Robert, once you’ve finished stroking your cat, stretch your membrane a little and give us a piece on what a Green New Deal would look like for New Zealand.
Talking of animals this story has cut right through me. What kind of vile creep could do such a thing to a gentle miniature horse. It’s beyond understanding:
On TV1 news tonight the vet who attended the horse said he believed there was more than one person involved.
I had two pets (a dog and a cat) who died and a further dog who was maimed – all at different times and in mysterious circumstances. The vet who attended two of the animals (in the 1980s) was quite sure their death/injury were not accidental.
I never found out for sure who was responsible or exactly why they did it but I had my suspicions.
It’s appalling Anne. Poor little Star, a defenceless innocent animal. Can’t even imagine what pain and trauma he must have suffered before succumbing to his horrendous injuries.
It would have been some gutless abomination of human scum who got some sort of perverted pleasure to have done this.
Harsher penalties required urgently for this sort of extreme animal cruelty
Hi Anne
I know that this later than your blog here but i have just watched news coverage of this disgusting act of evil cruelty.
It made me weep when i listened to the awful attack on a defenseless animal and somebody’s pet who should have been safe in its own surroundings.
I hope they will catch who is responsible for this and make an example out of them.
These people are deranged and a threat to innocent life and should be placed in psychiatric care where they can be detained and not be a risk.
This is a small community and someone will know who did this.
That is what transpired in my case back in the 1980s, but the problem is these people are not easy to identitfy because they are cunning and operate in a clandestine way. It goes without saying they are seriously unstable and a threat to the community they live in as mosa says,
I see the Tony Blair Tribute band has finally decided to make it’s move in the UK, and Chuka Umunna is about to finally see his wish come true and become leader of the opposition – except that he is leader of the opposition to the opposition, which I am sure isn’t quite how that entitled Blairite tosspot thought things would end up.
We all know what these UK Labour traitors don’t like – Jeremy Corbyn, Socialism, any who doesn’t bow and scrape to Israel – but what do they stand for?
As far as i can tell, they stand for austerity and cuts and more of the same.
They’ll retire to sideline where, via their numerous mouthpieces in the Liberal establishment MSM, they’ll spend their whole time making sure the Tories can run Britain for ever or until they are wiped out at the soonest opportunity the voters get.
Seems about right. Tory pro-Brexiteers are motivated by the neoliberal wet dream of free markets liberated from Europe’s insistence on labour, environmental and human rights regulations. Plus it seems also by a little bit of the resurrected imperial glory that comes from sending aircraft carriers here and there.
Labour pro-Brexiteers want to be able to nationalise sectors of the economy that are natural monopolies and don’t want EU membership disallowing such moves.
In this muddle, I’m not sure what not dithering might look like. Possibly Corbyn could say that the bigger risk to a socialist Britain is not the EU, but an unrestrained Tory party. Therefore he is calling for a second referendum. Damn risky though given so many of his base voted for Brexit.
I think you’re right. Corbyn isn’t given to hasty decisions, but Brexit is a festering wound; better to reject it decisively than let it run its course.
As for the ‘anti-Semitic’ crap, it has no more substance than the mudslinging campaign about Chinese sounding names. Corbyn should summarily
eject the MPs involved from the party, and let them fight byelections if they dare.
@Sanctuary +1
Best news I have heard in UK politics for quite a while..
Good riddance to rotten apples…this is one of the best things that could have happened to Labour UK…clear away that stinking rotten carcass of Liberal Centrism..and let the fresh air wash in.
And here a taste of the low rent war loving, intervention supporting, scaremongering bullshit that spews out from these sort of revolting sycophantic Blairite centrists…
“Jeremy Corbyn and those around him are on the wrong side on so many international issues – from Russia, to Syria, to Venezuela. A Corbyn Labour government would threaten our national security and international alliances.”
Of course as we all know, Corbyn has a track record of being on the right side of history unparalleled by any current politician in the UK.
The Seven Nobodies for Israel have certainly excited the foolish right in this country…
NewstalkZzzzzzB News, Tuesday 19 February 2019, 8:30 a.m.
Niva Retimanu intones: “The British Labour Party has SPLIT, with MPs resigning in protest against Jeremy Corbyn. For more, we go to our British correspondent ROD LIDDLE…”
[Rod Liddle * mutters something banal, electing this time not to inject any racist invective. An effortless little twenty-second earner.]
Back to the breathless Niva Retimanu to sum up the crisis: “Critics say that the Labour Party has been overwhelmed by the machine politics of the hard left.”
@Morrissey, I love the way that MSM frame a political party having policies that actually represent the interests of most citizens in meaningful ways and not just talking up meaningless bullshit platitudes (like most centre left parties.. you know who I’m talking about ), is considered ‘hard left’, it just exposes them for what they are, defenders of the status quo, at whatever cost.
But I hate the way that so many smart people on the left, buy into this obvious propaganda…in fact they seem so blinded and open to any liberal propaganda that now many of them unbelievably think that the FBI is now on their side in some sort of war on Trump…I will say that again..they actually think that the FBI is somehow in alignment with left wing progressives.
Congrats on winning Momentum Word Bingo, Sanctuary! You’ve managed to use all today’s key words (incl. maximum points for Blair, Blairite and Traitor!).
Your prize is Brexit, followed by Labour in opposition for all eternity.
Of course they could follow your well worn track down the rabbit hole of pragmatic centrism for the prize of..more of the same, with a different name…can’t you see that the time has passed for half measures, endless compromises and pragmaticism?
It has come time for the Right and big business to start to compromise, take some half measures and show some pragmatism for the good of the people for a while.
Actually, I’m all good with those things, Adrian. It would be lovely if the right learned to compromise. And, as we speak, apparently a number of Tory MP’s are looking at joining the new grouping, so perhaps you are getting your wish.
The problem I have with the response to these resignations is that the use of ‘Blairite’ to describe those leaving is fundamentally ignorant. They each have their own reasons for leaving, but they all seem to share a bewilderment at Corbyn’s failure to lead, when winning popular support has never been easier.
Have you seen the state of the Conservatives? Just a shambles. And yet, Corbyn can’t land a blow because he refuses to enter the ring. No wonder most of his caucus are disenchanted.
“when winning popular support has never been easier”
I don’t see that this is the case at all, the UK is deeply divided on this subject, Corbyn will alienate and lose voters either way in pretty much equal numbers.
For most of this year, polls have shown remain ahead of leave, typically by four to six points. But in a referendum between staying in the EU and leaving on the terms that the government has negotiated, staying enjoys an 18-point lead: 59-41%.
Of the more than 17 million who voted leave in 2016, just 10 million people say they would vote for the government’s deal – 2 million would vote to stay, while 3 million are not sure or would not vote. In contrast, of the 16 million who voted remain in 2016, 13.5 million would still vote to stay in the EU. Only 1.4 million would vote for May’s deal, and 1 million are not sure or would not vote.
Exactly.
🙁
This is the result of having a referendum they didn’t need to have, and had no idea what is was they were voting on. Well done that man David Cameron.
Indeed they are still floundering around trying to find out what it was they actually voted for. And on the 29 March at 11pm GMT when they are still trying to work out what it was, they will exit the EU. The goods they sent off shore will be sent back (except for the Faroe Islands – they signed a trade deal yesterday!) and the roads to the ports will block up for miles.
You do realise that the support for something called “Brexit”* has never been much more than 52% (In the June 23, 2016 referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 51.9 percent of the votes cast, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million voters, or 48.1 percent of votes cast, favoured staying), and as the bloomberg poll points out(47 % would now vote leave and 53% would now vote remain according to the poll of polls – which concurs with the you govt poll I quoted) over the past year as more older people die off, and those remaining wake up to the realisation of just what is actually on offer, and as the economy continues to take a 800 million quid hit week on week, and as overseas car manufactures stop producing cars, and as overseas companies pull out of Britian the “remember Dunkirk” faction grow smaller by the day.
Only the Alt-right and the Alt- left are stupid enough to want to carry on with a no-deal Brexit – but that is where the country is headed right now.
*(nobody actually knew what it was they were voting for – as the terms were never set out, and the “leave” campaign had filled the country with mis-information)
I didn’t sat I am for or against Brexit, none of my business really, but I do know this, leave voters won the free and fair referendum…so end of story really.
Macro it is refreshing to read someone who looks dispassionately at the Brexit vote.
So there was a majority. Only because the UK parliament went into it without thinking what a suitable majority for such a grave move would be. Any thinking body would consider it carefully and perhaps decide on 80:20 of votes, knowing that there many wouldn’t vote, were unsure, were confused, not quite old enough, too old and being helped etc.
It was an emotional vote. A teenager who threw a wobbly and said I am leaving home, you lot are a bunch of w…s. Later the said teenager would probably say I want to come home but I want to make some changes, and then they and home would dicker about some different rules.
It’s a disgraceful situation when one thinks how much money gets poured into parliament and government and trained and educated and specialised advisors. Give me my money back you w….s
should be the message from taxpayers to the Conservative Party.
So in your opinion the referendum was free and fair?
Firstly Aron Banks is currently under criminal investigation for a mysterious 8 million quid that suddenly appeared in his back pocket and ended up in the campaign finances. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-man-who-bankrolled-brexit-arron-banks-under-criminal-investigation
Secondly as I have already indicated people actually had no idea what it was they were actually voting for. Ask any educated person in the UK. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/the-only-brexit-chart-you-need-to-see/10615104
The terms and conditions of the exit were unknown, and even at this time are still unknown, apart from the deal which May has arranged with the EU which will allow some sort of normality to continue after the 29th March, but actually is so toxic that hardly anyone wants a bar of it.
This is hardly “fair”.
A hard Brexit was for most people something they never envisaged. Yes some want it – but any sensible person realises that such a thing would be catastrophic to Britain. Even now the country is stockpiling essential items just in case. But what happens when those run out? Prices are set to soar. In 2017 I was fortunate to visit and was amazed at the price of grocery items in their supermarkets – in many cases equivalent to half the price of what we pay here. Currently much of what the UK eats comes from across the channel – tomatoes from Spain, cheese from the Netherlands, and so on. With no trade deal in place, and no deal in order to send goods back trade will slow dramatically, and that is bad news for both business and the ordinary person in the street.
My folks came from Scotland and England in the 1920’s, I grew up with people still talking about the UK as “home”. I remember the first time I flew in to UK and travelling on the bus into the city feeling as if I had lived there all my life. In some ways it was so familiar. This stupidity that has currently beset the country has to stop before it is too late. Unfortunately neither leader seems capable of doing anything about it and the politicians on both sides seem more worried about preserving their constituencies than actually working to save the country.
Meanwhile, the Mueller inquiry has reached Brexit.
A director of the controversial data company Cambridge Analytica, who appeared with Arron Banks at the launch of the Leave.EU campaign, has been subpoenaed by the US investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
A spokesman for Brittany Kaiser, former business development director for Cambridge Analytica – which collapsed after the Observer revealed details of its misuse of Facebook data – confirmed that she had been subpoenaed by special counsel Robert Mueller, and was cooperating fully with his investigation.
He added that she was assisting other US congressional and legal investigations into the company’s activities and had voluntarily turned over documents and data.
Is the UK only under scrutiny because its the historical home of Karl Marx, or is there some non historical reason the UK should not be allowed to interfere in US elections?
And does it look like, in terms of a little bit of objective discernment, that the paradigm change of Brexit, originated, & the driver of it’s emergence, had much to do with the unfurling fault lines of the chaotic British political governing classes which unlike much of europes i would guess, is essentially unchanged structurally since the war?
It came out of UKIP, The right wing pro fascist party of Nigel Farage.
UKIP is now all but defunct but a couple of elections ago won a sizable slice of the vote (around 13%) and demanded action on “immigration”. David Cameron had this “brilliant” idea that he would run a referendum on exiting from the EU. Like the previous referendum in Scotland on Scottish independence had failed, and in the process shut the Scottish Nationalists up. hehehe. So if he held a referendum on Brexit, then that too would fail and that would shut the UKIPers up! Well that was the general idea. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the message out just how fucking stupid such a plan was, and his cunning plan which was so cunning you could put a tail on it, really did turn out to be a weasel.
Despite the last 3 years of incessant remain propaganda. The UK economy is actually performing slightly better than before the referendum and much better than the Eurozone and most of europe but, regardless we are supposed to understand the UK is about collapse due to impending trade barriers (even less severe than those faced by NZ exporters).
Funny, did those projections (by now a year old) you just posted tell you Germany was heading for recession in a years time? Since we have them by now, might we be permitted to review the actuals rather than assuming the inaccurate forecast is the gospel truth?
Footnote, you can safely dismiss this comment as fake news because Germany actually narrowly avoided recording a recession by the narrowest of margins. Go back to sleep, the European economy is working exactly as intended.
