7% undecided in the poll. Interesting that they released that.
New Zealand National-Led Govt’s Winning Lead Increases
59.5% (UP 4%) CF. LABOUR 40.5% (DOWN 4%)
Finding No. 4705 – This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone with a NZ wide cross-section of 847 electors from September 26 – October 9, 2011. Of all electors surveyed 7% (unchanged) didn’t name a party.: October 18, 2011
The latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows support for Prime Minister John Key’s National-led Government has risen to 59.5%. Support for Key’s National Party is 55.5% (up 4.5%), ACT NZ 1.5% (unchanged), the Maori Party 2% (down 0.5%), and United Future 0.5% (unchanged).
Support for Opposition Parties is at 40.5% (down 4%) — Labour Party 28% (down 2.5%), Greens 9.5% (down 2%), New Zealand First 2% (up 1%), Mana Party 0.5% (unchanged) and Others 0.5% (down 0.5%).
Actually no Freedom….what I was commenting on is the reality of a weak labour party, and when all else has failed there is always hope……….hope that the polls may change……….hope that labour may be resurgent this election……….keep hope alive.
The polls are our reality, they have framed the narative are are the talking point.
Yes, the people will see Phil Goff mucking in and will realise that Phil Goff is a man of the people and will flock around him and cast the National party out of office
And that loyal kiwi job creator sir M Fay underbids for them and goes on the PR charm offensive that he’s got NZ’s interests at heart (again) as the offer is rejected …..tui moment.
I think you are correct Craig G .E. I’m sure Shipley went to China with the Wongs. what a greedy cunning woman ,and is she not recieving a huge amounts of taxpayers money thanks to Brownlee . the more I see of Tories and their ilk the more I wonder how they can con the public time and time again . It just beats me!.
At what point in NZ did our collective outlook on life become underpinned by sociopathy?
Why are our national tales of overcoming struggle used as clubs to beat our young into silence and submission?
When the same amount of effort goes into perpetuating problems as that which would solve them, why chose abuse as default?
At what point does a guy figure that buying a new suit, car, house, boat or swimming pool, is a better option than learning to be a happy person and better lover?
If he knows he’s unhappy, why not change, rather than abuse those around him for lack of personal responsibility?
If happiness and sadness have the same value to him, why not finally discover what human life really is, instead of engineering the next iphone app?
This is what happens when you have dried blueberries from Bolivia on your porridge. They must have been grown next to coca plants.
Julia Gillard said yesterday the summit must “expunge” Europe’s crisis of confidence. “The time for muddling through is over,” the Prime Minister said. “Substantial and comprehensive reforms must be put in place – nothing less.”
In issuing its Great Depression warning, the IMF referred to the work of economist John Maynard Keynes, who showed that when everyone tried to lift their savings simultaneously, the total savings in the economy fell because there was not enough demand for goods and services.
In issuing its Great Depression warning, the IMF referred to the work of economist John Maynard Keynes, who showed that when everyone tried to lift their savings simultaneously, the total savings in the economy fell because there was not enough demand for goods and services.
“The overarching risk is of a global paradox of thrift as households, firms and governments around the world reduce demand,” the IMF said. “Downside risks have increased and are severe.”
French and German banks are completely overleveraged due to their casino risk taking and would fall over in a heartbeat.
In essence what is happening now is that the political leaders of the PIIGS are no longer working on behalf of their people, they have been induced to work on behalf of the international banking cartel.
That’d be the best thing that they could do. Just declare all external debt null and void and drop the Euro. The “negotiations” are just attempts to save a few people from losing some money due to their own bad decisions.
When you loan out money you’re taking the risk that not going to get it back.
First they can do is net off all the liabilities, payments and interest charges between the different countries. That immediately destroys about 30% of the debt.
But if these countries just defaulted , hell what would be better if all default what happens??? NO think about it what really happens??? Nothing. The sun still rises and sets the baker still bakes Planes still fly there will be chaos as the materialistic banker type will scream and wriggle and try to regain their previous positions to hopefully no avail. And the only ones hurt are the one who caused the pain. The Bankers.
Well that fantasy land here they’ll call out the army to protect their pile.
The most critical thing governments must do in the event of a massive debt default and subsequent banking failure is to take over the utility operations of all banking transaction systems.
This will allow normal day to day economic transactions to still occur.
Wages still need to be paid into bank accounts. ATMs still need to be refilled. EFTPOS and credit card transactions still need to be processed nightly. Bill payments for power, rates and taxes made. In the modern day internet banking systems also need to be maintained.
In other words, in the short term the utility banking functions which allow the real economy to function day to day must experience continuity of operation.
This will buy time for us to distance ourselves from the globalised financial system (which simultaneously disempowers the banksters who all want centralised global control). And all the bullshit securities and (false) asset trading side of the banks are split off and quietly incinerated, and quite a few banksters put away for long prison terms.
National’s Kiwisaver “policy” is a complete joke. Here’s why:
1. It’s all predicated on returning to surplus in 2014-2015. That is almost certainly not going to happen. This is how to promise something that you know is never going to happen and take the thunder out of the oppositions PR.
2. They’re expecting to enrol 275,000 people permanently into the scheme. The current adoption rate of kiwisaver suggests that by 2014-2015, approximately that many people would have joined the scheme anyway.
3. If they’re wrong and more people stay in than expected, their economic projections are screwed.
4. Enrolling everyone, setting up wage redirection, and then having most people opt-out again is a huge bureaucracy make-work scheme.
5. If they paid the $1,000 kickstart spread over 5 years at $200 year, with the requirement that you must have made some contributions in the same year to qualify for that year’s allocation, they would both cut the total contribution required and spread it out over more years. A guy from the savings working group says that with these changes they could easily start the program this year without causing much stress on the budget.
Triple downgrade just round the corner, milk prices dropping like a stone, PM blatantly lying and obvious bogus email cover-up, govt twiddled thumbs as birds are slaughtered….
Good old “independent” press, not even pretending any more. Unabashed gangster pimps and whores to their paymasters. Cucified Hels for signing a painting for charity, pack-raped Winnie for an alleged minor fib, now protecting their boy with non-stop spin, flim-flam and rah-rah.
Know the enemy and ignore it. Leaflets, tweets, the net, the street.
One of the more interesting aspects of OWS are the growing number of the 1% who are in support of change. This is either a well co-ordinated manipulation of the message or perhaps there really are some rich folk with a heart. I think most of us will agree it is the latter.
The inequalities faced by Māori are obvious when the facts are noted. Facts around income and workforce participation show Māori disadvantage and that translates into more financial difficulties after retirement. It is not just that many Māori struggle to save, there is less opportunity to save and cultural responsibilities for older Māori also have a financial cost not borne by others. Add in lower life expectancy and the unfairness of treating Māori as a sub-group of the general population is obvious.
I blame Government – todays and yesterdays, because the Treaty, specifically Article 2 and 3, have not been actualised and even today tangata whenua and their situation are not considered. The beginnings of a solution to this issue must be a reduction in the retirement age for Māori. This would alieviate the financial stressors for kaumātua and lead to a resurgence of marae activity which would be positive for the Māori Nation and the country as a whole.
You should be interested in the UnitedFuture approach which addresses this.
“60 to 70 choice on superannuation – New Zealanders should be able to take superannuation at reduced rates down to 60 or increasingly enhanced rates if they hold off until between 66 and 70”
Awesome that you agree with me pete – well done. Although I am not talking about reduced rates and whilst I have sympathy for all people nearing retirement, the inequality that Māori face is quite specific.
It would have to be at reduced rates, but that doesn’t mean reduced benefits. If someone’s life expetancy was, say, 70 then 10 years super at a reduced rate adds up to a lot more than 5 years at a higher rate.
You need to look at the total likely to be received, not the rate.
People with diabetes have a life expectancy 10-12 years shorter than the norm. So if someone with diabetes retires at 65 they have a retirement expectancy of something like 5 years, compared to the norm of 15+ years.
Why shouldn’t they be able to chose to retire earlier at a lower rate so they get, say, 10 years retirement?
easier? fairer? to who pete? ‘everyone’ you say but the facts don’t support that view, not even slightly. The same choices are not there or do you dispute the facts, because if you don’t then are you are implying it’s just tough and tangata whenua suffering disadvantage and facing inequality can just eat it – maybe for some that is easier, I feel sorry for those people, they lack empathy and are the cause of most of this worlds problems. Isn’t equality worth taking a solid stance for pete and if not, what is?
Those in their forties will retire after the bulge, yet will be at their
height of earning income paying for the boomer retired. They
will of course inherit a glut of care homes and other age
infrastructure. So where’s the fairness? Well there isn’t any.
We can’t manage retirement on the basis of what people pay
or paid. We need to give everyone the same basic level,
reward those who saved (for obvious reasons we need people
to save), and stop this when we set the retirement age thing.
