Well, I predicted/anticipated a resounding Labour victory – and couldn’t have been more wrong.
So let me make some more predictions: [Hell, on the law of averages, I’m bound to get some right!]
Brexit will not be ‘done by January 2020.’ In fact, the whole mess will drag on for months, possibly years. A ‘no deal’ Brexit the most likely outcome.
Expect Boris’ administration to be mind-bogglingly incompetent. Also racially rife and overwhelmingly anti-worker.
Little meaningful will be done to combat climate change because the billionaires already have their bolt holes (unfortunately, some of them here in New Zealand.
Scotland will break away from the UK during this term of parliament. Either peacefully, or painfully (Catalan style).
Northern Ireland will unite with Eire (and some protestants will go into the union kicking and screaming – in other words, a return of the ‘troubles.’
The USA will push for a free-trade deal with the truncated UK and – because it will be worked in the interests of billionaires on both side of the Atlantic, the ordinary people will be screwed.
The jewel in the English crown, the NHS, will be progressively privatised/run down and sold off to corporates.
If/when another GFC happens, expect economic chaos in England. It won’t be a good time to be an ordinary worker. Remember, Britain can’t feed itself.
The sale of yellow vests will go through the roof!
And as a PS – expect Trump/Conservative style political lies from the Nats during our election next year. It works – 88% of Conservative advertisements contained lies, compared to 0% of Labour ones. They will try to demonise/denigrate Jacinda/Labour/Winnie, so that emotion takes over and rational thought disappears.
He used to be Labour, got fired by Helen Clark and his ego couldn't cope so he went full tilt. Now his ego is and behaviour makes him suitable only to join Brian Tamaki's political party.
Election night results 2020
In an election result foreseen by nobody
After a high profile campaign massively funded by the Right, John Tamihere standing for Hanna Tamaki's Vision NZ takes the Maori seat of Tamaki Makaurau off the invisible Labour Party candidate.
Pundits compare John Tamihere's victory of that of Donald Trump, claiming that disaffected urban Maori sought to punish the record sized Labour Maori Caucus for their silence on Maori issues.
JPs have to be given the nod by their electorate MP – in Tamaki's case National's Judith Collins. But it's the Associate Minister of Justice – Labour's Aupito William Sio – who made the final call.
With Judith Collins waiting in the wings to take over the National Party leadership, who here doubts that Collins would cut a deal with Tamihere and Vision NZ if she needed their support for confidence and supply?
Sio has also at several points in his career courted the fundamentalist Christian movement. Who here doubts that Sio would push for a deal with Tamihere and Vision NZ.
A month of Sundays doesn't mean something will never happen. It is generally just an expression used hyperbolically to indicate a long period of time, since a month of Sundays would be about 30 weeks.
He's a trougher through and through, hitched himself up to national in what we could call the Jones effect.
Perhaps NZF next for rent a rant or back to talkback radio.
Is that the Jones who is a Minister in this Labour-led Government?
The most corrupt of the lot of them as far as I can see. I wonder why Ardern puts up with it instead of sacking him? I suppose she is too busy learning all the words in the Hairy MacLary story to have time to devote to her responsibility for seeing that all the Ministers observe the rules in The Cabinet Manual..
The proposal to provide money to a group of NZF insiders from the PGF. The one where he only found himself "conflicted" on the day they had to release material about the project for an OIA request from RNZ.
Okay, I accept that you cannot say there is evidence of corruption in a normal legal sense. You can say what Chris Bishop suggests! (Joke)
If you have a bridge to offer make it it a double laned one and we'll count it as one the multiple Bridges promised to Northland in a vain effort to win a political seat.
And since it wasn't given before being deposed, I'm calling that corrupt behaviour.
I wasn't aware that it was Bridges who was responsible for the promise. I thought it was Key who did it. Stuff seems to back up my memory.
"Key reacted to Peters challenge in the early stages of the campaign with a promise to upgrade 10 one way bridges – a bug bear in Northland where infrastructure has been a key issue in the by-election campaign."
Key was the party leader of course. They can make such promises. A relatively junior member of the Government like Bridges, then, will say what they are told. Unless they are Shane Jones of course who can say anything that Winston approves off. In that regard he is like any other member of this Government. They can say whatever Winston lets them say.