Don’t understand what I am supposed to take from that. It case it was unclear however you posted a bloomberg article dated Feb 2018 discussing a projection and saying,
“Growth will slow to 1.4 percent this year and 1.1 percent in 2019, the European Commission said Wednesday in its winter economic forecasts.”
Which you said means “Of all the economies in the EU the UK is performing the worst.”, though obviously you were discussing a forecast so that should read Of all the economies in the EU the UK *will* perform the worst.
It turns out on the contrary at the beginning of 2019 Germany has just recorded consecutive periods of -0.2 and 0.0 against the UK 0.6 and 0.2. Clearly the German economy performed worse than the UK (in fact there are a number of other large and worse performing European economies).
and now for some reason you want to raise that the UK treasury got its Q1 forecast for UK GDP growth wrong by 0.1 expecting 0.3 instead of the 0.2 recorded?
Not sure that’s gonna bother Jez. Looking at his record, he appears to be quite happy being a legislative opposer and not a legislative doer. Seriously, I went looking for any significant legislation Jez had a significant part in pushing through, and came up empty. Plenty of info on stuff he’s opposed, tho.
Actually I disagree.
Time in opposition is time to build up support for a change in direction.
counter the free market neo liberal austerity propaganda.
To present the population with a radically new vision of how to run a country, and spend for growth.
Unfortunately we have Labour Parties these days who are timid and fearful and determined to do nothing radical or different as they see being in power as the only way to be, even if it means being in power with no mandate to actually bring about real change.
They have no intention of trying to help the voters help themselves to a better future.
These modern Labour Party folk aren’t Leaders and rabble rousers..they are nice enough people, sales rep. types, who at Christmas might give their nephew a Che Guevara T shirt from Halensteins …for a laugh.
Hence we have Labour governments, both here and in the UK, and America for that matter, who come and go over the last 40 years, with no actual improvement/change of direction for the population in wages, job security and bargaining power, home ownership, percentage of income spent on rent, the economy (that most people live in..the economy for Business is fine).
Labour seems to exist purely to soften the blow and marginally tweak things between or Tory/national lead descent into a high tech version of the Middle Ages.
*And “yes”, Corbyn doesn’t have a chance as long as his party is littered with the usual labour party career politicians determined to follow the centre path.
you might also say that the party reflects the people that vote for it.
Cause the same can be said about pretty much everyone who votes for labour. followed by, i am now rich enough (by what ever means) to now vote for the party that gives me a tax cut.
or is it still not fashionable to actually blame the electorate especially the electorate with education?
Completely don’t understand the infatuation with European governance. The european influence is fundamentally anti democratic. The more integration the worse that influence is. The most immediate concern for the UK is being brought into the TISA regardless of the wishes of UK constituants. For the more integrated members of the Eurozone these countries no longer have control of their budgets (their budget is imposed regardless who they elect). Eventually a European military may be created, and no doubt lead to some European countries persuing foreign military interventions regardless of electing parties opposed to the interventions.
The difficulties with integrating europe as one polity are insurmountable, but that leaves the anti democratic nature of european institutions in place in perpetuity. I don’t understand why this appeals to anybody who holds democracy up as an ideal.
“In 1847 the Native American tribe Choctaw Nation donated a significant sum of money to Irish famine relief. Having at the time of the famine only recently been subject to the infamous Trail of Tears, the forced relocations of Native Americans, the Choctaw saw in Ireland a people being subject to similar colonial policies to themselves.
They wished to alleviate suffering during what was perhaps the most seismic demographic change in modern European history: the death by hunger of more than a million UK citizens and the migration of another million – at a time when food was being actively exported from the country to Britain and elsewhere”
..snip..
Here’s the lyrics of a song in return, on the subject of food actively exported.
Christy Moore – “On A Single Day” Lyrics
“A list of exports from Cork Harbour On a single day
The fourteenth of September, Eighteen Forty-Seven
Ran as follows:147 barrels of pork, 986 casks of ham, 27 sacks of bacon, 528 boxes of eggs, 1, 397 firkins of butter, 477 sacks of oats, 720 sacks of flour, 380 sacks of barley, 187 head of cattle, 296 head of sheep, and4, 338 barrels of miscellaneous provisions,
On a single day, The ships sailed out from Cork Harbour With their bellies in the water.
On a single day in County Galway, The great majority of the poor located there
Were in a state of starvation, Many hourly expecting death to relieve their suffering.
On a single day, The Lady Mayoress held a ball At the Mansion House in Dublin In the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Dancing continued until the early hours, and refreshments of the most varied and sumptuous nature were supplied with inexhaustible profusion.
On a single day. On a single day.
It’s about time this little country of ours had a bit
Of peace.”
I saw the coverage on the news last night, and it was quite atrocious. The mediaz only goal seems to be to do damage to the Greens by implying that because they are anti-GE then they can offer no alternative to 1080. lol Quite idiotic really.
They had an animal welfare lawyer on who seemed to think the common sense solution to stopping 1080 was playing around with possum genes instead. For the life of me I can’t see how someone who really cares about animals would be so gung-ho with permanent human manipulation or alteration of animals.
I was listening to a female intervieweron Radionz, perhaps yesterday, forgotten what was being discussed, but remember the interrogation technique, repetition in a high-handed way with voice of a carping parent. I immediately turned off respect for that interviewer because of the tone, where is the interviewing skill in that? Better she joins the police with their black and white views and often using an anything to get a confession style.
Julian Assange is a national Australian treasure. He is a brilliant, brave, honest, humane, relevant, genuine, journalist and publisher of immense influence and significance on the world stage. He has shown himself to be an enormous power for good in a world that is sadly, with some notable exceptions, (Yes John Pilger, I mean you among others,) starved of his ilk.
What Julian Assange is, as a publisher of real news, is a real hero. What he is not is a criminal. His initiative, WikiLeaks, helped expose to the world the hidden machinations of the real criminals in our society: the oligarchs, who in their insatiable quest for more and more wealth, would destroy the fragile planet we call home.
Julian, like all truth seekers scares the sh*t out of them. The truth is their enemy, that is why they and their agents, the governments of the western world, are determined to destroy him.
We, the citizens of the world, have an absolute duty to protect Julian Assange from their unwarranted and illegal attacks.
I unreservedly support and applaud the demonstrations called by the Socialist Equality Party in Australia to demand that the Australian government takes immediate action to secure the freedom of their citizen, Julian Assange, from his near seven-year house imprisonment in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. At least until recently the Ecuadorian presidency was solid in its promise of asylum, but the new president of Ecuador is showing himself to be more susceptible to insidious US pressure. Julian’s situation is dire.
BRING HIM HOME NOW!!!
RESIST!!!!!!!!!
DEMONSTRATE on MARCH 3rd in SYDNEY and MARCH 10th in MELBOURNE
AROUND THE WORLD, RAISE YOUR VOICE EVERYWHERE
DEMAND A SAFE HAVEN FOR JULIAN ASSANGE IN HIS HOME AUSTRALIA.
Roj thinks Julesy might find safe haven in Ocka? Seriously? Has he paid any attention whatsoever to how the Ocka government treats those it finds a tad inconvenient?
“In Canberra last week I met some Australian members of parliament. It gave me hope, because until I heard them speak I had always thought that Israel’s right wing politicians were the worst. —-(LAUGHTER)— I’ve never heard any Israeli politician speak about the Palestinian people the way that those Australian politicians did. But they are Australia’s problem, not mine. (LAUGHTER) I spoke with the Australian foreign minister; she talked and she was very nice but we could not agree on anything.” (LAUGHTER)
Thanks for the good work on your Gordon Levy transcription.
This from Nicholas Rowe is something worth re quoting..”Nationalism, he said, is crystal meth, cooked up in think tanks and exacerbated by peer pressure. Like all addictions, nationalism does not discriminate on the basis of economics. ”
Unbelievable that your post only solicited two comments on that day.
But then again, now I think about it, maybe not so surprising…unfortunately.
I don’t see how the Australian Government could do that much about him.
He is a citizen of Australia (born in Townsville) and as far as I am aware an Australian citizen cannot be deported from Australia.
There is an escaped predator roaming around the lower South Island. Authorities call for caution and ask for sightings to be immediately reported, and for people
nearby to remain inside and try to protect livestock. The authorities are prepared to shoot this animal which is dangerous to safety and life. /sarc
We actually know it is a human who will receive some sort of treatment, be put in jail, and be allowed out into society to release his (likely) poison into society which it is hoped, will dilute the mixture with relatively little damage to society overall. Until the next outbreak of viciousness.
Apart from the fact that cruelty to animals isn’t regarded as seriously as is that to humans, which is a faulty position, researchers have found that those who commit violence against animals are indicated to be more likely than the norm to commit such acts on humans.
The best option for NZ is the ECMWF model which keeps the original cyclone in the tropics, but a new low consisting of saturated tropical air stretching southward from the cyclone and a southerly system moving northward over NZ. Provided it occurs in the right place (fingers crossed) we would get the desperately needed rain but without the catastrophic cyclonic winds.
Failing the above… there is another T.C. expected to form further eastward (north of Fiji) sometime next week so we might get a big flick from that one instead. 🙂
I think you can rest Anne, it’s like it probably hit or put the willies up SE QLD aka BrisVegas from tonight’s weather report from ABC Darwin on the telly. Before everyone jump up and down about CC, when I was still living at by RAAF Amberley. The weather boffins were saying back around 2005, saying that South East Queensland aka south of Rockie is due for a Cyclone based on records and the law of averages.
It reminds me that Alan Gibbs has spent a large amount of money on an orange wall on his farm and calls it a sculpture. Did Trump pick up on his idea for the use of the USA? Perhaps Trump could get funding for his edifice if he calls it a sculpture, and lets go of the ‘wall’ word. He wants an enormous sculpture that can be seen from space, like the Chinese Wall, and that will bring the USA to the fore in competitive walls make America great again.
I think that the Wall will become another state-built entity that private businesses will utilise for free. It will be a focus for climbers and abseilers – a world icon for the!
Man that wall is ugly, but at the same time has a modernist brutality about it that I quite like…it also looks like it could be a left over film set from some random Sci Fi film made in 1987 about the post apocalyptic future in 2001…which I also quite like.
This could be another case where private business utilises a government infrastructure. I think The Wall will become a fabulous place for abseiling and climbers, a huge outdoor sporting facility. There will be armed guards to prevent random civilians approaching it using drones and sandbuggies like they had on Mars, so it will provide employment to the NRA and KKK, and businesses will buy concessions to use various parts of it for sport, also it could be used as a rifle range.
There’ll be profit in it for some.
Angela is not only painfully honest,she clearly has psychic/clairvoyant powers too.
Can guarantee voters in her electorate that Labour will lose and Corbyn will not become P.M.
Yep, that’s being truthful to the people who elect you. She was conflicted about some Labour policies and said so. You might think she shouldn’t stand for labour in those circumstances. She would now appear to agree with you.
@TRP, Are you serious? Angela “funny tinge” Smith, defender of Tony Blair, the same A Smith that most people have been constantly asking why on earth she was still in Labour since Corbyn was elected, the A Smith who has constantly attacked her leader and undermined the party for the past few years..It is plainly obvious that she was never ‘conflicted about some Labour policies’ she always hated them and hated Corbyn, and made absolutely no bones about it.
2016 “Angela Smith MP refers to Jeremy Corbyn as “a dead man walking” days after the murder of Jo Cox MP”
2016 “Labour MPs are trying to depose Jeremy Corbyn with a motion of no confidence” including A Smith
2016, Angela Smith MP earlier called for Corbyn to quit. Smith said: “Jeremy Corbyn has got to take responsibility. He should consider his position. He’s shown insufficient leadership.”
2017, ‘Why don’t you just GO?’ Corbyn HUMILIATED as senior Labour MP ‘tells leader to QUIT’
Yep, she didn’t like Corbyn and said so. So, honest. Like the majority of caucus, she voted no confidence in him. So, democratic. She did not actually refer to Corbyn as a dead man walking (watch the clip). So, lied about.
Good riddance? Still in Parliament, still an MP, still going to be having her say over the next 3 years. So, not an ex politician yet.
She’s not someone I’d be personally thrilled to vote for, but trying to ignore why she’s leaving in favour of just mindlessly abusing her is pretty fucken dumb. It’s that low level of political understanding and a refusal to analyse what’s going on that is dooming UK Labour to being eternally in opposition. As I said earlier, look at the state of the Tories. And yet Jezza won’t take them on.
No, far easier to demonise people who have the guts to say what they think and the principles to act on their principles.
PS, just a guess, but you never heard of Angela Smith till today, right?
“PS, just a guess, but you never heard of Angela Smith till today, right?”
