Open Mike 16/09/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 16th, 2018 - 145 comments
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145 comments on “Open Mike 16/09/2018”

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  1. Ed 1
    16 September 2018 at 7:17 am

    Clearly Heather du Plessis Allen is a vile racist.
    She has no role in journalism in New Zealand in 2018.
    Boycott Newstalk ZB.

    During a Wellington broadcast of Newstalk ZB, the host discussed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to visit Nauru.
    Du Plessis Allan referred to the island as a “hell hole”, and said it was not worth attending the Forum anyway because the Pacific Islands “don’t matter.”
    “They are nothing but leeches on us. The Pacific Islands wants money from us,” she told listeners.

    Oscar Kightley wrote.

    “Does Newstalk ZB in Wellington not think it has any Pacific Island listeners? Or do they think their listeners are all bigots who want to hear this stuff or they’ll change

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/107110016/heather-du-plessisallan-says-pacific-people-are-leeches-on-new-zealand

    • James 1.1
      16 September 2018 at 7:46 am

      Yay another Ed boycott.

      He’s down to listening to his cat and three twitter feeds.

    • Ad 1.2
      16 September 2018 at 8:58 am

      Tens of thousands of New Zealand citizens spend massive amounts of their wages in “remittances”; simply sending cash back to relatives in Pacific Islands. In many Pacific states, “remittances” form a majority of the entire income of the state, and in others it’s close.

      Further tens of thousands of New Zealand citizens go to secure enclaves of Pacific islands for luxury holidays.

      The two worlds rarely meet, either in New Zealand or in the Pacific Islands.

      I suspect reporters are familiar with the latter, not with the former.

      Nauru’s government, apart from being corrupt to its eyeballs and having a fully politicized judiciary and Police force, has made a pact with the Devil in the form of Australia’s prison and immigration system. Instead of being the phosphate hole of the Pacific, it is now the jail hole. And that pact with the devil will extend as far into the future as there are immigrants coming by boat. So yes, I can see her point calling it a “hell hole”.

      Nauru is the world’s totally carceral state.

      • Ad 1.2.1
        16 September 2018 at 9:23 am

        And let me correct myself.
        Nauru is different to Niue.

      • Ed 1.2.2
        16 September 2018 at 9:31 am

        A hell hole caused by us in large part and our addiction to phosphates.

        • Ad 1.2.2.1
          16 September 2018 at 10:31 am

          Us and Australia.

          But the carceral devil-pact was chosen and is continued by the Nauru government.

        • Dukeofurl 1.2.2.2
          16 September 2018 at 5:46 pm

          Nauru blew their money is the real problem.
          The steady cash flow ( even if it was under paid) has been a curse for the lifestyle of imported western food and junk and mismanagement of their sovereign wealth fund means they are virtually bankrupt.

    • Morrissey 1.3
      16 September 2018 at 12:03 pm

      Barry Soper’s hideous other half (significantly, she’s a white South African) has been an embarrassment ever since she first opened her mouth. Never, until this moronic apartheid-era outburst against Pacific Islanders, was she worse than when she fronted the ill-fated Story on TV3….

      Open mike 24/08/2015

    • Ed 1.4
      16 September 2018 at 3:08 pm

      Barbara Dreaver’s thoughts.

      “As someone who has lived and worked in the region for nearly 30 years I have nothing but contempt for the sheer ignorance I have been reading from those whose idea of the Pacific is lying poolside at Denarau with a pina colada.”

      Did you hear that Heather?

    • sumsuch 1.5
      16 September 2018 at 11:08 pm

      Our Provost-Depute here in Kihipini is a South African. Next in line after Mayor Meng Foon. Last I heard Gisborne is the poorest district in NZ. Difficult to imagine voting for her. And the fact they’re all still right-wingers perhaps establishes the heart of the matter re both capitalism and South Africans.

      And the Pacific Islands are central to our hearts.

  2. Ed 2
    16 September 2018 at 7:37 am

    Good on the government for attacking fast food’s involvement in sponsorship of children’s food.

    And thumbs down to Katherine Rich, head of the euphemistically named ‘Food and Grocery Council’ which is just a pressure group for big food companies like Coca Cola.
    She know her real role would be derided , so, if you look at the photograph in the article, she has posed in front of fruit and vegetables.
    Poor journalism by Stuff to allow her to pull that stunt.
    Overall a very weak patsy article.
    Journalists know where their advertising revenue comes from too.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/107056112/government-puts-boot-into-fast-food

  3. Ed 3
    16 September 2018 at 7:45 am

    Industrial dairy farming is destroying the environment.

    “New Zealand diary has become an enthusiastic user of synthetic nitrogen. We used around 6000t of nitrogen fertilisers every year in the 1960s; that increased to around 50,000t by 1990; Today, we use 500,000t, an increase of 1000 per cent within three decades. It has been matched by similar increases in dairy exports and dairy cow numbers.
    While synthetic nitrogen has allowed farming to expand into new areas, and increased the productivity of our primary export industry, it has come at a cost.
    Right now, there is 187,000t of nitrogen flowing through New Zealand’s waterways, heading towards the sea.

    Freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy calls this cycle our “deadly nitrogen addiction”, and says the massive growth in the use of nitrogen fertiliser has unleashed many environmental problems, particularly with our freshwater.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/105864564/what-grows-the-grass-thick-can-turn-our-streams-toxic-and-green

  4. James 4
    16 September 2018 at 8:07 am

    Torva O’Brien says Prime Ministers office told them that this weekends cancelled media appointments were in Jacindas diary.

    First fisherman goes on Twitter reply to state that they were never in her diary.

    So now we have the PM’s hubby defending the PM to media contradicting her office.

    What a shambles. And I wonder who’s telling the porkies – the PMs office or hubby?

