Te Left in New Zealand should deal with Hosking, Henry, Williams, Smith, Espiner and the rest of the National aligned ‘journalists’ in the same way UKIP have gone after the Times Tory ‘journalists.’
This is a fascinating piece, not because of the story itself but because it explains, to any shrewd observer, the rise and rise in the popularity of the hard right in Europe. Quite simply, the hard right has supplanted the left as the champions of the people against the establishment. It is astonishing to see Farage using what should be the tactics and language of left (exposing the cosy connections of the establishment media, creating a narrative of a tired, sclerotic and self-serving ruling elite with terms like “chummocracy”). The comments section of the Guardian’s liberal readership illustrates the point by completely failing to see the message in it’s determination to play the man and not the ball.
I hate to say it, but the likes of Farage speak a language that appeals far more directly to the suspicions, fears and anger of the precariat that any socialist party currently does in the U.K – and by extension, probably anywhere.
“Quite simply, the hard right has supplanted the left as the champions of the people against the establishment”
^^ This (from my observation as a European resident for 3 years, including watching a General election).
And this…
“I hate to say it, but the likes of Farage speak a language that appeals far more directly to the suspicions, fears and anger of the precariat that any socialist party currently does in the U.K – and by extension, probably anywhere”
Where I am the Social Democrats, and even the centre-right are far too comfortable to recognise the needs of the traditional workers and the precariat. People looking for conservative/economic liberalism are still well-served in the UK by the Conservatives (moreso the econ-libs), but in other European countries, the traditional centre-right support is fracturing as well.
Trevett claims David Cunliffe is running scared of John Key and yet does not even mention Key’s canceling of the housing debate with Cunliffe. Seriously, is the Herald a newspaper or is it the National Party mouthpiece?
But David needs to manage his media team – and his diary – with a rod of iron to be faultless in delivery and appearance. Explaining is losing, and he did too much of that yesterday. It’s not fair, sure, but it’s like fighting workplace gender bias: you have to be twice as good to get ahead.
What.The.Fuck? Is it us and them now, is it Claire?
Her piece is a laughably ignorant piece of tosh. I have a question for the Heralds owners. Apparently, the site is going behind a paywall this year. Do you REALLY think people will pay to read that drivel?
That will be good news for blog sites there will be a lot more traffic going their way after the Herald closes shop i would think, now if only the womans weekly ripoff Stuff would follow the world would be a better place
$1.2 mill? BULLSHIT. She is definitley shrilling for the Nats. The RNZAF fuel bill alone would have been at least that. An estimate that I saw had the costs well in excess of $11 million. What a trout.
“An estimate that I saw had the costs well in excess of $11 million”
Laughable. Final cost for Charles and Camilla’s 6 day tour in 2012 came in at $766k, so $1.2m for the 10 days will be about right. And the Air Force 757 will fly them no more than 5,000km around the place, including the Australia flight. At approx $75/km for a 757 the fuel bill will be $375k. A lot, yeah, but not no where near the tea leaf estimate you’ve plucked out ya arse.
Seti
Do you understand the costs and methods of the air industry? If so I would like to ask some questions about it and wonder if you could help with the information. Would you be able to advise.
Seti, “fuel bill will be “only” $375k”, what about the practice flights in the weeks before the tour? Two into Woodbourne alone. And the helicopters and all sorts of gear flown around the country by transport planes. $1.2mill is conservative.
so secret agents of the state running around knowingly breaking the law is boring to you?
I do notice a pattern here though – every time the nats are caught out making really dumb mistakes your first response, everytime, is “no one cares”
it speaks volumes about you
you cant claim to know what everyone else thinks so what do YOU think about it – you make these claims then immediately slink back into the cover of the crowd – its almost as if you would really prefer to not talk about it in the first place
I think I’m correct.
You never see any of the stories regarding Collins and orivida in the most popular/most read column. I doubt any one but the most avid political train spotter clicks on those story links.
Also the view that I endlessly heard/read was that this is just Labour being wankers again and when are they going to move on to more important stuff.
I think it’s dull beyond belief, trivial trivial stuff in the over all scheme of things, I read the first story about it and skipped the other 500.
Not interested.
What I want to see and hear is why Labour should be the next government, what I don’t want to see or hear is Robertson porcine features wobbling away in faux outrage trying to convince the public that Judith Collins has been a very naughty girl by not filling form 164b in correctly.
Apart from annoy people, I have no idea what he’s trying to achieve.
but its nice to finally confirm that in your opinion public servants doing their jobs badly, telling lies, stepping outside the law and ignoring the well known rules of their workplace is no biggie for you – we’ll keep that in the top drawer
but i wouldnt go thinking that the rest of NZ agrees with you – but then i would say that to even myself (god knows i think some odd shit from time to time)
BM, all you’re doing is unwittingly providing anecdotal evidence in support of Hodson and Busseri when they wrote:
…lower cognitive ability predicts greater prejudice, an effect mediated through the endorsement of right-wing ideologies (social conservatism, right-wing authoritarianism) and low levels of contact with out-groups.
OAB
Come on!….. Do you really think they (or Simon Bridges & co.) could understand that sentence? It’s got big words in it.Be realistic… they’re Tories.
Because that’s how the right wingers operate – they are not there to serve the public, they are there to promote and grow their own private businesses.
Actually you could argue that the GCSB ‘borefest’ last year is the issue that’s largely responsible for Key’s drop to around 42% approval rating in recent preferred PM polls.
Unfortunatly BM is right on this i think, once these dramas drag on for long enough people just roll their eyes and switch off, maybe its just not tabloid fodder enough for people
That may well be so (though I think that people are quietly digesting the info that’s coming to light about Collins and Key) but it doesn’t mean that the Opposition should just give up trying to hold Ministers to account. One thing that is certain is that people’s interest will be piqued at the news that Collins has been scuttling in and out the back doors of parliament to avoid the media in the foyer.
Yeah. Stories drag on, and then they flare up agian. They don’t flare up if you stop digging when they stonewall you.
Collins defense in the house yesterday got many in the gallery interested again, and a number of them are already on the record as saying she should been sacked.
No point in dragging out ‘you did it too’ on Winston if the minister had a legit answer to make, and it’s not just Winston so her defense won’t hold in any case.
Why would Cunliffe want to reduce the income from all the motorhomes on the road?
Thats not equitable. And as for getting rid of the $35 rego on trailers, who is going to pay to run the licencing administration for those trailers? Is that going to go back on to the already struggling car owner? Seems inequitable too.
Is labour full of people with motorhomes and people unable to afford $35 on a rego yet have the money too afford a trailer with a boat on it. This policy makes as much nonsense as the baby one did earlier this year. Up your game Matt and David as if you add the Greens to this mess your policies are going to risk getting even more nonsensical and no swing voters will go anywhere near you. Im one of them
“Why would Cunliffe want to reduce the income from all the motorhomes on the road?”
Because the law that the Nats introduced last year was stupid and inequitable. It made motorhome owners pay by the maximum weight their vehicle was rated for, not what it was loaded at, and it was a substantial increase. It was a stupid because motorhomes are already classed as motorhomes separate from other heavy vehicles and should have been exempt from the law change which was aimed at freight heavy vehicles. Whether the increase for general heavy vehicles was an incentive (to carry full loads and thus reduce overall heavy traffic) or another round of revenue generation… I’ve heard varying opinions on that one, there seems to be much disagreement on it.
“Is labour full of people with motorhomes and people unable to afford $35 on a rego yet have the money too afford a trailer with a boat on it.”
Don’t know about boat trailers, but ordinary trailers … the cost to NZTA would be pretty negligible, so maybe they charge five bucks instead of thirty-five. Or maybe because pretty much all people who own trailers also own a car, they figure it’s less hassle to just wipe the fee. Currently it’s effectively a tax on trailer owners. Daft.
Just ignore it. Glaucina gets wet at the sound of John Key’s name and is frequently linked to the National party as a loyal little cog in their PR machine.
They’ve got an agenda at the Herald to undermine Brown at every opportunity and as the mouthpiece of the Auckland establishment, they are desperate for a right wing mayor.
To be fair, Brown has given them plenty of help to do it, and I still haven’t forgiven him for being noticably absent during the Ports of Auckland fiasco. And free rooms from a problematic entity like Sky City… Well… Other than that I don’t really care where he sticks his member so long as it’s with a consenting adult.
Well yes, you can’t fault Brown for race relations snigger, though I will be very suprised if his antics have done him any favours in the eyes of his PI constituents. But in all seriousness, while Henry’s humour on screen has often been purile (though methinks that was the job description more than anything), he’s socially liberal. Better him than Quax or another return of Les Mills.
Worse than ‘Cackle’ Henry is not actually the issue Pops’. There you go again vaguely apologising for figures of the Right. Which more or less amounts to supporting the Right.
Socially liberal? Well, as long as the women don’t have facial hair, or foreign names, and blokes look like New Zealanders, not those awful Indians, and ………….
FFS, the only thing stopping the prick joining the KKK would be finding a sheet short enough. That’s the sort of social liberalism I can do without.
yes i am sure i had to sign something like that (ie be willing to share all my information) when my shoulder seized up….i did double take, felt like refusing, but signed it anyway because my shoulder fucking hurt …. i call this signing under duress
…in the event my shoulder healed itself within a week and i didnt need ACC/physio/doctors visits etc …however they sent me a bill for over $1000 because they said i hadnt paid my ACC.levees…i had….i call this extortion.
No wonder ACC is rich…it is run like a capitalist rort
Yeah, I’ve signed those forms before with ACC. The latest and last one was October last year. I read the waiver and felt reluctant to sign because there was no indication of what would become of your notes and where they could potentially end up.
While I was hovering over the signatory line with the pen and with a frown on my face the physio asked “All ok?”. I signed because I was too stressed with pain to enter a discussion about it, and I thought knowing how vindictive ACC can be I thought I should go along with it……….
