In the context of the Ministry of Education’s recent announcements about Communities of Online Learning this makes an interesting read. The October 2015 National Study of Online Charter Schools was conducted by the University of Washington, Stanford University, and Mathematica Policy Research, and provides a thorough analysis of the operations of (American) online charter schools, their policy environments and impacts on student achievement.
Being even more crap than an average US education is truly lame. I wonder whether the problem is online learning per se, or whether right wing incompetence and malice is the bigger issue.
In either event, I wonder how much the National Party took in bribes to inflict it on our kids.
A few weeks before the scheduled start of term, a small group of wealthy industry leaders who grew up in the city offered to plug the hole in the education budget with millions of their own philanthropic dollars. Foster was thrilled, but soon the donors wanted more control over how the funds were spent, and they insisted on having oversight of the district’s fiscal health. They made their support contingent on establishing a new system of ‘charter’ schools (publicly-funded but privately managed), which have become a cornerstone of efforts by billionaire philanthropists to reform the national education system.
The strings attached to the donors’ money weren’t attractive, but no support was forthcoming from the state, and retaining control over schools wouldn’t matter if they were bankrupt or closed. So Foster agreed to meet their conditions.
And we wonder why this government keeps underfunding education and other essential government services.
A great read on this proposed ‘land wars’ commeration by Moana Jackson. if you want to understand this issue from a Māori perspective then this is a good starter. And yep other Māori may have other positions on it.
I personally find Moana Jackson’s views align with mine – in some ways I wish I could vote for him in a Māori electorate and then I remember what often happens to tangata whenua when they get in the big house and I’m so glad he is removed and above party parlimentary politics.
As some have noted, they were “sovereignty wars”, which more aptly recognises them as colonising wars to take power.
Bingo!
That’s exactly what they were. The English capitalists saw land and resources that they didn’t own/control and set about taking it for themselves. And, of course, the dispossession caused Māori to look for jobs in the capitalists businesses that they never needed to do before thus increasing available manpower for exploitation.
“you’ll probably need it”
I don’t think this is the worst thing.
The worst problem we are likely to have is that the water supply will be interrupted where the supply pipelines cross faults.
Then we will have a hospital without any water. The Council refuse to build a reservoir to supply water to the hospital in an emergency. Every other Council in the country does it. The Wellington City Council would far rather spend the ratepayer’s money on the ridiculous cycle lanes and on mad plans for extending the runway at the airport or bringing back the trams.
We might have a hospital building after an earthquake but it won’t be able to provide any medical treatment.
What a Fuck up – coming to us too, soon with our Americanisation/Western ideology of disaster relief that if you combine with CV’s The “Intellectual Yet Idiot” Class – explains the problem …
“Red Cross Built Exactly 6 Homes For Haiti With Nearly Half A Billion Dollars In Donations”
All the road links will be shut for at least a couple of weeks. Will make it very difficult to get much relief into the city, except via boat (and the wharf etc are likely to be pretty smashed up).
This aligns very much with my idea that up to 85% of all crime is preventable if you get in early enough. A brave initiative and one that could transform Aboriginal life:
Declining NZ – 1st world to 5th? Stop the rot! Stop the rort!
Ambulance service declining, serious.
Legal aid services declining, non-existent in some areas.
Under the previous Liberal State govt Victoria went through a long and bitter paramedic/ambo dispute. Ugly and totally unnecessary.
Speaking from first hand knowledge of the people who do this very demanding work, work that results in the highest family break-up rates, the very high depression and suicide rates, covert substance abuse and PTSD rates … I know there is a LOT that needs addressing in this area.
No matter how calm and professional the ambo appears on the scene, it is not possible for them to avoid the psychic imprints created by dealing constantly with others in pain and profound distress.
And low pay rates merely compound the harm, reinforcing a sense of being under-valued. Their organisations absolutely need better resourcing in order to mitigate the stress. All this is well known and understood.
What a day to be a kiwi. Our leader in charge of UN world security in Americas most important city currently facing new terror. As well as managing the superpowers after escalation that could lead to World War in Syria.
Ok those comparisons are a bit unfair considering they never made it to the PM position. Personally I think all of those people could perform better than Key on that stage.
So, just to clarify, you think Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe or Little would perform better on the world then John Key who has proven to be able mix, negotiate and make friends with people in the highest positions of power on the world stage
I know you’re left and I know you hate John Key but get some perspective, John Key is a proven quantity (mind you Goff did good work on the FTA with China so maybe he could make a decent fist of it) but if you took of your blinkers you’d see the john Key is the best person available to do this
My blinkers? Has it occurred to you that it might be you who is unwilling to think critically. You’ve just written a puff piece and I don’t know if you’re taking the piss or doing your best to be a defender.
Yes, I think the Labour leaders could perform better in terms of things like leadership, diplomacy and character on the world stage than the current. Being able to mix and be nice with world leaders is something the PM is very good at. I think people want a bit more than that though, and they might ask what our glorious leader has achieved on the world stage in 8 years.
Once again you demonstrate one of the main issues of the left in NZ and that is underestimating John Key, I get that you don’t like him but acknowledging that hes very good at politics doesn’t mean you support him
When the left underestimates John Key he just cries all the way to another election win
But its ok because you got a good hit on him and called him a lapdog
No he’s not good at politics – the business is governing, not lying about governing. Key gets a 2 out of 10 for governing – tyrants that systematically shoot their citizens are a 1. If Key were not utter shit I’d support him – back when he was trying to get elected and made some promising speeches on housing I thought the Gnats had finally found someone with a shred of talent. No such luck.
I’m not underestimating him at all. Being a lapdog gives an appearance of good politics as he gets on well with all rich people but no actual good politics.
PR – Key is a toadying minor member of the Wall St. club, nothing more nothing less. History will not be kind to him as all his ‘niceties’ will be recorded as nothing more than deceit, in the course of duty to his masters.
I think it’s more that the qualities you admire in key are the qualities that some despise. The key to key is that he has normalised outright lying, pretend caring,and abhorent behaviour/slurs/non-apologies. He is the most disgusting and embarrasing PM weve ever had imo.
How do you know more people disagree than agree? The low voter turnout makes it impossible to know for sure, as you’ll attribute it to satisfaction with the system while others point to alienation from it.
There are both rational and irrational reasons to dislike John Key – as there are to uncritically admire the worst PM NZ has ever had. So what’s your deal PR, are you having his baby?
DUDE!!!! a spades a spade, I don’t see any of those labour leaders mincing a catwalk, telling rape jokes, planking, pony tail pulling, acting a buffoon on prime time US TV or a multitude of other, what a fuckwit actions by John the clown Key.
Do you think any of the world leaders will take the clown PM seriously at anything.
Dumb kiwi’s may think the sun shines out his arse like you, but the world has quite a different opinion to his parties policies and his in particular actions.
I know PR your one of a few lonely battlers for National and John but for fucks sake man, he’s a class clown admit it.
The 2017 election hasn’t happened yet and John key lost the leaders debate in 2014. Liar John key wouldn’t be where he is today if it hadn’t been for his dirty politics, abuse of the PM’s office and a lying, complicit msm Puckish Rogue.
No, I mean when future historians look at Key’s legacy of:
1. Throwing away the excellent fiscal position Clark left us
2. Failing to get the flag changed
3. Botching the Christchurch rebuild and failing to deliver a 21st century-city ready to face future energy shortages, by failing to institute basic minimum energy efficiency requirements
4. Selling off SoEs
5. Stopping contributions to the superannuation fund
6. Locking hundreds of thousands of NZers out of the housing market
7. Failing to address poverty, ensuring that we have locked in decades of increased health spending
Those seem like the biggies that will have impacts that future historians will be chastising this government for.
I’m sure there are other things; I didn’t even touch on the environment.
National is coming to the end of its 3rd term and they’re still as popular as when they started, obviously the voter considers them to be a good government.
Then you come here and read some of the stuff and you’d think you’ve either ended up in a alternative dimension where NZ is ruled by a crazed tyrant or on some parody site.
“telling rape jokes”
Citation? I did see a video were other people were making rape references towards the PM, but I’ve never seen/heard him make one.
“planking”
Citation? I saw a picture of Max Key planking, not the PM though.
“acting a buffoon on prime time US TV ”
Citation? Unless you are talking about reading a David Letterman top 10 list? In which case he is keeping good company Barack Obama (at least twice).
