Think of it like this. Imagine three people wanting to look over a fence to see a parade: a short person, a middling person and a tall person. If we find a box of exactly the same size for each of them to stand on, then the short person still can’t see over the fence, and the tall person has a great view. That’s “fair” because we made sure each of them had the same size box — but the short person is left staring at the fence.
Then imagine if we gave two boxes to the short person, and the tall person just stood on the ground. Each person could see the parade because we made sure that we took their individual needs into account. That’s being fair, too.
So which sort of fairness is best? Treating everyone exactly the same or treating people according to their needs? The right of politics prefers people to be treated the same. The left thinks we ought to take some account of individual needs so everyone can get a fair go.
When you look at our tax system, you can tell what matters to New Zealanders. We don’t want to make everybody tall but we do want everybody to be able to see the parade.
Actually, on second thoughts, rather than a metaphor of everyone being able to watch the parade, I’d prefer everybody being able to participate in their local community – but it doesn’t create as clear an image as the parade one.
Didn’t someone say something along the lines of “From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs”? Seems to meet the idea of fair taxation……….
Except that to people who aren’t already sympathetic to leftwing ideas, it sounds like “you’re going to take away my stuff from me to give it to bludgers.” Rightwing ideas about individualism and “equal treatment” have become really ingrained in our political discourse, and we’re not going to overturn them by sticking to old school Marxist buzzwords.
Of course, it’s not actually their stuff in the first place. They’ve just managed to get it because our system is, effectively, a system of legalised theft.
Whoah. That’s too much truthiness there bro. Apparently the modern idea is that you can ‘overturn our current political discourse’ by carefully not presenting the kinds of ideas and speech which directly confront and challenge that political discourse with other alternatives.
I really don’t understand your comment. Deborah Russell’s article clearly does present important ideas which challenge rightwing ways of thinking. It sounds like your objection is that she’s just not doing it using the exact words you want her to, and therefore you’re happy to write off everything she’s said.
The old timey metaphor is superior to the one about looking over fences and I gave one reason why (brevity and concision). I haven’t read Russell’s article and have made no comment on it.
Well, first off it’s not a metaphor. And brevity is only an advantage if your audience are already familiar with the concepts you’re discussing – and as my first comment noted, if someone isn’t already familiar with Marxist ideas, they’re not going to properly understand a brief, context-free quote, however snappy it is.
Wrong. A husband raping his wife used to be perfectly legal and, most importantly, wasn’t called rape.
Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.
The reason why our laws keep changing is because they’re not perfect. We have a few more laws that need cleaning up and the laws that allow people to benefit from other peoples work are amongst them.
Marx’s metaphor has lasted now into a third century because it embodies a compassionate vision of a different way of human relations that has stood the test of time. It is used even today because it shines new light on to those principles which have been deliberately extinguished in our society by corporate forces.
In contrast, I’m not sure that the fence peering metaphor you prefer will make it to the end of the year.
The thing about Marx’s ‘ideal truism’ or whatever you want to call it, is that it’s crap.
In reality there would be a battle line drawn between, on the one hand, those demanding that their ‘needs’ are met by those with the ‘ability’ to meet their needs for them, and those with the alleged ‘ability’ denying they have the ability to meet those needs and (probably and in addition) that those with ‘needs’ have the ‘ability’ or potential to realise the ability themselves.
Not disagreeing as Marx himself recognised that his saying would only apply in a world where labour and economic relations had already moved on from the existing capitalist one.
That is why it is so powerful – it implicitly embodies that change.
Having said that, Marx neither took into account the “psychosis of permanent war” that has been applied to western peoples, nor the phenomena of resource and energy depletion.
So we are still going to have to chart our own course forward…
Energy depletion is certainly looking to be a concern in the next few years:
The study found that the UK has just 5.2 years of oil, 4.5 years of coal and three years of gas before it completely runs out of fossil fuels, said the researchers at the Institute based at Anglia Ruskin University, in the East of England.
France is also in poor shape with less than a year’s worth of fossil fuels in reserve, and Italy has a single year of oil left and less than a year of gas and coal, but France unlike its southern neighbor generates almost 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
And I’m pretty sure that we’re not in much better shape.
And I don’t know why you think this has to be a competition. Marx’s language is strong and powerful and lasting, obviously. But, shocking though it may be to you, not everyone is a scholar of Marx, especially the readership of the New Zealand Herald.
Simplistic nonsense. Tax is not like giving somebody a leg up. It is like expecting the tall person to hold up the short person so they can attempt to see and then requesting they lift the person higher because they want a better view.
Not at all nonsense, Gosman. It all depends upon your view of what a community is, and how we should look after each other. And that, I believe, is where the right and left divide.
Taxation is this society’s method. It used to be the responsibility of the tribal leader, the paterfamilias, the church, the lord, the king. Now it is the state.
And there you go again gosman, exposing your naïve view of people and communities.
You think we are all individual with no connection. Fool, such a fool. Your view would mean that if you lived alone on the planet then you could live the life you do now – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Fortunately there appears to be just one of you in the world, so everyone can continue to ignore you.
The fact we live in a community is not under discussion. What is under discussion is that fact should mean the people better off should be forced to provide more assistance to those less well off.
Gosman, yep, I agree. This is what our discussion is about.
This is what people who are better off do when they live in a community worth living in. Now, well adjusted people who know the meaning and practice of empathy would look after the poor and needy in their community but we all know that a proportion of any community are non-responsive to others’ needs. They need encouragement……….
Funnily enough, it seems that the better off people are, the less responsive they become- which is why we have taxation shelters, trusts, false income declarations, under table payments, and a whole generation of lawyers and accountants to service this greed and sociopathy.
If the community (however defined) was the economic unit, rather than the individuals within communities being cast as economic units, then almost all economic disparity would vanish.
The SOCIETY helped you get to be ‘better off’ by many individuals and state services giving YOU a little each. A caring state asks you to give a LITTLE back to society. You will STILL be better off anyway.
You COULDN’T have got to be “BETTER OFF’ all by yourself without any societal input, could you have? Imagine you living on earth as just one solitary individual/baby from the very beginning all by yourself.
Placing our faith in any one man, or woman, is tantamount to inviting defeat, as it is the entire corporate-political system of money, favours and careerism which is the problem.
How about we have some discussion about why some people are better off. Some reasons such as inheritance, legalised theft, bias in the justice system and enforced poverty by the state so that the rich can benefit. These things do need to be discussed and addressed.
My issue with your comment, TheContrarian, if I may express a contrary view, is with your word ‘generally’. First, how many are in this category? It’s bigger than you seem to want it to be. Secondly, those who do lack empathy and care for others tend to become more dominant than their mere numbers, and are especially to be found in positions of power and influence.
Care of others can often be found to be spread no further than family and close friends, and empathy has to be taught and acquired. My old education tutor at Training College I remember saying that most did not attain true adult maturity in terms of the psyche.
During the Great Depression, one third were impoverished, one third kept the same level of
matertial security and one third enriched themselves. A ‘generally’ empathetic and caring society should have done better.
During the Great Depression, one third were impoverished, one third kept the same level of
matertial security and one third enriched themselves. A ‘generally’ empathetic and caring society should have done better.
It’s what happens when you put bankers, financiers and asset speculators in charge of your society, and then exalt them as the ultimate example to follow.
It ain’t for nothing that the main targets of Christ’s wrath and condemnation were the moneychangers who had their tables overturned, and the wealthy who were told that their path to heaven was pretty skinny. Funnily enough, he also acknowledged the role of the state (‘render unto Caesar’) but also condemned rapacious state tax gathereres who fattened themselves- but not for the tax itself but for the extra they took for themselves.
Yesman money is about power over other people to you Yesman.
Just like your pathetic example above .
Just like short sighted neanderthal like yourself Gos needs a heart to stop being an emotionaly aloof intellectually barron cripple.
Your an intellectual and emotional pigmy that can,t see beyond his bank balance.
Spot on, mickysavage. Alas, the poverty of spirit which says that my wealth is my worth. I despair at its human cost to the greedy individual himself and become angered at the human cost to others.
It is like expecting the tall person to hold up the short person so they can attempt to see and then requesting they lift the person higher because they want a better view.
That happens every day between people who give a shit about each other, you fucking sociopath. Ever been to a Santa Parade, for example?
Nah, you think they should dump him immediately and get Shane Jones back. Or you think they should never have gotten rid of Shearer who was the only chance Labour had.
Stick to your script mate, you’re getting confused. Leave the revisions to the smart kids.
I agree. Labour need a stable leader, and removing Cunnliffe after Labour’s probable defeat this election will send Labour right back to square one again.
Key is liked more than Cunnliffe, which is a problem for Labour. Attacking Key direct for the last six years has not worked either. Change of strategy needed.
“They do when a large percentage of the population, the authoritarian right-wing to be specific, prefer it in their leaders.”
A large percentage of NZ’s voting public are authoritarian right-wing? Apart from the fact this has no basis in fact whatsoever if the majority prefer that then welcome to democracy, Draco.
Certainly haven’t noticed any authoritarians in my social or professional circles…the last CE I worked under was a little I guess, but not to any great degree.
There was an interesting discussion going on there until McGrath, i assume deliberately diverted it off its course,
The problem of inequality is simply one of the false use of various means to ‘value’ our labour,
In some forms of economic activity the measure is the value of the output of the individuals production helped along with the individualization of various companies that produce a particular good or service in an economy,
In other forms of industry the measure is the level of education which is the precursor to a decision on the level of remuneration to be paid to the individual,
There could be mounted an argument over who produces the most good from say a WINZ office on any given day, those who deliver customer services during the day or the lower paid cleaners who clear away the mess made by those workers,
Of course if the State owned all the profits of every business in theory all workers could be paid the same with the cleaner of the factory floor receiving no less than the CEO of the company in question,
In theory our economy generates enough profit to pay the average wage to everyone, cleaner to manager to solo parent, how such a system would be achieved is another story of course…
Not at all. I was just following on from BM’s comment, which I thought was interesting and a good idea. Dumping Cunnliffe I believe would be the wrong idea if Labour lose. I imagine that Key had low approval ratings as well while in opposition (though I could be incorrect on that score). With time, Cunnliffe could have approval ratings up round Key’s current level.
Yep your right, BM waved the conductors baton to divert the discussion and you as the chorus joined in,
Personal popularity contests as measured by opinion polls are only really of value to the right, Helen Clark was polling in those opinion polls 6% befor She become the Prime Minister so they are an indicator of nothing much really, simply a device for ‘wing-nuts’ to hang there hats upon which is again nothing much really,
The end result of the Stuff.co poll on the budget i did not get to see, BUT, at the point i viewed it, the story of the week, The Budget, had those who liked that budget polling 47.5%, those who disliked it 52.5%,
In a tight election contest it is numbers like that which indicate what the wider electorate is thinking,
i don’t have to even like David Cunliffe and have an expressed distaste for much of Labour’s policy platform, BUT, my votes will be cast to ensure that He becomes the next Prime Minister and Labour becomes the major Party of the next Government simply because there is at the moment no other alternative…
Pay equality is impractical and against human nature.
What can work better is having a maximum pay difference between the highest paid and lowest paid in an organisation. Say, Highest=50 x Lowest.
If the top guys are paid non job related perks such as shares, holidays etc, equivalent (at 50 times less value) shares/holidays should be paid in cash or kind to the lowest paid and other equivalent perks/value paid to those in between.
This system has more positives than negatives in my view.
John Key would have to be one of the most SPIN-DOCTORED politicians on the planet.
Which is why I am going to stand against him in Helensville – in order to help keep the BLOWTORCH on corruption (at both central and local government level).
funny how ralston got a position at tvnz notwithstanding his close training of the pm.
interesting to see the impact of nats catchphrases like tricky. showing you dont need facts just repeated memes. cunliffe doesnt have to change or if he did it would make no difference cos the labelling is not factually based.
key is thought of as arrogant… which is more interesting to me cos it shows the truth can seep through.
bm… you disappeared during judiths lying. how proud you must hsve been
Cunliffe, in his 8 short months, does not have the power or media exposure that Key has had for 6 long years. Hopefully he will get more media exposure in the coming months. At one time, before getting elected, Clark was at 11%.