I am not sure why you would say that?….how could you not have heard of her..what with all her bitching and moaning endlessly about Corbyn and momentum, she was like a broken record…and to make it worse she was like a shit record that no even one wanted to listen to begin with.
And yes I do demonise her,and make no apologies about it, fuck her and fuck all her Liberal friends in Labour, they have only been like a cancer to the Left.
For over 25 years people like her have been calling the shots on the Left, and exactly where has it got us? pah.
Time for a change..a real change.
Say No to pragmatism, endless compromise and half measurers.
No he isn’t. The biggest criticism of Corbyn is that he is doing fuck all. His party members, and his party’s voters, want a fresh Brexit referendum, but as he’s a leaver, he’s refusing to take it on. He’s hopelessly conflicted on the issue.
The first polls on the breakaway group suggest an immediate 8% support, primarily based on the group’s Brexit position. That support could go to Labour, if Corbyn wasn’t so hopeless.
By narrowing the party’s vision down to some infantile leftist purity, Corbyn is dooming them to lose the next election, when they should win in a landslide.
But hey, we can sing Ooooh, Jeremyyyy Coooorbyn and feel good about how radical we all are.
Er, no. She’s been very open about her opposition to some Labour policies for quite a while. She tried to change that from within, which is y’know, democratic. But she’s had enough now and has walked.
Anybody else you want to disparage who’s been through a similar process?
John A Lee? Jim Anderton? Winston Peters? The NZ Greens? All departed parties that no longer delivered for them, some with more encouragement toward the door than others.
KJT could equally have said traitor or collaborator which is pretty ordinary language in that situation and on this forum, yet you compare it with a mentally unfit, far-right, murderous fascist.
The use of language like traitor, quisling etc is part of othering, which makes acts of extremism acceptable.
It’s also disrespectful to the victims of the real Quisling to equate an an actual Nazi sympathiser responsible for the deaths of many good people in Norway with an elected politician who has merely had a disagreement with her party and chosen to quit.
I said get a grip. I could have said get a sense of perspective or any number of similar phrasings. However it’s put, the point is that abuse at that level is not the sign of deep thinking.
“KJT could equally have said traitor or collaborator which is pretty ordinary language in that situation and on this forum,..
Muttonbird you have to remember that commenters face a perma ban for suggesting people go to another country to help with climate change efforts. Perhaps commenters could enforce a self-ban on themselves when they cross this extraordinarily high bar into outright alt-right behaviour, facism, nazism etc.
The whole thing is painful to read, one thing worse is it happened but no-one told the truth about it, so probably painfully honest is best usually. (Can’t be absolute here, some small prevarication may sometimes be needed.)
1 Painful that it happened
2 Painful if covered up so we don’t know as should.
3 Painful if half leaked, distorted, misused.
4 Painful to be confronted by whole truth but can be exposed to sunlight.
Business commentator Rod Oram talks to Kathryn about our trade relations with China, the government’s plans to completely revamp polytechs and industry training providers and also plans to tax online companies such as Google and Facebook on their revenues not their profits
Report from RNZ
Free-diver William Trubridge has swum Cook Strait underwater to raise awareness of critically endangered Hector’s and Māui dolphins. Yesterday’s 22 km crossing – the first of its kind – consisted of a series of 930 dives, interspersed with horizontal underwater swimming while holding the breath, before coming up for air like a dolphin.
Mr Trubridge said the currents pushed him around during the nine hour and 15 minute swim, but he’s grateful the conditions allowed him to complete it.
Chris Trotter at Bowalley Road is beyond being anxious about Labour’s restraining itself, unnecessarily, to austerity by ‘fiscal responsibility’. And the results are showing up in the inability to attend to the concerns of workers in basic sectors necessary for service provision in a decent society.
Very few of New Zealand’s social indices have registered a clear improvement in the lives of New Zealanders as a result of the so-called “Rogernomics Revolution”. The wage-earner’s share of company surpluses has reduced in comparison to the shareholder’s. The number of New Zealanders owning their own homes has declined sharply. The dramatic surge in average life expectancy that distinguished the 30 years following World War II has plateaued.
The explanation for New Zealand society’s resolute refusal to be improved by the Fourth Labour Government’s neoliberal “reforms” is very simple. Society is not a mechanism, it is an organism. Ripping things out from, or cutting them off, a living system doesn’t improve it. All that happens is that the system is left wounded and bleeding. Given sufficient time, an organism may adapt to the loss of a limb, or an organ. Wounds do heal. But attempting to pass off the maimed subject of your surgery as a vast improvement over what existed before, is a fool’s errand. Trauma endures.
Has this government, dominated as it is by the Labour Party, learned anything from what happened between 1984 and 1999?
Then he is anxious about CGT which he thinks will if applied across the board
will make Labour unpopular and lose the next election. Possibly for not much gain to taxes and only a short hiatus in the housing market with present drivers to prices. It might seem moral but is it fiscal, and reduce house prices I ask?
I agree with Chris. You have to question the basic political intelligence of a party wanting to sacrifice yet another election to chasing a CGT. Its not like there is any evidence they restrain housing markets either. There are plenty of examples of countries with CGTs also having housing bubbles collapse.
It appears the US has federal capital gains taxes but this didn’t in any way impede the Trump family from driving a bus through the US tax code to transfer the family wealth onto Trump. With less certainty my understanding is the same kind of transfer is presently occurring from Trump to his daughter (or that is what some of the campaign financing shenanigans we know about seem to indicate).
We do see a number of examples of countries which have CGT’s and those examples indicate they don’t effectively mitigate housing bubbles. This is going to be a pretty big political flaw if that is one of the primary arguments for introducing a CGT.
Some something more simple the government could do to make the tax code more fair it could just eliminate GST. There seems to be no need for a debate or electoral mandate to do that.
I suspect replacing GST with CGT, maybe FTT, and wealth taxes would be hugely popular.
I’ve never liked GST, as it is highly regressive. The introduction was a simple tax switch, from higher incomes getting reductions, while lower incomes paid more tax overall. A cynical move to less progressive taxes.
We could simply remove GST, and go back to a 60% top tax rate, which Australia has anyway.
That doesn’t remove the problem of tax avoidance, by choosing to make capital gains rather than income.
We cannot say that CGT doesn’t mitigate housing bubbles in countries that have it. Because we have no evidence, of the size their housing bubble would be without it. At the least CGT, gives the Government some income from the bubble which can be used to reduce the effects. To build more State houses, for example.
“We cannot say that CGT doesn’t mitigate housing bubbles in countries that have it. Because we have no evidence, of the size their housing bubble would be without it.”
If even the implementation of a policy doesn’t produce evidence of that policies effectiveness then you don’t seem to be dealing with a scientific theory at all.
Basic science. You have to have a control group or counterfactual, to have definitive evidence. I.e. What happens both with and without it. All else being equal.
In fact, in New Zealand, the housing market slowed after the bright line test was tightened.
That is an indication that a CGT, in New Zealand may have an effect on housing speculation. However that is not conclusive evidence, because there have been other possible causes at the same time. China’s economy slowed, they clamped down on money exports. Immigration slowed and lending criteria was changed.
The best argument for CGT, is simple fairness and efficiency of the tax system. You should not be able to avoid tax, simply by calling your income something different.
Seems like we just can’t do basic science on virtually any policy then.
Though in practice people who understand and use things like controlled clinical trials would never use a treatment based only on the statistical evidence of one or even many clinical trials. Statistics are fundamentally incapable of proving or disproving the truth value of scientific theories. At a minimum the theory needs to dig in and understand the next level, the mechanism which generates the statistics you get as an outcome.
If Labour ran of a CGT for fairness then I think that would at least be a defensible policy choice. But I think they would run it on the implication it substantially fixes the housing market and I don’t think its going to deliver on that.
Parliament: Question Time, 2pm, Tues 19 February 2019
An interesting mix of questions today, starting with the usual general one from Bridges to Ardern.
However, we also have Jami-Lee Ross’ first primary question since he became an Independent at Question 4 seeking specific information on Ministers travelling overseas since October 2017, including personal overseas travel. The last bit is the interesting aspect of this question …
JLR has primary questions only about every five + weeks, plus two supplementary questions weekly. Last week he used his two supplementary questions to ask questions on light rail proposals for Auckland under Paul Goldsmith’s primary question on this subject at Question 8 on Weds, 13 Feb.
And, presumably quite by coincidence, Sarah Dowie also has a question at 11 in her capacity as National spokesperson on conservation re the continued use of 1080. (As well as being a fully qualified lawyer, Dowie apparently also has tertiary qualifications in earth sciences(?) or similar and worked for DOC for some years.)
Here is the list of today’s questions to save you having to go to the link.
Questions to Ministers
1. Hon SIMON BRIDGES to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s statements, policies, and actions?
2. Hon AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister when she said, “If you’re a Minister and you want to spend money, you have to prove that you’re going to improve intergenerational well-being”?
3. Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?
4. JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Prime Minister: How many times has she or the Cabinet granted approval for a Minister to travel overseas since 26 October 2017, and how many of those travel approvals have included approval for “personal travel overseas”, as outlined in sections 2.124 or 2.125 of the Cabinet Manual?
5. Hon PAULA BENNETT to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s statements, policies, and actions?
6. JO LUXTON to the Minister of Education: What responses has he seen to the vocational education reform proposals he announced last week?
7. Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: Does he remain committed to all of the housing and urban development policies outlined in the Speech from the Throne?
8. Hon NATHAN GUY to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: Does he stand by all of his statements?
9. DARROCH BALL to the Minister for Veterans: What announcements has he made regarding recognition for Vietnam veterans?
10. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Associate Minister of Transport: Does she stand by all of the Government’s statements and actions in relation to road safety?
11. SARAH DOWIE to the Minister of Conservation: Does she agree with the statement on pest control by the Minister for Regional Economic Development that “the reality is that there’s a strong case from the environmental movement for the continued utilisation of 1080”?
12. GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Justice: What recent announcements have been made about ensuring victims’ voices are heard in relation to fixing New Zealand’s criminal justice system?
Not really trying to match Grey’s efforts above (5 new posts in a row), but Michelle at 9.1.4 over on the Colmar Brunton post mentioned that the biggie of the year for kapa haka – Te Matatini – is being held at the Westpac Stadium (and other venues) in Wellington this week/weekend, 20 -24 February 2019.
Here is a link to the very good website for those interested.
We really want some rain here in Welly (and across the country) urgently but do hope that it will not disrupt this great event.
I could not find whether it will be broadcast live on TV etc. Would love to know as I recall watching the weekend performances on TV in previous years. I’ll check out Maori TV scheduling and post any results I find.
Update – yes, Maori TV is covering the whole thing live from 8.30 am each day starting Thursday, 21 Feb – their most coverage ever.
Something occurs to me Jordan Peterson on on hand (hates Marxism and pervading an emotional answer to the quetions of anomic people who want something to dislike or hate to provide them with something definite, firm in their lives).
On the opposite side stands Yanis Varoufakis explaining his idea with a vision and outcome that he explains, with occasional humour, with an emphasis on getting firmness from the idea of getting a working future, perhaps with dislike for that which divides us.
A bit odd.
“4. JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Prime Minister: How many times has she or the Cabinet granted approval for a Minister to travel overseas since 26 October 2017, and how many of those travel approvals have included approval for “personal travel overseas”, as outlined in sections 2.124 or 2.125 of the Cabinet Manual?”
He seemed to be implying that a Minister on an approved overseas trip, would meet a foreign person to garner a donation. (Huh? Sounds more like a National ploy.)
I had the impression he might actually be working up to accusing one of the former Nat. ministers of going overseas to garner donations. But first he’s putting the scenario out there by asking the question of the current government.
Thanks Fireblade. You are right that Jamie mentioned in his speech, Ministers seeking donations from “foreign Nationals” while overseas. He said “in the past.”
Wonder if people like Judith will be checking that their tracks were covered.
A polite careful speech to an almost empty House, but…
Thanks also for the link…. seems like he’s doing the ground work to call someone out. That was really interesting.
jlr also says he supports dr. custard wanting changes to the electoral reform act. The only changes nick smith would want are ones that ensure his employment.
For those who follow or are interested in international politics, this interactive chart from Al Jazeera is like an election tracker, it’s really interesting.
Proud moment, NZ get’s a mention for being a world leader in women voting 🙂
2019 is a huge year for elections…….
‘In 2019, more people will vote than ever before.
Nearly two billion voters in 50 countries around the world will head to the polls this year to elect their leaders.
Some of the biggest elections include India – the world’s largest democracy with 800 million eligible voters, Indonesia – 187 million registered voters and Nigeria – 84 million registered voters.’
Kia ora Eco Maori can not wait till the next generating grab power from THE NEANDERTHALS as its there future that we are making a mess of NOW.
