Open mike 17/11/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 17th, 2015 - 115 comments
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115 comments on “Open mike 17/11/2015 ”

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  1. Gangnam Style 1
    17 November 2015 at 6:27 am

    Terrorist ‘mastermind’ turns out to be Belgian, Syrian passports are fake, so maybe France should start a bombing run on Belgium. What a mess. Over 100 ppl detained, it does make you wonder WTF the spies watching our online activity do all day, too much time sniffing ppls undies drawers is my guess.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/serbian-police-arrest-man-carrying-syrian-passport-with-exact-same-details-as-document-found-on-a6736471.html

  2. Robert Atack 2
    17 November 2015 at 7:23 am

    http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176069/tomgram%3A_laura_gottesdiener%2C_the_angel_of_death/#more

    Here’s a little thought experiment: imagine that we’re in Kansas (without Toto) and a bridal party in three rented limos is heading down a highway toward a church where a wedding is about to take place. Suddenly, a small out-of-control plane plummets into those limos killing the bride, the mother of the bride, and five of the seven bridesmaids; 15 others are wounded. Bear with me here, if this particular method of wedding slaughter seems a little farfetched. After all, we don’t (yet) have drones armed with Hellfire missiles patrolling American skies that could take out such a caravan. ….

  3. vto 3
    17 November 2015 at 7:51 am

    Genuinely, I have no decent thought on the middle east troubles..

    They have arisen due to a confluence of human migrations out of Africa and settlements in those once fertile lands. Such were these circumstances that civilisation actually sprouted there.

    These communities have existed for a very long time – in fact longer than any other on the planet currently, due to their proximity to Africa.. which has made them central to the world’s order

    But the world and its demographics and migrations have now moved on very substantially from those times and that part of the world is no longer central to the world’s order (other than historic hangover and the current presence of oil – which, in a practical sense, keeps them central to order. But this is passing)

    About 5,000 years of them being central to the world.

    Next 5,000 years bullshit

    • weka 3.1
      17 November 2015 at 9:23 am

      Just to put that in context, Australian aboriginal cultures have existed for 50,000 years.

      On the Eurasian continent, 5,000 years happens to coincide with the general shift from egalitarian culture to dominance culture. There are various theories around that related to the development of agriculture over since 10,000 years ago, but I think that’s as much an accident of geography as anything (the right coinciding of population with fertile land).

      As for the world’s order, I don’t see any of the developped world being particularly good at that. Bunch of self-serving warmongers the lot of them.

  4. b waghorn 4
    17 November 2015 at 7:59 am

    If someone was killing in the name of my god I would expect my god to act to stop them,if he/she /it didn’t act I would throw that god on the heap with other stupid beliefs I’ve had.

  5. Jeeves 5
    17 November 2015 at 8:05 am

    Is Simon Lusk New Zealand’s angriest man?

    He should stop killing things and just come out.

    Who is Paul Honnor, and what’s that all about?

    • Skinny 5.1
      17 November 2015 at 8:48 am

      He came across as a legend in his own mind, actually quite a blow arse nutter. Not much of a hunter gatherer taking 5 shots to nail a couple of deer in a fenced paddock. Be an even match in the boxing ring with his mate Slater. Certainly looks like he will help Twyford win his seat with ease, $150 paid to turn Maori voters off Labour was a laugh.

      • Rodel 5.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 9:41 am

        “a legend in his own mind,” Thanks. That’s good. I’ll use that sometime.

        • Rosie 5.1.1.1
          17 November 2015 at 11:22 am

          And along with “a legend in his own mind” I quite like “blow arse nutter”. Sums it up really. He’s like the playground bully that grew up and is still a bully, but has no mates. Nothing but a gloating idiot.

          If he appeared on the show because he was touting for business as Garner suggested, then he did a great job of shooting himself in the foot – or maybe he genuinely believes that everyone is as corrupted and vicious as he is, and that he might reach that target audience and drum up some business.

          On one of the posts somewhere, over the weekend, there was a character called cowboy (I think) who talked about why he isn’t renewing his National Party membership, and how Key’s outburst in the house was the last straw that pushed him to that decision. It was an insightful read, and an honest one from a former Nat supporter.

          I reckon there’s lots more like cowboy, conservative, traditional, yet principled, quietly turning away from their party. I look at how my family, a true blue one, just can’t defend Key like they used to. These can’t be the ones that Roy Morgan interviews.

          Bringing Simon Lusk out for an airing was a good thing. He’ll drive those principled former Nat voters into the arms of NZ First.

          • miravox 5.1.1.1.1
            17 November 2015 at 8:26 pm

            ” or maybe he genuinely believes that everyone is as corrupted and vicious as he is, and that he might reach that target audience and drum up some business.”

            ^^
            This. Which also says a lot about the people who associate with him.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2
      17 November 2015 at 9:05 am

      Blabbermouth Lusk runs his mouth too much. Sam Lotu-Iiga is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks Blabbermouth.

      • Rodel 5.2.1
        17 November 2015 at 12:14 pm

        Just forced myself to watch some of the video. Had to curb the vomit.
        He’d have to be the antithesis of Sir Ed.

