Open mike 19/03/2025
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6:00 am, March 19th, 2025 - 69 comments
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India – 80% Hindu, 15% Moslem over 2% Christian and under 2% Sikh and 1% Buddhist or Jain.
90% follow cricket and 95% support India to beat Pakistan when they have test matches.
The chances of a comprehensive trade deal – negligible (Groser says do not waste time trying).
The advice is to to go for a modest in scale arrangement.
India has FTA with
Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius and UAE
ASEAN and 3 of its members (Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia)
EFTA – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland (this took 16 years)
South Korea
Japan
Australia (two years ago)
India is not part of RCEP TPP+. And has no FTA with the EU, China or USA.
It is negotiating with NZ, United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada atm.
A deal would likely cover non controversial areas like pharmaceuticals, minerals and forestry, fish and sheep/goat, and they do import milk powder, whey protein, cheese, butter and yoghurt.
We will gain bugger all and it will probably require NZ granting greater access to Indian migrants.
Maybe this is under the radar, what with a NZ media buy in by
centristRight Wing billionaire, but anyway, I was kinda interested….Political leaning…
Really ? I'm..sure
Some exposure…a good thing
Who knew?
Local Councillors "beliefs". I wonder…
Councillor Tracey Coxhead on..climate change. (I wonder..what her preferred narrative would be?)
LGNZ.
Specifically Climate Change.
Far Left? What fucking BS. Reality this just highlights the denier component of some Councils
Margaret Murray-Benge is Don Brash's partner.
Ah there you go. That I didnt know….and Cheers. Gives some perspective to her "thoughts" : )
Seeing it's "Toedunger" and environs, it's a wonder they didn't quit LGNZ years ago on those grounds.
I know. Kinda sad…but also kinda laughable really
"in her view, presentations at its 2024 conference were "largely, although not entirely, pushing a certain agenda, for example, only one narrative on climate change".
King Canute would like a chat….
On that …present day canute Mark Mitchell….(quite an Indepth story)
As…
In his own wurds…FFS.
Who voted for this fwit?
And while NAct1 demolishes our NZ Science assets and abilities….NIWA tries to warn..(Ironic that some in the West Coast, incl Councils, quite high on the Climate Denial scale)
The world seems to have abandoned Palestinians-yes you EU, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia. The power is off in Gaza, no food allowed in, virtually no infrastructure while the Israeli butchers will continue until the last Gazan is slaughtered.
The only credit goes to the Houthis, Iran and the international solidarity movements, all of whom have paid the price too to varying degrees
The smart move would be for someone to manage a deal whereby the remaining hostages are released as soon as Israel accepts Egypt's Gaza rebuild plan.
The problem being…Netanyahu's internal political survival if he stops killing and brutalising Palestinians.
Without significant international pressure this is likely to be a gruesome massacre like the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
You're right I fear
Fully complicit POTUS 47, using Trump as a shield from reaction.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360620384/israeli-strikes-gaza-were-fully-co-ordinated-us
Israeli policy in Syria, and by extension the US, is to nurture chaos:
This chaos is not just some "happy" coincidence. It is planned with it long being known that both Israel and the US pumped huge amounts of arms to the opposition in the full knowledge that most would end up being dominated by Al Quaeda and HTS.
The same chaos is delivered to Lebanon and Gaza by US/UK made war planes and intelligence.
Given this, it can only be that any ceasefire is for the benefit of the agressor to fortify, rest, or reposition troops. It is axiomatic that ceasefires will be broken and hostilities restarted with the associated further destruction of the already destroyed civilian infrastructure and the associated loss of life.
The US is not to be trusted in anything except the relentless destruction of the weak and dispossessed.
The idea that people in Syria and Lebanon kill each other because wicked foreign agents stir up chaos requires an astonishing level of ignorance about the culture and history of those places, as well as a hefty dose of motivated reasoning.
Maybe the Yanks don't "intend" their $444 billion arms trade to have a destabilising effect, but it does.
Libya smashed into tiny pieces by a US and western backed coalition which then aided religous fundamentalists to join with the US in funneling a major part of the Libyan armoury into Syria, with the collateral damage of one dead US ambassador was pretty much done in the open.
The "intelligence" report emailed to then Sec of State Hillary Clinton by Jake Sullivan that "al Quaeda is on our side", released by wikileaks is also by now pretty common knowledge.
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/23225
https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/12/06/al-qaeda-rebels-syria-israel-usa/
Again, the idea that Libyans rose up against Gaddafi and turned Libya into a failed state because wicked foreigners stirred up trouble requires a woeful ignorance of the people, their religion and their history.