I think you are going a bit far to call it "corruption". That would be like saying Ardern is corrupt because she promised, before the last election, that light rail from the CBD to Mt Roskill would be complete by 2022. They aren't even going to start until 2022 are they?
Do you say that Ardern is corrupt? That would seem to be what you are thinking.
The Fabian Society analysis of what is required for Labour to win the next election in the UK is sobering. A swing of 10.3% (three times what was required at this election) will be necessary in order for the party to gain the 123 seats they’ll need for a Commons majority. 63% of those seats are in the north, the Midlands and Wales while 104 of the 123 seats needed are in towns not cities. It’s likely Labour will be out of office in the UK for at least another decade.
Lots of Labour voters refused to vote for Labour because of its Brexit stance and because of 3 years bickering on this issue. Many of them when interviewed on the BBC said they would vote Labour next time.
Immigration seems to have been a major issue for disillusioned Labour voters.
That plays well as a defeated narrative as an ointment to sooth a broken spirit. The reality is, it wasn't just about Brexit, it was very much about Corbyn, too.
I do realise though, how for some here and elsewhere, especially those who fly the flag for the ultra left and slag of anything to their right, having it take a dump all over your dogma and ideology is a bit of a stinger.
The probability is that brexit, being 'done and dusted' by then, will not be an issue at the next election, which will therefore be more uncertain of outcome. I don't think that last Thursday's effort, because of brexit, would have provided a true reflection of the electorate's opinion regarding the future direction of the country post brexit, and it would therefore seem appropriate that another election be held as soon as brexit is finalised. However I don't see that happening.
He is like many of those on the left. Every time they lose an election they claim that it has to be re-run. They do this until they win one and then that is the last election ever held.
So whose fault was that? It was those idiot Tories who called three elections. Labour would have got brexit done without having to call any extra elections.
It is said that governments lose elections rather than oppositions winning them.
Some part of Boris's success is that he was able to lay much of recent disappointment with the Conservatives off on May.
By the time of the next election, both his handling of Brexit and of government will be well understood.
He may benefit from a nationalist surge as Scotland leaves his sinking ship, but it's quite likely his margin will have sensibly reduced – if Labour can unite sufficiently to silence the Blairite traitors who contributed so much to Corbyn's defeat.
So imagine, you are a Northern Labour MP, who Corbyn has just led over the cliff into defeat. Stick it out for five years, hoping Boris fails to deliver a few tens of thousand nurses and new hospitals, and the economy doesn't come good…
How do future mps learn from them, don't follow undecided leadership's, leaders who don't take a position on Brexit. duh.
The confusing thing about Corbyn being 'undecided on Brexit' is that it makes no sense. Initially, wasn't he was in the 'leave' camp? His election campaign stance was probably a case of being forced to compromise by factions within the party and consequently, the compromise was to subscribe to a second vote process. That aside, the nationalization project Labour would have embarked on if elected could not have proceeded because the UK, as a member, is or would have been subject to EU rules. If elected, Labour would surely have had to leave anyway.
If Brexit failed Labour would have been blamed? Tories did not want Brexit, they wanted the issue to continue so keep emotional voters nationalistic and so voting for them. This is why i chuckle, brexit is done, Boris will fail to deliver, or succeed, either undermines Tory momentum.
So it's because Labour saw no win in engaging. Don't touch the hot potato.
Now Boris has a large rump of new MPs all looking to keep Labour voters from the turning out and read setting their values. lol.
The other way was too state the inevitable, that referendums happen, they happen on EU, and a future referendum will be called that fully integrates the UK into the eu, without the pound. Now for sure it's unlikely to pass. But the fear, that fact would have in heinsight, forced many to rethink brexit. What we had wasn't so bad was it.
It all comes back to disgruntalled middlelands heartland using brexit to burn a scsr across the tory party. Boris cant go right, he'll alienate his new middleland rump. lol
Good news from yesterday (don't we need it) about the woman swept away in the river on the SI West Coast NZ, the six year old who walked for 2 kilometres for help. The woman struggles out of the sea a way up the coast, climbs a fence and has a blanket and a hot milo given her. The son is all right too. Wonderful, something to be happy about. And an example of good neighbourliness and community from the helpers.
