Didn’t miss it, there was no reply button. Trying to decide whether to go larger caliber (thus more expensive ammo) and learn to reload to offset costs or stay with smaller caliber which is cheaper ammo
“Of course because its nothing to do with poor parenting at all”
Of course this is an example of poor parenting, chris. The whole point is that this is poor parenting. We should all be appalled by such poor parenting.
So how come you and John Key are supporting legislation that will ensure more of it?
What causes ‘good parenting’ or ‘poor parenting’? To answer this question we would have to abondon the magical notion that some strange, supernatural ability to ‘make different choices’ exist.
That’s because the idea that people can summon ‘willpower’ (ex nihilo) from somewhere beyond the world of natural processes to do things differently immediately raises the question of why some people do – and are able to – summon such willpower while others don’t. From what does that different ability – and outcome – arise?
Sooner or later, to explain human behaviour we have to appeal to processes and forces beyond the individual person. To do otherwise and claim that it all arises from the person is unabashed hocus pocus.
That leaves us with two possibilities.
One is that external processes need to be employed to stop individuals emitting ‘bad behaviour’. Some respond to this possibility by claiming that there needs to be increased coercive force to constrain or prevent ‘bad behaviour’. This is the thinking behind punishment and ‘deterrence’ for ‘bad behaviour’. Alternatively, it might be argued that supportive ‘training’ is needed to prevent ‘bad behaviour’. These are two sides to the same coin and see the answer at the level of re-engineering individuals.
The other possibility is that there are sets of external processes that actually generate ‘bad behaviour’ and do so quite systematically. That is, external structures (economic, social, etc.) are busy generating bad behaviours like a widget factory generates widgets (perhaps this ‘production’ is unintentional but the fact remains that this is what is happening). From this perspective, the sensible thing to do is close down the ‘factory’ or radically alter its functioning so that it no longer generates the ‘bad behaviour’. That means changing social and economic structures – changing the way we organise ourselves for production.
The usual argument against the second possible explanation is that not everyone in the current social and economic structures exhibits ‘bad behaviour’ therefore it can’t be the fault of the structures.
But this is garbled logic.
It can be argued against by pointing out that – given ‘natural variation’ in everything from genes to developmental experiences – the impact of malevolent structures will always produce different outcomes in different individuals but that this is not evidence for the lack of malevolence or dysfunctionality in those structures.
Also, we don’t have good stats on ‘sub-critical’ dysfunction to check to see whether the socially acknowledged ‘bad behaviour’ is actually just the tip of a bigger iceberg of social difficulties that are more widespread in the population but never come to formal expression, especially in relation to a particular issue such as child neglect (i.e., the same difficulties that result in some people neglecting children may be expressed, by other people, in other ways – e.g., mental ill health – rather than through child neglect; therefore, we don’t see them as connected phenomena, arising from the same causes).
I’d argue that those who believe in the first kind of explanation will, forever, be like the dutch boy trying to plug holes in the dyke. Things will just get worse and worse until the whole dyke bursts open violently. All that sticking your finger in one hole does is increase the pressure on other parts of the dyke and make those other parts more likely to break.
Paradoxically, the more fevered and wide-ranging the attempts to ‘plug the dyke’ the more harm ends up being done, and done more quickly. The answer, if the second view is adopted, is to divert the body of water behind the dyke (to take the pressure off it – i.e., to stop it generating ‘holes’) then either rebuild the dyke more robustly or do things differently so we don’t need dykes.
‘Dyke plugging’ is the ‘piecemeal social engineering’ approach to social change that Karl Popper advocated – and it is beloved by those of a classical liberal/liberal bent who fear the effects of widespread social and economic change; which is understandable but not necessarily a guarantee that it is a successful strategy.
Like gamblers at a casino, the bet being laid by ‘hole pluggers’ is that ‘things are not really that bad’ in terms of fundamental social and economic structures. (i.e., that we have enough fingers to plug all the holes that will arise so no need to think beyond ‘hole plugging’.)
I found your article perfectly fine and understandable. One item you have not included, albeit this might be quite important when trying to explain why parents leave children in the car to go gambling is: Gambling is an addiction. Like a drug it draws certain vulnerable individuals to think they can “beat” the system, play to a proven method etc.They also watch how much a “one armed bandit” as the pokies where once called is played on in the belief that there are certain odds to get a winner when jumping on one of these at the “right” time. How I know this? I have watched 2 people ruining their and their family lives and nothing, absolutely nothing could stop them until they reached bottom level with no money left. Ultimately, this is what casinos live on – to take the hard earned money of ordinary people. In times past movies indicated that is was the mobs business.
I agree about the addictive qualities of gambling. After all, it is the variable ratio schedule of reinforcement (from the work of behaviourist B.F. Skinner) that is used to explain and calculate the average rate of reward in these machines to make a behaviour most resistant to extinction.
I’d suggest that one of the dysfunctional aspects of the social and economic structures we have in place currently is that it creates incentives for commercial enterprises to identify and then exploit those behaviours most prone to behavioural addiction with the inevitable bad consequences for individuals and society.
One of the skills that consumerism, for example, actively undermines is the ability for self control (aka ‘deferred gratification’) that is now known – from our own Dunedin study – to be one of the best predictors of adult success in relation to “health, wealth and public safety“.
The prevalence of addictive behaviours, I’d argue, is itself a function of structures that provide conditions to encourage them.
After all, it is the variable ratio schedule of reinforcement (from the work of behaviourist B.F. Skinner) that is used to explain and calculate the average rate of reward in these machines to make a behaviour most resistant to extinction.
Same thing applies to MMOs and other games.
The prevalence of addictive behaviours, I’d argue, is itself a function of structures that provide conditions to encourage them.
QFT
And this is where regulations come in. The simple fact is that capitalism will exploit these bad behaviors for personal gain means that they need to be regulated to minimise the harm to society that otherwise would result.
Some time back as a single and dating lad, I recall a quiet evening out at the local. As we walked in she quietly said to me ” If you find me in the bandit room any time later… you have my full permission to strong-arm me out of here.” She wasn’t kidding.
This from an otherwise intelligent, strong-willed and capable person was … memorable. It was something I’d never encountered before.
I’m curious because while I understand PG’s narrative, there still remains the fact that different individuals appear to vary very widely in their susceptibility to addictive behaviours.
Do you imagine that genetic’s should wholly account for this, or is there some other factor in play?
IMHO addictions are more likely to be environmental, learned behaviour, or psychological.
It’s a fact of the human condition that we want to get buzzed every so often. But some people *need* it to relieve their inner torment.
+1 …perfectly understandable good article from puddlegum…I dont trust those who always seek to blame the parents ….it takes a good caring balanced society to create good parents……and yes gambling can be an addiction (like being on the standard all the time….ha ha)
But Paul that’s the wonderful thing about always being right, cos of course it isn’t their fault, it never is! And after all increased child neglect at sky city, even increased pokie use has nothing to do with increased poker machines; that is all the fault of BAD beneficiaries, who should know better than to use poker machines. All the right have done is to get us a convention centre which they keep telling us we desperately needed, and of course there is no correlation whatsoever with increased poker machines and increased gambling. None whatsoever
Our MPs jeer at the words of the the Filipino delegate to the climate change talks.