Please know that you cannot legally be forced to sign away your statuatory rights (in this case to privacy). I understand the duress, but there is no legal obligation to sign. If any health-related agency says that they will refuse you treatment if you don’t sign, then they are doing something extremely dodgy. Get yourself to an advocacy service asap.
This issue with ACC highlights a serious flaw in the privacy legislation, which basically says that a breach has to happen before the commissioner can act. In this case, it took someone getting lawyers involved and it went to court instead, but where is the Privacy Commissioner’s office in all this?.
It’s also related to the issue of health privacy in general, and is why we should be opposed to default information sharing across the health sector. You can always get permission from individuals if they want to allow that (provided that the individual is fully informed of the implications), but it should be an opt in system, not compulsory or opt out.
Thanks weka. Yes, I am aware there was no legal obligation to sign and am normally quite vigilant about privacy, especially in regard to personal health – hence the discomfort. This time though I was too tired, fed up and in pain to fight it – and yes, to sign because you are apprehensive of the consequences of not signing just demonstrates ones belief in the dogdyness of ACC’s methods and activities.
I agree that patients should only agree to sharing their personal info with providers across the health sector if the only option is an opt in one. Put the choice and the power back in their hands that way.
On that note I have seen advertisements recently where you have to “opt out” if you don’t want your shared care record spread across all health providers so everyone can access it whenever they want to. No definition of health providers of course. And when you ring the 0800 727 664 number no one answers the phone just an answerphone of sorts.
I agree Rosie & Weka all health records and most everything else should be opt in.
I agree that patients should only agree to sharing their personal info with providers across the health sector if the only option is an opt in one. Put the choice and the power back in their hands that way.
I actually see that as rather stupid.
If my GP is the only one with access to my medical records and I have an accident in Bluff it could be life or death for the doctor there to have access to my records. I know such used to happen quite often – it’s why medic alert bracelets came about.
A government maintained medical database that doctors have access to is a good idea. Just needs to be carefully watched to ensure that it’s not being abused.
Opt in would respect both our choices. Besides if you break your in Invercargill exactly what relevance does a miscarrige 5 years ago in Auckland have?
Maybe nothing, maybe something. I suppose it would depend upon the miscarriage and what caused it. A miscarriage caused by an adverse reaction to a particular pain medicine would tell the doctor to avoid that medicine especially if the person was pregnant.
An opt-in system will just make it so that mistakes that shouldn’t happen will happen and you can pretty much guarantee that someone will die because of it.
”Looks complicit in the whole mess”, that’s exactly why Slippery the Prime Minister willnot/cannot sack Collins, anything She is guilty of is matched if not dwarfed in terms of culpability by our PM in the ‘desperation sale’ to get themselves another 3 years…
“First: Why are fewer people voting these days? Electoral Commission research after the 2011 election – at which turnout fell to levels not seen in more than a century – provides a part answer. Three years ago, the main reasons people chose not to vote were that they felt the result was a foregone conclusion (31 per cent of non-voters), they did not trust politicians (33 per cent) and they lacked interest in politics (29 per cent).”
From this interesting article: (which also discusses other important aspects of participating in democracy, as well as voting every three years)
One rewarding thing to do is to turn these folks (friends, family and workmates) around and get them talking about why they don’t vote. From experience I’ve found that the first reason, foregone conclusion, is the easiest because you can bring it back to them – their vote matters. Second reason, I have more trouble convincing people on! (Any suggestions?) and third reason, I try to find examples from their own lives where political decisions impact directly upon them, and get them engaged in that way.
The foregone conclusion one really annoys me. How big a part does the MSM play in this? It also annoys me when I hear political people on the left saying oh National is going to win. How the fuck do we know who is going to win?
The foregone conclusion is one that annoys me too, because it’s the lamest excuse. Fully agree with your sense of frustration I hear around political types saying National will win. It completely pisses me off – it is such a baseless assumption. By doing so they are being dismissive of the efforts of the Left (from volunteers and activists) by saying such things I think.
My approach is to say, vote because you are still allowed to, and they don’t want you to. Whatever the media says, and however much Labour reneges, the more left wing representatives voted into parliament, from any of the relevant parties, the more chance of pressure from that direction. One of the reasons that Labour’s right faction has held such sway for the past few years is because its caucus is not very big and it is easier to exert influence over a smaller number. This is no time to throw in the towel saying, “they’re all the bloody same.” It is a time to use our vote in an attempt to make it otherwise.
“This is no time to throw in the towel saying, “they’re all the bloody same.” It is a time to use our vote in an attempt to make it otherwise.”
“They’re all the bloody same” This is what I hear from non voters too, more often than not actually.(And they can be forgiven for thinking that, to some degree) After talking with these people I have come to the conclusion that several are still thinking in an FPP mindset and are just thinking in a National Vs.Labour kind of a way, which of course can be joyously corrected:-)
“Vote because you are still allowed to………..” thats a good one.
I am coming to the conclusion that we are caught in a vicious circle – that the more we opt out on the grounds that they are all the same, the more we leave them free to be just that. One possible way of breaking that circle is to get people to re-engage with the political process, preferably in large numbers.
Today the news reached me that Mike Ruppert, the author of crossing the Rubicon, and ex-LA cop who blew the whistle on the CIA dealing massive amounts of drugs committed suicide. (And yes I think he did. He had been talking about it for a long time and we all know that he was saying goodbye in many different way for a long time)
He was a teacher, a mensch, a hero and man who faced down the beast wherever he went. I hope he rests in peace. I am beyond sorrow.
‘Collapse’ – that the one where the interview descends into a record of Michael Ruppert’s melt down on camera as opposed to a recording of considered argument/point of view?
When you have fought the system for 40 years and have whistleblowed numerous hideous scandals such as the fact that the CIA is the biggest drugdealer in the US, when you have educated taught and enlightened many with books such as Crossing the Rubicon, when you have seen your country destroy every thing you held dear like Mike has, then you can make snide remarks but I estimate you have done nothing other then pursue your own interests and snarked at anybody showing a modicum of emotional turmoil when they see everything they hold dear being destroyed which means in my book you have absolutely no business to come even close tom making snarky remarks about people you couldn’t even dream of holding a candle too.
Watch this presentation “crossing the Rubicon” Part 1 and Part 2.
What exactly was snarky? The film was in large part a hatchet job by the film makers on the guy. Or at least, that’s how I remember viewing it when I watched it some time back. The film was edited in such a way as to suggest ‘a nutter’ was saying these things and so, therefore, the things he was saying should be dismissed.
And just in case you misconstrue, I don’t give a fuck if people are nutters as long as what they are saying isn’t nuts – and it’s rare for 100% of what people say to be nuts.
Well, no Travellerev, not touchy so much as just attempting to correct the drift of a comment that seemed misconstrued. Is that predictable? Well, okay…but fairly normal I’d have thought. And if all that adds up to ‘snarky’ in your book, then hey.
Sorry Ev but on this one I think you may have misinterpreted what Bill was saying and his intent. I read it quite differently and his subsequent explanation made perfect sense to me. In this case I think you may be doing him an injustice 🙂
He said and went on to explain what and how I misinterpreted what Bill said. Oh no he did not. He hoped that people who read the comments would just think I haven’t what a clue about what’s being said but thatguyNZ sounds reasonable.
But hey don’t let me stop you
For example what did Bill intend to say when he said: “And just in case you misconstrue, I don’t give a fuck if people are nutters as long as what they are saying isn’t nuts – and it’s rare for 100% of what people say to be nuts.”
Just for you Travellerev. What I meant and mean is that even though Mike Ruppert might be considered a nutter insofar as he spouts a fair degree of mumbo-jumbo and is somewhat mired in conspiracy theories, that doesn’t mean he has absolutely nothing worthwhile to say.
More broadly, anyone is capable of imparting truths or knowledge, even unintentionally.
Ev, whilst your passion is undeniable, regrettably your angst and defensiveness means that people seem to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and the validity of your message gets lost.
I have no qualms whatsoever in stating that there are a number of the things that you say here that I fully agree with as they are congruent with my research and understanding but that is not the point that I raised above. Then again, if people feel the need to label me bat-shit crazy or variants thereof I really don’t give a shit 🙂
And again no explanation of how I am supposed to misinterpret something but more of the patronizing psychobabble. 😆
Good thing Bill confirmed my understanding of what he was trying to say.
Mumbo Jumbo, Blahblahblah, nutter, blahblahblah, Mired in Conspiracy theories blahblahblah.
Funny how that mired in Conspircay theories nutter cost the Director of the CIA Deutch his job and his promotion to Secretary of dDefense. Not bad for a nutter mumbojumbo mired in conspiracy theorist.
Fuck me, do you even read what people are saying to you before you go into full on defensive mode?
That type of response is precisely why people pull out the “tinfoil hat” comments. I truly hope that some day you might recognise when someone is actually on your side and is making (what was intended to be) constructive criticism. If you want to misconstrue that into something else then go right ahead, you’re on your own. Add me to the list of what you generalise to be “sheeple” although I can assure you, you couldn’t be more wrong.. but I suspect you wouldn’t take my word for it anyway. Enjoy your own echo chamber.
When Bill wrote nutter, mumbo jumbo, Conspiracy theorist, meltdown, He actually meant…..(fill in as required to make your point) as I see it.
Patronizing manipulation:
Sorry Ev but on this one I think you may have misinterpreted what Bill was saying and his intent. I read it quite differently and his subsequent explanation made perfect sense to me. In this case I think you may be doing him an injustice 🙂
Or
Ev, whilst your passion is undeniable, regrettably your angst and defensiveness means that people seem to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and the validity of your message gets lost.
and finally
That type of response is precisely why people pull out the “tinfoil hat” comments.
…Yes and Philip Marshall ‘The Big Bamboozle’ another American hero dead….said to have committed murder/suicide but more likely it was a political assassination
Is this to be a leading vehicle in the nauseating dive of this country’s political discourse into ‘E! Channel’ ? A ‘watch this space’ space ? A piss gossip column under the name of a vacuous Viaduct/Ponsonby Rd twink/tartlet/flibbertigibbert ? I trust and hope I’ve missed the habitat’s latest ‘in’ spot.