I can’t wait for the striking schoolchildren to grab the reins of power
The UK’s kids protesting climate change were passionate, articulate and unafraid – those with old ideas need to get out of the way
T
his is a country for old men. So is the United States. Donald Trump is 72, and people are talking about Joe Biden running against him, aged 76; another possible presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, is 77. In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn is 69; John McDonnell is 67; Vince Cable is 75. Jacob Rees-Mogg is 89. Only one of these ages is a lie. I guess you can work it out. Whatever happened to retiring? Why are these men considered to be at their political peak? I speak as a nan myself. Will I be running for office in 15 years’ time?
The blokes who govern the “free” world were brought into sharp relief by last week’s strike against climate change. My God, it was something. Suddenly in my house and on TV screens there were angry, informed teenage girls – and yes, it was mostly girls – talking about how we have just 12 years to do something. They were passionate, articulate and unafraid. Their energy was contagious. The fact they were having a fabulous time at a protest was inspiring and all the daft criticism about bunking off came from the zombie class such as Andrea Leadsom and various dullard rentagobs who don’t even seem to understand what school is: an hour a day of learning followed by hours of crowd control. But then I guess bunking off is as outre as running through fields of wheat for these alien suck-ups.
I cannot wait for these people to grab the reins of power. I neither want the closed and aged mindsets of the Tories banging on about wars they didn’t fight, nor the inflexibility of old Labour men obsessed with revolutions that produced dictators. Ageing is a fact, but open minds stay youthful. Those with old ideas need to get out of the way. Fast Links below ka kite ano
Eco Maori use the barbecue 2 days ago to cook kebabs and I turned it OFF .
I Know it was off because I have a small house and a freezer in the shed to get into the shed I am only 2 feet away from the shed SO I have to touch it every day also if it was left on for 48 hours the bottle would have been empty but NO when I just went to use the barbecue this afternoon it was going hot as and the bottle is 1/4 full. You see the sandflys expect to beable to swarm around me and my whanau spinning lies about US make mine and my whanau life harder and Eco Maori is supposed to eat tu tai get stuffed you dirty rotten Kunekune,s who trys to make out the are church going good christian YEA RIGHT . 1 barbecue on for 48 hours 2 the hose was lose 3 Eco Maori has been talking about barbecued mussles for 2 days 3 the sandfly / goverment listens to every word said in my house .They don’t like me pointing out the Pike river evedince going missing they don’t like it that when I sue them they will be liable for million in lost potential earning Ana to kai P.S Andrew Little you are responsible for these MUPPETS ACTIONS they are still trying to intimidate Eco Maori
Your should have heard there sirens going off after Eco Maori posted the post above you see whanau the NZ UNjustice system is the biggest GANG in New Zealand thats a FACT Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub Why did that idiot change his Name to Tainui he is staining the name of a Great Maori tipuna.
Amy how desperate to try and use a thing like a spreadsheet to attack our governments Wellbeing budget.
There you go Mcabe the FBI Directors.
That’s a awesome photo of the Orca playing with the camera and eating tooth fish /some call it Chilean bass just another name to hide the fish’s origins that’s all the more reasons to protect the tooth fish fisheries to protect the Orcas to.
Selwyn Te Matatini is awesome this year how’s my mate and my Wahines m8 when I first started writing on Thestandard I could see some people were shy to talk Maori or even admit that they were Maori Times Are Changing Fast for the better Ka pai. Ka kite ano
Kia ora James & Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild I see our Summer sport is going great.
Our farmers are the back bone of OUR country and many of them are the back bone of some sports.
YEA the Maori from the whenua of te pounamu had a good week.
That was close the Ice hockey puat just about hitting that reporter.
David Butterbean I have said you have a good cause getting people off the couch to get fit Ka pai for your event at Edin Park. Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub I think the Wahine team who has 2 gold medals cleaned up in Hamilton and Australia is the team deserves the prize .
NO seenothing we have a let the wealthy OFF PAYING TAXES system you are full of it not everyone will be effected by the capital gains tax Alot of people have no capital O that’s correct you don’t no or can’t see the poor common person way of life with your Rosie rich glasses only wealthy views can be seen from your Rosie glasses so everyone with assets on top of the family house will have to pay a bit more.
That tax is easier to implement than means testing superannuation of the top 20 %. People from that part of OUR society do not NEED superannuation So a capital gains tax will even up the % of taxes per income tax payers. The he top 20 %, of people have accountants that have lobby the system so they pay no or low taxes if they are want to behave like that.
Te Matatini is on today well you cut that part of the show short that tells Eco Maori Alot but this is what you will get because you are still stuck in the undies you wore 2 Years ago I call the way you treat and
Bully Mark Richardson is not a good look he is ok.
Lloyd it is Ka pai that those MP are standing up to the people who are trying to ram brexit though the British parliament weather the majority want it OR NOT I can see the majority want a second referendum it looks like they have a big backing all ready .
In the near future a person like the guy who stole a great tipuna great name will not be able to lie when computer chips are planted into our brains the big problem is the Billionaire will have the power of gods being able to have the best hackers in the world to change the data on other people Reality every little thought and every ones visions all data will be stored and could be minupulated by the POWERFUL THAT’S one of my biggest concerns with artificial intelligence we have to have the best minds in the world to keep this genie under humane human control.
trump is trying to get other country’s to clean up Americas mess once again and put there citizens lives at risk after he has sprayed Wai on them YEA RIGHT.
I don’t totally condemn alcohol in moderation I just want the youth to KNOW that when they binge drink they are/ can lose control of their lives and anyone can take advantage of them in a drunk state they are throwing there futures into the wind basically turning yourselves in disabled PERSON with out the safety sense humans have when they get DRUNK that is lossed .
Is he another national puppet who can spread topic that’s cause disharmony in our society topics that national are scared to handle the tax paying union u 2 are there to play your little harp for dancans little self-centred views. Ka kite ano
This neanderthal can not handle this good Dutch person Rutger Bregman straight up comments that is exactly what I have been branding the Papatuanukus worlds media brought and paid for buy billionaires and the 3% of scientists who are climate change deniers. I also agree on his view of TAXS TAXS as the carbon trading skeem is just another way for the billionaires to suck more money from the common tangata/people THATS A FACT Tax carbon and give the money to poor nations who cannot fund there climate change mitergation and give the money to people who prouduce clean cheap green energy. Ka pai Rutger Ana to kai neanderthal
Historian who confronted Davos billionaires leaks Tucker Carlson rant
In a heated exchange that was not aired, Rutger Bregman accused Carlson of being a pawn for the Murdochs and Kochs
Rutger Bregman is the Dutch historian who became a global sensation after an appearance at this year’s Davos summit where he accused the billionaires in attendance of ignoring the issue of taxation. Now he’s created another viral moment in an extremely uncomfortable interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.
By the end of the exchange, Bregman has so riled Carson with his accusations of hypocrisy, critiques of Fox’s conservative agenda and attacks on Donald Trump, that the TV host calls him a “moron” and angrily tells him: “Go fuck yourself.”
According to Bregman he recorded the interview with Carlson on Tuesday and it was meant to air that night, but never did. NowThis have obtained Bregman’s own recording of the exchange, where only the audio of Carlson’s questions can be heard.
The interview then sees Bregman accuse Carlson of being bought by the Murdoch family and the Cato Institute, a neoliberal think tank of which Carlson was a fellow until 2015. He says Tucker took the “dirty money” of the institute, which is funded in large part by the Koch brothers and opposes higher taxes.
He says Carlson is “a millionaire funded by billionaires” and “not part of the solution” but “part of the problem, actually”.
Bregman finishes by acknowledging that the interview probably wouldn’t be aired, but saying that he “went to Davos to speak truth to power and I’m doing exactly the same right now”.
Carlson, near-speechless for much of the interview, replies by saying: “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, you tiny brain… you’re a moron. I tried to give you a hearing but you were too fucking annoying.”
The next day on Twitter, Bregman said he decided to leak the interview to NowThis because “we should keep talking about the corrupting influence of money in politics. It also shows how angry elites can get if you do that”.
He also challenged Carlson to air the interview in full. Ka kite ano links below P.S This story backs my views on Aotearoa Mainstream Media to
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
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I’m sitting on this hearing panel, talking cats, as you can see 🙂
https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/110673369/fluffy-you-need-to-be-home-by-10pm
Robert, once you’ve finished stroking your cat, stretch your membrane a little and give us a piece on what a Green New Deal would look like for New Zealand.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/green-new-deal-costs-climate-change_n_5c66285be4b01757c369e3df
Ad – I’m just about to start hearing submissions in the chamber, so it’ll have to wait…
The labelling on under the photo is a bit confusing. Robert is it you with the glorious long white beard?
I’ll answer in RGs absence – yes ianmac. Looks like my idea of a druid.
Quite a commanding presence don’t you think? 😉
Talking of animals this story has cut right through me. What kind of vile creep could do such a thing to a gentle miniature horse. It’s beyond understanding:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12205108
Probably someone in need bnb of serious mental health help .
Yes.
Just horrible Anne. Someone who is dangerously deranged.
On TV1 news tonight the vet who attended the horse said he believed there was more than one person involved.
I had two pets (a dog and a cat) who died and a further dog who was maimed – all at different times and in mysterious circumstances. The vet who attended two of the animals (in the 1980s) was quite sure their death/injury were not accidental.
I never found out for sure who was responsible or exactly why they did it but I had my suspicions.
There’s a lot of evil people out there.
It’s appalling Anne. Poor little Star, a defenceless innocent animal. Can’t even imagine what pain and trauma he must have suffered before succumbing to his horrendous injuries.
It would have been some gutless abomination of human scum who got some sort of perverted pleasure to have done this.
Harsher penalties required urgently for this sort of extreme animal cruelty
Hi Anne
I know that this later than your blog here but i have just watched news coverage of this disgusting act of evil cruelty.
It made me weep when i listened to the awful attack on a defenseless animal and somebody’s pet who should have been safe in its own surroundings.
I hope they will catch who is responsible for this and make an example out of them.
These people are deranged and a threat to innocent life and should be placed in psychiatric care where they can be detained and not be a risk.
This is a small community and someone will know who did this.
I’m picking someone had it in for the family who owned her.
That is what transpired in my case back in the 1980s, but the problem is these people are not easy to identitfy because they are cunning and operate in a clandestine way. It goes without saying they are seriously unstable and a threat to the community they live in as mosa says,
It is, ianmac. My wife convinced me not to wear my Dumbledore hat and gown, but she had to stop me at the door and send me back to change.
So… she stood in front of a wizard and said “you shall not pass!”
Ha!
lmao !!! You would look magnificent in wizards garb.
Really cool to put a face to the name and personality.
Love it Robert, very distinguished.
I see the Tony Blair Tribute band has finally decided to make it’s move in the UK, and Chuka Umunna is about to finally see his wish come true and become leader of the opposition – except that he is leader of the opposition to the opposition, which I am sure isn’t quite how that entitled Blairite tosspot thought things would end up.
We all know what these UK Labour traitors don’t like – Jeremy Corbyn, Socialism, any who doesn’t bow and scrape to Israel – but what do they stand for?
As far as i can tell, they stand for austerity and cuts and more of the same.
They’ll retire to sideline where, via their numerous mouthpieces in the Liberal establishment MSM, they’ll spend their whole time making sure the Tories can run Britain for ever or until they are wiped out at the soonest opportunity the voters get.
Corbyn’s dithering has caused this.
There’s a market wedge from the decline of the Liberal Democrats.
Speaking of which, it was exactly this kind of leadership weakness that caused the Liberal Democrats to split off from Labour in the first place.
Umunna will likely get the Mayor of London into the tent as well.
I doubt his alleged dithering has anything to do with the split. Both parties seem divided over brexit anyway.
Seems about right. Tory pro-Brexiteers are motivated by the neoliberal wet dream of free markets liberated from Europe’s insistence on labour, environmental and human rights regulations. Plus it seems also by a little bit of the resurrected imperial glory that comes from sending aircraft carriers here and there.
Labour pro-Brexiteers want to be able to nationalise sectors of the economy that are natural monopolies and don’t want EU membership disallowing such moves.
In this muddle, I’m not sure what not dithering might look like. Possibly Corbyn could say that the bigger risk to a socialist Britain is not the EU, but an unrestrained Tory party. Therefore he is calling for a second referendum. Damn risky though given so many of his base voted for Brexit.
I think you’re right. Corbyn isn’t given to hasty decisions, but Brexit is a festering wound; better to reject it decisively than let it run its course.
As for the ‘anti-Semitic’ crap, it has no more substance than the mudslinging campaign about Chinese sounding names. Corbyn should summarily
eject the MPs involved from the party, and let them fight byelections if they dare.