In the comparative stats mentioned in the article, what was revealing to me was the fact that Key has a HIGHER negative rating than Cunliffe! 30 per cent negative for Key while Cunliffe has a lower negative rating at 25 per cent!
It is kind of ironic to see heaps of ‘advisers’ in the article and in the comments under the article advising Cunliffe that he should take less advice!
Former TVNZ political commentator turned media trainer Bill Ralston said Cunliffe came across like he “doesn’t know himself”…..
Cunliffe, who at times proved he had the ability to connect, was a thoughtful man who was likely to be over-analysing problems, he said. “He shouldn’t try to be anything else other than himself.”
Media trainer Brian Edwards, who has worked with Cunliffe, said the Labour leader was coming across poorly “which is curious because in the past he’s come across very well indeed. He doesn’t look relaxed, he doesn’t look spontaneous, he looks like he is reciting extended sound bites that he has been given by advisers.”
Where is the Cunliffe of old who could shoot from the hip and speak from the heart?
Brian Edwards says:
It seemed this had forced Cunliffe to over-prepare and use scripted responses at a time when it was better to wing it. “You can have this problem of too many voices. You’re given all this advice and you end up with scrambled brains.”
My advice to Cunliffe is, ditch the advice, go with your gut. After all you couldn’t do any worse.
God Bill Ralston is looking like an old ‘has been’ these days! (how does he come across these days!)…and as for Brian Edwards( much the same)…a touch of envy here?…..I would say Linda Clark is a far better, younger ‘up with the play’ media trainer!
Go David …you are doing just fine!…..next Prime Minister of New Zealand!…in coalition with the Greens, NZF and Mana/Dotcom!
Remember the better you get the more some will be squealing and trying to undercut you….Take it as a compliment and just get tougher and more determined…really TOUGH! (in this regard maybe get some advice from Helen Clark!)
I’d much rather Cunliffe performs a little better so he can just be in a coalition with the Greens.
If Mana goes ahead with the Internet Party, then any Dotcom scandal suddenly becomes relevant to a new Labour government if Mana is in government. And Winston will be a brake on any real left-wing policy.
Labour/Green majority is the best outcome. And unfortunately, we’re still probably 6-9% away from that.
The Buy back Assets sound bite appeals to the Left.
Keep Universal Super age at 65 appeals to the Right.
I think you’ll find that those appeal to the more conservative of the left and the right while also appealing to the more broadly left. The more libertarian right will absolutely hate the latter.
Keep Universal Super age at 65 appeals to the Right
Raising the retirement age = cutting benefits. Not raising the retirement age is a pure left wing policy. The reason it appeals to the Right is they know Labour is going to get smashed on it at the polls.
I reckon Bill Ralston and Brian Edwards have got the pip with Cunliffe because he chose the younger ‘up with the play’ Linda Clark to media train him.
And while I’m here:
Yesterday Redlogix called Fran O’Sullivan a trout. I suggested – in a tongue in cheek sort of way – that was a bit unfair. I wish to retract that comment! Redlogix is right. 🙂
Just seen her on Q&A and she looks like a trout, she acts like trout and she is a trout! What a shocking performance from both her and Bryce Edwards. They showed their true colours. Laila Harre had to shout over the top of them in order to get a word in edge-wise.
At one point O’Sulliavn is castigating Labour for a punitive CGT and a few minutes later she contradicts herself by saying it’s not going to have any effect anyway. Geez!!!
Jenny@4…………What ????????……Clearly none of these people watched DC on The Nation yesterday. He was faultless. Looked rested (unlike Key)…………..10 out of 10 Mr C.
We will win this election despite the likes of Stuff, Ralston, Fran, Claire etc etc.
of course not, its a cosy club of courtiers to the power elite, which one of the journalists in the press gallery would not like to be at least asked to become press secretary in the PMs office?
Glenn Greenwald: Zero evidence supporting claims Snowden jeopardised lives
Friday 16 May 2014
When Edward Snowden decided to leak top secret documents from the National Security Agency in the US, he contacted American journalist Glenn Greenwald. What followed was a series of events, straight out of the pages of a spy novel. The leaks revealed that the US was conducting a program of mass surveillance on a global scale Glenn Greenwald tells the story in his new book called “No Place To Hide”. He talks with Steve Cannane for his first Australian TV interview to promote the book.
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Right now, there are dozens of major U.S. cities that have already passed laws against feeding the homeless. As you will read about below, in some areas of the country you can actually be fined hundreds of dollars for just trying to give food to a hungry person. I know that sounds absolutely insane, but this is what America is turning into. Communities all over the country are attempting to “clean up the streets” by making it virtually illegal to either be homeless or to help those that are homeless. Instead of spending more money on programs to assist the homeless, local governments are bulldozing tent cities and giving homeless people one way bus tickets out of town. We are treating some of the most vulnerable members of our society like human garbage, and it is a national disgrace.
Yep Draco, and there was another article in the Herald last week about the ‘Ranui holiday Park’ out in West Auckland where Paula Bennett called a public meeting of its residents to cry faux tears over the amounts of money the owner is gouging from the State via its ‘end of the line’ tenants,
It appears that now Brown’s council has got in on the act and issued notices for a large number of the tenants to quit the place, their last refuge befor homlessness, because there are no resource consents in place for the ‘park’ to house permanent residents,
It gets even worse in what must be a total ”mind fuck” for the tenants who are deemed not to be permanent residents IF they are on the HousingNZ waiting lists,
Of course under the ”new rules” that govern the HousingNZ waiting lists none of the tenants can be placed on HousingNZ waiting lists because their current accommodation in the ‘holiday park’ is deemed by the rules put in place by Bennett and Nick Smith to be ‘suitably housed’ in such accommodation,
I used to have a bit of time for Mike Lee, but these days he doesn’t seem to do anything remotely good. He sticks to giving a civilised veneer to outrageously bad policies.
I think I mentioned to you some time ago that growing, cooking and giving away healthy free food was my thing, but leaving that aside, what a horrible world view some people have.
I don’t do lotto, but did notice the jackpot was $18m before Saturday, if it’s not gone I might luck in like Trevor from Te Kauwhata did, though I’m confident that in publicly pledging to give it away I wouldn’t suffer his publicised troubles.
Maybe if it gets to the must go draw at the very end I’ll risk the the minimum power ball option of four boards for $4.80 and along with my food farm, wind turbine, kitchens and free diner/restaurant I’ll fund a sports academy as home base for the cities amateur sports groups to operate out of, a free leisure centre for Hamilton South.
Not quite a DB9 with a sunlight powered hyper drive, but what ever floats your pod, as they say.
Besides, with the Green’s bank and kiwi ingenuity, we’ll be flying like in Futurama in no time. 😀
I don’t do lotto, but did notice the jackpot was $18m before Saturday, if it’s not gone I might luck in like Trevor from Te Kauwhata did
I’d reform Lotto into Socialist Lotto.
Instead of an $18M jackpot which might be shared out by a small handful of people, or even just one person, I would have the system geared to 36 x $500,000 prizes.
Enough to transform the life of 36 families in other words, not just give one or two families a shot at living it up like Hollywood stars.
Yip, definitely agree. If you look at the prizes by lotto, it is very very highly weighted to the top prizes.
2nd division lotto was $21,000 this last weekend – nothing to sneeze at, but not really going to be life-transforming for many. 3rd division was a paltry $660, which is probably the most the average lotto player could have a reasonable expectation to win once in their lifetime of buying tickets. Powerball 2nd division was only $25,000, although the 3rd division was a more satisfying $1,368.
I’ve started buying lotto tickets now, but only because I won’t miss the money and “if you don’t buy a ticket you have 0 chance of winning”. I only ever buy when they have one of their promotions of 100 additional prizes, eg the recent Easter and Mother’s Day promotions, and also when it goes to a “must be won” jackpot – not because I’m hoping to win 1st division, but because I’m hoping to win 2nd division and have no-one win 1st.
Ordinary Americans have a long and admirable traditions of personal generosity and community volunteering – and these new laws are very much at odds with that. Deeply so.
It is always worth keeping in mind that the USA is an astoundingly diverse nation – every possible variation and extreme of human value and experience is to be found there.
you mean like donating to their ivy league colleges to ensure a spot for their children no matter how stupid or registering their assets in georgetown and then donating to the usa.
ordinary americans are no more giving than the ordinary kiwis… its the very very wealthy who wait til their pillage has borne fruit then to perpetuate a personal image they donate… like owen glenn in nz
And it is shocking to think that Camden (which Hedges features prominently in his book Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt) is a mere 3 hour drive from the heart of empire, Washington DC. Hedges reports on companies who sole job it is to break down abandoned offices and houses and rip out anything worthy of scrap, load it on boats which then take it away to China and other places for melting down.
It really is the catabolic breakdown of western civilisation. Hedges calls these places the “sacrifice zones” of capitalism, and these zones are spreading.
In other words, when the American power elite is doing this to their own people down the road, do you think they really care one whit about anyone else further away.
In other words, when the American power elite is doing this to their own people down the road, do you think they really care one whit about anyone else further away.
Whatever makes you think that they ever cared about anyone else? There’s a very good reason why the original rich were called RobberBarons. It’s just a matter of time before we call them that again. In fact, we should already be doing so.
Ordinary Americans have a long and admirable traditions of personal generosity and community volunteering – and these new laws are very much at odds with that. Deeply so.
Yep. And one could make a case that Republican voting families and the Christian Right help out in their local communities even more so than most other Americans.
“And without a doubt, the need to help the homeless is greater than it ever has been before. Right now, there are 1.2 million public school students in America that are homeless. That number is an all-time record, and it has grown by 72 percent since the start of the last recession.
In addition, there are 49 million Americans that are dealing with food insecurity. Even in the midst of this so-called “economic recovery”, poverty is absolutely exploding.”
Welcome to America the land of the free and plenty.
PS: A reader posted below the article :
‘Better pull him over…..he looks like a Good Samaritan!’
CV “Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities”
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Yes. How is it possible that an authority we are part of goes and does this? I don’t understand. Does this mean that the majority of Aucklanders and Americans want to do this?
The Onehunga Business Association has more weight than a hundred thousand voters. It’s how the system works.
And in the US/UK, literally millions of people were opposed to the 2nd Iraq War. But the western power elite did what they wanted regardless. Which is not a surprise according to Dmitry Orlov quoting some recent Princeton research:
In case you missed it, the US is not a democracy. A Princeton University study by Gilens and Page performed a regression analysis on over a thousand public policy decisions, and determined that the effect of public opinion on public policy is nil. That’s right, nil. It doesn’t matter how you vote, it doesn’t affect the outcome in any measurable way. By extension, that also goes for protesting, organizing, dousing yourself with gasoline and setting yourself on fire on the steps of the US Senate, or whatever else you may get up to. It won’t influence those in power worth a damn.
Here’s the plot that shows the relationship: public support for any given issue may vary from 0% to 100%; the probability that public policy will follow remains stuck at 30%. It doesn’t matter whether or not you vote, you are throwing your vote away regardless. Or, if it makes you feel better, it is thrown away for you.
I don’t understand. Does this mean that the majority of Aucklanders and Americans want to do this?
Of course, you know that we do not live in a full democracy where each persons’ voice has equal weight, and what’s the bet that Auckland’s homeless were encouraged to speak or lobby for themselves about this proposal, in front of Council – nil or close to nil, right?
Maybe even a list of multistory buildings that are tsunami resistant could be good too. Video of the Fukushima earthquake showed that those who made it to the upper floors of such buildings also survived.
P.S. Also handy knowledge in the case of storm surge related to hurricanes, which due to climate change are expected to strike the North of the North Island within the next 20 – 30 years.
The storm surge that hit the city of Tacloban in the Philippines was 6 metres high.
“I was talking to the people of Tacloban,” said senior presidential aide Rene Alemendras. “They said ‘we were ready for the wind. We were not ready for the water.’
“We tried our very best to warn everybody,” he said. “But it was really just overwhelming, especially the storm surge.”
While the storm surge proved deadly, much of the initial destruction was caused by winds blasting at 235 kilometers per hour (147 mph) that occasionally blew with speeds of up to 275 kph (170 mph), howling like jet engines.