The old will need to work longer because their decile
have most of the jobs now, most of the population, but
likewise we have to insure the stragglers get by too.
But those in their forties and younger will not need to
work longer because the population spread would have
rebalanced as the boomer are decimated by attrition.
wow Pete, So you can see into the future and tell us when someone is going to die? You really are the Messiah we have awaited all these years. The actuaries must be knocking on your door daily.
( I always thought the Messiah’s name in the second coming would be more …you know… inspiring , Brian first time round, now it’s Pete ?)
We have an ageing population and a baby boomer bulge. In 15 years time current levels of support will be unsustainable. So what do we do? Do we:
1. Increase retirement age
2. Decrease entitlements
3. Means test it
4. Put our head in the sand and not worry about it because some future government will have to deal with it.
And before you cite your policy I note it is cost neutral so will not address affordability issues.
EDIT: I see that other aspects of UF policy will actually make Superannuation MORE expensive and benefit the wealthy.
We don’t have a retirement age. We have an age that people can receive National Super from, quite different. Many people work much longer, some can’t work that long but can’t “retire” on a pension.
Before we can put up the entitlement age – which incidentally if it’s done without any other changes, as per Marsman’s point will make it even worse for those who have worked hard manually or have lower life expectancies due to ethnic or medical reasons – we need to get retirement savings working.
“Kiwisaver should be made compulsory but we cannot afford to wait until 2015 or when we get back into surplus to do it, said UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne.”
What will you do to make Superannuation affordable. And why if you want to get retirement savings working did the coiffured one vote for a budget that stuffed up the Cullen Fund and severely handicapped Kiwisaver?
Pete you are right about that as i for one do not understand Confidence and Supply agreements because in case you have not noticed we are meant to have MMP , not defacto FPP.
Over the years I have had long battles trying to get the difference into thick skulled robots like yourself and there is not enough hours left before the election to try again.
Political convention and self protection have made our MMP a twisted perversion of what it could have been.
The referendum is looming and the pressure is being put on people to throw out MMP
before we have even experienced a single MMP government.
And you Petey do not understand “answer the feckin question”.
Stop prevaricating and going off on tangents and answer the question.
We have an ageing population and a baby boomer bulge. In 15 years time current levels of support will be unsustainable. So what do we do? Do we:
1. Increase retirement age
2. Decrease entitlements
3. Means test it
4. Put our head in the sand and not worry about it because some future government will have to deal with it.
Here are my thoughts on a possible solution to the superannuation problem. They are just thoughts…no costing or anything as i wouldnt know where to begin with that….but what do you think?
SUPERANNUATION IDEA:
To help with the cost of the climbing retirement population here are some thoughts on how we could reduce the cost to the taxpayer in the long run and also create a better savings culture among New Zealanders.
Making it compulsory for people to save for retirement (Kiwisaver?) from the moment they are 18 years old. Also, gradually phase out the current super scheme as follows:
Have a law that states that super payments are ALWAYS guaranteed to be at least 67% (or whatever it currently is) of the average wage (or whatever it is benchmarked against). But that the government only makes up the difference.
How they get this is done as follows:
When they reach retirement, their total super that they have saved via Kiwisaver (or another scheme) is divided out over how many years the average person is meant to live. I.e. if the retirement age is 65, and the life expectancy is 85 then you get 20 years. Thus, the amount they have saved is divided by 20. Then whatever the difference is between what that amount works out to be and what 67% of average wage is, the government meets to ensure they are getting the average. (for instance if they saved enough, that when divided out of 20 years equaled $200 a week, but the benchmark of 67% of average wage is $300 a week….then the government makes up the $100 difference only. If on the other hand they have saved enough, that when divided over 20 years is $350 a week, and the benchmark 67% is $300… then the government doesn’t pay anything towards superannuation)
If they live longer than the 20 years, then the government starts paying the full amount of super.
If they die before all the money is paid out that they saved, the government gives the money to the family or to the persons estate.
Also, if they choose not to retire at 65 (or whatever the retirement age is at the time) they will not stop contributing to Kiwisaver (or another scheme) until they retire and they will not get government super until they stop working.
Obviously this is aimed at starting for everyone that turns 18 from the time such a policy would come in. However that does not mean it could not be adapted using the same above mentioned principles for people who are already 18 or over and who may even be close to retirement now, if they have some form of super scheme at present.
Clearly none of this is costed and it is just my humble idea.
Can you imagine the interesting conversations the Minister of Finance will be having with Treasury officials in 50 years time trying to find a solution to the unfunded liability caused by people living too damn long. Wait for the word ‘carousel’ to be tossed in…
I’ve already said what I think (I agree with United Future policy on this). And I repeat – there is no retirement age.
Pure semantics. Do you want me to say “the age at which National Superannuation payments commence” instead?
1. Give people a choice at what age they get entitlement from 60-70.
Does not address the issue. The change is cost neutral.
2. Make Kiwisaver compulsory so people have their own retirement savings.
You mean that you are going to abolish super and make savings compulsory? Good luck in selling that. But what will you do about the baby boomers who retire in the next 15 years? Or do you propose to make the cuts in the near future?
Interesting – I agree with you that changes would be over decades. But 15 years is when the crunch hits.
Well as Pete pointed out there is no ‘retirement age’ – you can retire any time you want. You want super for Maori earlier than anyone else. But super is not timebound and it is not dependent on work status – you get it till you die even if you are working (with abatements or high tax isn’t it or did Winston get rid of that?). So if I declared myself Maori at 55, I could gain 10 years of extra super and might still live till 80 mumble. And I can do that unhindered because Maori is a matter of self definition. I’s is what I says I’s is. Nice scam you are enabling.
That’s why it needs to be a universal choice – anyone can choose to start getting super sooner or later depending on their circumstances and preferences.
It wouldn’t work if you start trying to select some groups for preferential treatment, too complex and too open to manipulation. And it discriminates – if you choose Maori do you also choose PI? What qualifies as PI – Taiwanee? Japanese? And that’s not fair on non-Maori who have worked physically har all their lives and their bodies won’t last until 65 – or 67, or 70. And it’s not fair on those with expectancy shortening medical conditions like diabetes.
damn you were doing so well pete and then you go and drop the ball. Why are you dillydallying now – the whole point of the original comment was about the inequality for tangata whenua and a small, almost token way, that could be remedied for older Māori nearing retirement. Your plaintive, “it’s not fair… it discriminates” frankly sickens me.
The point is they can’t be caught out, because there is nothing wrong being done – I mean if Christian Cullen and Tony Brown can be Maori All Blacks then why can’t I retire early? I must be as Maori as they are. The ones who probably won’t do it will be the racists who want nothing to do with Maoris on principle (which ironically means they won’t be scum…).
The only way you can avoid it happening is by defining who a ‘real Maori’ is. Good luck with that one.
you seem to be arguing… nothing. As you said ‘nothing wrong being done’ but I think you get to your main point a bit later, don’t you.
If you are Māori and could be in the Māori All Blacks then good oh. If not, so what?
the ones who on principle want nothing to do with Māori are scum – they are delusional and pathetic but I suppose one could quibble about the definition of scum – which dictionary? which authority? hmmm such a tough decision.
If you can’t see that the fundamental flaw in your proposal is that it is just free money for anyone who asks, no qualifications needed, then you need to go and think a bit harder
another drongo day athe dompost. front page has a hybrid bike thing with no exhaust and the reporter having orgasms at this thing designed to break the law. What is this fascination with noise?
Everywhere you go there is some drongo making a noise. I gues they just compenating for havinga small penis. National said they would get rid of noise and drngos on the roads but hey are creeping back again.
Yeah pretty much he’s just a dick, plus no matter what he says you can tell it gets to him and makes him play worse. So of course the crowd will keep doing it.
complete and utter drivel, why waste your time and ours posting such crap
In his entire career i have heard many people mention many things about ‘that man’, mostly unprintable.
the only people i have ever heard mention his race as a contributing factor in the derision he attracts are people in the media,
on a related tech subject…
(have tried to send this to email a few times but never get an answer)
I still cannot post from android ,
‘enter name’ ok, press next
‘enter email address’ ok, press next
goes to ‘enter site info’ and that is as far as it goes,
i do not have a site to enter. Is there any way to bypass this step?
… are you trying from the “contact us” screen? If your browser is not supported the screen may be prefaced by a note advising you to send via the .com address supplied
the standard comes up “blurry” more times than not in safari for iPad
In the mobile version or standard version on the mobile? (Switch is at the bottom of the page). In haven’t booted up a windoze box to run iTunes to do the upgrade myself yet.
National promised to create 170,000 jobs in the 2010 budget and failed to deliver. In fact unemployment has increased by around 57,000 since National took over. They then made the same promise to create 170,000 jobs in the 2011 budget…
as it is a requirement for all public protest actions, including marches, to co-ordinate with the Police for issues of public safety, will exercising your rights to free speech also warrant a fee?
