Open mike 16/09/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 16th, 2024 - 75 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

75 comments on “Open mike 16/09/2024 ”

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  1. bwaghorn 1
    16 September 2024 at 6:17 am

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350415345/rally-and-fight-unfair-te-ahu-turanga-tolling

    The good people of the Manawatu are going to fight the dirty nats double dipping money grab.

  2. Ngungukai 2
    16 September 2024 at 6:20 am

    Wonder what headlines and airspace Seymore get's this week he is definitely hogging the headlines lately.

  3. KJT 3
    16 September 2024 at 8:14 am

    Anyone seen the bid by private early childhood centre owners to remove kindergartens from the State sector, remove teacher quilification requirements and pay parity, and other totally self interested demands.

    Education body calls for overhaul of early learning rules, 'ineffective' teacher to child ratios (msn.com)

    The opposite should happen. Enough Kindergarten places funded for all children. And cut out the private equity ticket clipping middlemen.

    The sector is A foretast of the fuckup charter schools will be.

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.1
      16 September 2024 at 9:37 am

      The Early Childhood Council wants a radical overhaul of early learning regulations, including scrapping rules for pay parity and minimum teacher numbers.

      Motivation/Its just Business…

      The council said it had 900 members, most of whom owned one early learning centre.

      Simon..Laube. (Not too sure how much skin he has in it all ?)

      Council chief executive Simon Laube said the council did not want to get rid of teacher to child ratios, but the rules were too complicated.

      Pay parity was "the single most vexatious challenge" facing services and teacher pay should be deregulated, the submission said.

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/528048/education-body-calls-for-overhaul-of-early-learning-rules-ineffective-teacher-to-child-ratios

      Who some of them are…

      https://www.ecc.org.nz/about-us

      Some just seem..if not quite straight up….borderline dodgy. Theres the Wright/Riiight…Family Foundation

      The Wright Family Foundation, which runs BestStart, among others, claimed $26.9 million in subsidies, of which $25m was for the childcare chain, which has 260 centres around the country.

      "The question is, to what extent have their revenues been diminished by Covid-19? They will have no trouble in generating income given the demand for their services nationwide. After all, with profits of $46m in the past two years they will hardly be disadvantaged although their profits over this period may be diminished a little.

      “How on earth is that justifiable?”

      On the pigs back !?

      As a not-for-profit, BestStart does not pay tax.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121421548/coronavirus-multimilliondollar-subsidy-for-childcare-centres-slammed

      And how many others? The Porse guy ($4 Mill holiday home in Wanaka) Theres quite a bit more on him…just search.

      Owner of early childcare company Porse fakes BNZ email to justify late wages

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131058989/owner-of-early-childcare-company-porse-fakes-bnz-email-to-justify-late-wages

      There's gold in them thar Early Child Care….for profit… Centres.

      The Jugglenaut: How childcare became a for-profit game

      Preschool education was once seen as a public good. Now an increasing chunk of $2.3b a year in taxpayer funding is collected by for-profit providers, and ultimately passed on to investors.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300814789/the-jugglenaut-how-childcare-became-a-forprofit-game

      • SPC 3.1.1
        16 September 2024 at 10:35 am

        The Platform supports the political right and the political right supports the ECE sector – the tax credits for those with 2-3 year olds in them, which allows higher charge rates (unlike Labour's free hours approach).

        The agenda to reduce the pay to teachers and take kindergartens (limited hours) and standard pay for teachers out of the state supported education sector

        These are of an era where women did not work till children went to primary school or worked part-time (morning or afternoon).

        A word of warning: kindys are usually very popular, and often operate Waiting Lists. Their popularity is related to both their relatively low cost and their high quality education.

        At kindy the children are traditionally divided into two groups:

        • older children attend morning sessions five-days-a-week. These sessions generally run between 8.30am and 12pm; and
        • younger children attend afternoon sessions three-days-a-week which, for the most part run between 1pm and 3.15pm

        https://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz/articles/kindergarten/

        But there is increasingly an “all day”service (i.e. 6 hour session x 4 days, and 4.25 hour session x 1 day each week).