    • weizguy 5.3
      17 November 2015 at 1:34 pm

      I particularly enjoyed the way he appeared to own up to criminal behaviour:
      http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0087/latest/DLM310402.html

      Depressingly, Duncan Garner didn’t appear to know that treating was an offence, despite having been a Political Editor…

  6. Adrian 6
    17 November 2015 at 8:26 am

    If there really is a cabal of recent immigrants putting money up to do a hatchet job on a democraticly elected MP ( Phil Twyford ) that’s all the reason required for the arseholes to be escorted to the border and thrown out.
    Where the fuck are the Police ?
    probably scared of Lusk.

    • Anne 6.1
      17 November 2015 at 8:39 am

      Where the fuck are the Police ?

      Turning a blind eye of course.

      • savenz 6.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 9:53 am

        @Anne – The police are being good neoliberal citizens and giving out traffic tickets of course. You have to fund and justify your own job and existence these days. (in money).

        Solving crime is way down the list for police, first being errand boys for Slater and Key, second locking up people that disagree with the above, thirdly under globalism we have ‘overseas friends’ to do the above to, and fourthly gather revenue to keep the above going by issuing traffic fines. Waste your time locking up people who should not be in prison because mental health facilities are closing, homeless facilities are closing, and drug facilities are closing. If there are any resources left – you can do a bit of solving crime in your spare time.

    • Tracey 6.2
      17 November 2015 at 8:47 am

      Can’t and shouldn’t throw people out for what they are thinking of doing.

      • alwyn 6.2.1
        17 November 2015 at 3:14 pm

        Such old fashioned Liberalism Tracey. Refreshing but so rare these days in the political circles you tend to identify with.
        Ask Colonial Viper how it works.

  7. Puckish Rogue 7
    17 November 2015 at 8:28 am

    To Pascals bookie following on from yesterday

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034

    The first thing needed would be to ratify the Kurdish state and enrol them into Nato, this will require some diplomacy on the part of the West in regards to Turkey however its an autonamous state at the moment (more or less) so its not like creating a brand new country

    Once this has happened it will be much easier for troops to get on the ground because while you can’t eradicate terrorism (and you never will) ISIS at least has a physical area to target and destroying their infrastructure won’t end them but it will certainly make it harder for them to operate overseas

    • Tracey 7.1
      17 November 2015 at 8:46 am

      It’sa good start. And pile billions into the region to establish their infrastructure, and create employment and futures. Without a future people do desperate things or become victims of those doing desperate things. If we took even half the money being used on military offensives and put it into devleopment of countries infrastructures and futures… we might just surprise ourselves.

      • Puckish Rogue 7.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 8:53 am

        This can be done concurrently and would certainly be my first choice (if money and political machinations were under my control) but you need the defences and troops on the ground before you build the infrastructure

    • Pascals bookie 7.2
      17 November 2015 at 8:57 am

      I agree, would be good. Dunno about NATO though, mainly coz I dunno if the kurds would be interested, we’d have to do what they want to do.

      And yeah, the Turks. But also Iran and Iraq. At the moment thngs are fairly cool between the Kurds and Baghdad, but that’s only coz of ISIS. Baghdad isn’t really that keen on letting the Kurds have Kirkuk, though there is not much they can do about it at the moment. Thos there have been incidents between Shia militia and peshmerga forces.

      the problem is that our allies have competing interests and we keep ignoring those interests, which is why I think things will carry on as they are until we get reps from all communities (not nations, and I’m explicitly including the Iraqi Sunni in this, they need reps distinct from Baghdad) around a table and work out what the end game looks like.

      • Puckish Rogue 7.2.1
        17 November 2015 at 9:09 am

        I wonder if the current leaders of the West have the courage to be what needs to be done in this current situation

        I don’t think they do

        I think what will happen is some people will tweet prayfor paris, some people will add a tricolour to their facebook pics and in a couple of weeks it’ll all blow over

    • One Two 7.3
      17 November 2015 at 10:05 am

      Any lasting solution will not be the result of anglophile intervention using tools such as NATO and debt

      As long as the ‘western way of life’ continues to be regarded as something other than the corporate destruction that it is, we have NO business in believing we can offer anything but the same , elsewhere

      • Puckish Rogue 7.3.1
        17 November 2015 at 10:16 am

        that may well be but it doesn’t change the fact that terrorist attacks are happening more frequently and its only a matter of time before it happens here

        • McFlock 7.3.1.1
          17 November 2015 at 2:20 pm

          what, you mean like bombing a trades hall or a ship?

          • alwyn 7.3.1.1.1
            17 November 2015 at 3:26 pm

            Wow, you really keep up with the news don’t you?
            One happened in 1984 and the other in 1985. Thirty years ago and nothing since?
            Even then no one has ever found out who carried out the first one so it is difficult to really claim it as terrorism isn’t it?

            • McFlock 7.3.1.1.1.1
              17 November 2015 at 4:09 pm

              interesting idea, that terrorism is only terrorism if the perpetrators are known.

              What are you trying to do – pretend that NZers have never experienced terrorism? Fuck, my local campus was deserted a few weeks back because people were expecting some nutter with a gun.

