In his new book, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity, noted media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff takes on the failure of the digital economy to make things better for more people. At the core of Rushkoff’s critique is what he calls the “obsolete economic operating system that emphasizes growth” and the abandonment of core values that occur once companies go public and succumb to short-term thinking.
Rushkoff suggests a shift away from the growth pressures of publicly traded markets and platform monopolies — and toward collaborative models that build on the contributions and add to the wealth of their workers, communities, and consumers.
Some interesting points about how the old capitalist business forms are proving even more destructive in the new digital age.
If put your head up and show ‘the government that it has holes in its social housing policy and that Paula Bennett has not been doing her job in terms of fixing these problems”, expect trouble.
Marae has fears of ‘smear campaign’
The Auckland-based marae which opened its doors to the homeless is worried it is the victim of a smear campaign by the staff of the Social Housing Minister.
Hasn’t Bennett more or less acknowledged that in her debriefing with her staff she imparted the knowledge Mr Dennis had very honourably given her ? If that’s the story the trashy thing is as guilty as sin, if one step removed. As someone said she has “form”.
That effete fuck Key then comes on and says – “Paula wears her heart on her sleeve……she wouldn’t lie to me”.
FFS ! There’s no such thing as a lie in the culture of their fetid, corrupt world so what’s that assurance worth ?
Donald Trump and his supporters are mimicking H1tler.
100%
The USA is today in about the place late 1920’s Germany was in just before they elected H1tler, with all his rhetoric blaming the muslims, I mean the jews, for everything
why did 25% of Germans vote for Hitler? Because they were sick of seeing their country and their lives being humiliated and broken by the powerful and the rich.
Agreed … Trump is only succeeding because the left has been put out of business, mainly by the elites imposing their self-serving zombie ideologies, and partly by our own divisiveness and failures.
The spectacle of the Democrats closing out the only authentically left-wing and popular candidate for generations, in favour of their own insider … will not be lost on many US voters. The message is loud and clear “this way lies no hope”.
I don;t disagree at all and those factors are very real..
still scary though as to where such rhetoric leads…… it is this which is scary…. and i dont think Trump even understands any of that… or perhaps he does …
Then to have Winston Peters come out the last two days with all of his rhetoric trying to out-pimp Trump – well, say no more…. Peters is again becoming populist with no care for the truth of his mutterances or positions and the effect those could have on encouraging hate and divisiveness ..
.. Peters claiming “we have it here too”… what a load of complete bullshit. If this carries on then Peters will be back to his previous Clark-years form of lies and bullshit, the wanker
placing NATO forces, including German military units FFS, right on the borders of Russia is not only assanine of the west, it is damn provocative and dangerous. Russia has already announced that it now has to add targets in Romania and Poland to their standard military plans.
Imagine Russia stationing 30,000 troops, missile batteries and fighter bomber squadrons in Cuba under the guise of a training exercise.
Anyone know what are the likely voting preferences of immigrants arriving since the last election. Would it be the same makeup as the population at large? If they are mostly low skilled is that a euphemism for Labour voters? If however they are ambitious and hard working is that a euphemism for National voters? I wonder how those with Chinese sounding names will vote? Perhaps a clue is that Asian membership of the National Party has doubled in the last two years.
If they parasite and leech off society, is that a euphemism for National voters? If they want to fight for basic employment rights in their jobs, is that a euphemism for Labour voters?
Take off the blinkers. National have increased benefits, extended free GP care and prescriptions to children, assisted beneficiaries into employment. increased operations, doctors, nurses and funded more medications. Sometimes the visceral venom of the Left defies credulity. In every portfolio there has been progress. Would a new immigrant want to support a winning succesful team or take a punt on a dispirite bunch of economically illiterate whingers.
fisiani, Nztional have been in power for eight ‘long’ years. So all of these should have increased- it’s called reacting, and properly so, to inflation.
Cameron and Carrick finally getting called out on their lies, perfect timing, someone’s using their head and timing it to keep him out of the election.
Microbes discovered that eat and poo electricity, microbes that could revolutionize energy and at the same time clean up the planets pollution. Good to see their is a glimmer of hope for this planet.
Christ on a stick. An author at the standard has proposed a viable, inter connected, well reasoned alternative to current practises rather than just blindly criticising then coming up with an ill-thought through, impractical ideological alternative with no connection to reality. Well done Weka.
Nice post too
[moved to OM for being off topic and looks like an old argument too. You are all welcome back in the sustainable fishing thread if you can put your comments in context of the post. Nessalt, thanks for the ups but it would have been better without slagging off other authors – weka]
I think I can remember two other plausible, workable, alternatives presented on the standard.
One by Lprent in relation to something computer / network related and how it could be used to further societal cohesion.
Then something by Bill, also on mitigating harm to the environment while sustaining society in all it’s functions. including the bits you don’t like. That pay for you to sit around on a computer. which was developed and nurtured by capitalism and free market ideology. And without which no one would listen to you.
which was developed and nurtured by capitalism and free market ideology.
Capitalism has always been against the welfare state and democracy. Just need to look at the actions of this government to see that.
Also, it wasn’t capitalism that developed the computer but heavy state intervention. Apple and its products would not exist without government funding and research.
Capitalism destroys. Always has done, always will do.
Just remember that large, upfront and early Federal Gov investment was what made the transistor and computer networking possible. Private companies have been leveraging off that for many years now, but they never had to take the initial risk or expense of doing the early investment themselves.
