I did the same thing with John Key. It was a political strategy. He was in town and there were people placed in the different places he was supposed to appear. Our little group drew the 'short straw'.
I was yelling at him so close, I was looking at the pancake makeup on his face. I didn't like him, and was strongly opposed to his government's actions but it still felt horrible. I decided I was never going to be involved in screaming in someone's face again.
My point is politics. The news crews weren't there and for myself, I was glad that there was no recording of me doing that, beyond whatever the numerous police, also stationed for hours waiting, chose to write.
Political action usually isn't pretty. The idea is opposition and attention. The fact that you are writing this means it was successful action. And the Labour Government were also forced to pay attention. It is pressure and the activists are maintaining it.
Political action takes a lot of time and energy. It is naive for a politico to personalise it.
You don't have to go to the USA to see the actions of those who think that the cleansing fire is an appropriate response to those who are seen as unpeople. Some in Tauranga are apparently far enough gone along that path already.
A fire broke out at Rainbow Youth and Gender Dynamix's Tauranga office at around 1am today.
Police were treating the fire as suspicious …
They {Rainbow Youth executive director Pooja Subramanian} were yet to receive any confirmation regarding the nature of the fire but said they had not been subject to hate crimes in Tauranga before.
So sad. Some of us have been scared that this was coming, yet the useful idiots gonna idiot. My kids school are having pride month, it's just a matter of fact, no drama, I love her & her friends attitude, they have no fear & no hate. It's a shame that fear & hate are learned. Let 'em be.
A New Plymouth drag performer says a torrent of abuse directed at a Rainbow Storytime event at the Puke Ariki Library in the city has left her dismayed.
Sunita Torrance and Daniel Lockett perform as Coco and Erika in a show which encourages inclusivity and kindness.
On a New Plymouth District Council Facebook post promoting the Puke Ariki and Waitara Library appearances, the pair were accused of indoctrinating children and recruiting for the Rainbow community.
…
Torrance said she was a friend to the Rainbow community, but people were making assumptions about who she was and what her motivation was.
"I mean we are not going around saying everyone has to be gay. I'm not gay, I'm actually a straight female and that's what people don't seem to realise."
She said the show, which included story readings, singing and dancing, was deliberately ambiguous and designed to be appropriate for a young audience.
I considered it to be about introducing children to the joy of reading. (Over time, children that love reading will be introduced to wide variety of perspectives and lifestyles through their reading material.)
This approach has replaced that intent with a values driven outcome.
My research the other evening missed that….thank you….I think. You'd think that that in the post- Saville era there would be more awareness of wolves in sheep's clothing.
I'm looking forward to some robust debate on this issue.
I suspect, however, there will be cries of "Hate!!!" and "Abuse!!!" and an unspoken assumption that our concerns (Hate!!!) should not be dignified with a response.
I guess the experience of dealing with petulant but loved children provides some women of a certain age a degree of imperviousness to emotional entreaty and random insults.
I know the years of practice in this regard has had value in some of the Standard's robust discussions.
Yeah, we should totally ban pantomime and a lot of kids' television too because all that cross-dressing is endangering children. Cancel Mrs Doubtfire! Oh, and clowns, because obviously that can be a bit confusing as well – obviously clowns are a gateway to drag.
Sigh.
'Yeah, we should totally conflate basic safeguarding principles with banning pantomimes. Let's include a lot of kids' television too because I need to generalise because I have no idea of context. Cross-dressing is empowering children. Treat them all like Mrs Doubtfire! Oh, and clowns, because obviously I have no limit to my far flung associations as well – obviously clowns are a gateway to drag which is a type of car racing.
You want a point as well? Sigh.'
Let's me be clear. I see no reason for Clown Story Hour either.
If it does become a possibility, good luck with your application.
A lot of us have been scared that this was coming; I Feel Love. Bullies always do prefer to pick on those less likely to fight back. This from twitter seems to encapsulate the dread that has been building this last year or so:
I'm not on TS much these days so got a bit rusty on the linking tools – I will cut and paste the comment thread too:
This scares me. I’m starting to feel that little bit more unsafe in NZ…
In NZ I feel safe walking down the road holding my husband hand. Overseas we never hold hands. If I start feeling unsafe to do that, then things need to change. I hope it never ever gets like that…
Time to fight discrimination. We can’t let things like building being burnt down happen anymore.
Shaneel, oh isn't that the person who wanted all health professionals, including Dr's to go to jail under the Conversion Therapy Bill if they didn't offer gender affirming care to gender dysphoric people?
"Bullies always pick on those who are less likley to fight back". Well that certainly wouldn't be Shaneel and the Trans lobby now would it.
A good way to express your condemnation (if it's not just "hopes and prayers"), is to chip in for a temporary drop-in center during the rebuild.
All money from this fundraiser will be donated to Rainbow Youth. Rainbow Youth does have a form of insurance that we are looking into and this page will be updated with the information regarding the coverage as soon as that information is available.
Apart from the fact they should be adequately insured, I won't contribute because I think their form of 'support' has the potential to harm young people.
You obviously think that we don't stand by our words, when it comes to this topic.
You, however, can follow your own advice without conflict.
Even Ōtautahi didn't have the Rhodesian Services Association holding ANZAC day ceremonies as the RSA! That's some next level assholery that I had forgotten about till looking at the NRT piece linked on the right (though not on mobile):
Homophobic harassment, followed by an apparent anti-gay hate crime. Something is very wrong in Tauranga, and it seems like the entire city is being infected by hate and bigotry (see also: their racist museum).
I was hoping that it was just a result of big talk leading up to the byelection, but it seems likely to have more to do with local school events (and scrutiny thereof) that I hadn't been following:
A group of students at Bethlehem College, a state-integrated Christian school, were taking part in the international Day of Silence against bullying when they were targeted by a number of opposing students from the same college.
The abuse allegedly included chants of “kill the gays”, and students attending the event said that their phones had been confiscated so that they could not record video footage.
Stuff understands that one of the students was injured by something thrown. The incident has been reported to police.
A parent of a student at Bethlehem College said that those taking part in the protest had received verbal death threats, “obscene heckling” and “sexual shaming” comments from other teenage students at the school.
“It is ironic that people protesting against bullying themselves become the victim of bullying,” said the parent…
The annual Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across Aotearoa vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, name-calling and harassment in schools.
The goal of the day is to “make schools safer for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression” according to its website, which also cites research which showed students in the LGBTQIA+ community were three times as likely to experience bullying at school than other children.
Which was followed today (in the early morning, but less than 24 hours ago) by the Rainbow Youth center (alleged) arson. Then these background details were reported this afternoon that seem to bring the picture into better (if disturbing) focus:
A statement made in Bethlehem College's Statement of Belief, published on the school website, is also under scrutiny by the ministry following a complaint from Tauranga man Gordy Lockhart.
Point 13 in the document states: "Marriage is an institution created by God in which one man and one woman enter into an exclusive relationship intended for life, and that marriage is the only form of partnership approved by God for sexual relations."
Lockhart, who wrote to Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti, and Minister of Education Chris Hipkins, said the statement was discriminatory and illegal.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins told Stuff that a review into the statement was underway…
The Ministry of Education has confirmed that this statement was not included in the College’s Integration Agreement entered into with the Minister of Education in 1999. It has ordered the Principal, Board of Trustees and Deputy chair of the Christian Education Trust to remove point 13…
Queer rights activist Shaneel Lal (they, them) said that, in their view, the Summary of Beliefs relating to Gender, would, if imposed, be both discriminatory and against the law…
“Bethlehem College admits that gender-affirming care for trans people is contrary to their beliefs and will attempt to stop trans students from getting affirming care.”
Lal said that, in their view, stopping trans people from being trans with the intent to make them cisgender was conversion therapy, “which is prohibited and viewed as a crime under the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act, this is a crime.”
Lal said students and former students had come to them about receiving conversion therapy at Bethlehem College…
Another petition that Lal started over the weekend, lobbying the Ministry of Education to investigate practices at Bethlehem College, has already reached more than 6300 signatures.