              • alwyn …
                17 November 2015 at 7:36 pm

                No, actually.
                I am merely saying that in the Trades Hall bombing we have no real idea of why someone did it. It could have been for any reason at all.
                We have had a number of cases of terrorism. One was the anarchist nut who tried to blow up the Wanganui Computer Centre in 1982.

          • miravox 7.3.1.1.2
            17 November 2015 at 8:41 pm

            Re the ship – the French Foreign Minister and using State terrorism to deal with dissent.

            After the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship, on 10 July 1985, Prime Minister Fabius summoned journalists to his office on 22 September 1985 to read a 200-word statement in which he said: “The truth is cruel,” and acknowledged that “Agents of the French secret service sank this boat. They were acting on orders.”…

            On 17 May 2012, Laurent Fabius became Foreign Minister in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault, appointed Prime Minister by President François Hollande.

            Hopefully age and experience has brought some wisdom.

  8. The Fairy Godmother 8
    17 November 2015 at 8:56 am

    Claire Trevett has an article in the Remuera National Party Newsletter about how the Labour Party is running at a deficit and therefore can’t criticise the Government for running a deficit. Clutching at straws imho

    • Puckish Rogue 8.1
      17 November 2015 at 9:07 am

      Can’t convince an electorate to vote for him but expects the country to vote for him, can’t fund raise and run a political party but expects to be able to run an economy

      Yup

      • BM 8.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 9:11 am

        How does a political party run at a deficit and still survive?
        What are you borrowing against?

        • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1
          17 November 2015 at 9:16 am

          Its good for a government to run a deficit but pretty shonkey for a political party to be running a deficit I’d have thought

          • DH 8.1.1.1.1
            17 November 2015 at 10:08 am

            Did you not read the article PR or are you just shitestirring?

            They’re not running a deficit, they merely funded some of their (unexpected) operating expenses from cash reserves. That’s what a reserve is for.

            That’s pretty disgusting ‘journalism’ from Trevett IMO.

            • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1.1.1
              17 November 2015 at 10:34 am

              and those reserves won’t last forever but of course people are voting with their wallets…

              Bet the Greens coffers arn’t too bad at the moment

              • DH …
                17 November 2015 at 12:40 pm

                “and those reserves won’t last forever ….

                Wtf are you on about? The article said that Labour had unforeseen costs over and above their normal (and budgeted) expenses, such as the leadership changes. That’s what cash reserves are for, to cover unexpected bills. When times are rosy they’ll no doubt build up the reserves again.

            • McFlock 8.1.1.1.1.2
              17 November 2015 at 11:25 am

              silly question 🙂

            • Paul 8.1.1.1.1.3
              17 November 2015 at 4:38 pm

              No doubt Trevett had a cushy position lined up for her services to Dear Leader.

        • left for deadshark 8.1.1.2
          17 November 2015 at 12:33 pm

          Bloody minded,..Political capital mate, just as English thinks debt an asset.

          👿

  9. Morrissey 9
    17 November 2015 at 9:49 am

    In Paris in 1961, Paris police killed 300 peaceful protestors
    and then dumped their bodies into the River Seine.

    Since the atrocities in Paris on Saturday, we have been inundated with a flood of sanctimonious words, hypocritical posturing, official lies and distortions, accompanied often by mournful assertions that “the world has changed forever”. But one of the most cynical lies repeated over the last couple of days is the contention by French politicians, assiduously reiterated by the media, that Saturday’s horror was “the deadliest violence on its soil since World War II”.

    In fact, it wasn’t even close to the deadliest violence on French soil since World War II. That dubious honour belongs not to ISIS, but to the French state…..

    France remembers Algerian massacre 50 years on
    by KIM WILLSHER in Paris, The Guardian, Monday 17 October 2011

    Politicians, historians and protesters gathered in Paris to mark the 50th anniversary of a police crackdown on Algerian anti-war demonstrators that has become one of the most shameful episodes of modern French history.

    The events of 17 October 1961 are considered a massacre by many Algerians, who claim up to 300 members of their community died at the hands of the Paris police. Many are angry that the French government has never officially apologised for the bloody attack – which does not appear in school history books – and that the authorities still dispute the death toll. According to officials, less than a handful of protesters died, while historians say the number of Algerians killed – some of them beaten and thrown into the river Seine – was between 50 and 120.

    On Monday, François Hollande chose to mark the tragedy as his first official engagement as the newly elected Socialist party presidential candidate. Hollande, named as the Socialists’ choice to take on Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential elections barely 12 hours earlier, on Monday threw a single red rose into the Seine from the bridge at Clichy, the suburb where many of the victims lived.

    Afterwards he unveiled a plaque engraved with: “From this bridge and other bridges in the Paris region, Algerian demonstrators were thrown into the Seine on the 17 October 1961, victims of a blind repression. In their memory.” Benjamin Stora, a local resident and specialist in Algerian history, said it was a first step towards “recognising one of the biggest French tragedies”.

    Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris who was born in Tunisia, another former French colony, placed a wreath at the St Michel bridge where there is a plaque marking what his office described as a “bloody repression”.

    On the evening of 17 October 1961, at the height of the Franco-Algerian war, tens of thousands of Algerian protesters, including women and children, from around Paris gathered at various landmarks to demonstrate against what they considered a “racist and discriminatory” curfew imposed against them. The mobilisation had been organised by the Paris wing of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), an organisation that was fighting for Algeria’s independence from France and had been accused of carrying out attacks on Paris police that left a dozen dead.