Zipping and zizzing about Auckland in the new-shape leopard painted cabriolet VW, cellphone set on speed dial not only to Mutton/Lamb Hosking, ‘Cackles’ Henry, SlaterPorn, and besties Peaches, Indie, Wegewegewege, Bruno, maybe even Kings chum Max, but also…….wait for it………. the 9th floor.
The dumbing down is palpable. And excruciating. All for ‘John’. What the fuck is happening to us ?
It’s inconceivable to me that the Chinese government would not know the name. If the Chinese Minister of Justice (no more of a joke than our having one) were visiting the local branch of a Chinese firm and there was a Kiwi government official present, I’m sure the SIS/GCSB/NSA would know the name, what he/she ate, and how many times he/she scratched their bum. And we’re a free, open, and democratic society with rights! Who is the investment being protected from?
It’s inconceivable to me that the Chinese government would not know the name.
There’s a difference between the Chinese government knowing his name and his name being generally known. In the former nothing much needs to happen, in the latter…?
How do you produce a good bureaucrat? Give them enough rope to hang themselves.
National ministers seem to be busy hanging themselves 😈
could key have saved collins before so he can push her mow to show what a strong leader he is reluctantly letting someone of suck skill go but standards are important?
I wonder what sentence will be handed out to a man who has killed one woman, two others badly hurt as they tried to get away from him, led the police a chase? And wasn’t Macdonald on parole?
Someone like this should go to jail for life, and there should be a prison farm where the inmates work for their food and board, and are in chains as they do their work on the farm.
I am sick of this sort of offender being let out of jail to commit further. It’s disgusting uncontrolled and the perpetrator doesn’t deserve forgiveness, or a second chance so he can spoil other’s life as well as his (or her) own.
“But analysis by the Ministry of Transport shows that based on the difference between average and maximum weights for trucks versus motorhomes, the owners of many motorhomes would end up paying more for Road User Charges than they do today.
“Road User Charges already assume that a vehicle travels empty about half of the time, as trucks frequently do travelling from a depot to pick up a load, or returning to the depot.
“Motorhomes, however, generally carry their furniture, fittings and other material at all times, which means they weigh more than an equivalent unladen truck.
“The 4.6 tonne average motorhome is in a weight band required to pay Road User Charges of about $57 per 1000 kilometres. If paying by actual weight, Road User Charges would typically be between $50 and $70 per 1000 kilometres, depending on the exact weight of the vehicle and its fit out.
“So this policy would see many motorhome owners penalised rather than compensated, in some cases by as much as 22 per cent.”
Go team Cunliffe, more announcements like this please! 🙂
Brownlee is telling porkies there. If you want to know what motorhome owners actually wanted at the time that National changed the law last year, when they increased the RUCs on motorhomes, go look at what the NZ Motor Caravan Association lobbied on.
this is the same brownlee who oversaw pike river as part of his portfolio, and happily schmoozed with the board at the opening, but left kate wilkinson to take the fall, who was found liable for assault?
If RUC assume that trucks travel empty half the time, that’s just one more subsidy to the trucking industry. With the price of trucks, I doubt if they’d be travelling empty anywhere near this proportion of the time. In Europe, where you also have the complication of different borders, the proportion is roughly 20%. I would expect Aotearoa to be less than this.
Yeah there’s no way trucks travel empty half the time. Everyone I know with a truck goes to great effort to make sure they have a backload every time they hit the road.
In all the WTF that has been going on over Labour dropping a couple of insignificant policies about motorhomes and trucks this seems to have been missed:
With more than a million New Zealanders now using cycling as an attractive alternative means of transport it is past time their safety was taken seriously, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Darien Fenton says.
Due to speak to a cycling rally at Parliament this afternoon she said a Labour Government would make the safety of cyclists a priority.
“Too many cyclists are dying needlessly.
“Labour will act to improve cycling safety, including taking seriously the recommendations of the Cycling Safety Panel’s report, due in September.
“We will also dedicate more resources to cycling through the Land Transport Fund, revise the road code where needed and invest in driver education and cycling infrastructure.
“Labour also wants to see more kids biking to school with dedicated safety zones and the provision of school based instruction.
“Cycling is good for the country. It helps free our motorways of congestion, reduces carbon emissions and improves the health of our families.
“It needs to be recognised that more than a million Kiwis now use bikes as a legitimate transport alternative. They have every right to be safe.”
“Too many cyclists are dying needlessly.”
Why would cyclists be dying because there is a need.
Another misuse of language. It should be ‘cyclists are dying avoidably.’
or just “Too many cyclists are dying.” That’s punchy enough.
I’ve recently done a journey via the North Western motorway in peak hours. Getting on to the motorway via the Watrview connection is a mind-numbing crawl. This is not because there are road works everywhere, but because there are lights regulating the amount of traffic allowed onto the motorway. Once on the motorway, traffic flows freely. Coming home during the evening peak hour was even worse, with a big queue of traffic backed up along the motorway, forming a queue to get off at the Waterview exit.
Meanwhile, getting from west Auckland to the North or South by public transport is an amazingly long hike, taking way too long to make it viable.
i can spend $25 – $35 per week, spend the same time travelling and go door to door by car on my own timetable
or
i can spend $70 plus, for the same travel time – but with walking either side of that, timetables that arent kept to, mixed messages from veolia, ticket systems that dont seem to work that well and regular breakdowns
for me PT vs car comes down to three factors – cost, travel time and convenience/reliability
On motorway traffic congestion – a continuing problem like trying to fit a square cube into a round hole. I’ll just offer this wee comment from Listener Life in NZ.
He says an additional lane would improve traffic congestion for southbound traffic when two lanes on Esmonde Rd merge into one lane on joining the motorway. North Shore Times 28/7/05″
Meanwhile, getting from west Auckland to the North or South by public transport is an amazingly long hike, taking way too long to make it viable.
Yep. For some weird reason the bus routes (in particular) were last fully updated in the 1980’s (there has been ineffectual tinkering since until recently) when we didn’t have a high proportion of the current roading system or traffic patterns.
Back then people actually went into town! I live less than a km from Aotea centre, and I’d get in there maybe once every few months.
Auckland Transport is very slowly changing them now to reflect the shifting traffic systems. But there is still a massive central spoke system with people being expected to head into the intensely crowded CBD (get rid of the damn cars and it’d work better) and then transporting out of that.
Hopefully once they complete the SH20 “ring route” that bypasses the central isthmus, we might get some more intelligent public transport routing. But I wouldn’t hold your breath. If they’d been serious about that then they’d have built it with bus/rail lanes.
But I can’t see how the Waterview Connection, once completed, will do away with the peak time queues to get on and off the motorway.
It won’t. If anything it will make them worse – just like adding all the roads in the first place made them worse. The motorway extensions and widening aren’t for the people going to work – they’re for the truckers who, if they can manage it, use them outside of peak hours.
Nah, I’d prefer to pry them out of your cold dead hands, or failing that, introduce policy to crash the share price then offer you a fire-sale price for them.
This resort to punitive policy options is a natural consequence of the fact that the National Party solicits donations and business opportunities in exchange for legislation and Ministerial favours.
Check 3 minutes in. The Labour Clustertruck policy of forcing trucks to the left on 3 or 4 lane motorways applies to just 50 or 60 km out of 11,000 km of motorway. Un believable . Utter clustertruck. Who is pushing The Cunliffe under this bus?
Sorry. But that’s basically Auckland spaghetti road system. Limiting trucks and leaving a lane open for people to pass will speed up traffic flow. Trucks take forever to pass.
I hope that lefties find time to talk to each other on this blog. So much time is spent jibing at the right wingers. It’s hardly political discussion really, just futile argument with fatuous people who, some say, could be paid to be intervening with their mindless tripe.
Scoring points off them is like getting a shot of strong coffee, which if repeated too often, gives panic attacks and feeling morose and out of sorts.
Paul
I couldn’t agree more. They are simple trolls ( and I mean ‘simple’) and a waste of brain cells (including nakiwatever).
I simply skip their nonsense as I want to hear opinions of real people who are looking for real solutions to real issues.
Don’t mind commenters like felix – and Te Reo Putake – whose witticisms are always enjoyable to read, but it almost comes across as a game of one-up-man-ship between left and right plus left and left. It must be off-putting for those who come here to read our comments and hopefully become better informed.
Cheers, Anne, that’s very kind, particularly coming from one of our most astute regulars.
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried to tone it down a bit, not always trying to get the last word, for example. And I’ve also been studiously ignoring Pooter George’s one man mission to bore the Standard to death, despite extreme provocation. Well, extremely dull provocation.
Generally, I’m ok with the other righties who comment here, because it’s important for the left to know how the conservatives and libertarians really think. Our charitable natures often make us think the best of them, then along comes Srylands, PG or Big Bruv to remind of us why we need to keep fighting the good fight.
And if not us, who will be there for those who can’t fight?
Hi Te Reo Putake. The Libertarians and Conservatives that you speak of, who comment here, that remind you of the importance of keeping up the good fight – do you not come across of these people IRL?
I do, and that is why I won’t engage with “them” online, because there are far too many in my that cross my path that I am already in combat with. Some of “them” are within family and it’s not a simple matter of who you vote for, it’s who you work for, paid or unpaid. (no family Xmas for 8 years now as result). My denial of them is personal, except in the most extreme circumstances.
The people you mention above are riding high in a time when many are suffering, or at least believe they are riding high when in fact they are just pawns, just come here for a joke at best or the latter group of people come here to try and prove themselves as the superior beings that they are definitely not. Some, maybe themselves, are finding life difficult but are clinging to some neo liberal mantra than began in the 80’s that they can’t give up because the message is aspurashonal.