Because Bennett’s work and welfare policies aren’t based in reality, they’re based on ideology and (if we are more cynical) manipulation towards privatisation.
…and based on spreading right-wing propaganda. Because now we can say for sure that anyone without a job/without enough work is 100% to blame for choosing their own predicament.
After all, if the govt will give you 1000s and 1000s of dollars to go to Christchurch, and you don’t take them up on it, you must really really not want to work, right?
this is the woman who pretended to be dyed in the wool westie and has dumped them like a hot potato now she will stand for the wealthy of upper harbour. I hope that clarifies it for you.
Like you Phil I don’t rate Edwards at all. His opinion of David Parkers interview was quickly dismissed by Harrie as was Fran Wilde’s. Did you notice bumbling Bill English turn all insecure when he heard Parker was about to be asked to critique his lack luster budget. I had a chuckle when Parker burst into a hysteric belly laugh referring to snake oil being peddled by English and National. DP just firmed up any wavering swing voters minds watching, that National are vision less having very poor policy direction.
Have always rated Parker, liked his response to Dann over immigration being populist (‘what’s wrong with being populist’?)
Disappointing though to see him physically recoil at Dann’s suggestion the top tax rate could go to up to 45 cents, and repeat reassurances it won’t.
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee English and Parker write New Zealand’s future.
President Barack Obama’s science advisor, Dr. John Holdren is the US equivalent of New Zealand’s Professor Peter Gluckman, science advisor to John Key.
This is what Dr Holdren says about climate change:
“The amount of rain coming down in heavy downpours is increasing. Drought in the West and South-West in the United States. The increase that has already occurred in heatwaves across the middle of the United States. All of these are phenomena are going to have a direct adverse affect on human well being on the different parts of this country…..
The 1st component is reducing carbon emissions in the United States.
The 2nd component is helping communities increase preparedness and resilience.
And the 3rd is global leadership, to get countries around the world to join us in emissions reductions that will slow the rate of climate change around the world and help cities like Miami that are particularly vulnerable…..
Dr Holdren’s comments strongly correlate with Professor Gluckman’s advice to our nation contained in the nzgovt. webpage on climate change; http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/climate-change/
“New Zealand is a small emitter by world standards – only emitting some 0.2% of global green house gases. So anything we do as a nation will have little impact on the climate – our impact will be symbolic, moral, and political”
Sir Peter Gluckman Chief Science adviser to Prime Minister Key
So how are New Zealand’s political leaders heeding the advice of science advisers like Dr Holdren and Professor Gluckman for global leadership?
New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions increased 111 percent between 1990 and 2012. Total emissions increased 25 percent.
Statistics New Zealand nzgovt.
English and Parker call the shots:
Labour says views on mining close to Govt’s
Labour’s finance spokesman, David Parker, says his party’s policies on oil, gas and mineral extraction are close to those of the Government.
“I don’t think we are much different from National,” Parker said. “They’ve continued on with the programme that we started in respect to oil and gas,” he said yesterday after a breakfast for the Mood of the Boardroom survey in which chief executives expressed strong support for mining.
“We think that mining outside the Schedule 4 areas is appropriate.
“There need to be appropriate environmental controls around risk minimisation.”….
Parker was Energy Minister during the last Labour Government and said about $20 million was spent on seismic surveys to supply to big oil companies and entice them to New Zealand….
Finance Minister Bill English outlined six business-friendly growth initiatives, one of which was to bring in new rules for the country’s 200km exclusive economic zone.
“We believe that New Zealanders will support better use of our natural resources provided it is economically responsible,” English said.
The sooner these two sickly extreme Right sychophantic servants to the Polluters and Plutocrats, and traitors to the People and Planet, are removed from any and all positions of influence the better.
Blindly calling a BLANKET ban on RESPONSIBLE CONTROLLED mining or mineral and oil exploration, or blindly opposing TPPA even before knowing the details is stupid and sort of throwing a baby out with the bath water.
This does not preclude us in the meantime developing and starting NEW environmentally focused industries.
labour needs to pull him from epsom to avoid distraction. having such a high profile labour mp there is wrongly tell people to vote for him for electorate mp.
All the opposition party’s are are guilty of not playing MMP as you can, the Greens have put up Genter. I guess they could intend saying vote the Nat candidate as your electorate vote, or maybe go down as list only?
Julie Ann will in my opinion have done a good job in Epsom if the Green Party vote goes up again in that electorate, AND, the far too high in 2011 electorate vote for the Green Party candidate goes down,
The same i would suggest will be the measure of David Parker’s success or not in that electorate,
Between both Parties Labour/Green they have some 8000 electorate votes from the 2011 numbers, a quarter of which if either candidate is able to convince their supporters to vote for the National Party candidate will unseat ACT from the Parliament,
i would like to think that both David Parker and Julie Ann Genter are going to approach the 2014 election with the firm intentions of achieving exactly what i write above but have my doubts,
The Green Party are fully aware of the situation in Epsom having given the previous candidate there a spanking over the manner in which He campaigned in the electorate in 2011,
As far as David Parker goes tho i have serious doubts, with, from memory, around 5000 electorate votes from the Epsom electorate in 2011 He more than holds the key to ACT’s fate this election and therefor possibly the key to who Governs,
Hopefully Labour strategists have educated Parker in what is needed in this particular crucial electorate…
Yes and MP’s need to put their own egos aside and play MMP as they should. How many will vote the National candidate? I think the Mana candidate did and told his supporters there to do the same. My own family who live in Epsom have voted ACT/National in the last 2 elections but have abandoned them after watching mind the gap. They proudly confirm they are now Green supporters and intend giving 2 them 2 ticks, I will be turning their way of thinking soon, we need the likes of them to candidate vote national and party vote Green obviously. A campaign using this strategy may just work the oracle?
In saying all that, National through the budget played the ACT card which will be good for about 2% of party votes gifted to them. By this wolf in sheeps disguise, PR stunt, the rightwing of National-Act will pull 4%. If they get a third term they will piss on the lot of us till a spring bok tour revolt occurs. Thinking of going on a 2.5 year World holiday to places I’ve always wanted to see. Be back for the next election fight. Still think NACT will cop a hiding though.
The Q and A is no where near as good as in the earlier years.
Corin Dann is an irritating interviewer as he interrupts before the speaker has completed his point. Interrupting in the middle a speaker’s sentence is rude and stupid. Let the person at least COMPLETE a sentence man! Both English and Parker tried their best to answer the questions in spite of the crap attitude/manners of the interviewer.
The panel today was also irritating because the host not at all being in control, the panel members constantly interrupted each other like uneducated little unprofessional cretins.
The show should be about discussion and information for the audience and not become an ego exercise slot for the so called ‘journalists’ and ‘commentators’.
The ‘Nation’ does it much better I think.
I wonder why they no longer get the highly impressive, astute intellectual, the professional Colin James?
I wonder why they no longer get the highly impressive, astute intellectual, the professional Colin James?
I doubt he would want to lend his name to a second-rate, once over lightly and partisan programme like Q&A. The Nation would be a better place for him.
Btw, I agree about the panel scrapping and interrupting each other, but it should be noted the main culprits were Edwards and O’Sullivan talking down Harre every time she tried to say something. In the end, she joined in but that was the only way she could any points across.
why do we need panels. why do we need opinion pieces. its to tell us how to think and raise the financial stocks of the panelists and opinion writers.
duncan garner just commented on a piece about a young man with a terminal ilness ” what a great attitude to life”. had to be scripted cos he shows no understanding of bigger picture issurs beyong himself in his work. oh the irony.
It seems that some of the interviewers like Gluon are not interested in the answers, just in posing questions which so how sharp they are. The interview is to demonstrate their skills and to acquire some information that provides material for ongoing news, and so that they can score some point, spurious or note, against the interviewee. That’s my impression of late.
Gos its obvious that you have the same MO as Srylands.
So lesson 1 Democracy gave more power to everybody including the poorest.
They have a right to vote in a government that shares resources more evenly.
The Result is free education which gives more people a chance to make a good income and pay taxes to lower the burden on you selfish one.
Healthcare ensures more people are aloud to participate and keep working to lower the tax burden on you.selfish one.
Economic History shows that having a more equal society means having a more stable and vibrant economy much less prone to recession or depression.
Which means more people get to keep their wealth like selfish idiots like yourself.
Diseases spread are reduced hugely by having universal healthcare so when you visit your ladies of the night you are far less likely to end up with Aides tuberculosis stds excetera.
Education is good because I can get to read over 1,000 economics books for less than $100 .As the university students throw out their expensive books .
So my knowledge of economics is light years ahead of your pathetic propaganda that you repeat from your Act pamplet you selfish sorry little yesman.
In one of the most fiercely contested general elections, the right wing nationalist BJP (Bharathiya Janata Party) has won 282 seats, making it the only party to win single majority in the Lok Sabha since 1984. The total seats in the house=543+(2 nominated)=545. Needed for outright majority=272
This year’s Lok Sabha polls witnessed the highest-ever turnout with 66.38 per cent of an estimated 814 million voters exercising their franchise — the highest ever in the history of general elections. These elections saw a total of 8,241 candidates fighting it out for the 16th Lok Sabha and included 3,234 independents.
One of the facts that interested me was the absurdity and unfairness of the FPP system:
In terms of vote share, BJP is on top, with ONLY 31 % of votes. But this gave them 52% of the seats. 282 !
Followed by 19.3 per cent vote for the Congress party, but gave them only 8% of seats, a mere 44!
I am so glad we here chose a more democratic and a fairer system of representative government. MMP is any day way better than FPP.
India remains a remarkably unequal country; it still has a strong caste system still in place, and millions do not have reliable clean drinking water or sanitation although it has been improving. Over 600M Indians still defecate outside in open air arrangements, however.
Oh, and according to Forbes, India now has over 50 billionaires. Good on them.
To me the measure of success for India will be when every house in every town and village has a toilet, running water and electricity.
The very wealthy are very very filthily rich and the poor are sadly very very poor.
Corruption in every sphere of life is rampant. Greed, selfishness, pursuit of wealth, dowry, unfairness, parochialism, nepotism, religious extremism, intolerance and hardship is beyond the pale.
Hats off to innumerable good caring volunteers trying to make positive changes against huge odds where ever possible.
India has so many well educated wise, kind and good people too, but changing the traditional ingrained mentality and effecting a paradigm shift is a monumental task which even the very great Mahatma Gandhi was unable to fulfill.
Remains to be seen if the election of this far right party with its religious, nationalist and capitalist agenda will be good for that nation’s poor and ordinary people in the short and long term. I really wish them success, but I am very skeptical and fear for the minority Muslims and Christians.
i think the ‘wing-nuts’ use of that little divisive device relies upon what is then redistributed by Government’s via various programs from Working for Families, welfare benefits, Housing subsidies etc etc etc,
As a straight calculation of actual dollars paid in taxes by the various groups without subtracting amounts of monies given back by these various programs the story would i believe be entirely different,
Shown as taxation paid as a % of income the tale is then turned on its head to show those with the least income pay a greater % of that income as taxation than any other group…
See this article in the business section of today’s Sunday Star Times?
“In the business pages of the Sunday Star-Times today, anti-corruption campaigner Penny Bright points out that New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries NOT to have ratified the UN Convention on Corruption.”
(Thanks to Auckland Councillor Cathy Casey posting it on facebook).
How come NZ’s Minister of ‘Justice’ Judith Collins has not yet introduced her ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ into the House?
This ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ needs to be passed before NZ can ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) .
Ratification of UNCAC is supposed to have been a priority for the last SIX years.
Perhaps if Judith Collins had been a bit more competent and focused in her publicly-funded role as Minister of Justice, instead of focusing on helping to organise private business ‘net-working’ and ‘profile-building’ opportunities for Oravida, which is owned by her very close friend ‘Stone’ Shi, and whose managing director is her very close friend Julia Xu, the other director being her HUSBAND David Wong Tung – then NZ would have a domestic anti-corruption legislative framework now in place?