And now we make our dairy profits by ignoring genocide.
I’m ashamed to be a New Zealander, given the direction this government is taking it.
Just wait for his twitter saying how much fun he’s having. The man is loathsome. http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/11/17/you-have-to-admire-john-key/
Key has always been weak. Its the old story about managers, you help promote the ones that aren’t a threat. Key’s compliance and acquiescence style is very welcome in easy going times, as its predictable. Yet our world is now entering crisis, resource limits, population (aging and growth), climate and cultural (mono uniformity globally).
“Prime Minister John Key said he will set out his concerns about human rights issues “pretty directl” when he has his formal meeting with Sri Lanka’s President later today, but said overall the relationship between the two countries was improving.”
(Typo courtesy of the Herald.)
“But as world leaders and royalty, including the Prince of Wales, gathered in the capital for their biennial meeting, Cameron first headed to meet victims of Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war and those suffering continuing violence.”
Fonterra is uniquely tied up with the nation state of NZ, and so is a easy target for global politics. Splitting Fonterra would seem a reasonable way to disconnect and allow our PM leeway to pursue our other national interest, the promotion of civil rights. Key is too close to big business.
Key’s getting a real pasting over Sri Lanka and Fonterra on Q & A. More and more I get the impression Fran O’Sullivan has pretty much lost all respect for him.
A pasting with knobs on. Well worth a watch. Have never heard Key dismissed as an incompetent idiot (my words/interpretation) previously in the msm, albeit only in foreign relations terms. Is this a turning point?
well, the Tories maintain support so far. And from The Nation, Colon Craig- “we’re more in that business space (than NZFirst), …50% of our list are successful small businesmen…my portfolio to interests (Rachel)…small business, property… and, government in an efficient manner.” Oh dear, along with more of these show-business and respectable types being found less than whole-some.
… and, government in an efficient manner.”
Colon Craig, another weed springing up from the rampant neo liberal infested countryside.
Just as pervasive as bindwee, convulvulus, old man’s beard. Get rid, root and branch.
now, that is a co-inky-dink; bindweed and the persistent c are an issue in my garden too. Old-Man’s Beard, we cleared a lot of on a rural property we leased two years ago; it was strangling the trees, dreadful stuff.
yes, it was interesting commentary by Fran, praising Helen Clark’s comprehension of the issues that a New Zealand Prime Minister needs.
Also from Q&A, Robert Reid of First Union on this rape culture prevalence : “we live in a bullying, misogynist culture […] that needs a complete change.” (paraphrased).
And Hone, on Feed The Kids Bill, believes that some Nats would personally support it to select committee, he has to see their whips: 80,000-100,000 children go to school hungry- Source, Barnados.
As I said before, there is really no different than the School Dental Service, free milk in school, Education Board speech therapists and psychologists, school nurses, school buses, etc and so on..
Raglan came out to support the flotilla on its way to Anadarko’s ground zero. With hundreds of people both Pakeha and Maori (Which is new here in Rags) and speeches from not other than Angeline Greensill, Catherine Delahunty and Hone Harawira amongst others it was a great turn out!
Funny how cost wasn’t going to be an issue in the fool’s goal of getting back into the mine, but as soon as a very modest amount of money that actually would make a real difference to people’s lives come around, suddenly the purse strings are closed.
And if they can’t be bothered to help those people with a bit of funding. What makes us think they will cough up if and when Anadarko fucks up on our coasts! We will be left in a destroyed country while John Key and his ilk live it up elsewhere on our dime and with our assets!
Currently reading Nicky Hagar’s ‘Other Peoples’ Wars”. What I find the most shocking is the attitude of some at least of the NZ Defence Force personnel (including senior officers) who were posted to Afghanistan. They pulled the wool over the Labour govt’s eyes and blatantly lied about what they were doing there. Their brief was to be peace keepers and assist with reconstruction and they were NOT to be part of the killing sprees (my word for it) except in a situation of a threat to their life and limb.
My point is: under National they most certainly would have been sent there to be part of the random killing sprees – of that I have no doubts. Imagine how much more the Afghanistan cost would have been – $500M? But they can’t compensate the Pike River families for the terrible ordeal they’re still going through at a mere pittance in comparison.
Pathetic, crappy Govt. is almost an understatement. As for the voters… most are no better.
George Carlin
‘Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It’s what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens – if you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you’re going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain’t going to do any good; you’re just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it’s not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here… like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There’s a nice campaign slogan for somebody: ‘The Public Sucks.’
The Nation today, Bennett said women were vulnerable, preyed upon by loser men (since no women in her right mind wants a baby, forgets to take the pill, or just doesn’t want to live with a man, does not occur to her). Now, apart from the outward rage against men this former single mum beneficiary has toward men, and the pedaling the stereotype that women are weak (and so vulnerable which feeds into the roastbuster views of women), apart from all that, what really really irked was how now she was in this position of power she felt so easily compelled to dish it out to women and men about their promiscuity. As if the state was somehow supposed to govern personal matters like that, but worse, that now she was powerful, that she needed to emphasis her now non-vulnerability. All the compassion and the principle just drained from her, and to my mind she just fed the roastbuster stereotypes, at both ends, ruthless men pray of weak women. Women are not weak, women do pray on men too, they do when they are physically stronger but also more likely psychologically. If Bennett had not been sexist against both men and women she might just have caused authorities to investigate, but its one of those bureaucratic technicalities that let this culture of women hatred, self loathing, self-victimization alive. I mean that’s not to suggest that strong women don’t exist, or self-loathing weak vulnerable MSD ministers, but that just as there are predatory women there are predatory men, just as there are sex crimes against women, there are also against men (by women as well as other men), anyway I think you get the point, I hope.
[karol: moved from National day of action against rape culture, highly moderated post. I share your disapproval of Paula Bennett’s treatment of beneficiaries. You draw a long bow from there to the day of action against rape culture. You also don’t seem to understand how rape culture is supported by sexism and patriarchal culture.]
aerobubble, that “loser man” term was introduced by the moderator on the program, not so much by Bennett, but she is of course always a two faced, hypocrite, trying to at one stage presenting women and men as losers, but then claiming some are “really good” and “heroes”, which sounds so unconvincing coming from her high seat.
She is just laughing material, with all this slap happy, sloganised, casual shit talk she presents to the media, there is little detail, substance or anything else of reliable information she ever presents. It is all about “spirit”, “morals”, about “doing” things, about this that and the other vague stuff, one has to wonder, why these idiot journalists let her get away with it all.
Truth is, most agree with her “moral high-ground lecturing”, so they do as mostly typical uppety middle classers totally agree with what she and Nationals stand for and do. There is NOTHING we can expect from the shit mainstream media to really address what is going on in welfare, they simply are not at all interested, whether it is fair, objective, just or whatever.
This presumes the interviewer didn’t inject the term to play Bennett, exposing her for the emptiness. It makes more sense that way, since Bennett loves the put down of those she is duty bound to serve, the needy. Says more about Key selecting her, and National for stomaching her for so long. But hey I’m biased I think a benefit should not come with strings attached since its inhibits seeking further income and so helps force down wages as employers increase churn knowing the work force will not rise up (as they will have a subsidy). It means over time a subgroup of under skilled, under utilized, under paid citizens comes into existance, locked out of higher wages necessary to build their own lives and investments. Universal income payment is not only efficient its the only ethical way, the caveat being that governments may raise it too much to gain popularity but this should never be a reason for not having one.