I read the last two sentences in Fireblade's comment and realised they could easily be changed into something that made sense.
When will Labour have actual policy? Endless discussion documents are just more pie in the sky bullshit.
Come on you idiot Labs, it's been two years and three months since the election. Pull your head out of your ass and offer some sensible policy!
When are we going to see some alternative to the disastrous Kiwibuild policy? What ever happened to the tax policy, apart from the PM making a "leaders call" about a CGT. When is the Health policy going to be seen? H2 seems to have been collecting her moolah since not long after the last election and nothing seems to have appeared.
George Galloway, as per usual, gives the best explanation on what went wrong with Labour – Brexit. Along the way, demolishing all the illusions that a lot were under, such as an impending youthquake based on photos from just one or two photos of hipsters waiting in line to vote. As he says, it should have been Labour taking Britain out of the EU and then it would have been the party with the landslide.
Err, the (insert current buzzword) media, or the middle class elitists in his own party of one undermining him, or third way liberal centrist Marxists knowing what's best for the working man yada yada, or Brexit.
Seems to work for Corbyn's apologists, though I suspect he's just more loathed than old Jezza.
Can someone provide a link that explains why the UK was going to be on an upward-moving escalator after leaving the EU? I think there were promises of money going into the EU being available for spending by the NHS. If that was where the boost to NHS funding was coming from, was it from a net figure of EU interaction? That is did it look at the figure being allocated to meet EU demands, with the monetary allowances from the EU, deducted?
If you're thinking of the "380 million a week" or whatever it was they'd plastered onto the side of a bus, ISTR it was the tax outflows to Europe and they never mentioned the income from the EU govt, let alone all the excise they'll have to pay to export to the EU.
Thanks McFlock, interesting sign. (I then got curious about Primark the store showing up in the image. ) Primark was run by a reclusive Dublin man Ryan but had its headquarters both in Dublin, Ireland and Mayfair, London! He pioneered cheap fashion but not made in Ireland.
The sign could say something about the thousands of jobs that each day are being performed by cheap labour in Asia, instead of proudly made in Ireland and costing a bit more. We are so manipulated to seek cheapness; cheap and nasty is the name of the game.
Jump to Stores – Primark is a British-owned Irish fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, which is a subsidiary of food processing and retail company Associated British Foods.
Number of employees: 70,000
Products: Clothing; cosmetics; housewares
Revenue: £5.949 billion (2016)
This is what a report on Arthur Ryan says about his business acumen.
His remoteness did not shield him from controversy, however, as the press scrutinised Primark’s seemingly impossible prices. The explanation lay in part in Ryan’s negotiating acumen, but just as much if not more in Primark’s use of poor foreign labour. The Dhaka garment factory in Bangladesh, which collapsed in 2013, killing 1,134, was among its suppliers. Meanwhile, in the UK, the amount of textile waste piled up, with Primark blamed by many for the new disposable fashion culture.,,,
From July 1969, when he opened the group’s first store in Dublin, to his death aged 83 earlier this month, [July 2019] Ryan dedicated his life to the Irish retailer Penneys, and to its international offshoot Primark. By cutting prices to record lows while still maintaining healthy margins, the model he pioneered made fashion more accessible than ever before, and generated billions of pounds in revenue. But these successes came at a cost, relying as they did on cheap labour from southeast Asia and driving the throwaway culture that has come to permeate high street fashion…
But while he knew what customers wanted, little was known about him. For years the chain-smoking executive gave no interviews and avoided public appearances. When he did emerge it was often to inspect stores incognito, reportedly dressed in a rumpled old raincoat.
Discretion was no game to him, as it came from a deep-seated fear of abduction, caused in part by the IRA’s unsuccessful kidnapping attempt on Galen Weston, son of Garfield, in 1983. [The Westons had been early partners with Ryan.]
The Guardian story goes back to 2016. My feeling is that they could publish it once a week and only about 10,000 of the millions of voters would then read it. The rest: tl:dr.
Now flashcards might be the new/old thing. Bring them back, with some changing colours to represent good or bad news, some music with a good beat, that matches the spiel and you would have a crowd.
They had 9 years of reforming it so what's it to be Judy, admit you f'd it up or admit you should've abolished it ?
