Open mike 17/01/2025

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 17th, 2025 - 33 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

33 comments on “Open mike 17/01/2025 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tiger Mountain 1
    17 January 2025 at 8:34 am

    As I predicted yesterday…the IDF are going in hard with attacks prior to the ceasefire,
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jan/16/israel-gaza-war-live-blog-updates-strikes-hamas-ceasefire-talks

    What is more surprise surprise, not, is the Israeli Cabinet is not going to meet to ratify the deal as scheduled.
    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/16/israels-netanyahu-says-cabinet-will-not-meet-to-approve-ceasefire-deal

    A young AP reporter, obviously a local, interviewed on TVNZ last night, 6pm news, said that “Israeli forces were trying to kill as many Palestinians as possible before the ceasefire”. Within minutes TVNZ issued a “clarification”, sucking up to Israel yet again.

    So yes, a ceasefire will be great compared to open season on Palestinians, but not easy at all, particularly for parts 2 and 3.

    • Anne 1.1
      17 January 2025 at 10:57 am

      I saw that too TM. Someone on high was watching… immediately rang them and demanded they walk it back. My god, what a bunch of sycophantic wusses. It really shows just how manipulated our news feeds have become. I am watching/listening to less and less news bulletins these days because it simply isn't worth the time.

      • bwaghorn 1.1.1
        17 January 2025 at 11:59 am

        Back in my early political blog lurking days I said something inflammatory about Isreal, comment was released, (not on the standard? ) but was removed rapidly and I was banned for quiet some time , with no warning or reason given

  2. PsyclingLeft.Always 2
    17 January 2025 at 8:44 am

    From the : It will be somebody else's problem….the uncaring fckwits who handed it down to the next generations….incl ours.

    We must stop any more of this thinking. IMO Fast Track (and NAct1) very much of that mindset…

    Polluted Wellington dump site to take three weeks to clear

    Wellington City Council will dig up 1000 cubic metres worth of asbestos, arsenic, lead and other materials at a scenic South Coast beach.

    Environment scientist Dr Jeff Seadon told RNZ finding a site like this was not surprising.

    "What we've got is something in the order of hundreds if not thousands of these sites around New Zealand. A lot of these sites are known by councils, but there are also a lot that are still unfound or undetected."

    Seadon said during the 19th and 20th centuries, waste was often dumped because it was convenient and created some extra land. He said with larger storm surges and sea level rise, these dumps were being swept out and exposed.

    Who pays? We do….

    Fox River

    "Just the clean up from that was $3 million, and that's just one of hundreds around New Zealand."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/539178/polluted-wellington-dump-site-to-take-three-weeks-to-clear

  3. Jenny 3
    17 January 2025 at 9:00 am

    Will there be a ceasefire, or will the genocide continue?

    'Democracy Now' round table panel of experts on Israel/Palestine, give their analysis of the delay in Netanyahu's cabinet ratification of the recently signed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas;

    According to this panel, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has added two last minute demands, to the already agreed Ceasefire deal.

    Netanyahu's last minute demands

    1/ Netanyahu demands, that the IDF must remain on the Philadelphi Corridor. this goes against the specific explicit clause in the ceasefire agreement just signed,, that the IDF must decrease their presence in stage 1 of the agreement, and completely leave the Philadelphi Corridor by 'Day Fifty' of the ceasefire agreement.

    Two things to note about this last minute demand;

    First, that the IDF's presence on the Philadelphi Corridor is a breach of the Camp David Accords, the treaty signed between Egypt, Palestine, and Israel, brokered by the US during the Jimmy Carter administration.
    More importantly, it was this Israeli demand to stay on the Philadelphi Corridor, in defiance of the Camp David Accords, that torpedoed the last ceasefire agreement

    2/ Netanyahu demands, that Hamas fighters in Gaza must disarm and surrender to the IDF before the Israeli cabinet will ratify this deal.

    Something the IDF could not achieve by force Netanyahu is now demanding that Hamas do voluntarily?

    In my opinion, Netanyahu's last minute demand, that Hamas disarm and surrender to the IDF, is about as ridiculous as Hamas demanding that IDF disarm and surrender to Hamas.

    Neither of Netanyahu's demands were in the ceasefire agreement just signed in Doha.

    The democracy now analysis is that Netanyahu is again trying to sabotage the ceasefire agreement.

    Democracy Now, round table guests

    • Daniel Levy

      president of the U.S./Middle East Project and a former Israeli peace negotiator under Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Yitzhak Rabin.

    • Muhammad Shehada
      writer and analyst from Gaza, chief of communications at Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.

    • Jeremy Scahill
      co-founder of Drop Site News.

    Transcript:

    Muhammad Shehada beginning @7.43 minutes

    I’ll start with the first issue on the terms of agreement. It is literally, word for word — I read the whole text very carefully — it’s, word for word, the same text as the one that was produced by Israel’s own team on the 27th of May, 2024, so about seven to eight months ago. Hamas accepted it on July 2nd. Hamas was informed by mediators that the Israeli team gave a positive response, as well. Netanyahu immediately rejected it, as soon as Hamas’s answer was given, and imposed four conditions that his own generals, his own advisers, his own negotiators said that these conditions are impossible and render a deal unfeasible. But he insisted on them…..

  4. tWig 4
    17 January 2025 at 11:14 am

    I have said before that submissions for The Treaty Principles Bill should be limited to one submission per citizen. Debunking conspiracies aotearoa (FB) uncovers Julian Batchelar advising his followers on submitting to it.

    "Here we have evangelical hate preacher and property developer Julian Batchelor, showing his sheep how to put in multiple submissions."