“or a multitude of other, what a fuckwit actions by John the clown Key”
Any other ACTUAL examples?
DUDE!!!! It looks like your spade may not be a spade afterall…
Pulls hair of young girls (plural) caught on film and you love him.
Panama papers, (more to come) and stuffed up NZ reputation. Got caught lying and you love him.
Massive amounts of corporate welfare and you love him
Declining water and land quality, but shusshhhh we not aloud to talk about that…Key says nothing, and you love him.
No ministerial responsibility, so stuck a collection of piss poor ministers who think nothing of braking the law, but all you need Bob is for the P.M. to just smile and you love him.
You’re wasting your breath, Adam. As Bomber Bradbury is so fond of saying, Key could tear the head off a kitten live on television, and he’d only go up in the estimation of people like Bob. Some folk are just doing far too nicely under our current administration, and perish the thought the gravy train is derailed by paltry considerations like… I don’t know, not being a complete bastard?
… john Key is the best person available to do this…
Are they going to be doing some currency trading? Blathering about whose shirt is gay or which celebs they’d like to fuck? It says something pretty terrible about NZ if John Key is the best person available for serious negotiations at the UN.
“No longer swimmable: A community mourns its lost river”
extract…
“The Selwyn River was once one of the world’s greatest trout fisheries.
In the 1960s, the trout population reached 65,000, enough to stock every river in the South Island.
There are now just several hundred trout in the river. Those remaining are thin and inedible due to the river’s health.
The river’s problems were the result of “poor incremental decisions” over several decades, North Canterbury Fish & Game environmental adviser Scott Pearson said.
Intensive farming had become too widespread in the area, and too much water was being extracted for irrigation.”
We are destroying the ecology of our nation, and sooner or later we will find out that it is the same ecology within which we need to live. (Contaminated aquifers, anyone)
I grew up swimming and fishing in many of those rivers in the 70’s and 80’s as I kid I think back and they always seemed pure and crystal clear, you could see the rocks ..it was pristine i’m talking the Waitaki river area.
It was also mainly sheep and grain farming back then. Says something doesn’t it.
I read that article and my heart sank. It’s like watching the foresters clear the amazon and no one can do anything about it. Unless they take proactive action and that’s the saddest part.
Farmers are doing fuck all, saying they are, and screwing us all.
Well, the MOU with the Greens was a good start but the relationship needs to go much further. Labour cannot and will not achieve electoral success on its own any more. There have been too many changing political parameters over recent times that have clouded the judgement of a shallower and more transient population. JK and his govt. can continue to be as incompetent as we have thus far witnessed and it is unlikely to dent their overall popularity.
As Bryan Gould postulates, Labour need to show a far greater willingness to respond to National with a totally different value system that means something to people in this day and age. In my view the Greens and Labour need to barnstorm the appropriate ‘new’ values message then use it [loudly] day in and day out at every opportunity. They need to show how those values would be applied to every aspect of the voters’ life and every issue that arises so voters can start to understand what will be different under a Lab/Green government.
At the moment they don’t see a hell of a lot of difference so its largely a case of…. better the devil you know etc. It is a brave exercise because there will be major efforts by the govt. and their media lackeys to ridicule both parties, but if they don’t do it they can kiss goodbye to any chance of success next year.
Dead right Anne. “At the moment they don’t see a hell of a lot of difference ‘……. believe it or not that’s because there isn’t a hell of a lot of difference. It’s the very problem we’ve been banging on about for months. Many Labour supporters on this site don’t seem to be able to understand this.
Little and co. have to stop being like dogs barking at passing cars and do far more than just trying to be the ‘softer’ side of neoliberalism.
Dead right Anne. “At the moment they don’t see a hell of a lot of difference ‘……. believe it or not that’s because there isn’t a hell of a lot of difference. It’s the very problem we’ve been banging on about for months.
For some of us it’s actually been years. The Labour leadership continue to fail to listen.
+100 Anne and Garibaldi…imo they need to extend an olive branch of peace to Hone Harawira and the Mana/Internet Party…and bring it in to the same MOU .
This would really attract the attention of voters and the working class/underclass in New Zealand!
….but I doubt Labour would be willing to do this….which means to me it is really NOT a working class party for grassroots /flaxroots NZers but has turned into a Liberal Party
Doesn’t help that Hone is trying to snuggle up to National’s Maori party that will eat up the Mana party for it’s own survival, like the Nats did to Act. Would have thought Hone should be talking to the Lab/Greens, who have given an open invitation to any party to join them to change the government, instead of the Maori party that have no intention of leaving the Nats, despite Hone saying he won’t support anyone that supports National. So what’s Hone going to do? the onus is on him.
Jeeze you can talk rubbish sometimes. You have no knowledge, no insight and no clue – but you are good at making up shit to fit your labour agenda so that’s something I spose of labour are your god.
Andrew doesn’t come across like that, over the last two years of attempting to get that angry andy label to stick, it really hasn’t.
at all mate.
In fact he’s quite calm under pressure, when his seat collapsed twice I saw a bloke who took it in his stride.
Charisma, err ive seen more from a dead fish, but there’ a glimmer, you couldn’t say Helen has Charisma, more like the matron you dare not piss off. So that’s not everything.
keys clown Charisma’s starting to wear thin though now mate, I mean there’s only so long people will support his easy going couldn’t give a fuck ways.., swings and round-abouts.
Is Keys prefered PM status still at those all time rock star highs mate? Or has Farrar been spending more time with his Nazi beliefs and running the tax and ratepayers joke.
Where does the little fuck get time to sleep I wonder..
As Bryan Gould postulates, Labour need to show a far greater willingness to respond to National with a totally different value system that means something to people in this day and age.
But you wouldn’t want to ‘scare the horses’ would you, by presenting options that ‘swing voting middle class NZ’ would find controversial, unorthodox or plain unacceptable.
The best sales people are utterly authentic in their belief in the product or service that they are trying to sell.
Labour MPs are capitalists, they believe in free markets and in free trade, they believe that NZ cannot afford NZ super without drastic cut backs.
So that’s what they have to try and sell, because they certainly don’t believe in “democratic socialism”, as stated in the party’s own constitution, no more.
Yes, that’s a real stumbling block to being successful in selling a concept or product, if you don’t believe what you’re promoting is any good then you’ll never be successful.
Which then raises the question why do left wing people support Labour?, they’re obviously not the party that’s going to promote what they want?
Which then raises the question why do left wing people support Labour?, they’re obviously not the party that’s going to promote what they want?
Well, I have been asking the same questions, and it is an unpopular subject to broach with some, because as far as I can see: old time loyalty/lesser of 2 evils.
“Which then raises the question why do left wing people support Labour?, they’re obviously not the party that’s going to promote what they want?”
I think most don’t (which is evident in Labour’s election result). From what I’ve gathered most of them no longer partake for that very reason (they see no difference between the two).
I support labour because I believe a union man like Andrew will do the right thing when he is PM. For working people, and in fact all NZ’ers.
I think he will and has the right attitude to make a fair NZ and keep the Greens better idea’s rolling along and holding their more whack idea’s in check.
But you wouldn’t want to ‘scare the horses’ would you, by presenting options that ‘swing voting middle class NZ’ would find controversial, unorthodox or plain unacceptable.
Well, that’s a view that is less acceptable to most Labour members than you are prepared to admit CV. The so-called middle of the road voters can’t be completely ignored, but my argument (and Bryan Gould’s I think) is that Lab and Greens need to re-think their values strategy in such a way they are seen to represent a whole new approach to governance that will hopefully encourage voters to contemplate voting for them again. So far, it hasn’t happened and it won’t happen unless the two parties work as one for this coming election. It will mean some concessions on both sides of course. For starters, the Greens have grown their polling numbers since the last election but they may have to be prepared to sacrifice any further growth in the interest of electoral success. Labour also will have to concede some of their voters to the Greens and not try to lure them back.
I have long viewed Lab. and the Greens as an electoral entity and that should be the way of the future. It’s time they publicly acted as such (both parties can still maintain their individual personalities) so that the rest of the population starts to recognise them in the same way. If, and when it happens the media story will start to change and that will have an impact on the voters’ perceptions.
Anne I hope your idea of ” concessions ” encompasses working the electorate seat by seat to get an optimal result for the Left? Because, like Key, I believe we have to do what it takes to win. It’s no use pussyfooting around doing otherwise and if the MOU doesn’t include this then I think it wiil be fruitless.