    Also isn’t it funny having Jacinda hubby speaking to the press about the PMs diary – never seen wife’s of male PMs do this. Such sexist behaviour.

    • Ed 4.1
      16 September 2018 at 8:13 am

      James is a right wing troll on a left wing site.
      Do not feed the troll.

      • James 4.1.1
        16 September 2018 at 8:18 am

        Ed would prefer to ignore discussions that don’t fit under his tinfoil hat.

        Also seems happy with the misogynistic behaviour of hubby having to stand up for his wife – looks like the stress is starting to show.

        • Robert Guyton 4.1.1.1
          16 September 2018 at 8:23 am

          “the misogynistic behaviour of hubby having to stand up for his wife”

          Ha ha ha ha ha!
          There’s the level of James commentary, right there.

          • James 4.1.1.1.1
            16 September 2018 at 8:30 am

            But that’s exactly what’s he’s done.

            • Robert Guyton 4.1.1.1.1.1
              16 September 2018 at 8:35 am

              Let me help, James. Standing up for one’s female partner, is not misogynistic, it’s the opposite. I wonder too, do you understand what the word “wife” means and the process required to become one?

              • marty mars …
                16 September 2018 at 8:51 am

                Yes Robert, James showing what a dino he is – bit Freudian slipping perhaps too.

              • Wayne …
                16 September 2018 at 9:36 am

                Misoyginy is not the issue and James was wrong to make it so. Basically it is whether spouses of politicians start making political points. The PM has a whole office with media experts to deal with these issues. Basically I have never seen a spouse get so involved in the political debate as Clarke Gayford. He is not the one who is elected. Being supportive and being present at all sorts of events does not mean he also has to get politically involved.

                • marty mars …
                  16 September 2018 at 9:48 am

                  Dino wayne – you really think it’s not a team effort? Wow the lonely. It is political and you know it. The days of yore are gone thank the gods.

                • Robert Guyton …
                  16 September 2018 at 9:48 am

                  You’ve never seen it, Wayne? But you’ve also never seen a PM like Jacinda, with a newborn baby and a high-profile partner; it’s a whole new world, Wayne; be prepared for things to be done differently!

                  • Wayne …
                    16 September 2018 at 10:57 am

                    Indeed it is a new generation, in fact on both sides of the House. Basically that is good for NZ. People like PM’s charm and good nature.
                    Whether Clarke being directly engaged in political debate is also good is rather more debatable. And in fact his role in that regards is being debated. How does that help the PM?

                • Ad …
                  16 September 2018 at 11:24 am

                  Agree.
                  Bad precedent.

                  • veutoviper …
                    16 September 2018 at 12:03 pm

                    Oh dear – what is happening? Seriously, I actually agree with both you and Wayne on this one. Much as I have a lot of time for Clarke, he really does need to step back from any hint of political comment, even if his intent is to support Jacinda, as his love and partner.

                • Morrissey …
                  16 September 2018 at 4:28 pm

                  That comment by Wayne starts with a moronic spelling error and gets worse from there. His (unintentionally hilarious) obsession with Clarke Gayford is clearly a reflection of the anger and bewilderment felt by the rest of his cronies in the National Party.

                • McFlock …
                  16 September 2018 at 5:06 pm

                  To be fair, he kept out of the political eye until some folks started targeting him.

                  He didn’t start playing that role, but seeing as it was thrust upon him, he’s playing it pretty well.

              • Morrissey …
                16 September 2018 at 4:25 pm

                Robert, please be aware that James supported a prime minister who would not even stand up for his own bodyguard from Iraq after he was targeted by the Australian police. To his mind, the idea of actually standing up for anyone, especially a woman, is just not something to be admired.

              • McFlock …
                16 September 2018 at 5:09 pm

                James thinks that if a woman is following him through a doorway he should let the door shut in her face, because holding it open for her would be sexist.

        • solkta 4.1.1.2
          16 September 2018 at 8:23 am

          But he is not as crap a troll as James.

      • solkta 4.1.2
        16 September 2018 at 8:22 am

        Ed is a left wing troll on a left wing site. Do not feed the troll.

        • veutoviper 4.1.2.1
          16 September 2018 at 10:07 am

          Snap – you beat me today!

          • Ed 4.1.2.1.1
            16 September 2018 at 10:21 am

            Yes, discussing industrial dairy farming, brilliant political animations, fast food corporations advertising to children and racism in our media is trolling.

            While contributing only contributing barbed insults is the height of intelligence.

    • mickysavage 4.2
      16 September 2018 at 8:31 am

      She has planned a big speech. This afternoon at 1 pm. Funny elements of the media and the right keep attacking her for failing to go public when the opposite is true.

      • James 4.2.1
        16 September 2018 at 8:38 am

        Doing an interview having to answer questions is a lot different from a stage managed speech (I’m assuming labour manage it – but given this lot who knows)

        Still dosnt address the conflicting stories on her diary.

      • Robert Guyton 4.2.2
        16 September 2018 at 8:43 am

        I’m really looking forward to Jacinda’s speech and the caterwauling from the likes of James afterwards. Do you think James might be a misogynist?
        “Misogyny (/mɪˈsɒdʒɪni/) is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls.”

        • Ed 4.2.2.1
          16 September 2018 at 8:51 am

          James certainly appears to be a racist.
          He criticised me for suggesting a boycott of ZB after one of their presenters spouts vile racism against Pacific Islanders.
          He condoned the racism.

          • marty mars 4.2.2.1.1
            16 September 2018 at 8:58 am

            You slur too easily. He didn’t condone the racism –
            he took the piss out of your idiotic attempt at relevancy when you suggested a boycott. It was funny, the cats bit.

            Play the ball not the person ed and please don’t suggest i go to a war zone and die – that’s not nice is it.

            • Ed 4.2.2.1.1.1
              16 September 2018 at 9:18 am

              Nor is it nice to advocate war against other countries and their citizens.