And the government never would have made any grants if it wasn’t perfectly suited for growing the economy and improve the access of millions to information and capitalism in a short space of time. capitalist imperatives have nurtured more societal improvements than any other form of ism has. look how globalism combined with capitalism have raised more than 90% of the worlds population out of actual poverty. not the relative poverty that is an ephemeral concept and is routinely trotted out as a “valid” argument.
And the government never would have made any grants if it wasn’t perfectly suited for growing the economy and improve the access of millions to information and capitalism in a short space of time.
Back in the 1950s I really doubt any one was dreaming of the WWW or even individuals having computers.
capitalist imperatives have nurtured more societal improvements than any other form of ism has.
Nope. It always destroys them because the capitalists take all the wealth for themselves. That’s what cutting government spending and taxes is about.
look how globalism combined with capitalism have raised more than 90% of the worlds population out of actual poverty.
I’m pretty sure if you went to the people before capitalism introduced them to poverty and asked if they were in poverty they’d say no. And you probably wouldn’t find any either as those societies worked together to ensure that everyone lived well.
Now you know that public money was used in the development of much of the computer industry and internet, will you simply go on telling the same lies as before? I think so, because it suits your personal belief system, too much of which is based on lies for you to change.
You can’t even acknowledge the successes of social-democratic mixed economies, ffs.
what lies? it’s all true. capitalistic imperatives to provide a free market are essential to a government performing it’s duty to society. Government can never provide the kind of planning and distribution to make some thing like the uptake of personal computers work. and they certainly can’t bludgeon anyone into making a sustainable fishing farm like the one proposed. it’s success will be judged by the notion that it’s owners can make a profit based off low barriers to entry. boom- free market.
understand this, government intervention is successful when it’s propagating just causes like free market capitalism is a once off. it’s only when they guarantee bank and finance company deposits etc that it becomes a problem. purely because the government is now involved and markets are distorted.
capitalistic imperatives to provide a free market are essential to a government performing it’s duty to society.
The government has always done that far better when it wasn’t done through capitalism. In fact the last thirty years have shown a decrease in the ability of our government to do right by our people – as the increasing poverty and homelessness proves.
Government can never provide the kind of planning and distribution to make some thing like the uptake of personal computers work.
Actually, the PC you’re using is proof that they can. Read The Entrepreneurial State to get an idea of how the entire process was planned over decades by a small government office. An office that researched what was needed and then chose the research to fund to bring about that end. If that small government office hadn’t done that planning there’d be no way that we’d have the computers that we have today.
and they certainly can’t bludgeon anyone into making a sustainable fishing farm like the one proposed.
No. What they’d do is fund the research into producing such sustainable farms and then make that research publicly available. Just like the US government did and does with computers in fact.
it’s success will be judged by the notion that it’s owners can make a profit based off low barriers to entry.
Have you noted climate change and our polluted cities and water ways?
That’s the result of capitalism and the profit motive. Capitalism is unsustainable and always destroys the society that tries it as history proves.
What lies? You’re still telling them. Are you going to read The Entrepreneurial State as suggested, or are you happy to wallow in ignorance and dishonesty?
I bet you invent some strawman instead. Go on, pretend you’re arguing with a Communist, that’ll work 🙄
Auckland is booming but it’s the struggling regions that contribute most exports and tourist destinations – the critical determinants of living standards.
o Excessive, low value immigration is a disaster. It boosts GDP, so is politically attractive, but increases housing demand and prices, is causing serious social problems, puts pressure on Government spending AND, most importantly, reduces the living standards of New Zealanders. Building more houses for more people who don’t add economic value just digs a deeper hole!
o Immigration inflates house prices but much of the increase in house prices reflects the large tax subsidy to investors in housing, compared with savers.
o High volume – low value tourism is destructive. It adds little economic value but puts serious pressure on the environment and fundamentally erodes New Zealand’s desirable features.
o Deliberate policy targeting of savers and savings is politically expedient but bad policy, and damaging, economically and socially.
o Low productivity is a critical weakness, contributing to low incomes, low tax payments and low living standards – and welfare dependency.
o The windfall gains from Auckland house prices should be substantially taxed, to fund critical National projects, such as restoring river water quality and more effective social programs. River water quality is a disgrace!
o The Public Service needs to be sorted, urgently. It has too many serious policy and performance failures. It has too many weaknesses and is too much a lap dog rather than a source of leadership and free and frank advice and information. “Better Public Service” is dead in the water!
So how come in 9 hard years of Labour they never made huge increases in benefits, increased operations or doctors or nurses and refused to fund Herceptin. Take off the blinkers and come over to the Force.
St Matthew-in-the-City
(187 Federal St) (Corner of Wellesley and Hobson Sts)
Doors open at 6pm. LIMITED CAPACITY. $5 Koha. Thanks.
Public Meeting
Talks and discussion on the TPPA (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) and the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership). These are two massive international treaties that spell Double Trouble.
Find out more!
The TPPA is being steamrolled through Parliament against the wishes of the majority of New Zealanders, but it is in deep trouble in the US and other countries. It may never be ratified and may never come into force. We need to keep up the pressure.
Meanwhile, the RCEP, led by China contains many of the same dangerous provisions as the TPPA. It is still in negotiation and the next round of talks is being held in Auckland on 12-18 June. If the TPPA doesn’t go through, it will be the RCEP that sets the rules for trade and investment, and for New Zealand’s laws and democratic rights.