They are all shallow and deluded, and no amount of reasoning will ever make a difference. If it does, we need examples.
Sorry to hear about the family situation. My lot include a couple of national voters who I can usually crack a joke with, but they’re very much pre-Thatcherite in their thinking, not out and out greedheads.
In real life, I have dealt, on a professional basis, with all manner of righties, some halfway decent, some arrogant, patronising pricks. Some wield their power thoughtfully and with compassion and some just made me think they had at home a secret wardrobe full of storm trooper tunics and matching frilly knickers.
Libertarians are generally the worst of the lot. Their contempt for humanity is often just below the surface and it doesn’t take much to bring out the ‘me me me, I’m entitled’ whining. That childishness is probably because their philosophy doesn’t bear scrutiny and they know it. It’s the politics of the dead eyed insect mind; conformist, but blinkered to the point that they think they’re acting alone.
Sadly TRP, some of my lot have been connected with some of the most disturbing PR spin we’ve seen in the last decade, and they ARE Libertarians. They do think they are unique, entitled, and most ludicrously of all, somehow hard done by, as if the working and middle classes have any power over them. Ha! (for now….)
It’s uncomfortable to declare such a personal connection, but I’m at the end of my tether with the cave in that sometimes occurs, to the the you-know-who’s who frequent TS. No one will do themselves or the Left any favours by trying to reason with or “educate” them. Engaging with them is only ever a distraction and removal of energies from doing real work and having genuine discussion and debate.
As for the regular righties. I have dealt with them both in work and personal life. I don’t mind the reasonable ones and at times have agreed with them on a rare occasion! Some of them are up for a laugh and a chat even – Sometimes there is common ground that can be found for the sake of social niceties. Thats all ok, and I’m sure they’d say the same of us.
Its the soulless bastards that are a worry.
PS: No I’m not related to Hooton, lol, as an afterthought. (or slug slime!)
No one will do themselves or the Left any favours by trying to reason with or “educate” them.
I don’t try to reason with them anymore – just put forward the evidence and logic that proves them wrong. There’s more than just them reading and there’s a hell of a lot of people reading who don’t comment. Those people are far more important.
Tautoko, little grey bird. I suspect that several of them are paid and I’ve noticed a real explosion in their numbers lately. It’s happened both here and on TDB, which is sometimes hardly worth opening because all I find are Bomber’s attacks on the Greens and baby boomers, along with the idiotic rants of Whalespew regulars. Apart from the Bradbury contributions, it looks like the same thing is beginning to happen here. I wonder if it’s a deliberate stratagem to swamp the blog with rubbish.
It will be a shame if it continues, because I find some very informative posts and comments here. A new person could be put off by the thermal noise.
Good to see the worthwhile commenters still here. I just get sick of PR and his mate can’t remember but they often go in pairs, two right wing lovebirds cooing at each other. Then of course Srylands and poseurs like Naki man who knows he has a mind therefore he thinks.
And seeing I have made a solemn vow, on my knees, to not encourage RWNJs or hardly ever, as I notice that they just grow an extra foot every time they are dissed, sometimes I can’t find anyone to play with. In a short whioe they will have more feet than the Luggage from Terry Pratchett.
I was just taking a look at the Emergency Benefit application form on the WINZ website for a friend who is in desperate poverty. I note that it is 36 pages long. Anyone applying for such a benefit is already going to be completely demoralized – confronting them with 36 pages of application form just seems like some kind of cruel Monty Python joke. Where is the compassion?
Helen Clark and George Gair were related. I believe Annette King and Chris Finlayson are cousins. There’s others (past and present) on opposite sides of the fence too. There must be a special gene handed down within some families which automatically guides them into a life in politics. My family is split down the middle. One branch doesn’t have anything to do with me because of my ‘loony lefty’ leanings. 🙂
“There must be a special gene handed down within some families which automatically guides them into a life in politics. My family is split down the middle. One branch doesn’t have anything to do with me because of my ‘loony lefty’ leanings. :)”
Please see my reply to Te Reo Putake above at 21.3.1.1.1.1 at 10.13pm.
And I do agree, you are one of TS’s most astute regulars. (There are many astute regulars of course, who I do enjoy reading, so please, no one should feel excluded from that statement 🙂
And that is the reason why you should never, ever vote National. The governments job actually is to make your life better through excellent use and distribution of our resources. It’s been badly failing this purpose.
But that requires not just a psychic ability to read the populace, but a psychic ability to read the minds of only those people who are part of the randon sample next round on an infrequent poll.
Your “experiment” can demonstrate nothing, because you will never know if the guess is correct or if the poll is correct.
All your proposition demonstrates is that you have no idea how polling works.
I’m sorry if this has been posted already. From the British newspaper “The Telegraph” Dated 16 Apr 2014
Makes for a good read and really no surprises here.
“The US is an oligarchy, study concludes”
The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.
The report, entitled Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, used extensive policy data collected from between the years of 1981 and 2002 to empirically determine the state of the US political system.
After sifting through nearly 1,800 US policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile) and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the United States is dominated by its economic elite.
The peer-reviewed study, which will be taught at these universities in September, says: “The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.”
Researchers concluded that US government policies rarely align with the the preferences of the majority of Americans, but do favour special interests and lobbying oragnisations: “When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it.”
The positions of powerful interest groups are “not substantially correlated with the preferences of average citizens”, but the politics of average Americans and affluent Americans sometimes does overlap. This merely a coincidence, the report says, with the the interests of the average American being served almost exclusively when it also serves those of the richest 10 per cent.
The theory of “biased pluralism” that the Princeton and Northwestern researchers believe the US system fits holds that policy outcomes “tend to tilt towards the wishes of corporations and business and professional associations.”
The study comes in the wake of McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a controversial piece of legislation passed in The Supreme Court that abolished campaign contribution limits, and record low approval ratings for the US congress.
and, yes, sadly I would agree with that – and we don’t have articles like the one you pointed to in our newspapers either …so I am guessing there is little chance of awareness amongst the majority that this is the direction we are likely headed. Very sad.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
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This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
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Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
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Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
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Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
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Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
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I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
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Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
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National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Te Left in New Zealand should deal with Hosking, Henry, Williams, Smith, Espiner and the rest of the National aligned ‘journalists’ in the same way UKIP have gone after the Times Tory ‘journalists.’
Name and shame them and demonstrate their bias.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/15/ukip-farage-expenses-times-journalists
This is a fascinating piece, not because of the story itself but because it explains, to any shrewd observer, the rise and rise in the popularity of the hard right in Europe. Quite simply, the hard right has supplanted the left as the champions of the people against the establishment. It is astonishing to see Farage using what should be the tactics and language of left (exposing the cosy connections of the establishment media, creating a narrative of a tired, sclerotic and self-serving ruling elite with terms like “chummocracy”). The comments section of the Guardian’s liberal readership illustrates the point by completely failing to see the message in it’s determination to play the man and not the ball.
I hate to say it, but the likes of Farage speak a language that appeals far more directly to the suspicions, fears and anger of the precariat that any socialist party currently does in the U.K – and by extension, probably anywhere.
“Quite simply, the hard right has supplanted the left as the champions of the people against the establishment”
^^ This (from my observation as a European resident for 3 years, including watching a General election).
And this…
“I hate to say it, but the likes of Farage speak a language that appeals far more directly to the suspicions, fears and anger of the precariat that any socialist party currently does in the U.K – and by extension, probably anywhere”
Where I am the Social Democrats, and even the centre-right are far too comfortable to recognise the needs of the traditional workers and the precariat. People looking for conservative/economic liberalism are still well-served in the UK by the Conservatives (moreso the econ-libs), but in other European countries, the traditional centre-right support is fracturing as well.
Hoskings.
Sounds like a horrible man.
Ali Mau is not surprised former colleague Jesse Mulligan has left Seven Sharp, where Mike Hosking, she says, is running “a dictatorship”.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11239037
That would be th esame Colin Espiner who wrote this criticising Paula B’s Benny bashing would it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/9932258/Beneficiary-bashing-just-too-easy
i took it to be guyon…& even a clock is right twice & other cliches…
Claire Trevett’s application for worst piece of journalism for 2014.
What a load of sycophantic nonsense.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11238864
Claire Trevett is the New Zealand Herald’s deputy political editor, which says so much about the bias and levels of journalism expected by that rag.
Further grovelling ….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11238758
Don’t get me started on this piece …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11238712
Trevett claims David Cunliffe is running scared of John Key and yet does not even mention Key’s canceling of the housing debate with Cunliffe. Seriously, is the Herald a newspaper or is it the National Party mouthpiece?
Completely agree with you about bias in the MSM.
But David needs to manage his media team – and his diary – with a rod of iron to be faultless in delivery and appearance. Explaining is losing, and he did too much of that yesterday. It’s not fair, sure, but it’s like fighting workplace gender bias: you have to be twice as good to get ahead.
This, no one knows Cunliffe which is why it’s so important to do these fluff pieces. They should be a priority.
Labour don’t want the voting public to know Cunliffe as that would jeopardise Labours vote
Good point Ad. I think Winston could be followed – he just refuses to be deflected and puts the questioner on the wrong foot never the other way.
I kept re-reading her use of “we”.
What.The.Fuck? Is it us and them now, is it Claire?
Her piece is a laughably ignorant piece of tosh. I have a question for the Heralds owners. Apparently, the site is going behind a paywall this year. Do you REALLY think people will pay to read that drivel?
” Apparently, the site is going behind a paywall this year. ”
that made me just about crash the car from laughing when i heard it on the radio
That will be good news for blog sites there will be a lot more traffic going their way after the Herald closes shop i would think, now if only the womans weekly ripoff Stuff would follow the world would be a better place
Her we is an assumption taht everyone thinks as she does.
I really don’t like people who presume to speak for me.
Anyway, with the Royals gone, the Tory Herald needs other celebrity gossip to distract NZers from the destruction being wreaked on the country by their mate merchant banker Key.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11238860
Apparently at the state funded private BBQ John Key enthusiastically cracked one of Pammies woodies when he saw Kate, much to Wills annoyance.