(See pages 83 – 84 for the MFAT briefing on the pre-planned tour/visit of Oravida facilities by the MINISTER of Justice Judith Collins on 23 October 2013, and the photo STILL up on the Oravida website which proves this:
The time-frame for the introduction and passage of legislation is normally six months.
However – it is now 18 May 2014, and the last sitting day of this Parliament is 31 July 2014.
(I checked with the appropriate Parliamentary staff).
Minister of ‘Justice’ Judith Collins’ much vaunted ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ has STILL yet to surface in the House …………..
Why is Judith Collins STILL a Minister – when she is obviously NOT ‘fit for duty’?
Because NZ PM John Key has been bending over backwards /forwards to also help promote Oravida, thus has difficulties holding her accountable to the ‘highest ethical standards’, when he appears to lack them himself?
“Oravida’s chairman plays golf with NZ Prime Minister”
Shocking display of National Party propaganda on the page 2 of the Sunday Star Times today.
They must be running close to being sued it’s so blatant.
Of course it’s yet another supposed survey about who is the best leader;Key or Cunliffe? And no prizes for guessing as to who came out of it smelling of roses!
It’s clearly a counter to the rave reviews David and Karen Cunliffe have been getting for their very authentic ‘at home with the leaders’ appearance with John Campbell.
I expect to see National declare that Mediaworks donation.If not,why not?
The ol’ invisible hand of the free market goes into spastic convolutions throwing out hundreds of thousands of new cars onto the world market with no buyers in sight.
Unfortunately for the free market, the hand may be invisible but its crazy handiwork is clearly visible on Google Earth
It is a sorry state of affairs and there is no answer to it, solutions don’t exist. So the cars just keep on being manufactured and keep on adding to the millions of unsold cars already sitting redundant around the world.
Below are parked tens of thousands of cars at Royal Portbury Docks, Avonmouth, near Bristol in the United Kingdom. If you look on Google Maps and scan around the area at say 200ft you will see nothing but parked up unsold cars. They are absolutley everywhere in that area practically every open space has unsold cars parked up on it.
Below is that same area in Avonmouth, UK, but zoomed out. Every gray space that you see is filled with unsold cars. Anyone want to hazard a guess at how many are there…
As it is, there are more cars than there are people on the planet with an estimated 10 billion roadworthy cars in the world today.
We literally cannot make enough of them. Below are seen just a few of the thousands of Citroen’s parked up at Corby, Northamptonshire in England. They are being added to daily, imported from France but with nowhere else to go once they arrive.
Tens of thousands of cars are still being made every week but hardly any of them are being sold. Nearly every household in developed countries already has a car or even two or three cars parked up on their driveway as it is.
I wonder how ACT would solve this problem of the market?
Lay off the auto workers?
Followed by the steel workers, then all the component manufacturers? Maybe slash any remaining workers wages?
This sounds like the sort of idiocy that ACT would resort too.
And what would be the result?
Tens of thousands of newly unemployed, who will not be buying any new cars, they will not be buying any old cars, they will not be able to afford to put petrol into the cars they already own, they will not be buying as much groceries and most definitely like all unemployed they will not be buying any luxuries, in fact they will not be able to spend money they no longer earn on anything. This gathering snowball of falling demand will see more factories of all sorts close. Tens of thousands of unemployed will balloon out into hundreds of thousands and then millions of unemployed, the recession will blow out into a full scale depression to rival the 1930s collapse.
So how did they get out of it?
Maybe even ACT would agree that it is time for just a little bit of government intervention?
The WWII solution.
State intervention writ large
Out the outbreak of war, by government decree, all private automobile production was stopped and all the car plants of the warring nations were converted within months and even weeks in some cases to churning out tanks and planes and other weapons of destruction to win the war against fascism.
Fortunately, (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), we already have all the tanks and planes and drones and missiles and bombs and guns we can use, and their destructive power is exponentially greater.
What we don’t have is the wind turbines and solar collectors and smart grids necessary to win the war on climate change.
Here’s a taster: using the manufacturing capacity of our automotive industry enough wind turbines could be churned out to fully power all the electricity grids of the world, including all the electric cars not yet built within ten years. This is not to even to mention solar, which with molten salt heat storage technology can reliably deliver base load power 24/7 to fill in the gaps that come from intermittant wind generation. Even with out base load Solar. The wind is always blowing somewhere, with Super Grids the local intermittency of wind is largely overcome.
“A large-scale wind, water and solar energy system can reliably supply the world’s needs, significantly benefiting climate, air quality, water quality, ecology and energy security. As we have shown, the obstacles are primarily political, not technical.”
Scientific American
Interestingly the comments section has several critiques of the Wind Water Solar solution submitted by the Scientific American authors. Advocates of nuclear or bio fuels argue that their chosen solutions would better make the necessary changeover to zero emissions within the same ten year time frame. They don’t question the urgent necessity for making this changeover to zero emissions, or that it is possible, both these premises are taken as scientific givens.
Everyone needs to look at this article and pictures.
Great post. Thanks very much!
[lprent: Both the spam checkers and myself look for comments that look exactly like this one. As the link puts it “5: Comments full of adulation”. I’d suggest a different wording, as that one had my finger hovering over the spam button ]
Today the maximum power consumed worldwide at any given moment is about 12.5 trillion watts (terawatts, or TW), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency projects that in 2030 the world will require 16.9 TW of power as global population and living standards rise, with about 2.8 TW in the U.S. The mix of sources is similar to today’s, heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
If, however, the planet were powered entirely by WWS, with no fossil-fuel, nuclear or biomass fuels, intriguing savings occur. Global power demand would be only 11.5 TW, and U.S. demand would be 1.8 TW. The decline occurs because, in most cases, electrification is a more efficient way to use energy. For example, only 17 to 20 percent of the energy in gasoline is used to move a vehicle (the rest is wasted as heat), whereas 75 to 86 percent of the electricity delivered to an electric vehicle goes into motion.
Even if demand did rise to 16.9 TW, WWS could provide far more power. Detailed studies by us and others indicate that energy from the wind, worldwide, is about 1,700 TW. Solar, alone, offers 6,500 TW. Of course, wind and sun out in the open seas, over high mountains and across protected regions would not be available. If we subtract these and low-wind areas not likely to be developed, we are still left with 40 to 85 TW for wind and 580 TW for solar, each far beyond future human demand. Yet currently we generate only 0.02 TW of wind power and 0.008 TW of solar. These sources hold an incredible amount of untapped potential.
The other WWS technologies will help create a flexible range of options. Although all the sources can expand greatly, for practical reasons, wave power can be extracted only near coastal areas. Many geothermal sources are too deep to be tapped economically. And even though hydroelectric power now exceeds all other WWS sources, most of the suitable large reservoirs are already in use.
The Plan: Power Plants Required
Clearly, enough renewable energy exists. How, then, would we transition to a new infrastructure to provide the world with 11.5 TW? We have chosen a mix of technologies emphasizing wind and solar, with about 9 percent of demand met by mature water-related methods. (Other combinations of wind and solar could be as successful.)
51 percent of the demand, comes from 3.8 million large wind turbines (each rated at five megawatts) worldwide. Although that quantity may sound enormous, it is interesting to note that the world manufactures 73 million cars and light trucks every year.
40 percent of the power comes from photovoltaics and concentrated solar plants, with about 30 percent of the photovoltaic output from rooftop panels on homes and commercial buildings. About 89,000 photovoltaic and concentrated solar power plants, averaging 300 megawatts apiece, would be needed.
The rest includes 900 hydroelectric stations worldwide, 70 percent of which are already in place.
Only about 0.8 percent of the wind base is installed today. The worldwide footprint of the 3.8 million turbines would be less than 50 square kilometers (smaller than Manhattan). When the needed spacing between them is figured, they would occupy about 1 percent of the earth’s land, but the empty space among turbines could be used for agriculture or ranching or as open land or ocean. The nonrooftop photovoltaics and concentrated solar plants would occupy about 0.33 percent of the planet’s land.
If we stick with fossil fuels, demand by 2030 will rise to 16.9 TW, requiring 13,000 large new coal plants, which themselves would occupy a lot more land, as would the mining to supply them.
With all this going on, perhaps better forget the Internet Party also, given the personal drama, and the distress, and how the “mind” behind it will be too distracted to worry about politics in little New Zealand now:
Perhaps the “progressive” parties should get their acts together and now focus on fighting the election on their own, with their resources and manpower?
Mana also better rethink some “grandiose” ideas and plans. It is all over in my view, re Kim Dotcom, he is (rightly or wrongly) being “dismantled”.
According to Vikram Kumar who is in essence running the Internet Party on behalf of DotCom the breakup of the marriage will have no effect on the plans of the Internet Party,
My view is that Mana should continue discussing an alliance with the Internet Party, the latest Roy Morgan having the Mana Party polling 1% and Internet polling 1.5% would suggest such an alliance could reap 3–4% of the vote in September,
The Roy Morgan showed both Labour and the Green Parties to have also risen in their %’s of popular support in that poll as well, so its obvious that neither Mana or Internet are taking votes from either of those parties…
The security and surveillance state have succeeded in damaging KDC’s personal life and family even as they have not been able to win any final court battle over him. Even if he wins in the end, he still loses. Usual modus operandi of the power elite.
The life of a politician is a lot more demanding than that of a successful business tycoon. For one thing, you are expected to attend lots of public meetings often in the evenings or weekends, (when the prols can attend),
And you can barely afford to miss any of them. Especially a high profile public event organised and advertised by an important political ally.
This is the new Dotcom life.
And this is not to mention the horrendous strain of persecution by the most powerful and intrusive secret police force of all time, the NSA and their secretive global allies.
Kim Dotcom and the NSA are now in the end game. Dotcom’s move into politics is another chess piece n this game, and potentially a very powerful one.
Unfortunately and tragically something had to give, for Kim Dotcom it his family life.
When I was little my grandmother whose family was ruined during the depression used to tell me, “Where there is life, there is hope.” and while Dotcom still has his freedom anything is possible.
I wish him and all his loved ones all the best in this difficult time.
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The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
The committee has published this list to inform the public about its work, and to give clarity to submitters who have contacted the committee asking if they will be invited to make an oral submission. ...
Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of ...
The US President's suggestion, which sparked enormous debate globally, has been labelled as a threat, not a proposal, by the Federation of Islamic Associations. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine McCarthy, Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Interior of Auckland South Men’s Prison.Getty Images Prisons are not colourful places. Typically, they are grey or some variation of a monochrome colour scheme. But increasingly, ...
FICTION1Tree of Nourishment (Kāwai 2) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Interesting to note that the author of the biggest-selling New Zealand novel in Waitangi Week is Māori (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai, and Ngāti Kahungunu).2 Kāwai: For Such a Time as This (Kāwai 1) by Monty Soutar (David ...
Remembering the renowned New Zealand writer, who died on February 5, 2025. The Stopover When the trout rise like compassion It is worth watching when the hinds come down from the hills with a new message it will be as well to listen. – Brian Turner Poet, environmentalist, sportsman, journalist, ...
Survivors can choose to have former High Court judge Paul Davison assess their individual claims to tailor payments to their personal circumstances. ...
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“..10 Biggest Pot Myths – Debunked by Science..
By any objective analysis –
cannabis and cannabinoids exceed the FDA’s existing standards for medicine..”
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/10-biggest-pot-myths-debunked-science
“..Four glasses of wine is enough to harm your health – scientists say.
..Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School –
found that a single alcohol binge can cause lasting damage to the body..”
(cont..)
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/four-glasses-of-wine-is-enough-to-harm-your-health-scientists-say-9390044.html
and of course..in a country with such a large alcohol problem as we do..
..a major positive from decriminalising/regulating/taxing cannabis..
..will be the corresponding harm-reduction drop in alcohol consumption..
..this is what has the booze-pushers running scared..
..and why they are putting do much pressure on those politicians they own outright.lock-stock-and barrel..like peter dung…
..and on those parties they ‘contribute’ to..to do nothing to change the status quo..
..(and that tactic seems to be working a treat for them..so far..)
..this is all about bottom-line/patch-protection for those booze-pushers..
..and couldn’t be clearer/sadder-for-us example of our gutless/’owned’ politicians..