Anne I hope your idea of ” concessions ” encompasses working the electorate seat by seat to get an optimal result for the Left?
Totally.
I’m on record here more times than I can remember and have stated my view at in-house Labour meetings… telling them “to stop bloody pussyfooting around” and say and do what they mean dah de dah de dah. 😈
I know and you know Anne that the Labour membership is often far to the Left of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The issue is that the PLP think that the general membership are largely unrealistic and uninformed about what ‘mainstream NZ’ would be prepared to accept in terms of left wing policy.
Yes, CV. I know. But the PLP is getting closer to the membership little by little – pun wasn’t intended but appropriate. I’ve listened carefully to the rhetoric coming from some who were regarded as being to the right of the party and have picked up an encouraging move back towards the membership. In one case in particular, I’ve been so pleased with their recent reflections that I’m once again a strong supporter of the MP concerned.
So legalisation of medicinal marijuana or cannabis is NOT the problem for the elderly and those in pain in New Zealand ….but corporate capture BIG PHARMA prescription opiods is! ( are New Zealand politicians also captured ?)
….BIG PHARMA is a multi billion dollar pain killer industry and it opposes the legalisation of medicinal marijuana or medicinal cannabis!
THE PROBLEM in the USA:
‘Americans consume vast majority of the world’s opioids’
While the elderly New Zealanders and others in pain suffer because this government and Peter Dunne has denied them legal access to medicinal cannibas…there are political lobby groups involved and big Bucks..pharmaceutical companies and the alcohol industry
‘Opioid use decreases in US states that legalize medical marijuana – study’
“New research shows a decline in the use of opioid painkillers in US states that allow people to treat pain with medical marijuana, affirming the fears of Big Pharma who have been vigorously seeking to frustrate efforts to legalize the herb….
“Given the growing opioid overdose epidemic, campaigning against medical marijuana is morally repugnant.”
“We cannot allow prescription drug companies to block the legalization of #medicalcannabis http://huff.to/2clBjZY”
“Addictive painkiller profiteer donates $500k to fight cannabis legalization in #Arizona http://on.rt.com/7oux”
…”Insys isn’t the first pharmaceutical company to be found bankrolling anti-marijuana legislation though with a number of alcohol and pharmaceutical companies “heavily” invested in such laws in a number of states, according to The Intercept.
The Chinese will practice their normal approach of focussing on making profitable business, staying out of the politics, and paying whatever back handers are required to keep an operation running and in the black.
I have a feeling that Mugabe and his cronies are going to find such an approach quite acceptable.
“An insider in the tobacco industry said the Chinese company would be paying a hefty rental for the land they are now using to the “political” men who now own the farms.”
Here is the letter signed by Trump himself, which the Trump/Pence campaign delivered to his “pro-life” base of support this week, released by the anti-abortion, forced birth organization that styles itself, perversely, as the “Susan B. Anthony List:”
I am committed to:
Nominating pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Signing into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would end painful late-term abortions nationwide.
Defunding Planned Parenthood as long as they continue to perform abortions…
Making the Hyde Amendment permanent law to protect taxpayers from having to pay for abortions.
The Susan B. Anthony list is an extremist, anti-woman group that opposes a woman’s right to an abortion in all circumstances and also opposes many forms of contraception.
“By championing child care, paid maternity leave, and over-the-counter birth control
In an attempt to chip away at Hillary Clinton’s double-digit lead with women voters, Donald Trump is ditching some aspects of GOP orthodoxy and embracing feminist stances on contraception, child care and paid leave….
( Trump on the abortion issue is still not good however…In this day and age of USA poverty, world over- population and womens rights …abortion should be a woman’s choice and safe medical abortion should be state funded and free as it is in most Western countries
…presumably Trump would support the ‘morning after pill’ as a method of contraception and over the counter
….but this is not enough for unwanted pregnancies later term, which for various reasons women and girls did not terminate earlier…women should not be forced into the desperation and dangers of backstreet abortions)
Also keep in mind, that neither of the blokes will ever be pregnant, nor will they ever take the pill, nor will they ever risk their lives by giving birth, nor will they ever have to choose between career and child rearing or home making if you prefer that term, nor will they ever be told by a Pharmacist that that over the counter pill, or plan b. or condoms, will not be handed out cause its against the religious believes of the pharmacist who happens to believe that the Pill is an abortifact and that every sexual encounter should lead to blessings from god until the uterus falls out or the incubator dies in childbirth.
but then he retracted that comment, maybe he mis – spoke or maybe his daughter told him to shut up, or maybe someone told him that a whole lot of women in the US have abortions every year and how would you punish them? Murder 1? or like the Lady in the ling below – both fetizide and murder? Ahh, i am sure tomorrow he will say something else.
and do keep in mind, that should Trump die the next in line to the Presidency is Mike Pence. Even tho, no one really likes to think about that. Cause ….Hillary. OR something.
But hey nothing of that matters, cause Trump is gonna defund Planned Parenthood, the one clinic all over the US that offers affordable healthcare to women who otherwise may not have the funds to get it.
Cause nothing says i ma gonna love me some wimmin then taking away their health care provider and the place that offers sexual health care. And his women will still get their abortions should they need them, cause they have the cash and the passports to leave the country.
Fuck sake, be a Trumpie all you want, but don’t pretend that anyone running on the republican ticket will offer anything to women in regards to healthcare.
For every 12 women who will vote for Hillary Clinton, at least ten women will vote for Trump, according to the latest LA Times/USC tracking poll of 3000 voters.
So Trump is not that far behind Clinton when it comes to support from women.
My bet is that he will close that gap further, and gain support from more women.
But hey nothing of that matters, cause Trump is gonna defund Planned Parenthood, the one clinic all over the US that offers affordable healthcare to women who otherwise may not have the funds to get it.
Yes, Trump said that he will defund PP if and only if they continue to do abortions.
But it’ll be one of those things that he won’t quite get around to actually doing, like building The Wall.
..a tragedy but at least it has water still in it….our local river is a dirty little trickle…not enough even for a swimming hole…once upon a time people from Christchurch used to spend their summer holidays by it camping
….those were the days when even the poor were wealthy in the things that mattered
WashPost Makes History: First Paper to Call for
Prosecution of Its Own Source (After Accepting Pulitzer)
by GLENN GREENWALD, The Intercept, Sept. 19, 2016
THREE OF THE four media outlets that received and published large numbers of secret NSA documents provided by Edward Snowden — The Guardian, the New York Times, and The Intercept –– have called for the U.S. government to allow the NSA whistleblower to return to the U.S. with no charges. That’s the normal course for a news organization, which owes its sources duties of protection, and which — by virtue of accepting the source’s materials and then publishing them — implicitly declares the source’s information to be in the public interest.
But not the Washington Post. In the face of a growing ACLU and Amnesty-led campaign to secure a pardon for Snowden, timed to this weekend’s release of the Oliver Stone biopic “Snowden,” the Post editorial page today not only argued in opposition to a pardon, but explicitly demanded that Snowden — the paper’s own source — stand trial on espionage charges or, as a “second-best solution,” accept “a measure of criminal responsibility for his excesses and the U.S. government offers a measure of leniency.”
Hillary Clinton: Boycotting North Carolina Is Noble
and Just; Boycotting Israel Is Bigoted and Hateful
by GLENN GREENWALD, The Intercept, Sept. 14, 2016
….Could someone explain why it’s noble, enlightened, justifiable, and progressive to boycott an American state, but hateful, bigoted, retrograde, and evil to support a boycott of a foreign country that has been imposing a brutal, discriminatory, and illegal occupation for many decades, a boycott that is led by people with virtually no political rights? How did that happen? Hillary Clinton is far from the only person espousing this bizarre distinction — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as but one example, is punishing companies that support a boycott of Israel while forcing state employees to honor the boycott of North Carolina — but what could possibly justify U.S. politicians drawing the moral and ethical lines about boycotts in this manner?
My response to Chris Trotter’s latest post on The Daily Blog promoting ‘the surge’ for ‘millennial’ Auckland Mayoral candidate, Chloe Swarbrick.
I like Chloe.
She’s friendly, personable, articulate and presents very well on the campaign trail.
Her policies – not so much.
Chloe supports privatisation via Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs).
More significantly, Chloe supports the Auckland Unitary Plan and intensification, as do Generation Zero.
In my considered opinion, this ‘One Plan’ for Auckland has been ‘democracy for developers’ and dominated by the interests of commercial property developers and investors represented by the NZ Property Council.