The petition now stands at 6,665 signatures, my own among them. If they want Ministry of Education money, then they have to abide by governmental standards rather than trying to pull a fast one and unilaterally changing the wording afterwards.
If they want Ministry of Education money, then they have to abide by governmental standards ….
Simple solution would be to remove all government funding from all "Special Character" schools. All of them.
I suspect that would go down like a cup of cold sick.
Parents choose to send their kids to such schools. Perhaps these parents should be censured/prosecuted for willfully exposing their children to ideologies that fails to meet government standards?
Whatever those are. We have a Parliament that prays to Almighty God ffs ….
You can see how quickly your plan could get a tad complicated.
Being delivered a narrative with no idea how the situation developed.
Of course a Christian School that refers to Scripture in it's agreement with the Ministry will have intolerant views an same sex marriage.
Is that really a surprise?
And if it is the principle, then, as you point out, why not demonstrate at other Special Character schools with even more regressive values where they stlll limit entry on the basis of – clutch pearls – sex?
Getting a little bemused myself by those demanding unconditional inclusion demanding exclusion of those who have beliefs and lifestyles that differ from theirs. Can't we just get on?
And Peter and I are fine. Truly. Thank you. Neither of us have felt this fit in ages. Picking bananas, moving the sheep, tending the vege gardens, watching the kotare and piwakawaka getting fat on bugs and slugs. Listening to tui…no small thing up here…we now recognise three distinct calls. Taking our vitamins. All kinds of good.
My interpretation, as a very lapsed Catholic, is both the Fifth Schedule and Statement of Belief give a broad enough statement to cover the marriage issue.
Eddie Clark, and many others think differently.
What I believe should happen next is for the Ministry of Education to release an official statement, and for that position to be tested by some form of legal challenge, either in support or against.
Then everybody – the public, the special character schools, the students – all know what the legal ramifications are.
Religious belief is still a protected characteristic of the Human Rights Act (1993) whether we agree with those beliefs or not.
I think we need to give this issue the discussion it deserves, not instant approbation.
There's a certain air of shooting fish in barrels here:
Lal has started another petition over the weekend, lobbying the Ministry of Education to investigate practices at the Bay of Plenty school.
They started the petition on their Instagram and Twitter pages after students contacted them about experiences of “sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other forms of discrimination at Bethlehem College”.
Brings to mind a certain gay rights activist (who I can't recall at present, since he is only referred to as a 'follower on Instagram' on most articles) asking a fundamentalist Christian league player about his thoughts on gay rights, and being surprised at the answer. Given that unless you share those beliefs, Hell is as real as… Heaven, the response makes no sense.
And if we are encouraging young people to follow individuals in all aspects of their life, rather than just their field of excellence, well, we need to address that.
Not sure the Rhodesian Services Association could be holding ANZAC day ceremonies as the Christchurch RSA when they haven't had a building in years. Perhaps you mean the group calling themselves "the Original RSA" who are a pack of nutters and if you will insist on judging a community by its fringe I will be more than happy to point out the extremist oddballs wherever you live as I keep lists.
Re the drag queen story telling. I was taken to pantos a lot as a child and there was always a "Dame" (man dressed as women). We knew it was a man dressed as a women and the humour was age appropriate (.e.g. the classic panto thing of getting the kids to yell out that the baddie was behind the Dame
Queer theory is it about breaking down societies norms about sex ( from Wiki " QT can be summorized as exploring the oppressive power of dominant norms, particularly, those relating to sexuality".)
Proponants of QT such as Gabrielle Rubin in her Charmed Circle talk about the need to normalize that which is outside the charmed circle (and she specifically names "intergenrational sex"). Judith Butler did the cause no favours by saying that she thought in some cases it was possible for childrent to consent to sex with adults. Both of these academics are dangerously close to endorsing paedophilia.
It is really important that adults who interact with children are scrupulous about keeping very tight boundaries around issues of sexuality. See link below as a recent, extreme example of those boundaries being errased.
This stage show was influenced by QT (the family sex show in the UK) and was advertised as suitable for children 5 years and up. It contained nudity and topics such as masturbation The show was fortunately cancelled because of public outcry.
Traditionally drag queens have featured in adult only shows and so I am very curious about why suddently there is a whole movement to have drag artists read to kids??? Why is this happening now? Why would we do that? The drag show I attended (all-be-it some years back certainly contained adult only themes).
There is a term known as trans generational blurring. What this refers to (and it has nothing to do with trangenderism), is when adults blur the lines between themselves and children. So adults present themselves or information to children when it isn't developmentally appropriate.
BTW some women argue that drag queens are the equivalent of black face, Ie. they are parodying female sexual stereotypes. I myself don't hold that view, but I can see why some women do.
Couldn't get the links to her papers on my phone , but this article that dessiminates her work can provide the names for you to pull up the original works:
Couldn't see anything in the link that talked about Butler's theories on children and consent, either.
ISTR ripping shit out of ACT's leader at the time Jamie Whyte for ruminating upon the ethics of incest when he was philosophising, but I don't think anyone accused him of supporting pedophilia.
Taking over the baton to captain this backlash against feminism was the high priestess of queer theory gibberish — Judith Butler — who, unsurprisingly, defended incest. Furthermore, she did this without making a single reference to the fact that most familial child sexual abuse is by a male relative to a female child. Rather she used queer theory to claim that by denying incest and legislating against it states were enforcing heterosexuality. In her triumph and magnum opus of flimflam — Gender Trouble — Butler postulated that ‘the incest taboo is the juridical law that is said both to prohibit incestuous desires and to construct certain gendered subjectivities through the mechanism of compulsory identification. But, what is to guarantee the universality or necessity of this law?'[efn_note]J. Butler, Gender Trouble (London, Routledge, 2000), p. 96.[/efn_note]
…
Despite these facts, Butler promoted ‘the legitimacy and legality of public zones of sexual exchange, intergenerational sex, adoption outside marriage, increased research and testing for AIDS and transgender politics’.[efn_note]J. Butler, ‘Competing Universalities’, im: J. Butler et al, Contingency, Hegemony, Universality: Contemporary Dialogues on the Left (Verso, 2000), p. 160, my emboldening.[/efn_note] This is an example of how queer theorists sandwich advocacy for paedophilia or incest in between legitimate arguments for advancing gay and lesbian rights. This is done in order to legitimise the arguments for child sexual abuse and make them harder to fight.
Butler’s thoughts on sexual consent should be read with her defence of incest in mind.
To quote Butler "the incest taboo is the juridical law that is said both to prohibit incestuous desires and to construct certain gendered subjectivities through the mechanism of compulsory identification. But, what is to guarantee the universality or necessity of this law?"
Anker put forth her opinion, and did not accuse Butler of supporting pedophilia..
" Judith Butler did the cause no favours by saying that she thought in some cases it was possible for childrent to consent to sex with adults. Both of these academics are dangerously close to endorsing paedophilia."
Consent discussions by Butler do assign a large degree of autonomy.
Other academics that build on Butler's work, do take that direction further. Allyn Walker comes to mind.
Wow it really is quite a specialised genre. And I'm guessing the infuriating vagueness is kind of built in because of the experiences. That's hard. Have learned a lot today. Thank you.
Queer Theory makes a virtue of vagueness. It's required, so that people lose the will to live when trying to unravel it.
Try reading Judith Butler, Allyn Walker, Grace Lavery, Laurie Penny who are all recognised Queer Theory academics and/or authors.
Then come back here to TS and write a simple post on the shifting fogs of Queer Theory for all of us who see no value in it. And can see the real world harm that follows adherence to abstract ideas.
@Molly Queer Theory makes a virtue of vagueness. It's required, so that people lose the will to live when trying to unravel it. And when one is close to that point…watch this…
Spares no blushes and pulls no punches, and as is typical for the Triggernometry lads… a totally honest conversation with someone who knows their stuff.