Deborah Russell explains clearly and fairly briefly, the difference between left and right views on “fair tax”:
Actually, on second thoughts, rather than a metaphor of everyone being able to watch the parade, I’d prefer everybody being able to participate in their local community – but it doesn’t create as clear an image as the parade one.
struggling..with..weighty..metaphor….
..and i am looking forward to labours’ ‘big-box’ policy…
Didn’t someone say something along the lines of “From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs”? Seems to meet the idea of fair taxation……….
Yeah I think that old timey formula is the best…communicates the message in 90% less words…
Except that to people who aren’t already sympathetic to leftwing ideas, it sounds like “you’re going to take away my stuff from me to give it to bludgers.” Rightwing ideas about individualism and “equal treatment” have become really ingrained in our political discourse, and we’re not going to overturn them by sticking to old school Marxist buzzwords.
Of course, it’s not actually their stuff in the first place. They’ve just managed to get it because our system is, effectively, a system of legalised theft.
Whoah. That’s too much truthiness there bro. Apparently the modern idea is that you can ‘overturn our current political discourse’ by carefully not presenting the kinds of ideas and speech which directly confront and challenge that political discourse with other alternatives.
I have no idea how that works, but anyways.
I really don’t understand your comment. Deborah Russell’s article clearly does present important ideas which challenge rightwing ways of thinking. It sounds like your objection is that she’s just not doing it using the exact words you want her to, and therefore you’re happy to write off everything she’s said.
The old timey metaphor is superior to the one about looking over fences and I gave one reason why (brevity and concision). I haven’t read Russell’s article and have made no comment on it.
Well, first off it’s not a metaphor. And brevity is only an advantage if your audience are already familiar with the concepts you’re discussing – and as my first comment noted, if someone isn’t already familiar with Marxist ideas, they’re not going to properly understand a brief, context-free quote, however snappy it is.
+1 CV…spot on the mark.
plus fucking one
“they” are taking “our” jobs.
“giving” women the vote.
the biggest upheaval came when sectors of societies starting saying
“hey… share with us.”
Draco T Bastard:
‘Legalised theft’ is an oxymoron.
If it’s ‘theft’ then it isn’t legal. If it’s inside the law, then it isn’t theft.
Wrong. A husband raping his wife used to be perfectly legal and, most importantly, wasn’t called rape.
Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.
The reason why our laws keep changing is because they’re not perfect. We have a few more laws that need cleaning up and the laws that allow people to benefit from other peoples work are amongst them.
Marx’s metaphor has lasted now into a third century because it embodies a compassionate vision of a different way of human relations that has stood the test of time. It is used even today because it shines new light on to those principles which have been deliberately extinguished in our society by corporate forces.
In contrast, I’m not sure that the fence peering metaphor you prefer will make it to the end of the year.
The thing about Marx’s ‘ideal truism’ or whatever you want to call it, is that it’s crap.
In reality there would be a battle line drawn between, on the one hand, those demanding that their ‘needs’ are met by those with the ‘ability’ to meet their needs for them, and those with the alleged ‘ability’ denying they have the ability to meet those needs and (probably and in addition) that those with ‘needs’ have the ‘ability’ or potential to realise the ability themselves.
Not disagreeing as Marx himself recognised that his saying would only apply in a world where labour and economic relations had already moved on from the existing capitalist one.
That is why it is so powerful – it implicitly embodies that change.
Having said that, Marx neither took into account the “psychosis of permanent war” that has been applied to western peoples, nor the phenomena of resource and energy depletion.
So we are still going to have to chart our own course forward…
Energy depletion is certainly looking to be a concern in the next few years:
And I’m pretty sure that we’re not in much better shape.
The fence/boxes metaphor is actually a pretty widely-used one, often accompanied by this image:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BeizXIfCUAAW1Xy.jpg
And I don’t know why you think this has to be a competition. Marx’s language is strong and powerful and lasting, obviously. But, shocking though it may be to you, not everyone is a scholar of Marx, especially the readership of the New Zealand Herald.
Simplistic nonsense. Tax is not like giving somebody a leg up. It is like expecting the tall person to hold up the short person so they can attempt to see and then requesting they lift the person higher because they want a better view.
Yes Gossie, or another way of putting it is the tall standing on the bodies of the short because that’s the way they think things should be run.
gossy would be more than happy.. to just stand on that metaphorical small person..
..if it gave him some economic-advantage..however micro..if he needed a ‘box’..
..and his motto is..
“..from each of the poor..as much as we can screw out of them..(higher g.s.t..!..cut welfare..!.plse..!..)
..to be funneled to each of the elite/already-rich…”
+111
Not at all nonsense, Gosman. It all depends upon your view of what a community is, and how we should look after each other. And that, I believe, is where the right and left divide.
Taxation is this society’s method. It used to be the responsibility of the tribal leader, the paterfamilias, the church, the lord, the king. Now it is the state.
The seeming preference of RWNJs is that we went back to having kings and lords – with them as the lords.
And there you go again gosman, exposing your naïve view of people and communities.
You think we are all individual with no connection. Fool, such a fool. Your view would mean that if you lived alone on the planet then you could live the life you do now – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Fortunately there appears to be just one of you in the world, so everyone can continue to ignore you.
The fact we live in a community is not under discussion. What is under discussion is that fact should mean the people better off should be forced to provide more assistance to those less well off.
That is a hopeless response to the self-exposure of your incredibly idiotic views on how communities operate.
The matter under discussion is entirely about how we live as a community. Sheesh man.
Gosman, yep, I agree. This is what our discussion is about.
This is what people who are better off do when they live in a community worth living in. Now, well adjusted people who know the meaning and practice of empathy would look after the poor and needy in their community but we all know that a proportion of any community are non-responsive to others’ needs. They need encouragement……….
Funnily enough, it seems that the better off people are, the less responsive they become- which is why we have taxation shelters, trusts, false income declarations, under table payments, and a whole generation of lawyers and accountants to service this greed and sociopathy.
+1
If the community (however defined) was the economic unit, rather than the individuals within communities being cast as economic units, then almost all economic disparity would vanish.
The SOCIETY helped you get to be ‘better off’ by many individuals and state services giving YOU a little each. A caring state asks you to give a LITTLE back to society. You will STILL be better off anyway.
You COULDN’T have got to be “BETTER OFF’ all by yourself without any societal input, could you have? Imagine you living on earth as just one solitary individual/baby from the very beginning all by yourself.
clem..clem..the gossies of the world cannot see beyond their own wallets..
..they are rand-ites..
..self-interest..greed..and the poor/sick being ‘the unworthy’…are what drive them..what they believe in..
..in gossies’ ideal world..there would be no taxation..no going anywhere near gossies’ wallet..
..and that is just all long-hand for..just a greedy/uncaring prick..
..nothing more..nothing less..
gossie should go and live where all of his preferred-policies have been taken to their natural/inevitable conclusion..
..detroit…
..where you can see what the right has wrought..
I love this quote from Elizabeth Warren on that exact point:
http://front.moveon.org/the-elizabeth-warren-quote-every-american-needs-to-see/
gosmans head will explode if he bothers to read it.
i want elizabeth warren to be the next american president..
..she is eminently-qualified for the job..
Placing our faith in any one man, or woman, is tantamount to inviting defeat, as it is the entire corporate-political system of money, favours and careerism which is the problem.
yes..and i see in warren the best hope for some change..
..i sure as hell don’t see it/that in hillary clinton..
No disagreement from me there…
I don’t think phillip was advocating for everyone downing tools and joining the Cult of Warren, CV.
I am glad my twin, Liz thinks like me! (Joke)
Thanks for the lovely quote, Stephanie. Nice one!
How about we have some discussion about why some people are better off. Some reasons such as inheritance, legalised theft, bias in the justice system and enforced poverty by the state so that the rich can benefit. These things do need to be discussed and addressed.
“What is under discussion is that fact should mean the people better off should be forced to provide more assistance to those less well off.”
No people shouldn’t be forced – empathy and care for others is generally something that human beings posses naturally.
While that may be a sound approach for a community charity, Governments and nation states don’t provision themselves on such a basis.
My issue with your comment, TheContrarian, if I may express a contrary view, is with your word ‘generally’. First, how many are in this category? It’s bigger than you seem to want it to be. Secondly, those who do lack empathy and care for others tend to become more dominant than their mere numbers, and are especially to be found in positions of power and influence.
Care of others can often be found to be spread no further than family and close friends, and empathy has to be taught and acquired. My old education tutor at Training College I remember saying that most did not attain true adult maturity in terms of the psyche.
During the Great Depression, one third were impoverished, one third kept the same level of
matertial security and one third enriched themselves. A ‘generally’ empathetic and caring society should have done better.
It’s what happens when you put bankers, financiers and asset speculators in charge of your society, and then exalt them as the ultimate example to follow.
It ain’t for nothing that the main targets of Christ’s wrath and condemnation were the moneychangers who had their tables overturned, and the wealthy who were told that their path to heaven was pretty skinny. Funnily enough, he also acknowledged the role of the state (‘render unto Caesar’) but also condemned rapacious state tax gathereres who fattened themselves- but not for the tax itself but for the extra they took for themselves.
Yesman money is about power over other people to you Yesman.
Just like your pathetic example above .
Just like short sighted neanderthal like yourself Gos needs a heart to stop being an emotionaly aloof intellectually barron cripple.
Your an intellectual and emotional pigmy that can,t see beyond his bank balance.
Gossie prefers the maxim “from each according to their powerlessness, to each according to their greed”.
gossie finds factoring in human traits wrecks his pre program9med schpiel
Spot on, mickysavage. Alas, the poverty of spirit which says that my wealth is my worth. I despair at its human cost to the greedy individual himself and become angered at the human cost to others.
qed
reading is a skill
That happens every day between people who give a shit about each other, you fucking sociopath. Ever been to a Santa Parade, for example?
plus 1.
that speaks to quotas… to gender equity programmes…
everyone has the same finish line but start in different places.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10056542/How-we-really-rate-leaders
Huge ask for David Cunnliffe, took Clark 6+ years and lots and lots of media training before she was accepted by the NZ public
Expecting Cunnliffe who has had one year in charge to beat Key, the most popular prime minister in NZ history really is a bit ridiculous.
Like Clark he may eventually be accepted, but it certainly won’t be at this election.
Long road ahead for Cunnliffe, will Labour stick with him after this years election defeat?, I think they should.
Nah, you think they should dump him immediately and get Shane Jones back. Or you think they should never have gotten rid of Shearer who was the only chance Labour had.
Stick to your script mate, you’re getting confused. Leave the revisions to the smart kids.
BM
Read the same article and it just reminded me how biased and desperate the MSM has become.
I agree. Labour need a stable leader, and removing Cunnliffe after Labour’s probable defeat this election will send Labour right back to square one again.
Bought Media
Keep lying pride before the fall.
Helen Clark Muldoon Savage king dick seddon were all liked more than PinoKeyO.
Key is liked more than Cunnliffe, which is a problem for Labour. Attacking Key direct for the last six years has not worked either. Change of strategy needed.
and yet arrogance is now prominently associated with key according to the same article.
What the left see as arrogance, the rest see as confidence.
not by the left, by the article telling you what to think about our leaders. you briefly dropped your personna mcgrath.
in any event… the left account for about 44% of nzers.
Leaders perceived as arrogant do not have approval ratings in the high 40’s
They do when a large percentage of the population, the authoritarian right-wing to be specific, prefer it in their leaders.
“They do when a large percentage of the population, the authoritarian right-wing to be specific, prefer it in their leaders.”
A large percentage of NZ’s voting public are authoritarian right-wing? Apart from the fact this has no basis in fact whatsoever if the majority prefer that then welcome to democracy, Draco.
Who said it was undemocratic?
And yep large parts of NZ society are underpinned by what I would describe as an authoritarian mindset.
As a contrarian this can’t have escaped your notice.
Certainly haven’t noticed any authoritarians in my social or professional circles…the last CE I worked under was a little I guess, but not to any great degree.
Perhaps you should get out more?
Plenty of evidence
What makes you think it’s me who needs to get out more?