Like the TPPA, the RCEP negotiations are shrouded in secrecy. We need to know what the New Zealand government is saying on our behalf. We need transparency.
Featured speakers:
Dr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram – former senior UN official, researcher on the TPPA
Dr. Jane Kelsey – Law Professor, University of Auckland
Sanya Reid Smith – Senior Researcher, Third World Network Malaysia
Dr. Joshua Freeman – Doctors for Healthy Trade
Barry Coates – Spokesperson, It’s Our Future
Dr. Sundaram is a prominent Malaysian economist, who has served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) from 2005 until 2012. He was founder chair of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs), and sat on the Board of the United Nations Research Institute For Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva. In 2007, he was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
A prominent critic of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Dr. Sundaram has co-authored a report, published by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University, entitled Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality and Other Risks of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Dr Sundaram’s research indicates that the economic models used to legitimise such treaties do not take into account that they work to increase unemployment and inequality.
Dr. Jane Kelsey is one of New Zealand’s best-known critical commentators on issues of globalisation and neoliberalism. She is an active member of a number of international coalitions of academics, trade unionists, NGOs and social movements working for social justice.
Sanya Reid Smith is a Legal Advisor and Senior Researcher at the Third World Network, an international coalition specializing in North-South policy issues. Sanya travels the world in tireless advocacy for social justice, on topics including access to medicines, womens’ rights and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Josh Freeman is a Clinical Microbiologist at Auckland City Hospital and an honorary academic at the University of Auckland School of Molecular Medicine and Pathology.Doctors for the Protection of Health in Trade Agreements (known as Doctors for Healthy Trade) is a growing coalition of New Zealand doctors and colleagues in health in New Zealand and elsewhere, with a core group of predominantly full-time clinicians.
Barry Coates is spokesperson for It’s Our Future and former Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand. He has played a prominent role in campaigning on trade and climate change internationally and in New Zealand, and is a passionate advocate for sustainability and social justice. It’s Our Future is the leading coalition in New Zealand opposing the TPPA and similar treaties.
When the race started Sandars did not get the press, well maybe in the US, but i have not heard him speak, let alone understand his platform. Now sure r you can argue that he was new and took time to catch Clinton incumbant establishment name recognition. Though Trump branding long ago has been drummed into us all.
But that just democracy when media hold the keys to who gets airtime.
Sandars is still in because hes got leverage to get Clinton concessions. No problem with that. Question is really for me, will Republicians vote for Trump and have him define their party, like George junior, in the hopes he is a Ronald, even though both are now historically patsy establishment Presidents who created the mire that is western democracy.
I first saw Sanders many many years ago on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and it WAS complimentary.
You know what? Sanders went down so well he was given a huge round of applause and whistling by the audience. Jon Stewart was really impressed too and he said something along the lines of “Hey America, take a look at our future President!” Uncanny eh.
As for aerobubble’s question, I can’t reply to that. I’m barely following the American Presidential campaigns this time around. I’m just too tired.
Like any 2.5 mill’ Lotto winner. Of course it wouldn’t have anything to do with what I suspect to be your subliminal sense that he’s a lobotomised brown boy in a sea of equally unworthy brown people. Which sense was the problem right from the start of course.
I read somewhere there’s a still serving Auckland cop who was involved in his persecution from day one whom to this day still angrily maintains that Teina Pora’s as guilty as sin. May karma hunt that bastard cop down.
Paula Trash aye ? The staffer loses his/her job there could be some uncontrolled talking. Of course Paula Trash is gonna publicly decline the invented offer of resignation. Makes the trashy lying thing look the magnanimous non-bully she is not.
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The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Referendums Framework Bill. The Bill does what it says on the label - establishes a framework for referenda. Things you may want to address in your submission: Whether the bill should apply only at the 2020 election, or whether it should ...
The Thompson and Clark / MBIE spying scandal continues to result in fallout, this time in the form of a report on the implementation of MBIE's "Operation Exploration", its internal operation to enforce the infamous Anadarko Amendment which criminalised protests against the oil industry. MBIE's enforcement operation was tainted by ...
So, Winston Peters is defending his last-minute demand for a referendum on abortion by claiming he was "blindsided" by the bill. Really? The bill is a government bill. It has been working through the cabinet approval process since December last year. As part of that process, NZ First was consulted, ...
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...
‘Original Sin’ of Land Confiscation at Ihumātao is a wrong that can be put right by Government says Justice & Peace Commission of Catholic Diocese of Auckland ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on August 19 that her government is likely to impose new restrictions on prisoners’ rights to send letters. She said the law could be changed in “weeks.” ...
Heart-warming images of House Speaker Trevor Mallard cradling a baby in Parliament have been welcomed around New Zealand, but the Public Service Association warns most families can only dream of such support in the workplace. ...
Applying New Zealand’s international human rights commitments, particularly those in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, can help in resolving the situation at Ihumātao, Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt says. ...
Climate campaigners impersonating bank staff have taken to the streets this week to expose ANZ Bank’s sponsorship of the fossil fuel industry. In the series of satirical actions in Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland, the ‘bank staff’ promoted ...
Auckland Action Against Poverty joins the Children’s Commissioner , The Green Party , The New Zealand Drugs Foundation , Child Poverty Action Group and other organisations in the calls for an immediate end to the drug testing benefit sanctions. ...