              • veutoviper …
                16 September 2018 at 10:15 am

                What Marty said.

                Get it through your head, Ed, that none of us (ie the people you keep suggesting are advocating war) are advocating war.

                Your claims are nonsequiturs of our actual comments – thus showing your ignorance and attempts to divert from what we have actually said.

            • adam 4.2.2.1.1.2
              16 September 2018 at 11:51 am

              “Play the ball not the person ed ”

              Laugh, damn near wet myself – that is just a little bit rich coming from you marty mars.

          • solkta 4.2.2.1.2
            16 September 2018 at 9:02 am

            It amuses me, just when James is looking like a total try hard you jump in and try and better his effort. Trolls will be trolls i guess.

            • mauī 4.2.2.1.2.1
              16 September 2018 at 9:09 am

              Ed is not a troll, Ed is serious and honest. What a shame you haven’t picked that up yet.

              • solkta …
                16 September 2018 at 9:21 am

                Do you really think that Ed was being honest when he said “He condoned the racism”? Are your comprehension skills really that poor?

            • Ed 4.2.2.1.2.2
              16 September 2018 at 9:26 am

              Soltka , apart from barbed comments, what have you added to the discussion this morning?
              I have introduced 4 varied and interesting topics.
              The impact of industrial dairying and nitrogen levels on our water.
              Racism from a media presenter with a suggestion of how we deal with this.
              A reference to the brilliant artist Steve Cutts.
              The government’s attempts to tackle obesity amongst children and the media’s handling of the story.

              James posted a right wing attack line on Jacinda. This was clear trolling.

              And you and marty mars have just made unpleasant and unnecessary negative comments.

              If you have nothing to add about the 4 issues I highlighted- all of which could engender an interesting sharing of views – please scroll past.

              • mauī …
                16 September 2018 at 9:56 am

                Thank you Ed for bringing some rationality back to the debate, and for dealing with these trolls who obviously prefer a closed mike.

                • marty mars …
                  16 September 2018 at 10:05 am

                  Thank you for calling me a troll mauī – from you, a person who believes there actually are child crisis actors, i’ll take that as a bafge of honour.

                  • Ed …
                    16 September 2018 at 10:24 am

                    Apart from unpleasant comments directed at others, what have you contributed today?

                    I have introduced 4 varied and interesting topics.
                    The impact of industrial dairying and nitrogen levels on our water.
                    Racism from a media presenter with a suggestion of how we deal with this.
                    A reference to the brilliant artist Steve Cutts.
                    The government’s attempts to tackle obesity amongst children and the media’s handling of the story.

                    • marty mars …
                      16 September 2018 at 10:34 am

                      I havent asked another human to go and die in a war whilst proclaiming a vegan sainthood and laughingly comparing myself to jeremy corbyn like you ed – stalk someone else war mongrel-ed

                      Edit – check the date and time ed

                      Open Mike 15/09/2018

                    • Ed …
                      16 September 2018 at 10:45 am

                      All you have done today is make negative comments.
                      You have nothing to add to anyone’s talking points on Open Mike.
                      Please stop stalking me.
                      It is creepy.

                    • marty mars …
                      16 September 2018 at 10:54 am

                      Lol people can read and you have no argument except the dim response of repeating lines back to people lol

                      You remind me of someone – hey wait a minute, are you? nah you ain’t Jeremy corbyn lol.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 September 2018 at 5:13 pm

                      I skipped most of your initial comments. But the responses to you going apeshit again are pretty funny, I like those. Keep up providing the material for smarter people to riff on.

              • RedLogix …
                17 September 2018 at 8:41 am

                While I definitely don’t align with some of your more radical views Ed, I have to agree with what you are saying at 9:26am (4.2.2.1.2.2).

                If you have nothing to add about the 4 issues I highlighted- all of which could engender an interesting sharing of views – please scroll past.

                Because you do make positive contributions and generally hold back on the personal attacks I do read what you say … I take the view that there is something to be learned pretty much everywhere you look. Cheers.

        • mickysavage 4.2.2.2
          16 September 2018 at 8:53 am

          They are flailing around looking to work out attack lines on Jacinda. They operate on the basis that if you say something often enough it becomes reality.

          It is what happens when you are really deficient at the issues.

          • James 4.2.2.2.1
            16 September 2018 at 9:27 am

            It’s just that this government gives us so much material.

          • Stuart Munro 4.2.2.2.2
            16 September 2018 at 10:37 am

            Bierce described what they are looking for rather well:

            (under OLEAGINOUS, adj. Oily, smooth, sleek.) Disraeli once described the manner of Bishop Wilberforce as “unctuous, oleaginous, saponaceous.” And the good prelate was ever afterward known as Soapy Sam. For every man there is something in the vocabulary that would stick to him like a second skin. His enemies have only to find it.

            Being functionally illiterate as well as completely unprincipled of course the Gnats are obliged to try to find it empirically. They’ve tested ‘evasive’, and ‘weak’, and ‘not a leader’ and are trying ‘too nice’.

            They forget that others may be prompted by this to find a fitting political epitaph for much more readily caricatured Bridges.

      • Dukeofurl 4.2.3
        16 September 2018 at 5:51 pm

        Thats true.

        You would never do a sit down media with open format before a big speech as you would be batting away leading questions about whats in the speech.

    • Bearded Git 4.3
      16 September 2018 at 10:07 am

      troll

  5. Ed 5
    16 September 2018 at 8:15 am

    Steve Cutts is a genius.
    He is famous for this brilliant animation.

    • Ed 5.1
      16 September 2018 at 8:17 am

      And his more recent production ‘Are you lost in the world like me?’ is also a searing critique of modern day society.