$1.2 mill? BULLSHIT. She is definitley shrilling for the Nats. The RNZAF fuel bill alone would have been at least that. An estimate that I saw had the costs well in excess of $11 million. What a trout.
“An estimate that I saw had the costs well in excess of $11 million”
Laughable. Final cost for Charles and Camilla’s 6 day tour in 2012 came in at $766k, so $1.2m for the 10 days will be about right. And the Air Force 757 will fly them no more than 5,000km around the place, including the Australia flight. At approx $75/km for a 757 the fuel bill will be $375k. A lot, yeah, but not no where near the tea leaf estimate you’ve plucked out ya arse.
Seti
Do you understand the costs and methods of the air industry? If so I would like to ask some questions about it and wonder if you could help with the information. Would you be able to advise.
Keep up the good work Seti
Diverting?
Seti, “fuel bill will be “only” $375k”, what about the practice flights in the weeks before the tour? Two into Woodbourne alone. And the helicopters and all sorts of gear flown around the country by transport planes. $1.2mill is conservative.
Surely Judith Collins can’t weasel her way out of this mess? Or are stupid Kiwis going to swallow another lame excuse? Wouldn’t surprise me…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11238833
Tedious stuff, no one cares.
It’s starting to resemble that GSCB borefest which as you know worked out so well for labour.
so secret agents of the state running around knowingly breaking the law is boring to you?
I do notice a pattern here though – every time the nats are caught out making really dumb mistakes your first response, everytime, is “no one cares”
it speaks volumes about you
you cant claim to know what everyone else thinks so what do YOU think about it – you make these claims then immediately slink back into the cover of the crowd – its almost as if you would really prefer to not talk about it in the first place
I think I’m correct.
You never see any of the stories regarding Collins and orivida in the most popular/most read column. I doubt any one but the most avid political train spotter clicks on those story links.
Also the view that I endlessly heard/read was that this is just Labour being wankers again and when are they going to move on to more important stuff.
Just shows who you mix with.
Tories.
so what do YOU think about it
not what others think, not what whale oil tells you to think – you and only you
what do you think about the ongoing issues with one judith collins?
your just side stepping again by talking about other people
Speaking for them
I think it’s dull beyond belief, trivial trivial stuff in the over all scheme of things, I read the first story about it and skipped the other 500.
Not interested.
What I want to see and hear is why Labour should be the next government, what I don’t want to see or hear is Robertson porcine features wobbling away in faux outrage trying to convince the public that Judith Collins has been a very naughty girl by not filling form 164b in correctly.
Apart from annoy people, I have no idea what he’s trying to achieve.
see, that wasnt so hard was it 🙂
but its nice to finally confirm that in your opinion public servants doing their jobs badly, telling lies, stepping outside the law and ignoring the well known rules of their workplace is no biggie for you – we’ll keep that in the top drawer
but i wouldnt go thinking that the rest of NZ agrees with you – but then i would say that to even myself (god knows i think some odd shit from time to time)
BM is completely right.
Long past season for looking for political scalps.
well for starters i wasnt asking him if he was right 🙂
also – is this actually labour looking for political scalps or the media keeping the heat on a story where they can smell blood?
note that the story in question doesnt even mention labour and only mentions wisnton a couple of times
no you dont want to hear that our wee representative of the liar in chief
BM, all you’re doing is unwittingly providing anecdotal evidence in support of Hodson and Busseri when they wrote:
My bold.
OAB
Come on!….. Do you really think they (or Simon Bridges & co.) could understand that sentence? It’s got big words in it.Be realistic… they’re Tories.
Because that’s how the right wingers operate – they are not there to serve the public, they are there to promote and grow their own private businesses.
Actually you could argue that the GCSB ‘borefest’ last year is the issue that’s largely responsible for Key’s drop to around 42% approval rating in recent preferred PM polls.
Thing is, people do care. I know you RWNJs don’t care that our government is corrupt but the rest of us do.
+1
Unfortunatly BM is right on this i think, once these dramas drag on for long enough people just roll their eyes and switch off, maybe its just not tabloid fodder enough for people
That may well be so (though I think that people are quietly digesting the info that’s coming to light about Collins and Key) but it doesn’t mean that the Opposition should just give up trying to hold Ministers to account. One thing that is certain is that people’s interest will be piqued at the news that Collins has been scuttling in and out the back doors of parliament to avoid the media in the foyer.
Yeah. Stories drag on, and then they flare up agian. They don’t flare up if you stop digging when they stonewall you.
Collins defense in the house yesterday got many in the gallery interested again, and a number of them are already on the record as saying she should been sacked.
No point in dragging out ‘you did it too’ on Winston if the minister had a legit answer to make, and it’s not just Winston so her defense won’t hold in any case.
depends if your looking at a single point in time or the cumulative effect of many cases that build over time
Or this? Used to be called Gestapo tactics.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11238101
Coercion, standover on ACC claimants ….can these people be brought to court on criminal charges?
Why would Cunliffe want to reduce the income from all the motorhomes on the road?
Thats not equitable. And as for getting rid of the $35 rego on trailers, who is going to pay to run the licencing administration for those trailers? Is that going to go back on to the already struggling car owner? Seems inequitable too.
Is labour full of people with motorhomes and people unable to afford $35 on a rego yet have the money too afford a trailer with a boat on it. This policy makes as much nonsense as the baby one did earlier this year. Up your game Matt and David as if you add the Greens to this mess your policies are going to risk getting even more nonsensical and no swing voters will go anywhere near you. Im one of them
“Why would Cunliffe want to reduce the income from all the motorhomes on the road?”
Because the law that the Nats introduced last year was stupid and inequitable. It made motorhome owners pay by the maximum weight their vehicle was rated for, not what it was loaded at, and it was a substantial increase. It was a stupid because motorhomes are already classed as motorhomes separate from other heavy vehicles and should have been exempt from the law change which was aimed at freight heavy vehicles. Whether the increase for general heavy vehicles was an incentive (to carry full loads and thus reduce overall heavy traffic) or another round of revenue generation… I’ve heard varying opinions on that one, there seems to be much disagreement on it.
“Is labour full of people with motorhomes and people unable to afford $35 on a rego yet have the money too afford a trailer with a boat on it.”
Don’t know about boat trailers, but ordinary trailers … the cost to NZTA would be pretty negligible, so maybe they charge five bucks instead of thirty-five. Or maybe because pretty much all people who own trailers also own a car, they figure it’s less hassle to just wipe the fee. Currently it’s effectively a tax on trailer owners. Daft.
please no…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11239028
Just ignore it. Glaucina gets wet at the sound of John Key’s name and is frequently linked to the National party as a loyal little cog in their PR machine.
They’ve got an agenda at the Herald to undermine Brown at every opportunity and as the mouthpiece of the Auckland establishment, they are desperate for a right wing mayor.
To be fair, Brown has given them plenty of help to do it, and I still haven’t forgiven him for being noticably absent during the Ports of Auckland fiasco. And free rooms from a problematic entity like Sky City… Well… Other than that I don’t really care where he sticks his member so long as it’s with a consenting adult.
Pauls politics aside i think he would make a great Mayor at least it would be entertaining a lot more so than the joke that Len Brown has become
Racist, bigotry shit spewing is not humour. Paul Henry makes Len Brown look like shining gold.
Well yes, you can’t fault Brown for race relations snigger, though I will be very suprised if his antics have done him any favours in the eyes of his PI constituents. But in all seriousness, while Henry’s humour on screen has often been purile (though methinks that was the job description more than anything), he’s socially liberal. Better him than Quax or another return of Les Mills.
Puerile, racist and sexist.
Worse than ‘Cackle’ Henry is not actually the issue Pops’. There you go again vaguely apologising for figures of the Right. Which more or less amounts to supporting the Right.
Socially liberal? Well, as long as the women don’t have facial hair, or foreign names, and blokes look like New Zealanders, not those awful Indians, and ………….
FFS, the only thing stopping the prick joining the KKK would be finding a sheet short enough. That’s the sort of social liberalism I can do without.
xox
On RNZ National this mourning, re ACC.operating ” beyond the law” .Spin for breaking the law!
@ Philj
yes i am sure i had to sign something like that (ie be willing to share all my information) when my shoulder seized up….i did double take, felt like refusing, but signed it anyway because my shoulder fucking hurt …. i call this signing under duress
…in the event my shoulder healed itself within a week and i didnt need ACC/physio/doctors visits etc …however they sent me a bill for over $1000 because they said i hadnt paid my ACC.levees…i had….i call this extortion.
No wonder ACC is rich…it is run like a capitalist rort
Yeah, I’ve signed those forms before with ACC. The latest and last one was October last year. I read the waiver and felt reluctant to sign because there was no indication of what would become of your notes and where they could potentially end up.
While I was hovering over the signatory line with the pen and with a frown on my face the physio asked “All ok?”. I signed because I was too stressed with pain to enter a discussion about it, and I thought knowing how vindictive ACC can be I thought I should go along with it……….
Ditto – must have signed in 2012 following my accident.
Please know that you cannot legally be forced to sign away your statuatory rights (in this case to privacy). I understand the duress, but there is no legal obligation to sign. If any health-related agency says that they will refuse you treatment if you don’t sign, then they are doing something extremely dodgy. Get yourself to an advocacy service asap.
This issue with ACC highlights a serious flaw in the privacy legislation, which basically says that a breach has to happen before the commissioner can act. In this case, it took someone getting lawyers involved and it went to court instead, but where is the Privacy Commissioner’s office in all this?.
It’s also related to the issue of health privacy in general, and is why we should be opposed to default information sharing across the health sector. You can always get permission from individuals if they want to allow that (provided that the individual is fully informed of the implications), but it should be an opt in system, not compulsory or opt out.