A drug addict kicks their habit, taken up to stay awake on onerous
long trunking jobs, and their pusher drops their bong into the truck
and tips off a ex-police officer.
A management who doesn’t random test for, or offer drug testing
so saving the company money rehiring, or testing cabs routinely
for burn marks etc.
Creates an injustice. Where the lawful truthful actions of an
employee inevitable loose them their jobs. Had they lawyered
up, had a lawyer mate or family member, like so many
middle class pakeha families, he;d still have his job.
Welcome to the rule of law. Not.
But worse. Many French and America soldiers died from
a truck bomber in Lebanon, a bomber flawed but likely an
honest man frustrated living in an emerging nation of law????
When honest men lose we are all less safe.
Managers have a duty to their investors and that means
retaining, with routine drug testing, their workers. This
did not happen.
Maybe a link to an article would help make your point?
Because at the moment all I’m getting from your comment is some sort of incoherent arguement for routine drug testing, which I will file along with your enthusiasm for implementing Team America World Police and giving all the cops guns to usher in a new era of peace.
And why is it that you can construct sentences when asking a tech question but default to babble when you are commenting politically?
Sorry the tech question was someone elses, your babble is it seems a consistent feature.
Aerobubble I would really like to understand you so please hook me up with some links to the events that you are commenting on so I can decipher the point you are trying to make.
rnz pod cast on law about case where a trunk driver was sacked when they told the truth
at the outset and at the time had done nothing wrong. the glee of the law expert at
this case which does a disservice to a civil society given the truck driver do drugs to
stay awake, and are also unlikely to dob their dealer in.
Whenever National and Act attack Labour you know Labour is doing something that workers will like and employers/owners/shareholders will hate because it loses them profit. There is such a thing as egalitarian behaviour which gives a fair profit and a fair wage and a fair lifestyle for all New Zealanders. That is not what NACT want. They want the power, the money, the resources and the control over the other 90% of New Zealanders.
My problem with the National party is they reward bad management practice,
the best economy is the widest and broadest economy, yet National target
only the few to be winners and everyone else is poor from it. But worse,
now even the winners that National are targetting with their legislative
largesse are suffering from National incompetence. How exactly does a
business owner make profits when their customers have little discretional
spending? And I’m not just talking in S.Auckland, I’m talking on the
streets of London and NY. National are completely out of touch not only
with the global economy, but with Epsom voters who loaded up on debt
to get into Grammar zone.
This week Prime Minister John Key defended the country’s investment in the World Cup, saying it was “$39 million well spent”.
???
Budget blowouts have pushed public spending on the Rugby World Cup well above $200 million – without counting $555 million in stadium upgrades and $39 million in direct losses from hosting the tournament.
But we’re saved…
But the economic returns are also starting to arrive, including an extra $4.4 million in tourist spending on Paymark eftpos systems during the tournament’s penultimate weekend.
Yep, we’re going to get almost $5m in extra tourist spending for our almost $800m in spending…
/wanders off to be physically sick at the thought of this rort we had forced upon us for the amusement of a minority of us.
No wonder we’re being encouraged now to go for the Olympics – they’ve realised that we love giving money to foreigners – in imports, in investment returns, in sending our best and brightest to Australia…
A small loss with the RWC, a much bigger loss with the Olympics – yay say the circling scavengers. – come and get it says John Key. You don’t want the energy companies? Then take the Ports of Auckland and the airport and our water infrastructure – I’m not staying either, says Key. I just came to pack up the assets and send em back to my place.
By itself, a 2% decline year after year—while sounding mild—would send our growth-based economy into a tailspin. As detailed in a previous post, across-the-board efficiency improvements cannot tread water against a rate as high as 2% per year. As we’ll see next, the Energy Trap just makes things worse.
According to a study of the largest 811 oilfields conducted in early 2008 by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), the average rate of field decline is 4.5% per year. The IEA stated in November 2008 that an analysis of 800 oilfields showed the decline in oil production to be 6.7% a year, and that this would grow to 8.6% in 2030.
Between now and 2020. I think that there is a roughly 10% chance that net available oil exports* will manage to supply enough cheap oil to OECD countries to sustain net economic growth per capita over the next ten years.
And I think that there is a 90% chance that it will not.
*This seems like an awkward contrived measure, but it takes into account the fact that many major oil producers, even growing ones, are keeping more and more of their yearly production to satisfy internal use, which means it is not available for trade on the world market.
Enjoyed this Bill Maher interview on OWS vs teabaggers and religion – really liked that he realised his wealth was mere fluke instead of the tired I worked my arse off to get where I am:
Felix – why for gods sake did you encourage Pete G?
Stirring is for a non – bond martini.
Surely The Standard has enough comments without Petes special blend of 2 parts sanctimonious & holier- than -thou, 3 parts drivel, and 5 parts of nothing at all?
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A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Resource Management (Prohibition on Extraction of Freshwater for On-selling) Amendment Bill (Debbie Ngarewa-Packer) The bill does exactly what it says on the label, and would effectively end the rapacious water-bottling industry ...
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...
Foreign aid is being slashed across the Global North, nowhere more so than in the United States. Within his first month back in the White House, President Donald Trump dismantled the US Agency for International ...
Nicola Willis has proposed new procurement rules that unions say will lead to pay cuts for already low-paid workers in cleaning, catering and security services that are contracted by government. The Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill passed its third reading with support from all the opposition parties and NZ ...
Most KP readers will not know that I was a jazz DJ in Chicago and Washington DC while in grad school in the early and mid 1980s. In DC I joined WPFW as a grave shift host, then a morning drive show host (a show called Sui Generis, both for ...
Long stories shortest: The IMF says a capital gains tax or land tax would improve real economic growth and fix the budget. GDP is set to be smaller by 2026 than it was in 2023. Compass is flying in school lunches from Australia. 53% of National voters say the new ...
Last year in October I wrote “Where’s The Opposition?”. I was exasperated at the relative quiet of the Green Party, Labour and Te Pati Māori (TPM), as the National led Coalition ticked off a full bingo card of the Atlas Network playbook.1To be fair, TPM helped to energise one of ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkGood data visualizations can help make climate change more visceral and understandable. Back in 2016 Ed Hawkins published a “climate spiral” graph that ended up being pretty iconic – it was shown at the opening ceremony of the Olympics that year – and ...
An agreement to end the war in Ukraine could transform Russia’s relations with North Korea. Moscow is unlikely to reduce its cooperation with Pyongyang to pre-2022 levels, but it may become more selective about areas ...
This week, the Government is hosting a grand event aimed at trying to interest big foreign capital players in financing capital works in New Zealand, particularly its big rural motorway programme. Financing vs funding: a quick explainer The key word in the sentence above is financing. It is important ...
In a month’s time, the Right Honourable Winston Peters will be celebrating his 80th birthday. Good for him. On the evidence though, his current war on “wokeness” looks like an old man’s cranky complaint that the ancient virtues of grit and know-how are sadly lacking in the youth of today. ...
As noted, early March has been about moving house, and I have had little chance to partake in all things internet. But now that everything is more or less sorted, I can finally give a belated report on my visit to the annual Regent Booksale (28th February and 1st March). ...
Information operations Australia has banned cybersecurity software Kaspersky from government use because of risks of espionage, foreign interference and sabotage. The Department of Home Affairs said use of Kaspersky products posed an unacceptable security ...
The StrategistBy Linus Cohen, Astrid Young and Alice Wai
One of the best understood tropes of screen drama is the scene where the beloved family dog is barking incessantly and cannot be calmed. Finally, somebody asks: What is it, girl? Has someone fallen down a well? Is there trouble at the old John Key place?One is reminded of this ...
The ’ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, plays a significant role in the global cocaine trade and is deeply entrenched in Australia, influencing the cocaine trade and engaging in a variety of illicit activities. A range of ...
In the US, the Trump regime is busy imposing tariffs on its neighbours and allies, then revoking them, then reimposing them, permanently poisoning relations with Canada and Mexico. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on agricultural goods, which will affect Aotearoa's exports. National's response? To grovel for an exemption, ...
Troy Bowker’s Caniwi Capital’s Desmond Gittings, former TradeMe and Warehouse executive Simon West, former anonymous right wing blogger / Labour attacker & now NZ On Air Board member / Waitangi Tribunal member Philip Crump, Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon who used to run vaccine critical, Treaty of Waitangi critical, and trans-rights ...
The free school lunch program was one of Labour's few actual achievements in government. Decent food, made locally, providing local employment. So naturally, National had to get rid of it. Their replacement - run by Compass, a multinational which had already been thrown out of our hospitals for producing inedible ...
New draft government procurement guidelines will remove living wage protections for thousands of low-paid workers in Aotearoa New Zealand, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “The Minister of Finance Nicola Willis has proposed a new rule saying that the Living Wage no longer needs to be paid in ...