ECAN got in the way and got sidestepped with little fanfare by the nats so why the wibble about the RMA Jude.
Another policy from that ankle deep pool of theirs.
I seem to remember Ruth Richardson, asked why she didn't introduce some controlling law stopping some financial misbehaviour, saying that it would only result in evasion. (So waste of time and money trying to stop the rot at the top, better to whack the poor.) That was the gist but can't remember further details. It was surprisingly clear showing the Gnats attitudes of probity and fairness.
National finally hit upon a policy that might win them the election – evicting State House Tenants that refuse to change anti-social behavior (of course this makes assumptions like that they have the ability to change after accessing our mental health system, but will the public care?).
There are so many temptations and stresses that press on people trying to manage in this society which allows some unreasonable behaviours by people of supposed integrity, and comes down heavily on others who are considered to have less integrity whose behaviour could be regarded as reasonable because of their needs and burdens of responsibility.
Shes was in a position of trust and abused it. $1.25m ….wow….I wonder where its all gone? Very sad that it is so often the case of Maori stealing from other Maori .
Also, its hardly likely she was on the 'bones of her arse' and desperate for money.
What are you on Jimmy? The reports make it clear where the money went and it wasn't into her pocket – or Maori stealing from Maori. Are you training as a misinformation disseminator for National ready for next year by chance?
Thanks, that article gives a bit more info. Still doesn't say what money was used for, only that she didn't use for personal gain.
"Serious Fraud Office director Julie Read said: "Mrs Grant abused her position of authority and the trust of her colleagues to misappropriate a significant amount of public funds. Although the defendant did not use the funds to benefit herself financially, her offending was nonetheless criminal in nature and risked the reputation of the institutions she represented.""
Don't think we will be employing her in the finance dept. any time soon.
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In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
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 ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
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 ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
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 ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
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 ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
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. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
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. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
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The second to last Cop?
Following a global trend
COP25 'compromise deal' kicks can down the road to COP26
Well, I predicted/anticipated a resounding Labour victory – and couldn’t have been more wrong.
So let me make some more predictions: [Hell, on the law of averages, I’m bound to get some right!]
And as a PS – expect Trump/Conservative style political lies from the Nats during our election next year. It works – 88% of Conservative advertisements contained lies, compared to 0% of Labour ones. They will try to demonise/denigrate Jacinda/Labour/Winnie, so that emotion takes over and rational thought disappears.
Pretty much 100% agree.
Wishful thinking is almost always not the best way to predict any sort of outcomes, political or otherwise.
as per Sanctuary pretty much agree. Boris was the worst foreign secretary the UK has ever had so look for plenty of awful global cock-ups too.
Tony V
You forgot to predict WW3 as the last gasp struggle of neoliberalism.
You predicted a Labour win????? Remind me not to take any tips from you next time I'm at the horse races.
Assange may be slowly dying in Belmarsh, but the organisation he founded, with the 100% accuracy record, is still going strong
https://wikileaks.org/opcw-douma/#OPCW-DOUMA%20-%20Release%20Part%203
Can someone explain to me what "yellow vests" means is all about? Thanks
The protest movement in France, "Mouvement des gilets jaunes".
Thanks for that.
A gilet jaune , jacket yellow, has to be carried in every car in France in case of a breakdown. Its a symbol of everyman or woman
Looks like John Tamihere has been caught using the Waipareira trust as his own personal piggy bank again –
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118192813/john-tamiheres-500k-auckland-mayoral-campaign-part-funded-by-social-agency
And when asked about it by reporter Todd Niall, called the reporter a "White Supremacist"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118209668/john-tamihere-brands-journalist-a-white-supremacist-for-mayoral-campaign-donation-story
Tamihere is clearly stark raving bonkers and corrupt to boot.
Yep, Auckland dodged a catastrophe by not voting for that National aligned Loon.
Nice attempt at revisionism there… he's Labour through and through.
He used to be Labour, got fired by Helen Clark and his ego couldn't cope so he went full tilt. Now his ego is and behaviour makes him suitable only to join Brian Tamaki's political party.
Election night results 2020
In an election result foreseen by nobody
After a high profile campaign massively funded by the Right, John Tamihere standing for Hanna Tamaki's Vision NZ takes the Maori seat of Tamaki Makaurau off the invisible Labour Party candidate.