Auckland Council and most Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) are members of the NZ Property Council, which in my considered opinion, as an anti-corruption campaigner is a significant and arguably corrupt ‘conflict of interest’.
As ‘activists get things done’ I have petitioned Parliament for an inquiry and provided evidence recently to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee in support of my petition, calling for an inquiry into the alleged conflict of interest regarding Auckland Council’s membership of the NZ Property Council.
In my considered opinion, Generation Zero, in their support for the Auckland Unitary Plan and intensification, pushing the line that those residents and ratepayers attempting to defend their local communities against decimation by developers, are effectively been promoted as selfish baby boomers stopping young people from getting their foot on the property ladder.
How convenient for the NZ Property Council to have these young advocates, on the same page, singing their same tune, but in a way that is far more effective pushing young vs old than if this were done by suited middle-aged property developers?
In my considered opinion, Generation Zero are effectively the ‘Youth Branch’ of the NZ Property Council.
Unlike all the Auckland Mayoral candidates, (including Chloe) I am actively opposed to corrupt corporate control by the 1%, locally, nationally and internationally.
For years I have actively campaigned against Council (Corporate) Controlled Organisations (CCOs), Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Because I am the only Auckland Mayoral candidate directly standing up to corrupt corporate control by the 1%, the effective censorship I have been facing by (corporate controlled) mainstream media is simply breath-taking in how blatant it has been.
In 2013, in the only poll that counts, the election result, I polled 4th, with 11,723 votes.
That was before Auckland Council tried to force the rating sale of my freehold home, over my disputing and refusing to pay rates because of the Council’s failure to disclose where exactly public monies are being spent on private sector consultants and contractors.
Although some citizens (who are not familiar with their lawful rights and the Council’s statutory obligations under s.17 of the Public Records Act 2005 (google it), apparently want me to have a frontal lobotomy and forget mine, and just be a good sheepish slave and just pay my rates, like they do, I’m not budging until I get the transparency to which I, and all citizens are entitled.
So, that is why, unlike Chloe, I’m not getting the TV coverage and being excluded from mainstream media Auckland Mayoral debates.
The real debate would be between myself and Phil Goff.
The topic?
Rogernomic$ wrecked Auckland.
What do you say to that Chris?
A real ‘meat and spuds’ debate on the substantive issues, rather than the candy floss ‘bubble and fluff’ we’re getting now?
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
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Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
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Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
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Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
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In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
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In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
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A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
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In the context of the Ministry of Education’s recent announcements about Communities of Online Learning this makes an interesting read. The October 2015 National Study of Online Charter Schools was conducted by the University of Washington, Stanford University, and Mathematica Policy Research, and provides a thorough analysis of the operations of (American) online charter schools, their policy environments and impacts on student achievement.
https://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/Online%20Press%20Release.pdf
Being even more crap than an average US education is truly lame. I wonder whether the problem is online learning per se, or whether right wing incompetence and malice is the bigger issue.
In either event, I wonder how much the National Party took in bribes to inflict it on our kids.
Why should Bill Gates decide how our children should be educated?
And we wonder why this government keeps underfunding education and other essential government services.
That Kellyann from Trump’s team, she got game.
A seasoned pro toe to toe against leftie luvvie Bill Mayer:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-maher-trump-campaign-manager-evil_us_57dd92f9e4b08cb140962d64?section=&
The full interview was scary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maL6-l3DdHk
The worst part, the Trump people have no difficulty lying. It seems like second nature.
I loathe Trump and all he stands for, but hell I respect his team and their tactics.
First nature. I’m surprised Hooton hasn’t given them his CV… Maybe he has. >:)
Yep, RWNJs have to lie else they wouldn’t be able continue their depredations on the people and society.
A great read on this proposed ‘land wars’ commeration by Moana Jackson. if you want to understand this issue from a Māori perspective then this is a good starter. And yep other Māori may have other positions on it.
I personally find Moana Jackson’s views align with mine – in some ways I wish I could vote for him in a Māori electorate and then I remember what often happens to tangata whenua when they get in the big house and I’m so glad he is removed and above party parlimentary politics.
http://e-tangata.co.nz/news/moana-jackson-facing-the-truth-about-the-wars
Bingo!
That’s exactly what they were. The English capitalists saw land and resources that they didn’t own/control and set about taking it for themselves. And, of course, the dispossession caused Māori to look for jobs in the capitalists businesses that they never needed to do before thus increasing available manpower for exploitation.
+1 Marty.
Moana Jackson is , as always, great but so is this e-tangata site. Always an interesting, well-informed read.
Totally agree Karen
Civil Defence Centres reformed into ‘Community Emergency Hubs’, which won’t stock survival supplies
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/84349936/wellingtons-civil-defence-centres-reformed-into-community-emergency-hubs-which-wont-stock-survival-supplies
Good luck to you Wellington, you’ll probably need it in the next few decades.
Unfortunately, mistakes in this won’t be acknowledged until after a disaster strikes and lives are lost as a result.
“you’ll probably need it”
I don’t think this is the worst thing.
The worst problem we are likely to have is that the water supply will be interrupted where the supply pipelines cross faults.
Then we will have a hospital without any water. The Council refuse to build a reservoir to supply water to the hospital in an emergency. Every other Council in the country does it. The Wellington City Council would far rather spend the ratepayer’s money on the ridiculous cycle lanes and on mad plans for extending the runway at the airport or bringing back the trams.
We might have a hospital building after an earthquake but it won’t be able to provide any medical treatment.
What a Fuck up – coming to us too, soon with our Americanisation/Western ideology of disaster relief that if you combine with CV’s The “Intellectual Yet Idiot” Class – explains the problem …
“Red Cross Built Exactly 6 Homes For Haiti With Nearly Half A Billion Dollars In Donations”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/04/red-cross-haiti-report_n_7511080.html
We can add to that the harden up and she’ll be right culture.
Indeed, alwyn. That’s another concern.
All the road links will be shut for at least a couple of weeks. Will make it very difficult to get much relief into the city, except via boat (and the wharf etc are likely to be pretty smashed up).
Patients are being harmed by the deteriorating finances of ambulance services, a paramedics’ group says.
“New Zealand’s two ambulance services are facing a funding crisis
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11709706
1. Why are there two ambulance services anyway?
2. Why aren’t those services fully funded by government?
Good questions.
There should only be one fully funded by the taxpayer IMO.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11711892
Doesn’t make it any better of course (encouraging/forcing someone isn’t cool) but it shows why its always good to wait for all the details to emerge
We waited: the facts came out. They vindicate Scarlette.
I note that you choose to describe forcible sexual contact as “not cool”, as though some minor social faux-pas has been committed.
Maybe however the initial furore was over Chiefs players committing the acts whereas its turned out to be a bus driver
I wasn’t describing forcible sexual contact as not cool but rather the encouraging/egging someone on
He says:
“She came up and gave me a hug and a kiss and gave one of the other players a hug. She didn’t seem upset at all.”
I think we can all agree it was rather sordid
You had it right the first time when you pointed out that in this context, “encouraging” and “forcing” are interchangeable.
As long as you realise I was referring to the encouraging/forcing aspect of it, not the actual physical contact which is a separate issue
Keep telling yourself that.
Yes I believe that encouraging someone to do something is a separate issue to that person then doing it
Both are culpable but are culpable for seperate actions
Scarlette has made reference to the violence she feared if she responded to the ‘encouragement’ in the ‘wrong’ way.
When was the last time you were physically bullied?
In a court of law would the bus driver and players involved in the incident be charged with the same or separate offences?
According to the Crimes Act, the same offence:
Thanks McFlock, I stand corrected
No, they’re culpable for the same action because the action was a direct result of their actions.
Well it’s not like inciting unlawful acts is a crime or anything.
Good interview by Winona LaDuke from Standing Rock.
http://m.democracynow.org/stories/16610
Worth noting a lot of fake photos of protest on the net esp fbook. The powers that be must be worried.
This aligns very much with my idea that up to 85% of all crime is preventable if you get in early enough. A brave initiative and one that could transform Aboriginal life:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-19/four-corners-bourkes-experiment-in-justice-reinvestment/7855114
Incidentally Bourke holds a very symbolic place in the Australian psyche as the ‘place where the outback begins’.
Declining NZ – 1st world to 5th? Stop the rot! Stop the rort!
Ambulance service declining, serious.