The Trump administration’s effort to divide Russia from China is doomed to fail. This means that the United States is destroying security relationships based on a delusion. To succeed, Russia would need to overcome more ...
Māori workers now hold more high-skilled jobs than low-skilled jobs with 46 percent in high-skilled jobs, 14 percent in skilled jobs, and 40 percent in low-skilled jobs. Resource teachers of literacy and Te Reo Māori are “devastated” by a proposal from the Education Minister to stop funding 174 roles from ...
Knowing what is going on in orbit is getting harder—yet hardly less necessary. But new technologies are emerging to cope with the challenge, including some that have come from Australian civilian research. One example is ...
This is a guest post by Malcolm McCracken. It previously appeared on his blog Better Things Are Possible and is shared by kind permission. New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project, the City Rail Link (CRL), is expected to open in 2026. This will be an exciting step forward for Auckland, delivering better ...
“The reality is I'm just saying to you I'm proud of the work we're doing. We're doing a great job”, said Luxon, pushing back at Auckland Council’s reports of rising homelessness and pleas for help. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest:Christopher Luxon denies his Government caused a ...
Should I stay, or should I go now?Should I stay, or should I go now?If I go, there will be troubleAnd if I stay, it will be doubleSo come on and let me knowSongwriters: Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer.Christopher,Tomorrow marks seventeen months since the last election. We’re ...
Homelessness in Auckland has risen by 53% in 4 months - that’s 653 peopleliving in cars, on streets and in parks.The city’s emergency housing numbers have fallen by about 650 under National too - now at record lows.Housing First Auckland is on the frontlines: There is “more and more ...
A growing consensus holds that the future of airpower, and of defense technology in general, involves the interplay of crewed and uncrewed vehicles. Such teaming means that more-numerous, less-costly, even expendable uncrewed vehicles can bring ...
Only two more sleeps to the Government’s Jamboree Investor Extravaganza! As a proud New Zealander I’m very much hoping for the best: Off-shore wind farms! Solar power! Sustainable industry powered by the abundant energy we could be producing!I wonder, will they have a deal already lined up, something to announce ...
After decades of gradual decline, Australia’s manufacturing capability is no longer mission-fit to meet national security needs. Any whole-of-nation effort to arrest this trend needs to start by making the industrial operating environment more conducive ...
Back in October 2022, Restore Passenger Rail hung banners across roads in Wellington to protest against the then-Labour government's weak climate change policy. The police responded by charging them not with the usual public order offences, but with "endangering transport", a crime with a maximum sentence of 14 years in ...
Luxon’s popularity continues to fall, and a new survey shows voters rank fixing the health system as the top priority. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesLong stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: National’s pollster finds Christopher Luxon has fallen behind Chris Hipkins as preferred PM for the first ...
The CTU is calling for an apology from Nicola Willis after her office made a false characterisation of CTU statements, which ultimately saw him blocked from future Treasury briefings. New data shows that Māori make up 83% of those charged under new gang laws. Financial incentives are being offered to ...
Australia’s cyber capabilities have evolved rapidly, but they are still largely reactive, not preventative. Rather than responding to cyber incidents, Australian law enforcement agencies should focus on dismantling underlying criminal networks. On 11 December, Europol ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Finally, there’s some good news to report from NOAA, the parent organization of the National Hurricane Center, or NHC: During the highly active 2o24 Atlantic hurricane season, the NHC made record-accurate track forecasts at every time interval (12-, ...
The Australian government has prioritised enhancing Australia’s national resilience for many years now, whether against natural disasters, economic coercion or hostile armed forces. However, the public and media response to the presence of Chinese naval ...
It appears that Auckland Transport is finally set to improve Auckland’s busiest non-frequent bus route, the 120. As highlighted in my post a month ago on Auckland’s busiest bus routes, the 120 is the busiest route that doesn’t already run frequently all day/week and carries more passengers than many other ...
Economists have earned their reputation for jargon and tunnel vision, but sometimes, it takes an someone as perceptive as Simplicity economist Shamubeel Eaqub to identify something simple and devastating. As he pointed out recently, the coalition government is trying to attract foreign investment here to generate economic growth, while – ...
Opinion & AnalysisSimeon Brown, left, and Deloitte partner David LovattIn September 2024, Deloitte Partner David Lovatt, was contracted by the National Government to help National ostensibly understand “the drivers behind HNZ’s worsening financial performance”.1 i.e. deficit.The report shows the last version was dated December 2024.It was formally released this week ...
This cobbled-together government was altogether more the beneficiary of Labour getting turfed out than anything it managed to do itself. Even the worthless cheques they were writing didn't buy all that much favour.How’s it all looking now?Shall we take a look at a Horizon poll?The Government’s performance is making only ...
There's horrible news from the US today, with the Trump regime disappearing Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, for protesting against genocide in Gaza. Its another significant decline in US human rights, and puts them in the same class as the authoritarian dictatorships they used to sponsor in South ...
Yesterday National announced plans to amend the Public Works Act to "speed up" land acquisition for public works. Which sounds boring and bureaucratic - except its not. Because what "land acquisition" means is people's homes being compulsorily acquired by the state - which is inherently controversial, and fairly high up ...
Contenders: The next question after “Will Luxon really go?” is, of course, “Will that work?” The answer to that question lies not so much in the efficacy of Luxon’s successor as it does in the perceived strength of the Centre-Left alternative.AT LEAST TWO prominent political commentators are alluding publicly to the ...
Ice will melt, water will boilYou and I can shake off this mortal coilIt's bigger than usYou don't have to worry about itIt's circumstantialIt's nothing written in the skyAnd we don't even have to trySongwriters: Neil Finn / Tim Finn.Preparing for the future.Many of you will be familiar with the ...
In my post last Thursday I offered some thoughts on changes that should be initiated by the government in the wake of the Governor’s surprise resignation. (Days on we still have no real explanation as to why he just resigned with no notice, disappearing out the door and (eg) leaving ...
In late February a Chinese navy flotilla including a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment ship began to circle Australia, conducting a live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea along the way. The Strategist featured ...
China’s deployment of a potent surface action group around Australia over the past two weeks is unprecedented but not unique. Over the past few years, China’s navy has deployed a range of vessels in Australia’s ...
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Within months and before Parliamentary approval is obtained, the Government plans to strip non-Maori landowners of the right to use the Environment Court to stop compulsory acquisition for fast-track projects and big new motorways.The Government also wants to buy off landowners ...
Hi,When I was 16 (pimples, braces, painfully awkward) — I applied for a job at Video Ezy.It’s difficult to describe how much I wanted this job. Video Ezy was my local video shop in Tauranga, and I’d spend hours of my teenage life stalking through those aisles, looking at the ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 2, 2025 thru Sat, March 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...
Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...
With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...
Labour welcomes Simeon Brown’s move to reinstate a board at Health New Zealand, bringing the destructive and secretive tenure of commissioner Lester Levy to an end. ...
This morning’s announcement by the Health Minister regarding a major overhaul of the public health sector levels yet another blow to the country’s essential services. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets. “This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. ...
Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...
Te Pāti Māori welcomes the resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal. His appointment in October 2024 was a disgrace- another example of this government undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi by appointing a former ACT leader who has spent his career attacking Māori rights. “Regardless of the reason for ...
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is avoiding accountability by refusing to answer key questions in the House as his Government faces criticism over their dangerous citizen’s arrest policy, firearm reform, and broken promises to recruit more police. ...
The number of building consents issued under this Government continues to spiral, taking a toll on the infrastructure sector, tradies, and future generations of Kiwi homeowners. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister to rule out joining the AUKUS military pact in any capacity following the scenes in the White House over the weekend. ...
The Green Party is appalled by the Government’s plan to disestablish Resource Teachers of Māori (RTM) roles, a move that takes another swing at kaupapa Māori education. ...
The Government’s levies announcement is a step in the right direction, but they must be upfront about who will pay its new infrastructure levies and ensure that first-home buyers are protected from hidden costs. ...
The Government’s levies announcement is a step in the right direction, but they must be upfront about who will pay its new infrastructure levies and ensure that first-home buyers are protected from hidden costs. ...
After months of mana whenua protecting their wāhi tapu, the Green Party welcomes the pause of works at Lake Rotokākahi and calls for the Rotorua Lakes Council to work constructively with Tūhourangi and Ngāti Tumatawera on the pathway forward. ...
New Zealand First continues to bring balance, experience, and commonsense to Government. This week we've made progress on many of our promises to New Zealand.Winston representing New ZealandWinston Peters is overseas this week, with stops across the Middle East and North Asia. Winston's stops include Saudi Arabia, the ...
Green Party Co-Leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick have announced the party’s plans to deliver a Green Budget this year to offer an alternative vision to the Government’s trickle-down economics and austerity politics. ...