        The only thing, I would agree with them on is teaching hours in the ECE

        Say 9-3 as per primary schools – 9-11, then break and lunch and then 1-3 teaching.

        The before 9 and after 3, for outdoor play, indoor activities and personal reading.

        • Karolyn_IS 3.1.1.1
          16 September 2024 at 10:46 am

          What do you mean by "teaching hours"? A lot of the early learning for under fives is through play and interaction and communication with adults and young children, which allows for direct physical experiences and exploration with a range of materials and activities. During these relatively informal activities it's beneficial if adults communicate with the children, engaging them with talk about what they are doing and modelling appropriate language use, taking into account the stage of the child's language and cognitive development.

          Generally a lot of early childhood education is conducted through structured play. rather than through direct, formal 'teaching'.

          • gsays 3.1.1.1.1
            16 September 2024 at 10:54 am

            And isn't all that best done my a parent/grandparent or other close relative?

            I can't help think we are talking about a symptom rather than dealing with the problem.

            The problem being a low wage environment, low union membership in a high migration country.

            Exacerbated by a lack of a political party that first and foremost represents workers.

            • Karolyn_IS 3.1.1.1.1.1
              16 September 2024 at 11:46 am

              A lot of that early learning can happen in the home or local community.

              Yes, the low wage environment is a problem. Good ECE requires higher wages and state subsidies to be effective. Good training in ECE really is on the same level as a lot of training of tradies, but, the ECE workers earn far less.

              The low staff-child ratio is very important and costly, and that is why private ECE centers will try to up the staff-child ratio and pay as little as they can get away with. It's very hard to make a profit from good ECE.

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.1.1.2
          16 September 2024 at 10:56 am

          The Platform supports the political right and the political right supports the ECE sector

          Yea, have to say I didnt realise quite how involved/networked they were until reading about the Best Start/Wright family/Platform connections. What interesting people…..

          https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/20-08-2022/two-hours-with-the-secretive-rich-lister-bankrolling-sean-plunkets-the-platform

          IMO the crux of it (The ECE for Profit..) seems to be make as much as you can….while you can. despite how they dress it up..its just literally a Business.

        • Muttonbird 3.1.1.3
          16 September 2024 at 11:20 am

          Well, if ECE is going to look like school and act like school, maybe the entire sector should be brought into the state system…

          • SPC 3.1.1.3.1
            16 September 2024 at 12:13 pm

            That has already occurred, with the rules for trained teachers (the 20 free hours is close as to the teaching hours in kindergartens).

            The ECC represents the "charter school faction" of the part "state funded" early childhood education.

            It's continuing separation from kindergarten is in the extra hours factor – child care.

            That said, there is existing (OSCAR) before and after school care, and that could include 7-9 and 3-5 for those in ECE.

    • Visubversa 3.2
      16 September 2024 at 1:06 pm

      My late mother would be very upset by this. She taught at the Kindergarten Teacher's College when it was in Arney Road in Remuera, and was at various times President of the Auckland Kindergarten Association and Vice President of the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union. We were brought up as "Kindy Kids", and it was a very important part of the social fabric of our suburb.

      These days – it it all about the $$$$$$$. "Baby Farming" as a business.

  4. Ad 4
    16 September 2024 at 8:20 am

    New Zealanders who voted to change the government a year ago should expect more than perpetual recession and growing unemployment.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/gdp-preview-rolling-maul-recession-as-economy-contracts-again/G4N4ET74K5AUPLTCEQS53ZPILA/

    • Graeme 4.1
      16 September 2024 at 9:45 am

      I've been probing some business people here about the specifics of Labour's 'mismanagement' of the economy, like what did they do that wrecked the, and their economy.

      Full employment, so not being able to get staff, and work coming in at nearly twice the rate that the business can produce was a mismanaged economy. When they voted these people wanted a recession so they could have an easier life, be able to get easily managed staff, and not have to work 8 days a week to meet their contracts. In 2023 that was all "HER" fault because "SHE" wouldn't let the economy crash through covid, and yet in 2020 they were very happy that the Government had supported their business through covid and NZ was in better shape than most other countries.