They are taking the idea of the performativity of gender to mean that we’re all free to choose our gender as we wish and that there is no natural sex. They see it as an attack on both the God-given character of male and female and the ostensibly natural social form in which they join each other—heterosexual marriage. But, sometimes, by “gender” they simply mean gender equality, which, for them, is destroying the family, which presumes that the family has a necessary hierarchy in which men hold power. They also understand “gender” as trans rights, gay rights, and as gay equality under the law. Gay marriage is particularly terrifying to them and seen as a threat to “the family,” and gay and lesbian adoption is understood to involve the molestation of children. They imagine that those of us who belong to this “gender movement,” as they put it, have no restrictions on what we will do, that we represent and promote unchecked sexual freedom, which leads to pedophilia. It is all very frightening, and it has been successful in threatening scholars and, in some cases, shutting down programs. There is also an active resistance against them, and I am now part of that.
A couple of pertinent points you Drag aficionados are missing:
1. Drag is not a sexual orientation.
2. Drag is not a gender identity.
Drag is a form of performance art that is predicated on a caricature of stereotyped womanhood, for the purpose of sexual innuendo jokes for the amusement of adults,
Hardly a role model for children regarding living an authentic life.
In reply to McFlook re what Butler thinks. Butler is sometimes indesciperable e.g she won the Guardian's competition for the worst paragraph some years back and even Butler scholars sometimes can't descipher what she means.
But even in the quote from Populuxe 1, Butler merely states what she thinks her opponants think of QT about paedophilia. She doesn't deny that she thinks children can give consent to relationships with adults….Hell if someone interpreted what I was saying in that way I would go out of my way to refute it……
Some of the key players in gender identity are linked to paedophilia, eg. Foucoult, John Money and even though she is a poor writer the quotes I posted above from Judith B are suspious to say the least.
Just thought it was funny your link didn't have anything remotely close to Butler saying "she thought in some cases it was possible for children to consent to sex with adults."
I don't particularly care. CBF bothering with tories, tankies and bigots here most days now.
Well it is always very shocking and sad to here of a young person who attempted suicide and I am very glad to here they survived. I hope they are doing o.k.
It is a clash between religious views and gender ideology views and these views are diametrically opposed.
BTW the latest research from Swedon (will post link of request) shows that even after trans people have gender affirming surgery their risk of suicide is high and indeed after such surgery their risk of psychiatric admissions was higher than pre surgery. It msut be a difficult path in life and I feel for anyone with gender dysphoria.
You might also think that the family bears some responsibility here.
If I (as a parent) have a kid who is clearly unhappy with the way that they are being treated at school – and it's a matter of school policy (which this is), and therefore not going to change ; then I would be removing my child and sending them to the local State school, PDQ.
Alternatively, if the family supported the school's policy and procedures (which they may well have done – the article is silent on this) – then I suspect that the teen is more likely to have been distressed with the family relationship, than with the school one.
If you don't like/agree with faith-based schools (whether Catholic, Protestant or Muslim), then don't go. There are secular alternatives freely available.
Proabably best to mention my name The Al1en and then I will know you want to address your comment to me. On this blog site everyone is free to comment on anyones comment, it is not exclusive in that way.
But I will do my best to remember that you don't want me to respond to what you say.
That's a terrible experience for that individual child, but there are not enough details to draw conclusions.
Given the strangely accepted and repetitive narrative associating transgender people with suicide, despite this being against suicide prevention guidelines, it is sad but not surprising to hear of such attempts.
We don't know if this distressed child had co-morbidities, and/or if they were receiving therapy for any self harm.
Given the inaccurate story that they are told about the proponderence of societal hate, and the constant use of suicide as a reason for unquestioning affirmation, is this incident a surprise?
If we tried to create an ideology that fed natural teenage insecurities and reduced their development of personal strength and resilience, gender ideology provides a good blueprint.
The US has around 1.9 job vacancy for every unemployed person.so there is a large contraction ability in the US labour market.
The feds target is the wealth destruction of overpriced assets,zombie companies (those that roll interest debt over without paying down debt by buying their own stock etc) Also the new age stocks that have value far above what they could achieve SPX is overpriced.
Previous governments have constantly told us they've fixed this problem, but it's been with us forever. IHC took a case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, didn't it? What the heck's happened to that? Wrong outfit to be taking government on, anyway. Far too much invested in government contracts to have the 'temerity' to litigate against hand that feeds them. No wonder the problem's still around.
Absolutely no quibble with that at all. I was just confirming your first comment and agreeing that intellectual disability services fall well short of what is possible and desirable.
And much of this shortfall results not just from a lack of money, but a lack of vision.
One of the most annoying things is that government in its rhetoric says all disabled kids can participate fully in our current education system. There's no disagreement between what the disabled want and what government says is already happening. Everyone knows the reality is bullshit but nothing changes.
The quality of education and educational support actually available for special needs kids is appalling. It is an absolute lie that supports exist for all learners in state schools.
To which my response is – bullshit. The best places for kids with disabilities are usually outside of the state school system. If, as Chris pointed out above, you can afford or organise it.
As long as he's not discharging a firearm in public places, murdering someone, ram raiding or poking fun at Labour, he should be left alone. However, should he start doing the former, then we need to suspend the BOR ( as Jacinda did with Covid?) and get very tough on gangsters. We have tried the softly softly approach. It doesn't work.
removal technologies will be needed because emissions reductions alone will not get us to a safe target quickly enough
they are also needed as a potential emergency response to catastrophic tipping point events – especially a sudden release of billions of tons of methane now locked up in frozen methane hydrates that will be released as the Arctic Ocean warms
there are several promising technologies but progress is too slow at the moment and others (such as tree planting) that are useful but are not a panacea because they cannot be done at the scale required due to physical limits.
the best solution will look like a combination of things, none in itself a panacea, along with emissions reduction
Some of us will have concerns about how such technologies get used, who owns them, who profits from and whether they represent the greatest opportunity in the history of humanity for wealth extraction from the state and from ordinary people by corporations. And also , that the promise of these technologies will be a temptation for governments to not pursue emissions reduction stringently enough.
But we can't reject these technologies out of hand, because if Wadhams is right, we'll need something.
I sympathise, but don't believe it will happen. No will-power.
The conservative Right are still believing 'scientists' who questioned the truth of man-made global warming. They are comfortable in their mansions, and don't really see why they should be concerned. These people have power in controlling the media.
Combine them with the knucklehead Groundswell types who are emotionally triggered by trivia and who think all Greens are Loonies..
A lack of education and understanding among our majority (who prefer TV Cooking Contests) will paralyse such intellectual heroes who do their best to save us from the 6th great extinction,
Is there a site out there that has a good overview of progressive politics going ahead?
Conservatives are re-running George Osborne’s and the 1990s greatest hits and it doesn’t have to make sense.
In Britain progressive politics seem to be a way to allow money laundering with the guy in charge claiming a greater sense of decency.
In the 90s we were sold high unemployment as a way of providing low inflation. For the younger voters a low inflation environment is all they’ve known. Will the end of the inflation era simply see a lot more punching down and regression of rights? What is progressive politics in this situation?
Conservative politics are about protecting entrenched interests and that’s an easy sell. We’ll let you keep what you got, and maybe get a little more.
What is the sell of progressive politics in this environment? Where can I read about a progressive future amongst the American tech dystopias and the Russian and Chinese saber rattling and expanding influence? India and Brazil too, don’t seem likely to become world leaders in progressive values.
For now democratic economies are larger than non-democratic, but it’s not democracies that are growing more powerful.
Australia, or at least the parts of it on fire or under water, is belatedly requiring climate action. Though what a Labor majority will do without relying on the Greens or Teals is unclear.
In New Zealand I can only see Morgan Godfrey as a coherent new commentator. The unevolved dregs of the Rogernomics era get too much play.
It feels like Steven Joyce has a base ideology that is more solid than that of the government’s and their core vote.