Oh.I didnt realise the Libyan people had access to the Nato airforce. Nor that they had the ability to enforce a no fly zone.
maybe people should start explaining their thinking instead of talking in sound bites. That way we might learn something.
The UK conducted a parliamentary enquiry into the destruction of Libya.
It should be noted that this was a NATO operation and as such, under the supervision of the US.
There has been no equivilent enquiry conducted by the US that I am aware of.
From the enquiry:
The Libya inquiry, which was launched in July 2015, is based on more than a year of research and interviews with politicians, academics, journalists and more. The report, which was released on Sept. 14, reveals the following:
The uprising — which was violent, not peaceful — would likely not have been successful were it not for foreign military intervention and aid.
That "aid" (i.e. arms) came from American politicians such as this cackling psychopath…
@ pm..
You are displaying a 'woeful ignorance' of the realities of the regime change driven by America/CIA….
And as you say you know so much about Libya..
..you will know how well gadaffi looked after his people..
..free healthcare..free education to post grad level..
..free childcare ..newly married couples given a big wedge of money..to get them started..
Subsided housing..
..and Libya under gadaffi had had a literacy rate in the 90 somethings ..
Obama turned all of that into the fundamentalist hellhole it is now…
But you would already know all that..eh..?
I know that horseshoe-theory leftists can take any conflict among people of any ethnicity and somehow have it caused by the US govt, and that they'll cheerfully support any dictator as long as he's an enemy of the US govt, yes.
"Horseshoe theory." Someone's been listening to talking heads on CNN and taking them seriously.
That’s not even a reasoned argument but simply shooting messengers, which is your idiosyncratic MO. When you have nothing to say then please say nothing.
In the beginning NATO enforced a no fly zone over south (Shia) and north east areas of Iraq (Kurds) as part of a cease-fire after the liberation of Kuwait.
Then there was a NATO no fly zone over Libya to prevent use of the Libyan air force against regime opposition/civilian areas held. When they went beyond this mandate to attack the government’s army, they decided the outcome.
This was one reason NATO was not given a no fly mandate in Syria – loss of trust (a lot of government bombing of civilian areas ensued, some by Russian allies of the regime).
"Kill each other"?
The mass murder in Syria and Lebanon has been, and is, financed and diplomatically backed by what the Chinese government rightly calls the Empire of Chaos and Deceit: the United States, and its vassal regimes in London, Paris, Brussels, and Berlin.
"The world" has no more interest in Hamas continuing to rule Gaza than Israel does, so this is unsurprising. The fact that Hamas' allies are Iran and the Houthis tells a casual observer everything they need to know.
You liive in a very small sheltered world with a very high fence so you can't see out
Well, they can tilt the legislation and the politics as far as possible in favour of developers, strip the RMA to a skeleton, accelerate all their mates proposals, write off anything to do with climate change mitigation …
… and still they can't get a massive wind farm going.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/545218/consent-for-southland-wind-farm-declined-due-to-potential-impact-on-local-environment
Shoutout to everyone who stood up to support the skinks and birds on Southland's Jedburgh Plateau.
Rob Campbell could rightfully coin this a trade deal ram-raid.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/03/19/luxon-bristles-when-asked-about-his-deadline-for-india-trade-deal/
The Coalition has already shown great haste in passing a record level of law changes under urgency. I suppose this stems from their productivity & efficiency mantra and the motto ‘time is money’. The least worse outcome of this is one of ‘false economy’’.
Baby steps, possibly flawed and may not last.
Regardless of what you think of the players involved, it's worthy of celebrating if folks are going to stop being killed.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/545244/trump-putin-agree-to-limited-30-day-ceasefire-in-ukraine
nope
@ukraine_map
Two hours after the announcements, Russian ballistic missiles and drones struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure targets across the country, as well as in the city of Slovyansk in Donetsk Oblast, leaving half the city without electricity
Russia broke the ceasefire within 2 hours!
https://x.com/ukraine_map/status/1902119636801351741
But that clearly isn’t what Russian President Vladimir Putin has in mind, as he demonstrated by withholding his agreement to a full 30-day ceasefire in his 90-minute phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Shortly after the call, Russia launched a drone assault over Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-phone-call-war-in-ukraine-ceasefire-talks/
So how long do you want this proxy war to continue? How many more Ukrainian lives do you want to eliminate in order to irritate Russia? And irritate Russia is all that NATO is capable of, in spite of lame quips such as Biden's one about the rouble turning into rubble.