According to Bennett, of the 80,000 receiving sole-parent support (DPB,etc), 89% are women.
Conversely, $2.8B is outstanding in child support payments (yes, I paid mine, and extras) and this figure is growing. Not much more to be said on gender imbalances in NZ. Well, of course there is…
….”(yes, I paid mine, and extras)” …..
As did I. In fact I estimate I paid close to 1.5 – 2 times what my ex, and one of my children received in any sort of state benefits.
….. still, can’t grumble – otherwise I’d have no right to be able to regard the likes of BM, Chris73 and other trolls as complete and utter assholes devoid of any concept of community, egalitarianism, selflessness, etc.
I hope the cnuts don’t claim any sort of Christian principles (a la Chris Finlayson et al).
interestingly, in this space, China is progressing it’s people replacement programme, reviewing the one-child policy, and abolishing labour camps (re-education involved).
hmmm. Compared to here, the circumstances still appear very difficult for the majority of the Chinese workforce, particularly those in other, less-developed, countries they invest in. Still, then there is India.
Good news – now I won’t feel obliged to put up with the crappy over-hyped Air NZ in the name of patriotism.
Question – how long before the taxpayers will have to buy it back again?
Can you perhaps explain how the “private buyers” are going to accomplish this when the Government will continue to hold and absolute majority of 53% of the shares?
I was in attendance at the protest over the roast busters and rape culture yesterday in Auckland and it got me thinking.
I do wonder sometimes, if Auckland is to big, and if it was all possible that we need to have events like this spread over the city. I mean for us out west with the trains down yesterday and having a pram, taking a bus is not an option. (was able to borrow a car)
Local organisation for the local people. And as it happened in the west – a protest or event in New Lynn may have been better. This is not a criticism of the event – because it was fantastic – but the beginning of of some questions for us lefties. If we really are keen to hear local communities and their opinions – then we need to operate in those communities.
A protest is an empowering thing – it gives voice to the voiceless – it offers a sense of action and it gives people a feeling of togetherness.
Questions really, can we do this differently? Can we make it more effective? I know logistics seems BIG – but if we keep it local – then it’s local orgaisation for local people. Drawing on more talent and orgaisational skills expands the left not diminishes it.
Just thoughts and Ideas – Again let me say the orgainsation and the speakers at yesterdays rally were spot on and awesome!! And If Miss Davidson would/could please put her speech on line I’d like to read it again – it was bloody awesome.
What a depressing read. This must apply to about 99.92% of the contributors to blogs.
I of course am the other 0.08% of the set, as I am of course never miserable.
Smart Talk not so smart;
The decline in quality of our public radio is a scandal Smart Talk: Zeus and Hera – Family and Marriage
Radio NZ National, Sunday 17 November 2013
This is how the Radio NZ website advertises this dog:
The first of a series of panel discussions from the Auckland Museum on the theme of Gods and Men features Dita De Boni, Conrad Reyners and Dr Susan Morton. With Zeus and Hera in mind Noelle McCarthy explores what family and marriage means in 21st century Aotearoa, a place where the only thing nuclear about the family is the way that it has exploded. In a wide-ranging discussion, the group considers the impact of the Marriage Equality Bill.
For any serious listener, one name above all would have set the alarm bells ringing: anyone who has listened to Dita Di Boni‘s light-hearted and light-headed contributions on The Panel or read her sub-sophomoric ruminations in the Herald will have been aware that, whatever the producers of this program had in mind, it was not a serious discussion. [1]
Due to other commitments, I tuned in only to the last few minutes of the program. This is what I heard…..
DITA DI BONI: We’re hamstrung by political correctness in the parenting realm. There are some things we are not allowed to do these days. I’m not brave enough to say what they are! He he he he he!
She then went on to defend “those people of conservative views” (translation: hateful fundamentalist Christian bigots) who were subjected to ridicule on “the leftist forum” of Twitter after they had posted their ignorant messages during the recent Civil Marriage debate.
The really troubling thing about this was not that she said something so foolish and provocative, but that she was not challenged in any way by any of the other participants. There are a couple of possibilities to explain their silence: either Conrad Reyners and Dr Susan Morton are brain-dead, or they knew without having to be told that disagreement and debate are not encouraged or tolerated on Radio New Zealand National.
This Smart Talk turkey follows the format of being interrupted every twelve or so minutes—clearly someone imagines it can be flogged to some commercial outfit somewhere—by a recorded promo of the program, consisting of Noelle McCarthy’s Cork lilt over a bed of unsettling, vaguely portentous music. It is done in exactly the same sententious manner as the TED Radio Hour, the dire PBS series that recently filled the 4 o’clock spot.
This style of grandiose introductions for essentially light, intellectually lazy arts and discussion programs goes back a long way. Those Standardisti who watched CanWest television shows on Sunday afternoons in New Zealand in the late 1990s will recall with horror a similarly pretentious Canadian television series [2] that used to show on TV3, and will be unable to forget—try as they might—the breathy introductions and voiceovers by one Marilyn Lightstone. Disturbingly, someone at Radio New Zealand National is impressed rather than repelled by such shallowness, and they have compelled poor Noelle McCarthy to perform the radio equivalent of what the National Party’s brains trust did when it compelled poor Don Brash to climb into a stock car on the campaign trail.
At the end of the program, the studio audience erupted into explosive applause. I would bet Bill Clinton’s monthly whoring budget that someone had instructed them to do this, and it was not spontaneous. Certainly the Sunday 4 ’til 8 host Katrina Batten sounded dubious: “A very enthusiastic audience there,” she said, carefully, “ending the first episode of Smart Talk….”
[1]http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10052013/#comment-631145 [2] It consisted almost entirely of following the Toronto dinner-jacket set to exhibition openings and book launches. There was a particularly sad, worshipful segment one day devoted to Christopher Hitchens’ appearance at a society dinner party; the Canadian and American punters interviewed seemed to be in awe of the fact that Hitchens had read so many books.
How many of those books had Hitchens understood? He always struck me as the sort that would read a précis of a book, just so he could throw it into conversation.
I think he read them, Murray. He was a liar, a bully and a toady, but unlike his sad acolytes and the right wing politicians he so virulently defended, he did actually know what he was talking about.
That’s a very good citation, ropata. However, I don’t think “virulent” is the right word to describe Galloway’s systematic demolition of Hitchens. It applies to Hitchens though, quite appropriately.
If there was any doubt before, none remains now.
We have got a true measure of Key’s understanding of the world.
Far from being able to remember what he was doing in 1981, Key knows full well what he was doing and where he stood on playing with Apartheid, as evidenced by his opinions of sanctions against countries – “as not working or ineffective” says it all.
I still think an inquisitorial rather than adversarial processes is best in court, but Collins is not going to go there.
Ms Collins was looking at restorative justice.
“What we know is that quite a lot of those people who do complain to police as victims of sexual assault are actually assaulted by people who are close to them – either partners, former partners, friends, family members.
“And sometimes they don’t want, those victims, to have to go to court. They also don’t want to necessarily see the accused end up in jail for up to 20 years, because rape is treated extremely seriously in this country.
