Open Mike 16/06/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 16th, 2017 - 44 comments
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44 comments on “Open Mike 16/06/2017 ”

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  1. Ed 1
    16 June 2017 at 6:06 am

    People died in London fire ‘because they were poor’

    Many commentators have sought to avoid speculating about the causes of the horrific Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June. Others have argued that the tragedy was ‘not political’. But that’s a myth. And it’s one that rapper Akala absolutely demolished in an interview with Channel 4.
    At the time of writing, police have confirmed that at least 17 people died in the fire. And they expect that number to rise.
    Speaking to Channel 4‘s Jon Snow, an indignant Akala clearly thought the disaster was inherently political:
    “The people who died and lost their homes – this happened to them because they are poor…”

    He continued:
    “There is nowhere that rich people live in a building without adequate fire safety…”

    “Pretty panels”

    Jon Snow then pointed out:
    What’s so curious is that £8m has been spent refurbishing this place.
    To which Akala responded:
    “ Yes, but it was an eyesore for the rich people that live opposite. So they put panels – pretty panels – on the outside so the rich people opposite wouldn’t have to look at a horrendous block.”

    https://www.thecanary.co/2017/06/15/rapper-akala-smashes-biggest-lie-grenfell-disaster-whole-country-see-video/

    • Ed 1.1
      16 June 2017 at 6:10 am

      There are parallels here to Pike River.
      There is no way the rich would have gone down that mine themselves.
      Some call these the sacrifice zones of capitalism.

  2. Ed 2
    16 June 2017 at 6:18 am

    The brighter future…..

    ‘I can’t get a place’: Northland woman turns to life in a bus

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/333139/i-don-t-know-what-to-do-i-can-t-get-a-place

    • Ed 2.1
      16 June 2017 at 6:20 am

      The brighter future…..

      ‘New Zealand has topped the global teen suicide rankings, again.

      Our position in the world was cemented on Thursday by a Unicef report that called into question the wellbeing of Kiwi kids.

      The Innocenti Report found New Zealand’s rate for teen suicides (15-19) was the highest of the 41 OECD and EU countries included. We also came in 38th out of 41 countries when it came to overall health and wellbeing of our young people.’

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93705446/unicef-releases-damning-child-welfare-report

      • Ed 2.1.1
        16 June 2017 at 6:21 am

        The brighter future…..

        ‘Poverty, exposure to suicide increase risk of young people taking their own lives’

        http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93732000/poverty-exposure-to-suicide-increase-risk-of-young-people-taking-their-own-lives

        • marty mars 2.1.1.1
          16 June 2017 at 8:29 am

          What are your ideas to fix this?

          • RedLogix 2.1.1.1.1
            16 June 2017 at 8:46 am

            What I do know is that in the years immediately after Rogernomics is that the young male suicide rate more or less quadrupled in this country.

            Here is something I’ve been pondering a lot since I read it a few days ago. I’ve met Graeme Dingle a few times and regard him as the outstanding kiwi of his generation, alongside Sir Peter Blake. Here is his comments after he was Knighted this past Queens Birthday:

            “During the traverse Jill Tremaine suddenly said to me, ‘Graeme, you know life’s a cup to be filled not to be drained.’

            “I went ‘what?’

            “She explained over a period of about two weeks in sub-zero temperatures.

            “‘You’re actually a selfish person, you’re boring because you’re obsessed with climbing mountains and you won’t fill your cup until you do things that are good for other people’ – that was a huge lesson.

            “I went out and borrowed a truck-load of money and went and set up a charity.”

            http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93195418/selfish-mountaineers-transformative-journey-to-lifetime-of-giving-back

            • marty mars 2.1.1.1.1.1
              16 June 2017 at 8:59 am

              Nice.

              Yep I suppose rather than the never-ending and exhauting references Paul makes i was wondering what ORIGINAL IDEAS he may have had to FIX or mitigate what is happening. Not his style though.

              Suicide is a major. Not killing yourself when you try to is also a major. Severe self harm is a major. All the fault of the neo libs? No it isn’t. It isn’t the gnats fault anymore than Labour’s or to put it more accurately – we are all to blame. Our western culture, our selfish motivations and our economy, education and health.

              The solution – well I’m noticing language a lot – we are so judgmental so quick to other, so unconsciously ignorant of the effect we make on others.

              • jcuknz …
                16 June 2017 at 9:36 am

                A meaningful question well put MM. Why do we not do something, like making the Govt responsible, Instead of wasting money on the latest gadgets the country could well accept a lower standard of living but which had meaning for all employed in useful activitiy to them with a guaranteed income … UBI in other words where your effort brings returns instead of a cut of the basic income as these days with benefits. Without being a criminal in the black market.