@Sanctuary +1
Best news I have heard in UK politics for quite a while..
Good riddance to rotten apples…this is one of the best things that could have happened to Labour UK…clear away that stinking rotten carcass of Liberal Centrism..and let the fresh air wash in.
And here a taste of the low rent war loving, intervention supporting, scaremongering bullshit that spews out from these sort of revolting sycophantic Blairite centrists…
“Jeremy Corbyn and those around him are on the wrong side on so many international issues – from Russia, to Syria, to Venezuela. A Corbyn Labour government would threaten our national security and international alliances.”
Of course as we all know, Corbyn has a track record of being on the right side of history unparalleled by any current politician in the UK.
The Seven Nobodies for Israel have certainly excited the foolish right in this country…
NewstalkZzzzzzB News, Tuesday 19 February 2019, 8:30 a.m.
Niva Retimanu intones: “The British Labour Party has SPLIT, with MPs resigning in protest against Jeremy Corbyn. For more, we go to our British correspondent ROD LIDDLE…”
[Rod Liddle * mutters something banal, electing this time not to inject any racist invective. An effortless little twenty-second earner.]
Back to the breathless Niva Retimanu to sum up the crisis: “Critics say that the Labour Party has been overwhelmed by the machine politics of the hard left.”
ad nauseam….
* Liddle is a notorious racist.
@Morrissey, I love the way that MSM frame a political party having policies that actually represent the interests of most citizens in meaningful ways and not just talking up meaningless bullshit platitudes (like most centre left parties.. you know who I’m talking about ), is considered ‘hard left’, it just exposes them for what they are, defenders of the status quo, at whatever cost.
But I hate the way that so many smart people on the left, buy into this obvious propaganda…in fact they seem so blinded and open to any liberal propaganda that now many of them unbelievably think that the FBI is now on their side in some sort of war on Trump…I will say that again..they actually think that the FBI is somehow in alignment with left wing progressives.
It beggars belief.
Congrats on winning Momentum Word Bingo, Sanctuary! You’ve managed to use all today’s key words (incl. maximum points for Blair, Blairite and Traitor!).
Your prize is Brexit, followed by Labour in opposition for all eternity.
Of course they could follow your well worn track down the rabbit hole of pragmatic centrism for the prize of..more of the same, with a different name…can’t you see that the time has passed for half measures, endless compromises and pragmaticism?
It has come time for the Right and big business to start to compromise, take some half measures and show some pragmatism for the good of the people for a while.
Actually, I’m all good with those things, Adrian. It would be lovely if the right learned to compromise. And, as we speak, apparently a number of Tory MP’s are looking at joining the new grouping, so perhaps you are getting your wish.
The problem I have with the response to these resignations is that the use of ‘Blairite’ to describe those leaving is fundamentally ignorant. They each have their own reasons for leaving, but they all seem to share a bewilderment at Corbyn’s failure to lead, when winning popular support has never been easier.
Have you seen the state of the Conservatives? Just a shambles. And yet, Corbyn can’t land a blow because he refuses to enter the ring. No wonder most of his caucus are disenchanted.
When two animals are fighting to the death, sometimes it’s better to just observe.
@Kevin+1…exactly right.
“when winning popular support has never been easier”
I don’t see that this is the case at all, the UK is deeply divided on this subject, Corbyn will alienate and lose voters either way in pretty much equal numbers.
The Remain/Leave split has remained pretty much static despite the last 3 years.
Actually the polls show that there is now a definite majority for Remain.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/20/polls-stay-eu-yougov-brexit-peoples-vote
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/5v5qj2t7c8/PVResults_181214_Brexit_w.pdf
It’s like the tories and Labour are competing to see who can burn down Britain, and the winner gets to destroy themselves first.
Exactly.
🙁
This is the result of having a referendum they didn’t need to have, and had no idea what is was they were voting on. Well done that man David Cameron.
Indeed they are still floundering around trying to find out what it was they actually voted for. And on the 29 March at 11pm GMT when they are still trying to work out what it was, they will exit the EU. The goods they sent off shore will be sent back (except for the Faroe Islands – they signed a trade deal yesterday!) and the roads to the ports will block up for miles.
Come on, that all depend on the poll you are looking at….
“While support for Brexit fell in 2018, polls show the country hasn’t shifted significantly since 2016”
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-brexit-deal-public-sentiment/
I can find some more if you want…
You do realise that the support for something called “Brexit”* has never been much more than 52% (In the June 23, 2016 referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 51.9 percent of the votes cast, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million voters, or 48.1 percent of votes cast, favoured staying), and as the bloomberg poll points out(47 % would now vote leave and 53% would now vote remain according to the poll of polls – which concurs with the you govt poll I quoted) over the past year as more older people die off, and those remaining wake up to the realisation of just what is actually on offer, and as the economy continues to take a 800 million quid hit week on week, and as overseas car manufactures stop producing cars, and as overseas companies pull out of Britian the “remember Dunkirk” faction grow smaller by the day.
Only the Alt-right and the Alt- left are stupid enough to want to carry on with a no-deal Brexit – but that is where the country is headed right now.
*(nobody actually knew what it was they were voting for – as the terms were never set out, and the “leave” campaign had filled the country with mis-information)
I didn’t sat I am for or against Brexit, none of my business really, but I do know this, leave voters won the free and fair referendum…so end of story really.
Macro it is refreshing to read someone who looks dispassionately at the Brexit vote.
So there was a majority. Only because the UK parliament went into it without thinking what a suitable majority for such a grave move would be. Any thinking body would consider it carefully and perhaps decide on 80:20 of votes, knowing that there many wouldn’t vote, were unsure, were confused, not quite old enough, too old and being helped etc.
It was an emotional vote. A teenager who threw a wobbly and said I am leaving home, you lot are a bunch of w…s. Later the said teenager would probably say I want to come home but I want to make some changes, and then they and home would dicker about some different rules.
It’s a disgraceful situation when one thinks how much money gets poured into parliament and government and trained and educated and specialised advisors. Give me my money back you w….s
should be the message from taxpayers to the Conservative Party.
So in your opinion the referendum was free and fair?
Firstly Aron Banks is currently under criminal investigation for a mysterious 8 million quid that suddenly appeared in his back pocket and ended up in the campaign finances.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-man-who-bankrolled-brexit-arron-banks-under-criminal-investigation
Secondly as I have already indicated people actually had no idea what it was they were actually voting for. Ask any educated person in the UK.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/the-only-brexit-chart-you-need-to-see/10615104
The terms and conditions of the exit were unknown, and even at this time are still unknown, apart from the deal which May has arranged with the EU which will allow some sort of normality to continue after the 29th March, but actually is so toxic that hardly anyone wants a bar of it.
This is hardly “fair”.
A hard Brexit was for most people something they never envisaged. Yes some want it – but any sensible person realises that such a thing would be catastrophic to Britain. Even now the country is stockpiling essential items just in case. But what happens when those run out? Prices are set to soar. In 2017 I was fortunate to visit and was amazed at the price of grocery items in their supermarkets – in many cases equivalent to half the price of what we pay here. Currently much of what the UK eats comes from across the channel – tomatoes from Spain, cheese from the Netherlands, and so on. With no trade deal in place, and no deal in order to send goods back trade will slow dramatically, and that is bad news for both business and the ordinary person in the street.
My folks came from Scotland and England in the 1920’s, I grew up with people still talking about the UK as “home”. I remember the first time I flew in to UK and travelling on the bus into the city feeling as if I had lived there all my life. In some ways it was so familiar. This stupidity that has currently beset the country has to stop before it is too late. Unfortunately neither leader seems capable of doing anything about it and the politicians on both sides seem more worried about preserving their constituencies than actually working to save the country.
Meanwhile, the Mueller inquiry has reached Brexit.
A director of the controversial data company Cambridge Analytica, who appeared with Arron Banks at the launch of the Leave.EU campaign, has been subpoenaed by the US investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
A spokesman for Brittany Kaiser, former business development director for Cambridge Analytica – which collapsed after the Observer revealed details of its misuse of Facebook data – confirmed that she had been subpoenaed by special counsel Robert Mueller, and was cooperating fully with his investigation.
He added that she was assisting other US congressional and legal investigations into the company’s activities and had voluntarily turned over documents and data.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/17/brittany-kaiser-trump-russia-robert-mueller-cambridge-analytica?
Is the UK only under scrutiny because its the historical home of Karl Marx, or is there some non historical reason the UK should not be allowed to interfere in US elections?
And does it look like, in terms of a little bit of objective discernment, that the paradigm change of Brexit, originated, & the driver of it’s emergence, had much to do with the unfurling fault lines of the chaotic British political governing classes which unlike much of europes i would guess, is essentially unchanged structurally since the war?
So then, did it just come out of the blue??
It came out of UKIP, The right wing pro fascist party of Nigel Farage.
UKIP is now all but defunct but a couple of elections ago won a sizable slice of the vote (around 13%) and demanded action on “immigration”. David Cameron had this “brilliant” idea that he would run a referendum on exiting from the EU. Like the previous referendum in Scotland on Scottish independence had failed, and in the process shut the Scottish Nationalists up. hehehe. So if he held a referendum on Brexit, then that too would fail and that would shut the UKIPers up! Well that was the general idea. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the message out just how fucking stupid such a plan was, and his cunning plan which was so cunning you could put a tail on it, really did turn out to be a weasel.
o.k.
Despite the last 3 years of incessant remain propaganda. The UK economy is actually performing slightly better than before the referendum and much better than the Eurozone and most of europe but, regardless we are supposed to understand the UK is about collapse due to impending trade barriers (even less severe than those faced by NZ exporters).
https://nordic.businessinsider.com/uk-economy-q4-gdp-brexit-2018-3/
UK growth hits five-year low of 0.1% as business investment falls – as it happened
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2018/may/25/uk-gdp-growth-figures-markets-ftse-sterling-business-live
https://www.ft.com/content/cf51e840-7147-11e7-93ff-99f383b09ff9
So I call Bullshit.
I recommend you continue to believe all the other quarterly GDP samples (including the more recent ones) came out just like that quarter.
Pretty much:
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/gdp-growth
Of all the economies in the EU the UK is performing the worst.
https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/u-k-set-to-leave-european-union-as-slowest-growing-economy#gs.8OYZ8dAE
the current cost of Brexit is estimated to be 800 quid per week to the UK economy
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/feb/14/brexit-has-cost-uk-economy-at-least-80bn-since-vote-bank-of-england-rate-setter
Funny, did those projections (by now a year old) you just posted tell you Germany was heading for recession in a years time? Since we have them by now, might we be permitted to review the actuals rather than assuming the inaccurate forecast is the gospel truth?
Footnote, you can safely dismiss this comment as fake news because Germany actually narrowly avoided recording a recession by the narrowest of margins. Go back to sleep, the European economy is working exactly as intended.
🙄
latest report 11/2/19 growth 0.2% – 0.1% below Treasury projection
That year went pretty quick.
So now you want to shift the goal posts – figures.
Don’t understand what I am supposed to take from that. It case it was unclear however you posted a bloomberg article dated Feb 2018 discussing a projection and saying,
“Growth will slow to 1.4 percent this year and 1.1 percent in 2019, the European Commission said Wednesday in its winter economic forecasts.”
Which you said means “Of all the economies in the EU the UK is performing the worst.”, though obviously you were discussing a forecast so that should read Of all the economies in the EU the UK *will* perform the worst.
It turns out on the contrary at the beginning of 2019 Germany has just recorded consecutive periods of -0.2 and 0.0 against the UK 0.6 and 0.2. Clearly the German economy performed worse than the UK (in fact there are a number of other large and worse performing European economies).
and now for some reason you want to raise that the UK treasury got its Q1 forecast for UK GDP growth wrong by 0.1 expecting 0.3 instead of the 0.2 recorded?
Thats right trp..at least Blair got Labour into Government!! Yay!! Victory!!
Well, you can do bugger all in opposition. That’s a warning, not a mantra, if you’re reading this, Jez.
Not sure that’s gonna bother Jez. Looking at his record, he appears to be quite happy being a legislative opposer and not a legislative doer. Seriously, I went looking for any significant legislation Jez had a significant part in pushing through, and came up empty. Plenty of info on stuff he’s opposed, tho.
Actually I disagree.
Time in opposition is time to build up support for a change in direction.
counter the free market neo liberal austerity propaganda.
To present the population with a radically new vision of how to run a country, and spend for growth.
Unfortunately we have Labour Parties these days who are timid and fearful and determined to do nothing radical or different as they see being in power as the only way to be, even if it means being in power with no mandate to actually bring about real change.
They have no intention of trying to help the voters help themselves to a better future.
These modern Labour Party folk aren’t Leaders and rabble rousers..they are nice enough people, sales rep. types, who at Christmas might give their nephew a Che Guevara T shirt from Halensteins …for a laugh.