Negotiations between Port Otago workers represented by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and management failed today and the unions have issued notice of an overtime ban from Saturday 7th September. ...
Queenstown Lakes District Council’s comments that it has applied for a consent to pollute waterways to avoid 'prosecutions by the Otago Regional Council' are unacceptable,’ Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says. ...
On March 15, the real world impact of online hate became abundantly, horrifically clear. As a shooter opened fire at two Christchurch mosques, the online image board 8chan anticipated, celebrated and amplified his killing spree. ...
Friday, 23 August: Government delegates from around the world, including New Zealand, are meeting in New York for the third of four meetings at the United Nations to agree a Global Oceans Treaty that could help to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Greenpeace ...
The excuses about a reportedly unwanted $57,000 payrise for Dunedin City Council CEO Sue Bidrose are laughable, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has launched the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” committing to no more than 2% annual rate hikes over the next Council term, and has written to all Mayoral and Council candidates asking them to sign. The pledge will ...
This Saturday, Pakuranga Hunt Day at the Ellerslie Racecourse will see anti-horse racing protesters demonstrating at the corner of Ascot Avenue and Greenlane East. ...
Mayoral candidate John Tamihere will meet with Pacific Island leaders and community elders today at Puhunui Reserve in South Auckland to commit to a Pasefika Cultural Centre. ...
Cruel and invalid Forced Swim Tests carried out at Victoria University of Wellington, will be exposed at the University Open Day today, so prospective students can be warned about the flawed and unethical research being conducted at the institute. ...
The organiser of the annual YWCA Equal Pay Awards has expressed her disappointment with the latest Gender Pay Gap figure for New Zealand workers. The figure rose slightly from 9.2% in 2018 to 9.3% for the quarter ended 30 June 2019. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to pass on information to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques now that the period for submissions has been extended to 27 September. ...
An application was filed in the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington today, seeking an injunction to prevent the Board of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation from removing the President from office. ...
The Government’s commitment to support literacy and numeracy training in the workplace is a strong signal from Government on recognising the importance of upskilling, reskilling and increasing productivity alongside their commitment to address the challenges ...
“The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance,” says Paul Blair, incoming CEO of Infrastructure NZ. ...
The AA is calling on the Government to bring forward critical highway projects while time is spent properly developing the plans for a rapid transit system in Auckland. ...
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, DHBs spent $280 million treating patients due to adverse drug reactions, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in its latest briefing paper on health productivity . ...
The Pay Equity Coalition Auckland (PECA) is pleased the gender pay gap has decreased slightly. Statistics released today show the gap is now 11.9%, nearly 2 percent less than last year. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to make sure they pass on any information they have to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques before submissions close tomorrow (Friday). ...
The big electricity companies consider solar energy “disruptive” and want pricing to suppress it. In contrast, advocates of local energy say that solar, energy efficiency, and other local energy solutions are the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions. ...
The Earthquake Commission and Shine Lawyers are delighted to announce that EQC has reached an agreement with the Gibling family, agreeing to cover the cost of repairs of remaining earthquake damage on their property. ...
Four months into the inquiry, the Royal Commission is gathering significant information and continues to receive valuable submissions from the public, from current and former State servants, experts and community groups. ...
While Fish & Game New Zealand is pleased to see Federated Farmers Environment Spokesperson Chris Allen say that 'we all want good, fresh water', he conveniently overlooks some key facts. ...
What: Wellington demo “Save the Amazon Forest/Salve a Amazônia!” When: Friday, 6 September 2019 from 12:30-13:30 Where: Embassy of Brazil in Wellingtona ...
Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, welcomes the visit of His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. ...
A cross political Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing group will be launched on Wednesday 28 August hosted by Sir John Kirwan and Moe Milne (ONZM) who have both been at the forefront of our country’s often difficult conversations about mental ...
Confirmation that the government will be progressing an independent Parliamentary Budget Office is great news for democracy and transparency, Federated Farmers says. ...
At first glance, Simon Bridges’ strident opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an independent office to cost political parties’ election spending plans looks childish and petty. ...
Euthanasia-Free NZ is appalled that Parliament spent so little time debating Part 2 of the End of Life Choice Bill and voted to leave it full of holes. ...
Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and its nationwide sister group the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for his comments today that John Tamihere would need the Government’s support to ...
A ‘one size fits all’, inflexible and punitive regulatory regime for water quality just gets backs - and costs - up and most importantly will not work, Federated Farmers says. ...
Mediation yesterday between secondary principals and the government has resulted in a deal that the principals' negotiating team is recommending to its members. ...
Clubs New Zealand welcomes the decision of Justice Minister Andrew Little to put forward a bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow all licensed premises to remain open for Rugby World Cup matches. ...
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has ordered a review looking at labelling of added sugars in food and drinks. An option under investigation is ‘a pictorial approach applied to sugary beverages / sugar-sweetened beverages’ ...
Labour market data released by Statistics New Zealand today indicates that a gender pay gap persists in New Zealand, despite improvement in some areas. ...
In the midst of the 6th Great Extinction Event the coalition, STOP Trashing Our Planet is urging voters to take full responsibility for the legacy we are leaving our children. ...
LGNZ will carefully consider the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) to assess if it meets the Government’s aim of enabling urban development or simply adds more red tape to the planning process. ...