Because having an ideology helps. Why are we doing what we’re doing? To buy a house, to buy a stake. We are so so far from keeping our grandparents lifestyles for our children. In the cities we need to protect our parks, our open spaces as we lose back gardens. Protect our public space from internet incursion. Keep a sense of NZ as the 6pm news joins the dinosaurs.
Where does the vibrancy come from? We can’t just rely on having a PM who is in a good spot in her life with her young family, there has to be something more to believe in and to be part of. It all seems a very patchy sail to hoist against these headwinds.
It’s a cultural thing. I guess we all want to be the goodies in the film of our life and world?
Thought I’d ask the intellectuals on here to see who were just bored and prolific RW trolls. If you’re commenting here you’ve probably got some impetus to do so.
Not a case of nominative determinism as such, more a lack of false advertising: if you’d understood beforehand you’d have saved time on your comment.
Overall I’m much more pessimistic looking ahead than I was. I’m not sure the things I used to believe in still help and I wondered, from a branch of politics latterly given to hope or a vision of what might be, if there’s something more in the philosophical pipeline than the parable of a couple of rats fighting over a urinal cake, differentiated by one wearing chinos.
Still, Penny Wong and Nanaia Mahuta meeting today had some of that symbolism. Two Pacific nations moving toward a post-colonial identity under the increased international prominence of their region. Don’t mention the cricket. Is there anything of similar future-looking symbolism available in our politics, given present and near present shock changes occurring?
Not mine.
Though I much prefer what Thatcher had to say about jungle canyon rope bridges. It was what belatedly led me, despite having watched a billion war movies and docos featuring Churchill, to find out years later that he’d been turfed out by the British people before the end of the war.
Don't have to agree with them, and they have a British framing to many things, but that team have been around for a long time, generally employ actual reporters, have a loyal and independently funded team, and are pretty distinct from the Murdoch, Sky, Fox, BBCnews, and the smaller regional efforts.
I don't see a close equivalent to The Standard in Australia.
I watch the odd Jonathan Pie, but he’s disaffected youff, given to viscious lamentation, but not searching for Camelots…
The Labour Party tends to be fairly useless unless there is a strong and energised core electorate critiquing them, as they become too close to the Nats and the swing voters go, well if you’re all the same anyway…
Just trying to figure out what a modern equivalent of the families who grew up with a portrait of Mickey Savage on the wall would be doing now. Ashley Bloomfield? A non-aligned savior?
Talkback interviews Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy. He wants to sack the wokeisters. And those in roles only because of wokism. All new recruits will be 5% better all round. When challenged that the mayor doesn't have those powers, he countered by saying the mayor has a say in all staff appointments, and that the mayor sets the agenda for his council.
I think Molloy deep down understands he won't be doing much hiring and firing. But he does set the tone for his council if elected. And I'm sure nothing wokisters and culture vultures suggests will receive much of a hearing. That's what we need at present.
He also should understand just because he doesn't like wokism, doesn't mean he can divorce himself from it completely. Calling Chlöe Swarbrick detached from reality may go down well with Righties like me, but the media who is staffed with many Chloe clones may take a dimmer view. He would then have to watch his every step.
No, I'm a freedom warrior. I want to be free from politics, religion and culture.
However, we live in a regulated society, so I support the political parties that give me a modicum of freedom; that aren't so intrusive. That's the Right. I'm a Rightie.
I posted the Leo Molloy comment because it MAY be a indicator of where NZ is politically at the moment. If Molloy is elected ( unlikely), it'll mean Labour may as well call an early election now. That is looking more likely by the day, regardless.
What do you mean by wokeism? I wanna give all those wokeists a chance to prepare. Also I want to educate myself.
As for freedom, it’s a genuine question with there being all kinds of rights available to people. It’s also an incredibly misused expression internationally.
Wokisters (?), culture vultures and Chlöe clones are conscientious voters – some are even influencers. You're right to wonder whether Molloy understands this.
Welcome to Leo Land: the strange world of Leo Molloy [24 Oct 2021]
“The Guardian,” he [Molloy] says contemptuously, “wrote a story which said ‘he even has hair like Trump’. How the f… do I have hair like Trump? All my hair is my own, and it’s not even dyed orange. It’s au naturel, and it grows in about a week. The only thing I have in common with Trump is there is plenty of it, though he doesn’t have as much body as mine.”
Molloy once spent $8,000 installing a bust of Trump in the men’s urinals at a bar he owned in Queenstown.
Guys, I have said time and again, Scandinavian style justice will not work in NZ because we have a huge underclass that has a different mindset and culture compared with rest of NZ. Here's an example. This is third world stuff that happens on a regular basis.
Of course context is important. In your rush to point score you may have missed a few of those.
You may like to reflect on your fate should you run into them on the street. Maybe you are wearing the wrong colours. Maybe you disrespected their mana. Maybe you were in their way.
But I'm sure you will have things under control. You da man.
who read todays Wairapa Times Age. It had a full page editorial by one JOhn Macdonald, newstalk zb chch mornings, who let fly with a tirade and a diatribe about Trevor Mallard. It was a disgusting piece of crap and any syndicated editor in NZ who reprints this nastiness should be dammed ashamed of themselves. It likes all the loudmouth tories in NZ have a bully pulpit in the provincial rags to do down the "GUBMINT". time to start holding these shockers to account.
Mod note, please read: it’s not ok to dox commenters, nor expect them to dox themselves. If you think someone is using a sock puppet account or a new account to skirt a ban please talk to the mods.
We generally expect people to pick a name and stick to it. Sometimes people change their handle after being away for a period of time. Sometimes they forget their handle, or want to leave a commenting history behind, or have real life reasons to change. I consider trying to guess people’s former or alt handles to be a form of doxxing because you cannot know the back story. If you have a concern please talk to a mod by replying to one of their comments (this way we will see it).
Please stop accusing other people of trolling. It just leads to trolling and flaming. Make the political points, and if you don’t like someone’s behaviour consider talking to other commenters instead. Or describe the behaviour you think is a problem rather than just throwing out accusations. That way we will know what you mean.
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
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Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
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Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
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The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
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The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
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The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
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The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
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The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
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A picture paints..well something. So Jacinda..apart from being a Marxist/Satanist/Job taker/Murderer sarc!!…is well liked by a LOT of NZers.
These protestor loons are random fuckwits. Albeit with quite a dangerous element. Anyway…Keep shining Jacinda : )
Christchurch gonna Christchurch.
golf clap
I did the same thing with John Key. It was a political strategy. He was in town and there were people placed in the different places he was supposed to appear. Our little group drew the 'short straw'.
I was yelling at him so close, I was looking at the pancake makeup on his face. I didn't like him, and was strongly opposed to his government's actions but it still felt horrible. I decided I was never going to be involved in screaming in someone's face again.
My point is politics. The news crews weren't there and for myself, I was glad that there was no recording of me doing that, beyond whatever the numerous police, also stationed for hours waiting, chose to write.
Political action usually isn't pretty. The idea is opposition and attention. The fact that you are writing this means it was successful action. And the Labour Government were also forced to pay attention. It is pressure and the activists are maintaining it.
Political action takes a lot of time and energy. It is naive for a politico to personalise it.
Who is next?
https://twitter.com/fields/status/1529155008972955651
Went to Twitter to read the 'full conversation', and there appears to be none.
What's the context?
Current US situation, I'd say.
There's a lot going on in America.
Did you post without any specific point in mind?
No, but this is a classic current example:
https://twitter.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1537181659472490496
and this
https://twitter.com/rumorahasit/status/1537056031628460032
You don't have to go to the USA to see the actions of those who think that the cleansing fire is an appropriate response to those who are seen as unpeople. Some in Tauranga are apparently far enough gone along that path already.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469221/rainbow-youth-tauranga-drop-in-centre-destroyed-in-suspicious-fire
Perhaps coincidentally, the by-election is this weekend.
So sad. Some of us have been scared that this was coming, yet the useful idiots gonna idiot. My kids school are having pride month, it's just a matter of fact, no drama, I love her & her friends attitude, they have no fear & no hate. It's a shame that fear & hate are learned. Let 'em be.