Hence we have Labour governments, both here and in the UK, and America for that matter, who come and go over the last 40 years, with no actual improvement/change of direction for the population in wages, job security and bargaining power, home ownership, percentage of income spent on rent, the economy (that most people live in..the economy for Business is fine).
Labour seems to exist purely to soften the blow and marginally tweak things between or Tory/national lead descent into a high tech version of the Middle Ages.
*And “yes”, Corbyn doesn’t have a chance as long as his party is littered with the usual labour party career politicians determined to follow the centre path.
you might also say that the party reflects the people that vote for it.
Cause the same can be said about pretty much everyone who votes for labour. followed by, i am now rich enough (by what ever means) to now vote for the party that gives me a tax cut.
or is it still not fashionable to actually blame the electorate especially the electorate with education?
Completely don’t understand the infatuation with European governance. The european influence is fundamentally anti democratic. The more integration the worse that influence is. The most immediate concern for the UK is being brought into the TISA regardless of the wishes of UK constituants. For the more integrated members of the Eurozone these countries no longer have control of their budgets (their budget is imposed regardless who they elect). Eventually a European military may be created, and no doubt lead to some European countries persuing foreign military interventions regardless of electing parties opposed to the interventions.
The difficulties with integrating europe as one polity are insurmountable, but that leaves the anti democratic nature of european institutions in place in perpetuity. I don’t understand why this appeals to anybody who holds democracy up as an ideal.
“In 1847 the Native American tribe Choctaw Nation donated a significant sum of money to Irish famine relief. Having at the time of the famine only recently been subject to the infamous Trail of Tears, the forced relocations of Native Americans, the Choctaw saw in Ireland a people being subject to similar colonial policies to themselves.
They wished to alleviate suffering during what was perhaps the most seismic demographic change in modern European history: the death by hunger of more than a million UK citizens and the migration of another million – at a time when food was being actively exported from the country to Britain and elsewhere”
..snip..
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/brexit/2019/02/how-britain-s-dark-history-ireland-haunts-brexit
Thanks for that story!
Here’s the lyrics of a song in return, on the subject of food actively exported.
Christy Moore – “On A Single Day” Lyrics
“A list of exports from Cork Harbour On a single day
The fourteenth of September, Eighteen Forty-Seven
Ran as follows:147 barrels of pork, 986 casks of ham, 27 sacks of bacon, 528 boxes of eggs, 1, 397 firkins of butter, 477 sacks of oats, 720 sacks of flour, 380 sacks of barley, 187 head of cattle, 296 head of sheep, and4, 338 barrels of miscellaneous provisions,
On a single day, The ships sailed out from Cork Harbour With their bellies in the water.
On a single day in County Galway, The great majority of the poor located there
Were in a state of starvation, Many hourly expecting death to relieve their suffering.
On a single day, The Lady Mayoress held a ball At the Mansion House in Dublin In the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Dancing continued until the early hours, and refreshments of the most varied and sumptuous nature were supplied with inexhaustible profusion.
On a single day. On a single day.
It’s about time this little country of ours had a bit
Of peace.”
whatever happened to the UK SDP?
Folded into the Liberal Democrats.
apparently so…..so much for independence, may as well have just left and joined the Liberals and be done with it
Foolishly I paid attention to Susie Fegusson interview Shane Jones about possible compliments to 1080 on morning report.
What followed was terrible attempts to catch Jones out, over and over again.
The only mention of an alternative was late in the piece when conflict was sought around GE and the Greens.
There are so many strands to discuss in this issue.
Provincial Growth Fund allocation, where and who?
What are the current alternatives and what are the emerging alternatives?
What is the ratio of 1080 to other methods used by DOC?
the link:https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018683098/19-point-5-package-to-find-1080-alternatives-to-pest-control
I saw the coverage on the news last night, and it was quite atrocious. The mediaz only goal seems to be to do damage to the Greens by implying that because they are anti-GE then they can offer no alternative to 1080. lol Quite idiotic really.
They had an animal welfare lawyer on who seemed to think the common sense solution to stopping 1080 was playing around with possum genes instead. For the life of me I can’t see how someone who really cares about animals would be so gung-ho with permanent human manipulation or alteration of animals.
We want the possums gone. Are you suggesting it would be nicer to send them back to ockyland?
Good point Gabby, the GE frakenfix, may not go down too well with our ozzie cousins.
I was listening to a female intervieweron Radionz, perhaps yesterday, forgotten what was being discussed, but remember the interrogation technique, repetition in a high-handed way with voice of a carping parent. I immediately turned off respect for that interviewer because of the tone, where is the interviewing skill in that? Better she joins the police with their black and white views and often using an anything to get a confession style.
Nat voting exhusband is anti 1080.
Complains about it often to the girls. Miss 14 had great pleasure in pointing out that national had done nothing about it.
Wonder if he will be complaining about it to the girls this weekend? Can hear it now…. But dad….. what about the announcement. Hehehehe
Loving how our new government is listening to the people and gradually making changes. Good on them.
Personally I’m anti 1080 so am thrilled about this announcement.
Roger Waters speaks out for JULIAN ASSANGE
9th February 2019, Switzerland
https://www.facebook.com/notes/roger-waters/julian-assange/2536797786334656/
Julian Assange is a national Australian treasure. He is a brilliant, brave, honest, humane, relevant, genuine, journalist and publisher of immense influence and significance on the world stage. He has shown himself to be an enormous power for good in a world that is sadly, with some notable exceptions, (Yes John Pilger, I mean you among others,) starved of his ilk.
What Julian Assange is, as a publisher of real news, is a real hero. What he is not is a criminal. His initiative, WikiLeaks, helped expose to the world the hidden machinations of the real criminals in our society: the oligarchs, who in their insatiable quest for more and more wealth, would destroy the fragile planet we call home.
Julian, like all truth seekers scares the sh*t out of them. The truth is their enemy, that is why they and their agents, the governments of the western world, are determined to destroy him.
We, the citizens of the world, have an absolute duty to protect Julian Assange from their unwarranted and illegal attacks.
I unreservedly support and applaud the demonstrations called by the Socialist Equality Party in Australia to demand that the Australian government takes immediate action to secure the freedom of their citizen, Julian Assange, from his near seven-year house imprisonment in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. At least until recently the Ecuadorian presidency was solid in its promise of asylum, but the new president of Ecuador is showing himself to be more susceptible to insidious US pressure. Julian’s situation is dire.
BRING HIM HOME NOW!!!
RESIST!!!!!!!!!
DEMONSTRATE on MARCH 3rd in SYDNEY and MARCH 10th in MELBOURNE
AROUND THE WORLD, RAISE YOUR VOICE EVERYWHERE
DEMAND A SAFE HAVEN FOR JULIAN ASSANGE IN HIS HOME AUSTRALIA.
Love, R
Roj thinks Julesy might find safe haven in Ocka? Seriously? Has he paid any attention whatsoever to how the Ocka government treats those it finds a tad inconvenient?
You’re correct, Andre. Julia Gillard was brazen in her support for his persecutors…
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/02/julian-assange-confronts-julia-gillard.html
And Scott Morrison is, if anything, even worse….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/11/three-thoughtful-kiwi-commentatorswell.html
Thanks for the good work on your Gordon Levy transcription.
This from Nicholas Rowe is something worth re quoting..”Nationalism, he said, is crystal meth, cooked up in think tanks and exacerbated by peer pressure. Like all addictions, nationalism does not discriminate on the basis of economics. ”
Unbelievable that your post only solicited two comments on that day.
But then again, now I think about it, maybe not so surprising…unfortunately.
I don’t see how the Australian Government could do that much about him.
He is a citizen of Australia (born in Townsville) and as far as I am aware an Australian citizen cannot be deported from Australia.
Dunno exactly what they’d do. But they seem to be experts in creative malice so I’m sure they’d come up with something.
On the other hand, it is Assflange we’re talking about here, so I’d almost be curious to find out what they do come up with.
There is an escaped predator roaming around the lower South Island. Authorities call for caution and ask for sightings to be immediately reported, and for people
nearby to remain inside and try to protect livestock. The authorities are prepared to shoot this animal which is dangerous to safety and life. /sarc
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/382810/brutal-miniature-horse-stabbing-in-otago-horrifies-vets
We actually know it is a human who will receive some sort of treatment, be put in jail, and be allowed out into society to release his (likely) poison into society which it is hoped, will dilute the mixture with relatively little damage to society overall. Until the next outbreak of viciousness.
Apart from the fact that cruelty to animals isn’t regarded as seriously as is that to humans, which is a faulty position, researchers have found that those who commit violence against animals are indicated to be more likely than the norm to commit such acts on humans.
Dunno what their malfunction is, but I think someone probably needs serious psych treatment. This isn’t the regular dropkick fucked-uppedness.
Sadly the little horse has died from internal injuries.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/brutal-horse-stabbing-horrifies-vets
Someone will know who did it and be covering for the little turd.
The latest details on the movement of Cyclone Oma:
https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/uncertainty-continues-about-cyclone-omas-track-nz-uncertainty-around-rainfall-totals-too-12-
The best option for NZ is the ECMWF model which keeps the original cyclone in the tropics, but a new low consisting of saturated tropical air stretching southward from the cyclone and a southerly system moving northward over NZ. Provided it occurs in the right place (fingers crossed) we would get the desperately needed rain but without the catastrophic cyclonic winds.
Thanks for the link, Anne. I was about to search for more info on this cyclone and you have saved me the effort. Cheers.
Failing the above… there is another T.C. expected to form further eastward (north of Fiji) sometime next week so we might get a big flick from that one instead. 🙂
Or we might get both. 🙁
I think you can rest Anne, it’s like it probably hit or put the willies up SE QLD aka BrisVegas from tonight’s weather report from ABC Darwin on the telly. Before everyone jump up and down about CC, when I was still living at by RAAF Amberley. The weather boffins were saying back around 2005, saying that South East Queensland aka south of Rockie is due for a Cyclone based on records and the law of averages.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018683121/moveon-us-protests-over-wall-and-oscar-pressure
There is a striking image of a wall in this link.
It reminds me that Alan Gibbs has spent a large amount of money on an orange wall on his farm and calls it a sculpture. Did Trump pick up on his idea for the use of the USA? Perhaps Trump could get funding for his edifice if he calls it a sculpture, and lets go of the ‘wall’ word. He wants an enormous sculpture that can be seen from space, like the Chinese Wall, and that will bring the USA to the fore in competitive walls make America great again.
I think that the Wall will become another state-built entity that private businesses will utilise for free. It will be a focus for climbers and abseilers – a world icon for the!
Man that wall is ugly, but at the same time has a modernist brutality about it that I quite like…it also looks like it could be a left over film set from some random Sci Fi film made in 1987 about the post apocalyptic future in 2001…which I also quite like.
I felt the same. And I like the rust effect on it. I’m reluctant to find anything good about it but my mind kept working.
Further thoughts.
This could be another case where private business utilises a government infrastructure. I think The Wall will become a fabulous place for abseiling and climbers, a huge outdoor sporting facility. There will be armed guards to prevent random civilians approaching it using drones and sandbuggies like they had on Mars, so it will provide employment to the NRA and KKK, and businesses will buy concessions to use various parts of it for sport, also it could be used as a rifle range.
There’ll be profit in it for some.
Bye bye Angela Smith! You won’t be missed.
One of the Sufferin’ Seven is called on her lies. Elle est embarrassante.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8t17On1HpY
Brilliant. Talk about dishonest. She stood in an election as a Labour Party candidate but had her own personal manifesto? What a clown. Bye byes.
Appears to be the wrong clip, Moz. No lies exposed in this video. But it does show that Angela Smith is painfully honest.
Angela is not only painfully honest,she clearly has psychic/clairvoyant powers too.
Can guarantee voters in her electorate that Labour will lose and Corbyn will not become P.M.
Well, she was right on both counts! So either tuned into the cosmos or just capable of reading the polls. So very hard to tell which it is.
Who needs an election?
Stood under the Labour Party manifesto, but had her own personal one that she was sharing with her constituents?
And that’s not dishonest?
Yep, that’s being truthful to the people who elect you. She was conflicted about some Labour policies and said so. You might think she shouldn’t stand for labour in those circumstances. She would now appear to agree with you.
@TRP, Are you serious? Angela “funny tinge” Smith, defender of Tony Blair, the same A Smith that most people have been constantly asking why on earth she was still in Labour since Corbyn was elected, the A Smith who has constantly attacked her leader and undermined the party for the past few years..It is plainly obvious that she was never ‘conflicted about some Labour policies’ she always hated them and hated Corbyn, and made absolutely no bones about it.