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...
Analysis - The prime minister puts a stake in the ground over petrol prices, National balks at having its election promises costed and the government puts millions into helping the homeless. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...
The departure of "two Pākehā men" from the government's justice reform group will not hurt the quality of its final report, another member of the team says. ...
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...
Current leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Is Simon Bridges really trying to channel Donald Trump? Or is he taking his cue from Scott Morrison? Or is he looking to emulate Boris Johnson? Whatever the inspiration, there’s been a clear change in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]Michelle Grattan talks about the sad news of the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini. They also discuss Scott Morrison’s recent announcement about joining ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...
A new poem by Oamaru-born poet Nick Ascroft.SupermanHalfway up the ascent zigzagging from Royal Terrace to upper Stuart Street carrying four too-heavy grocery bags I begin to understand that I will not make it. My huffing personage – from the fingers, white with the strain, to a face the colour of rhubarb – will ooze into the pavement and roll slowly ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sound the alarm, because it’s time for another absolute chaos pod. We’re talking haunted dolls in Waipu, we’re talking giant hands taking over Wellington, we’re talking soft serve cones dipped in powdered Milo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Press, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania This week, the ABC revealed that the Australian Defence Force wants to roll out military technology in Antarctica. The article raises the issue of what is, or is not, ...
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...
The lanky sidekick from Jono and Ben journeys around New Zealand trying to solve small town problems. Does he succeed?Guy Williams, hardly a shy, retiring type, has been screaming out for his own vehicle for years. A loud, lanky, fearless comic, he’s spent nearly a decade in MediaWorks purgatory, sat ...
Ballot Box.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The nature of New Zealand general election campaigns could be significantly changed with the proposed establishment of an “umpire” to adjudicate over political party manifesto policies. A suggestion has been put forward by the Government for the establishment of a parliamentary watchdog ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Ihumātao Delphine Herbert and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Tainui to buy Ihumātao land – sources Danielle ...
Extinction Rebellion takes a tour of downtown Wellington to point out the coal industry stalwarts and ask why they’re still there in the face of a climate emergency. “There are coal companies in Wellington??”That’s the incredulous response every single time we mention taking the public on a tour of the biggest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel A. Ankeny, Professor of History and Philosophy, and Deputy Dean Research (Faculty of Arts), University of Adelaide The South Australian government recently announced its intention to lift the long-standing statewide moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops, following a statutory six-week consultation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vicki Sentas, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Law, UNSW Being strip searched by the police can be intrusive, humiliating and harmful. Typically, strip searches involve being required to strip naked in front of police officers, who often give the direction to “squat and cough”, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Remond, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Hi, I was just wondering if something’s wrong with me because I’m never happy and never want to do anything and I’m getting really lazy and I really hate school. Thanks – Anonymous ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project; and Online Teacher at Education Queensland’s IMPACT Centre, The University of Queensland From as early as Grade 3 teachers start teaching children how to put across their own points of view. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW It’s four years since then Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned Australia had been heading to “a Greek-style economic future”. He was referring to what he said had been happening under the previous Labor government. When Labor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samia Khatun, Senior Lecturer, SOAS, University of London Some 1,000 kilometres inland from Sydney, over the Blue Mountains, past the trees that drink the tributaries of the Darling River, there stands a little, red mosque. It marks where the desert begins. The ...
Open mike 15/06/2016 
Open mike is your post.
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...16 hours ago
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...1 day ago
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...1 day ago
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...1 day ago
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Nothing from me tody - I'm off to Christchurch to pretend to be other people for a weekend. Normal bloggage should resume on Tuesday. ...2 days ago
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...2 days ago
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...2 days ago
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ... 2 days ago
Television advertising has a huge impact on our lives. Even if we don’t recognise that, we know it has to be true, since otherwise why would advertisers spend so much on it? Its significance, however, is greater than simply the influence it has on what we purchase and consume. It ...4 days ago
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...4 days ago
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...5 days ago
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...6 days ago
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...7 days ago
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...1 week ago
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Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...1 week ago
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...1 week ago
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...1 week ago
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...1 week ago
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...1 week ago
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...2 weeks ago
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 2 weeks ago
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...2 weeks ago
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...2 weeks ago
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...2 weeks ago
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...2 weeks ago
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...2 weeks ago
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...2 weeks ago
On Newshub Nation: Simon Shepherd interviews Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft and international children's rights expert Laura Lundy ...12 hours ago
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised to help Muslim women who are interested in politics. ...7 hours ago
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...14 hours ago
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...15 hours ago
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...15 hours ago
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...16 hours ago
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...16 hours ago
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...17 hours ago
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...17 hours ago
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...18 hours ago
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...24 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...1 day ago
Internet freedom advocates have slammed the Government for proposing censorship of online gambling sites. ...1 day ago
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...1 day ago
As Indonesia cracks down on protests in the disputed West Papua territory, the Government has declined to condemn the violence. ...1 day ago
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...1 day ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...1 day ago
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...1 day ago
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...1 day ago
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...1 day ago
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Douglas Rushkoff on How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity – and How To Fix It
Some interesting points about how the old capitalist business forms are proving even more destructive in the new digital age.
Remember when Google was on a bender about digitizing books, and being some information depository, it aint anymore.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel, uncaring
If put your head up and show ‘the government that it has holes in its social housing policy and that Paula Bennett has not been doing her job in terms of fixing these problems”, expect trouble.