I had to go looking for info about this…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZliG1YBROE
….because it is so important that kindergarten children learn about the adult entertainment industry. Origins are so important.
(Oh, and if that is what exploring one's 'feminine side' is about, heaven help us.)
This is the local story:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/06/new-plymouth-community-shocked-after-drag-queens-receive-torrent-of-abuse-over-library-appearance.html
Wait until they find out about Panto
What is the purpose of Story Hour?
I considered it to be about introducing children to the joy of reading. (Over time, children that love reading will be introduced to wide variety of perspectives and lifestyles through their reading material.)
This approach has replaced that intent with a values driven outcome.
On that alone, it should be scrutinised.
This is quite a good video about the conflict of well-intentioned but badly implemented inclusion projects on basic child safeguarding practices:
Drag Queen Story Time: Child Grooming In Plain Sight?
https://youtu.be/iuMic0cVw4Y
My research the other evening missed that….thank you….I think. You'd think that that in the post- Saville era there would be more awareness of wolves in sheep's clothing.
I'm looking forward to some robust debate on this issue.
I suspect, however, there will be cries of "Hate!!!" and "Abuse!!!" and an unspoken assumption that our concerns (Hate!!!) should not be dignified with a response.
I guess the experience of dealing with petulant but loved children provides some women of a certain age a degree of imperviousness to emotional entreaty and random insults.
I know the years of practice in this regard has had value in some of the Standard's robust discussions.
😏
Yeah, we should totally ban pantomime and a lot of kids' television too because all that cross-dressing is endangering children. Cancel Mrs Doubtfire! Oh, and clowns, because obviously that can be a bit confusing as well – obviously clowns are a gateway to drag.
Sigh.
@populuxe
'Yeah, we should totally conflate basic safeguarding principles with banning pantomimes. Let's include a lot of kids' television too because I need to generalise because I have no idea of context. Cross-dressing is empowering children. Treat them all like Mrs Doubtfire! Oh, and clowns, because obviously I have no limit to my far flung associations as well – obviously clowns are a gateway to drag which is a type of car racing.
You want a point as well? Sigh.'
Let's me be clear. I see no reason for Clown Story Hour either.
If it does become a possibility, good luck with your application.
A lot of us have been scared that this was coming; I Feel Love. Bullies always do prefer to pick on those less likely to fight back. This from twitter seems to encapsulate the dread that has been building this last year or so:
https://twitter.com/ThisIsCorey/status/1537209547881713664?s=20&t=ohx9ESbsTEgMQ4r9_ibCQw
I'm not on TS much these days so got a bit rusty on the linking tools – I will cut and paste the comment thread too:
100% Molly
Shaneel, oh isn't that the person who wanted all health professionals, including Dr's to go to jail under the Conversion Therapy Bill if they didn't offer gender affirming care to gender dysphoric people?
"Bullies always pick on those who are less likley to fight back". Well that certainly wouldn't be Shaneel and the Trans lobby now would it.
Anyone involved in this should be found prosecuted, if it was an intentional act.
Absolutely and utterly condemn this arson. I hope they find who carried it out and prosecute.
A good way to express your condemnation (if it's not just "hopes and prayers"), is to chip in for a temporary drop-in center during the rebuild.
https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/rainbow-youth-tauranga-drop-in-centre-burnt-down
Apart from the fact they should be adequately insured, I won't contribute because I think their form of 'support' has the potential to harm young people.
You obviously think that we don't stand by our words, when it comes to this topic.
You, however, can follow your own advice without conflict.
100% Molly
Tauranga. The Christchurch of the North.
Even Ōtautahi didn't have the Rhodesian Services Association holding ANZAC day ceremonies as the RSA! That's some next level assholery that I had forgotten about till looking at the NRT piece linked on the right (though not on mobile):
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2022/06/something-is-wrong-in-tauranga.html
I was hoping that it was just a result of big talk leading up to the byelection, but it seems likely to have more to do with local school events (and scrutiny thereof) that I hadn't been following:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300611407/school-launch-investigation-after-alleged-threats-made-to-students-supporting-lgbtqia-community
Which was followed today (in the early morning, but less than 24 hours ago) by the Rainbow Youth center (alleged) arson. Then these background details were reported this afternoon that seem to bring the picture into better (if disturbing) focus:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300613838/school-told-trans-student-god-doesnt-make-mistakes–then-they-tried-to-kill-themselves
The petition now stands at 6,665 signatures, my own among them. If they want Ministry of Education money, then they have to abide by governmental standards rather than trying to pull a fast one and unilaterally changing the wording afterwards.
If they want Ministry of Education money, then they have to abide by governmental standards ….
Simple solution would be to remove all government funding from all "Special Character" schools. All of them.
I suspect that would go down like a cup of cold sick.
Parents choose to send their kids to such schools. Perhaps these parents should be censured/prosecuted for willfully exposing their children to ideologies that fails to meet government standards?
Whatever those are. We have a Parliament that prays to Almighty God ffs ….
You can see how quickly your plan could get a tad complicated.
Still bemusing the commenters with common sense I see Rosemary.
Trust you and Peter are both well.
@hs
Very droll.
The original Stuff article was low on details, until it morphed into a highly detailed resume for self-promoter, Shaneel Lal.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300611407/school-launch-investigation-after-alleged-threats-made-to-students-supporting-lgbtqia-community
Being delivered a narrative with no idea how the situation developed.
Of course a Christian School that refers to Scripture in it's agreement with the Ministry will have intolerant views an same sex marriage.
Is that really a surprise?
And if it is the principle, then, as you point out, why not demonstrate at other Special Character schools with even more regressive values where they stlll limit entry on the basis of – clutch pearls – sex?
So what is really happening in Tauranga?
For the interested:
Last update on 14 June 2022: Detrans subreddit at: 33.6K members
Detrans subreddit now at: 34.2K members
(PS, Hope you have both avoided a second bout of Covid after your exposure to your MoH approved caregiver.)
Molly, the school has snuck in the thing about marriage after its agreement with the state.
https://twitter.com/Publicwrongs/status/1537276925046947840
and
https://twitter.com/Publicwrongs/status/1537277785017708544
@higherstandard
Getting a little bemused myself by those demanding unconditional inclusion demanding exclusion of those who have beliefs and lifestyles that differ from theirs. Can't we just get on?
And Peter and I are fine. Truly. Thank you. Neither of us have felt this fit in ages. Picking bananas, moving the sheep, tending the vege gardens, watching the kotare and piwakawaka getting fat on bugs and slugs. Listening to tui…no small thing up here…we now recognise three distinct calls. Taking our vitamins. All kinds of good.
@ sacha
I've looked at the Fifth Schedule of their Integration agreement with the Ministry of Education,
https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-releases/integration-agreements-for-state-integrated-schools/integration-agreements-for-state-integrated-schools-a-b/#Bethlehem
… and their annexed Statement of Belief.
My interpretation, as a very lapsed Catholic, is both the Fifth Schedule and Statement of Belief give a broad enough statement to cover the marriage issue.
Eddie Clark, and many others think differently.
What I believe should happen next is for the Ministry of Education to release an official statement, and for that position to be tested by some form of legal challenge, either in support or against.
Then everybody – the public, the special character schools, the students – all know what the legal ramifications are.
Religious belief is still a protected characteristic of the Human Rights Act (1993) whether we agree with those beliefs or not.
I think we need to give this issue the discussion it deserves, not instant approbation.
@Molly
There's a certain air of shooting fish in barrels here:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300611407/school-launch-investigation-after-alleged-threats-made-to-students-supporting-lgbtqia-community
Brings to mind a certain gay rights activist (who I can't recall at present, since he is only referred to as a 'follower on Instagram' on most articles) asking a fundamentalist Christian league player about his thoughts on gay rights, and being surprised at the answer. Given that unless you share those beliefs, Hell is as real as… Heaven, the response makes no sense.