      I'm waiting for the penny to drop.

      • KJT 4.1.1
        23 September 2024 at 7:43 am

        Over several Governments now, business has been better under Labour and worse under National.

        Surveys of business confidence shows it rising under National.

        Business is always better the more Socialist the Government. It is almost as though customers having more money locally is good for business!

        It shows the poor quality of our business managers that the "penny hasn't dropped”.

        The Key Government and the coalition of cockups have both been to the detriment of the businesses I was in at the time. 40% reduction in trade with the COC currently.

    • Ngungukai 4.2
      16 September 2024 at 10:11 am

      Well this is what New Zealanders wanted and have voted for, unfortunately we had a Labour Government under Ardern and Chipkins who did not have a plan for NZ or the Economy.

      • tWig 4.2.1
        16 September 2024 at 2:04 pm

        Chipkins… is this the latest cutsie nickname for Hipkins in rw social media? David S gets called by lw posters here by his full name, I haven't seen any cutsie contractions for him here. Perhaps you would be similarly respectful for Hipkins?

        • lprent 4.2.1.1
          16 September 2024 at 3:51 pm

          Actually David Seymour has long had a nickname here. Often called Rimmer because of some alleged shared personality traits and appearance with a TV character

          Rimmer / David Seymour

          • KJT 4.2.1.1.1
            16 September 2024 at 3:56 pm

            I thought "Rimmer" referred to where his nose resides?

            • lprent 4.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2024 at 6:39 am

              That is in the past. These days that brown-nose context of ‘Rimmer’ would probably be inappropriate in a political sense. Unless you were looking at who funds Act because I understand he is still acts obsequiously in that context.

              'Rimmer' when using it in a brown-nose context would be more appropriate when referring to Luxon in his role as erstwhile leader of the governing coalition.

          • tWig 4.2.1.1.2
            16 September 2024 at 5:06 pm

            Passed completely over my head, lprent.

            • Muttonbird 4.2.1.1.2.1
              16 September 2024 at 5:11 pm

              Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (first-class technician in the novels) and de facto leader of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, pedantic, and self-centred, Rimmer is unpopular with his crewmates and is often the target of insults and general ridicule.

              My italics, lol.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Rimmer

            • lprent 4.2.1.1.2.2
              17 September 2024 at 6:36 am

              The person on the left is a younger David Seymour with an 'H' added, the one on the right is Arnold Judas Rimmer

              See Muttonbird's comment about the fictional Rimmer. A J Rimmer was a holographic character after dying in the first episode and being resurrected as hologram operated by the computer. He was required to have a 'H' on his forehead so that he was not confused with meat characters.

    • bwaghorn 4.3
      16 September 2024 at 12:04 pm

      why? national and act campaigned on making people unemployed and homeless , national voters are getting what they wanted

    • Bearded Git 4.4
      16 September 2024 at 12:14 pm

      As I have posted before. Fitch, Standard and Poor's and Moody's all thought Labour was doing a good job with the economy.

      Should we really believe Luxon and Willis's blather instead?

    • Incognito 4.5
      16 September 2024 at 5:49 pm

      No, that’s exactly what those people voted for, willingly and knowingly.

      Until recently, Chris Luxon and a coterie of economists were lining up to tell the media we needed to lift unemployment to cool inflation. Now it’s time to tell the people who got laid off they’re lazy bludgers, restrict the increases to their benefits, and sanction them if they’re not sufficiently zealous in finding a job. However if too many people work, prices may spiral, and we’ll need to lift unemployment to cool inflation. Then we’ll tell those who got laid off they’re… And repeat.

      https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/16-10-2023/winners-losers-big-losers-and-gigantic-losers-from-the-2023-general-election

      It’s all part of the cunning masterplan of this neo-authoritarian coalition government, which includes the dropping of the dual mandate of the RBNZ to take employment in consideration when setting monetary policy.

