of them.”
Can I point that not one nat with exception to the odius corrupt Collins has ever slightly broken ranks in 7 years.
For a laugh on day I asked the member for Taupo on her Facebook page what her views on keys ponytail pulling where, it got removed quickly I can tell you.
By the way I was pissed with Clarke to , for giving our land to the southern gentry, and not working more with the greens. And I always saw goff as a caretaker leader.
As for Cunliffe I found him a bit cringe worthy but he would of done a good job IMO .
Maybe, but it would still be good to see the Reserve Bank concentrate on more than just inflation. Its job is to balance the growth in the economy with inflation targets, and its concentrating on just inflation.
There’s plenty more signals Little needs to make against the retail banks. He just needs the support of the Reserve Bank to do its actual job.
Things looking pretty damn shity for Israeli Arabs
About half of Israel’s Jews support the transfer of Arabs to other countries, according to a survey by the American Pew Research Center published Tuesday. The poll was conducted among Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis from the end of 2014 until the middle of 2015, before the latest wave of terror.
One of the questions in the survey, based on face-to-face interviews of 5,601 individuals, asked to what degree they agreed with the following statement: “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.” The result, among the Jewish respondents: Twenty-one percent “strongly agree” and 27 percent “mostly agree.” If those two groups are combined, about half of Israeli Jews questioned – 48 percent – support transfer of Arab citizens. On the other hand, a similar proportion – 46 percent – say they oppose such a move, with 29 percent saying that they “don’t really agree” and 17 percent responding that they “don’t agree at all” to the expulsion of Arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.707589
Yep, but nothing new in that.
Back in 2002, polls suggested more than 40% of Israelis agreed with the expulsion (either through force or encouragement) of Israeli Arabs. By 2006, that sentiment had risen to almost 50% (forced transfer) rising to over 55% (if encouragement of Arab emigration was included).
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of Israelis (polls have generally suggested well over 80%) have long opposed a two-state settlement grounded in international Law (in which Israel withdraws to the pre-June 67 border and allows a significant Palestinian Capital in East Jerusalem). In other words, the Israeli public fully supports the rejectionist stance of consecutive Israeli Govts over the decades.
What the majority of Israelis do support (in some polls, by a very large majority) is the sort of “settlement” of the “conflict” where Israel annexes all of the major settlement Blocs, splitting the West Bank into separate little cantons, annexes most of Jerusalem and nullifies the Right of Return.
Recent polls have also suggested a majority of Israelis support Jewish/Arab segregation on public transport, 55% supported segregated recreational facilities, large minorities agree that Arab-Israelis shouldn’t be employed in hospitals, nursing institutions or kindergartens. 75% opposed living in the same apartment buildings as Arabs, 55% believed Israeli-Arabs didn’t have the ability to reach the same level of cultural development as Jews, 61% were unwilling to have an Arab visit their home, 64% believe Arab-Israelis endanger the state of Israel because of their high birth rates. And a large minority considered Arab culture inferior.
A 2008 poll found 40% of Jewish Israelis believed Arab Israelis should not be allowed to vote, with 78% against Arab politicians having any involvement in govt and 80% opposed to Arabs being involved in “important decisions”. A 2010 poll found 57% agreed that Israeli Human Rights organisations that expose “immoral conduct by Israel” shouldn’t be allowed to operate freely. Majorities also favoured punishing Israeli citizens and journalists who either support sanctions (BDS) or report on facts that reflect badly on Israel’s international reputation.
And, of course, polls suggest overwhelming Israeli support for the IDF’s regular massacres and carpet-bombing of Gaza and Lebanon.
Speaking of fascist, authoritarian, militarised, apartheid nations
Just enjoying watching questions in the house today on playback, the best bit is being able to fast forward National MP’s vacuous responses and patsy questions.
Is it true that President Obama is going to come to New Zealand soon … or is it just another vicious rumour spread by the National Party? LOL.
Key is on a build up to an early election so he is going to do everything he can to get Obama over here.
Getting Obama here will make his Richie McCaw and All Black suck-a-thon pale into total insignificance.
Ironically so many of the anti-Obama mob are Key supporters but they will go into a suck up frenzy if their lord and master gets his way.
As an aside, how much would any such visit cost us?
tbh I’m not sure who bears the costs of these visits. I suspect the US State Dept bears much of the cost but we will be providing a shit load of outer perimeter security, state events/banquets, closing down large areas of cities at Secret Service request etc.
@Colonial Viper
Why do you say that John Key is building up to an early General Election?
You are the first person I have heard mention this.
I wonder who this is? Reminds me of another “person of some public interest” from up North who is facing some serious charges in court very soon! Wonder when that case will start rolling out?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11606101