And if we are encouraging young people to follow individuals in all aspects of their life, rather than just their field of excellence, well, we need to address that.
Not sure the Rhodesian Services Association could be holding ANZAC day ceremonies as the Christchurch RSA when they haven't had a building in years. Perhaps you mean the group calling themselves "the Original RSA" who are a pack of nutters and if you will insist on judging a community by its fringe I will be more than happy to point out the extremist oddballs wherever you live as I keep lists.
Oh, free for all and any interpretation.
You would've provided a point of discussion if you'd posted either of those tweets for discussion to start with.
However, even those without points made are ambiguous as regards your intent.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
And sometimes…
Re the drag queen story telling. I was taken to pantos a lot as a child and there was always a "Dame" (man dressed as women). We knew it was a man dressed as a women and the humour was age appropriate (.e.g. the classic panto thing of getting the kids to yell out that the baddie was behind the Dame
Queer theory is it about breaking down societies norms about sex ( from Wiki " QT can be summorized as exploring the oppressive power of dominant norms, particularly, those relating to sexuality".)
Proponants of QT such as Gabrielle Rubin in her Charmed Circle talk about the need to normalize that which is outside the charmed circle (and she specifically names "intergenrational sex"). Judith Butler did the cause no favours by saying that she thought in some cases it was possible for childrent to consent to sex with adults. Both of these academics are dangerously close to endorsing paedophilia.
It is really important that adults who interact with children are scrupulous about keeping very tight boundaries around issues of sexuality. See link below as a recent, extreme example of those boundaries being errased.
https://play.acast.com/s/the-family-sex-show-starts-here.
This stage show was influenced by QT (the family sex show in the UK) and was advertised as suitable for children 5 years and up. It contained nudity and topics such as masturbation The show was fortunately cancelled because of public outcry.
Traditionally drag queens have featured in adult only shows and so I am very curious about why suddently there is a whole movement to have drag artists read to kids??? Why is this happening now? Why would we do that? The drag show I attended (all-be-it some years back certainly contained adult only themes).
There is a term known as trans generational blurring. What this refers to (and it has nothing to do with trangenderism), is when adults blur the lines between themselves and children. So adults present themselves or information to children when it isn't developmentally appropriate.
BTW some women argue that drag queens are the equivalent of black face, Ie. they are parodying female sexual stereotypes. I myself don't hold that view, but I can see why some women do.
Really? Do you have a link for that?
Couldn't get the links to her papers on my phone , but this article that dessiminates her work can provide the names for you to pull up the original works:
https://uncommongroundmedia.com/the-trojan-unicorn-qt-and-paedophilia-part-iv-dr-em/
Ta. One anonymous motivated critic quoting brief passages from a book that we cannot link to is what it is.
Yes. Given up spoon-feeding long ago.
Never was inclined to do it for grown men who are not physically incapacitated.
Couldn't see anything in the link that talked about Butler's theories on children and consent, either.
ISTR ripping shit out of ACT's leader at the time Jamie Whyte for ruminating upon the ethics of incest when he was philosophising, but I don't think anyone accused him of supporting pedophilia.
Eg:
Nor am I inclined to spoon-feed fools who cannot make a sensible argument, let alone on this topic. Enjoy your evening.
Molly you beat me to it!
To quote Butler "the incest taboo is the juridical law that is said both to prohibit incestuous desires and to construct certain gendered subjectivities through the mechanism of compulsory identification. But, what is to guarantee the universality or necessity of this law?"
from Gender Trouble page 95.
@McFlock.
Anker put forth her opinion, and did not accuse Butler of supporting pedophilia..
" Judith Butler did the cause no favours by saying that she thought in some cases it was possible for childrent to consent to sex with adults. Both of these academics are dangerously close to endorsing paedophilia."
Consent discussions by Butler do assign a large degree of autonomy.
Other academics that build on Butler's work, do take that direction further. Allyn Walker comes to mind.
Wow it really is quite a specialised genre. And I'm guessing the infuriating vagueness is kind of built in because of the experiences. That's hard. Have learned a lot today. Thank you.
Queer Theory makes a virtue of vagueness. It's required, so that people lose the will to live when trying to unravel it.
Try reading Judith Butler, Allyn Walker, Grace Lavery, Laurie Penny who are all recognised Queer Theory academics and/or authors.
Then come back here to TS and write a simple post on the shifting fogs of Queer Theory for all of us who see no value in it. And can see the real world harm that follows adherence to abstract ideas.
@Molly Queer Theory makes a virtue of vagueness. It's required, so that people lose the will to live when trying to unravel it. And when one is close to that point…watch this…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrH-W9XfOj8&t=6s
Spares no blushes and pulls no punches, and as is typical for the Triggernometry lads… a totally honest conversation with someone who knows their stuff.
What Butler actually thinks:
A couple of pertinent points you Drag aficionados are missing:
1. Drag is not a sexual orientation.
2. Drag is not a gender identity.
Drag is a form of performance art that is predicated on a caricature of stereotyped womanhood, for the purpose of sexual innuendo jokes for the amusement of adults,
Hardly a role model for children regarding living an authentic life.
And, STILL no connection to reading.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/dec/24/news
In reply to McFlook re what Butler thinks. Butler is sometimes indesciperable e.g she won the Guardian's competition for the worst paragraph some years back and even Butler scholars sometimes can't descipher what she means.
But even in the quote from Populuxe 1, Butler merely states what she thinks her opponants think of QT about paedophilia. She doesn't deny that she thinks children can give consent to relationships with adults….Hell if someone interpreted what I was saying in that way I would go out of my way to refute it……
Some of the key players in gender identity are linked to paedophilia, eg. Foucoult, John Money and even though she is a poor writer the quotes I posted above from Judith B are suspious to say the least.
Whatever.
Just thought it was funny your link didn't have anything remotely close to Butler saying "she thought in some cases it was possible for children to consent to sex with adults."
I don't particularly care. CBF bothering with tories, tankies and bigots here most days now.
missed the edit. Sorry, molly's link after you were asked for evidence to support your statement. Not "your link"
@McFlock
Since you have reading comprehension and listening deficits when it comes to many women on TS… here's a man's perspective:
https://youtu.be/fMSZdI2KVko
Next?
https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1534975705498402817
Well, I don't agree with him.
Nope absolutely don't agree with Pastor Mark Burns.
Next? You say
A transgender student at Bethlehem College who was not allowed to wear the uniform of their preferred gender, or be called by their preferred name and pronouns, and who was told by a member of staff, “God doesn’t make mistakes”, was so traumatised they tried to kill themselves.
Well it is always very shocking and sad to here of a young person who attempted suicide and I am very glad to here they survived. I hope they are doing o.k.
It is a clash between religious views and gender ideology views and these views are diametrically opposed.
BTW the latest research from Swedon (will post link of request) shows that even after trans people have gender affirming surgery their risk of suicide is high and indeed after such surgery their risk of psychiatric admissions was higher than pre surgery. It msut be a difficult path in life and I feel for anyone with gender dysphoria.
You might also think that the family bears some responsibility here.
If I (as a parent) have a kid who is clearly unhappy with the way that they are being treated at school – and it's a matter of school policy (which this is), and therefore not going to change ; then I would be removing my child and sending them to the local State school, PDQ.
Alternatively, if the family supported the school's policy and procedures (which they may well have done – the article is silent on this) – then I suspect that the teen is more likely to have been distressed with the family relationship, than with the school one.
If you don't like/agree with faith-based schools (whether Catholic, Protestant or Muslim), then don't go. There are secular alternatives freely available.
Post was @joe90. So to be clear, if I want a conversation, I'll reply directly.
Proabably best to mention my name The Al1en and then I will know you want to address your comment to me. On this blog site everyone is free to comment on anyones comment, it is not exclusive in that way.
But I will do my best to remember that you don't want me to respond to what you say.
Just spotted this: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/gender-dynamix-and-rainbow-youth-building-involved-in-suspicious-fire/M53HMA76Y47TDFX4SDVT3FCKFQ/
That's a terrible experience for that individual child, but there are not enough details to draw conclusions.