At this year's State of the Planet address, Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick announced the party’s plans to deliver a Green Budget this year to offer an alternative vision to the Government’s trickle-down economics and austerity politics. ...
The Government has spent $3.6 million dollars on a retail crime advisory group, including paying its chair $920 a day, to come up with ideas already dismissed as dangerous by police. ...
The Green Party supports the peaceful occupation at Lake Rotokākahi and are calling for the controversial sewerage project on the lake to be stopped until the Environment Court has made a decision. ...
ActionStation’s Oral Healthcare report, released today, paints a dire picture of unmet need and inequality across the country, highlighting the urgency of free dental care for all New Zealanders. ...
As the world marks three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced additional sanctions on Russian entities and support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. “Russia’s illegal invasion has brought three years of devastation to Ukraine’s people, environment, and infrastructure,” Mr Peters says. “These additional sanctions target 52 ...
A global renewable energy developer backing one of New Zealand’s last standing offshore wind farm proposals says it would be “difficult” to cohabit with seabed mining.Danish developer Michael Hannibal, a partner in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is visiting New Zealand for the Government’s infrastructure investment summit. His firm and the NZ ...
A wide-ranging conversation with the opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs. Even before the second Trump term began, the world was a volatile place. But since January 20, across eight whiplash weeks, the pace of change has been astonishing. Donald Trump’s America First geopolitics, melding expansionist and isolationist instincts, has created ...
Surviving terror can be isolating, trauma expert Jo Dover says.Dover – a Brit who is in New Zealand to hold resilience workshops with the Muslim community, speak publicly, and meet government officials – has supported people affected by terrorism, conflict and war for almost three decades. She arrived in Christchurch ...
Two trade experts based in Delhi expressed some mild optimism about Luxon's chances, but with a major caveat: NZ would have to abandon hope of including dairy in any deal.. ...
MONDAYAt precisely 0300 hours I gave last-minute instructions to a team of crack troops who had sworn their allegiance in the war against woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. They assembled in the basement bunker at the Beehive. It was built to withstand nuclear radiation. ...
It’s been six years since a lone gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people, shattering the country’s innocence and changing lives forever.Now a young Afghan-Kiwi couple, who were praying in another mosque in the Garden City that fateful day, is releasing a film in remembrance of ...
Gabi Lardies for now, Mad Chapman next week. Despite allegations they’re filled with shit books, I cannot pass by a little library without having a peek inside. Two weeks ago, stretching my legs from a hard morning sitting on my non-ergonomic wheely chair, I spied two curious spines in the ...
Poet Kate Camp learned to swim late in life. Now it’s a defining component of her identity. But why won’t she write about it? I learned to swim in a 15 metre pool in the backyard of Mandi’s place in Paraparaumu. That’s not true. I learned to swim in a ...
The highs, lows and silver linings of single-parenting a toddler. He lay there prone, unmoving, his dark eyes glassy and fixed on the ceiling above. My daughter looked at him, then at me. “Is that… Daddy?” I sighed. “No, darling, that’s not Daddy.” I grabbed the man to whom her ...
The star of Secrets at Red Rocks takes us through his life in television, including being duped by the Goodnight Kiwi and botching a song on Shortland Street. Whether he’s musing over a murder mystery as a cop in One Lane Bridge or in the midst of a surprise tandem ...
With the passenger seat withdrawn like this, for extra leg room, it occurs to Llew that someone has been having sex in this car. He and Nancy haven’t had sex since Waiheke. Barely even a kiss. Nancy shields her nipples with a forearm now out of the shower and Llew’s ...
With five regular season games remaining, the Wellington Phoenix women are still in with a great chance of finishing in the top six of the A-League and making the business end of this season’s competition.This Saturday night, they travel across the Tasman to face bottom of the table Sydney FC, ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal and RNZ Pacific correspondent in Majuro The late Member of Parliament Jeton Anjain and the people of the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll changed the course of the history of the Marshall Islands by using Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship to ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown rejected advice from officials to lower the bowel screening age to 58 for the general population and 56 for Māori and Pacific people, just-released documents show. ...
Much was made in the build-up about the bipartisan spirit of the summit, with both government and opposition aware of the need to see through projects beyond election cycles. ...
COMMENTARY:By Gavin Ellis New Zealand-based Canadian billionaire James Grenon owes the people of this country an immediate explanation of his intentions regarding media conglomerate NZME. This cannot wait until a shareholders’ meeting at the end of April. Is his investment in the owner of The New Zealand Herald and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer and Program Manager, Bachelor of Fashion (Enterprise) program, RMIT University Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock When you come home from a run or a sweaty gym session, do you immediately fling your clothes into the washing machine for a hot ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Vassiley, Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Aussie Family Living/Shutterstock A battle is underway on the mine sites in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. Unions are keen to get back into the iron ore industry after decades ...
"It will be a chance, really, for an update as to the different lines of diplomatic efforts that are going in across securing peace in Ukraine," Luxon said. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pat McConville, Lecturer in Ethics, Law, and Professionalism, School of Medicine, Deakin University Master1305/Shutterstock This week, doctors announced that an Australian man with severe heart failure had left hospital with an artificial heart that had kept him alive until he could ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Latty, Associate Professor, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Mircea Costina/Shutterstock About 90% of flowering plants rely on animals to transfer their pollen and optimise reproduction, making pollination one of nature’s most important processes. Bees are usually ...
A first step of good faith would be the reinstatement of a Social Sector Budget lockup for Budget 2025, inviting a cross-section of organisations representing the diversity of our population to hear key Budget messages firsthand. ...
The great thing about living on a rotating planet with an orbiting rocky satellite is that opportunities for orbs to align, well, come around. Here’s how to enjoy tonight’s lunar eclipse. In May 2024, Aotearoa was blessed with the celestial phenomenon of an exceptionally strong solar storm, causing the aurora ...
A new poem by Ted Greensmith-West. My grief is like a never-ending anticipation of impending dooms The dark hand that lurks behind the curtain is like Dorothy in photonegative with snarled teeth and pigtails… and acts as the constant reminder that Cole is dead forever now, like dust. // The ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate, $38) Dream Count is the first novel in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Shutterstock Nearly 30 years before the Christchurch terror attacks of March 15 2019, New Zealand had to grapple with the horrors of another mass shooting. The Aramoana massacre on November 13 1990 left ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Nason, Research Associate, Foreign Policy and Defence, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney Shutterstock Following the recent imposition of steel and aluminium tariffs, the Australian government is coming to terms with the reality of engaging with a US ally ...
By Sera Sefeti and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Pacific delegates have been left “shocked” by the omission of sexual and reproductive health rights from the key declaration of the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women meeting in New York. This year CSW69 will review and assess the implementation ...
Tara Ward watches Meghan Markle’s new Netflix lifestyle series and finds herself held hostage by a rainbow fruit platter.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Meghan Markle wants us to find love in the details. The Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle series ...
Newsroom has reported today that a second offshore wind group, Sumitomo, has been forced to halt plans for massive new electricity generation in the south Taranaki Bight after the government announced it was promoting seabed mining in the same space. ...
By Atereano Mateariki of Waatea News The future of Māori radio in Aotearoa New Zealand requires increased investment in both online platforms and traditional airwaves, says a senior manager. Matthew Tukaki, station manager at Waatea Digital, spoke with Te Ao Māori News about the future of Māori radio. He said ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan van den Hoek, Senior Lecturer, Clinical Exercise Physiology, University of the Sunshine Coast A Ferrari test drive simulator cockpit at the Ferrari Museum in Italy. Luca Lorenzelli/Shutterstock The Albert Park circuit for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix has 14 ...
Shanti Mathias and Gabi Lardies review a sweaty, ecstatic night at the Auckland Arts Festival. “Imagine a dancefloor, the world’s greatest gospel choir and a DJ set for the ages” is the tantalising description of History of House provided by Auckland Arts Festival. It definitely wasn’t just Gabi and I ...
Roy Morgan puts NATs further ahead
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1110/S00311/new-zealands-national-led-govts-winning-lead-increases.htm
7% undecided in the poll. Interesting that they released that.
Roy Morgan is bouncing up and down and I still think that people will not contemplate change until closer to the elections.
The poll was taken mostly pre Rena and before Key’s lies about S&P was publicised. The next batch will be the most interesting.
Yes Mikey, keep hope alive. Its always the next batch the most interesting.
Why are you supporting a Government which is asset stripping our country for the benefit of foreign banksters and financiers?
Sorry, I thought we were talking about polls?
well done sweetd, good of you to admit that the reality of our political situation is not represented in the polls
Actually no Freedom….what I was commenting on is the reality of a weak labour party, and when all else has failed there is always hope……….hope that the polls may change……….hope that labour may be resurgent this election……….keep hope alive.
The polls are our reality, they have framed the narative are are the talking point.
why are you assuming everything deriding polling is about Labour?