Thanks weka. Yes, I am aware there was no legal obligation to sign and am normally quite vigilant about privacy, especially in regard to personal health – hence the discomfort. This time though I was too tired, fed up and in pain to fight it – and yes, to sign because you are apprehensive of the consequences of not signing just demonstrates ones belief in the dogdyness of ACC’s methods and activities.
I agree that patients should only agree to sharing their personal info with providers across the health sector if the only option is an opt in one. Put the choice and the power back in their hands that way.
On that note I have seen advertisements recently where you have to “opt out” if you don’t want your shared care record spread across all health providers so everyone can access it whenever they want to. No definition of health providers of course. And when you ring the 0800 727 664 number no one answers the phone just an answerphone of sorts.
I agree Rosie & Weka all health records and most everything else should be opt in.
I actually see that as rather stupid.
If my GP is the only one with access to my medical records and I have an accident in Bluff it could be life or death for the doctor there to have access to my records. I know such used to happen quite often – it’s why medic alert bracelets came about.
A government maintained medical database that doctors have access to is a good idea. Just needs to be carefully watched to ensure that it’s not being abused.
Opt in would respect both our choices. Besides if you break your in Invercargill exactly what relevance does a miscarrige 5 years ago in Auckland have?
Isn’t the main issue about sharing private ACC info with employers etc, not vaious medical practioners?
Maybe nothing, maybe something. I suppose it would depend upon the miscarriage and what caused it. A miscarriage caused by an adverse reaction to a particular pain medicine would tell the doctor to avoid that medicine especially if the person was pregnant.
An opt-in system will just make it so that mistakes that shouldn’t happen will happen and you can pretty much guarantee that someone will die because of it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11238219
With the Nats, you not only get trickle down economics, you get trickle down corruption.
By what piece of twisted logic can Key claim not to be ‘endorsing’ a product which has his photo on it?
This is the prime minister of NZ, goddammit, not some fading TV personality looking for some air time in retirement!
But having been bought, will he stay bought? Can Oravida be outbid?
Watch this space…;)
+100 agreed…he was ‘endorsing’
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/AUDIO-Oravida-nightmare-continues-to-dog-Key-government/tabid/506/articleID/43323/Default.aspx
Developing by the minute. Collins skewered big time. But every day she stays,
Key looks more complicit in the whole tangled mess.
”Looks complicit in the whole mess”, that’s exactly why Slippery the Prime Minister willnot/cannot sack Collins, anything She is guilty of is matched if not dwarfed in terms of culpability by our PM in the ‘desperation sale’ to get themselves another 3 years…
Do you know folks that don’t vote?
Here’s a few reasons:
“First: Why are fewer people voting these days? Electoral Commission research after the 2011 election – at which turnout fell to levels not seen in more than a century – provides a part answer. Three years ago, the main reasons people chose not to vote were that they felt the result was a foregone conclusion (31 per cent of non-voters), they did not trust politicians (33 per cent) and they lacked interest in politics (29 per cent).”
From this interesting article: (which also discusses other important aspects of participating in democracy, as well as voting every three years)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/9944848/Has-democracy-taken-a-dive
One rewarding thing to do is to turn these folks (friends, family and workmates) around and get them talking about why they don’t vote. From experience I’ve found that the first reason, foregone conclusion, is the easiest because you can bring it back to them – their vote matters. Second reason, I have more trouble convincing people on! (Any suggestions?) and third reason, I try to find examples from their own lives where political decisions impact directly upon them, and get them engaged in that way.
Very good Rosie, thanks.
The foregone conclusion one really annoys me. How big a part does the MSM play in this? It also annoys me when I hear political people on the left saying oh National is going to win. How the fuck do we know who is going to win?
The foregone conclusion is one that annoys me too, because it’s the lamest excuse. Fully agree with your sense of frustration I hear around political types saying National will win. It completely pisses me off – it is such a baseless assumption. By doing so they are being dismissive of the efforts of the Left (from volunteers and activists) by saying such things I think.
My approach is to say, vote because you are still allowed to, and they don’t want you to. Whatever the media says, and however much Labour reneges, the more left wing representatives voted into parliament, from any of the relevant parties, the more chance of pressure from that direction. One of the reasons that Labour’s right faction has held such sway for the past few years is because its caucus is not very big and it is easier to exert influence over a smaller number. This is no time to throw in the towel saying, “they’re all the bloody same.” It is a time to use our vote in an attempt to make it otherwise.
“This is no time to throw in the towel saying, “they’re all the bloody same.” It is a time to use our vote in an attempt to make it otherwise.”
“They’re all the bloody same” This is what I hear from non voters too, more often than not actually.(And they can be forgiven for thinking that, to some degree) After talking with these people I have come to the conclusion that several are still thinking in an FPP mindset and are just thinking in a National Vs.Labour kind of a way, which of course can be joyously corrected:-)
“Vote because you are still allowed to………..” thats a good one.
I am coming to the conclusion that we are caught in a vicious circle – that the more we opt out on the grounds that they are all the same, the more we leave them free to be just that. One possible way of breaking that circle is to get people to re-engage with the political process, preferably in large numbers.
/agreed.
Too much which is why they need to be regulated in regards to polling and horse race reporting.
Today the news reached me that Mike Ruppert, the author of crossing the Rubicon, and ex-LA cop who blew the whistle on the CIA dealing massive amounts of drugs committed suicide. (And yes I think he did. He had been talking about it for a long time and we all know that he was saying goodbye in many different way for a long time)
He was a teacher, a mensch, a hero and man who faced down the beast wherever he went. I hope he rests in peace. I am beyond sorrow.
I recommend you all watch the film ‘Collapse’ featuring Michael Ruppert.
Sobering.
Insightful.
‘Collapse’ – that the one where the interview descends into a record of Michael Ruppert’s melt down on camera as opposed to a recording of considered argument/point of view?
When you have fought the system for 40 years and have whistleblowed numerous hideous scandals such as the fact that the CIA is the biggest drugdealer in the US, when you have educated taught and enlightened many with books such as Crossing the Rubicon, when you have seen your country destroy every thing you held dear like Mike has, then you can make snide remarks but I estimate you have done nothing other then pursue your own interests and snarked at anybody showing a modicum of emotional turmoil when they see everything they hold dear being destroyed which means in my book you have absolutely no business to come even close tom making snarky remarks about people you couldn’t even dream of holding a candle too.
Watch this presentation “crossing the Rubicon” Part 1 and Part 2.
What exactly was snarky? The film was in large part a hatchet job by the film makers on the guy. Or at least, that’s how I remember viewing it when I watched it some time back. The film was edited in such a way as to suggest ‘a nutter’ was saying these things and so, therefore, the things he was saying should be dismissed.
And just in case you misconstrue, I don’t give a fuck if people are nutters as long as what they are saying isn’t nuts – and it’s rare for 100% of what people say to be nuts.
As for your estimation of me? Way off.
Touchy much. And so predictable. oh, and even more snarky!
Well, no Travellerev, not touchy so much as just attempting to correct the drift of a comment that seemed misconstrued. Is that predictable? Well, okay…but fairly normal I’d have thought. And if all that adds up to ‘snarky’ in your book, then hey.
I forgot! In NZ everybody is a nutter if you can’t fit what he has to say in a box as dictated by the MSM and the rugby boy culture: She’ll be right!
No need for some serious fact checking on your own. Sheeple to the end! Have another tui and smirk away Bill. Good night!
Sorry Ev but on this one I think you may have misinterpreted what Bill was saying and his intent. I read it quite differently and his subsequent explanation made perfect sense to me. In this case I think you may be doing him an injustice 🙂
He said and went on to explain what and how I misinterpreted what Bill said. Oh no he did not. He hoped that people who read the comments would just think I haven’t what a clue about what’s being said but thatguyNZ sounds reasonable.
But hey don’t let me stop you
For example what did Bill intend to say when he said: “And just in case you misconstrue, I don’t give a fuck if people are nutters as long as what they are saying isn’t nuts – and it’s rare for 100% of what people say to be nuts.”
That would be interesting!
Just for you Travellerev. What I meant and mean is that even though Mike Ruppert might be considered a nutter insofar as he spouts a fair degree of mumbo-jumbo and is somewhat mired in conspiracy theories, that doesn’t mean he has absolutely nothing worthwhile to say.
More broadly, anyone is capable of imparting truths or knowledge, even unintentionally.
Ev, whilst your passion is undeniable, regrettably your angst and defensiveness means that people seem to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and the validity of your message gets lost.
I have no qualms whatsoever in stating that there are a number of the things that you say here that I fully agree with as they are congruent with my research and understanding but that is not the point that I raised above. Then again, if people feel the need to label me bat-shit crazy or variants thereof I really don’t give a shit 🙂
And again no explanation of how I am supposed to misinterpret something but more of the patronizing psychobabble. 😆
Good thing Bill confirmed my understanding of what he was trying to say.
Mumbo Jumbo, Blahblahblah, nutter, blahblahblah, Mired in Conspiracy theories blahblahblah.
Funny how that mired in Conspircay theories nutter cost the Director of the CIA Deutch his job and his promotion to Secretary of dDefense. Not bad for a nutter mumbojumbo mired in conspiracy theorist.
Fuck me, do you even read what people are saying to you before you go into full on defensive mode?
That type of response is precisely why people pull out the “tinfoil hat” comments. I truly hope that some day you might recognise when someone is actually on your side and is making (what was intended to be) constructive criticism. If you want to misconstrue that into something else then go right ahead, you’re on your own. Add me to the list of what you generalise to be “sheeple” although I can assure you, you couldn’t be more wrong.. but I suspect you wouldn’t take my word for it anyway. Enjoy your own echo chamber.
Constructive criticism:
When Bill wrote nutter, mumbo jumbo, Conspiracy theorist, meltdown, He actually meant…..(fill in as required to make your point) as I see it.