    It was intended to be a peaceful demonstration, but Maurice Papon, the Paris police chief, ordered his officers to stamp out the protests. As the Algerians gathered, the police acted swiftly and brutally, firing on protesters and arresting an estimated 11,500 who were herded on to buses and taken to makeshift detention centres where many claimed they were beaten and held for days without food.

    Claims that officers had beaten protesters and dumped them into the Seine appeared to be confirmed when bodies were washed up on the banks of the river.

    Read more….
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/17/france-remembers-algerian-massacre

  11. Molly 11
    17 November 2015 at 10:03 am

    John Key demonstrates – predictably – cultural ignorance of the country which he represents in his glib response to question regarding the return of soldiers who died in Malaysia and Vietnam: :Kiwi soldiers will remain buried in Malaysia – John Key

  12. Rosie 12
    17 November 2015 at 10:04 am

    I’ve missed something. What is this reference to “crickets” on TS lately, often in response to the screwy logic of RWer’s?

    Any relation to “there are no crickets in Wayward Pines” ? (not on this trailer, but it’s an excellent show. You can watch on line)

    • CR 12.1
      17 November 2015 at 10:24 am

      Rosie, ‘crickets’ refers to silence in the airwaves…as in nothing but the sound of crickets chirping

    • maui 12.2
      17 November 2015 at 10:26 am

      Search on youtube, “Awkward Silence Cricket Sound”, and you should get it 🙂

      • Rosie 12.2.1
        17 November 2015 at 11:26 am

        Thanks CR and maui. Now I am up with the times.

        This from you tube explains it too:

        “Great to use right after the comedy drum when no one talks or laughs at your stupid joke.”

    • AsleepWhileWalking 12.3
      17 November 2015 at 1:40 pm

      Looks like a good show. Might have to watch

      • Rosie 12.3.1
        17 November 2015 at 4:35 pm

        It’s been one of my favourites this year. Its’ quite sinister and has some depth to it. The theme is manufactured societies and the authoritarian drive to compel citizens to conform, or else. A good steady plot with some interesting surprises. Melissa Leo’s performance (from Treme) was fantastic.

  13. savenz 13
    17 November 2015 at 10:18 am

    ALGARY – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government is following through on an election promise to ban crude oil tanker traffic off the coast of northern British Columbia

    http://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/northern-gateway-hopes-crushed-as-canada-moves-to-ban-oil-tankers-off-b-c-coast

  14. alwyn 14
    17 November 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Can anyone explain what on earth Little was saying on Morning Report today?
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201779039/little-details-current-stance-on-iraq-deployment

    He sounded as if he hadn’t sobered up yet from last night’s binge.
    The interviewer, who usually tries very hard to make him sound as if he had at least a room temperature IQ, finally seemed to give up. Trying to make him sound sensible simply proved to be impossible.
    Part of his premise seemed to be that since the Iraqi Army wasn’t currently very good we shouldn’t try and improve their performance by training them.

    I wonder if he plans to do something similar here, perhaps in education?
    “I’m sorry Mrs Jones. Your son Johnny isn’t able to read very well so we have decided not to try and help him. We think he should just be dumped on the educational scrapheap”.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1
      17 November 2015 at 12:08 pm

      Aww cute! You’ve got another false dichotomy. Speaking of IQ, it’s hardly surprising you failed to grasp Little’s remarks.

  15. One Anonymous Bloke 15
    17 November 2015 at 12:13 pm

    Schadenfreude is like sugar: I know I shouldn’t but it tastes so sweet!

  16. Morrissey 16
    17 November 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Michael Laws will be choking in bile when he hears this news…

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/whanganui-district-council-gets-an-official-h

  17. Rosie 17
    17 November 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Last week on the radio, Wellington’s “Green” Mayor defended WCC’s right to let a council venue, the TSB Arena, out for hire for the defence industry conference. She was labelled by the DJ as a hypocrite for previously referring to herself as a pacifist.

    Well, I hope CeCe is paying attention now. Not only does hiring a council venue out for a warmongers conference look bad, and is morally questionable it brings avoidable tension to the city that the WCC are linked with because it’s their venue.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/74106973/protesters-clash-with-police-at-defence-industry-forum-in-wellington

    • weka 17.1
      17 November 2015 at 1:33 pm

      I agree, letting council venues to warmongers is bizarre.

      Is she a Green mayor?

      She is the second mayor of a major New Zealand city to be a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, after Dunedin’s Sukhi Turner, but she stood as an independent candidate.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celia_Wade-Brown

      • Rosie 17.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 4:20 pm

        “Green Mayor” is more a colloquial term than anything but locals are familiar with her Green Party connections. From your link, under the heading Wellington mayoral campaign 2013 is this:

        “Celia Wade-Brown – The incumbent since 2010, she has served as a Southern Ward councillor. She stood for the Green Party for Parliament in 1996 (under the Alliance banner), 1999 and 2002.”