“What thy do want is they want abuse to stop, they want the offender to confess to what they’ve done, to acknowledge the harm that they’ve caused and to help give back that person’s dignity.
“And I think it’s that loss of dignity which continues to live with the victim forever.”</blockquote.
Obviously it won't suit all victims, or be appropriate for many forms of rape, but there are a lot of people who would feel they can get some proportionate justice, with further protection through behaviour change as a result of a restorative justice process, than having families being ruined by long drawn out adversarial justice processes and prison terms.
I'm surprised and pleased Collins is actually putting a bit of thought into this, rather than making excuses. Note to self to see if this process is in use elsewhere.
“Look out the left the captain said
The lights down there that’s where we’ll land
Up there’s a heaven, down there’s a town
Blackness everywhere, any little lights shine
Turn this Crazy Bird around.”
Immense social inequality established after a “Chicago Boys” generated type of “economic boom” (for the top winners), supported by US and other overseas capital, is likely to urge most Chileans to question the present system and return Bachelet to presidency.
This is highly interesting stuff to watch in one of Latin America’s most important countries and economies!!!
Yep, so while we have the “Chicago Boys” do their deals, the rest of society have to live with humble pie, no matter where you go and look. “Trickle down” or “pissing down” your leg while you stand next by the side, that is their theory.
John Key did oversee another “dairy deal” in Sri Lanka, shat on human rights issues, while the UK media exposed the censorship and bias in the media there. NZ is becoming a sell-out country when it comes to human rights, gradually similar to the “sell out” terms that the Pinochet government offered overseas “investors” to make great gains in Chile, over the last few decades.
Private education locks many out of decent education there, so there have been endless protests. This election there this Sunday is a must watch story. Hopefully some more moves towards a bit more social and economic justice will be the result after all.
Camila Vallejo’s election “ad” for her “Florida” electorate in the south of Santiago. Well, it seems they all at some stage turn a bit “mainstream”, she being a former “communist” and student leader, now running under the group supporting prospective president Bachelet:
Well, I wish her well, any move away from what they have now can only be an improvement.
An upcoming mother by all looks too, how interesting, running for Parliament and also motherhood at the same time, here you go, emancipated Kiwi girls, a good example to perhaps respect and follow (some do by the way!)!
SEE THIS AUTHENTIC CHILEAN PUBLIC TV DOCUMENTARY ABOUT HOW FASCIM WORKS AND TIES IN INNOCENT CONSCRIPTS AND THE LIKES:
There are issues in NZ, but the issues that took importance there, and have a follow up story to tell, they can also happen here.. This is what one of the most commercially brainwashed people on this planet, and those are you, dear NZers, do not bloody realise!
Wake up and take a bloody stand, thanks! Key just let Sri Lanka off the hook! A country with unadressed human rights issues, where tens of thousands were killed. How can a people, that is “civilised” and “educated’ stand bloody still and damned well IGNORE this???
If it adds nothing then do not remove it allow us to respond in kind. It really is censorship shame on you.
All we want is a democratic and fair government but the minute you censor something you are admitting you are no better than them. A democratic society doesn’t censor or delete its citizens comments just because they disagree. They allow debate and free speech.
The thread flowed and ebbed comments from photonz would have been taken to task.
[karol: this is a blog not government. There are policies for the blog, breaching of them is a banning offence. See here. I haven’t banned commenters but moderated some comments and moved them because they are in danger of derailing the thread.
Banning offences are attacking authors and telling them what to write.
there are also rules, which includes trollish behaviour such as not engaging the brain when commenting.
You are really overstating the value of the comments I deleted. The commenter had set the discussion off in a direction that was off topic, was warned, then continued to dispute it. That’s not censorship.
And continuing to dispute my decisions and actions will not be looked on favourably either.
I’m sorry I originally moved the comments to this open mike – 17th, then corrected and sent them to open mike for the 18th]
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The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
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Child neglect at casino increasing
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9409016/Child-neglect-at-casino-increasing
John Banks, Peter Dunne and the others who voted for more pokies, hang your heads in shame.
This will just get worse in the future.
Of course because its nothing to do with poor parenting at all
Poor parenting is 50% of the problem. Let’s tackle the whole problem. Including resourcing and teaching parents better skills and better approaches.
Every child is different, until we teach to weakness and reward their strengths schools and teachers will continue to fail kids in my opinion.
Yeah, Chris..that’s the only reason….
Saves you from having to worry about any social contract.
If 73 refers to your date of birth, it explains a lot.
A child of the neo-liberal revolution.
Do you realise there are successful alternative views to how society can operate than the Ayn Rand/’Atlas shrugged’/libertarian/ me me me model ?
“If 73 refers to your date of birth, it explains a lot.
A child of the neo-liberal revolution.”
I’d even put money on it!
Chris73… in case you missed it Murray Olsen asked you an important question
Didn’t miss it, there was no reply button. Trying to decide whether to go larger caliber (thus more expensive ammo) and learn to reload to offset costs or stay with smaller caliber which is cheaper ammo
There is always a reply button. You just have to want to use it.
“Of course because its nothing to do with poor parenting at all”
Of course this is an example of poor parenting, chris. The whole point is that this is poor parenting. We should all be appalled by such poor parenting.
So how come you and John Key are supporting legislation that will ensure more of it?
HI chris73,
Let’s play with this idea for a bit.
What causes ‘good parenting’ or ‘poor parenting’? To answer this question we would have to abondon the magical notion that some strange, supernatural ability to ‘make different choices’ exist.
That’s because the idea that people can summon ‘willpower’ (ex nihilo) from somewhere beyond the world of natural processes to do things differently immediately raises the question of why some people do – and are able to – summon such willpower while others don’t. From what does that different ability – and outcome – arise?
Sooner or later, to explain human behaviour we have to appeal to processes and forces beyond the individual person. To do otherwise and claim that it all arises from the person is unabashed hocus pocus.
That leaves us with two possibilities.
One is that external processes need to be employed to stop individuals emitting ‘bad behaviour’. Some respond to this possibility by claiming that there needs to be increased coercive force to constrain or prevent ‘bad behaviour’. This is the thinking behind punishment and ‘deterrence’ for ‘bad behaviour’. Alternatively, it might be argued that supportive ‘training’ is needed to prevent ‘bad behaviour’. These are two sides to the same coin and see the answer at the level of re-engineering individuals.
The other possibility is that there are sets of external processes that actually generate ‘bad behaviour’ and do so quite systematically. That is, external structures (economic, social, etc.) are busy generating bad behaviours like a widget factory generates widgets (perhaps this ‘production’ is unintentional but the fact remains that this is what is happening). From this perspective, the sensible thing to do is close down the ‘factory’ or radically alter its functioning so that it no longer generates the ‘bad behaviour’. That means changing social and economic structures – changing the way we organise ourselves for production.
The usual argument against the second possible explanation is that not everyone in the current social and economic structures exhibits ‘bad behaviour’ therefore it can’t be the fault of the structures.
But this is garbled logic.
It can be argued against by pointing out that – given ‘natural variation’ in everything from genes to developmental experiences – the impact of malevolent structures will always produce different outcomes in different individuals but that this is not evidence for the lack of malevolence or dysfunctionality in those structures.