This is not a Labour Party site and that is made implicity clear in the ‘about’
Yes, the people will see Phil Goff mucking in and will realise that Phil Goff is a man of the people and will flock around him and cast the National party out of office
More likely they’ll just view votes as slightly preferable to torches and pitchforks.
So, bidders for the Crafar farms, those Chinese folks, are now up for money laundering and bribery charges – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10760101
But it’s OK, no National party involvement, except squeaky clean Michael Jones, one of Keys social buddies is being dragged into the mire!
Interesting how Michael Jones name keeps popping up around dodgy business dealings. Jenny Shipley was linked with this group to from memory.
And that loyal kiwi job creator sir M Fay underbids for them and goes on the PR charm offensive that he’s got NZ’s interests at heart (again) as the offer is rejected …..tui moment.
I think you are correct Craig G .E. I’m sure Shipley went to China with the Wongs. what a greedy cunning woman ,and is she not recieving a huge amounts of taxpayers money thanks to Brownlee . the more I see of Tories and their ilk the more I wonder how they can con the public time and time again . It just beats me!.
Petain, Laval and Quisling were hanged. The likes of Shipley should remember that…
You are a nasty piece of work millsy – taking lessons from Campbell Larsen ?
I seem remember reading worse from the right.
And besides, to some poeple, patriotism means more than cheering for some rugby team.
At what point in NZ did our collective outlook on life become underpinned by sociopathy?
Why are our national tales of overcoming struggle used as clubs to beat our young into silence and submission?
When the same amount of effort goes into perpetuating problems as that which would solve them, why chose abuse as default?
At what point does a guy figure that buying a new suit, car, house, boat or swimming pool, is a better option than learning to be a happy person and better lover?
If he knows he’s unhappy, why not change, rather than abuse those around him for lack of personal responsibility?
If happiness and sadness have the same value to him, why not finally discover what human life really is, instead of engineering the next iphone app?
This is what happens when you have dried blueberries from Bolivia on your porridge. They must have been grown next to coca plants.
I’m guessing the Lange/Douglas government?
Followed up with extra helpings of Prebble, Caygill, Bradford and Richardson.
No arguements there
IMF warns against early returns to Budget Surplus (which is the Nats plan)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/severe-risks-in-culture-of-thrift-imf-warning/story-e6frg6so-1226170147423
I wonder if Bill English has ever heard of Schelling’s book ‘Micromotives and Macrobehavior‘?
From your link, Peter:
The IMF is complicit in creating the overwhelming banking debt/interest burden faced by sovereign nations today.
Here’s a question Would it be so bad if the so called PIGS just told the IMF and World bank to go screw??? I mean Argentina did it years ago.
French and German banks are completely overleveraged due to their casino risk taking and would fall over in a heartbeat.
In essence what is happening now is that the political leaders of the PIIGS are no longer working on behalf of their people, they have been induced to work on behalf of the international banking cartel.
That’d be the best thing that they could do. Just declare all external debt null and void and drop the Euro. The “negotiations” are just attempts to save a few people from losing some money due to their own bad decisions.
When you loan out money you’re taking the risk that not going to get it back.
First they can do is net off all the liabilities, payments and interest charges between the different countries. That immediately destroys about 30% of the debt.
But if these countries just defaulted , hell what would be better if all default what happens??? NO think about it what really happens??? Nothing. The sun still rises and sets the baker still bakes Planes still fly there will be chaos as the materialistic banker type will scream and wriggle and try to regain their previous positions to hopefully no avail. And the only ones hurt are the one who caused the pain. The Bankers.
Well that fantasy land here they’ll call out the army to protect their pile.
The most critical thing governments must do in the event of a massive debt default and subsequent banking failure is to take over the utility operations of all banking transaction systems.
This will allow normal day to day economic transactions to still occur.
Wages still need to be paid into bank accounts. ATMs still need to be refilled. EFTPOS and credit card transactions still need to be processed nightly. Bill payments for power, rates and taxes made. In the modern day internet banking systems also need to be maintained.
In other words, in the short term the utility banking functions which allow the real economy to function day to day must experience continuity of operation.
This will buy time for us to distance ourselves from the globalised financial system (which simultaneously disempowers the banksters who all want centralised global control). And all the bullshit securities and (false) asset trading side of the banks are split off and quietly incinerated, and quite a few banksters put away for long prison terms.
Plus mega debt moratoria/debt jubilees…
National’s Kiwisaver “policy” is a complete joke. Here’s why:
1. It’s all predicated on returning to surplus in 2014-2015. That is almost certainly not going to happen. This is how to promise something that you know is never going to happen and take the thunder out of the oppositions PR.
2. They’re expecting to enrol 275,000 people permanently into the scheme. The current adoption rate of kiwisaver suggests that by 2014-2015, approximately that many people would have joined the scheme anyway.
3. If they’re wrong and more people stay in than expected, their economic projections are screwed.
4. Enrolling everyone, setting up wage redirection, and then having most people opt-out again is a huge bureaucracy make-work scheme.
5. If they paid the $1,000 kickstart spread over 5 years at $200 year, with the requirement that you must have made some contributions in the same year to qualify for that year’s allocation, they would both cut the total contribution required and spread it out over more years. A guy from the savings working group says that with these changes they could easily start the program this year without causing much stress on the budget.
National’s Kiwisaver announcement was the lead story in the print edition of The Press today.
Labour’s workplace policy announcements were featured in a small article in the ‘lost’ perceptual area in the top left corner on page 8.
National brought forward their 2014 Kiwisaver policy but didn’t change inplementation dates.
It also was a news item on ONE News before the Labour policy…not sure which one was reporte first on 3NEWS.
The Nats used the policy announcment to try and steal the lime light from Labours announcemnet. Finally the election proper is getting underway.
Triple downgrade just round the corner, milk prices dropping like a stone, PM blatantly lying and obvious bogus email cover-up, govt twiddled thumbs as birds are slaughtered….
Good old “independent” press, not even pretending any more. Unabashed gangster pimps and whores to their paymasters. Cucified Hels for signing a painting for charity, pack-raped Winnie for an alleged minor fib, now protecting their boy with non-stop spin, flim-flam and rah-rah.
Know the enemy and ignore it. Leaflets, tweets, the net, the street.
One of the more interesting aspects of OWS are the growing number of the 1% who are in support of change. This is either a well co-ordinated manipulation of the message or perhaps there really are some rich folk with a heart. I think most of us will agree it is the latter.
here is one example
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread765539/pg1
for those interested i have laid out a case for the lowering of the retirement age for Māori.
http://mars2earth.blogspot.com/2011/10/lower-maori-retirement-age.html
The inequalities faced by Māori are obvious when the facts are noted. Facts around income and workforce participation show Māori disadvantage and that translates into more financial difficulties after retirement. It is not just that many Māori struggle to save, there is less opportunity to save and cultural responsibilities for older Māori also have a financial cost not borne by others. Add in lower life expectancy and the unfairness of treating Māori as a sub-group of the general population is obvious.
I blame Government – todays and yesterdays, because the Treaty, specifically Article 2 and 3, have not been actualised and even today tangata whenua and their situation are not considered. The beginnings of a solution to this issue must be a reduction in the retirement age for Māori. This would alieviate the financial stressors for kaumātua and lead to a resurgence of marae activity which would be positive for the Māori Nation and the country as a whole.
You should be interested in the UnitedFuture approach which addresses this.
“60 to 70 choice on superannuation – New Zealanders should be able to take superannuation at reduced rates down to 60 or increasingly enhanced rates if they hold off until between 66 and 70”
http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/superannuation-policy-launch-dunne-unveils/
Awesome that you agree with me pete – well done. Although I am not talking about reduced rates and whilst I have sympathy for all people nearing retirement, the inequality that Māori face is quite specific.
It would have to be at reduced rates, but that doesn’t mean reduced benefits. If someone’s life expetancy was, say, 70 then 10 years super at a reduced rate adds up to a lot more than 5 years at a higher rate.
You need to look at the total likely to be received, not the rate.
“You need to look at the total likely to be received, not the rate.”
People pay today’s power bill and grocery shop with today’s money, not the total they may have received after 10 years.
Better with a reduced rate than none.
People with diabetes have a life expectancy 10-12 years shorter than the norm. So if someone with diabetes retires at 65 they have a retirement expectancy of something like 5 years, compared to the norm of 15+ years.
Why shouldn’t they be able to chose to retire earlier at a lower rate so they get, say, 10 years retirement?
They can still choose 65 if they want to.
Why don’t we just let them retire 10 to 12 years earlier so that they can enjoy the same retirement as everyone else?
Choose your entitlement age with a friendly doctor’s certificate?
It’s far easier – and more fair – to have a universal system that provides the same choices for everyone.
Easiest option is not necessarily the best or fairest option.