Legal aid services declining, non-existent in some areas.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Under the previous Liberal State govt Victoria went through a long and bitter paramedic/ambo dispute. Ugly and totally unnecessary.
Speaking from first hand knowledge of the people who do this very demanding work, work that results in the highest family break-up rates, the very high depression and suicide rates, covert substance abuse and PTSD rates … I know there is a LOT that needs addressing in this area.
No matter how calm and professional the ambo appears on the scene, it is not possible for them to avoid the psychic imprints created by dealing constantly with others in pain and profound distress.
And low pay rates merely compound the harm, reinforcing a sense of being under-valued. Their organisations absolutely need better resourcing in order to mitigate the stress. All this is well known and understood.
What a day to be a kiwi. Our leader in charge of UN world security in Americas most important city currently facing new terror. As well as managing the superpowers after escalation that could lead to World War in Syria.
Makes me proud…
It is pretty impressive, imagine if *insert any Labour leader since Helen Clark* was there, it ‘d be a shambles and NZ would be a laughing stock
Ok those comparisons are a bit unfair considering they never made it to the PM position. Personally I think all of those people could perform better than Key on that stage.
So, just to clarify, you think Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe or Little would perform better on the world then John Key who has proven to be able mix, negotiate and make friends with people in the highest positions of power on the world stage
I know you’re left and I know you hate John Key but get some perspective, John Key is a proven quantity (mind you Goff did good work on the FTA with China so maybe he could make a decent fist of it) but if you took of your blinkers you’d see the john Key is the best person available to do this
My blinkers? Has it occurred to you that it might be you who is unwilling to think critically. You’ve just written a puff piece and I don’t know if you’re taking the piss or doing your best to be a defender.
Yes, I think the Labour leaders could perform better in terms of things like leadership, diplomacy and character on the world stage than the current. Being able to mix and be nice with world leaders is something the PM is very good at. I think people want a bit more than that though, and they might ask what our glorious leader has achieved on the world stage in 8 years.
Hes the head of the International Democratic Union
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2014/11/key_elected_head_of_the_international_democrat_union.html
Hes friends with Obama (the democrat if you didn’t know) while still managing to keep China onside
He can mange this:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/key-chases-trade-deals-in-talks-uk-ministers-farewells-david-cameron while also working this at the same time http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/key-nz-will-get-there-with-europe-trade-agreement-2016071123
Do you think he won’t manage it?
So my opinion based on Keys past performance whereas yours seems to be based on nothing
You chose the wrong ballpark PR.
Goff is FA since way back – Key is two orders of magnitude down.
Shearer also has FA form – better at it than mudwrestling the greasy pigs that the Gnats put in parliament.
& Cunliffe is smarter than any of them.
If it’s snuggling up to a corrupt leader like Berlusconi Key’s your man – actual foreign policy nah.
QFT
Yep, he’s a proven lapdog to those who are rich and powerful.
No, lapdogs are pretty much useless at everything except looking decorative and doing what they’re told.
Once again you demonstrate one of the main issues of the left in NZ and that is underestimating John Key, I get that you don’t like him but acknowledging that hes very good at politics doesn’t mean you support him
When the left underestimates John Key he just cries all the way to another election win
But its ok because you got a good hit on him and called him a lapdog
No he’s not good at politics – the business is governing, not lying about governing. Key gets a 2 out of 10 for governing – tyrants that systematically shoot their citizens are a 1. If Key were not utter shit I’d support him – back when he was trying to get elected and made some promising speeches on housing I thought the Gnats had finally found someone with a shred of talent. No such luck.
Yip, if Key had actually delivered on his underclass and housing promises, then he wouldn’t be too bad.
Damn straight – aspirational future – wage parity with Oz – 170 000 jobs – what’s not to like?
I’m not underestimating him at all. Being a lapdog gives an appearance of good politics as he gets on well with all rich people but no actual good politics.
PR – Key is a toadying minor member of the Wall St. club, nothing more nothing less. History will not be kind to him as all his ‘niceties’ will be recorded as nothing more than deceit, in the course of duty to his masters.
You know how some right wingers got really irrational about Helen Clark?
I’d suggest that some of you are well down that same path
I think it’s more that the qualities you admire in key are the qualities that some despise. The key to key is that he has normalised outright lying, pretend caring,and abhorent behaviour/slurs/non-apologies. He is the most disgusting and embarrasing PM weve ever had imo.
Unfortunately for you more people disagree with you then agree
How do you know more people disagree than agree? The low voter turnout makes it impossible to know for sure, as you’ll attribute it to satisfaction with the system while others point to alienation from it.
Fair enough, enough people agree with and vote accordingly the same as me
So you voted for him – has he ever done anything to make you regret that?
There are both rational and irrational reasons to dislike John Key – as there are to uncritically admire the worst PM NZ has ever had. So what’s your deal PR, are you having his baby?
DUDE!!!! a spades a spade, I don’t see any of those labour leaders mincing a catwalk, telling rape jokes, planking, pony tail pulling, acting a buffoon on prime time US TV or a multitude of other, what a fuckwit actions by John the clown Key.
Do you think any of the world leaders will take the clown PM seriously at anything.
Dumb kiwi’s may think the sun shines out his arse like you, but the world has quite a different opinion to his parties policies and his in particular actions.
I know PR your one of a few lonely battlers for National and John but for fucks sake man, he’s a class clown admit it.
I’m pretty sure that he won’t be doing anything like that over at the UN, however if he does feel free to point this out to me
“I know PR your one of a few lonely battlers for National and John but for fucks sake man, he’s a class clown admit it.”
– Yet somehow the polls seem to disagree with you, funny that
The class clown is usually quite popular. They just get shown up at exam time.
Do you mean like the 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017 elections or leaders debates?
Yeah we all know most people are easily led by empty promises
The 2017 election hasn’t happened yet and John key lost the leaders debate in 2014. Liar John key wouldn’t be where he is today if it hadn’t been for his dirty politics, abuse of the PM’s office and a lying, complicit msm Puckish Rogue.
yes he did lose the debate to Cunliffe; too bad the caucus was so keen to dump Cunliffe thereafter.
Agreed, but that’s politics.
No, I mean when future historians look at Key’s legacy of:
1. Throwing away the excellent fiscal position Clark left us
2. Failing to get the flag changed
3. Botching the Christchurch rebuild and failing to deliver a 21st century-city ready to face future energy shortages, by failing to institute basic minimum energy efficiency requirements
4. Selling off SoEs
5. Stopping contributions to the superannuation fund
6. Locking hundreds of thousands of NZers out of the housing market
7. Failing to address poverty, ensuring that we have locked in decades of increased health spending
Those seem like the biggies that will have impacts that future historians will be chastising this government for.
I’m sure there are other things; I didn’t even touch on the environment.
8. Winning an MMP record breaking 4th consecutive term…?
You think that future historians will be scathing of the present National Govt – but what will they make of the Labour Party of this time?
Yeah, the disconnect with reality on this site is something to behold.
Does go a long way in explaining why the left is complete shit though.
Oh look BM just going with his usual response – abuse.
Good to see you still bridled with your hard right ideological blinkers.
National is coming to the end of its 3rd term and they’re still as popular as when they started, obviously the voter considers them to be a good government.
Then you come here and read some of the stuff and you’d think you’ve either ended up in a alternative dimension where NZ is ruled by a crazed tyrant or on some parody site.
It is entertaining though.
@BM,
None of the things I have listed are opinions.
I like how you just don’t care for the dispossessed and down trodden PR, you just in your love of power mode.
At least your only a mildly dishonest Tory scum bag, I’ll give you that.
so your saying that theres two JKs, PR?
the global stateman for the top brass overseas, and the class clown type for the folks back home?
what does that say about NZers?
PS: you’re doing a fair bit of goal post shifting on this one 🙂
Phew red mist is thick with this one
“telling rape jokes”
Citation? I did see a video were other people were making rape references towards the PM, but I’ve never seen/heard him make one.
“planking”
Citation? I saw a picture of Max Key planking, not the PM though.
“acting a buffoon on prime time US TV ”
Citation? Unless you are talking about reading a David Letterman top 10 list? In which case he is keeping good company Barack Obama (at least twice).
“or a multitude of other, what a fuckwit actions by John the clown Key”
Any other ACTUAL examples?
DUDE!!!! It looks like your spade may not be a spade afterall…
Sheesh, Bob – fetish much…
PM lies, gets caught lying and you love him.