Also, we don’t have good stats on ‘sub-critical’ dysfunction to check to see whether the socially acknowledged ‘bad behaviour’ is actually just the tip of a bigger iceberg of social difficulties that are more widespread in the population but never come to formal expression, especially in relation to a particular issue such as child neglect (i.e., the same difficulties that result in some people neglecting children may be expressed, by other people, in other ways – e.g., mental ill health – rather than through child neglect; therefore, we don’t see them as connected phenomena, arising from the same causes).
I’d argue that those who believe in the first kind of explanation will, forever, be like the dutch boy trying to plug holes in the dyke. Things will just get worse and worse until the whole dyke bursts open violently. All that sticking your finger in one hole does is increase the pressure on other parts of the dyke and make those other parts more likely to break.
Paradoxically, the more fevered and wide-ranging the attempts to ‘plug the dyke’ the more harm ends up being done, and done more quickly. The answer, if the second view is adopted, is to divert the body of water behind the dyke (to take the pressure off it – i.e., to stop it generating ‘holes’) then either rebuild the dyke more robustly or do things differently so we don’t need dykes.
‘Dyke plugging’ is the ‘piecemeal social engineering’ approach to social change that Karl Popper advocated – and it is beloved by those of a classical liberal/liberal bent who fear the effects of widespread social and economic change; which is understandable but not necessarily a guarantee that it is a successful strategy.
Like gamblers at a casino, the bet being laid by ‘hole pluggers’ is that ‘things are not really that bad’ in terms of fundamental social and economic structures. (i.e., that we have enough fingers to plug all the holes that will arise so no need to think beyond ‘hole plugging’.)
He won’t have an idea what you’re talking about.
I hope you’re wrong but if you’re right I guess that means that I must try to express myself more clearly.
I don’t mind trying to meet someone three-quarters of the way, if that’s what it takes. I just find it difficult hitting the right pitch sometimes.
It’s an art, I know, and I need to practice it more.
that will be helpful, for some, I’m certain.
I agree, and will do – I knew I could depend upon you to be an advocate for clarity 🙂
depends on the vintage and decanter 😀
I thought it was expressed very clearly. Never be clear enough for those who feign ignorance though.
Frankly Puddleglum I am moved. Excellent, calm, clear, superbly logical, profound, analysis. Thanks.
Who cares that the Little Churchill effigies infesting this site won’t by will or nature understand. Be fun to see them squeal and splutter.
Thanks North!
I found your article perfectly fine and understandable. One item you have not included, albeit this might be quite important when trying to explain why parents leave children in the car to go gambling is: Gambling is an addiction. Like a drug it draws certain vulnerable individuals to think they can “beat” the system, play to a proven method etc.They also watch how much a “one armed bandit” as the pokies where once called is played on in the belief that there are certain odds to get a winner when jumping on one of these at the “right” time. How I know this? I have watched 2 people ruining their and their family lives and nothing, absolutely nothing could stop them until they reached bottom level with no money left. Ultimately, this is what casinos live on – to take the hard earned money of ordinary people. In times past movies indicated that is was the mobs business.
Hi Foreign Waka,
I agree about the addictive qualities of gambling. After all, it is the variable ratio schedule of reinforcement (from the work of behaviourist B.F. Skinner) that is used to explain and calculate the average rate of reward in these machines to make a behaviour most resistant to extinction.
I’d suggest that one of the dysfunctional aspects of the social and economic structures we have in place currently is that it creates incentives for commercial enterprises to identify and then exploit those behaviours most prone to behavioural addiction with the inevitable bad consequences for individuals and society.
One of the skills that consumerism, for example, actively undermines is the ability for self control (aka ‘deferred gratification’) that is now known – from our own Dunedin study – to be one of the best predictors of adult success in relation to “health, wealth and public safety“.
The prevalence of addictive behaviours, I’d argue, is itself a function of structures that provide conditions to encourage them.
Same thing applies to MMOs and other games.
QFT
And this is where regulations come in. The simple fact is that capitalism will exploit these bad behaviors for personal gain means that they need to be regulated to minimise the harm to society that otherwise would result.
Some time back as a single and dating lad, I recall a quiet evening out at the local. As we walked in she quietly said to me ” If you find me in the bandit room any time later… you have my full permission to strong-arm me out of here.” She wasn’t kidding.
This from an otherwise intelligent, strong-willed and capable person was … memorable. It was something I’d never encountered before.
I’m curious because while I understand PG’s narrative, there still remains the fact that different individuals appear to vary very widely in their susceptibility to addictive behaviours.
Do you imagine that genetic’s should wholly account for this, or is there some other factor in play?
IMHO addictions are more likely to be environmental, learned behaviour, or psychological.
It’s a fact of the human condition that we want to get buzzed every so often. But some people *need* it to relieve their inner torment.
TIME magazine has the best overview I’ve seen of addiction and brain chemistry
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986282,00.html
+1 …perfectly understandable good article from puddlegum…I dont trust those who always seek to blame the parents ….it takes a good caring balanced society to create good parents……and yes gambling can be an addiction (like being on the standard all the time….ha ha)
Well said, and good to see someone else who doesn’t worship Popper.
But Paul that’s the wonderful thing about always being right, cos of course it isn’t their fault, it never is! And after all increased child neglect at sky city, even increased pokie use has nothing to do with increased poker machines; that is all the fault of BAD beneficiaries, who should know better than to use poker machines. All the right have done is to get us a convention centre which they keep telling us we desperately needed, and of course there is no correlation whatsoever with increased poker machines and increased gambling. None whatsoever
Our MPs jeer at the words of the the Filipino delegate to the climate change talks.
And now we make our dairy profits by ignoring genocide.
I’m ashamed to be a New Zealander, given the direction this government is taking it.
Just wait for his twitter saying how much fun he’s having. The man is loathsome. http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/11/17/you-have-to-admire-john-key/
Key has always been weak. Its the old story about managers, you help promote the ones that aren’t a threat. Key’s compliance and acquiescence style is very welcome in easy going times, as its predictable. Yet our world is now entering crisis, resource limits, population (aging and growth), climate and cultural (mono uniformity globally).
“Prime Minister John Key said he will set out his concerns about human rights issues “pretty directl” when he has his formal meeting with Sri Lanka’s President later today, but said overall the relationship between the two countries was improving.”
(Typo courtesy of the Herald.)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11158536
Pretty directly, eh?
Rajapaksa must be shaking in his boots.
Compare Key’s words with this.
”British prime minister say he will look to UN to investigate claims of civil war abuses if Sri Lanka does not act within four months”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/16/sri-lanka-cameron-international-war-crimes-inquiry
I’m not a fan of David Cameron… but it seems he’s a lot more direct.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/15/david-cameron-visits-tamils-sri-lanka
“But as world leaders and royalty, including the Prince of Wales, gathered in the capital for their biennial meeting, Cameron first headed to meet victims of Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war and those suffering continuing violence.”
To be fair to Key, if the UK had some significant economic or strategic interests in Sri Lanka Cameron wouldn’t be using his current tone.
So far as I’m aware, for Cameron it’s a ‘free hit’.
By contrast, I understand that there’s some reasonably significant economic (‘dairy’??) interests in Sri Lanka for Key.