              • RedLogix …
                16 June 2017 at 9:53 am

                Suicide is a very complex layered thing; I’m not going to even pretend to understand it. But my simplistic answer is embedded in Jill Tremain’s line above, “Life is a cup to be filled, not drained”.

                And it’s my guess that when people see the cup of their life almost empty, for one reason or another, suicide becomes more enticing than not.

                Beyond the basics of food, shelter and security people want three things; the opportunity to excel at something, the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the community around them and the freedom to dream and aspire to something better on their own terms.

                The genius of Project K was that it could address each of these; it created a framework which took young people out of their comfort zones, showed them they could exceed their own expectations, gave them a taste of positive group bonding and successful teamwork … and planted in them the seed of “what next in my life?” It filled their cup rather than drained it.

                So in this sense we are saying the same thing mm; too much of our lives is directed towards selfish desires when a healthy society would enable us to be of service to our families and communities.

                • marty mars …
                  16 June 2017 at 10:31 am

                  Yes we are in alignment.

                  Connecting to culture has been shown to reduce suicides in first nations peoples. And this can work with Māori too. And things like Aoraki Bound and all the rangatahi activities that happen, for instance, down south.

                  But what about connecting to all the other cultures even kiwi culture. What about all the connection to where we all come from. Greyhairs have fewer problems doing this (as the standard commenters demonstrate) – a lot harder for youth. There used to be the crump number 8 wire culture, not sure what culture is now – americas cup and queenstown?

    • AsleepWhileWalking 2.2
      16 June 2017 at 7:24 am

      This women could be anyone’s auntie.

  3. swordfish 3
    16 June 2017 at 6:23 am

    Theresa May is now almost as unpopular as pre-campaign Corbyn

    YouGov’s latest favourability figures show Jeremy Corbyn with his highest score to date, while Theresa May’s ratings are around where the Labour leader’s were in last November

    New YouGov research highlights just how badly the election campaign and result damaged the public’s view of both the Prime Minister and the Conservative party and how much it boosted Labour and its leader.

    In April, Theresa May had a healthy net favourability rating of +10. At the end of May, following the campaign and negative reception of the Conservative manifesto, it fell to -5. Following the election result it has plummeted to -34. The Prime Minister is currently about as unpopular as Jeremy Corbyn was in November last year, when he scored -35.

    The results clearly chart how the Prime Minister alienated a big section of her voter base. While Theresa May was seen favourably by 85% of 2015 Conservative voters in late April, by mid-June this had fallen to 57%.

    By contrast, over the same timeframe, the proportion of 2015 Labour voters with a positive impression of the Labour leader rose from 40% to 75% as Corbyn won them round. He also experienced a huge improvement among 2015 Lib Dem voters, rising from 15% to 69% over the course of the campaign.

    It is remarkable that there has been such a sharp turnaround for the leaders of the two main political parties. When the election was called, Theresa May was secure in her position and many were speculating over the future of the Labour leader. Now, the roles are reversed, with Jeremy Corbyn having silenced his critics and won over large sections of the public while the Prime Minister faces criticism from across the board.

    https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/theresa-may-now-almost-unpopular-pre-campaign-corb/

    • Anne 3.1
      16 June 2017 at 10:46 am

      It is remarkable that there has been such a sharp turnaround for the leaders of the two main political parties. When the election was called, Theresa May was secure in her position and many were speculating over the future of the Labour leader. Now, the roles are reversed, with Jeremy Corbyn having silenced his critics and won over large sections of the public…

      It’s actually not that remarkable. We have all seen the neolib. acolytes who make up the bulk of the MSM intentionally ignore opposition leaders of a Left persuasion. The last thing they want the populace to recognise is the worth of these leaders. But when it comes to general election campaigns they can’t ignore them and hey presto… the public discover there are politicians who are not only talented and perform well, but who genuinely champion their causes.

  4. One Anonymous Bloke 4
    16 June 2017 at 6:30 am

    More from the nothing new (to Standard readers) files:

    “Mediocre” management practices are holding the country back.

    OECD.

    • Andre 4.1
      16 June 2017 at 9:15 am

      Well, the author being the OECD it was kind of inevitable that one of the recommendations would be cutting company tax. But otherwise it’s a bit short of actual suggestions.

      When I returned to NZ from the US, one of the things that was immediately apparent was a cult of managerialism here. There’s an obsession with measuring and reporting, which requires a lot of managerial effort to monitor that measuring and reporting. My worth as an R&D engineer seemed to be linked to my compliance with measuring and reporting requirements as much or more than what I actually achieved and produced.

      Whereas in most of the US companies I worked for the role of the manager was much more to ensure the team knew the company direction and wants, the team had the resources needed, and then get out of the way.