  5. Sanctuary 5
    16 September 2024 at 10:04 am

    “New Zealanders who voted to change the government a year ago should expect more than perpetual recession and growing unemployment.”

    The voters can rightly claim they never knew – because the MSM never deigned to tell them.

    This lot is completely on the MSM, who have reduced politics to pure political gossip. No substance. No understanding of the limits on state action or the cause and effect of external and internal events. No policy debates, let alone any attempt to analyse the policy mainsprings of Luxon’s Cameronian modern “conservatism”. Just a constant retelling of who says what to whom. The election campaign was an exercise in complete journalistic surrender by our main free to air outlets, who abandoned the playing fields of facts and analysis for gossip and left it to Topham-Guerin to blitz the vibes on social media. It is astonishing that in 2024 the MSM continues to pretend tik-tok doesn’t exist.

    The fact is, even the most cursory journalistic blacklight on National’s agenda would have revealed the grubby, sticky stains of David Cameron’s Conservatives and George Osborne’s endless recession everywhere on National’s policy mattress. It was all there. The trips to the UK policy exchange, the use of Topham-Guerin’s culture war playbook on social media, George Osborne’s appearance at National’s retreats, the seamless cronyism of National’s relationship with certain late capitalist rentier sectors. All it would have taken was a modicum of imagination and a bit of courage from someone in the MSM to have asked the right questions.

  6. Jenny 6
    16 September 2024 at 11:22 am

    Mayor Brown suggests a bridge from Meola Reef to Kauri Pt. is much cheaper option for a second harbour crossing than a tunnel.

    I would like to suggest that this necessary second harbour crossing be rail (and pedestrian/cyle), only viaduct.

    For several reasons:

    Ease vehicle congestion on the Auckland roading network.

    Lessen vehicle emissions and other environmental and air quality harms.

    Easy connection to the North Western rail link.

    Smaller foot print compared to a roading link. Less housing demolitions in the built up suburb of Northcote, and less clear felling in the Kauri Pt. reserve.
    lin
    Can be built in two paralell sections, with single rail line, with provison for a second line depending on demand. (the same way the North Western rail line operated for decades in the past, and even more recently)

    Viaduct, less visual impact than a roading bridge, on the iconic look of the Waitemata.

    Ability to move thousands more commuters than a road link.

    New Auckland Harbour bridge 'helluva lot' cheaper than tunnel – mayor Wayne Brown

    6:30 pm on 12 September 2024

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527833/new-auckland-harbour-bridge-helluva-lot-cheaper-than-tunnel-mayor-wayne-brown

    Even cheaper, slender profile viaduct, rail/cycle/pedestrian only

  7. Mike the Lefty 7
    16 September 2024 at 11:29 am

    National crowing about a significant drop in crime in Auckland CBD due to increased police patrols.

    Of course the f…n crime rate will go down when there are more police on the beat! – I have been saying this only for the last two decades. Is this a new thing that only National have thought of?

    The question is when they will extend the extra police to the rest of New Zealand where it is needed just as badly?

    • Bearded Git 7.1
      16 September 2024 at 12:20 pm

      Labour is saying the extra police have been brought in from other suburbs. Wonder what the crime stats for those burbs are? I think we should be told.

      • Jimmy 7.1.1
        16 September 2024 at 4:59 pm

        Think of it this way, if a smaller town has virtually no crime or very little, and say 10 police officers, why not move five of the officers to CBD where there is too much crime.

        If crime starts to increase in the small town, move two officers back (or possibly three).

        • gsays 7.1.1.1
          16 September 2024 at 7:57 pm

          Yeah, nah.

          National is failing on bringing down violent crime. Aiming to reduce numbers by 20,000 they have, in fact, gone up 30,000.

          "Luxon noted the target of reducing violent crime was of "particular concern" though, with the results showing almost 30,000 more people have experienced violent crime."

          Playing wackamole with moving cops ain't going to solve anything and it's only going to piss off an already disenfranchised constabulary.