For those who die years younger than others, especially.
easier? fairer? to who pete? ‘everyone’ you say but the facts don’t support that view, not even slightly. The same choices are not there or do you dispute the facts, because if you don’t then are you are implying it’s just tough and tangata whenua suffering disadvantage and facing inequality can just eat it – maybe for some that is easier, I feel sorry for those people, they lack empathy and are the cause of most of this worlds problems. Isn’t equality worth taking a solid stance for pete and if not, what is?
Those in their forties will retire after the bulge, yet will be at their
height of earning income paying for the boomer retired. They
will of course inherit a glut of care homes and other age
infrastructure. So where’s the fairness? Well there isn’t any.
We can’t manage retirement on the basis of what people pay
or paid. We need to give everyone the same basic level,
reward those who saved (for obvious reasons we need people
to save), and stop this when we set the retirement age thing.
The old will need to work longer because their decile
have most of the jobs now, most of the population, but
likewise we have to insure the stragglers get by too.
But those in their forties and younger will not need to
work longer because the population spread would have
rebalanced as the boomer are decimated by attrition.
wow Pete, So you can see into the future and tell us when someone is going to die? You really are the Messiah we have awaited all these years. The actuaries must be knocking on your door daily.
( I always thought the Messiah’s name in the second coming would be more …you know… inspiring , Brian first time round, now it’s Pete ?)
Here is a toughie for you Petey boy.
We have an ageing population and a baby boomer bulge. In 15 years time current levels of support will be unsustainable. So what do we do? Do we:
1. Increase retirement age
2. Decrease entitlements
3. Means test it
4. Put our head in the sand and not worry about it because some future government will have to deal with it.
And before you cite your policy I note it is cost neutral so will not address affordability issues.
EDIT: I see that other aspects of UF policy will actually make Superannuation MORE expensive and benefit the wealthy.
We don’t have a retirement age. We have an age that people can receive National Super from, quite different. Many people work much longer, some can’t work that long but can’t “retire” on a pension.
Before we can put up the entitlement age – which incidentally if it’s done without any other changes, as per Marsman’s point will make it even worse for those who have worked hard manually or have lower life expectancies due to ethnic or medical reasons – we need to get retirement savings working.
“Kiwisaver should be made compulsory but we cannot afford to wait until 2015 or when we get back into surplus to do it, said UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne.”
http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/national-not-going-far-enough-on-kiwisaver/
Bzzzt Petey. You did not answer the question.
What will you do to make Superannuation affordable. And why if you want to get retirement savings working did the coiffured one vote for a budget that stuffed up the Cullen Fund and severely handicapped Kiwisaver?
Peter Dunne in a nutshell: Don’t like my principals? I have others.
You don’t understand Confidence and Supply agreements?
Same as UnitedFuture had with the Clark/Cullen government. Standard for a coalition arrangement.
Pete you are right about that as i for one do not understand Confidence and Supply agreements because in case you have not noticed we are meant to have MMP , not defacto FPP.
Over the years I have had long battles trying to get the difference into thick skulled robots like yourself and there is not enough hours left before the election to try again.
Political convention and self protection have made our MMP a twisted perversion of what it could have been.
The referendum is looming and the pressure is being put on people to throw out MMP
before we have even experienced a single MMP government.
And you Petey do not understand “answer the feckin question”.
Stop prevaricating and going off on tangents and answer the question.
We have an ageing population and a baby boomer bulge. In 15 years time current levels of support will be unsustainable. So what do we do? Do we:
1. Increase retirement age
2. Decrease entitlements
3. Means test it
4. Put our head in the sand and not worry about it because some future government will have to deal with it.
I’ve already said what I think (I agree with United Future policy on this).
And I repeat – there is no retirement age.
1. Give people a choice at what age they get entitlement from 60-70.
2. Make Kiwisaver compulsory so people have their own retirement savings.
Just increasing the entitlement age disadvantages some sectors even more than they are disadvantaged now.
Means testing isn’t fair and creates huge complications.
HI Mickey
Here are my thoughts on a possible solution to the superannuation problem. They are just thoughts…no costing or anything as i wouldnt know where to begin with that….but what do you think?
SUPERANNUATION IDEA:
To help with the cost of the climbing retirement population here are some thoughts on how we could reduce the cost to the taxpayer in the long run and also create a better savings culture among New Zealanders.
Making it compulsory for people to save for retirement (Kiwisaver?) from the moment they are 18 years old. Also, gradually phase out the current super scheme as follows:
Have a law that states that super payments are ALWAYS guaranteed to be at least 67% (or whatever it currently is) of the average wage (or whatever it is benchmarked against). But that the government only makes up the difference.
How they get this is done as follows:
When they reach retirement, their total super that they have saved via Kiwisaver (or another scheme) is divided out over how many years the average person is meant to live. I.e. if the retirement age is 65, and the life expectancy is 85 then you get 20 years. Thus, the amount they have saved is divided by 20. Then whatever the difference is between what that amount works out to be and what 67% of average wage is, the government meets to ensure they are getting the average. (for instance if they saved enough, that when divided out of 20 years equaled $200 a week, but the benchmark of 67% of average wage is $300 a week….then the government makes up the $100 difference only. If on the other hand they have saved enough, that when divided over 20 years is $350 a week, and the benchmark 67% is $300… then the government doesn’t pay anything towards superannuation)
If they live longer than the 20 years, then the government starts paying the full amount of super.
If they die before all the money is paid out that they saved, the government gives the money to the family or to the persons estate.
Also, if they choose not to retire at 65 (or whatever the retirement age is at the time) they will not stop contributing to Kiwisaver (or another scheme) until they retire and they will not get government super until they stop working.
Obviously this is aimed at starting for everyone that turns 18 from the time such a policy would come in. However that does not mean it could not be adapted using the same above mentioned principles for people who are already 18 or over and who may even be close to retirement now, if they have some form of super scheme at present.
Clearly none of this is costed and it is just my humble idea.
Can you imagine the interesting conversations the Minister of Finance will be having with Treasury officials in 50 years time trying to find a solution to the unfunded liability caused by people living too damn long. Wait for the word ‘carousel’ to be tossed in…
Petey baby
I’ve already said what I think (I agree with United Future policy on this).
And I repeat – there is no retirement age.
Pure semantics. Do you want me to say “the age at which National Superannuation payments commence” instead?
1. Give people a choice at what age they get entitlement from 60-70.
Does not address the issue. The change is cost neutral.
2. Make Kiwisaver compulsory so people have their own retirement savings.
You mean that you are going to abolish super and make savings compulsory? Good luck in selling that. But what will you do about the baby boomers who retire in the next 15 years? Or do you propose to make the cuts in the near future?
Interesting – I agree with you that changes would be over decades. But 15 years is when the crunch hits.
‘Maori’ is self defined – there is no objective test. Won’t the risk be we all define ourselves as Maori as we get close to retirement age?
not sure how you are going to unless you think life expectancy for everyone should decrease
Well as Pete pointed out there is no ‘retirement age’ – you can retire any time you want. You want super for Maori earlier than anyone else. But super is not timebound and it is not dependent on work status – you get it till you die even if you are working (with abatements or high tax isn’t it or did Winston get rid of that?). So if I declared myself Maori at 55, I could gain 10 years of extra super and might still live till 80 mumble. And I can do that unhindered because Maori is a matter of self definition. I’s is what I says I’s is. Nice scam you are enabling.
That’s why it needs to be a universal choice – anyone can choose to start getting super sooner or later depending on their circumstances and preferences.
It wouldn’t work if you start trying to select some groups for preferential treatment, too complex and too open to manipulation. And it discriminates – if you choose Maori do you also choose PI? What qualifies as PI – Taiwanee? Japanese? And that’s not fair on non-Maori who have worked physically har all their lives and their bodies won’t last until 65 – or 67, or 70. And it’s not fair on those with expectancy shortening medical conditions like diabetes.
damn you were doing so well pete and then you go and drop the ball. Why are you dillydallying now – the whole point of the original comment was about the inequality for tangata whenua and a small, almost token way, that could be remedied for older Māori nearing retirement. Your plaintive, “it’s not fair… it discriminates” frankly sickens me.
yes there may be scum who would do that – so what? Do you think they wouldn’t get caught out and put on the news?
The point is they can’t be caught out, because there is nothing wrong being done – I mean if Christian Cullen and Tony Brown can be Maori All Blacks then why can’t I retire early? I must be as Maori as they are. The ones who probably won’t do it will be the racists who want nothing to do with Maoris on principle (which ironically means they won’t be scum…).
The only way you can avoid it happening is by defining who a ‘real Maori’ is. Good luck with that one.
you seem to be arguing… nothing. As you said ‘nothing wrong being done’ but I think you get to your main point a bit later, don’t you.
If you are Māori and could be in the Māori All Blacks then good oh. If not, so what?
the ones who on principle want nothing to do with Māori are scum – they are delusional and pathetic but I suppose one could quibble about the definition of scum – which dictionary? which authority? hmmm such a tough decision.