  6. esoteric pineapples 6
    16 September 2018 at 9:28 am

    Chris Hedges on Jimmy Dore, live as of 9.30 this morning for any early birds

  7. cleangreen 7
    16 September 2018 at 9:30 am

    What are Forest & Bird doing about this?????.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/105093180/The-big-fertiliser-companies-are-accused-of-quashing-a-more-environmentally-friendly-way-of-applying-nitrogen

    “The big fertiliser companies are accused of quashing a more environmentally friendly way of applying nitrogen”

    Quote from TOM LEE/STUFF.

    A new fertiliser system

    Bert Quin talks about the new fertiliser spreading system he has created.

    The two big fertiliser companies are accused of quashing a more environmentally friendly method of applying nitrogen, in order to protect profits. Tony Wall investigates for ‘Growing Pain’ a Stuff series examining New Zealand’s dangerous addiction to fertiliser.

    Taupo helicopter operator Mark Williams thought he’d hit on the holy grail – a system of applying nitrogen that meant up to three times the grass growth and less leaching.

    It was a simple method that had been around for years – instead of applying fertiliser such as urea in a solid, granular form, the product is ground up, water is added to create a slurry, and it’s sprayed on pasture from the air or ground.

    Known as fine particle application, proponents of the system say it’s a far more efficient way of applying fertiliser because more nutrients are taken up by the plant and less is lost to the atmosphere and through leaching.

    Advocates of fine particle application say the mixture can be sprayed right up to the edge of streams and rivers, without leaching into the water.

    But scientists working for the big-two farmer-owned co-operatives, Ballance Agri-Nutrients and Ravensdown, rubbish the claims and say there’s no science to back it up.

    Williams has given up, and sold his machine to another helicopter operator.

    “I’m sick of banging my head against the wall. If they want to keep pouring [granular] urea on their ground, so be it – let them do what they want, not what they should be doing.”

    “Because New Zealand doesn’t have direct competition it has allowed the industry to price products to allow them to maximise tonnage rather than perhaps benefit [the environment].”

    Harold claims that during his time, sales reps were trained to dissuade farmers from trying alternatives.

    A contract milker from Taupo, who asked that his name not be published for fear of repercussions, says he saw first hand the “outstanding” results of a fine particle application trial on his farm.

    But fertiliser company reps convinced the owner the system wouldn’t work.

    “It’s an uphill battle for a lot of us managers. Farm owners are fairly traditionalist – they do everything by the book and do as these fert companies tell them to do.

    “The fert companies are in it for the money obviously – they have a lot of influence over the farmers.”

    End.

    We are now seeing the hollowing out of our environmental regulations in NZ by large overseas corporations and now even Ravens down fertilizer Co, which is a farmers co-operative!!!!!!!! all now are getting around Government controls.

    So what will happen under TPPA??????

    Our government has truly been nobbled at making water quality and climate change able to be effectively acted upon sadly.

    We must now ask;;
    How much is enough?

    • Jimmy 7.1
      16 September 2018 at 10:11 am

      This is not a new idea, Brett Emeny as been offering this method of application with his helicopter company for years.
      Personally I think it’s the helicopter guys that are being disingenuous not the fertiliser companies.
      They are just trying to sell Helicopter time to benefit their own businesses.
      When you have to pay for Helicopters, to spray a product that is mostly water on pasture the costs are much greater than applying solid urea granules by truck.
      And having tried both methods I’m using Trucks and solid fertiliser, just as effective and much cheaper.

      • bwaghorn 7.1.1
        16 September 2018 at 4:21 pm

        If you can get a truck there surely it could be sprayed on by a tractor or truck sprayer .

        • Jimmy 7.1.1.1
          16 September 2018 at 5:04 pm

          Sure, I just don’t believe it works.
          Grinding up solid fertiliser adding water, spraying it on pasture and then claiming you only need a third of what you would normally use, yeah right.
          There is no Magic.
          A 2/3 Less is still 2/3 less.

          Try it with your dinner tonight take 1/3 of what’s on your plate process to a slurry drink it down and tell yourself you have had the same nutrients as if you had eaten the full meal.

          I was talking about Helicopters because it was invented by a helicopter pilot, for use from helicopters, but yes can be sprayed be tractors etc.

  8. joe90 8
    16 September 2018 at 10:34 am

    Instead of overseeing a modern economy and a vibrant, outward looking state, Erdogan seems to be determined to re-make the Ottoman Empire, cast himself as Caliph, and fit right in with the authoritarian Middle East.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed himself chairman of Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund and got rid of the entire management staff that had presided over two years of inaction.

    Zafer Sonmez, head of Turkey and Africa for Malaysia’s government investment vehicle Khazanah Nasional Bhd, was named general manager. Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Erdogan’s son-in-law, will also sit on the board, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.

    The overhaul comes two years after the government formed the fund to capitalize on $200 billion of state assets and put a lid on market turmoil in the wake of a failed coup attempt. But the organization’s goals and strategy were never clearly defined and internal strife led to the firing of its first chief executive officer after Erdogan publicly expressed his disappointment.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-12/erdogan-names-himself-chairman-of-turkey-wealth-fund-in-overhaul

  9. SaveNZ 9
    16 September 2018 at 11:02 am

    Don’t agree with everything this commentator says, because I think he falls into the trap of thinking neoliberalism is about race whereas I think neoliberalism doesn’t care what colour, culture or ethnicity the successor is, (I’m more an Animal farm believer aka power corrupts no matter what species and that is what society needs to protect itself from) but he has some interesting points…

    Three Hard Truths About American Collapse
    America Probably Isn’t Going to Make It. Will You?