Marae has fears of ‘smear campaign’
The Auckland-based marae which opened its doors to the homeless is worried it is the victim of a smear campaign by the staff of the Social Housing Minister.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/306393/marae-has-fears-of-'smear-campaign‘
Maybe they can get the Maori party to sort it out being besties with national and voting to sell state houses. /sarc
How did the staffer know about the police investigation, who told her or did she dig it up.
Bennet was told by Hurimoana Dennis.
Then the staffer told the media.
i wonder how the staffer got to know?
Implausible deniability has been de rigueur for this government for most of its term.
Hasn’t Bennett more or less acknowledged that in her debriefing with her staff she imparted the knowledge Mr Dennis had very honourably given her ? If that’s the story the trashy thing is as guilty as sin, if one step removed. As someone said she has “form”.
That effete fuck Key then comes on and says – “Paula wears her heart on her sleeve……she wouldn’t lie to me”.
FFS ! There’s no such thing as a lie in the culture of their fetid, corrupt world so what’s that assurance worth ?
Thanks for the link, Paul.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/florida-nightclub-shooting/81076654/obama-clinton-lay-into-trump-for-proposed-muslim-ban
Donald Trump and his supporters are mimicking H1tler.
100%
The USA is today in about the place late 1920’s Germany was in just before they elected H1tler, with all his rhetoric blaming the muslims, I mean the jews, for everything
There is no difference
Trump is exactly like H1tler
100%
scary
ignorant
just scary
why did 25% of Germans vote for Hitler? Because they were sick of seeing their country and their lives being humiliated and broken by the powerful and the rich.
Agreed … Trump is only succeeding because the left has been put out of business, mainly by the elites imposing their self-serving zombie ideologies, and partly by our own divisiveness and failures.
The spectacle of the Democrats closing out the only authentically left-wing and popular candidate for generations, in favour of their own insider … will not be lost on many US voters. The message is loud and clear “this way lies no hope”.
I don;t disagree at all and those factors are very real..
still scary though as to where such rhetoric leads…… it is this which is scary…. and i dont think Trump even understands any of that… or perhaps he does …
Then to have Winston Peters come out the last two days with all of his rhetoric trying to out-pimp Trump – well, say no more…. Peters is again becoming populist with no care for the truth of his mutterances or positions and the effect those could have on encouraging hate and divisiveness ..
.. Peters claiming “we have it here too”… what a load of complete bullshit. If this carries on then Peters will be back to his previous Clark-years form of lies and bullshit, the wanker
Like what is happening in our country under National
placing NATO forces, including German military units FFS, right on the borders of Russia is not only assanine of the west, it is damn provocative and dangerous. Russia has already announced that it now has to add targets in Romania and Poland to their standard military plans.
Imagine Russia stationing 30,000 troops, missile batteries and fighter bomber squadrons in Cuba under the guise of a training exercise.
Dont they have troops on the wests borders?
Yes Russia has been aggressively placing its country closer and closer to increasing numbers of NATO bases
Anyone know what are the likely voting preferences of immigrants arriving since the last election. Would it be the same makeup as the population at large? If they are mostly low skilled is that a euphemism for Labour voters? If however they are ambitious and hard working is that a euphemism for National voters? I wonder how those with Chinese sounding names will vote? Perhaps a clue is that Asian membership of the National Party has doubled in the last two years.
If they parasite and leech off society, is that a euphemism for National voters? If they want to fight for basic employment rights in their jobs, is that a euphemism for Labour voters?
Take off the blinkers. National have increased benefits, extended free GP care and prescriptions to children, assisted beneficiaries into employment. increased operations, doctors, nurses and funded more medications. Sometimes the visceral venom of the Left defies credulity. In every portfolio there has been progress. Would a new immigrant want to support a winning succesful team or take a punt on a dispirite bunch of economically illiterate whingers.
fisiani, Nztional have been in power for eight ‘long’ years. So all of these should have increased- it’s called reacting, and properly so, to inflation.
Well, if they vote National then they do both, so I don’t really know what the point of your little false dichotomy is.
Hey Zealot read what this guy has to say about this shower of shit running the country
http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/82115/kerry-mcdonald-analyses-many-challenges-country-faces-and-concludes-we-need-effective
Good News Stories this morning
Cameron and Carrick finally getting called out on their lies, perfect timing, someone’s using their head and timing it to keep him out of the election.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/health/health-advocates-accuse-whale-oil-of-defamation-2016061507#axzz4BWVpjCuN
Microbes discovered that eat and poo electricity, microbes that could revolutionize energy and at the same time clean up the planets pollution. Good to see their is a glimmer of hope for this planet.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160613-there-are-microbes-that-eat-and-poo-nothing-but-electricity
A shocking development 🙂
Christ on a stick. An author at the standard has proposed a viable, inter connected, well reasoned alternative to current practises rather than just blindly criticising then coming up with an ill-thought through, impractical ideological alternative with no connection to reality. Well done Weka.
Nice post too
[moved to OM for being off topic and looks like an old argument too. You are all welcome back in the sustainable fishing thread if you can put your comments in context of the post. Nessalt, thanks for the ups but it would have been better without slagging off other authors – weka]
+1
Actually, there’s been several workable solutions posted on here. You just refuse to accept them because of your own failed ideology.