          Sorting out inequality, poverty, getting folk connected to a home, family, community and a job is how you sort crime. All the cops, prisons and crackdowns doesn't change a thing.

          https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528135/government-at-risk-of-not-meeting-two-of-its-nine-public-service-targets

    • Jimmy 7.2
      16 September 2024 at 12:40 pm

      "Of course the f…n crime rate will go down when there are more police on the beat! "

      You should have told Ginny that when she was there. Although she even had trouble with the number of foot patrols. A lot of crime in CBD, so they have put more resources there to try and fix. And it annoys you that it is working?

      Of course criminals will now try their luck in other areas so it will become like a game of 'whack a mole' but this lot are actually doing something about the crime. All good and what I voted for. Now the judges need to be told to get tougher with the sentencing once these people are caught so there is less re-offending especially while on home D. Teach them that there is consequences and an actual punishment for committing a crime.

      • Mike the Lefty 7.2.1
        16 September 2024 at 4:11 pm

        One swallow does not a summer bring.

        A lot more needed before National can claim victory. Even they admit that.

        • Jimmy 7.2.1.1
          16 September 2024 at 4:54 pm

          "One swallow does not a summer make" I think was the original saying. But yes, I think we can all agree there is a lot of work to be done on crime in NZ. But this is a positive sign that finally something is starting to be done about it. Like the crack down on gangs, that certainly won't be solved over night. But another saying comes to mind "Slowly, slowly catchy monkey".

          If the police start doing their bit and catching the offenders, and then the judges start doing their bit and not discounting everything down to under 2 years and thus home D, we may slowly start reducing the crime rate.

          • tWig 7.2.1.1.1
            16 September 2024 at 5:33 pm

            You've bought completely into the Nats' law'n order message, about punitive vs rehabilitative justice. Did you ever consider that a less prison-oriented justice system would improve outcomes?

            "The cost of prisons is contrasted with the cost-effectiveness of early intervention and prevention of crime, including making sure the system is responsive to
            the needs of victims and ensuring that we will have fewer victims of crime. The complex risks
            and vulnerabilities that are associated with criminal-justice involvement are reviewed,
            especially mental health issues and intergenerational trauma"

            Report from office of NZ Chief Scientist, 2018 on building a better justice system.

            We are suffering more violent crime in NZ because of meth, an addictive drug common in the community. NZ missed out on the damage of a heroin or crack trade in the 80s and 90s, unlike Oz and Europe.

            Addicts, especially meth addicts undergoing psychosis, will steal and neglect or harm their families. Highly addictive drugs, like alcohol, nicotine, souped up amphetimines and opiates are a goldmine for suppliers. Outside the law, that leads to cartel in-fighting and violent death.

            Narco-states are not limited to South America. These days, even Europe is caught up in narco violence to a much greater degree:

            "Historically, the greatest burden of violent crime associated with the drug market has been borne by producer and transit countries outside of the European Union, and this remains the case. However, in Europe, particularly in countries where large volumes of drugs are known to enter or be produced, levels of violence associated with the drug trade appear to be increasing. Accompanying this, concerns are also growing about the recruitment and exploitation of juveniles by criminal networks involved in the illicit drugs trade."EU 2024 report.

            To blame previous non-Nat governments for being soft on crime is wrong. We'll just hear more government PR, and I doubt their approach will improve the stats across all our society.

            And this government will be working to more private profit-led prisons, who have zero intetest in rehabilitation.

    • AB 7.3
      16 September 2024 at 1:39 pm

      All Mark Mitchell's silly numbers tell us is that if you saturate a small area with police and move the unhoused out of the area, certain crimes in that same area will be somewhat reduced. Wow, what prescient genius from Marky boy! Can it be rolled out across the whole country simultaneously? No. Does it have any systemic effect that will see it achieve the same results, but with gradually reducing inputs (people, money) over time? No, it has zero scalability. Does Marky get a headline that fools the gullible? Yes.

      Mitchell and Luxon continue to insult our intelligence at every turn.

  8. joe90 8
    16 September 2024 at 12:28 pm

    Twelve months ago France's EDF was re-nationalised and voila…

    .