Pundits compare John Tamihere's victory of that of Donald Trump, claiming that disaffected urban Maori sought to punish the record sized Labour Maori Caucus for their silence on Maori issues.
The resemblance to Trump is eerie.
A history of dodgy financial dealings.
A political outsider backed by the fundamentalist Christian right
Caught on tape making deeply misogynist comments
Both major political parties write him off as a crank.
And yet…
With Judith Collins waiting in the wings to take over the National Party leadership, who here doubts that Collins would cut a deal with Tamihere and Vision NZ if she needed their support for confidence and supply?
Sio has also at several points in his career courted the fundamentalist Christian movement. Who here doubts that Sio would push for a deal with Tamihere and Vision NZ.
Think it can't happen?
So did everyone about a Trump presidency.
Starting now, "…a month of Sundays" would be up, just before the lead up into the 2020 election.
How about that?
You read it here first.
He's a trougher through and through, hitched himself up to national in what we could call the Jones effect.
Perhaps NZF next for rent a rant or back to talkback radio.
Is that the Jones who is a Minister in this Labour-led Government?
The most corrupt of the lot of them as far as I can see. I wonder why Ardern puts up with it instead of sacking him? I suppose she is too busy learning all the words in the Hairy MacLary story to have time to devote to her responsibility for seeing that all the Ministers observe the rules in The Cabinet Manual..
My challenge to you is to itemise what it is that makes Jones the 'most corrupt' of the lot of them and your evidence.
Corrupt in the normal legal sense of course, not 'corrupt' as in simply doing political things you don't agree with and in ways you don't agree with.
And not evidence as in 'someone said he …' or 'I reckon that…'
Just inviting you to flesh things out so you aren't accused of making cheap, trite, bullshit slurs.
The proposal to provide money to a group of NZF insiders from the PGF. The one where he only found himself "conflicted" on the day they had to release material about the project for an OIA request from RNZ.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/404837/new-details-revealed-over-nz-first-linked-company-and-shane-jones-office
Of course you may believe Mr Jones. If you do I have a bridge you will want to buy.
Okay, I accept that you cannot say there is evidence of corruption in a normal legal sense. You can say what Chris Bishop suggests! (Joke)
If you have a bridge to offer make it it a double laned one and we'll count it as one the multiple Bridges promised to Northland in a vain effort to win a political seat.
And since it wasn't given before being deposed, I'm calling that corrupt behaviour.
I wasn't aware that it was Bridges who was responsible for the promise. I thought it was Key who did it. Stuff seems to back up my memory.
"Key reacted to Peters challenge in the early stages of the campaign with a promise to upgrade 10 one way bridges – a bug bear in Northland where infrastructure has been a key issue in the by-election campaign."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67528493/northland-by-election-john-key-admits-national-pulled-back-on-promises
Key was the party leader of course. They can make such promises. A relatively junior member of the Government like Bridges, then, will say what they are told. Unless they are Shane Jones of course who can say anything that Winston approves off. In that regard he is like any other member of this Government. They can say whatever Winston lets them say.
I think you are going a bit far to call it "corruption". That would be like saying Ardern is corrupt because she promised, before the last election, that light rail from the CBD to Mt Roskill would be complete by 2022. They aren't even going to start until 2022 are they?
Do you say that Ardern is corrupt? That would seem to be what you are thinking.
A delay in comparison to not doing it at all?
So what happened then?
"Transport Minister Simon Bridges has reaffirmed his 2015 commitment"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=11923896
@Louis.
Oh well, compare it to Kiwibuild then, if that makes you feel better.
Or do you think that the Government is merely "delaying" the building of 100,000 affordable houses?
@alwyn, no and I guess you haven't heard of the reset? Kiwibuild is still building houses, so do you want to have another try?
C'mon, the old 'junior staff member' excuse? "A relatively junior member of the Government?"
The Minister of Transport?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/268150/govt-defends-northland-roading-plans
You want to call Jones corrupt then get into a discussion about what corrupt and corruption actually is? And who defines it?
I didn't expect the depth of the shallowness.
Who was his running mate, Christine Fletcher, and Boag was his Manager. Labour through and through, you having a laff?
"Again"?