    • Carolyn_nth 4.2
      16 June 2017 at 9:50 am

      But, they seem to measure management performance in relationship to the amount of competitive practices they use – i.e. it suggests better management is achieved through valuing competition more.

      I can’t see a lot in the report about management of staff. It seems to be more management of resources that they are focusing on.

      i.e. on numbers on spreadsheets, rather than how people work in their jobs.

    • Stuart Munro 4.3
      16 June 2017 at 11:28 am

      Mediocre is a charitable understatement. Try floundering, inept, & defensive.

  5. swordfish 5
    16 June 2017 at 6:49 am

    Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May visited Grenfell Tower today — and took very different approaches

    The contrast between May and Corbyn’s visit has been highlighted by many on Twitter:

    It didn’t go unnoticed by residents either. “Theresa May was here but she didn’t speak to any of us. She was s**t,” one told Corbyn during his time at the scene, according to the Daily Mirror.

    The Labour leader told reporters: “Some very hard questions have got to be asked and some very hard questions must be answered

    Theresa May Snubs Grenfell Tower Survivors As Jeremy Corbyn Is Mobbed In Street

    Corbyn says ‘the truth has got to come out’.

    Theresa May is facing a tide of anger after refusing to meet Grenfell Tower survivors when she visited the scene of the blaze this morning.

    In stark contrast to Jeremy Corbyn, who was pictured hugging and greeting residents, the Prime Minister was flanked by security as she viewed the devastation at the Kensington high-rise disaster.

    But her ‘private’ visit meant she did not encounter residents, journalists or any members of the public – in a move some dubbed “appalling”.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/theresa-may-grenfell-tower-survivors-jeremy-corbyn_uk_59426df4e4b09ad4fbe58141?utm_hp_ref=uk

    https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/875376109893931008

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-fire-latest-theresa-may-visit-jeremy-corbyn-resident-london-kensington-a7791726.html

    https://www.businessinsider.com.au/jeremy-corbyn-and-theresa-may-visit-grenfell-tower-fire-disaster-2017-6?r=US&IR=T

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/marieleconte/this-is-what-happened-when-theresa-may-and-jeremy-corbyn?utm_term=.vopB9BO1w#.pe0BRBkam

    https://www.trendsmap.com/local/gb/hackney

    The difference between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May’s visits to Grenfell tower in two pictures?

    https://indy100.com/article/theresa-may-jeremy-corbyn-grenfell-fire-survivors-firefighters-compare-pictures-7791821

    • Cinny 5.1
      16 June 2017 at 7:31 am

      Wow, what a difference, a leader who actually cares and a PM that only cares about a photo op. A cold cold woman and a warm caring man, the leader of a country should be like a parent figure, someone who genuinely cares about their citizens and their country. Pity the UK lead by a career driven ice queen.

      Makes me wonder if their election had been this week how different the outcome would have been.

    • Sanctuary 5.2
      16 June 2017 at 9:48 am

      Interestingly, the Daily Mail has a story unfavourable to May about her and Corbyn’s visit to the scene.

      Very bad for May indeed.

  6. Cinny 6
    16 June 2017 at 7:47 am

    Super impressed with the Labour party flyers for our electorate, they are fantastic, well done to the person who put them together. Superb layout and fully informative, will really enjoy delivering them.

  7. Andre 7
    16 June 2017 at 9:30 am

    About glyphosate causing cancer…

    “About that evidence: According to a new Reuters investigation, Aaron Blair, the scientist who led the IARC’s review panel on glyphosate, had access to data from a large study that strongly suggested that Roundup did not cause cancer after all—but he withheld that data from the Roundup review panel. Weirder still: Blair himself was a senior researcher on that study.”

    http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/06/monsanto-roundup-glyphosate-cancer-who/

    • One Two 7.1
      16 June 2017 at 9:46 am

      It’s the equivalent of the trading desk lakey being a ‘root cause’ of bank failings

      One individual, did not ’cause it’..

      I’m sure the chemicals are perfectly safe to spray liberally, including onto food stuffs, drinking water and clothing materials..

      So while you’re slugging from round-up containers and spraying it on your children…and others..

      How about those CDC whistle-blowers?

  8. Adrian 8
    16 June 2017 at 9:57 am

    Funnily, no one has yet commented on the latest Bridges fuckup, this one is a doozy.
    In any other country, even May,s Britain it would be a resigning offence.

    • exkiwiforces 8.1
      16 June 2017 at 11:20 am

      I have another word for it, but it’s not fit public comment to post it here. Anyway I tried to read the FOI report on the Third main line, as I soon realise is was wasting my time and I see the guys over at the Transport blog have done a post on it so I’ll pop over there for a look. This decision made by Bridges defies logic, but when was the last time you’ve seen a pollie use his or her brain?