Diplomatic duplicity (or ‘realpolitik’ or whatever you want to call it) once again prevails.
Fonterra is uniquely tied up with the nation state of NZ, and so is a easy target for global politics. Splitting Fonterra would seem a reasonable way to disconnect and allow our PM leeway to pursue our other national interest, the promotion of civil rights. Key is too close to big business.
Key’s getting a real pasting over Sri Lanka and Fonterra on Q & A. More and more I get the impression Fran O’Sullivan has pretty much lost all respect for him.
A pasting with knobs on. Well worth a watch. Have never heard Key dismissed as an incompetent idiot (my words/interpretation) previously in the msm, albeit only in foreign relations terms. Is this a turning point?
I doubt it. Fearful “stuff everyone else I’m looking after number one” selfishness is still the driver of the majority of the voters it seems.
well, the Tories maintain support so far. And from The Nation, Colon Craig- “we’re more in that business space (than NZFirst), …50% of our list are successful small businesmen…my portfolio to interests (Rachel)…small business, property… and, government in an efficient manner.” Oh dear, along with more of these show-business and respectable types being found less than whole-some.
… and, government in an efficient manner.”
Colon Craig, another weed springing up from the rampant neo liberal infested countryside.
Just as pervasive as bindwee, convulvulus, old man’s beard. Get rid, root and branch.
now, that is a co-inky-dink; bindweed and the persistent c are an issue in my garden too. Old-Man’s Beard, we cleared a lot of on a rural property we leased two years ago; it was strangling the trees, dreadful stuff.
yes, it was interesting commentary by Fran, praising Helen Clark’s comprehension of the issues that a New Zealand Prime Minister needs.
Also from Q&A, Robert Reid of First Union on this rape culture prevalence : “we live in a bullying, misogynist culture […] that needs a complete change.” (paraphrased).
And Hone, on Feed The Kids Bill, believes that some Nats would personally support it to select committee, he has to see their whips: 80,000-100,000 children go to school hungry- Source, Barnados.
Little Churchill’s losing it and not just abroad. Mutant biped corgi of a man. Honestly ! What an embarrassment !
As I said before, there is really no different than the School Dental Service, free milk in school, Education Board speech therapists and psychologists, school nurses, school buses, etc and so on..
hone harawira just gave a blistering-interview on Q & A..
phillip ure..
+1
Link?
It will be up about 12 i think on TV1 website
Cheers!
Here it is: http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/hone-harawira-feed-kids-bill-video-5712369
Thanks!
Raglan came out to support the flotilla on its way to Anadarko’s ground zero. With hundreds of people both Pakeha and Maori (Which is new here in Rags) and speeches from not other than Angeline Greensill, Catherine Delahunty and Hone Harawira amongst others it was a great turn out!
NZ war in Afghanistan = NZ$280M cost. No problem. Pike River families compensation = NZ$3.0M. No way.
What a pathetic crappy Govt. NZ deserves better. The West Coast deserves better.
Funny how cost wasn’t going to be an issue in the fool’s goal of getting back into the mine, but as soon as a very modest amount of money that actually would make a real difference to people’s lives come around, suddenly the purse strings are closed.
Denial and degradation of the people, under cutting morale and weakening the nation.
And if they can’t be bothered to help those people with a bit of funding. What makes us think they will cough up if and when Anadarko fucks up on our coasts! We will be left in a destroyed country while John Key and his ilk live it up elsewhere on our dime and with our assets!
Currently reading Nicky Hagar’s ‘Other Peoples’ Wars”. What I find the most shocking is the attitude of some at least of the NZ Defence Force personnel (including senior officers) who were posted to Afghanistan. They pulled the wool over the Labour govt’s eyes and blatantly lied about what they were doing there. Their brief was to be peace keepers and assist with reconstruction and they were NOT to be part of the killing sprees (my word for it) except in a situation of a threat to their life and limb.
My point is: under National they most certainly would have been sent there to be part of the random killing sprees – of that I have no doubts. Imagine how much more the Afghanistan cost would have been – $500M? But they can’t compensate the Pike River families for the terrible ordeal they’re still going through at a mere pittance in comparison.
Pathetic, crappy Govt. is almost an understatement. As for the voters… most are no better.
George Carlin
‘Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It’s what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens – if you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you’re going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain’t going to do any good; you’re just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it’s not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here… like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There’s a nice campaign slogan for somebody: ‘The Public Sucks.’
They would be elected in a landslide. Stupid, ignorant people saying to themselves yeah… it’s true The Public Sucks. Everyone else but them. 🙂
Reminds me of the film Brewsters Millions where a guy runs on a campaign of not voting for anybody, and not giving any campaign money because they are going to need it after the oncoming election!
http://movieclips.com/3ZV5-brewsters-millions-movie-none-of-the-above/
Carlin had it right!!!
Oh dear… Roy Harper gets charged with historic sex offences…
(T)hats off for Roy.
Some Candy Cane Talking.
The Nation today, Bennett said women were vulnerable, preyed upon by loser men (since no women in her right mind wants a baby, forgets to take the pill, or just doesn’t want to live with a man, does not occur to her). Now, apart from the outward rage against men this former single mum beneficiary has toward men, and the pedaling the stereotype that women are weak (and so vulnerable which feeds into the roastbuster views of women), apart from all that, what really really irked was how now she was in this position of power she felt so easily compelled to dish it out to women and men about their promiscuity. As if the state was somehow supposed to govern personal matters like that, but worse, that now she was powerful, that she needed to emphasis her now non-vulnerability. All the compassion and the principle just drained from her, and to my mind she just fed the roastbuster stereotypes, at both ends, ruthless men pray of weak women. Women are not weak, women do pray on men too, they do when they are physically stronger but also more likely psychologically. If Bennett had not been sexist against both men and women she might just have caused authorities to investigate, but its one of those bureaucratic technicalities that let this culture of women hatred, self loathing, self-victimization alive. I mean that’s not to suggest that strong women don’t exist, or self-loathing weak vulnerable MSD ministers, but that just as there are predatory women there are predatory men, just as there are sex crimes against women, there are also against men (by women as well as other men), anyway I think you get the point, I hope.
[karol: moved from National day of action against rape culture, highly moderated post. I share your disapproval of Paula Bennett’s treatment of beneficiaries. You draw a long bow from there to the day of action against rape culture. You also don’t seem to understand how rape culture is supported by sexism and patriarchal culture.]
Yes we are well aware of Bennett’s mean streak and general misanthropy, directed towards either gender
aerobubble, that “loser man” term was introduced by the moderator on the program, not so much by Bennett, but she is of course always a two faced, hypocrite, trying to at one stage presenting women and men as losers, but then claiming some are “really good” and “heroes”, which sounds so unconvincing coming from her high seat.
She is just laughing material, with all this slap happy, sloganised, casual shit talk she presents to the media, there is little detail, substance or anything else of reliable information she ever presents. It is all about “spirit”, “morals”, about “doing” things, about this that and the other vague stuff, one has to wonder, why these idiot journalists let her get away with it all.
Truth is, most agree with her “moral high-ground lecturing”, so they do as mostly typical uppety middle classers totally agree with what she and Nationals stand for and do. There is NOTHING we can expect from the shit mainstream media to really address what is going on in welfare, they simply are not at all interested, whether it is fair, objective, just or whatever.