Confirmation needed
Do you (or anyone else here) have any information on John Tamihere's previous corrupt use of Waipareira funds?
Stuff article from 2013: Former MP's property deals turn sour
Much like Donald Trump's troubled financial past.
The Fabian Society analysis of what is required for Labour to win the next election in the UK is sobering. A swing of 10.3% (three times what was required at this election) will be necessary in order for the party to gain the 123 seats they’ll need for a Commons majority. 63% of those seats are in the north, the Midlands and Wales while 104 of the 123 seats needed are in towns not cities. It’s likely Labour will be out of office in the UK for at least another decade.
Lots of Labour voters refused to vote for Labour because of its Brexit stance and because of 3 years bickering on this issue. Many of them when interviewed on the BBC said they would vote Labour next time.
Immigration seems to have been a major issue for disillusioned Labour voters.
And Corbyn, plenty of reports quote labour voters stating him as the main reason for not voting labour.
When asked why they cited Corbyn as a reason not to vote Labour the replies I heard were usually "because of his position on Brexit".
This was a Brexit election and Boris's advisers played their cards very well.
I think I heard the same people that got ScoMo elected in Oz were behind Boris?
That plays well as a defeated narrative as an ointment to sooth a broken spirit. The reality is, it wasn't just about Brexit, it was very much about Corbyn, too.
I do realise though, how for some here and elsewhere, especially those who fly the flag for the ultra left and slag of anything to their right, having it take a dump all over your dogma and ideology is a bit of a stinger.
I linked to a poll of labour voters who saw the light and voted blue – which indicates this is bullshit – feel free to search for it.
The probability is that brexit, being 'done and dusted' by then, will not be an issue at the next election, which will therefore be more uncertain of outcome. I don't think that last Thursday's effort, because of brexit, would have provided a true reflection of the electorate's opinion regarding the future direction of the country post brexit, and it would therefore seem appropriate that another election be held as soon as brexit is finalised. However I don't see that happening.
The poor sods have had 3 general elections in 4 years and you want to send them back to the polls. Really?
He is like many of those on the left. Every time they lose an election they claim that it has to be re-run. They do this until they win one and then that is the last election ever held.
Would that that were true – good government is so hard to come by – but I guess a permanent Labour government is just wishful thinking.
So whose fault was that? It was those idiot Tories who called three elections. Labour would have got brexit done without having to call any extra elections.
In that case I see a huge market for yellow vests with tartan trimmings.
It is said that governments lose elections rather than oppositions winning them.
Some part of Boris's success is that he was able to lay much of recent disappointment with the Conservatives off on May.
By the time of the next election, both his handling of Brexit and of government will be well understood.
He may benefit from a nationalist surge as Scotland leaves his sinking ship, but it's quite likely his margin will have sensibly reduced – if Labour can unite sufficiently to silence the Blairite traitors who contributed so much to Corbyn's defeat.
So imagine, you are a Northern Labour MP, who Corbyn has just led over the cliff into defeat. Stick it out for five years, hoping Boris fails to deliver a few tens of thousand nurses and new hospitals, and the economy doesn't come good…
How do future mps learn from them, don't follow undecided leadership's, leaders who don't take a position on Brexit. duh.
The confusing thing about Corbyn being 'undecided on Brexit' is that it makes no sense. Initially, wasn't he was in the 'leave' camp? His election campaign stance was probably a case of being forced to compromise by factions within the party and consequently, the compromise was to subscribe to a second vote process. That aside, the nationalization project Labour would have embarked on if elected could not have proceeded because the UK, as a member, is or would have been subject to EU rules. If elected, Labour would surely have had to leave anyway.
If Brexit failed Labour would have been blamed? Tories did not want Brexit, they wanted the issue to continue so keep emotional voters nationalistic and so voting for them. This is why i chuckle, brexit is done, Boris will fail to deliver, or succeed, either undermines Tory momentum.
So it's because Labour saw no win in engaging. Don't touch the hot potato.
Now Boris has a large rump of new MPs all looking to keep Labour voters from the turning out and read setting their values. lol.
The other way was too state the inevitable, that referendums happen, they happen on EU, and a future referendum will be called that fully integrates the UK into the eu, without the pound. Now for sure it's unlikely to pass. But the fear, that fact would have in heinsight, forced many to rethink brexit. What we had wasn't so bad was it.