    "In October 2018, an investigation into the Taxpayers' Union, showed that staff members acting on behalf of the organisation (and in an organised campaign) assumed false identities to lodge Official Information Act requests with the New Zealand Government's science research agency. After refusing to comment for two days, representatives from the Union admitted they had used false identities in this way."

    These are the reasons that I strongly believe we need to abandon anonymity and hiding behind online persona for submissions to the NZ Parliament. If you wish to do so, you must register you submission using RealMe, or an equivalent organisational valid identity.

  5. Stephen D 5
    17 January 2025 at 1:04 pm

    This will be a one term government.

    How easy will it be to repeal their odious pieces of legislation?

  6. SPC 6
    17 January 2025 at 1:10 pm

    Labour 30.9 is ahead of National, 29.6 in the latest poll.

    But support partner Green 9.5, trails ACT 10.8

    Labour Green and NACT are both 40.4%

    The NZF 8.1 lead over TPM 5.3 would keep the coalition in power, if an election as held now.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360551474/labour-ahead-national-first-political-poll-year

    • Patricia Bremner 6.1
      17 January 2025 at 1:42 pm

      According to Act supporting Atlas outpost TPU.

      Or Tax Payer's Onion as one wit had it.

      The next legitimate Poll will be of great interest.imo.

  8. SPC 8
    17 January 2025 at 2:58 pm

    Some schools abandon NCEA Level 1, because it is not challenging and their students are all expected to get NCEA Level 2 and then attempt UE in year 13 (some offer an alternative to NCEA 3).

    Year 13 University Entrance (UE) attainment is 48.2% compared to 49.7% in 2023

    The government now requires a mandatory literacy and numeracy result to get NCEA 1. (students who go onto NCEA 2 will probably reach it in year 12).

    Thus NCEA 1, 2 and 3 “pass” rates are all now around 70%.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/01/17/level-1-ncea-literacy-and-numeracy-pass-rates-fall/

  9. Ad 9
    17 January 2025 at 3:04 pm

    Could the 9th floor just leave Golriz alone now?

    Pretty clear that the Green caucus could loot Farmers from end to end and they'd still stay above 10%

    Those assholes running ops in the PM's office are flogging a dead horse.

  10. SPC 10
    17 January 2025 at 3:19 pm

    A new public health advance. A low cost preventative treatment that significantly reduces bone break problems for women past menopause.

    "Social investment" in the future well being of older people.

    https://archive.li/y53X9#selection-4141.102-4141.237

  11. SPC 11
    17 January 2025 at 6:40 pm

    Grey water systems and rainwater tanks? Incentivise take up, or await the arrival of water meters.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/01/17/thousands-of-homes-planned-for-hawkes-bay-but-theres-no-extra-water/

  12. Muttonbird 12
    17 January 2025 at 10:53 pm

    Not a peep from the usual suspects on this. They hate brown women, particularly socially conscious brown women, even more Maori or PI socially conscious brown women, and even more than that Arab socially conscious brown women, which is their ultimate kryptonite.

    Why then no comment on the latest bizarre attack on Golriz Gharaman? Possibly because they are up to their necks in corruption…

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/golriz-gharaman-and-the-150-pakn-save-shopping-incident-supermarket-never-complained-to-police-who-tried-to-use-allegation-in-court/M5S6ON6RYZERXI6TNSEJWEMVRA/

    • Obtrectator 12.1
      17 January 2025 at 11:41 pm

      Theft = depriving someone or some organisation of goods with the intent of keeping them. No such deprivation had occurred in the first place, let alone any opportunity to demonstrate intent to retain. Hence, no offence had been committed. So goodness only knows why any d@#$head "journalist" would think it worth their while to resurrect the non-incident now, three months on.

      • SPC 12.1.1
        18 January 2025 at 12:04 am

        Timeline

        An incident in a shop.

        A lot of people put stuff in their own shopping bags (instead of using plastic or paper supplied at the counter) in the supermarket trolley – variable shop policy as to doing this (as indicated by a notice on display near the entry). There was no complaint from the shop and she seems to have no case to answer, which makes the claim of an ongoing investigation somewhat surprising.

        Police seem to had access to camera evidence of the shop incident and tried to introduce it during the October hearing.

        It would seem presumption, based on form, that puting something into a bag in a supermarket trolley is akin to proof of intent.

        Of more recent times it has been on X, then on Stuff and then to the Herald.

        Police are continuing to investigate a shoplifting complaint

        They say there is a complainant, but refuse to say who.

        AI says

        No, police do not have sovereign immunity, but they do have qualified immunity. Qualified immunity is a legal shield that protects police officers from civil lawsuits and verdicts

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/golriz-gharaman-and-the-150-pakn-save-shopping-incident-supermarket-never-complained-to-police-who-tried-to-use-allegation-in-court/M5S6ON6RYZERXI6TNSEJWEMVRA/

    • Obtrectator 12.2
      18 January 2025 at 9:19 am

      Now we've got the Post squeezing the udder one more time:

      https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360549881/golriz-ghahraman-spotted-putting-pak-nsave-groceries-tote

      One-third of a page in the print edition (including photo) for what's nothing but a story saying there's no story.

  13. adam 13
    18 January 2025 at 1:25 am

    I wonder how many working class yanks are going to die at the hands of Pete Hegseth and his jingoism. And all the other working class stiffs who will be at the other end of his aggression? I see the Republicans like some commentators here think anti-war voices are controlled by china or some other such BS.

  15. Jenny 15
    18 January 2025 at 5:08 am

    Israeli 'Security Cabinet' (war cabinet) approves ceasefire deal
    Vote on ratifying the deal now goes before full Cabinet and is expected to pass,