        What I find odd about her personal view of it being ok to hire out a council venue to the warmongers conference (and I do mean personal as she’s not the ones taking the venue bookings) is that I have heard her anti war views during the public celebrations for 30 years of Wellington being nuclear free. She spoke with real pride about how we were the first city in NZ to go nuclear free and gave a rousing speech about the importance of communities and countries having a commitment to peace.

        FWIW I sense there has been a creeping hypocrisy entering her mayoralty in this term. Just one example – I have tried and failed, to raise with her the environmental failure that is the poorly planned car centric, socially isolated, no amenities housing developments of the northern burbs. Ironically she has been championing them and even worse, is a supporter of the SHA Accord, which strips away the usual requirements for housing development under the RMA.

        I could go on but won’t.

      • Petertoo 17.1.2
        17 November 2015 at 10:38 pm

        The only thing that is green about Celia Wade-Brown are those that think she subscribes to Green values. In reality, she is the tame pup of the Business Round Table and the property speculator class. One might say ‘corrupt’ but as yet, no-one seems to have found the brown paper bag full of high denomination notes.

  18. Morrissey 18
    17 November 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Will New Zealand get a Labour leader with courage like Jeremy Corbyn?
    Let’s hope so….

    http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2015/11/jeremy-corbyns-refusal-offer-labour-mps-free-vote-syria-shows-his-newly

    • Colonial Viper 18.1
      17 November 2015 at 2:32 pm

      Little? Zero chance. He’s shown he won’t stand up against the corporates as per the TPP. He’s shown he won’t stand up against the security state as per the spying anti terror legislation. He’s shown he won’t stand with benes as per the social welfare reform law.

      • Morrissey 18.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 3:37 pm

        I lost all confidence in Little when he caved in to the government over the Snooping bill. His speech after that, where he said that “next time” he and the opposition would not cave in like this, was one of the most abject performances I have ever seen.

  19. Clean_power 19
    17 November 2015 at 12:40 pm

    How long will it take to decapitate ISIS leadership? A few bombs will reunite them with their Allah.

    • McFlock 19.1
      17 November 2015 at 1:19 pm

      FFS.

      How stupid are you? You do realise that AQ is still being successful in various regions, and the Taliban is still going strong? Fuck, the Israelis have tried that for years against Hezbollah, Hamas and the PLO.

      But apparently using the same volunteer-producing strategy will somehow work against Daesh.

      • Colonial Viper 19.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 2:33 pm

        Clean Power reckons its as easy as taking out the Boss at the end of a computer game level.

      • joe90 19.1.2
        17 November 2015 at 4:35 pm

        How stupid are you?

        Stupid with bells on I reckon.

        As of 3:59 p.m. EST Nov. 12, the U.S. and coalition have conducted a total of 8,125 strikes (5,321 Iraq / 2,804 Syria).

        […]

        As of Nov. 14, U.S. and partner nation aircraft have flown an estimated 57,301 sorties in support of operations in Iraq and Syria.

        […]

        As of Oct. 31, 2015, the total cost of operations related to ISIL since kinetic operations started on Aug. 8, 2014, is $5 billion and the average daily cost is $11 million for 450 days of operations. A further breakdown of cost associated with the operations is here.

        http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve

    • Draco T Bastard 19.2
      17 November 2015 at 4:24 pm

      Contrary to what you RWNJs believe anybody can be a leader. Due to this fact CEOs should actually be on minimum wage.

    • Morrissey 19.3
      17 November 2015 at 4:55 pm

      They need to bomb Washington, London, Riyadh and Ankara, which are the main supporters of ISIS.

  20. joe90 20
    17 November 2015 at 1:32 pm

    An heroic stand against the 3-year-old orphan threat.
    /

    Hugh Hewitt Verified account
    ‏@hughhewitt

    Because he lacks confidence in Administration’s vetting ability, @ChrisChristie says no Syrian refugees now, not even “3 year old orphan

    https://twitter.com/hughhewitt/status/666362298965999616

  21. AsleepWhileWalking 21
    17 November 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Bad stuff we already know via Jane Kelsey, but reproduced here in longer form for those in other countries

    http://theinternationalforecaster.com/International_Forecaster_Weekly/Terrible_TPP_Clauses_Explained_in_Plain_English

  22. Anne 22
    17 November 2015 at 2:24 pm

    Phil Twyford responds to reported smear campaign against him.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11546733

    • Draco T Bastard 22.1
      17 November 2015 at 4:32 pm

      TV3’s Duncan Garner said last night he was told Mr Lusk was being funded by “Chinese money” to carry out a “direct mailout” that would focus on the Te Atatu MP.

      Foreign money needs to be kept out of our politics and thus things like this need to be illegal.

  23. weka 23
    17 November 2015 at 2:47 pm

    This isn’t new but appropriate to ressurect. Explanation of why so many people are wrong for blaming Islam.

    Religious scholar Reza Aslan took some serious issue on CNN Monday night with Bill Maher‘s commentary about Islamic violence and oppression. Maher ended his show last Friday by going after liberals for being silent about the violence and oppression that goes on in Muslim nations. Aslan said on CNN that Maher’s arguments are just very unsophisticated.

    He said these “facile arguments” might sound good, but not all Muslim nations are the same.