I think I can remember two other plausible, workable, alternatives presented on the standard.
One by Lprent in relation to something computer / network related and how it could be used to further societal cohesion.
Then something by Bill, also on mitigating harm to the environment while sustaining society in all it’s functions. including the bits you don’t like. That pay for you to sit around on a computer. which was developed and nurtured by capitalism and free market ideology. And without which no one would listen to you.
Capitalism has always been against the welfare state and democracy. Just need to look at the actions of this government to see that.
Also, it wasn’t capitalism that developed the computer but heavy state intervention. Apple and its products would not exist without government funding and research.
Capitalism destroys. Always has done, always will do.
Just remember that large, upfront and early Federal Gov investment was what made the transistor and computer networking possible. Private companies have been leveraging off that for many years now, but they never had to take the initial risk or expense of doing the early investment themselves.
And the government never would have made any grants if it wasn’t perfectly suited for growing the economy and improve the access of millions to information and capitalism in a short space of time. capitalist imperatives have nurtured more societal improvements than any other form of ism has. look how globalism combined with capitalism have raised more than 90% of the worlds population out of actual poverty. not the relative poverty that is an ephemeral concept and is routinely trotted out as a “valid” argument.
you’re retrospectively assigning motivation half a century after the fact.
Bell Labs for instance, was funded as a non profit research centre, within an entity that was entirely government owned.
It’s a bit contrived of you to start giving capitalism credit for socialist tax payer funded activities.
Back in the 1950s I really doubt any one was dreaming of the WWW or even individuals having computers.
Nope. It always destroys them because the capitalists take all the wealth for themselves. That’s what cutting government spending and taxes is about.
I’m pretty sure if you went to the people before capitalism introduced them to poverty and asked if they were in poverty they’d say no. And you probably wouldn’t find any either as those societies worked together to ensure that everyone lived well.
Now you know that public money was used in the development of much of the computer industry and internet, will you simply go on telling the same lies as before? I think so, because it suits your personal belief system, too much of which is based on lies for you to change.
You can’t even acknowledge the successes of social-democratic mixed economies, ffs.
what lies? it’s all true. capitalistic imperatives to provide a free market are essential to a government performing it’s duty to society. Government can never provide the kind of planning and distribution to make some thing like the uptake of personal computers work. and they certainly can’t bludgeon anyone into making a sustainable fishing farm like the one proposed. it’s success will be judged by the notion that it’s owners can make a profit based off low barriers to entry. boom- free market.
understand this, government intervention is successful when it’s propagating just causes like free market capitalism is a once off. it’s only when they guarantee bank and finance company deposits etc that it becomes a problem. purely because the government is now involved and markets are distorted.
The government has always done that far better when it wasn’t done through capitalism. In fact the last thirty years have shown a decrease in the ability of our government to do right by our people – as the increasing poverty and homelessness proves.
Actually, the PC you’re using is proof that they can. Read The Entrepreneurial State to get an idea of how the entire process was planned over decades by a small government office. An office that researched what was needed and then chose the research to fund to bring about that end. If that small government office hadn’t done that planning there’d be no way that we’d have the computers that we have today.
No. What they’d do is fund the research into producing such sustainable farms and then make that research publicly available. Just like the US government did and does with computers in fact.
Have you noted climate change and our polluted cities and water ways?
That’s the result of capitalism and the profit motive. Capitalism is unsustainable and always destroys the society that tries it as history proves.
What lies? You’re still telling them. Are you going to read The Entrepreneurial State as suggested, or are you happy to wallow in ignorance and dishonesty?
I bet you invent some strawman instead. Go on, pretend you’re arguing with a Communist, that’ll work 🙄
zerohedge
anyone read this? Not sure if the link will work, as I am link challenged, but it’s hiding away on zerohedge about guess what, our real estate boom
And this on Interest.co
http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/82115/kerry-mcdonald-analyses-many-challenges-country-faces-and-concludes-we-need-effective
Here is a taster
In the US 136 Mass shootings in 164 days
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/13/health/mass-shootings-in-america-in-charts-and-graphs-trnd/
So how come in 9 hard years of Labour they never made huge increases in benefits, increased operations or doctors or nurses and refused to fund Herceptin. Take off the blinkers and come over to the Force.
Fisi had an epiphany last night woke at 3 am all sweaty, I finally found a good one to post on that bloody lefty standard, he thinks to himself.
the standard snores in shock.
“the standard snores in shock.”
Too true. fisiani bores me to tears so it’s always a scroll through when he’s around. Fastest scroll through ever in fact.
Have you heard of the RCEP?
It’s the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
It’s like the TPPA – but with China and without the USA.
But RCEP – like the TPPA is looking after BIG business and investor interests – under the cover of secrecy.
But there is a Public Meeting happening this Friday night, in Auckland, which YOU can attend, with expert speakers who will explain and enlighten you!
Please come if you can and SHARE this event?
https://m.facebook.com/events/1036071006486196?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A3%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&aref=3
TPP + RCEP = Double Trouble – Auckland
Friday 17 June 2016 at 6:30 PM
St Matthew-in-the-City
(187 Federal St) (Corner of Wellesley and Hobson Sts)
Doors open at 6pm. LIMITED CAPACITY. $5 Koha. Thanks.
Public Meeting
Talks and discussion on the TPPA (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) and the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership). These are two massive international treaties that spell Double Trouble.
Find out more!