There was an interesting discussion going on there until McGrath, i assume deliberately diverted it off its course,
The problem of inequality is simply one of the false use of various means to ‘value’ our labour,
In some forms of economic activity the measure is the value of the output of the individuals production helped along with the individualization of various companies that produce a particular good or service in an economy,
In other forms of industry the measure is the level of education which is the precursor to a decision on the level of remuneration to be paid to the individual,
There could be mounted an argument over who produces the most good from say a WINZ office on any given day, those who deliver customer services during the day or the lower paid cleaners who clear away the mess made by those workers,
Of course if the State owned all the profits of every business in theory all workers could be paid the same with the cleaner of the factory floor receiving no less than the CEO of the company in question,
In theory our economy generates enough profit to pay the average wage to everyone, cleaner to manager to solo parent, how such a system would be achieved is another story of course…
Not at all. I was just following on from BM’s comment, which I thought was interesting and a good idea. Dumping Cunnliffe I believe would be the wrong idea if Labour lose. I imagine that Key had low approval ratings as well while in opposition (though I could be incorrect on that score). With time, Cunnliffe could have approval ratings up round Key’s current level.
Labour aren’t going to lose. Labour and the Greens will form the next government and start the process of taking this country back.
Yep your right, BM waved the conductors baton to divert the discussion and you as the chorus joined in,
Personal popularity contests as measured by opinion polls are only really of value to the right, Helen Clark was polling in those opinion polls 6% befor She become the Prime Minister so they are an indicator of nothing much really, simply a device for ‘wing-nuts’ to hang there hats upon which is again nothing much really,
The end result of the Stuff.co poll on the budget i did not get to see, BUT, at the point i viewed it, the story of the week, The Budget, had those who liked that budget polling 47.5%, those who disliked it 52.5%,
In a tight election contest it is numbers like that which indicate what the wider electorate is thinking,
i don’t have to even like David Cunliffe and have an expressed distaste for much of Labour’s policy platform, BUT, my votes will be cast to ensure that He becomes the next Prime Minister and Labour becomes the major Party of the next Government simply because there is at the moment no other alternative…
Pay equality is impractical and against human nature.
What can work better is having a maximum pay difference between the highest paid and lowest paid in an organisation. Say, Highest=50 x Lowest.
If the top guys are paid non job related perks such as shares, holidays etc, equivalent (at 50 times less value) shares/holidays should be paid in cash or kind to the lowest paid and other equivalent perks/value paid to those in between.
This system has more positives than negatives in my view.
Considering that Key doesn’t know anything about being a PM it can’t possibly be confidence. Which means it must be arrogance and hubris.
Everybody on the left, please leave Key alone.
Also, if you could focus all your energy back onto the Labour leadership that would be sweet.
Thanks,
Right-wing Fuckwits Everywhere.
If you read the statistics again you will also realize he is hated less too
Bollocks.
John Key would have to be one of the most SPIN-DOCTORED politicians on the planet.
Which is why I am going to stand against him in Helensville – in order to help keep the BLOWTORCH on corruption (at both central and local government level).
It should be FUN!
I’m looking forward to it 🙂
Penny Bright
funny how ralston got a position at tvnz notwithstanding his close training of the pm.
interesting to see the impact of nats catchphrases like tricky. showing you dont need facts just repeated memes. cunliffe doesnt have to change or if he did it would make no difference cos the labelling is not factually based.
key is thought of as arrogant… which is more interesting to me cos it shows the truth can seep through.
bm… you disappeared during judiths lying. how proud you must hsve been
Cunliffe, in his 8 short months, does not have the power or media exposure that Key has had for 6 long years. Hopefully he will get more media exposure in the coming months. At one time, before getting elected, Clark was at 11%.
In the comparative stats mentioned in the article, what was revealing to me was the fact that Key has a HIGHER negative rating than Cunliffe! 30 per cent negative for Key while Cunliffe has a lower negative rating at 25 per cent!
It is kind of ironic to see heaps of ‘advisers’ in the article and in the comments under the article advising Cunliffe that he should take less advice!
From Stuff.co.nz
I am no expert but….
Compare this: https://www.labour.org.nz/media/speech-dolphin-and-dole-queue
With this: http://thestandard.org.nz/david-cunliffe-on-the-standard/
I think that David has to be pretty careful about what he says because the media a waiting to pounce on any mis-step.
God Bill Ralston is looking like an old ‘has been’ these days! (how does he come across these days!)…and as for Brian Edwards( much the same)…a touch of envy here?…..I would say Linda Clark is a far better, younger ‘up with the play’ media trainer!
Go David …you are doing just fine!…..next Prime Minister of New Zealand!…in coalition with the Greens, NZF and Mana/Dotcom!
Remember the better you get the more some will be squealing and trying to undercut you….Take it as a compliment and just get tougher and more determined…really TOUGH! (in this regard maybe get some advice from Helen Clark!)
I’d much rather Cunliffe performs a little better so he can just be in a coalition with the Greens.
If Mana goes ahead with the Internet Party, then any Dotcom scandal suddenly becomes relevant to a new Labour government if Mana is in government. And Winston will be a brake on any real left-wing policy.
Labour/Green majority is the best outcome. And unfortunately, we’re still probably 6-9% away from that.
Winston’s policy on keeping the retirement age at 65 is pretty damn “left wing.” As is buying back the SOEs that National pawned off.
In fact, doesn’t that strike you as being far more left than Labour’s positions on those issues?
I think you should balance your thought with another thought and it is this:
Winston’s primary aim is to make sure he gets his 5% party vote threshold. He needs votes from both the left and the right.
The Buy back Assets sound bite appeals to the Left.
Keep Universal Super age at 65 appeals to the Right.
[Noise against Asians appeals to heaps of left, right and centre!
Besides, lots of lovely elderly still love their Winny]
I think you’ll find that those appeal to the more conservative of the left and the right while also appealing to the more broadly left. The more libertarian right will absolutely hate the latter.
Raising the retirement age = cutting benefits. Not raising the retirement age is a pure left wing policy. The reason it appeals to the Right is they know Labour is going to get smashed on it at the polls.
On second thoughts, yes, you are correct.
Problem is, once the votes are in, Winstone has a history of ignoring the platform that got him those votes in exchange for a few baubles.
True, but I also think he is in legacy building mode now.
I reckon Bill Ralston and Brian Edwards have got the pip with Cunliffe because he chose the younger ‘up with the play’ Linda Clark to media train him.
And while I’m here:
Yesterday Redlogix called Fran O’Sullivan a trout. I suggested – in a tongue in cheek sort of way – that was a bit unfair. I wish to retract that comment! Redlogix is right. 🙂
Just seen her on Q&A and she looks like a trout, she acts like trout and she is a trout! What a shocking performance from both her and Bryce Edwards. They showed their true colours. Laila Harre had to shout over the top of them in order to get a word in edge-wise.
At one point O’Sulliavn is castigating Labour for a punitive CGT and a few minutes later she contradicts herself by saying it’s not going to have any effect anyway. Geez!!!
” O’Sulliavn is castigating Labour for a punitive CGT ”
The lack of a CGT is punitive to those who earn money by wage and salary.
p.s. trout are in fact beautiful amazing creatures, so a different description needs to be found, which is old trout. Ever seen one?
Yes. “old trout” is more appropriate. 🙂
Jenny@4…………What ????????……Clearly none of these people watched DC on The Nation yesterday. He was faultless. Looked rested (unlike Key)…………..10 out of 10 Mr C.
We will win this election despite the likes of Stuff, Ralston, Fran, Claire etc etc.
john key media trainer bill ralston…
held posts with news orgs while media teaining pm… but no inquiries.
of course not, its a cosy club of courtiers to the power elite, which one of the journalists in the press gallery would not like to be at least asked to become press secretary in the PMs office?
yip… ralston… henry… hoskings… basically mosf of newstalk zb…. but thats ok.
evil linda clark. bad girl. baaaaad girl.
Glenn Greenwald: Zero evidence supporting claims Snowden jeopardised lives
Friday 16 May 2014
When Edward Snowden decided to leak top secret documents from the National Security Agency in the US, he contacted American journalist Glenn Greenwald. What followed was a series of events, straight out of the pages of a spy novel. The leaks revealed that the US was conducting a program of mass surveillance on a global scale Glenn Greenwald tells the story in his new book called “No Place To Hide”. He talks with Steve Cannane for his first Australian TV interview to promote the book.
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-16/journalist-glenn-greenwald-says-there-is-zero/5458794
Transcript:
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1400350653.html
This article is an easy read starter for people that might know the headlines only, no heavy lifting required well researched and it encouraged me to look at some of the files Ed Snowden has released.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/05/edward-snowden-politics-interview
thanks for this
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-16/feeding-homeless-crime-increasingly-more-us-cities
And don’t forget that doing the same things here.
Let them eat cake
Damn, doing too many things at once 😳
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11112933
Go Len Brown
Yep Draco, and there was another article in the Herald last week about the ‘Ranui holiday Park’ out in West Auckland where Paula Bennett called a public meeting of its residents to cry faux tears over the amounts of money the owner is gouging from the State via its ‘end of the line’ tenants,
It appears that now Brown’s council has got in on the act and issued notices for a large number of the tenants to quit the place, their last refuge befor homlessness, because there are no resource consents in place for the ‘park’ to house permanent residents,
It gets even worse in what must be a total ”mind fuck” for the tenants who are deemed not to be permanent residents IF they are on the HousingNZ waiting lists,
Of course under the ”new rules” that govern the HousingNZ waiting lists none of the tenants can be placed on HousingNZ waiting lists because their current accommodation in the ‘holiday park’ is deemed by the rules put in place by Bennett and Nick Smith to be ‘suitably housed’ in such accommodation,
And Labour???, lets not even go there…
I used to have a bit of time for Mike Lee, but these days he doesn’t seem to do anything remotely good. He sticks to giving a civilised veneer to outrageously bad policies.
the land of the free…
I think I mentioned to you some time ago that growing, cooking and giving away healthy free food was my thing, but leaving that aside, what a horrible world view some people have.
I don’t do lotto, but did notice the jackpot was $18m before Saturday, if it’s not gone I might luck in like Trevor from Te Kauwhata did, though I’m confident that in publicly pledging to give it away I wouldn’t suffer his publicised troubles.
Maybe if it gets to the must go draw at the very end I’ll risk the the minimum power ball option of four boards for $4.80 and along with my food farm, wind turbine, kitchens and free diner/restaurant I’ll fund a sports academy as home base for the cities amateur sports groups to operate out of, a free leisure centre for Hamilton South.
Not quite a DB9 with a sunlight powered hyper drive, but what ever floats your pod, as they say.
Besides, with the Green’s bank and kiwi ingenuity, we’ll be flying like in Futurama in no time. 😀
I’d reform Lotto into Socialist Lotto.
Instead of an $18M jackpot which might be shared out by a small handful of people, or even just one person, I would have the system geared to 36 x $500,000 prizes.
Enough to transform the life of 36 families in other words, not just give one or two families a shot at living it up like Hollywood stars.
Yip, definitely agree. If you look at the prizes by lotto, it is very very highly weighted to the top prizes.
2nd division lotto was $21,000 this last weekend – nothing to sneeze at, but not really going to be life-transforming for many. 3rd division was a paltry $660, which is probably the most the average lotto player could have a reasonable expectation to win once in their lifetime of buying tickets. Powerball 2nd division was only $25,000, although the 3rd division was a more satisfying $1,368.
I’ve started buying lotto tickets now, but only because I won’t miss the money and “if you don’t buy a ticket you have 0 chance of winning”. I only ever buy when they have one of their promotions of 100 additional prizes, eg the recent Easter and Mother’s Day promotions, and also when it goes to a “must be won” jackpot – not because I’m hoping to win 1st division, but because I’m hoping to win 2nd division and have no-one win 1st.
@ viper..lotto-idea..
..plus one..
..i am also sure that would drive up their business…
..to have winner numbers increase..at the pot grows..
..and to have higher prizes for the minor winners..
..altogether more scaled..
Although the name “Socialist Lotto” probably needs some work 🙂
Ordinary Americans have a long and admirable traditions of personal generosity and community volunteering – and these new laws are very much at odds with that. Deeply so.