It all comes back to disgruntalled middlelands heartland using brexit to burn a scsr across the tory party. Boris cant go right, he'll alienate his new middleland rump. lol
Good news from yesterday (don't we need it) about the woman swept away in the river on the SI West Coast NZ, the six year old who walked for 2 kilometres for help. The woman struggles out of the sea a way up the coast, climbs a fence and has a blanket and a hot milo given her. The son is all right too. Wonderful, something to be happy about. And an example of good neighbourliness and community from the helpers.
Yesterday's report. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14-12-2019/#comment-1673289
ffs
https://twitter.com/WentRogue/status/1205582170615689217
Tax and fine.
National want to introduce a Congestion Tax and fine cyclists. Yes, it's another bat shit crazy discussion doc from the National Party.
When will National have actual policy? Endless discussion documents are just more pie in the sky bullshit.
Come on you idiot Nats, it's less than a year until the election. Pull your head out of your ass and offer some sensible policy!
That is sensible policy and more great news for cyclists living the dream on the great JK cycleway.
I read the last two sentences in Fireblade's comment and realised they could easily be changed into something that made sense.
When will Labour have actual policy? Endless discussion documents are just more pie in the sky bullshit.
Come on you idiot Labs, it's been two years and three months since the election. Pull your head out of your ass and offer some sensible policy!
When are we going to see some alternative to the disastrous Kiwibuild policy? What ever happened to the tax policy, apart from the PM making a "leaders call" about a CGT. When is the Health policy going to be seen? H2 seems to have been collecting her moolah since not long after the last election and nothing seems to have appeared.
Set the trap, patiently wait, snap, the old rat takes the bait. Alwyn's too easy.
Have to agree.
Mainstream news on a Sunday night: Nats want to fine cyclists for riding on the road.
If, that’s their latest and greatest new big policy announcement, 2020 should be a sleepwalk for the COL.
George Galloway, as per usual, gives the best explanation on what went wrong with Labour – Brexit. Along the way, demolishing all the illusions that a lot were under, such as an impending youthquake based on photos from just one or two photos of hipsters waiting in line to vote. As he says, it should have been Labour taking Britain out of the EU and then it would have been the party with the landslide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgdW8HEqLFQ
What went wrong with his own campaign?
Err, the (insert current buzzword) media, or the middle class elitists in his own party of one undermining him, or third way liberal centrist Marxists knowing what's best for the working man yada yada, or Brexit.
Seems to work for Corbyn's apologists, though I suspect he's just more loathed than old Jezza.
lol
Can someone provide a link that explains why the UK was going to be on an upward-moving escalator after leaving the EU? I think there were promises of money going into the EU being available for spending by the NHS. If that was where the boost to NHS funding was coming from, was it from a net figure of EU interaction? That is did it look at the figure being allocated to meet EU demands, with the monetary allowances from the EU, deducted?
If you're thinking of the "380 million a week" or whatever it was they'd plastered onto the side of a bus, ISTR it was the tax outflows to Europe and they never mentioned the income from the EU govt, let alone all the excise they'll have to pay to export to the EU.
ah, here’s another example
aha and here’s the Guardian arguing that the “cost” is at the very least significantly inflated
Thanks McFlock, interesting sign. (I then got curious about Primark the store showing up in the image. ) Primark was run by a reclusive Dublin man Ryan but had its headquarters both in Dublin, Ireland and Mayfair, London! He pioneered cheap fashion but not made in Ireland.
The sign could say something about the thousands of jobs that each day are being performed by cheap labour in Asia, instead of proudly made in Ireland and costing a bit more. We are so manipulated to seek cheapness; cheap and nasty is the name of the game.
This is summary of it: Primark – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Primark
Jump to Stores – Primark is a British-owned Irish fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, which is a subsidiary of food processing and retail company Associated British Foods.
Number of employees: 70,000
Products: Clothing; cosmetics; housewares
Revenue: £5.949 billion (2016)
This is what a report on Arthur Ryan says about his business acumen.