    “I’m going to keep this short and bittersweet.
    America’s probably not going to recover in our lifetimes, if ever (even if the good guys win the next election.) Let me start with some alarming and necessary factoids. America’s a country whose three main indicators are all blinking nine-alarm red — they’re what “collapse” really means. Life expectancy’s falling. Real incomes are shrinking. And 80% of people live paycheck to paycheck. ”

    “That’s because these megatrends of collapse are the culmination of decades of self-destructive choices, trickle-down economics, neoliberalism, market fundamentalism, a total lack of investment in people, a culture of cruelty, a modern day caste society, Walmart capitalism, all of which added up to Weimar republic style ruin — letting middle classes implode, leaving the poor to die in the streets, because a predatory elite was allowed to capture more than 100% of society’s gains, and worse still, Americans were told to believe, by wise men, that all that was noble, righteous, and true: only the strong should survive.”

    https://eand.co/three-hard-truths-about-american-collapse-cbf45295c198

  10. Dennis Frank 10
    16 September 2018 at 11:49 am

    I’ve become puzzled in recent times every time I hear the national anthem sung prior to an All Blacks test, they ask god to “guard Pacific’s triple star”. Never heard of any such thing anywhere else & weird that I’ve been listening to it more than 60 years without noticing, but here’s an explanation: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107108169/our-anthem-god-defend-new-zealand-is-a-radically-subversive-challenge-to-tradition

    “Singers have long queried the cryptic call to “guard Pacific’s triple star”. But New Zealand folk music expert John Archer argues it was a reference to the three stars on Te Kooti’s flag of Māori independence. “Bracken was a committed Irish nationalist,” Archer says. “He was squarely on the side of the Māori from when he first arrived in New Zealand in 1869, during the middle of Te Kooti’s battles with colonial troops, in his campaign for independence for Tūhoe Māori.” That is reinforced by the cover of the 1878 music score, featuring a drawing of the Royal Standard alongside the flag of the independent tribes.”

  11. Sacha 11
    16 September 2018 at 12:26 pm

    Poet Pam Ayres delivers on bumbling agents: https://twitter.com/PamAyres/status/1041007196300107776

    “I went down to Salisbury
    To listen to the choir,
    A pair of Russian tourists
    They were staring up the spire,
    Staring up the spire, they were,
    Silent and aghast,
    Against the sky, hurtling by,
    A piggy flying past.”

    • adam 11.1
      16 September 2018 at 1:30 pm

      MI6 took six months
      To stitch up two chumps
      The Great Game still raging
      Pick a side and start waging
      Who cares who right
      Pick a side, and fight
      Critical thinking down the drain
      We run out of using our brain

    • Morrissey 11.2
      16 September 2018 at 8:06 pm

      She’s certainly a lot more convincing than the hapless British prime minister and her cronies.

  12. adam 12
    16 September 2018 at 12:26 pm

    A couple of these flatpack urban farms in all new housing estates would be the way to go.

    https://insteading.com/blog/flatpack-urban-farm-grows-6-6-tons-of-food-in-538-square-feet/

  13. Ad 13
    16 September 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Gutsy work by the All Blacks last night to lose in style by going for the try rather than the droppie.

    I’ve been wanting them to lose for a while, and this was a grand way to do it.

    • Dennis Frank 13.1
      16 September 2018 at 12:42 pm

      Tough love? They made lotsa mistakes & Barrett forgot how to convert tries. They need another goal-kicker as plan B. Well, at least two others in the team but they decided against trying them!

    • bwaghorn 13.2
      16 September 2018 at 4:26 pm

      Inept captaincy and coaching more like it . Keep barrett if they must but find another kicker to play at 15 or 12 ffs. And change plans if you are losing
      Did enjoy the match though much better than a runaway win to watch .

    • Morrissey 13.3
      16 September 2018 at 4:30 pm

      The All Blacks don’t “lose in style.” Are you suggesting they deliberately chose to entertain rather than go for the win?

  14. adam 14
    16 September 2018 at 1:20 pm

    I love Hugh Hamilton such a thoughtful journalist. Glad he the one asking Chris Hedges the questions in this shameless self promotion (tongue firmly in cheek there – just in case you want to be a spiteful literalist.) Video is 26 minutes long, and at 13:50 min in Hugh throws a great question at Chris which was well researched and wonderfully put.

    Be warned from RT america, so all the wallflowers who can’t handle anything outside the official narrative might want to avoid.

  15. Ad 15
    16 September 2018 at 3:20 pm

    Two further spies identified – and this time arrested – in relation to the Skirpal poisoning case.

    Full minute-and-day breakdown of the events of the poisoning to date in this article:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12126103

    They were probably on holiday. Again.

    • Dukeofurl 15.1
      16 September 2018 at 5:42 pm

      Doesnt make sense .
      “Swiss publication Tages Anzeiger and Dutch paper NRC have reported that the two men, who have yet to be identified, were arrested back in March and detained in The Hague before being extradited back to Russia.”

      You dont get extradited back to your own country, its called deported. Why would this be a ‘secret’ and only revealed now ?

      Arrested back in March ? Where was that if they were ‘detained in the Hague’

      • McFlock 15.1.1
        16 September 2018 at 5:50 pm

        Extradition involves a custody transfer.

        And if they were facing charges in the Netherlands, an extradition request for something trumped up to be more serious might be a way for Russia to get them back. Not to mention other deals that might have happened.

  16. Morrissey 16
    16 September 2018 at 4:40 pm

    Jimmy Dore: “Sixth graders know better than this.”
    Glenn Greenwald schools a CNN dolt.

    • Stuart Munro 16.1
      16 September 2018 at 7:55 pm

      Funny. A guy who runs lies about England funding ISIS, that he cannot even begin to substantiate, larding the Standard with flake news.

      • Morrissey 16.1.1
        16 September 2018 at 8:00 pm

        ?????

        Idiot.

        • Stuart Munro 16.1.1.1
          16 September 2018 at 8:02 pm

          Liar, Morrissey.

          Barefaced and unrepentant liar.

          Unless you actually have some evidence?