Given the strangely accepted and repetitive narrative associating transgender people with suicide, despite this being against suicide prevention guidelines, it is sad but not surprising to hear of such attempts.
We don't know if this distressed child had co-morbidities, and/or if they were receiving therapy for any self harm.
Given the inaccurate story that they are told about the proponderence of societal hate, and the constant use of suicide as a reason for unquestioning affirmation, is this incident a surprise?
If we tried to create an ideology that fed natural teenage insecurities and reduced their development of personal strength and resilience, gender ideology provides a good blueprint.
The US Federal Reserve just put up their rates by .75. Biggest rate rise since 1994.
Steadied their SX, but our RB will surely follow suit.
What chaos for anyone trying to get a home loan.
Any one trying to get a home loan should wait to late next year,as the property bubble deflates to its real (fundamental) value.
GDP just came in -0.2% .
Just getting started
Export manufacturing decrease is troublesome,as our Current account has blown out to record (absolute numbers).
Mortgage rates have a real risk of 10% this time next year,watch the contraction in the new economy products.
The European central bank had an emergency meeting last night to jawbone the Euro,watch the med economy's contract fast.
I was reflecting on 10% mort rates rates last night…and bail in.
Westpac just borrowed 750m at 5.25%,they need to up their stress test to 2 figures.
On the other side a contraction in property prices to pre covid levels would make regional economys more affordable,
US fed realtime data suggests a technical recession is already there.
https://twitter.com/biancoresearch/status/1537155247193346052?cxt=HHwWiMCymbOjidUqAAAA
An analysis with the headline,
"US labour market weakens a little – it is madness to be increasing interest rates in this environment"
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=49908
The US has around 1.9 job vacancy for every unemployed person.so there is a large contraction ability in the US labour market.
The feds target is the wealth destruction of overpriced assets,zombie companies (those that roll interest debt over without paying down debt by buying their own stock etc) Also the new age stocks that have value far above what they could achieve SPX is overpriced.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300610315/unwanted-disabled-children-are-being-denied-full-education-advocates-say
Previous governments have constantly told us they've fixed this problem, but it's been with us forever. IHC took a case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, didn't it? What the heck's happened to that? Wrong outfit to be taking government on, anyway. Far too much invested in government contracts to have the 'temerity' to litigate against hand that feeds them. No wonder the problem's still around.
Yup. Been here done all this. It is why we bypassed the govt system altogether.
Sure, but for those not lucky enough to be able to…
Absolutely no quibble with that at all. I was just confirming your first comment and agreeing that intellectual disability services fall well short of what is possible and desirable.
And much of this shortfall results not just from a lack of money, but a lack of vision.
But as you say, who is there to argue for them?
One of the most annoying things is that government in its rhetoric says all disabled kids can participate fully in our current education system. There's no disagreement between what the disabled want and what government says is already happening. Everyone knows the reality is bullshit but nothing changes.
Not just previous governments, Chris Hipkins used this argument to decline a proposed charter school for special needs kids.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/125672364/parents-devastated-as-government-rejects-state-school-for-children-with-special-needs
The quality of education and educational support actually available for special needs kids is appalling. It is an absolute lie that supports exist for all learners in state schools.
To which my response is – bullshit. The best places for kids with disabilities are usually outside of the state school system. If, as Chris pointed out above, you can afford or organise it.
My response to Hipkins that is … not to Belladonna.
Like this
Stuff.
For CraigH
As long as he's not discharging a firearm in public places, murdering someone, ram raiding or poking fun at Labour, he should be left alone. However, should he start doing the former, then we need to suspend the BOR ( as Jacinda did with Covid?) and get very tough on gangsters. We have tried the softly softly approach. It doesn't work.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/legal-and-constitutional-implications-new-zealand%E2%80%99s-fight-against-covid
A logo makes $s
Hog!
A discussion with Peter Wadhams on how to remove billions of tons of CO2 and methane from the atmosphere or the oceans (where it is then naturally replaced from the atmosphere). It's 6 months old but interesting nonetheless. Short take is:
Some of us will have concerns about how such technologies get used, who owns them, who profits from and whether they represent the greatest opportunity in the history of humanity for wealth extraction from the state and from ordinary people by corporations. And also , that the promise of these technologies will be a temptation for governments to not pursue emissions reduction stringently enough.
But we can't reject these technologies out of hand, because if Wadhams is right, we'll need something.
I sympathise, but don't believe it will happen. No will-power.
The conservative Right are still believing 'scientists' who questioned the truth of man-made global warming. They are comfortable in their mansions, and don't really see why they should be concerned. These people have power in controlling the media.
Combine them with the knucklehead Groundswell types who are emotionally triggered by trivia and who think all Greens are Loonies..
A lack of education and understanding among our majority (who prefer TV Cooking Contests) will paralyse such intellectual heroes who do their best to save us from the 6th great extinction,
Is there a site out there that has a good overview of progressive politics going ahead?
Conservatives are re-running George Osborne’s and the 1990s greatest hits and it doesn’t have to make sense.
In Britain progressive politics seem to be a way to allow money laundering with the guy in charge claiming a greater sense of decency.
In the 90s we were sold high unemployment as a way of providing low inflation. For the younger voters a low inflation environment is all they’ve known. Will the end of the inflation era simply see a lot more punching down and regression of rights? What is progressive politics in this situation?
Conservative politics are about protecting entrenched interests and that’s an easy sell. We’ll let you keep what you got, and maybe get a little more.
What is the sell of progressive politics in this environment? Where can I read about a progressive future amongst the American tech dystopias and the Russian and Chinese saber rattling and expanding influence? India and Brazil too, don’t seem likely to become world leaders in progressive values.
For now democratic economies are larger than non-democratic, but it’s not democracies that are growing more powerful.
Australia, or at least the parts of it on fire or under water, is belatedly requiring climate action. Though what a Labor majority will do without relying on the Greens or Teals is unclear.
In New Zealand I can only see Morgan Godfrey as a coherent new commentator. The unevolved dregs of the Rogernomics era get too much play.
It feels like Steven Joyce has a base ideology that is more solid than that of the government’s and their core vote.
Because having an ideology helps. Why are we doing what we’re doing? To buy a house, to buy a stake. We are so so far from keeping our grandparents lifestyles for our children. In the cities we need to protect our parks, our open spaces as we lose back gardens. Protect our public space from internet incursion. Keep a sense of NZ as the 6pm news joins the dinosaurs.
Where does the vibrancy come from? We can’t just rely on having a PM who is in a good spot in her life with her young family, there has to be something more to believe in and to be part of. It all seems a very patchy sail to hoist against these headwinds.
It’s a cultural thing. I guess we all want to be the goodies in the film of our life and world?
Maybe google "site good overview progressive politics" and see what comes up?
Thought I’d ask the intellectuals on here to see who were just bored and prolific RW trolls. If you’re commenting here you’ve probably got some impetus to do so.
Fuck me. Your moniker precedes you.
Not a case of nominative determinism as such, more a lack of false advertising: if you’d understood beforehand you’d have saved time on your comment.
Overall I’m much more pessimistic looking ahead than I was. I’m not sure the things I used to believe in still help and I wondered, from a branch of politics latterly given to hope or a vision of what might be, if there’s something more in the philosophical pipeline than the parable of a couple of rats fighting over a urinal cake, differentiated by one wearing chinos.
Still, Penny Wong and Nanaia Mahuta meeting today had some of that symbolism. Two Pacific nations moving toward a post-colonial identity under the increased international prominence of their region. Don’t mention the cricket. Is there anything of similar future-looking symbolism available in our politics, given present and near present shock changes occurring?
"a couple of rats fighting over a urinal cake"
So good!
Not mine.
Though I much prefer what Thatcher had to say about jungle canyon rope bridges. It was what belatedly led me, despite having watched a billion war movies and docos featuring Churchill, to find out years later that he’d been turfed out by the British people before the end of the war.
The most reliable one is still The Guardian.