Pulls hair of young girls (plural) caught on film and you love him.
Panama papers, (more to come) and stuffed up NZ reputation. Got caught lying and you love him.
Massive amounts of corporate welfare and you love him
Declining water and land quality, but shusshhhh we not aloud to talk about that…Key says nothing, and you love him.
No ministerial responsibility, so stuck a collection of piss poor ministers who think nothing of braking the law, but all you need Bob is for the P.M. to just smile and you love him.
People like you…
You’re wasting your breath, Adam. As Bomber Bradbury is so fond of saying, Key could tear the head off a kitten live on television, and he’d only go up in the estimation of people like Bob. Some folk are just doing far too nicely under our current administration, and perish the thought the gravy train is derailed by paltry considerations like… I don’t know, not being a complete bastard?
“John Key who has proven to be able mix, negotiate and make friends with people in the highest positions of power on the world stage”
I agree, John Key makes a good MC and showman.
… john Key is the best person available to do this…
Are they going to be doing some currency trading? Blathering about whose shirt is gay or which celebs they’d like to fuck? It says something pretty terrible about NZ if John Key is the best person available for serious negotiations at the UN.
Yeah hes probably got no experience in negotiations at all 🙂
The Nats, and yes man John Key included, have shown that they couldn’t negotiate their way out of a paper bag.
To be fair, sending Key is better than sending McCully.
Pulitzer in hand, the WaPo calls for the prosecution of their own source.
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/
Unfuckingbelievable.
We need a new word for “about an order of magnitude beyond hypocrisy”.
Not so much journalists as mouthpieces for the Washington DC deep state.
Have I missed something but wouldn’t that mean the Post gets prosecuted as well?
“No longer swimmable: A community mourns its lost river”
extract…
“The Selwyn River was once one of the world’s greatest trout fisheries.
In the 1960s, the trout population reached 65,000, enough to stock every river in the South Island.
There are now just several hundred trout in the river. Those remaining are thin and inedible due to the river’s health.
The river’s problems were the result of “poor incremental decisions” over several decades, North Canterbury Fish & Game environmental adviser Scott Pearson said.
Intensive farming had become too widespread in the area, and too much water was being extracted for irrigation.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/84116972/no-longer-swimmable-a-community-mourns-its-lost-river
So sad, they die slowly, one by one, and we watch and we hope and we pray and another one dies today.
We are destroying the ecology of our nation, and sooner or later we will find out that it is the same ecology within which we need to live. (Contaminated aquifers, anyone)
I grew up swimming and fishing in many of those rivers in the 70’s and 80’s as I kid I think back and they always seemed pure and crystal clear, you could see the rocks ..it was pristine i’m talking the Waitaki river area.
It was also mainly sheep and grain farming back then. Says something doesn’t it.
I read that article and my heart sank. It’s like watching the foresters clear the amazon and no one can do anything about it. Unless they take proactive action and that’s the saddest part.
Farmers are doing fuck all, saying they are, and screwing us all.
http://www.bryangould.com/what-more-can-labour-do/
What more can Labour do?
Well, the MOU with the Greens was a good start but the relationship needs to go much further. Labour cannot and will not achieve electoral success on its own any more. There have been too many changing political parameters over recent times that have clouded the judgement of a shallower and more transient population. JK and his govt. can continue to be as incompetent as we have thus far witnessed and it is unlikely to dent their overall popularity.
As Bryan Gould postulates, Labour need to show a far greater willingness to respond to National with a totally different value system that means something to people in this day and age. In my view the Greens and Labour need to barnstorm the appropriate ‘new’ values message then use it [loudly] day in and day out at every opportunity. They need to show how those values would be applied to every aspect of the voters’ life and every issue that arises so voters can start to understand what will be different under a Lab/Green government.
At the moment they don’t see a hell of a lot of difference so its largely a case of…. better the devil you know etc. It is a brave exercise because there will be major efforts by the govt. and their media lackeys to ridicule both parties, but if they don’t do it they can kiss goodbye to any chance of success next year.
Dead right Anne. “At the moment they don’t see a hell of a lot of difference ‘……. believe it or not that’s because there isn’t a hell of a lot of difference. It’s the very problem we’ve been banging on about for months. Many Labour supporters on this site don’t seem to be able to understand this.
Little and co. have to stop being like dogs barking at passing cars and do far more than just trying to be the ‘softer’ side of neoliberalism.
For some of us it’s actually been years. The Labour leadership continue to fail to listen.
+100 Anne and Garibaldi…imo they need to extend an olive branch of peace to Hone Harawira and the Mana/Internet Party…and bring it in to the same MOU .
This would really attract the attention of voters and the working class/underclass in New Zealand!
….but I doubt Labour would be willing to do this….which means to me it is really NOT a working class party for grassroots /flaxroots NZers but has turned into a Liberal Party
I couldn’t agree more Chucky. Like you I doubt that Labour has got the sense to get Hone back( by getting Kelvin higher on the list).
Sorry Chooky, bit of a blunder there on my part !
lol…dont worry…i note i have also gone from maroony purple to green…but you are blue…i would have thought you would be a red
Doesn’t help that Hone is trying to snuggle up to National’s Maori party that will eat up the Mana party for it’s own survival, like the Nats did to Act. Would have thought Hone should be talking to the Lab/Greens, who have given an open invitation to any party to join them to change the government, instead of the Maori party that have no intention of leaving the Nats, despite Hone saying he won’t support anyone that supports National. So what’s Hone going to do? the onus is on him.
Jeeze you can talk rubbish sometimes. You have no knowledge, no insight and no clue – but you are good at making up shit to fit your labour agenda so that’s something I spose of labour are your god.
Don’t be so stupid and blind Marty Mars.
You just make up stuff.
You need people with charisma,appeal and likability to be able to sell a new concept.
The dour and angry Andrew Little, in combination with the sanctimonious Metiria Turei are not really the people you want for that job.
Who could fill that role on the left?, no idea.
Andrew doesn’t come across like that, over the last two years of attempting to get that angry andy label to stick, it really hasn’t.
at all mate.
In fact he’s quite calm under pressure, when his seat collapsed twice I saw a bloke who took it in his stride.
Charisma, err ive seen more from a dead fish, but there’ a glimmer, you couldn’t say Helen has Charisma, more like the matron you dare not piss off. So that’s not everything.
keys clown Charisma’s starting to wear thin though now mate, I mean there’s only so long people will support his easy going couldn’t give a fuck ways.., swings and round-abouts.
Is Keys prefered PM status still at those all time rock star highs mate? Or has Farrar been spending more time with his Nazi beliefs and running the tax and ratepayers joke.
Where does the little fuck get time to sleep I wonder..
+1 Richard Rawshark
Such a drag.
But you wouldn’t want to ‘scare the horses’ would you, by presenting options that ‘swing voting middle class NZ’ would find controversial, unorthodox or plain unacceptable.
It’s how you sell it.
The left desperately needs sales people, the best thing they could ever do is send their MPs on a few sales courses.
The best sales people are utterly authentic in their belief in the product or service that they are trying to sell.
Labour MPs are capitalists, they believe in free markets and in free trade, they believe that NZ cannot afford NZ super without drastic cut backs.
So that’s what they have to try and sell, because they certainly don’t believe in “democratic socialism”, as stated in the party’s own constitution, no more.
Yes, that’s a real stumbling block to being successful in selling a concept or product, if you don’t believe what you’re promoting is any good then you’ll never be successful.
Which then raises the question why do left wing people support Labour?, they’re obviously not the party that’s going to promote what they want?
Is it more to do with there’s no one else?
Well, I have been asking the same questions, and it is an unpopular subject to broach with some, because as far as I can see: old time loyalty/lesser of 2 evils.
The only thing I can think of is that it would be easier to modify an existing brand such as Labour than try and start a party from scratch.
The problem with that theory is what you’ve pointed out before is that the power lies inn a very small group of people, who you can’t change.
Bm your’e full of it. According to your reasoning you would be a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn?
BM is such a drag.
There’s a pragmatism too – thus far no left block can oust Key without Labour (without resorting to physicality).
Thus far no left block can oust Key with Labour, you mean.
“Which then raises the question why do left wing people support Labour?, they’re obviously not the party that’s going to promote what they want?”
I think most don’t (which is evident in Labour’s election result). From what I’ve gathered most of them no longer partake for that very reason (they see no difference between the two).
Others have moved to the Greens or NZ First.