    • McFlock 23.1
      17 November 2015 at 5:33 pm

      I really like that dude – I’ve got one of his books at home (“How to win a cosmic war”). Dovetailing that with Ignatieff’s “Blood and belonging” results in a really interesting perspective.

      • weka 23.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 6:30 pm

        It was the intelligence and ability to communicate so well (and staunchly) that I liked.

        • Ergo Robertina 23.1.1.1
          17 November 2015 at 8:08 pm

          Staunch might be your word for it. He’s a bully.
          By pushing the interviewers round, he enabled at least one clear misrepresentation: Turkey as upholder of women’s rights.
          In Turkey there’s a diminishing legacy from secularisation, and there is honour killing, child ”marriage”, and women are encouraged to reconcile with violent partners and most crucially, the trajectory is negative.
          President Erdogan explicitly stated women are not equal: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30183711
          Aslan makes a valid point about Saudi Arabia, but uses that country to narrow the debate and bully those who disagree.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Turkey

          • weka 23.1.1.1.1
            17 November 2015 at 10:57 pm

            Women aren’t equal anywhere, but in varying degrees, which I think was his point i.e. look at each individual country not one religion as a whole that spans many different countries with different practices.

            I don’t see the bullying behaviour. He’s a guest on a show and he’s forthright, and yes he points out where the interviewers are wrong but he doesn’t engage in typical bullying behaviour.

            • Ergo Robertina 23.1.1.1.1.1
              17 November 2015 at 11:33 pm

              Yes it is his point, and it’s a neat tactic to evade the issue.
              By citing gender inequality in the West (the number of elected representatives), and the gross misogyny of Saudi Arabia, he tries to exonerate (and even hold as standard bearers) states like Turkey that are on a negative trajectory in respect of women’s rights.
              It’s a dismissive non sequitur to say women ”aren’t equal anywhere”, because the point is the direction of travel.

              • weka …
                17 November 2015 at 11:42 pm

                I don’t see how it’s a neat tactic to evade the issue when he’s making a point about religion not gender. I think you mean he is factually incorrect. Your point about Turkey’s negative trajectory is valid and important, but it doesn’t negate his point, which is that you can’t condemn all of Islam based on cherry picking the worst countries. For instance if you put Turkey aside as an example, is his point still made?

                I really wanted him to use Ethiopia and the US as examples of how Christianity suppresses women 😈 Imagine if the mainstream narrative about Christianity was based on Ethiopia instead of the Western Christian countries.

                “It’s a dismissive non sequitur to say women ”aren’t equal anywhere”, because the point is the direction of travel.”

                We can debate sometime how much of a positive trajectory NZ is on re gender.

      • Ergo Robertina 23.1.2
        17 November 2015 at 7:13 pm

        According to the Observer’s review of Aslan’s book, he describes the motivation of one of the London July 7 bombers as ”love”, and his writing becomes ”overwrought” with emotion over Obama’s election.
        So definitely not my kind of dude, but each to their own and all that.
        Also events have overtaken Aslan’s book and its prescriptions, as many jihadists now are from prosperous societies (and have had good opportunities on an individual basis).
        http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/aug/16/win-cosmic-war-reza-aslan

        • McFlock 23.1.2.1
          17 November 2015 at 7:22 pm

          It’s still an interesting read – the Guardian review seems to ignore most of what I remember about the book. The review seems to lose the forest for the trees, IMO.

  24. Morrissey 24
    17 November 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Is there any bag of foul wind fouler than that hypocrite Dr Phil McGraw?
    Dr Phil, TV3, Tuesday 17 November 2015

    sanctimonious adj. showing or marked by false piety or righteousness; hypocritically virtuous.

    The TV3 programme notes on this show billed it like this: “Two young women accuse their father of physically and verbally abusing them.” #blamingdad

    The dad was pretty much the model of what Bob McCoskrie would call a perfect father. He protested to Dr Phil: “I ain’t the greatest dad in the world, but I ain’t no ogre. I spanked them and I slapped them but…”

    But all the protestations in the world cut no ice with Dr. Phil, that supreme moral arbiter, that exemplar of core American values, that upholder of all that decent and right in the world. Dr Phil sternly lectured him that violence and shouting had no place in his relationships with his daughters, no matter how old they were.

    So what WOULD that dad have had to do to earn praise, rather than censure, by Dr. Phil? Well, he might have tried shooting hundreds of people, including women and children, in another country…

    http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/2377

    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19082015/#comment-1060544

    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19082015/#comment-1060544.

    • weka 24.1
      17 November 2015 at 6:36 pm

      You think Phil McGraw is wrong to not support a man who hits his daughters? I don’t get the reference to shooting.

      • Morrissey 24.1.1
        17 November 2015 at 6:49 pm

        Of course he was right to upbraid him about hitting his daughters.

        The point of my post was to note how odd it was for him to take that stance, in view of the fact he had, earlier this year, called a notorious mass murderer “a modern-day American hero”.

        • weka 24.1.1.1
          17 November 2015 at 7:17 pm

          Both of those things are completely unapparent in your original comment. Still no idea what you are talking about.