His remoteness did not shield him from controversy, however, as the press scrutinised Primark’s seemingly impossible prices. The explanation lay in part in Ryan’s negotiating acumen, but just as much if not more in Primark’s use of poor foreign labour. The Dhaka garment factory in Bangladesh, which collapsed in 2013, killing 1,134, was among its suppliers. Meanwhile, in the UK, the amount of textile waste piled up, with Primark blamed by many for the new disposable fashion culture.,,,
From July 1969, when he opened the group’s first store in Dublin, to his death aged 83 earlier this month, [July 2019] Ryan dedicated his life to the Irish retailer Penneys, and to its international offshoot Primark. By cutting prices to record lows while still maintaining healthy margins, the model he pioneered made fashion more accessible than ever before, and generated billions of pounds in revenue. But these successes came at a cost, relying as they did on cheap labour from southeast Asia and driving the throwaway culture that has come to permeate high street fashion…
But while he knew what customers wanted, little was known about him. For years the chain-smoking executive gave no interviews and avoided public appearances. When he did emerge it was often to inspect stores incognito, reportedly dressed in a rumpled old raincoat.
Discretion was no game to him, as it came from a deep-seated fear of abduction, caused in part by the IRA’s unsuccessful kidnapping attempt on Galen Weston, son of Garfield, in 1983. [The Westons had been early partners with Ryan.]
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/arthur-ryan-death-primark-founder-obituary-dublin-ireland-london-penneys-a9008376.html
The Guardian story goes back to 2016. My feeling is that they could publish it once a week and only about 10,000 of the millions of voters would then read it. The rest: tl:dr.
Now flashcards might be the new/old thing. Bring them back, with some changing colours to represent good or bad news, some music with a good beat, that matches the spiel and you would have a crowd.
A lazy effort by Judith Collins.
Nine years in government and two years in opposition and all she's come up with is to scrap the RMA, because it's too hard to reform.
Time to retire Jude.
They had 9 years of reforming it so what's it to be Judy, admit you f'd it up or admit you should've abolished it ?
ECAN got in the way and got sidestepped with little fanfare by the nats so why the wibble about the RMA Jude.
Another policy from that ankle deep pool of theirs.
I seem to remember Ruth Richardson, asked why she didn't introduce some controlling law stopping some financial misbehaviour, saying that it would only result in evasion. (So waste of time and money trying to stop the rot at the top, better to whack the poor.) That was the gist but can't remember further details. It was surprisingly clear showing the Gnats attitudes of probity and fairness.
lolololol
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1206289904470233088
Good to see he gets jail time.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/118218298/teen-jailed-over-fatal-crash-during-christchurch-pursuit
National finally hit upon a policy that might win them the election – evicting State House Tenants that refuse to change anti-social behavior (of course this makes assumptions like that they have the ability to change after accessing our mental health system, but will the public care?).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018727175/national-bids-rule-to-boot-out-anti-social-state-home-tenants
There are so many temptations and stresses that press on people trying to manage in this society which allows some unreasonable behaviours by people of supposed integrity, and comes down heavily on others who are considered to have less integrity whose behaviour could be regarded as reasonable because of their needs and burdens of responsibility.
This seems surprising but is it because the person is moving between the two above groups? https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/405611/donna-grant-pleads-guilty-to-wananga-tec-fraud-charge
Shes was in a position of trust and abused it. $1.25m ….wow….I wonder where its all gone? Very sad that it is so often the case of Maori stealing from other Maori .
Also, its hardly likely she was on the 'bones of her arse' and desperate for money.
What are you on Jimmy? The reports make it clear where the money went and it wasn't into her pocket – or Maori stealing from Maori. Are you training as a misinformation disseminator for National ready for next year by chance?
I read the article / link provided by Greywarshark and it does not say where the money went? Why? Where did it go? Casino?
Try this then – https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/118232852/sir-howard-morrisons-daughter-admits-125-million-fraud. Next time, try suspending judgement and don't let prejudice get in the way of objectivity.
Thanks, that article gives a bit more info. Still doesn't say what money was used for, only that she didn't use for personal gain.
"Serious Fraud Office director Julie Read said: "Mrs Grant abused her position of authority and the trust of her colleagues to misappropriate a significant amount of public funds. Although the defendant did not use the funds to benefit herself financially, her offending was nonetheless criminal in nature and risked the reputation of the institutions she represented.""
Don't think we will be employing her in the finance dept. any time soon.