This presumes the interviewer didn’t inject the term to play Bennett, exposing her for the emptiness. It makes more sense that way, since Bennett loves the put down of those she is duty bound to serve, the needy. Says more about Key selecting her, and National for stomaching her for so long. But hey I’m biased I think a benefit should not come with strings attached since its inhibits seeking further income and so helps force down wages as employers increase churn knowing the work force will not rise up (as they will have a subsidy). It means over time a subgroup of under skilled, under utilized, under paid citizens comes into existance, locked out of higher wages necessary to build their own lives and investments. Universal income payment is not only efficient its the only ethical way, the caveat being that governments may raise it too much to gain popularity but this should never be a reason for not having one.
According to Bennett, of the 80,000 receiving sole-parent support (DPB,etc), 89% are women.
Conversely, $2.8B is outstanding in child support payments (yes, I paid mine, and extras) and this figure is growing. Not much more to be said on gender imbalances in NZ. Well, of course there is…
Good on you for paying RT – hope that included some compensation for her labour.
But generally child support is a big fat fail – time we stopped the male view of reasonable about this – $12 a week is generally considered enough
….”(yes, I paid mine, and extras)” …..
As did I. In fact I estimate I paid close to 1.5 – 2 times what my ex, and one of my children received in any sort of state benefits.
….. still, can’t grumble – otherwise I’d have no right to be able to regard the likes of BM, Chris73 and other trolls as complete and utter assholes devoid of any concept of community, egalitarianism, selflessness, etc.
I hope the cnuts don’t claim any sort of Christian principles (a la Chris Finlayson et al).
There’s a lot to be said for putting contraceptives in the water supply until this situation is sorted out.
Are you trying to make BM Bullshit Man’s day Arfamo ?
Nope. If someone had put contraceptives in the water supply before his parents copulated the world would be a better place already.
But then Little Churchill may never have been “created”.
Off the point – update on CHOGM someone please. Have we declared war on anyone yet ?
Poor Belarus. A nasty fate sealed over jolly jolly sherry taking at Balmoral.
No. John Key has not declared war on anyone. He is simply continuing economic sanctions against everyone everywhere who is not in the US rich club.
interestingly, in this space, China is progressing it’s people replacement programme, reviewing the one-child policy, and abolishing labour camps (re-education involved).
Hopefully workers in China will be able to join unions soons.
hmmm. Compared to here, the circumstances still appear very difficult for the majority of the Chinese workforce, particularly those in other, less-developed, countries they invest in. Still, then there is India.
These labour camps, nah.
http://traffickalerts.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/chinese-slave-who-smuggled-note-in-halloween-product-has-been-found/
a cautionary tale maybe. I’m no apologist for human-rights abuses.
What Next? AFP
Cautionary indeed RT and apologies too if my cynicism came across wrong.
after all this time I cannot foresee any necessity for apologies from you joe90
Amnesty
– Jonathan .
the air new zealand shares will be flogged off ‘by tuesday night’..
..according to bill english..
phillip ure..
Air NZ asset sale process begins
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11158618
“The Government has begun the process to sell 20 per cent of Air New Zealand shares,
it announced today.”
Traitors.
Good news – now I won’t feel obliged to put up with the crappy over-hyped Air NZ in the name of patriotism.
Question – how long before the taxpayers will have to buy it back again?
I’d say 5-6 years for the private buyers to strip most of the value out of it and turn its balance sheet into cash to be extracted for shareholders.
Can you perhaps explain how the “private buyers” are going to accomplish this when the Government will continue to hold and absolute majority of 53% of the shares?
When the government gifts the private sector with a majority of the Board seats.
China introduces two child policy, one might think they wanted to first destroy Fonterras brand in the market firstly and keep imports down.
One thing is for sure, the cows will be shitting in the rivers even more to fulfill demand from a wave of new babies in China.
I was in attendance at the protest over the roast busters and rape culture yesterday in Auckland and it got me thinking.
I do wonder sometimes, if Auckland is to big, and if it was all possible that we need to have events like this spread over the city. I mean for us out west with the trains down yesterday and having a pram, taking a bus is not an option. (was able to borrow a car)
Local organisation for the local people. And as it happened in the west – a protest or event in New Lynn may have been better. This is not a criticism of the event – because it was fantastic – but the beginning of of some questions for us lefties. If we really are keen to hear local communities and their opinions – then we need to operate in those communities.
A protest is an empowering thing – it gives voice to the voiceless – it offers a sense of action and it gives people a feeling of togetherness.
Questions really, can we do this differently? Can we make it more effective? I know logistics seems BIG – but if we keep it local – then it’s local orgaisation for local people. Drawing on more talent and orgaisational skills expands the left not diminishes it.
Just thoughts and Ideas – Again let me say the orgainsation and the speakers at yesterdays rally were spot on and awesome!! And If Miss Davidson would/could please put her speech on line I’d like to read it again – it was bloody awesome.
“..How to succeed at self-sabotage…”
http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/14-habits-highly-miserable-people
phillip ure..
What a depressing read. This must apply to about 99.92% of the contributors to blogs.
I of course am the other 0.08% of the set, as I am of course never miserable.
i of course am of the opinion that a miserablist can be (at least temporarily) cured..
..by the application of an ear-pinning-back joint…
..one of those ones that five mins after consumption ..
..has you going ..’whoar..!..’
..hard to be/maintain the miserable..if you are giggling..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..
Police Not Getting The Message
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11158462
“soaring numbers of emergency calls… and an inadequate budget”.
Smart Talk not so smart;
The decline in quality of our public radio is a scandal
Smart Talk: Zeus and Hera – Family and Marriage
Radio NZ National, Sunday 17 November 2013
This is how the Radio NZ website advertises this dog:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The first of a series of panel discussions from the Auckland Museum on the theme of Gods and Men features Dita De Boni, Conrad Reyners and Dr Susan Morton. With Zeus and Hera in mind Noelle McCarthy explores what family and marriage means in 21st century Aotearoa, a place where the only thing nuclear about the family is the way that it has exploded. In a wide-ranging discussion, the group considers the impact of the Marriage Equality Bill.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For any serious listener, one name above all would have set the alarm bells ringing: anyone who has listened to Dita Di Boni‘s light-hearted and light-headed contributions on The Panel or read her sub-sophomoric ruminations in the Herald will have been aware that, whatever the producers of this program had in mind, it was not a serious discussion. [1]
Due to other commitments, I tuned in only to the last few minutes of the program. This is what I heard…..
DITA DI BONI: We’re hamstrung by political correctness in the parenting realm. There are some things we are not allowed to do these days. I’m not brave enough to say what they are! He he he he he!
She then went on to defend “those people of conservative views” (translation: hateful fundamentalist Christian bigots) who were subjected to ridicule on “the leftist forum” of Twitter after they had posted their ignorant messages during the recent Civil Marriage debate.
The really troubling thing about this was not that she said something so foolish and provocative, but that she was not challenged in any way by any of the other participants. There are a couple of possibilities to explain their silence: either Conrad Reyners and Dr Susan Morton are brain-dead, or they knew without having to be told that disagreement and debate are not encouraged or tolerated on Radio New Zealand National.