Patronizing manipulation:
Sorry Ev but on this one I think you may have misinterpreted what Bill was saying and his intent. I read it quite differently and his subsequent explanation made perfect sense to me. In this case I think you may be doing him an injustice 🙂
Or
Ev, whilst your passion is undeniable, regrettably your angst and defensiveness means that people seem to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and the validity of your message gets lost.
and finally
That type of response is precisely why people pull out the “tinfoil hat” comments.
Indeed go fuck yourself!
Sigh. You twit.
😆 That would be twitess, you fuckwit.
That was the best you could do? How very droll.
Oh, a wanting to have the last word kindaguy. How very sad.
…Yes and Philip Marshall ‘The Big Bamboozle’ another American hero dead….said to have committed murder/suicide but more likely it was a political assassination
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/book_reviews/2013/4011bamboozle_murder.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11239028
Is this to be a leading vehicle in the nauseating dive of this country’s political discourse into ‘E! Channel’ ? A ‘watch this space’ space ? A piss gossip column under the name of a vacuous Viaduct/Ponsonby Rd twink/tartlet/flibbertigibbert ? I trust and hope I’ve missed the habitat’s latest ‘in’ spot.
Zipping and zizzing about Auckland in the new-shape leopard painted cabriolet VW, cellphone set on speed dial not only to Mutton/Lamb Hosking, ‘Cackles’ Henry, SlaterPorn, and besties Peaches, Indie, Wegewegewege, Bruno, maybe even Kings chum Max, but also…….wait for it………. the 9th floor.
The dumbing down is palpable. And excruciating. All for ‘John’. What the fuck is happening to us ?
Speaking of chickens….why is John Key afraid of revealing the name of the Chinese bureaucrat?
Yeah i dont get that, as it seems pretty certain its a custom boarder official.
Is the person related to someone?
Is that the speculation?
Are National just natural born brown-nosers of the rich and powerful?
Yes.
How long do you think that bureaucrat will stay in his present position once his name is known? Basically, they’re protecting their investment.
It’s inconceivable to me that the Chinese government would not know the name. If the Chinese Minister of Justice (no more of a joke than our having one) were visiting the local branch of a Chinese firm and there was a Kiwi government official present, I’m sure the SIS/GCSB/NSA would know the name, what he/she ate, and how many times he/she scratched their bum. And we’re a free, open, and democratic society with rights! Who is the investment being protected from?
There’s a difference between the Chinese government knowing his name and his name being generally known. In the former nothing much needs to happen, in the latter…?
How do you produce a good bureaucrat? Give them enough rope to hang themselves.
National ministers seem to be busy hanging themselves 😈
could key have saved collins before so he can push her mow to show what a strong leader he is reluctantly letting someone of suck skill go but standards are important?
I wonder what sentence will be handed out to a man who has killed one woman, two others badly hurt as they tried to get away from him, led the police a chase? And wasn’t Macdonald on parole?
Someone like this should go to jail for life, and there should be a prison farm where the inmates work for their food and board, and are in chains as they do their work on the farm.
I am sick of this sort of offender being let out of jail to commit further. It’s disgusting uncontrolled and the perpetrator doesn’t deserve forgiveness, or a second chance so he can spoil other’s life as well as his (or her) own.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/more-trouble-labour%E2%80%99s-transport-policy
“But analysis by the Ministry of Transport shows that based on the difference between average and maximum weights for trucks versus motorhomes, the owners of many motorhomes would end up paying more for Road User Charges than they do today.
“Road User Charges already assume that a vehicle travels empty about half of the time, as trucks frequently do travelling from a depot to pick up a load, or returning to the depot.
“Motorhomes, however, generally carry their furniture, fittings and other material at all times, which means they weigh more than an equivalent unladen truck.
“The 4.6 tonne average motorhome is in a weight band required to pay Road User Charges of about $57 per 1000 kilometres. If paying by actual weight, Road User Charges would typically be between $50 and $70 per 1000 kilometres, depending on the exact weight of the vehicle and its fit out.
“So this policy would see many motorhome owners penalised rather than compensated, in some cases by as much as 22 per cent.”
Go team Cunliffe, more announcements like this please! 🙂
Brownlee is telling porkies there. If you want to know what motorhome owners actually wanted at the time that National changed the law last year, when they increased the RUCs on motorhomes, go look at what the NZ Motor Caravan Association lobbied on.
brownlee wont have read it. he and the liar in chief only read reports that say what they want them to.
so a press release from basher brownlee aye? – well i will take that with the relevant level of truthiness it deserves
this is the same brownlee who oversaw pike river as part of his portfolio, and happily schmoozed with the board at the opening, but left kate wilkinson to take the fall, who was found liable for assault?
If RUC assume that trucks travel empty half the time, that’s just one more subsidy to the trucking industry. With the price of trucks, I doubt if they’d be travelling empty anywhere near this proportion of the time. In Europe, where you also have the complication of different borders, the proportion is roughly 20%. I would expect Aotearoa to be less than this.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2339841/report-one-fifth-of-trucks-on-europes-roads-travel-empty
Yeah there’s no way trucks travel empty half the time. Everyone I know with a truck goes to great effort to make sure they have a backload every time they hit the road.
In all the WTF that has been going on over Labour dropping a couple of insignificant policies about motorhomes and trucks this seems to have been missed:
“Too many cyclists are dying needlessly.”
Why would cyclists be dying because there is a need.
Another misuse of language. It should be ‘cyclists are dying avoidably.’
or just “Too many cyclists are dying.” That’s punchy enough.
I’ve recently done a journey via the North Western motorway in peak hours. Getting on to the motorway via the Watrview connection is a mind-numbing crawl. This is not because there are road works everywhere, but because there are lights regulating the amount of traffic allowed onto the motorway. Once on the motorway, traffic flows freely. Coming home during the evening peak hour was even worse, with a big queue of traffic backed up along the motorway, forming a queue to get off at the Waterview exit.
Meanwhile, getting from west Auckland to the North or South by public transport is an amazingly long hike, taking way too long to make it viable.
But this NZ Herald article goes into all the details of the motorway upgrades, showing how great it will be when all the road works are completed, and traffic will be able to drive freely from South Auckland to the West and North Shore.
But I can’t see how the Waterview Connection, once completed, will do away with the peak time queues to get on and off the motorway.
And, where’s the alternative public transport, making travel across all the sectors of Auckland a viable option?
having lived in auckland over 45 years i have yet to see a motorway extension not open close to its capacity
I don’t understand why people travelling into Auckland CBD to work don’t take public transport. I couldn’t stand doing the long crawl daily.
I went to the North Shore. I could see no way of getting there by public transport that wouldn’t take less than 1.5 hours each way.
It was about an hour by car – give or take – probably longer coming back. Takes about 25 minutes by car off peak.
coming from out west its no contest
i can spend $25 – $35 per week, spend the same time travelling and go door to door by car on my own timetable
or
i can spend $70 plus, for the same travel time – but with walking either side of that, timetables that arent kept to, mixed messages from veolia, ticket systems that dont seem to work that well and regular breakdowns
for me PT vs car comes down to three factors – cost, travel time and convenience/reliability
currently the car leads on all three
Does that include the costs of owning the vehicle?
On motorway traffic congestion – a continuing problem like trying to fit a square cube into a round hole. I’ll just offer this wee comment from Listener Life in NZ.
He says an additional lane would improve traffic congestion for southbound traffic when two lanes on Esmonde Rd merge into one lane on joining the motorway. North Shore Times 28/7/05″
Yep. For some weird reason the bus routes (in particular) were last fully updated in the 1980’s (there has been ineffectual tinkering since until recently) when we didn’t have a high proportion of the current roading system or traffic patterns.
Back then people actually went into town! I live less than a km from Aotea centre, and I’d get in there maybe once every few months.
Auckland Transport is very slowly changing them now to reflect the shifting traffic systems. But there is still a massive central spoke system with people being expected to head into the intensely crowded CBD (get rid of the damn cars and it’d work better) and then transporting out of that.
Hopefully once they complete the SH20 “ring route” that bypasses the central isthmus, we might get some more intelligent public transport routing. But I wouldn’t hold your breath. If they’d been serious about that then they’d have built it with bus/rail lanes.
It won’t. If anything it will make them worse – just like adding all the roads in the first place made them worse. The motorway extensions and widening aren’t for the people going to work – they’re for the truckers who, if they can manage it, use them outside of peak hours.
Oops. Feeling secure? No worries? “China’s economic growth slows to 24-year low of 7.4%” says the Guardian ‘breaking news’ banner.
Been on the cards for a few years, and enough people have been pointing to data showing that both India and China have been due to crash. Oh well.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/241851/68,000-buy-shares-in-genesis
I wonder how many who post here bought shares to keep genesis in NZ hands.
Nah, I’d prefer to pry them out of your cold dead hands, or failing that, introduce policy to crash the share price then offer you a fire-sale price for them.
This resort to punitive policy options is a natural consequence of the fact that the National Party solicits donations and business opportunities in exchange for legislation and Ministerial favours.
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/32526
Check 3 minutes in. The Labour Clustertruck policy of forcing trucks to the left on 3 or 4 lane motorways applies to just 50 or 60 km out of 11,000 km of motorway. Un believable . Utter clustertruck. Who is pushing The Cunliffe under this bus?
Yeah nah I’m with Jeremy Clarkson on this one. No trucks in the fast lane.
Sorry. But that’s basically Auckland spaghetti road system. Limiting trucks and leaving a lane open for people to pass will speed up traffic flow. Trucks take forever to pass.
I doubt there’s 11000 km of motorway; the word you’re looking for is “highway”.
“…applies to just 50 or 60 km…”
Yeah, just the bit where the people live. 🙄
I hope that lefties find time to talk to each other on this blog. So much time is spent jibing at the right wingers. It’s hardly political discussion really, just futile argument with fatuous people who, some say, could be paid to be intervening with their mindless tripe.
Scoring points off them is like getting a shot of strong coffee, which if repeated too often, gives panic attacks and feeling morose and out of sorts.
Agreed.