    • saveNZ 8.2
      16 June 2017 at 12:20 pm

      Link?

  9. Andre 9
    16 June 2017 at 10:18 am

    It may be another consequence of Trump – that europeans at least now see that middle-finger voting might not be such a good idea after all.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-europes-fk-off-politics

  10. Red 10
    16 June 2017 at 11:30 am

    News hub poll looking good for a Center left national led government fourth term, labour dreadful at 26pc

    • Johan 10.1
      16 June 2017 at 12:23 pm

      Good results for the front-runner, even though these polls are their own.

    • DoublePlusGood 10.2
      16 June 2017 at 2:29 pm

      Given that National are a right-wing party, what the fuck are you talking about?

      • Red 10.2.1
        16 June 2017 at 5:06 pm

        nup on a global definition of right to left continuum

        National are at best Center to center left
        Labour and greens left of center to left, labour on its own center left

        National are really an embarrassment as a right wing party, hence why nz feel comfortable with them (and labour on 26pc, there is no real need for them ) re the average kiwis default left tendencies and history. It’s only the far left who really think national are right wing, such slogan nomally predicated by fascist so no real credibility

        • DoublePlusGood 10.2.1.1
          16 June 2017 at 9:29 pm

          You have no understanding of the left right political spectrum whatsoever.

  11. greywarshark 11
    16 June 2017 at 11:55 am

    I was looking at on-line news and found this heading:

    i>Golden Bay man fined for shooting tagged deer on farmland
    The Nelson Mail-29/05/2017
    Blake Cottle pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday to … The deer had escaped from a nearby property after a storm took out a fence. … been extremely cooperative and didn’t realise the deer were tagged until after he had shot them. … Moving to NZ was a culture shock, even for an Aussie.

    Then went to the item and found this:
    A Golden Bay man has been fined for shooting and stealing three escaped deer in a fenced paddock.
    Blake Cottle pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday to theft of animals and unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm.

    Cottle was driving on Uruwhenua Rd, south of Takaka, on the evening of January 22 when he came across three deer standing close together in a fenced paddock.
    The deer had escaped from a nearby property after a storm took out a fence.
    Cottle shot the three deer and entered the paddock to bone them with a knife.

    The deer had purple ear tags and orange National Animal Identification and Tracing tags.
    Cottle was stopped by police and found to have a loaded gun in his vehicle along with the three deer with identification tags.
    Defence lawyer Mark Dollimore said Cottle had been extremely cooperative and didn’t realise the deer were tagged until after he had shot them.

    Cottle was convicted and ordered to pay $2000 reparation to the owner of the deer. He was also fined $400 with court costs of $130 for the firearms charge.

    It does not mention that he was Australian, he is just a Golden Bay man. NZ are always that even when they have lived in Oz all their lives. The ‘full’ report doesn’t give us his viewpoint about why NZ was a culture shock even for an Australian which was alluded to in the headline. It does say that he entered a fenced paddock and shot two deer which he could see apparently but not their orange and purple tags.

    I think we should take all his money from him, sell what he has and pay reparation to the deer owner. Then apply the rest of the money to the court costs, firearm charge, apprehension and holding charge, air transport home to Australia and leave him $100 cash for his meals and transport back where he came from.

    Let’s get rid of feral Aussies before they invade us and treat us all as new aborigines. It would be practical and cost efficient and draw a line in the sand about what we expect here in NZ. We can’t be the weak nice-guy as they just don’t respect the type, but we should be fairer than the Oz lot, which wouldn’t be hard.

  13. Skinny 13
    16 June 2017 at 2:37 pm

    Good one Simon Bridges being asked to resign over bully boy tactics.

    “Such were the concerns, the Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier wrote a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister Bill English seeking an assurance ministers were not flouting the law when dealing with requests for official information.”

    https://www.change.org/p/nz-prime-minister-bill-english-transport-minister-simon-bridges-must-resign?source_location=minibar

  14. Armada 14
    16 June 2017 at 2:53 pm

    “The promise of Brexit was steeped in ideology from the very beginning, a fairy tale based on dark chauvinism. The Spanish Armada, Napoleon, Hitler and now the Polish plumbers who allegedly push down wages — when in reality they ensured that, after decades of lukewarmly dripping showers, the country’s bathrooms gradually returned to functionality. ”

    A German perspective on where the English have gotten to.
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/death-of-brexit-at-the-hands-of-theresa-may-a-1152330.html

  15. Fred H 15
    16 June 2017 at 8:21 pm

    Latest UMR Poll June 7-15:
    Labour: 32%
    Greens: 13%
    National: 42%
    New Zealand First: 9%

  16. Ed 16
    16 June 2017 at 8:39 pm

    Grenfell Tower Fire: Resident claims concerns over safety were repeatedly ignored