2016 “Angela Smith MP refers to Jeremy Corbyn as “a dead man walking” days after the murder of Jo Cox MP”
2016 “Labour MPs are trying to depose Jeremy Corbyn with a motion of no confidence” including A Smith
2016, Angela Smith MP earlier called for Corbyn to quit. Smith said: “Jeremy Corbyn has got to take responsibility. He should consider his position. He’s shown insufficient leadership.”
2017, ‘Why don’t you just GO?’ Corbyn HUMILIATED as senior Labour MP ‘tells leader to QUIT’
Good riddance to a vile politician, about time.
Thanks for the list Adrian T good to know some background from a trusted source.
Yep, she didn’t like Corbyn and said so. So, honest. Like the majority of caucus, she voted no confidence in him. So, democratic. She did not actually refer to Corbyn as a dead man walking (watch the clip). So, lied about.
Good riddance? Still in Parliament, still an MP, still going to be having her say over the next 3 years. So, not an ex politician yet.
She’s not someone I’d be personally thrilled to vote for, but trying to ignore why she’s leaving in favour of just mindlessly abusing her is pretty fucken dumb. It’s that low level of political understanding and a refusal to analyse what’s going on that is dooming UK Labour to being eternally in opposition. As I said earlier, look at the state of the Tories. And yet Jezza won’t take them on.
No, far easier to demonise people who have the guts to say what they think and the principles to act on their principles.
PS, just a guess, but you never heard of Angela Smith till today, right?
“PS, just a guess, but you never heard of Angela Smith till today, right?”
I am not sure why you would say that?….how could you not have heard of her..what with all her bitching and moaning endlessly about Corbyn and momentum, she was like a broken record…and to make it worse she was like a shit record that no even one wanted to listen to begin with.
And yes I do demonise her,and make no apologies about it, fuck her and fuck all her Liberal friends in Labour, they have only been like a cancer to the Left.
For over 25 years people like her have been calling the shots on the Left, and exactly where has it got us? pah.
Time for a change..a real change.
Say No to pragmatism, endless compromise and half measurers.
Turn Labour Left!
If they had principles, they would be standing for re-election right now.
Politicians elected to represent Labour voters, should be re-presenting Labour voters who put them there.
“Politicians elected to represent Labour voters, should be re-presenting Labour voters who put them there.”
Couldn’t agree more. So why isn’t Corbyn doing that?
He is.
Have you actually been following UK politics, or have you just decided to jump in with an opinion?
No he isn’t. The biggest criticism of Corbyn is that he is doing fuck all. His party members, and his party’s voters, want a fresh Brexit referendum, but as he’s a leaver, he’s refusing to take it on. He’s hopelessly conflicted on the issue.
The first polls on the breakaway group suggest an immediate 8% support, primarily based on the group’s Brexit position. That support could go to Labour, if Corbyn wasn’t so hopeless.
By narrowing the party’s vision down to some infantile leftist purity, Corbyn is dooming them to lose the next election, when they should win in a landslide.
But hey, we can sing Ooooh, Jeremyyyy Coooorbyn and feel good about how radical we all are.
In the meantime, more Tory government.
You have been totally indoctrinated by the Guardian.
Try reading something else. Including Corbyns own statements.
Corbyn, unlike you, is respecting the result of a democratic vote.
The “leftist purity” is proving rather popular.
80% public support for re-nationalisations, for example.
After the fact. How very brave of her.
Er, no. She’s been very open about her opposition to some Labour policies for quite a while. She tried to change that from within, which is y’know, democratic. But she’s had enough now and has walked.
Anybody else you want to disparage who’s been through a similar process?
John A Lee? Jim Anderton? Winston Peters? The NZ Greens? All departed parties that no longer delivered for them, some with more encouragement toward the door than others.
So much in opposition to Labour policies, that you have to wonder why she joined the party in the first place.
Like the ACT, members of 1984 Labour.
Quisling, is the most appropriate word.
Get a grip. That’s the sort of mindset that led to Jo Cox being shot.
Really?
I think you just leapt beyond decent discussion there.
Time for bed, TRP.
Yeah, really. Look it up, Muttonbird.
KJT could equally have said traitor or collaborator which is pretty ordinary language in that situation and on this forum, yet you compare it with a mentally unfit, far-right, murderous fascist.
A bit unfair, IMO.
The use of language like traitor, quisling etc is part of othering, which makes acts of extremism acceptable.
It’s also disrespectful to the victims of the real Quisling to equate an an actual Nazi sympathiser responsible for the deaths of many good people in Norway with an elected politician who has merely had a disagreement with her party and chosen to quit.
I said get a grip. I could have said get a sense of perspective or any number of similar phrasings. However it’s put, the point is that abuse at that level is not the sign of deep thinking.
Bullshit!
There’s that deep thinking I was talking about.
“KJT could equally have said traitor or collaborator which is pretty ordinary language in that situation and on this forum,..
Muttonbird you have to remember that commenters face a perma ban for suggesting people go to another country to help with climate change efforts. Perhaps commenters could enforce a self-ban on themselves when they cross this extraordinarily high bar into outright alt-right behaviour, facism, nazism etc.
I’ll think you’ll find that was a mistake maui.
That awful woman is painfully honest in the sense that her mentor Tony Blair was painfully honest.
[I’ve rebuked you previously about gendered abuse. Stop it or be stopped. TRP]
The whole thing is painful to read, one thing worse is it happened but no-one told the truth about it, so probably painfully honest is best usually. (Can’t be absolute here, some small prevarication may sometimes be needed.)
1 Painful that it happened
2 Painful if covered up so we don’t know as should.
3 Painful if half leaked, distorted, misused.
4 Painful to be confronted by whole truth but can be exposed to sunlight.
+1 yucky person.
Someone probably already put up this on our map peeve and John Oliver and Rhys Darby.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/382831/british-comedian-john-oliver-offers-solution-to-nz-being-excluded-from-world-maps
Rod oram good to listen to again.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018683132/taxing-online-companies-and-china-trade-relations
Taxing online companies & China trade relations
Business commentator Rod Oram talks to Kathryn about our trade relations with China, the government’s plans to completely revamp polytechs and industry training providers and also plans to tax online companies such as Google and Facebook on their revenues not their profits
I like this sharp little article about footpaths makes good points.
The fight is between ‘fresh humans’ and ‘canned humans’. LOL
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=116313
The fight on the footpaths
Many NZs can’t swim. This guy can. Perhaps I’d better brush up my (lack of) style.
Nine-hour swim across Cook Strait underwater – for dolphins
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=116306
Report from RNZ
Free-diver William Trubridge has swum Cook Strait underwater to raise awareness of critically endangered Hector’s and Māui dolphins. Yesterday’s 22 km crossing – the first of its kind – consisted of a series of 930 dives, interspersed with horizontal underwater swimming while holding the breath, before coming up for air like a dolphin.
Mr Trubridge said the currents pushed him around during the nine hour and 15 minute swim, but he’s grateful the conditions allowed him to complete it.
Chris Trotter at Bowalley Road is beyond being anxious about Labour’s restraining itself, unnecessarily, to austerity by ‘fiscal responsibility’. And the results are showing up in the inability to attend to the concerns of workers in basic sectors necessary for service provision in a decent society.
https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2019/02/just-like-rogernomics-capital-gains-tax.html
Very few of New Zealand’s social indices have registered a clear improvement in the lives of New Zealanders as a result of the so-called “Rogernomics Revolution”. The wage-earner’s share of company surpluses has reduced in comparison to the shareholder’s. The number of New Zealanders owning their own homes has declined sharply. The dramatic surge in average life expectancy that distinguished the 30 years following World War II has plateaued.
The explanation for New Zealand society’s resolute refusal to be improved by the Fourth Labour Government’s neoliberal “reforms” is very simple. Society is not a mechanism, it is an organism. Ripping things out from, or cutting them off, a living system doesn’t improve it. All that happens is that the system is left wounded and bleeding. Given sufficient time, an organism may adapt to the loss of a limb, or an organ. Wounds do heal. But attempting to pass off the maimed subject of your surgery as a vast improvement over what existed before, is a fool’s errand. Trauma endures.
Has this government, dominated as it is by the Labour Party, learned anything from what happened between 1984 and 1999?
Then he is anxious about CGT which he thinks will if applied across the board
will make Labour unpopular and lose the next election. Possibly for not much gain to taxes and only a short hiatus in the housing market with present drivers to prices. It might seem moral but is it fiscal, and reduce house prices I ask?
I agree with Chris. You have to question the basic political intelligence of a party wanting to sacrifice yet another election to chasing a CGT. Its not like there is any evidence they restrain housing markets either. There are plenty of examples of countries with CGTs also having housing bubbles collapse.
CGT is required so that PAYE, payers, and low income earners, do not bear the entire payment of taxes.
The lack of CGT is how many wealthy avoid tax.
It is also much more popular than politicians would like us to think.
Taxing the wealthy more is well supported.
Outright lies about the effect of a CGT, on normal people are being used to turn the public against it.
The effect on house prices is largely unknown as there are so few examples of before and after CGT.
However our largely hit or miss CGT, leaves a loop hole which wealthy tax dodgers are driving a bus through.
It appears the US has federal capital gains taxes but this didn’t in any way impede the Trump family from driving a bus through the US tax code to transfer the family wealth onto Trump. With less certainty my understanding is the same kind of transfer is presently occurring from Trump to his daughter (or that is what some of the campaign financing shenanigans we know about seem to indicate).
We do see a number of examples of countries which have CGT’s and those examples indicate they don’t effectively mitigate housing bubbles. This is going to be a pretty big political flaw if that is one of the primary arguments for introducing a CGT.
Some something more simple the government could do to make the tax code more fair it could just eliminate GST. There seems to be no need for a debate or electoral mandate to do that.
I suspect replacing GST with CGT, maybe FTT, and wealth taxes would be hugely popular.
I’ve never liked GST, as it is highly regressive. The introduction was a simple tax switch, from higher incomes getting reductions, while lower incomes paid more tax overall. A cynical move to less progressive taxes.
We could simply remove GST, and go back to a 60% top tax rate, which Australia has anyway.
That doesn’t remove the problem of tax avoidance, by choosing to make capital gains rather than income.
We cannot say that CGT doesn’t mitigate housing bubbles in countries that have it. Because we have no evidence, of the size their housing bubble would be without it. At the least CGT, gives the Government some income from the bubble which can be used to reduce the effects. To build more State houses, for example.
“We cannot say that CGT doesn’t mitigate housing bubbles in countries that have it. Because we have no evidence, of the size their housing bubble would be without it.”
If even the implementation of a policy doesn’t produce evidence of that policies effectiveness then you don’t seem to be dealing with a scientific theory at all.
This is a discussion of a similar problem with other economic theories.
https://larspsyll.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/the-law-of-demand-a-useless-tautology-immunized-against-empirical-facts/
Actually I wasn’t suggesting any other tax changes needed to accompany removing GST. Any other tax changes should be assessed on their own merits.
Basic science. You have to have a control group or counterfactual, to have definitive evidence. I.e. What happens both with and without it. All else being equal.
In fact, in New Zealand, the housing market slowed after the bright line test was tightened.
That is an indication that a CGT, in New Zealand may have an effect on housing speculation. However that is not conclusive evidence, because there have been other possible causes at the same time. China’s economy slowed, they clamped down on money exports. Immigration slowed and lending criteria was changed.
The best argument for CGT, is simple fairness and efficiency of the tax system. You should not be able to avoid tax, simply by calling your income something different.
Seems like we just can’t do basic science on virtually any policy then.
Though in practice people who understand and use things like controlled clinical trials would never use a treatment based only on the statistical evidence of one or even many clinical trials. Statistics are fundamentally incapable of proving or disproving the truth value of scientific theories. At a minimum the theory needs to dig in and understand the next level, the mechanism which generates the statistics you get as an outcome.
If Labour ran of a CGT for fairness then I think that would at least be a defensible policy choice. But I think they would run it on the implication it substantially fixes the housing market and I don’t think its going to deliver on that.
Parliament: Question Time, 2pm, Tues 19 February 2019
An interesting mix of questions today, starting with the usual general one from Bridges to Ardern.
However, we also have Jami-Lee Ross’ first primary question since he became an Independent at Question 4 seeking specific information on Ministers travelling overseas since October 2017, including personal overseas travel. The last bit is the interesting aspect of this question …
JLR has primary questions only about every five + weeks, plus two supplementary questions weekly. Last week he used his two supplementary questions to ask questions on light rail proposals for Auckland under Paul Goldsmith’s primary question on this subject at Question 8 on Weds, 13 Feb.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=204904
And, presumably quite by coincidence, Sarah Dowie also has a question at 11 in her capacity as National spokesperson on conservation re the continued use of 1080. (As well as being a fully qualified lawyer, Dowie apparently also has tertiary qualifications in earth sciences(?) or similar and worked for DOC for some years.)