Best to ignore fisiani, BM, srylands, Seti, populuxe, puckish…
A lot of them who pollute, divert and distract conversation here.
“Best to ignore fisiani, BM, srylands, Seti, populuxe, puckish”
Its people like this and a few centre left that make this blog worth reading
Well the frustration is that you lot do not seek to contribute or develop the argument, you just want to pick a fight …
So Naki man is just like Felix posing as a rightie ?
Nope Felix is far more nuanced and sophisticated in his comments. Naki man is way out of his depth …
Paul
I couldn’t agree more. They are simple trolls ( and I mean ‘simple’) and a waste of brain cells (including nakiwatever).
I simply skip their nonsense as I want to hear opinions of real people who are looking for real solutions to real issues.
Yes, of course, dear Warbs, such as we’ve already discussed on several occasions.
As to the Paid Ones – each response is like a dollar in the slot.
(and who needs morose and out of sorts?!)
+1 greywarbler.
Don’t mind commenters like felix – and Te Reo Putake – whose witticisms are always enjoyable to read, but it almost comes across as a game of one-up-man-ship between left and right plus left and left. It must be off-putting for those who come here to read our comments and hopefully become better informed.
Cheers, Anne, that’s very kind, particularly coming from one of our most astute regulars.
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried to tone it down a bit, not always trying to get the last word, for example. And I’ve also been studiously ignoring Pooter George’s one man mission to bore the Standard to death, despite extreme provocation. Well, extremely dull provocation.
Generally, I’m ok with the other righties who comment here, because it’s important for the left to know how the conservatives and libertarians really think. Our charitable natures often make us think the best of them, then along comes Srylands, PG or Big Bruv to remind of us why we need to keep fighting the good fight.
And if not us, who will be there for those who can’t fight?
Hi Te Reo Putake. The Libertarians and Conservatives that you speak of, who comment here, that remind you of the importance of keeping up the good fight – do you not come across of these people IRL?
I do, and that is why I won’t engage with “them” online, because there are far too many in my that cross my path that I am already in combat with. Some of “them” are within family and it’s not a simple matter of who you vote for, it’s who you work for, paid or unpaid. (no family Xmas for 8 years now as result). My denial of them is personal, except in the most extreme circumstances.
The people you mention above are riding high in a time when many are suffering, or at least believe they are riding high when in fact they are just pawns, just come here for a joke at best or the latter group of people come here to try and prove themselves as the superior beings that they are definitely not. Some, maybe themselves, are finding life difficult but are clinging to some neo liberal mantra than began in the 80’s that they can’t give up because the message is aspurashonal.
They are all shallow and deluded, and no amount of reasoning will ever make a difference. If it does, we need examples.
Sorry to hear about the family situation. My lot include a couple of national voters who I can usually crack a joke with, but they’re very much pre-Thatcherite in their thinking, not out and out greedheads.
In real life, I have dealt, on a professional basis, with all manner of righties, some halfway decent, some arrogant, patronising pricks. Some wield their power thoughtfully and with compassion and some just made me think they had at home a secret wardrobe full of storm trooper tunics and matching frilly knickers.
Libertarians are generally the worst of the lot. Their contempt for humanity is often just below the surface and it doesn’t take much to bring out the ‘me me me, I’m entitled’ whining. That childishness is probably because their philosophy doesn’t bear scrutiny and they know it. It’s the politics of the dead eyed insect mind; conformist, but blinkered to the point that they think they’re acting alone.
Sadly TRP, some of my lot have been connected with some of the most disturbing PR spin we’ve seen in the last decade, and they ARE Libertarians. They do think they are unique, entitled, and most ludicrously of all, somehow hard done by, as if the working and middle classes have any power over them. Ha! (for now….)
It’s uncomfortable to declare such a personal connection, but I’m at the end of my tether with the cave in that sometimes occurs, to the the you-know-who’s who frequent TS. No one will do themselves or the Left any favours by trying to reason with or “educate” them. Engaging with them is only ever a distraction and removal of energies from doing real work and having genuine discussion and debate.
As for the regular righties. I have dealt with them both in work and personal life. I don’t mind the reasonable ones and at times have agreed with them on a rare occasion! Some of them are up for a laugh and a chat even – Sometimes there is common ground that can be found for the sake of social niceties. Thats all ok, and I’m sure they’d say the same of us.
Its the soulless bastards that are a worry.
PS: No I’m not related to Hooton, lol, as an afterthought. (or slug slime!)
I don’t try to reason with them anymore – just put forward the evidence and logic that proves them wrong. There’s more than just them reading and there’s a hell of a lot of people reading who don’t comment. Those people are far more important.
Tautoko, little grey bird. I suspect that several of them are paid and I’ve noticed a real explosion in their numbers lately. It’s happened both here and on TDB, which is sometimes hardly worth opening because all I find are Bomber’s attacks on the Greens and baby boomers, along with the idiotic rants of Whalespew regulars. Apart from the Bradbury contributions, it looks like the same thing is beginning to happen here. I wonder if it’s a deliberate stratagem to swamp the blog with rubbish.
It will be a shame if it continues, because I find some very informative posts and comments here. A new person could be put off by the thermal noise.
It is…nothing is surer. Having had some experience with their kind, I have a little bit of understanding how their minds work.
Good to see the worthwhile commenters still here. I just get sick of PR and his mate can’t remember but they often go in pairs, two right wing lovebirds cooing at each other. Then of course Srylands and poseurs like Naki man who knows he has a mind therefore he thinks.
And seeing I have made a solemn vow, on my knees, to not encourage RWNJs or hardly ever, as I notice that they just grow an extra foot every time they are dissed, sometimes I can’t find anyone to play with. In a short whioe they will have more feet than the Luggage from Terry Pratchett.
Lols Warbs. I just had to ask to ask Mr R, who is the biggest Terry Pratchett fan ever, what “The Luggage” was.
Possibly, just means that we have to put more effort into putting forward a good argument against them.
I was just taking a look at the Emergency Benefit application form on the WINZ website for a friend who is in desperate poverty. I note that it is 36 pages long. Anyone applying for such a benefit is already going to be completely demoralized – confronting them with 36 pages of application form just seems like some kind of cruel Monty Python joke. Where is the compassion?
Compassion? As National MP David Bennett famously and proudly said, “government is not here to make your life better”.
felix
Is that any relation to Paula? I wonder about her provenance.
Hmm not that I know of but parliament is a funny place. Did you know Jacinda and Shane Ardern are cousins?
Helen Clark and George Gair were related. I believe Annette King and Chris Finlayson are cousins. There’s others (past and present) on opposite sides of the fence too. There must be a special gene handed down within some families which automatically guides them into a life in politics. My family is split down the middle. One branch doesn’t have anything to do with me because of my ‘loony lefty’ leanings. 🙂
Holy moley Anne:
“There must be a special gene handed down within some families which automatically guides them into a life in politics. My family is split down the middle. One branch doesn’t have anything to do with me because of my ‘loony lefty’ leanings. :)”
Please see my reply to Te Reo Putake above at 21.3.1.1.1.1 at 10.13pm.
And I do agree, you are one of TS’s most astute regulars. (There are many astute regulars of course, who I do enjoy reading, so please, no one should feel excluded from that statement 🙂
Don’t encourage them. With words like that you’ll have them believing that the royals (and themselves of course) really are special.
I suggest that a banjo be part of the standard entitlement to an MP then.
And that is the reason why you should never, ever vote National. The governments job actually is to make your life better through excellent use and distribution of our resources. It’s been badly failing this purpose.
Little experiment
Next Colmar Brunton poll- anyone care to guess what Labour will poll?
I pick 29%
The point of the experiment is to see how accurate people are.
But that requires not just a psychic ability to read the populace, but a psychic ability to read the minds of only those people who are part of the randon sample next round on an infrequent poll.
Your “experiment” can demonstrate nothing, because you will never know if the guess is correct or if the poll is correct.
All your proposition demonstrates is that you have no idea how polling works.
I’m sorry if this has been posted already. From the British newspaper “The Telegraph” Dated 16 Apr 2014
Makes for a good read and really no surprises here.
“The US is an oligarchy, study concludes”
The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.
The report, entitled Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, used extensive policy data collected from between the years of 1981 and 2002 to empirically determine the state of the US political system.
After sifting through nearly 1,800 US policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile) and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the United States is dominated by its economic elite.
The peer-reviewed study, which will be taught at these universities in September, says: “The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.”
Researchers concluded that US government policies rarely align with the the preferences of the majority of Americans, but do favour special interests and lobbying oragnisations: “When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it.”
The positions of powerful interest groups are “not substantially correlated with the preferences of average citizens”, but the politics of average Americans and affluent Americans sometimes does overlap. This merely a coincidence, the report says, with the the interests of the average American being served almost exclusively when it also serves those of the richest 10 per cent.
The theory of “biased pluralism” that the Princeton and Northwestern researchers believe the US system fits holds that policy outcomes “tend to tilt towards the wishes of corporations and business and professional associations.”
The study comes in the wake of McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a controversial piece of legislation passed in The Supreme Court that abolished campaign contribution limits, and record low approval ratings for the US congress.
Thanks ExKiwiforces
That is so interesting I thought I might add the link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10769041/The-US-is-an-oligarchy-study-concludes.html
And the actual study:
http://www.princeton.edu/~mgilens/Gilens%20homepage%20materials/Gilens%20and%20Page/Gilens%20and%20Page%202014-Testing%20Theories%203-7-14.pdf
Thanx for that.
Thank you Blue Leopard for putting up the link, I had a few goes last night but I give up as my IT skills is not one of my core skill sets.
On my last visit to NZ a mth ago and reading these articles its looking like that NZ is heading down the same path.
No probs – thanks for pointing it out.
and, yes, sadly I would agree with that – and we don’t have articles like the one you pointed to in our newspapers either …so I am guessing there is little chance of awareness amongst the majority that this is the direction we are likely headed. Very sad.