          • Morrissey 24.1.1.1.1
            17 November 2015 at 7:28 pm

            Click on the links from my first post, and it will be quite clear. But, briefly, my objection to Dr Phil pronouncing about anything is this:

            Earlier this year he claimed that the notorious Chris Kyle, the American sniper who killed hundreds of men, women and children in Afghanistan (the Department of “Defense” officially confirmed he had more than 160 victims) was “a modern-day American hero”….

            The life and death of Chris Kyle has captivated millions. He risked his life fighting for this country. He miraculously survived the most dangerous combat zones …. a modern-day American hero.”

            In the light of the depravity of his endorsement of Kyle, I don’t think Dr Phil is a fit and proper person to make a judgement on the character of anyone.

            Do you?

            • weka 24.1.1.1.1.1
              17 November 2015 at 7:41 pm

              Sorry, still don’t know what you are on about. The first link isn’t that clear, the second two are identical and going on about an Imperial Wizard. If you want me to answer your question you’re going to have to make your point in plain English that doesn’t require 10 mins of further research to understand what you are on about.

              • Morrissey …
                17 November 2015 at 7:52 pm

                1. Chris Kyle was a mass murderer. He was praised by Dr Phil earlier this year as “a modern-day American hero.”

                2. Dr Phil, who praises mass murderers as “modern-day American heroes”, has the temerity to upbraid someone for yelling at his daughters and spanking them.

                3. I don’t approve of spanking, but then I don’t approve of mass murder either. I think I am entitled to lecture someone who spanks his daughters to desist.

                4. Dr Phil doesn’t approve of spanking, but he DOES approve of mass murder. I don’t think he is entitled to lecture ANYONE about anything, because he is a moral imbecile.

                5. Now please read my original links, because it’s all perfectly clear.

                • weka …
                  17 November 2015 at 7:59 pm

                  Thanks for explaining.

                  “1. Chris Kyle was a mass murderer. He was praised by Dr Phil earlier this year as “a modern-day American hero.””

                  Citation for Dr Phil ‘praising’ Kyle. The link you provided implies the programme is about Kyle’s parents discussing his mental illness and that he wouldn’t have murdered people if he’s gotten the help he needed. Presumably if Phil did praise Kyle, it wasn’t for the murders. Did Phil praise Kyle for his pre-murdering life? I’m betting it wasn’t for his murdering life.

                  “2. Dr Phil, who praises mass murderers as “modern-day American heroes”, has the temerity to upbraid someone for yelling at his daughters and spanking them.”

                  Lots of people have relative morality. Myself, I think context is important.

                  “3. I don’t approve of spanking, but then I don’t approve of mass murder either. I think I am entitled to lecture someone who spanks his daughters to desist.”

                  I’m not in a position to judge you on that.

                  “4. Dr Phil doesn’t approve of spanking, but he DOES approve of mass murder. I don’t think he is entitled to lecture ANYONE about anything, because he is a moral imbecile.”

                  Citation needed that Dr Phil approves of mass murder. Pretty sure you are making shit up now.

                  “5. Now please read my original links, because it’s all perfectly clear.”

                  As mentioned, I tried and I’m not going to attempt that dog’s breakfast of a comment because I’m guessing it’s full of the same illogic as this one.

                  • Morrissey …
                    17 November 2015 at 8:08 pm

                    Read this quote carefully….

                    The life and death of Chris Kyle has captivated millions. He risked his life fighting for this country. He miraculously survived the most dangerous combat zones …. a modern-day American hero.”

                    Now what part of that do you not understand? He is praising a U.S. Army sniper who is “credited” officially with more than 160 kills.

                    You can vapour on all you like about how he is praising him for his “pre-murdering” actions, but nobody will take you seriously.

                    I would be offended by your allegation that I am “making shit up”, but it’s quite obvious you have basic problems in comprehension, as well as a history of hostility towards me. I have humoured you this evening, but I haven’t forgotten how credulous you were a couple of years ago in swallowing all that government black propaganda about Julian Assange, and how you continued, in spite of the allegations being conclusively refuted, to defiantly traduce not only Assange but anyone who dared to support him.

                    It seems you have not improved at all.

                    • weka …
                      17 November 2015 at 8:56 pm

                      You can resort to all the ad homs you like Morrisey (and more lies), but when you say “but he DOES approve of mass murder.” I believe you are making shit up. There is a large difference between being able to see someone’s contribution to their country and approving of mass murder. What’s not believable is that Phil McGraw approves of what Kyle did. You are grossly misrepresenting his position for your own argumentative gratification.

                    • Morrissey …
                      17 November 2015 at 9:03 pm

                      I think any reasonably intelligent person would interpret these words as endorsement: “He risked his life fighting for this country. He miraculously survived the most dangerous combat zones …. a modern-day American hero.”

                      The person he is endorsing is a sniper who picked off women and children from positions of almost complete safety.

                      I am not going to waste any more time with you while you play your endless game of feigned incomprehension.

                    • weka …
                      17 November 2015 at 10:54 pm

                      no, most people would understand that it’s possible to appreciate a soldier’s former life and not approve of them murdering multiple people. There is nothing in what you have posted that supports your assertion that Phil McGraw approves of mass murder (your words).

                      “He risked his life fighting for this country. He miraculously survived the most dangerous combat zones …. a modern-day American hero.”