          And you want to post stuff about journalism 101? When your source material is made up? Hypocrite.

          • Morrissey 16.1.1.1.1
            16 September 2018 at 8:16 pm

            The other day you ignorantly and crassly dismissed Noam Chomsky and Mark Curtis as “weird.” Now you’re calling Glenn Greenwald “flake news.”

            It’s better to remain silent, etc.

            • Stuart Munro 16.1.1.1.1.1
              16 September 2018 at 8:23 pm

              You would do well to take your own advice you lying piece of shit.

              I’ve read a bit of Chomsky in my time – even his largely discredited linguistic work.

              But I haven’t run across evidence that England funds ISIS as you claim.

              It is for you to produce such evidence, having made the fatuous claim.

              Pretending to scholastic values you do not meet does not absolve you of this responsibility.

              Pony up real evidence Morrissey, or retract your lie.

              And all the crazy edifice you’ve built upon it.

              [I realize that as a fundamentally dishonest person you rely on misrepresenting others – but the flake news to which I refer on this occasion is this buffoon Jimmy Dore – who seems to offer more in the way of emoting than reporting, suitable for a gossip show perhaps, but not meeting the basic requirements of his much repeated “journalism 101”]

              • Professor Longhair …
                17 September 2018 at 12:47 pm

                This tick Munro makes a couple of enormous claims he probably can’t back up.

                I’ve read a bit of Chomsky in my time –

                One doubts that. Anyone who calls Chomsky “weird” has not read him.

                even his largely discredited linguistic work.

                Discredited? By whom? The late not so great Tom Wolfe?

                https://tenor.com/view/youreanidiot-gif-9582575

            • Ed 16.1.1.1.1.2
              16 September 2018 at 9:08 pm

              Remember Mr Munro advocates for war in Syria and the Ukraine.
              Despite no knowledge of the topic matter.
              He would fit well on Slater’s site.

              • Stuart Munro …
                16 September 2018 at 11:14 pm

                Actually Ed, I advocate peace in those countries.

                But that gets in the way of Putin’s global ambitions.

                Which you support uncritically.

                Funny kind of Leftist you are – though your instincts nearer home are not so bad.

          • OnceWasTim 16.1.1.1.2
            17 September 2018 at 1:06 pm

            When does it get to the stage where the above and below ‘prove’ that one of youse fellas has a considerably, considerably, CONSIDERABLY larger cock than the other, whilst that other is able to posit that they are considerably, considerably, CONSIDERABLY more well-read than yea?
            I’m not sure which of youse fellas is witch
            Is it provable anyway?
            Please, EXPOSE yourselves. We’ll all be impressed in a Kardashian kind of way

            Whoar eh?
            I ‘spose it’s all a bit entertaining in a sadistic sort of way. I’m certainly amused but at the same time ready to opt-the-fuck-out of it all as soon as my nanna nap is next due

  17. Muttonbird 17
    16 September 2018 at 5:46 pm

    Massive South African racist and child bride, Heather Duplicity Allan, doubles down on her appalling comments.

    This woman is now pretending she wasn’t talking about Pacific Islanders themselves, rather their representatives. This sort of desperate and false backtrack reminds me of Jordan Peterson’s work. Peterson will say something school-boyish and outrageous and be called on it, only for his white, pimply defenders to claim he’s been misinterpreted.

    Duplicity-Allan is on a tightrope right now and I for one hope she falls off it.

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018662440/broadcaster-stands-by-pacific-islands-leeches-claim

    • McFlock 17.1
      16 September 2018 at 5:54 pm

      “Child bride”? What drugs are you on?

      I mean, I actually agree with the rest of your post pretty much, but the opening line cheapens it.

      • Muttonbird 17.1.1
        16 September 2018 at 5:57 pm

        Meh. It’s descriptive of the 33 year age gap. She 25 and he 58 when they married. A bit odd.

        She’s his third wife, btw.

        • McFlock 17.1.1.1
          16 September 2018 at 6:03 pm

          Why do you even know that?
          Why do you think it matters at all?
          How is it relevant to her pretty awful comments about the Pacific Islands?

          • Muttonbird 17.1.1.1.1
            16 September 2018 at 6:07 pm

            It’s common knowledge.
            It adds to the portrait of her and Soper as a RW political hit squad.
            There’s something weird about the relationship so it follows there something weird about her thinking.

            Is your wife a lot younger than you, or something? If so I don’t mean any offence to you personally, just Duplicity.

            • McFlock 17.1.1.1.1.1
              16 September 2018 at 6:17 pm

              Dude, it is irrelevant to the specifics of my personal life. It just smacks of the panty-sniffing puritans who think that what goes on in other people’s bedrooms is their business.

              You know what’s weird about HDPA’s thinking? The way she called the Pacific Islands “leeches” that “don’t matter”. Isn’t that enough?

              • Muttonbird …
                16 September 2018 at 6:21 pm

                I think it’s relevant to know about the people ruling us and also the people delivering us opinion.

                Perhaps you’d like Trump’s immoral attitude to women, and use of hookers to be off limits and sacrosanct?

                • McFlock …
                  16 September 2018 at 8:11 pm

                  Personal is personal until it impinges on the public.

                  A fundy conservative politician privately contradicting the policies they support in public? Fair game. Because the hypocrisy is of public interest.

                  And yeah, dolt-45 with women by itself is of no public interest. But breaking campaign laws to pay off said women? It’s the breaking of campaign laws that was interesting. Dolt-45 with hookers pissing on a bed Obama slept in? One could stretch that it goes to the motives behind some of the Orange One’s policies, but it’s titillation only – until it becomes possible material that’s being used to blackmail him. Then it’s a US security issue.

                  None of that applies to HDPA.

                  It’s not “ammo”. It’s just you cheapening a good point with irrelevant panty-sniffing. If that’s the biggest way a NZ reporter/columnist is “weird”, we’re bloody lucky.