Don't have to agree with them, and they have a British framing to many things, but that team have been around for a long time, generally employ actual reporters, have a loyal and independently funded team, and are pretty distinct from the Murdoch, Sky, Fox, BBCnews, and the smaller regional efforts.
I don't see a close equivalent to The Standard in Australia.
Oh dear, is that it?
I watch the odd Jonathan Pie, but he’s disaffected youff, given to viscious lamentation, but not searching for Camelots…
The Labour Party tends to be fairly useless unless there is a strong and energised core electorate critiquing them, as they become too close to the Nats and the swing voters go, well if you’re all the same anyway…
Just trying to figure out what a modern equivalent of the families who grew up with a portrait of Mickey Savage on the wall would be doing now. Ashley Bloomfield? A non-aligned savior?
Talkback interviews Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy. He wants to sack the wokeisters. And those in roles only because of wokism. All new recruits will be 5% better all round. When challenged that the mayor doesn't have those powers, he countered by saying the mayor has a say in all staff appointments, and that the mayor sets the agenda for his council.
I think Molloy deep down understands he won't be doing much hiring and firing. But he does set the tone for his council if elected. And I'm sure nothing wokisters and culture vultures suggests will receive much of a hearing. That's what we need at present.
He also should understand just because he doesn't like wokism, doesn't mean he can divorce himself from it completely. Calling Chlöe Swarbrick detached from reality may go down well with Righties like me, but the media who is staffed with many Chloe clones may take a dimmer view. He would then have to watch his every step.
AT -1:10:40
https://omny.fm/shows/today-mornings/full-show-16-6-2022?in_playlist=today-mornings!duncan-garner-today-catch-up
The guy is another braying old fool, and will attract support accordingly.
Declared candidates:
So when you say right wing you mean you’re a signed on culture warrior? Here to beat antifa etc? Or just quote those who are?
You have the wrong address. Look elsewhere.
I mean genuinely asking. So you aren’t a culture warrior? Or don’t identify that way?
No, I'm a freedom warrior. I want to be free from politics, religion and culture.
However, we live in a regulated society, so I support the political parties that give me a modicum of freedom; that aren't so intrusive. That's the Right. I'm a Rightie.
I posted the Leo Molloy comment because it MAY be a indicator of where NZ is politically at the moment. If Molloy is elected ( unlikely), it'll mean Labour may as well call an early election now. That is looking more likely by the day, regardless.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/460930/who-wants-to-be-auckland-s-mayor
Quote: From Molloy.
''When it comes to Collins, he is far more effusive, saying he would consider offering him the deputy mayoralty if he was to win the main job.
"I think he should have been given the opportunity to run on the Labour ticket and it's a disgrace that they chose to ignore the southside of town."
Do you get compensated for posting here at all?
And do you feel wokeism is a general problem in Auckland?
How would you define wokeism in an NZ context?
Did you feel taking vaccination against Covid was an issue for freedom warriors?
Do you feel that housing being unaffordable to rent or buy is an issue for freedom warriors?
Do you have any opinions about Oliver Driver’s acting career?
How many churches are there in heaven?
Blade wants to ban; ban ban ban.
Oh dear!
But..but.. I thought you were sincere…silly me.
''I mean genuinely asking. So you aren’t a culture warrior? Or don’t identify that way?''
Do you think Robbo Hood was spinning faster than a top today?
Is the brain drain about to become headlines?
Can Chris curb violence?
How come Poto got the chop and not Mahuta?
Can the second quarter stabilise our economy or are we heading for a recession?
Is Roberts keyboard jammed? Do we care?
How come I haven't be threatened with getting banned lately?
No-sense…I wouldn't have a clue.
When sewers overflow, the environment suffers.
I was being sincere.
What do you mean by wokeism? I wanna give all those wokeists a chance to prepare. Also I want to educate myself.
As for freedom, it’s a genuine question with there being all kinds of rights available to people. It’s also an incredibly misused expression internationally.
speed dating 🙂
Swirl & churn.
"I wouldn't have a clue"
Noted.
Lol NS, love it. It's only 'identity politics' when the 'woke' do it.
Molloy is a fuck nugget attempting to appeal to act voting fuck nuggets and dissafected nat fuck nuggets.
Blaming media "wokeisters" in advance for his failure is amusing as it is predictable.
Don't hold back. Let that dislike and angst out.
Saves me from getting up to whatever it is you do on here all day
lol
It's tiresome, isn't it!
Points though, to the value of the site and the effectiveness and clear-sightedness of the TS-supportive commenters here.
Little wonder then, that we have attracted attention of this "*calibre"
*(.17 HMR).
Do on here all day?
Molloy does not like workers either. He was not a stranger to the Employment Tribunal in the days when I worked there.
That's not even half of it.
Wokisters (?), culture vultures and Chlöe clones are conscientious voters – some are even influencers. You're right to wonder whether Molloy understands this.
Taking his lead from Mallard? If it walks like a duck…
Collins and the other Auckland mayoral candidates better watch out!
I thought it was Crusher Collins, not Crusher Johnston
" He wants to sack…"
There ya go.
In a nutshell.
Ban, ban, ban.
He wants a sack. 🙂
First time in 20 years Oz electricity regulator (AEMO) has simply stopped the market.
Generators told to not exceed $300 per MwH stopped producing as they couldn't 'profit' at that limit.
Normally AEMO provides the diff but at 20% it knew the market had FAILED and now has the visibility to be able to bring generation on when required.
Sound familiar except we get the blackouts as nobody steps in.
History rhymes.
https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1536581509225791489
Guys, I have said time and again, Scandinavian style justice will not work in NZ because we have a huge underclass that has a different mindset and culture compared with rest of NZ. Here's an example. This is third world stuff that happens on a regular basis.
Warning: Some may find the violence confronting.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/06/auckland-s-tamaki-college-addresses-very-disturbing-video-of-assault-believed-to-involve-members-of-its-community.html
Yeah, cos white first-worlders would never do anything like that.
/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWjyjP6LnF8
White people fighting …no, I don't believe it!!!
Of course context is important. In your rush to point score you may have missed a few of those.
You may like to reflect on your fate should you run into them on the street. Maybe you are wearing the wrong colours. Maybe you disrespected their mana. Maybe you were in their way.
But I'm sure you will have things under control. You da man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLdIKlXl3ZA
You're seem to be a frightened little rabbit, sport. Do tell the group about it…
Why should I be frightened. I've had dental surgery and got some real teeth. A good nights sleep and I'm roaring to go.
Do tell the group what? That another Lefty has bit the dust
You da man.
'Anyone around here got an empty chair?'
No, but I have a racist dog whistle
who read todays Wairapa Times Age. It had a full page editorial by one JOhn Macdonald, newstalk zb chch mornings, who let fly with a tirade and a diatribe about Trevor Mallard. It was a disgusting piece of crap and any syndicated editor in NZ who reprints this nastiness should be dammed ashamed of themselves. It likes all the loudmouth tories in NZ have a bully pulpit in the provincial rags to do down the "GUBMINT". time to start holding these shockers to account.
The Mallard story isn't over yet.
Talkback back is picking up an incident at Seaview tunnel? Came in halfway through so I'm not sure of my facts.
Mod note, please read: it’s not ok to dox commenters, nor expect them to dox themselves. If you think someone is using a sock puppet account or a new account to skirt a ban please talk to the mods.
We generally expect people to pick a name and stick to it. Sometimes people change their handle after being away for a period of time. Sometimes they forget their handle, or want to leave a commenting history behind, or have real life reasons to change. I consider trying to guess people’s former or alt handles to be a form of doxxing because you cannot know the back story. If you have a concern please talk to a mod by replying to one of their comments (this way we will see it).
Please stop accusing other people of trolling. It just leads to trolling and flaming. Make the political points, and if you don’t like someone’s behaviour consider talking to other commenters instead. Or describe the behaviour you think is a problem rather than just throwing out accusations. That way we will know what you mean.
Or, just grow up.