The TPPA is being steamrolled through Parliament against the wishes of the majority of New Zealanders, but it is in deep trouble in the US and other countries. It may never be ratified and may never come into force. We need to keep up the pressure.
Meanwhile, the RCEP, led by China contains many of the same dangerous provisions as the TPPA. It is still in negotiation and the next round of talks is being held in Auckland on 12-18 June. If the TPPA doesn’t go through, it will be the RCEP that sets the rules for trade and investment, and for New Zealand’s laws and democratic rights.
Like the TPPA, the RCEP negotiations are shrouded in secrecy. We need to know what the New Zealand government is saying on our behalf. We need transparency.
Featured speakers:
Dr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram – former senior UN official, researcher on the TPPA
Dr. Jane Kelsey – Law Professor, University of Auckland
Sanya Reid Smith – Senior Researcher, Third World Network Malaysia
Dr. Joshua Freeman – Doctors for Healthy Trade
Barry Coates – Spokesperson, It’s Our Future
Dr. Sundaram is a prominent Malaysian economist, who has served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) from 2005 until 2012. He was founder chair of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs), and sat on the Board of the United Nations Research Institute For Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva. In 2007, he was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
A prominent critic of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Dr. Sundaram has co-authored a report, published by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University, entitled Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality and Other Risks of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Dr Sundaram’s research indicates that the economic models used to legitimise such treaties do not take into account that they work to increase unemployment and inequality.
Dr. Jane Kelsey is one of New Zealand’s best-known critical commentators on issues of globalisation and neoliberalism. She is an active member of a number of international coalitions of academics, trade unionists, NGOs and social movements working for social justice.
Sanya Reid Smith is a Legal Advisor and Senior Researcher at the Third World Network, an international coalition specializing in North-South policy issues. Sanya travels the world in tireless advocacy for social justice, on topics including access to medicines, womens’ rights and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Josh Freeman is a Clinical Microbiologist at Auckland City Hospital and an honorary academic at the University of Auckland School of Molecular Medicine and Pathology.Doctors for the Protection of Health in Trade Agreements (known as Doctors for Healthy Trade) is a growing coalition of New Zealand doctors and colleagues in health in New Zealand and elsewhere, with a core group of predominantly full-time clinicians.
Barry Coates is spokesperson for It’s Our Future and former Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand. He has played a prominent role in campaigning on trade and climate change internationally and in New Zealand, and is a passionate advocate for sustainability and social justice. It’s Our Future is the leading coalition in New Zealand opposing the TPPA and similar treaties.
Because I loves me some political scanda, is this the reason Bernie Saunders is still staying in the race and not conceding defeat:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/wikileaks-to-publish-more-hillary-clinton-emails-julian-assange
When the race started Sandars did not get the press, well maybe in the US, but i have not heard him speak, let alone understand his platform. Now sure r you can argue that he was new and took time to catch Clinton incumbant establishment name recognition. Though Trump branding long ago has been drummed into us all.
But that just democracy when media hold the keys to who gets airtime.
Sandars is still in because hes got leverage to get Clinton concessions. No problem with that. Question is really for me, will Republicians vote for Trump and have him define their party, like George junior, in the hopes he is a Ronald, even though both are now historically patsy establishment Presidents who created the mire that is western democracy.
The first time I came across Saunders was on the John Oliver show, it wasn’t complimentary as I recall
I first saw Sanders many many years ago on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and it WAS complimentary.
You know what? Sanders went down so well he was given a huge round of applause and whistling by the audience. Jon Stewart was really impressed too and he said something along the lines of “Hey America, take a look at our future President!” Uncanny eh.
As for aerobubble’s question, I can’t reply to that. I’m barely following the American Presidential campaigns this time around. I’m just too tired.
SANDERS
Mr Teina Pora, wrongfully imprisoned for 21 years.
“awarded” $2,520,949.42 compensation?
$13.70 per hour…… Less than the minimum wage. Shameful.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11657075
Tax free?
I hope its put in trust for him, I’m guessing he’ll be making a lot of new “friends” right about now
I agree with you there Puckish. I am sure his lawyers are giving him good sound advice in that area.
Yep at current rates he should be able to get at least 60k pa, and have some walking around money.
Like any 2.5 mill’ Lotto winner. Of course it wouldn’t have anything to do with what I suspect to be your subliminal sense that he’s a lobotomised brown boy in a sea of equally unworthy brown people. Which sense was the problem right from the start of course.
I read somewhere there’s a still serving Auckland cop who was involved in his persecution from day one whom to this day still angrily maintains that Teina Pora’s as guilty as sin. May karma hunt that bastard cop down.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11657048
so fkn arrogant this Bennett. read the last line!
Paula Trash aye ? The staffer loses his/her job there could be some uncontrolled talking. Of course Paula Trash is gonna publicly decline the invented offer of resignation. Makes the trashy lying thing look the magnanimous non-bully she is not.
Government turned dictator – even the Fed farmers call Nationals proposed power grab on RMA excessive!!!
Kleptocracy Grab elert!
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2016/06/15/government-needs-to-start-again-with-rma-changes/
extract..
“Federated Farmers, for example, described the proposed Ministerial powers as “excessive” and the provisions which allow central Government to intervene directly in local council plans as “heavy handed”. Sir Geoffrey Palmer, presenting evidence for Fish and Game, described the powers as a “constitutional outrage”.