                      There is only one google hit for any of that quote (your comment), so I’m guessing you transcribed it from the video. Given your transcriptions are shall we say loose at the best of times I’m going to assume that you have grossly misquoted McGraw out of context. I’ll also hazard a guess the McGraw was introducing Kyle when he used those words and the implication is that he was a modern-day American hero for his work as a soldier not for his later mass murder.

                      I’m not surprised you are giving this no more time because you can’t answer the challenge to your argument.

  25. Morrissey 25
    17 November 2015 at 4:53 pm

    The Paris attacks need to be analyzed by serious, informed commentators.
    So why on earth are these fools even trying to talk about them?
    The Panel, RNZ National, Tuesday 17 November 2015
    Jim Mora, Penny Ashton, John Bishop, Julie Moffett

    bewilderment n. 1. The condition of being confused or disoriented. 2. A situation of perplexity or confusion; a tangle: a bewilderment of lies and half-truths.

    PENNY ASHTON: Bombing them is probably not going to stop them.

    JOHN BISHOP: [gravely] It might not, but what’s the alternative?

    PENNY ASHTON: [thoughtfully] Mmmmmm.

    JOHN BISHOP: The West is certainly vulnerable, in terms of soft targets….
    [He carries on bloviating for several minutes then, thankfully, stops.]

    PENNY ASHTON: Ummm, ahhh, the, y’know, uhhhh, I’m tying myself in knots here…..

    et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseam….

  26. Rosemary McDonald 26
    17 November 2015 at 5:13 pm

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/289923/meatworkers-win-dispute-with-affco

    Good news!

    Well done to the ONLY loud and proud workers union I spotted at the Hamilton TPPA rally.

  27. greywarshark 27
    17 November 2015 at 5:50 pm

    Robot advice. How long before we can’t trust our own judgment, or what’s left of it.
    http://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/2408891/robo-advice-alert-issued-in-the-us?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rt-rtcom
    Generic economic assumptions, framed questions and de-personalised recommendations that do not properly take into account changing circumstances or investment time horizons are among the concerns identified in an alert issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

    Automated investment platforms are part of the ‘robo-advice’ sector in the US, though they are also being used by client-facing advisers as supplementary tools to guard against losing business to the traditional robo-advice giants, such as Betterment and Wealthfront.

    Robot advice is being used in investment, the computer buy and sell on target prices etc.
    This goes further. And when there is a paradigm for juding voting patterns and winning elections then?

  28. Morrissey 28
    17 November 2015 at 6:56 pm

    CNN anchors berate innocent Paris Muslim because
    he won’t ‘accept responsibility’ for attack
    by DAVID EDWARDS, Monday 16 November 2015

    Two CNN hosts berated the spokesperson for a Muslim outreach group over the weekend because he would not agree that all Muslims share responsibility for the recent attacks in Paris.

    During an interview early Sunday morning, Yaser Louati of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France told CNN anchors Isha Sesay and John Vause that hate speech was being directed toward the Muslim community in response to the attacks.

    “The problem is that you’re still mixing the Muslim community and somehow giving them an affiliation with these terrorists,” Louati explained. “But [French Muslims] are paying two prices. The price of being targeted by these terrorists and some of the right-wing columnists.”

    “We are being asked to choose our camp,” the guest pointed out. “Our camp is the French one. Make no mistake about it.”

    “If your camp is the French camp, then why is it that no one within the Muslim community there in France knew what these guys were up to?” Vause asked.

    “Sir, the Muslim community has nothing to do with these guys,” Louati insisted. “Nothing. We cannot justify ourselves for the actions of someone who claims to be Muslim.”

    “Why not?” Vause interrupted. “What is the responsibility within the Muslim community to identify people within their own ranks when it comes to people who are obviously training and preparing to carry out mass murder.”

    “Sir, they were not from our ranks!” Louati exclaimed. “We cannot accept the idea that these people are from us, they are not. They are just byproducts of our societies exporting their wars abroad and expecting no repercussions back home.”

    Co-host Isha Sesay insisted that Louati had to “accept that responsibility to prevent the bigger backlash” because the “finger of blame is pointing at the Muslim community.”

    “This is a very complicated issue,” Vause said, concluding the segment. “I have yet to hear the condemnation from the Muslim community on this.”

    “The point he is making is, ‘It’s not our fault,’” Sesay noted. “But the fact of the matter is when these things happen, the finger of blame is pointed at the Muslim community and so you have to be preemptive. It’s coming from the community. You’ve got to take a stand.”

    “The word responsibility comes to mind,” Vause opined.

    “It just comes to mind,” Sesay agreed. “You can’t shirk that.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/watch-cnn-anchors-berate-innocent-paris-muslim-because-he-wont-accept-responsibility-for-attack/

  29. Morrissey 29
    17 November 2015 at 7:46 pm

    Great Snipers of Our Time
    No. 1 TATANG KOSWARA

    Tatang Koswara (1947 – 2015) was a sniper credited with at least 41 confirmed kills during the U.S.-backed Indonesian invasion of East Timor in the 1970s.

    http://jakarta.coconuts.co/2015/03/04/indonesian-sniper-tatang-koswara-passes-away-68

    Great Snipers of Our Time is compiled by Morrissey Breen for Daisycutter Sports Inc.

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    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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