This Smart Talk turkey follows the format of being interrupted every twelve or so minutes—clearly someone imagines it can be flogged to some commercial outfit somewhere—by a recorded promo of the program, consisting of Noelle McCarthy’s Cork lilt over a bed of unsettling, vaguely portentous music. It is done in exactly the same sententious manner as the TED Radio Hour, the dire PBS series that recently filled the 4 o’clock spot.
This style of grandiose introductions for essentially light, intellectually lazy arts and discussion programs goes back a long way. Those Standardisti who watched CanWest television shows on Sunday afternoons in New Zealand in the late 1990s will recall with horror a similarly pretentious Canadian television series [2] that used to show on TV3, and will be unable to forget—try as they might—the breathy introductions and voiceovers by one Marilyn Lightstone. Disturbingly, someone at Radio New Zealand National is impressed rather than repelled by such shallowness, and they have compelled poor Noelle McCarthy to perform the radio equivalent of what the National Party’s brains trust did when it compelled poor Don Brash to climb into a stock car on the campaign trail.
At the end of the program, the studio audience erupted into explosive applause. I would bet Bill Clinton’s monthly whoring budget that someone had instructed them to do this, and it was not spontaneous. Certainly the Sunday 4 ’til 8 host Katrina Batten sounded dubious: “A very enthusiastic audience there,” she said, carefully, “ending the first episode of Smart Talk….”
[1] http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10052013/#comment-631145
[2] It consisted almost entirely of following the Toronto dinner-jacket set to exhibition openings and book launches. There was a particularly sad, worshipful segment one day devoted to Christopher Hitchens’ appearance at a society dinner party; the Canadian and American punters interviewed seemed to be in awe of the fact that Hitchens had read so many books.
How many of those books had Hitchens understood? He always struck me as the sort that would read a précis of a book, just so he could throw it into conversation.
I think he read them, Murray. He was a liar, a bully and a toady, but unlike his sad acolytes and the right wing politicians he so virulently defended, he did actually know what he was talking about.
Hitchens v. Galloway: Iraq war debate. http://youtu.be/XLKQGwVkczg
Galloway condemns Hitchens’ warmongering in virulent fashion. Must see.
That’s a very good citation, ropata. However, I don’t think “virulent” is the right word to describe Galloway’s systematic demolition of Hitchens. It applies to Hitchens though, quite appropriately.
John Key and Sri Lanka and 1981.
If there was any doubt before, none remains now.
We have got a true measure of Key’s understanding of the world.
Far from being able to remember what he was doing in 1981, Key knows full well what he was doing and where he stood on playing with Apartheid, as evidenced by his opinions of sanctions against countries – “as not working or ineffective” says it all.
I think there are so good ideas here
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11158621
I still think an inquisitorial rather than adversarial processes is best in court, but Collins is not going to go there.
I'm surprised and pleased Collins is actually putting a bit of thought into this, rather than making excuses. Note to self to see if this process is in use elsewhere.
here’s something from the past
Cheers,
Here’s something a little more recent
And here’s a classic
Time for me to walk on
Gr8 epitaph.
It’s definitely time I was on me bike
Same
Woops.. forgot my dominoes
A Shaggy Dog Sequel.
“Look out the left the captain said
The lights down there that’s where we’ll land
Up there’s a heaven, down there’s a town
Blackness everywhere, any little lights shine
Turn this Crazy Bird around.”
Another blast from the seventies: http://youtu.be/h1PfrmCGFnk
Ka boom
used to whistle that tune (at work and play).
Chile determined to return a left of centre president, while many will say: “BASTA Pinera”:
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2013/11/former-chile-president-set-comeback-2013111641524730133.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2013/11/calls-fairness-ahead-chile-elections-2013111434344986272.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/11/chile-at-crossroads-2013111764617721131.html
Immense social inequality established after a “Chicago Boys” generated type of “economic boom” (for the top winners), supported by US and other overseas capital, is likely to urge most Chileans to question the present system and return Bachelet to presidency.
This is highly interesting stuff to watch in one of Latin America’s most important countries and economies!!!
Just a further good link to an interesting story on Chile here, from Al Jazeera online:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/11/other-side-chile-economic-miracle-201311159282210130.html
Yep, so while we have the “Chicago Boys” do their deals, the rest of society have to live with humble pie, no matter where you go and look. “Trickle down” or “pissing down” your leg while you stand next by the side, that is their theory.
John Key did oversee another “dairy deal” in Sri Lanka, shat on human rights issues, while the UK media exposed the censorship and bias in the media there. NZ is becoming a sell-out country when it comes to human rights, gradually similar to the “sell out” terms that the Pinochet government offered overseas “investors” to make great gains in Chile, over the last few decades.
Private education locks many out of decent education there, so there have been endless protests. This election there this Sunday is a must watch story. Hopefully some more moves towards a bit more social and economic justice will be the result after all.
Camila Vallejo’s election “ad” for her “Florida” electorate in the south of Santiago. Well, it seems they all at some stage turn a bit “mainstream”, she being a former “communist” and student leader, now running under the group supporting prospective president Bachelet:
Well, I wish her well, any move away from what they have now can only be an improvement.
A better video here on Camila and her election campaign:
http://noticias.terra.cl/elecciones/videos/camila-vallejo-presenta-su-video-de-campana-para-diputada-por-la-florida,497332.html
An upcoming mother by all looks too, how interesting, running for Parliament and also motherhood at the same time, here you go, emancipated Kiwi girls, a good example to perhaps respect and follow (some do by the way!)!
Libertad for MAPUCHE!!!
SEE THIS AUTHENTIC CHILEAN PUBLIC TV DOCUMENTARY ABOUT HOW FASCIM WORKS AND TIES IN INNOCENT CONSCRIPTS AND THE LIKES:
There are issues in NZ, but the issues that took importance there, and have a follow up story to tell, they can also happen here.. This is what one of the most commercially brainwashed people on this planet, and those are you, dear NZers, do not bloody realise!
Wake up and take a bloody stand, thanks! Key just let Sri Lanka off the hook! A country with unadressed human rights issues, where tens of thousands were killed. How can a people, that is “civilised” and “educated’ stand bloody still and damned well IGNORE this???
If it adds nothing then do not remove it allow us to respond in kind. It really is censorship shame on you.
All we want is a democratic and fair government but the minute you censor something you are admitting you are no better than them. A democratic society doesn’t censor or delete its citizens comments just because they disagree. They allow debate and free speech.
The thread flowed and ebbed comments from photonz would have been taken to task.
[karol: this is a blog not government. There are policies for the blog, breaching of them is a banning offence. See here. I haven’t banned commenters but moderated some comments and moved them because they are in danger of derailing the thread.
Banning offences are attacking authors and telling them what to write.
there are also rules, which includes trollish behaviour such as not engaging the brain when commenting.
You are really overstating the value of the comments I deleted. The commenter had set the discussion off in a direction that was off topic, was warned, then continued to dispute it. That’s not censorship.
And continuing to dispute my decisions and actions will not be looked on favourably either.
I’m sorry I originally moved the comments to this open mike – 17th, then corrected and sent them to open mike for the 18th]
O Karol. did you offend diddums. Have yu traumatised him and f*cked him up for the rest of his life?