That's up to Ukrainians defending their country's independence – maybe they know something we don't.
NZ and Australia recognised the Independence of Ukraine on Boxing Day 1991, one day after the US and 24 days after Russia.
So you support Boris Johnson's mission of mayhem in the spring of 2022? You don't think there should have been a peace agreement three years ago?
How long before you come to the same realisation that this young Ukrainian soldier has?
https://x.com/JPfaff1028/status/1871675750593794513?lang=pt
Let's hope Australia does pull out of AUKUS. Also everyone who stands up to Trump goes up in the polls anyone who cucks to him goes down
Aussie should can their submarine deal with America now.
Oh dear, what will they do – so few of the public want the company tax to be reduced.
A better move would be a 25% rate for small companies that hired employees. 28% as is for medium sized companies and non qualifying companies (maybe some assistance with investment/deprecation). And a higher rate, 33% for
Ozbanks/larger more profitable companies to afford this.https://www.tickaroo.com/e/FNBEIme8y88iH5kd
The most popular tax policy
All income is currently taxed. I'd increase the low income earner rebate IETC, from $10 to $20 a week.
https://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax/income-tax-for-individuals/tax-codes-and-tax-rates-for-individuals/tax-rates-for-individuals
Support for other changes is around a third.
The 30 cents threshold from 76,000 to $100,000. This could be afforded by higher rates above this level – as Oz does.
They should look at stamp duties on property over $2m – at 5%.
And a 1% mortgage surcharge on existing (not new build) rental property mortgages.
Any wealth tax accepted as a prepayment on future estate tax liability.
And CGT introduced on investment property and non residential property, gold, bitcoin
https://www.tickaroo.com/e/FNBHpkdm6NQ6xB2k
I guess we must look at these results and we can say.
68.7% are opposed to the Government introducing a wealth tax
68.9% are opposed to the Government introducing a CGT.
Overwhelming votes aren't they?
Jeez Alwyn are there zero undecided /zero no opinion/ zero refused to answer living in your survey world?
IMO your desire to present a particular point of view is not helping your comprehension here.
I suggest that you look up the results they publish. The only number they give for those questions are the values of 33.1% and 33.3%.
In the situation where nothing else is said I am entitled to my opinion.
Incognito at 9.2 below has linked to the only published material that I could find. Not very useful is it? Given the wording it is reasonable I would suggest to say if they didn’t want the tax they are not in favour of it.
Your opinion is overwhelming.
My considered opinion.
It really is a terribly worded survey isn't it?
Your opinion is “terribly worded survey” and “[o]verwhelming votes”. If that’s your opinion, then argue for it with reason, don’t just give us your unqualified judgment, as usual, especially “[i]n the situation where nothing else is said”.
If the survey was so poorly worded that the results were next to useless then your first judgment makes no sense whatsoever.
On the other hand, one could take the survey result as a snapshot and starting point for where political agreement is most likely to be found and between which parties and where campaign ‘powder’ is best utilised.
Remember what you said?
Lift your game.
A substantial majority always favours both tax cuts and improvements to public services. This is why representative government beats the shit out of referenda.
Always good to link to the source/primary data without input from churnalists – they often contain more detailed information plus relevant background.
https://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/page/715/9-support-l
Wellington Council wants to increase rates to commercial for AirBnB owners.
Great idea. AirBnB owners are crying they will have to exit the market! And increase the number of either houses or of rentals.
'Pukehīnau/Lambton ward councillor Geordie Rogers supported the higher rates with the argument that Airbnb was a commercial activity.'
You suggest that "AirBnB owners are crying they will have to exit the market".
It will be a great deal more dramatic than that. What is likely to happen is that all the people who currently live in the city will have to leave. Thanks to the completely mad expenditure on useless things by the hard-left Council and the even more looney City Council staff, no one will be able to live here.
I live in Wellington. In the 2017 / 2018 year my rates were $3,870.
In the current 2024 / 2025 year they are $9310.
They are predicted to be $13,960 in the 2028 / 2029 year.
It is still the same house and land.
That is what we have been thumped by by the left wing local Government idiots with their mad delusion that the ratepayers provide a bottomless purse for them to rifle. Who is going to use the profusion of bike lanes when no can afford to live here? Who is going to use the Town Hall they are throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at? Who is going to go to conferences in their loss making Convention Centre?
It isn't just the AirBnB owners that are getting squashed. It is every ratepayer in the City. John Key was quite right when he said "The reality is even Wellington is dying and we don't know how to turn it around.". Unfortunately our Council took no notice.