                  Edit: unfortunately, it’s not, because HDPA’s comments were bloody weird.

                  • Muttonbird …
                    16 September 2018 at 8:30 pm

                    She uses her unorthodox marriage to Soper as a promotional tool and there are several articles on it. There’s a case the marriage itself is part of her campaign given the wedding was in parliament. How weird is that?

                    Given her naked ambition to be a RW shock jock I’d say her unorthodox marriage is fair game.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 September 2018 at 10:49 pm

                      What campaign?

                      Two colleagues met, hooked up, and got married where they work, because where they work is an interesting place. Hell, they might even have sold stories to the weekly rags. None of this is actually a negative or a vulnerability to target, and all of it is irrelevant to the objectionable shit she actually said.

                      I’m getting the distinct impression that somehow you think “weird” and “unorthodox” are bad things that makes racist comments even worse.

              • Muttonbird …
                16 September 2018 at 7:08 pm

                In addition, I believe Duplicity Allan is carefully constructing her image as a Mark Richardson type. A peddler of controversy for the sake of it. For clicks, ears, attention, and dollars.

                We don’t need any more of this type of divisive tabloid behaviour in this country, there’s enough of it already.

                So I’ll fight her and her type whenever I see it with whatever ammo I can lay my hands on.

                Thank you.

        • Chuck 17.1.1.2
          16 September 2018 at 7:20 pm

          Wow, so you have an issue with people who choose partners with age gaps and to boot may have more than one partner in their lifetime.

          Maybe a little too personal in the insults department Muttonbird??

          • Muttonbird 17.1.1.2.1
            16 September 2018 at 7:32 pm

            There’s age gaps and there’s age chasms.

            And multiple marriages suggests poor judgement and poor commitment.

        • OnceWasTim 17.1.1.3
          17 September 2018 at 1:27 pm

          and of course there is that whole ‘daddy figure’ thing.

          Probably the good thing is that one day she’ll probably wake up, and it’ll all become a NZonAIr funded, Julie Christie-produced TV show

  18. Ffloyd 18
    16 September 2018 at 6:43 pm

    If I was rating Tova O’Brien as a political reporter she wouldn’t even get on the board. Very bad disrespectful questioning of Jacinda A. Interrupting answers and all but calling her a liar. Simon is looking and sounding even more desperate. Even if there is a bit of dissension in the Coalition it’s not going to stop them getting the job done.

  19. Ed 19
    16 September 2018 at 9:52 pm

    Sarah Abdallah nails it on Twitter.

    “Italy is right. If Sarkozy, along with Cameron, Obama and Hillary, didn’t bomb and destroy Libya, handing it to jihadists who now sell human beings in open slave markets, there wouldn’t be a refugee crisis destabilizing Europe today.”

    • joe90 19.1
      16 September 2018 at 10:59 pm

      Hezbollah’s still looking for their sympathiser, who may or may not be who they say they are.

      /

    • sumsuch 19.2
      16 September 2018 at 11:33 pm

      All for the outside bombing of Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. No argument against. The off-loading of a rider is everyone’s cause. What happens after is at least progression.

  20. Ed 20
    16 September 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Mark Curtis, British historian, exposes the lies of the corporate media.

    “Guardian agit-prop to stop Corbyn and reimpose militarist neoliberalism is now relentless. I count around 40 anti-Corbyn ‘anti-semitism’ stories on Guardian website in past 4 weeks alone. The paper’s top story. Its agenda could hardly be clearer.”

    • sumsuch 20.1
      16 September 2018 at 11:42 pm

      The Guardian?! Which we all expand to ‘of liberty’. Disgusting.

      Putting a minor detail (and no, he’s not an anti-Semite) before a great matter (the rule of the people). Disgusting.

  21. eco maori 21
    17 September 2018 at 7:54 am

    Kia ora Te am show Well its good to hear a unbiased option on The Labour lead Coalition Governments show of Mana yesterday . YEA RIGHT .When The am show was touring around Aotearoa you changed your views like you changed your undies one minute red next blue with no idea of your real opinion the cash from the capitalist flowing into your pockets dictates your opinion
    You’s don’t give a toss about your mokopuna’s or OUR mokopunas future thinking about that phenomenon is way out of there intellectual capability’s.
    .simon what have you got 2 people cutting holes in your canoe no WOW factor national has run all our state sector’s to near bankruptcy if they were not state organizations they will have all ended up broke .
    I can not see one person in national being able to stand up and deliver a society that has a wealthy healthy happy and equal sustainable future. Your crew only look after the wealthy everyone else are sheep we have seen this with our own eyes 2 of your biggest fan cashed in there capital gains got a new whare with $7.5 million left to take all there luggage on holiday .
    Thats cool under our new Government Leader’s Alcohol consumption has dropped crime is dropping and % 90 of people are happy Te Tangata Whenua are getting the Mana and respect we deserve for OUR Te reo and culture.
    With te sport on the weekend Eco Maori knows how the western system works enough said .
    Duncan is that all you can dredge up diarydack dune he is a pro national flag waver
    who’s toilet sunk yesterday. Discount his old fossil views for he is directly responsible for the mess that our new government has to clean up.
    Ka pai Phil Goff the home less need to be housed some people think its OK just part of there ideal capitalist system wealthy first and foremost.
    The way the system is set up now poor people can not get a hire education like we could before student loans ie free education was scrapped why because the poor educated tangata were holding the powers that be to account speaking out taking them to court ect the wealthy could not have that so they scrapped a free education
    Ka kite ano P.S remember Eco Maori can sink any toilet

  22. eco maori 22
    17 September 2018 at 8:08 am

    Here the reality of what shonky & CO have done our free speech and media
    link below

  23. eco maori 23
    17 September 2018 at 8:10 am

    And stuffed OUR country it will take 10 years to clean up shonkys mess
    Ana to kai ka kite ano

  24. eco maori 24
    17 September 2018 at 8:27 am

    It is social media that is leveling out the political field in Aotearoa its has been used to peddle lies in other country’s we were lucky we are down under I’E it took 5 years for Cambridge analytica to get here now we can counter there pro alt right neo liberal capitalist 00.1 % proper-gander money distorting our fair just Democratic society of Aotearoa . Ka kite ano

  25. eco maori 25
    17 September 2018 at 8:46 am

    Eco Maori is sure our scientist predicted this snow in Te Wai Pounmu & sunbathing in Te Ika a Maui ka kite ano P.S we will have a mean skiing season tourism will be pumping.