Here is the list of today’s questions to save you having to go to the link.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/order-paper-questions/list-of-oral-questions/oral-questions-19-february-2019/
I’ve got one for SARAH DOWIE.
Does she have poor moral judgement and a real mean streak, and why doesn’t she just resign already and leave parliament to decent people?
Not really trying to match Grey’s efforts above (5 new posts in a row), but Michelle at 9.1.4 over on the Colmar Brunton post mentioned that the biggie of the year for kapa haka – Te Matatini – is being held at the Westpac Stadium (and other venues) in Wellington this week/weekend, 20 -24 February 2019.
Here is a link to the very good website for those interested.
https://www.tematatini.co.nz/
We really want some rain here in Welly (and across the country) urgently but do hope that it will not disrupt this great event.
I could not find whether it will be broadcast live on TV etc. Would love to know as I recall watching the weekend performances on TV in previous years. I’ll check out Maori TV scheduling and post any results I find.
Update – yes, Maori TV is covering the whole thing live from 8.30 am each day starting Thursday, 21 Feb – their most coverage ever.
https://www.maoritelevision.com/shows/te-matatini-2019
2015 TED talk Yanis Varoufakis – 19.51
^ – ^ : Two peaks – one, debt – matched by another, money unemployed.
Capitalism will eat democracy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB4s5b9NL3I
Something occurs to me Jordan Peterson on on hand (hates Marxism and pervading an emotional answer to the quetions of anomic people who want something to dislike or hate to provide them with something definite, firm in their lives).
On the opposite side stands Yanis Varoufakis explaining his idea with a vision and outcome that he explains, with occasional humour, with an emphasis on getting firmness from the idea of getting a working future, perhaps with dislike for that which divides us.
StatsNZ has just released a new guidance framework for collecting data on sexual orientation and sexual identity, for those who are interested in such things.
A bit odd.
“4. JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Prime Minister: How many times has she or the Cabinet granted approval for a Minister to travel overseas since 26 October 2017, and how many of those travel approvals have included approval for “personal travel overseas”, as outlined in sections 2.124 or 2.125 of the Cabinet Manual?”
He seemed to be implying that a Minister on an approved overseas trip, would meet a foreign person to garner a donation. (Huh? Sounds more like a National ploy.)
Q4 as above:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=204994
Thanks for the link, that was a bit weird.
Because it’s jlr and he’s been unhappy with the nat party donation process, I wonder where he is going with this?
I had the impression he might actually be working up to accusing one of the former Nat. ministers of going overseas to garner donations. But first he’s putting the scenario out there by asking the question of the current government.
JLR made a speech in Parliament this afternoon. He raised the issue of party donations.
https://vimeo.com/318127146
Thanks Fireblade. You are right that Jamie mentioned in his speech, Ministers seeking donations from “foreign Nationals” while overseas. He said “in the past.”
Wonder if people like Judith will be checking that their tracks were covered.
A polite careful speech to an almost empty House, but…
Thanks also for the link…. seems like he’s doing the ground work to call someone out. That was really interesting.
jlr also says he supports dr. custard wanting changes to the electoral reform act. The only changes nick smith would want are ones that ensure his employment.
https://twitter.com/bendepear/status/1097572500786024449
https://news.sky.com/story/honda-to-stun-ministers-with-closure-of-swindon-factory-11641154
For those who follow or are interested in international politics, this interactive chart from Al Jazeera is like an election tracker, it’s really interesting.
Proud moment, NZ get’s a mention for being a world leader in women voting 🙂
2019 is a huge year for elections…….
‘In 2019, more people will vote than ever before.
Nearly two billion voters in 50 countries around the world will head to the polls this year to elect their leaders.
Some of the biggest elections include India – the world’s largest democracy with 800 million eligible voters, Indonesia – 187 million registered voters and Nigeria – 84 million registered voters.’
https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2019/how-the-world-votes-2019/index.html
Some good points raised here with regards to Nationals latest scare mongering on C. G . T
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/02/they-cant-take-it-with-them-when-they-go.html
Kia ora Eco Maori can not wait till the next generating grab power from THE NEANDERTHALS as its there future that we are making a mess of NOW.
I can’t wait for the striking schoolchildren to grab the reins of power
The UK’s kids protesting climate change were passionate, articulate and unafraid – those with old ideas need to get out of the way
T
his is a country for old men. So is the United States. Donald Trump is 72, and people are talking about Joe Biden running against him, aged 76; another possible presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, is 77. In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn is 69; John McDonnell is 67; Vince Cable is 75. Jacob Rees-Mogg is 89. Only one of these ages is a lie. I guess you can work it out. Whatever happened to retiring? Why are these men considered to be at their political peak? I speak as a nan myself. Will I be running for office in 15 years’ time?
The blokes who govern the “free” world were brought into sharp relief by last week’s strike against climate change. My God, it was something. Suddenly in my house and on TV screens there were angry, informed teenage girls – and yes, it was mostly girls – talking about how we have just 12 years to do something. They were passionate, articulate and unafraid. Their energy was contagious. The fact they were having a fabulous time at a protest was inspiring and all the daft criticism about bunking off came from the zombie class such as Andrea Leadsom and various dullard rentagobs who don’t even seem to understand what school is: an hour a day of learning followed by hours of crowd control. But then I guess bunking off is as outre as running through fields of wheat for these alien suck-ups.
I cannot wait for these people to grab the reins of power. I neither want the closed and aged mindsets of the Tories banging on about wars they didn’t fight, nor the inflexibility of old Labour men obsessed with revolutions that produced dictators. Ageing is a fact, but open minds stay youthful. Those with old ideas need to get out of the way. Fast Links below ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/19/i-cant-wait-for-the-striking-schoolchildren-to-grab-the-reins-of-power
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N196CwLVTI
Eco Maori use the barbecue 2 days ago to cook kebabs and I turned it OFF .
I Know it was off because I have a small house and a freezer in the shed to get into the shed I am only 2 feet away from the shed SO I have to touch it every day also if it was left on for 48 hours the bottle would have been empty but NO when I just went to use the barbecue this afternoon it was going hot as and the bottle is 1/4 full. You see the sandflys expect to beable to swarm around me and my whanau spinning lies about US make mine and my whanau life harder and Eco Maori is supposed to eat tu tai get stuffed you dirty rotten Kunekune,s who trys to make out the are church going good christian YEA RIGHT . 1 barbecue on for 48 hours 2 the hose was lose 3 Eco Maori has been talking about barbecued mussles for 2 days 3 the sandfly / goverment listens to every word said in my house .They don’t like me pointing out the Pike river evedince going missing they don’t like it that when I sue them they will be liable for million in lost potential earning Ana to kai P.S Andrew Little you are responsible for these MUPPETS ACTIONS they are still trying to intimidate Eco Maori
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ9yAV8uQ7g
Your should have heard there sirens going off after Eco Maori posted the post above you see whanau the NZ UNjustice system is the biggest GANG in New Zealand thats a FACT Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrY9eHkXTa4
Kia ora Newshub Why did that idiot change his Name to Tainui he is staining the name of a Great Maori tipuna.
Amy how desperate to try and use a thing like a spreadsheet to attack our governments Wellbeing budget.
There you go Mcabe the FBI Directors.
That’s a awesome photo of the Orca playing with the camera and eating tooth fish /some call it Chilean bass just another name to hide the fish’s origins that’s all the more reasons to protect the tooth fish fisheries to protect the Orcas to.
Selwyn Te Matatini is awesome this year how’s my mate and my Wahines m8 when I first started writing on Thestandard I could see some people were shy to talk Maori or even admit that they were Maori Times Are Changing Fast for the better Ka pai. Ka kite ano
Kia ora James & Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild I see our Summer sport is going great.
Our farmers are the back bone of OUR country and many of them are the back bone of some sports.
YEA the Maori from the whenua of te pounamu had a good week.
That was close the Ice hockey puat just about hitting that reporter.
David Butterbean I have said you have a good cause getting people off the couch to get fit Ka pai for your event at Edin Park. Ka kite ano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQfetkoGrpU
Kia ora Newshub I think the Wahine team who has 2 gold medals cleaned up in Hamilton and Australia is the team deserves the prize .
NO seenothing we have a let the wealthy OFF PAYING TAXES system you are full of it not everyone will be effected by the capital gains tax Alot of people have no capital O that’s correct you don’t no or can’t see the poor common person way of life with your Rosie rich glasses only wealthy views can be seen from your Rosie glasses so everyone with assets on top of the family house will have to pay a bit more.
That tax is easier to implement than means testing superannuation of the top 20 %. People from that part of OUR society do not NEED superannuation So a capital gains tax will even up the % of taxes per income tax payers. The he top 20 %, of people have accountants that have lobby the system so they pay no or low taxes if they are want to behave like that.
Te Matatini is on today well you cut that part of the show short that tells Eco Maori Alot but this is what you will get because you are still stuck in the undies you wore 2 Years ago I call the way you treat and
Bully Mark Richardson is not a good look he is ok.
Lloyd it is Ka pai that those MP are standing up to the people who are trying to ram brexit though the British parliament weather the majority want it OR NOT I can see the majority want a second referendum it looks like they have a big backing all ready .
In the near future a person like the guy who stole a great tipuna great name will not be able to lie when computer chips are planted into our brains the big problem is the Billionaire will have the power of gods being able to have the best hackers in the world to change the data on other people Reality every little thought and every ones visions all data will be stored and could be minupulated by the POWERFUL THAT’S one of my biggest concerns with artificial intelligence we have to have the best minds in the world to keep this genie under humane human control.
trump is trying to get other country’s to clean up Americas mess once again and put there citizens lives at risk after he has sprayed Wai on them YEA RIGHT.
I don’t totally condemn alcohol in moderation I just want the youth to KNOW that when they binge drink they are/ can lose control of their lives and anyone can take advantage of them in a drunk state they are throwing there futures into the wind basically turning yourselves in disabled PERSON with out the safety sense humans have when they get DRUNK that is lossed .
Is he another national puppet who can spread topic that’s cause disharmony in our society topics that national are scared to handle the tax paying union u 2 are there to play your little harp for dancans little self-centred views. Ka kite ano
This neanderthal can not handle this good Dutch person Rutger Bregman straight up comments that is exactly what I have been branding the Papatuanukus worlds media brought and paid for buy billionaires and the 3% of scientists who are climate change deniers. I also agree on his view of TAXS TAXS as the carbon trading skeem is just another way for the billionaires to suck more money from the common tangata/people THATS A FACT Tax carbon and give the money to poor nations who cannot fund there climate change mitergation and give the money to people who prouduce clean cheap green energy. Ka pai Rutger Ana to kai neanderthal
Historian who confronted Davos billionaires leaks Tucker Carlson rant
In a heated exchange that was not aired, Rutger Bregman accused Carlson of being a pawn for the Murdochs and Kochs
Rutger Bregman is the Dutch historian who became a global sensation after an appearance at this year’s Davos summit where he accused the billionaires in attendance of ignoring the issue of taxation. Now he’s created another viral moment in an extremely uncomfortable interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.
By the end of the exchange, Bregman has so riled Carson with his accusations of hypocrisy, critiques of Fox’s conservative agenda and attacks on Donald Trump, that the TV host calls him a “moron” and angrily tells him: “Go fuck yourself.”
According to Bregman he recorded the interview with Carlson on Tuesday and it was meant to air that night, but never did. NowThis have obtained Bregman’s own recording of the exchange, where only the audio of Carlson’s questions can be heard.
The interview then sees Bregman accuse Carlson of being bought by the Murdoch family and the Cato Institute, a neoliberal think tank of which Carlson was a fellow until 2015. He says Tucker took the “dirty money” of the institute, which is funded in large part by the Koch brothers and opposes higher taxes.
He says Carlson is “a millionaire funded by billionaires” and “not part of the solution” but “part of the problem, actually”.
Bregman finishes by acknowledging that the interview probably wouldn’t be aired, but saying that he “went to Davos to speak truth to power and I’m doing exactly the same right now”.
Carlson, near-speechless for much of the interview, replies by saying: “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, you tiny brain… you’re a moron. I tried to give you a hearing but you were too fucking annoying.”
The next day on Twitter, Bregman said he decided to leak the interview to NowThis because “we should keep talking about the corrupting influence of money in politics. It also shows how angry elites can get if you do that”.
He also challenged Carlson to air the interview in full. Ka kite ano links below P.S This story backs my views on Aotearoa Mainstream Media to
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/20/historian-who-confronted-davos-
billionaires-leaks-tucker-carlson-rant
https://twitter.com/i/status/1098282209834950657
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94dBVPpymac
Eco Maori can smell when my nemesis is trying to use raw fish on me