Still the largest left party by a long way and I don’t really consider NZ first as left, more old school conservative.
“Still the largest left party….”
For those that still partake. Largely living off its legacy of being the party of the left.
However, it’s now a centrist party.
NZF may be more old school conservative, but with Labour moving so far right, NZF have become more left than Labour in a number of areas.
+100…”NZF have become more left than Labour in a number of areas”
I support labour because I believe a union man like Andrew will do the right thing when he is PM. For working people, and in fact all NZ’ers.
I think he will and has the right attitude to make a fair NZ and keep the Greens better idea’s rolling along and holding their more whack idea’s in check.
The other lot seem to only help themselves?
What policies do you believe support your belief, Richard?
+1 Richard Rawshark
a “union man”?
You mean a white collar former union lawyer?
“union lawyer”
What’s the problem with that?
A suit and tie facsimile of a “union man”
What’s wrong with a suit and tie?
But you wouldn’t want to ‘scare the horses’ would you, by presenting options that ‘swing voting middle class NZ’ would find controversial, unorthodox or plain unacceptable.
Well, that’s a view that is less acceptable to most Labour members than you are prepared to admit CV. The so-called middle of the road voters can’t be completely ignored, but my argument (and Bryan Gould’s I think) is that Lab and Greens need to re-think their values strategy in such a way they are seen to represent a whole new approach to governance that will hopefully encourage voters to contemplate voting for them again. So far, it hasn’t happened and it won’t happen unless the two parties work as one for this coming election. It will mean some concessions on both sides of course. For starters, the Greens have grown their polling numbers since the last election but they may have to be prepared to sacrifice any further growth in the interest of electoral success. Labour also will have to concede some of their voters to the Greens and not try to lure them back.
I have long viewed Lab. and the Greens as an electoral entity and that should be the way of the future. It’s time they publicly acted as such (both parties can still maintain their individual personalities) so that the rest of the population starts to recognise them in the same way. If, and when it happens the media story will start to change and that will have an impact on the voters’ perceptions.
Anne I hope your idea of ” concessions ” encompasses working the electorate seat by seat to get an optimal result for the Left? Because, like Key, I believe we have to do what it takes to win. It’s no use pussyfooting around doing otherwise and if the MOU doesn’t include this then I think it wiil be fruitless.
Anne I hope your idea of ” concessions ” encompasses working the electorate seat by seat to get an optimal result for the Left?
Totally.
I’m on record here more times than I can remember and have stated my view at in-house Labour meetings… telling them “to stop bloody pussyfooting around” and say and do what they mean dah de dah de dah. 😈
I know and you know Anne that the Labour membership is often far to the Left of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The issue is that the PLP think that the general membership are largely unrealistic and uninformed about what ‘mainstream NZ’ would be prepared to accept in terms of left wing policy.
Yes, CV. I know. But the PLP is getting closer to the membership little by little – pun wasn’t intended but appropriate. I’ve listened carefully to the rhetoric coming from some who were regarded as being to the right of the party and have picked up an encouraging move back towards the membership. In one case in particular, I’ve been so pleased with their recent reflections that I’m once again a strong supporter of the MP concerned.
+1’s on your comments Anne!
So legalisation of medicinal marijuana or cannabis is NOT the problem for the elderly and those in pain in New Zealand ….but corporate capture BIG PHARMA prescription opiods is! ( are New Zealand politicians also captured ?)
….BIG PHARMA is a multi billion dollar pain killer industry and it opposes the legalisation of medicinal marijuana or medicinal cannabis!
THE PROBLEM in the USA:
‘Americans consume vast majority of the world’s opioids’
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/27/americans-consume-almost-all-of-the-global-opioid-supply.html
https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse
http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf
THE PROBLEM in NEW ZEALAND:
While the elderly New Zealanders and others in pain suffer because this government and Peter Dunne has denied them legal access to medicinal cannibas…there are political lobby groups involved and big Bucks..pharmaceutical companies and the alcohol industry
‘Opioid use decreases in US states that legalize medical marijuana – study’
https://www.rt.com/usa/359655-marijuana-laws-opioid-usage/
“New research shows a decline in the use of opioid painkillers in US states that allow people to treat pain with medical marijuana, affirming the fears of Big Pharma who have been vigorously seeking to frustrate efforts to legalize the herb….
“Given the growing opioid overdose epidemic, campaigning against medical marijuana is morally repugnant.”
“We cannot allow prescription drug companies to block the legalization of #medicalcannabis http://huff.to/2clBjZY”
“Addictive painkiller profiteer donates $500k to fight cannabis legalization in #Arizona http://on.rt.com/7oux”
…”Insys isn’t the first pharmaceutical company to be found bankrolling anti-marijuana legislation though with a number of alcohol and pharmaceutical companies “heavily” invested in such laws in a number of states, according to The Intercept.
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/14/beer-pot-ballot/
One percenter investors are excited.
/
.
Why are white men poised to get rich doing the same thing African-Americans have been going to prison for?
http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004642370/jay-z-the-war-on-drugs-is-an-epic-fail.html?src=vidm
Have you seen how much Gunja those dudes smoke, they need time in jail to chill between tokes man!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11712476
Well, well, well things are getting interesting in Zimbabwe
Folks have been waiting for Mugabe to drop dead for the last fifteen or twenty years.
The really “interesting” times will be after that happens.
Mugabe death and Chinese money, sounds like something Forsythe would’ve wrote
Forsythe or Joseph Conrad.
Sounds like Zimbabwe is being colonised by the Chinese. So, yeah, I suppose that would be interesting.
In the short term it might help alleviate some of the problems…maybe
The Chinese will practice their normal approach of focussing on making profitable business, staying out of the politics, and paying whatever back handers are required to keep an operation running and in the black.
I have a feeling that Mugabe and his cronies are going to find such an approach quite acceptable.
They know how to do business
well the Tibetans find them pretty political
http://freetibet.org/take-action/videos-graphics/facts
“I have a feeling that Mugabe and his cronies are going to find such an approach quite acceptable.”…so does jonkey nact and he is selling New Zealand
Mugabe has and is betraying his country
Interesting how the West hasn’t regime changed Mugabe years ago.
agreed…maybe they thought he would do himself in…but he hasnt…or his compatriots would do him in…but they havent (yet)
“An insider in the tobacco industry said the Chinese company would be paying a hefty rental for the land they are now using to the “political” men who now own the farms.”
Whereas we sell ours.
Yeah, there is that.
they should be careful….remember Idi Amin?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Asians_from_Uganda
China’s turn.
https://soundcloud.com/chinatalkingpoints/chinas-role-in-africas-looting-machine
+100…yup …and the Chinese have also looted Tibet
‘The global cost of China’s destruction of the ‘roof of the world’ ‘
http://www.theecologist.org/investigations/natural_world/1367651/the_global_cost_of_chinas_destruction_of_the_roof_of_the_world.html
https://www.savetibet.org/resources/all-about-tibet/tibetan-environment/
(Pity the West killed Gaddafi
http://libyasos.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/gaddafi-placed-97-billion-to-free.html
https://libya360.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/muammar-gaddafi-the-african-who-cleansed-the-continent-from-the-humiliation-of-apartheid/ )
Turning back the clock.
Here is the letter signed by Trump himself, which the Trump/Pence campaign delivered to his “pro-life” base of support this week, released by the anti-abortion, forced birth organization that styles itself, perversely, as the “Susan B. Anthony List:”
The Susan B. Anthony list is an extremist, anti-woman group that opposes a woman’s right to an abortion in all circumstances and also opposes many forms of contraception.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/9/16/1571102/-While-The-Media-Fixated-On-Birtherism-Here-Is-What-Trump-Pledged-To-Do-To-Women-s-Rights
On the other hand:
‘How Donald Trump Is Trying to Win Over Women Voters’
http://time.com/4495895/donald-trump-womens-issues/
“By championing child care, paid maternity leave, and over-the-counter birth control
In an attempt to chip away at Hillary Clinton’s double-digit lead with women voters, Donald Trump is ditching some aspects of GOP orthodoxy and embracing feminist stances on contraception, child care and paid leave….