It is always worth keeping in mind that the USA is an astoundingly diverse nation – every possible variation and extreme of human value and experience is to be found there.
you mean like donating to their ivy league colleges to ensure a spot for their children no matter how stupid or registering their assets in georgetown and then donating to the usa.
ordinary americans are no more giving than the ordinary kiwis… its the very very wealthy who wait til their pillage has borne fruit then to perpetuate a personal image they donate… like owen glenn in nz
Yes and no. I agree with what you are saying about the extremely wealthy – but they are not the people I’m thinking of.
If you’ve spent time there – it’s a generosity found in places you’d least expect it.
I know who you mean. I see the same behaviour here. although nz is losing the volunteer mindset amongst what I call the us tv raised generations.
“you mean like donating to their ivy league colleges to ensure a spot for their children”
Or to a european art school so your daughter can spend 4 years taking selfies?
Then again you have this – if you have the stomach to read it. Especially recomended to Gosman:
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/apocalypse-new-jersey-a-dispatch-from-americas-most-desperate-town-20131211?print=true
chrs 4 that link redlogix..
Ah, libertarian heaven.
And it is shocking to think that Camden (which Hedges features prominently in his book Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt) is a mere 3 hour drive from the heart of empire, Washington DC. Hedges reports on companies who sole job it is to break down abandoned offices and houses and rip out anything worthy of scrap, load it on boats which then take it away to China and other places for melting down.
It really is the catabolic breakdown of western civilisation. Hedges calls these places the “sacrifice zones” of capitalism, and these zones are spreading.
In other words, when the American power elite is doing this to their own people down the road, do you think they really care one whit about anyone else further away.
Whatever makes you think that they ever cared about anyone else? There’s a very good reason why the original rich were called Robber Barons. It’s just a matter of time before we call them that again. In fact, we should already be doing so.
Yep. And one could make a case that Republican voting families and the Christian Right help out in their local communities even more so than most other Americans.
but it is conditional by those groups. I recall when habitat for humanity wouldnt build house for gay families. dont know if its still the case.
From that article :
“And without a doubt, the need to help the homeless is greater than it ever has been before. Right now, there are 1.2 million public school students in America that are homeless. That number is an all-time record, and it has grown by 72 percent since the start of the last recession.
In addition, there are 49 million Americans that are dealing with food insecurity. Even in the midst of this so-called “economic recovery”, poverty is absolutely exploding.”
Welcome to America the land of the free and plenty.
PS: A reader posted below the article :
‘Better pull him over…..he looks like a Good Samaritan!’
Tom Joad – Part 1
Tom Joad – Part 2
Mark Twain
The Ghost of Tom Joad
CV “Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities”
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Feeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US citiesFeeding the homeless now being criminalised in dozens of US cities
Im afraid that we do this over here as well. My first standard post was on how we were outlawing begging …
http://thestandard.org.nz/outlawing-begging/
Yes. How is it possible that an authority we are part of goes and does this? I don’t understand. Does this mean that the majority of Aucklanders and Americans want to do this?
The Onehunga Business Association has more weight than a hundred thousand voters. It’s how the system works.
And in the US/UK, literally millions of people were opposed to the 2nd Iraq War. But the western power elite did what they wanted regardless. Which is not a surprise according to Dmitry Orlov quoting some recent Princeton research:
No that can’t be right. How so kemosabe?
I refer to your comment
Of course, you know that we do not live in a full democracy where each persons’ voice has equal weight, and what’s the bet that Auckland’s homeless were encouraged to speak or lobby for themselves about this proposal, in front of Council – nil or close to nil, right?
hmmm of course. There are other things that are much more important …..
(tui ad)
‘
Time to relocate?
Tsunami evacuation maps with evacuation routes.
http://www.aucklandcivildefence.org.nz/community/tsunami-evacuation-maps/
Maybe even a list of multistory buildings that are tsunami resistant could be good too. Video of the Fukushima earthquake showed that those who made it to the upper floors of such buildings also survived.
P.S. Also handy knowledge in the case of storm surge related to hurricanes, which due to climate change are expected to strike the North of the North Island within the next 20 – 30 years.
The storm surge that hit the city of Tacloban in the Philippines was 6 metres high.
So if there is No Work why did Bennett announce $3k to Christchurch policy???
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10052676/Tools-down-builders-told
Because Bennett’s work and welfare policies aren’t based in reality, they’re based on ideology and (if we are more cynical) manipulation towards privatisation.
…and based on spreading right-wing propaganda. Because now we can say for sure that anyone without a job/without enough work is 100% to blame for choosing their own predicament.
After all, if the govt will give you 1000s and 1000s of dollars to go to Christchurch, and you don’t take them up on it, you must really really not want to work, right?
this is the woman who pretended to be dyed in the wool westie and has dumped them like a hot potato now she will stand for the wealthy of upper harbour. I hope that clarifies it for you.
Perhaps when her “always been a Shore girl at heart” election hoardings go up, someone might want to redecorate them in Westie style.
could edwards-the-younger be more of a babbling rightwing-toad..?
Like you Phil I don’t rate Edwards at all. His opinion of David Parkers interview was quickly dismissed by Harrie as was Fran Wilde’s. Did you notice bumbling Bill English turn all insecure when he heard Parker was about to be asked to critique his lack luster budget. I had a chuckle when Parker burst into a hysteric belly laugh referring to snake oil being peddled by English and National. DP just firmed up any wavering swing voters minds watching, that National are vision less having very poor policy direction.
Ha ha *Fran O’ Sulliavn sorry
parker started ho-hum..but finished well..
.and he does that a lot..doesn’t get firing until the home straight..
..(maybe he needs to be prepared for interviews..like a prizefighter..?
..maybe he needs a professional ‘goader’ to travel with him..?
..he/she cd wind him up backstage..
..so he can start as he finishes..
(and cd someone take him to get some new glasses..?..f.f.s..!
..not ones that slide up and down his nose all the time..and a frame that doesn’t hide his eyes..
..viewers/voters like to look into politicians’ eyes..
..and with parker..instead of pupil..you get spectacle-frame..
..it may seem a little thing..but it counts..
Have always rated Parker, liked his response to Dann over immigration being populist (‘what’s wrong with being populist’?)
Disappointing though to see him physically recoil at Dann’s suggestion the top tax rate could go to up to 45 cents, and repeat reassurances it won’t.
http://www.weather.com/video/cyclones-hurricanes-on-the-move-48593?collid=/news/top-stories
http://www.weather.com/video/nasa-earth-past-point-of-no-return-48492?collid=/news/top-stories
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee English and Parker write New Zealand’s future.
President Barack Obama’s science advisor, Dr. John Holdren is the US equivalent of New Zealand’s Professor Peter Gluckman, science advisor to John Key.
This is what Dr Holdren says about climate change:
Dr Holdren’s comments strongly correlate with Professor Gluckman’s advice to our nation contained in the nzgovt. webpage on climate change; http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/climate-change/
So how are New Zealand’s political leaders heeding the advice of science advisers like Dr Holdren and Professor Gluckman for global leadership?
English and Parker call the shots:
The sooner these two sickly extreme Right sychophantic servants to the Polluters and Plutocrats, and traitors to the People and Planet, are removed from any and all positions of influence the better.
there is that about parker..
..wherever he has been..after he has gone..
.you have to get out the vac..to clean up the coal-dust..
I am with Parker on this.
Blindly calling a BLANKET ban on RESPONSIBLE CONTROLLED mining or mineral and oil exploration, or blindly opposing TPPA even before knowing the details is stupid and sort of throwing a baby out with the bath water.
This does not preclude us in the meantime developing and starting NEW environmentally focused industries.
labour needs to pull him from epsom to avoid distraction. having such a high profile labour mp there is wrongly tell people to vote for him for electorate mp.
All the opposition party’s are are guilty of not playing MMP as you can, the Greens have put up Genter. I guess they could intend saying vote the Nat candidate as your electorate vote, or maybe go down as list only?
Julie Ann will in my opinion have done a good job in Epsom if the Green Party vote goes up again in that electorate, AND, the far too high in 2011 electorate vote for the Green Party candidate goes down,
The same i would suggest will be the measure of David Parker’s success or not in that electorate,
Between both Parties Labour/Green they have some 8000 electorate votes from the 2011 numbers, a quarter of which if either candidate is able to convince their supporters to vote for the National Party candidate will unseat ACT from the Parliament,
i would like to think that both David Parker and Julie Ann Genter are going to approach the 2014 election with the firm intentions of achieving exactly what i write above but have my doubts,
The Green Party are fully aware of the situation in Epsom having given the previous candidate there a spanking over the manner in which He campaigned in the electorate in 2011,
As far as David Parker goes tho i have serious doubts, with, from memory, around 5000 electorate votes from the Epsom electorate in 2011 He more than holds the key to ACT’s fate this election and therefor possibly the key to who Governs,
Hopefully Labour strategists have educated Parker in what is needed in this particular crucial electorate…
Yes and MP’s need to put their own egos aside and play MMP as they should. How many will vote the National candidate? I think the Mana candidate did and told his supporters there to do the same. My own family who live in Epsom have voted ACT/National in the last 2 elections but have abandoned them after watching mind the gap. They proudly confirm they are now Green supporters and intend giving 2 them 2 ticks, I will be turning their way of thinking soon, we need the likes of them to candidate vote national and party vote Green obviously. A campaign using this strategy may just work the oracle?
In saying all that, National through the budget played the ACT card which will be good for about 2% of party votes gifted to them. By this wolf in sheeps disguise, PR stunt, the rightwing of National-Act will pull 4%. If they get a third term they will piss on the lot of us till a spring bok tour revolt occurs. Thinking of going on a 2.5 year World holiday to places I’ve always wanted to see. Be back for the next election fight. Still think NACT will cop a hiding though.
pu +1
The Q and A is no where near as good as in the earlier years.
Corin Dann is an irritating interviewer as he interrupts before the speaker has completed his point. Interrupting in the middle a speaker’s sentence is rude and stupid. Let the person at least COMPLETE a sentence man! Both English and Parker tried their best to answer the questions in spite of the crap attitude/manners of the interviewer.
The panel today was also irritating because the host not at all being in control, the panel members constantly interrupted each other like uneducated little unprofessional cretins.
The show should be about discussion and information for the audience and not become an ego exercise slot for the so called ‘journalists’ and ‘commentators’.
The ‘Nation’ does it much better I think.
I wonder why they no longer get the highly impressive, astute intellectual, the professional Colin James?
I doubt he would want to lend his name to a second-rate, once over lightly and partisan programme like Q&A. The Nation would be a better place for him.
Btw, I agree about the panel scrapping and interrupting each other, but it should be noted the main culprits were Edwards and O’Sullivan talking down Harre every time she tried to say something. In the end, she joined in but that was the only way she could any points across.
that was mainly because smalley was meant to be adjudicating..
..with almost every appearance smalley just confirms her skills are purely around reading teleprompters..
..and what a mistake it was expecting more..
..her analytical-skills are nowhere to be seen..
..and she can’t interview..
..send her back to the news-reader chair..
why do we need panels. why do we need opinion pieces. its to tell us how to think and raise the financial stocks of the panelists and opinion writers.
duncan garner just commented on a piece about a young man with a terminal ilness ” what a great attitude to life”. had to be scripted cos he shows no understanding of bigger picture issurs beyong himself in his work. oh the irony.
QFT
It seems that some of the interviewers like Gluon are not interested in the answers, just in posing questions which so how sharp they are. The interview is to demonstrate their skills and to acquire some information that provides material for ongoing news, and so that they can score some point, spurious or note, against the interviewee. That’s my impression of late.
“..The Q and A is no where near as good as in the earlier years…”
dunno about that..
..they used to have jessica mutch…
..whoar..!
..what a relief it was when mutch was sent off to be the one who stands outside buckingham palace..
..sometimes i thought she was only there as an attempt to make the compere look better..
when pippa left breakfast did they clone her first? her replacement looks scarily like her…
Gos its obvious that you have the same MO as Srylands.
So lesson 1 Democracy gave more power to everybody including the poorest.
They have a right to vote in a government that shares resources more evenly.
The Result is free education which gives more people a chance to make a good income and pay taxes to lower the burden on you selfish one.