  26. eco maori 26
    17 September 2018 at 10:23 am

    Eco Maori can not get a job because every-time I go for employment the sandflys play a atua’s role and interfere with my potential employers reality on Eco Maori its hard enough being middle-aged and Maori as well as having the muppets for 17 years interfear in ones life. Kia Kaha to all Kiwis of Aotearoa. ka kite an .
    P.S I have a job keeping all the capitalist neo liberal Human caused Climate Change deniers/ spinners in check

  27. eco moari 27
    17 September 2018 at 10:47 am

    Many thanks to Stuff for this which proves what I have been saying about a corrupt
    JUSTICE SYSTEM’S IN Aotearoa link is below thanks national now you know why I will sink shonkys toilet ana to kai ka kite ano

    https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/09/unseen/

  29. eco moari 29
    17 September 2018 at 11:51 am

    The way Eco Maori see this is Japan does not need the whale meat or the industry to have cause to be justifiable to carry on Killing Tangaroa’s beautiful Creatures .
    What’s there motive ITS A SHOW OF POWER JAPAN CAN DO WHAT IT WAN’TS.
    But know the rest of Papatuanuku is going to stop them these creatures are endangered Ana to kai ka kite ano link is below.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/14/whaling-vote-australia-tells-japan-it-has-lost-argument-for-killings

  31. eco moari 31
    17 September 2018 at 1:38 pm

    Here is a good read words from the political party leader’s on the great election results.
    Link is below Ka kite ano

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/09/16/237145/stardust-and-substance-the-2017-election-through-politicians-eyes-1

  32. eco moari 32
    17 September 2018 at 1:53 pm

    Here’s a good yarn on how x national PM treat’s there voters lose play poker with hundred of kiwi money and lives LINK IS BELOW I first seen the story on the national party proper-gander machine the herald FROM NOW ON ECO MAORI IS boycotting there website no more links to that and 2 of there writers have pushed there bullshit to far so Eco Maori will sink there toilets with no shame. Ka kite ano P.S sheep we are in there eyes

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/107130930/former-mainzeal-director-dame-jenny-shipley-defending-reckless-trading-allegations

  33. eco moari 33
    17 September 2018 at 3:00 pm

    willie shaw is a lieing puppet for the national party I would take what he has to sell about weed control as bull teko he will be trying to push products such as Round up or Glyphosate based weed killing products . he is the type of person who will let te mokopunas applie these killer chemicals and not blink a eye I.E that he knows that the effects will be bad for them link below ka kite ano

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@environment/2018/09/09/226801/a-billion-trees-and-a-trillion-weeds

  34. eco moari 34
    17 September 2018 at 3:47 pm

    Here you go the wealthy getting more than there fair share of Aotearoa they should pay more in tax’s to fix up the mess there national m8 made in there efforts to hand them our money link below ka kite ano

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107139617/richlisters-wealth-grows-sixfold-in-two-decades-much-faster-than-rest-of-economy

  35. eco moari 35
    17 September 2018 at 5:28 pm

    My opinion on the subject of Wahine Equality in all aspects of employment and management is a inbuilt prejudice of the systems as well as old men blocking the pathway up for wahine I have a good link below Ka kite ano

    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/29/women-better-off-far-from-equal-men

  36. eco moari 36
    17 September 2018 at 6:47 pm

    Kia ora Newshub its snowing hard in Queens Town it would really beneficial for people to install solar power with a backup battrie $9 k and no more power cuts no more big power bills SouthIsland people .
    It’s cool that we are seeing a big group of volunteers counting the homeless these poor people are a effect of our society many thanks to you all kia kaha .
    Cat’s are companion but if they are not well cared for the soon turn into predators and they are deadly hunters mic chips a bell and spading is a good thing a lot of our unique native birds are endangered its cool that we are working with Papatuanuku.
    There you go you can not trust many studies of anything you have to trace the links the researcher has to the product’s manufacture to see if there is cheating going on in the name of proffets
    Those power polls in Otago don’t look very safe company’s milking the consumer is a culture that needs to be changed in Aotearoa.
    The Lion’s jellie fish looks beautiful but it has hundred’s of sting’s I remember the days when I was first stung by a electric ray I was 12 first time I had seen one and of course I was told to grab it next minute I was jumping up and down while they laughing at me lol its just a shock like a electric fence . Ka kite ano P.S Ingrid your te reo was ka pai last week

  37. eco moari 37
    17 September 2018 at 7:19 pm

    The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls I did not realize that David was going to give one of our favorite sports a serve.
    That’s a good win for the young fella in the cars that’s a huge cup he could have a swim in that one.
    I would not enter your studio at the minute why because I would get wet from all the tears.
    James my baby son is the same weight as you loves the jim to but I cannot get into sweating unless I make money for my efforts may be soon tho.
    There is some thing unusual for OUR other watersports stars maybe the hoste are not treating them with respect we know that some countrys wealthy take that soprts very seriously .
    Ka kite ano P.S 5 days to get a new test team up to form is a hard task and ask Mulls hows the Rock best rock song run comp going kia kaha guy;s

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