( Trump on the abortion issue is still not good however…In this day and age of USA poverty, world over- population and womens rights …abortion should be a woman’s choice and safe medical abortion should be state funded and free as it is in most Western countries
…presumably Trump would support the ‘morning after pill’ as a method of contraception and over the counter
….but this is not enough for unwanted pregnancies later term, which for various reasons women and girls did not terminate earlier…women should not be forced into the desperation and dangers of backstreet abortions)
Yeah, offering pittance paid for by eliminating all those undeserving welfare bludgers is a winner.
you might want to acquaint yourself with Mike Pence before you gush to much about Trump and his ‘generosity’ to women.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/donald-trump-commits-to-defunding-abortion-planned-parenthood-if-elected
Also keep in mind, that neither of the blokes will ever be pregnant, nor will they ever take the pill, nor will they ever risk their lives by giving birth, nor will they ever have to choose between career and child rearing or home making if you prefer that term, nor will they ever be told by a Pharmacist that that over the counter pill, or plan b. or condoms, will not be handed out cause its against the religious believes of the pharmacist who happens to believe that the Pill is an abortifact and that every sexual encounter should lead to blessings from god until the uterus falls out or the incubator dies in childbirth.
but then Trump will make America great again. and who gives a shit about a few women who might not get to see that great great tremendously great day cause they could not get the health care they needed cause the life of the unborn baby (or clumps of cells that have miscarriaged).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/19/mike-pence-republicans-defund-planned-parenthood-abortion
but then hey, as Trump said if women had abortions they should be punished?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Jpoecf0xY
but then he retracted that comment, maybe he mis – spoke or maybe his daughter told him to shut up, or maybe someone told him that a whole lot of women in the US have abortions every year and how would you punish them? Murder 1? or like the Lady in the ling below – both fetizide and murder? Ahh, i am sure tomorrow he will say something else.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/30/donald-trump-women-abortions-punishment
Maybe punishment should look like 20 years for fetizide and murder cause why the fuck not?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/22/purvi-patel-abortion-sentence-reduced
Mike Pence https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiana/comments/4u6qfr/why_is_mike_pence_disliked_in_indiana/
and do keep in mind, that should Trump die the next in line to the Presidency is Mike Pence. Even tho, no one really likes to think about that. Cause ….Hillary. OR something.
But hey nothing of that matters, cause Trump is gonna defund Planned Parenthood, the one clinic all over the US that offers affordable healthcare to women who otherwise may not have the funds to get it.
Cause nothing says i ma gonna love me some wimmin then taking away their health care provider and the place that offers sexual health care. And his women will still get their abortions should they need them, cause they have the cash and the passports to leave the country.
Fuck sake, be a Trumpie all you want, but don’t pretend that anyone running on the republican ticket will offer anything to women in regards to healthcare.
who exactly is “gushing”?…sounds like you…or is it frothing?
any other comment?
No?
No
For every 12 women who will vote for Hillary Clinton, at least ten women will vote for Trump, according to the latest LA Times/USC tracking poll of 3000 voters.
So Trump is not that far behind Clinton when it comes to support from women.
My bet is that he will close that gap further, and gain support from more women.
Yes, Trump said that he will defund PP if and only if they continue to do abortions.
But it’ll be one of those things that he won’t quite get around to actually doing, like building The Wall.
Another river stuffed up by birds and drought. Well, that is if you believe Professor Rowarth.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/84116972/no-longer-swimmable-a-community-mourns-its-lost-river
..a tragedy but at least it has water still in it….our local river is a dirty little trickle…not enough even for a swimming hole…once upon a time people from Christchurch used to spend their summer holidays by it camping
….those were the days when even the poor were wealthy in the things that mattered
WashPost Makes History: First Paper to Call for
Prosecution of Its Own Source (After Accepting Pulitzer)
by GLENN GREENWALD, The Intercept, Sept. 19, 2016
THREE OF THE four media outlets that received and published large numbers of secret NSA documents provided by Edward Snowden — The Guardian, the New York Times, and The Intercept –– have called for the U.S. government to allow the NSA whistleblower to return to the U.S. with no charges. That’s the normal course for a news organization, which owes its sources duties of protection, and which — by virtue of accepting the source’s materials and then publishing them — implicitly declares the source’s information to be in the public interest.
But not the Washington Post. In the face of a growing ACLU and Amnesty-led campaign to secure a pardon for Snowden, timed to this weekend’s release of the Oliver Stone biopic “Snowden,” the Post editorial page today not only argued in opposition to a pardon, but explicitly demanded that Snowden — the paper’s own source — stand trial on espionage charges or, as a “second-best solution,” accept “a measure of criminal responsibility for his excesses and the U.S. government offers a measure of leniency.”
……
Read more….
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/
Hillary Clinton: Boycotting North Carolina Is Noble
and Just; Boycotting Israel Is Bigoted and Hateful
by GLENN GREENWALD, The Intercept, Sept. 14, 2016
….Could someone explain why it’s noble, enlightened, justifiable, and progressive to boycott an American state, but hateful, bigoted, retrograde, and evil to support a boycott of a foreign country that has been imposing a brutal, discriminatory, and illegal occupation for many decades, a boycott that is led by people with virtually no political rights? How did that happen? Hillary Clinton is far from the only person espousing this bizarre distinction — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as but one example, is punishing companies that support a boycott of Israel while forcing state employees to honor the boycott of North Carolina — but what could possibly justify U.S. politicians drawing the moral and ethical lines about boycotts in this manner?
…..
Read more….
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/13/hillary-clinton-boycotting-north-carolina-is-noble-and-just-boycotting-israel-is-bigoted-and-hateful/
+100 Morrissey…thanx for those links…Greenwald is a journalist always worth reading and listening to
voting today,
so many nice talented Labour and Greens people to give a tick.
My response to Chris Trotter’s latest post on The Daily Blog promoting ‘the surge’ for ‘millennial’ Auckland Mayoral candidate, Chloe Swarbrick.
I like Chloe.
She’s friendly, personable, articulate and presents very well on the campaign trail.
Her policies – not so much.
Chloe supports privatisation via Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs).
More significantly, Chloe supports the Auckland Unitary Plan and intensification, as do Generation Zero.
In my considered opinion, this ‘One Plan’ for Auckland has been ‘democracy for developers’ and dominated by the interests of commercial property developers and investors represented by the NZ Property Council.
Auckland Council and most Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) are members of the NZ Property Council, which in my considered opinion, as an anti-corruption campaigner is a significant and arguably corrupt ‘conflict of interest’.
As ‘activists get things done’ I have petitioned Parliament for an inquiry and provided evidence recently to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee in support of my petition, calling for an inquiry into the alleged conflict of interest regarding Auckland Council’s membership of the NZ Property Council.
In my considered opinion, Generation Zero, in their support for the Auckland Unitary Plan and intensification, pushing the line that those residents and ratepayers attempting to defend their local communities against decimation by developers, are effectively been promoted as selfish baby boomers stopping young people from getting their foot on the property ladder.
How convenient for the NZ Property Council to have these young advocates, on the same page, singing their same tune, but in a way that is far more effective pushing young vs old than if this were done by suited middle-aged property developers?
In my considered opinion, Generation Zero are effectively the ‘Youth Branch’ of the NZ Property Council.
Unlike all the Auckland Mayoral candidates, (including Chloe) I am actively opposed to corrupt corporate control by the 1%, locally, nationally and internationally.
For years I have actively campaigned against Council (Corporate) Controlled Organisations (CCOs), Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Because I am the only Auckland Mayoral candidate directly standing up to corrupt corporate control by the 1%, the effective censorship I have been facing by (corporate controlled) mainstream media is simply breath-taking in how blatant it has been.
In 2013, in the only poll that counts, the election result, I polled 4th, with 11,723 votes.
That was before Auckland Council tried to force the rating sale of my freehold home, over my disputing and refusing to pay rates because of the Council’s failure to disclose where exactly public monies are being spent on private sector consultants and contractors.
Although some citizens (who are not familiar with their lawful rights and the Council’s statutory obligations under s.17 of the Public Records Act 2005 (google it), apparently want me to have a frontal lobotomy and forget mine, and just be a good sheepish slave and just pay my rates, like they do, I’m not budging until I get the transparency to which I, and all citizens are entitled.
So, that is why, unlike Chloe, I’m not getting the TV coverage and being excluded from mainstream media Auckland Mayoral debates.
The real debate would be between myself and Phil Goff.
The topic?
Rogernomic$ wrecked Auckland.
What do you say to that Chris?
A real ‘meat and spuds’ debate on the substantive issues, rather than the candy floss ‘bubble and fluff’ we’re getting now?
Kind regards
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
‘Activists – get things done’