Healthcare ensures more people are aloud to participate and keep working to lower the tax burden on you.selfish one.
Economic History shows that having a more equal society means having a more stable and vibrant economy much less prone to recession or depression.
Which means more people get to keep their wealth like selfish idiots like yourself.
Diseases spread are reduced hugely by having universal healthcare so when you visit your ladies of the night you are far less likely to end up with Aides tuberculosis stds excetera.
Education is good because I can get to read over 1,000 economics books for less than $100 .As the university students throw out their expensive books .
So my knowledge of economics is light years ahead of your pathetic propaganda that you repeat from your Act pamplet you selfish sorry little yesman.
FPP style Indian Election:
In one of the most fiercely contested general elections, the right wing nationalist BJP (Bharathiya Janata Party) has won 282 seats, making it the only party to win single majority in the Lok Sabha since 1984. The total seats in the house=543+(2 nominated)=545. Needed for outright majority=272
This year’s Lok Sabha polls witnessed the highest-ever turnout with 66.38 per cent of an estimated 814 million voters exercising their franchise — the highest ever in the history of general elections. These elections saw a total of 8,241 candidates fighting it out for the 16th Lok Sabha and included 3,234 independents.
One of the facts that interested me was the absurdity and unfairness of the FPP system:
In terms of vote share, BJP is on top, with ONLY 31 % of votes. But this gave them 52% of the seats. 282 !
Followed by 19.3 per cent vote for the Congress party, but gave them only 8% of seats, a mere 44!
I am so glad we here chose a more democratic and a fairer system of representative government. MMP is any day way better than FPP.
Seats 282 (51.9%) 44 (8.1%) 37 (6.8%) 34 (6.2%) 0 (0.0%)
and the money he put into his campaign and the disproportionate coverage he got from privately owned media.
funny ghat its called democracy at all.
India remains a remarkably unequal country; it still has a strong caste system still in place, and millions do not have reliable clean drinking water or sanitation although it has been improving. Over 600M Indians still defecate outside in open air arrangements, however.
Oh, and according to Forbes, India now has over 50 billionaires. Good on them.
To me the measure of success for India will be when every house in every town and village has a toilet, running water and electricity.
The very wealthy are very very filthily rich and the poor are sadly very very poor.
Corruption in every sphere of life is rampant. Greed, selfishness, pursuit of wealth, dowry, unfairness, parochialism, nepotism, religious extremism, intolerance and hardship is beyond the pale.
Hats off to innumerable good caring volunteers trying to make positive changes against huge odds where ever possible.
India has so many well educated wise, kind and good people too, but changing the traditional ingrained mentality and effecting a paradigm shift is a monumental task which even the very great Mahatma Gandhi was unable to fulfill.
Remains to be seen if the election of this far right party with its religious, nationalist and capitalist agenda will be good for that nation’s poor and ordinary people in the short and long term. I really wish them success, but I am very skeptical and fear for the minority Muslims and Christians.
The Indian election put into perspective by John Oliver
Quite funny. Thanks.
I did not type the last line completely. Here it is.
% Votes, No.of Seats, % Seats, …..for various parties.
31.0%, 282, 51.9%
19.3%, 44, 8.1%
03.3%, 37, 6.8%
03.8%, 34, 6.2%
01.7%, 20, 3.6%
01.9%, 18, 3.3%
02.5%, 16, 2.9%
In his blog post today, Rob Salmond swiftly and concisely exposes Key’s blatant lie that the 12% of top earners in NZ pay 76% net tax.
http://polity.co.nz/content/key-pathalogical-liar-about-tax
i think the ‘wing-nuts’ use of that little divisive device relies upon what is then redistributed by Government’s via various programs from Working for Families, welfare benefits, Housing subsidies etc etc etc,
As a straight calculation of actual dollars paid in taxes by the various groups without subtracting amounts of monies given back by these various programs the story would i believe be entirely different,
Shown as taxation paid as a % of income the tale is then turned on its head to show those with the least income pay a greater % of that income as taxation than any other group…
Seen this on TV3 website.
For general info., Dr Ron Smith is an ACT sympathiser. He’s as Right as they come.
http://www.3news.co.nz/PM-should-keep-intelligence-quiet—expert/tabid/423/articleID/344721/Default.aspx
See this article in the business section of today’s Sunday Star Times?
“In the business pages of the Sunday Star-Times today, anti-corruption campaigner Penny Bright points out that New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries NOT to have ratified the UN Convention on Corruption.”
(Thanks to Auckland Councillor Cathy Casey posting it on facebook).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152427139997889&set=a.482735077888.286059.596362888&type=1&theater
How come NZ’s Minister of ‘Justice’ Judith Collins has not yet introduced her ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ into the House?
This ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ needs to be passed before NZ can ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) .
Ratification of UNCAC is supposed to have been a priority for the last SIX years.
Perhaps if Judith Collins had been a bit more competent and focused in her publicly-funded role as Minister of Justice, instead of focusing on helping to organise private business ‘net-working’ and ‘profile-building’ opportunities for Oravida, which is owned by her very close friend ‘Stone’ Shi, and whose managing director is her very close friend Julia Xu, the other director being her HUSBAND David Wong Tung – then NZ would have a domestic anti-corruption legislative framework now in place?
http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1405/020520141724330001.pdf
(See pages 83 – 84 for the MFAT briefing on the pre-planned tour/visit of Oravida facilities by the MINISTER of Justice Judith Collins on 23 October 2013, and the photo STILL up on the Oravida website which proves this:
http://www.oravida.com/lwl/newsen/ )
The time-frame for the introduction and passage of legislation is normally six months.
However – it is now 18 May 2014, and the last sitting day of this Parliament is 31 July 2014.
(I checked with the appropriate Parliamentary staff).
Minister of ‘Justice’ Judith Collins’ much vaunted ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ has STILL yet to surface in the House …………..
Why is Judith Collins STILL a Minister – when she is obviously NOT ‘fit for duty’?
Because NZ PM John Key has been bending over backwards /forwards to also help promote Oravida, thus has difficulties holding her accountable to the ‘highest ethical standards’, when he appears to lack them himself?
“Oravida’s chairman plays golf with NZ Prime Minister”
http://www.oravida.com/lwl/newsen/
There is a LOT more to come on this story …..
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Shocking display of National Party propaganda on the page 2 of the Sunday Star Times today.
They must be running close to being sued it’s so blatant.
Of course it’s yet another supposed survey about who is the best leader;Key or Cunliffe? And no prizes for guessing as to who came out of it smelling of roses!
It’s clearly a counter to the rave reviews David and Karen Cunliffe have been getting for their very authentic ‘at home with the leaders’ appearance with John Campbell.
I expect to see National declare that Mediaworks donation.If not,why not?
will john minto ever be a knight?
He already is, you are a fool to think it requires a Queen to handle and put upon the sword. We are all “knights” in our own right, are we not?
Where’s ACT when you need them?
The ol’ invisible hand of the free market goes into spastic convolutions throwing out hundreds of thousands of new cars onto the world market with no buyers in sight.
Unfortunately for the free market, the hand may be invisible but its crazy handiwork is clearly visible on Google Earth
You really gotta see THIS!
I wonder how ACT would solve this problem of the market?
Lay off the auto workers?
Followed by the steel workers, then all the component manufacturers? Maybe slash any remaining workers wages?
This sounds like the sort of idiocy that ACT would resort too.
And what would be the result?
Tens of thousands of newly unemployed, who will not be buying any new cars, they will not be buying any old cars, they will not be able to afford to put petrol into the cars they already own, they will not be buying as much groceries and most definitely like all unemployed they will not be buying any luxuries, in fact they will not be able to spend money they no longer earn on anything. This gathering snowball of falling demand will see more factories of all sorts close. Tens of thousands of unemployed will balloon out into hundreds of thousands and then millions of unemployed, the recession will blow out into a full scale depression to rival the 1930s collapse.
So how did they get out of it?
Maybe even ACT would agree that it is time for just a little bit of government intervention?
The WWII solution.
State intervention writ large
Out the outbreak of war, by government decree, all private automobile production was stopped and all the car plants of the warring nations were converted within months and even weeks in some cases to churning out tanks and planes and other weapons of destruction to win the war against fascism.
Fortunately, (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), we already have all the tanks and planes and drones and missiles and bombs and guns we can use, and their destructive power is exponentially greater.
What we don’t have is the wind turbines and solar collectors and smart grids necessary to win the war on climate change.
So here’s the plan: The war to Power 100 percent of the Planet with Renewables within ten years
(ironically behind a pay wall)
Here’s a taster: using the manufacturing capacity of our automotive industry enough wind turbines could be churned out to fully power all the electricity grids of the world, including all the electric cars not yet built within ten years. This is not to even to mention solar, which with molten salt heat storage technology can reliably deliver base load power 24/7 to fill in the gaps that come from intermittant wind generation. Even with out base load Solar. The wind is always blowing somewhere, with Super Grids the local intermittency of wind is largely overcome.
Interestingly the comments section has several critiques of the Wind Water Solar solution submitted by the Scientific American authors. Advocates of nuclear or bio fuels argue that their chosen solutions would better make the necessary changeover to zero emissions within the same ten year time frame. They don’t question the urgent necessity for making this changeover to zero emissions, or that it is possible, both these premises are taken as scientific givens.
WOW! Just astounding! What a mind opener!
Everyone needs to look at this article and pictures.
Great post. Thanks very much!
[lprent: Both the spam checkers and myself look for comments that look exactly like this one. As the link puts it “5: Comments full of adulation”. I’d suggest a different wording, as that one had my finger hovering over the spam button ]
Maybe Lynn if you don’t like people saying nice things about my contributions you could consider the LIKE button, like over at TDB.
And by the way this is only one comment not five.
And for the record I do not know clemgeopin, or solicit their comment.
PS. Thanks Clem,
From behind the pay wall.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-path-to-sustainable-energy-by-2030&page=2
With all this going on, perhaps better forget the Internet Party also, given the personal drama, and the distress, and how the “mind” behind it will be too distracted to worry about politics in little New Zealand now:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/relationships/news/article.cfm?c_id=41&objectid=11256967
Perhaps the “progressive” parties should get their acts together and now focus on fighting the election on their own, with their resources and manpower?
Mana also better rethink some “grandiose” ideas and plans. It is all over in my view, re Kim Dotcom, he is (rightly or wrongly) being “dismantled”.
According to Vikram Kumar who is in essence running the Internet Party on behalf of DotCom the breakup of the marriage will have no effect on the plans of the Internet Party,
My view is that Mana should continue discussing an alliance with the Internet Party, the latest Roy Morgan having the Mana Party polling 1% and Internet polling 1.5% would suggest such an alliance could reap 3–4% of the vote in September,
The Roy Morgan showed both Labour and the Green Parties to have also risen in their %’s of popular support in that poll as well, so its obvious that neither Mana or Internet are taking votes from either of those parties…
Why is that even news? You don’t see any one else’s breakups going in the news paper so why the hell is KDC’s?
“Why is that even news?”
Because it is MEGA news:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/internet/news/article.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=11257320
The security and surveillance state have succeeded in damaging KDC’s personal life and family even as they have not been able to win any final court battle over him. Even if he wins in the end, he still loses. Usual modus operandi of the power elite.
The life of a politician is a lot more demanding than that of a successful business tycoon. For one thing, you are expected to attend lots of public meetings often in the evenings or weekends, (when the prols can attend),
And you can barely afford to miss any of them. Especially a high profile public event organised and advertised by an important political ally.
This is the new Dotcom life.
And this is not to mention the horrendous strain of persecution by the most powerful and intrusive secret police force of all time, the NSA and their secretive global allies.
Kim Dotcom and the NSA are now in the end game. Dotcom’s move into politics is another chess piece n this game, and potentially a very powerful one.
Unfortunately and tragically something had to give, for Kim Dotcom it his family life.
When I was little my grandmother whose family was ruined during the depression used to tell me, “Where there is life, there is hope.” and while Dotcom still has his freedom anything is possible.
I wish him and all his loved ones all the best in this difficult time.
Kia kaha. Ka wha whai tonu Matou. Ake! Ake! Ake!