    Electricity bills for millions of households in France are set to drop by around 10% to 15%, as global energy prices continue to fall.

    Households on the standard regulated electricity tariff (tarif bleu) with EDF will see price falls when the bi-annual re-evaluation of rates comes into force in February 2025.

    Those on other contracts, which are not tied to a regulated tariff (around 17.5 million households and businesses) may also see prices drop but this will depend on their supplier.

    https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/electricity-bills-set-to-fall-by-around-10-for-millions-of-households-in-france/678155

  9. gsays 9
    16 September 2024 at 12:35 pm

    Who needs to win debates?

    This sort of press coverage on these sorts of events is worth way more than any policy, costings or even a plan.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350416392/live-man-accused-attempting-assassination-donald-trump-his-golf-course

    • Tiger Mountain 9.1
      16 September 2024 at 1:06 pm

      Your link gsays is way better than my one! Crazy stuff alright, I noted Tim Walz comment about this “is not who we are” but it is exactly what a gun saturated USA is.

      • SPC 9.1.1
        16 September 2024 at 1:29 pm

        The key detail was whether there was any shot at the former POTUS.

        As there was not, they will now have to identify motive/intent.

      • gsays 9.1.2
        16 September 2024 at 1:51 pm

        The Secret Service, in this case, is doing better than last time.

        Apparently one of the men in black sunglasses saw the rifle barrel sticking out of the shrubbery.

        • SPC 9.1.2.1
          16 September 2024 at 2:24 pm

          They saw the gun on the roof last time. No permission to shoot till after the gunman fired off shots.

  10. Tiger Mountain 10
    16 September 2024 at 12:55 pm

    These alleged would be Trump shooters seem to be as accurate as Star Wars Troopers!
    https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-is-safe-following-gunshots-his-vicinity-says-campaign-2024-09-15/

  11. ianmac 11
    16 September 2024 at 2:04 pm

    Brian Easton is plugging away with well thought analysis this time a long term plan for Labour to plot a new path. For example:

    7. Is the Rich World Going Into Secular Stagnation? Whether or not the world (and New Zealand economy) is entering a period of long-term stagnation or slower growth, the following need to be addressed:

    • avoiding stressful unemployment;
    • lifting the relative incomes of those at the bottom;
    • improving the quality of life;
    • improving safety;
    • increasing opportunity enabling the achievement of capabilities;
    • promoting sustainability.

    https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/uk57vjkcc0ews0af8rgs6qymjn5bpp#google_vignette

  12. joe90 12
    16 September 2024 at 2:04 pm

    The fuckers knew their rhetoric would result in property damage, vandalised cars, and bomb threats and school evacuations.

    Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, the Ohio senator claimed the pet eating stories he has been pushing are “verifiable” — but also said this:

    “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

    https://www.mediaite.com/news/remarkable-confession-jd-vance-absolutely-floors-observers-with-comment-that-hes-been-creating-stories-about-migrant-pet-eating/

  14. tWig 14
    16 September 2024 at 2:19 pm

    Christopher Luxon has yet to agree to an interview on Q&A, the political interview programme on our national tv station, after nearly a year in government. What is he hiding from? The tough questions will only increase.

  15. Muttonbird 15
    16 September 2024 at 4:13 pm

    Over on Batshit & Hide, things are getting desperate as racist white boomers rail against modernity and prepare to make their last stand.

    Central to their evidence New Zealanders want to rewrite the Treaty is the results of one poll:

    One poll showed that 61% of Kiwis wanted Seymour’s bill, and many others weren’t yet sure.

    The poll I assume was one conducted by the now discredited polling company, Curia, owned by the similarly discredited pollster David Farrar. Only weeks ago Curia and Farrar resigned from the New Zealand's only polling industry organisation, RANZ, after multiple claims of corrupt practice.

    Yet this so called evidence, based on a very probably fraudulent poll, is what they are using to attempt to usher in clearly racist legislation.

    https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/michael-bassett-why-are-loud-mouths-frightened-about-the-principles-of-the-treaty