Well, given that rate is far above the median rates value in the council link below, you must either live in a fancy suburb, have a large section, or a fancy house.
Have you considered sub-dividing, or you could petition this government to update the amount of its subsidy for low-income rate-payers, which has stayed the same as rates have increased.
Rates for 2024/2025 – Rates – Wellington City Council
I do have a section that is larger than average. It is still the same land that I owned in 2017 though and it is not in a "fancy" suburb.
I am just guessing that hour property value has risen from 2017 to 2025.
This property tax is one of the most proportional taxes New Zealand has – whether you use the library or the dog pound or not.
The CV has risen in the period. However the rate of increase has been the average for every bit of land in Wellington and certainly doesn't resemble in any way the amount I could get were I to try and sell. I wonder if we could introduce a system where a ratepayer should be able to require the officials of the rating authority to have to buy any property at the current CV?
You seem to be misinformed, so let me enlighten you.
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/buying-property/Pages/find-property-valuation.aspx
The reason I mentioned CV is because that is what the rates are based on. I am well aware that it has little to do with the real value of a property and it is, in Wellington at the moment about, 20-25% above what you could sell a property for.
It just seems fair to me that the Council should, if it bases its rates on a fairytale figure be required to buy the property at that figure.
However they have in the new rating year dropped the CV values by around 20%. It doesn't mean that our rate bills will drop. They will go up by 15-20% this year as is generally the case since we got the crazy Councillors we have at the moment. I think they must have fallen of their bikes and landed on their heads at some point.
You obviously resist being enlightened and you clearly have no understanding of the connection and mechanism of rating valuations and rates. Of course, you couldn’t help having a dig at bicycles which are the equivalent of windmills for you – were you mugged in Amsterdam?
I wonder why the house prices have dropped in Wellington.
Such a pity for you Alwyn the CoCs (pronounced with hard C's) sunk Three Waters. With Wellingtons munted water infrastructure –
Google AI view
Wellington faces a significant water infrastructure deficit, estimated to cost $15-17 billion over 20 years,
Looks like you Wellington ratepayers are going to cop it unless of course they sell off the water infrastructure in which case you won't cop it then instead you will be totally wrecked. Truly a "Leopards ate my face" moment
It's a shame that while you where enjoying your low rates they went doing timely forward planned replacement of aging water infrastructure!
"your" not "hour"
If council expenditures remain the same the rates should remain the same. The rate you pay has little to do with your actual CV, but, rather, more to do with your CV relative to other CVs in the city. However since relativities probably don’t change much your rates would increase only if council’s costs increase.
Our councils have, since the mid-1980s spent the rates income on things that can best be described as bling. The last Mayor who seemed to accept that the Council funds came from tax-payers and that it was real money and should be spent carefully was Ian Lawrence. He was Mayor from 1983 until 1986.
Of the eight who have followed him only Wilde and Prendergast have had some merit and the ones for the last fifteen years in particular have been very bad to absolutely appalling in a steadily deteriorating line.
None of them have ever pushed for the Council to focus on what they need to do. Instead the put all the money into flummery. Cycle lanes? Unlimited funds for them. Drainage and sewage provision? Nah, not sexy enough.
Expenditure on things we don't really need has therefore risen rapidly while the infrastructure underpinnings have been ignored.
Google AI view
Wellington faces a significant water infrastructure deficit, estimated to cost $15-17 billion over 20 years,
Cycle lanes unlimited funds rofl Alwyn
Muppet ratepayers have always rewarded RW idiots who promise lower than needed increases in rates. RW local body politicians have been kicking this can down the road since forever the can is now rooted and won't be kicked anymore.
Now if it was a Labour led government Three Waters would be alive and you wouldn't need to be crying about ruinous rate increases.
You really can't get away with blaming RW local body politicians for Wellington's woes.
We have had a left wing dominated Council for about 40 years now. There may have been some RW individuals but the dominant majority has been left wing since seemingly forever.
Three Waters was never going to save us. It would have been an iwi dominated group who would have borrowed money, spent it without having any elected representative control, and when it all blew up it would still have been the ratepayers of Wellington who would have been stuck paying off the debts.
Three Waters as a means of paying for water infrastructure was just a fairy story.
Nice collection of conspiracy theories and slander, but now we will never know because Kiwis voted for racist and second rate water supplies
A RW government trod on the can and flattened it (probably when they hit the ground running), so it won't be possible to kick it at all now.