Marty
If you can’t see that the fundamental flaw in your proposal is that it is just free money for anyone who asks, no qualifications needed, then you need to go and think a bit harder
insider, your fundamental flaw isn’t my fundamental flaw – but it’s fun to practice against 101 derailing, so thanks for that.
Another angle of OWS you may not have caught up with
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049976/Banks-country-refuse-let-customers-close-accounts-protest.html
arrested for trying to close a bank account, any of the RW cheerleaders care to defend that action
Mary poppins – that is a classic scene in that movie!
another drongo day athe dompost. front page has a hybrid bike thing with no exhaust and the reporter having orgasms at this thing designed to break the law. What is this fascination with noise?
Everywhere you go there is some drongo making a noise. I gues they just compenating for havinga small penis. National said they would get rid of noise and drngos on the roads but hey are creeping back again.
randal.
Nicely said but the corporate press has an important role to play in keeping the masses distracted and entertained, and supporting dysfuntion.
To expect anything different from a corporate shill is to be deluded.
Can you spot the difference – (clue – in one one of the he really minces his words)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=flizcv-NcOY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtmlN7ILsY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLGnE7Ga7z8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHJb1DB42rg&feature=player_embedded
Is Quade Cooper a victim of racism?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-they-hate-quade.html
Maybe hes just a git?
Yeah pretty much he’s just a dick, plus no matter what he says you can tell it gets to him and makes him play worse. So of course the crowd will keep doing it.
complete and utter drivel, why waste your time and ours posting such crap
In his entire career i have heard many people mention many things about ‘that man’, mostly unprintable.
the only people i have ever heard mention his race as a contributing factor in the derision he attracts are people in the media,
Here’s another shining example of PM John Key’s benevolence:
Dying man turned away at Parliament
Again every poll has shown that National can either govern alone or with one coilation partner. the election is as good as over.
Hey mate in that case why don’t you do us all a favour and stay home on Nov 26?
Cool I might.
Yo Lynn,
Ever since iOS 5 update, the standard comes up “blurry” more times than not in safari for iPad.
Just letting you know…
TB
on a related tech subject…
(have tried to send this to email a few times but never get an answer)
I still cannot post from android ,
‘enter name’ ok, press next
‘enter email address’ ok, press next
goes to ‘enter site info’ and that is as far as it goes,
i do not have a site to enter. Is there any way to bypass this step?
anyone have a suggestion?
… are you trying from the “contact us” screen? If your browser is not supported the screen may be prefaced by a note advising you to send via the .com address supplied
Wow that is odd. I presume that it is asking the questions.
I don’t have an android so I can’t even check what the mobile version does. It is running completely on the WPTouch plugin
Best work around I can think of is to login – then at least those questions won’t get asked for comments.
I have had the same problem Baron. I usually quit Safari completely and relaunch and it works again.
Safari is a dog – nothing but trouble with it of late
the standard comes up “blurry” more times than not in safari for iPad
In the mobile version or standard version on the mobile? (Switch is at the bottom of the page). In haven’t booted up a windoze box to run iTunes to do the upgrade myself yet.
National’s Election Hoarding’s 6
National promised to create 170,000 jobs in the 2010 budget and failed to deliver. In fact unemployment has increased by around 57,000 since National took over. They then made the same promise to create 170,000 jobs in the 2011 budget…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5810565/Police-mull-charging-for-big-events
as it is a requirement for all public protest actions, including marches, to co-ordinate with the Police for issues of public safety, will exercising your rights to free speech also warrant a fee?
We are a nation of law? No!
A drug addict kicks their habit, taken up to stay awake on onerous
long trunking jobs, and their pusher drops their bong into the truck
and tips off a ex-police officer.
A management who doesn’t random test for, or offer drug testing
so saving the company money rehiring, or testing cabs routinely
for burn marks etc.
Creates an injustice. Where the lawful truthful actions of an
employee inevitable loose them their jobs. Had they lawyered
up, had a lawyer mate or family member, like so many
middle class pakeha families, he;d still have his job.
Welcome to the rule of law. Not.
But worse. Many French and America soldiers died from
a truck bomber in Lebanon, a bomber flawed but likely an
honest man frustrated living in an emerging nation of law????
When honest men lose we are all less safe.
Managers have a duty to their investors and that means
retaining, with routine drug testing, their workers. This
did not happen.
Maybe a link to an article would help make your point?
Because at the moment all I’m getting from your comment is some sort of incoherent arguement for routine drug testing, which I will file along with your enthusiasm for implementing Team America World Police and giving all the cops guns to usher in a new era of peace.
And why is it that you can construct sentences when asking a tech question but default to babble when you are commenting politically?
Sorry the tech question was someone elses, your babble is it seems a consistent feature.
Aerobubble I would really like to understand you so please hook me up with some links to the events that you are commenting on so I can decipher the point you are trying to make.
rnz pod cast on law about case where a trunk driver was sacked when they told the truth
at the outset and at the time had done nothing wrong. the glee of the law expert at
this case which does a disservice to a civil society given the truck driver do drugs to
stay awake, and are also unlikely to dob their dealer in.
Whenever National and Act attack Labour you know Labour is doing something that workers will like and employers/owners/shareholders will hate because it loses them profit. There is such a thing as egalitarian behaviour which gives a fair profit and a fair wage and a fair lifestyle for all New Zealanders. That is not what NACT want. They want the power, the money, the resources and the control over the other 90% of New Zealanders.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1110/S00316/labour-launches-attack-on-small-businesses-act.htm
There is nothing remotely Kiwi’ish about that thinking. That’s just greed imported from places like America.
My problem with the National party is they reward bad management practice,
the best economy is the widest and broadest economy, yet National target
only the few to be winners and everyone else is poor from it. But worse,
now even the winners that National are targetting with their legislative
largesse are suffering from National incompetence. How exactly does a
business owner make profits when their customers have little discretional
spending? And I’m not just talking in S.Auckland, I’m talking on the
streets of London and NY. National are completely out of touch not only
with the global economy, but with Epsom voters who loaded up on debt
to get into Grammar zone.
Big bang shoved a whole lot of energy into energy states, seems it even powered
up angular momentum so the universe is lefty.
Given faster than light particles are now possible, yeah right, don’t physicists
know distance is a classical concept.
So that makes faster than light lefty particles???
The universe is lefty? Isn’t it all relative?
Rugby world cup a disaster for tax payers and rate payers
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/local-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=250&objectid=10760088
Screw that social housing and services for those in hardship, none of that stuff is as important as circus games.
???
But we’re saved…
Yep, we’re going to get almost $5m in extra tourist spending for our almost $800m in spending…
/wanders off to be physically sick at the thought of this rort we had forced upon us for the amusement of a minority of us.
No wonder we’re being encouraged now to go for the Olympics – they’ve realised that we love giving money to foreigners – in imports, in investment returns, in sending our best and brightest to Australia…
A small loss with the RWC, a much bigger loss with the Olympics – yay say the circling scavengers. – come and get it says John Key. You don’t want the energy companies? Then take the Ports of Auckland and the airport and our water infrastructure – I’m not staying either, says Key. I just came to pack up the assets and send em back to my place.
Manawatu gorge road closed yet again until Christmas.
Surely this road was of greater “National Significance” than a holiday highway to Wellsford?
The Energy Trap
Long but well worth the read.
Peak Oil
Oops.
Outfits like the IEA are counting on a massive ramp up of unconventional oil sources and new fields to make up for that shortfall.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_D9-JNTtRKgs/TNqSZgT_-EI/AAAAAAAABag/3M5sNJlG61Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-10+at+7.36.37+AM.png
No, I know, its never going to happen.
To be fair CV it might happen, but we will need to prepare to accept that more and more of the world’s coastline is going to be destroyed by oil.
Tauranga will be a walk in the park …
Between now and 2020. I think that there is a roughly 10% chance that net available oil exports* will manage to supply enough cheap oil to OECD countries to sustain net economic growth per capita over the next ten years.
And I think that there is a 90% chance that it will not.
*This seems like an awkward contrived measure, but it takes into account the fact that many major oil producers, even growing ones, are keeping more and more of their yearly production to satisfy internal use, which means it is not available for trade on the world market.
Remember remember, the fifth of November
Activist bank depositors and “Bank Transfer Day”.
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-10-18/why-i%E2%80%99m-sad-about-leaving-bank-america
I hope that works. People will get a real live example of how corrupt the financial system is.
Enjoyed this Bill Maher interview on OWS vs teabaggers and religion – really liked that he realised his wealth was mere fluke instead of the tired I worked my arse off to get where I am:
Felix – why for gods sake did you encourage Pete G?
Stirring is for a non – bond martini.
Surely The Standard has enough comments without Petes special blend of 2 parts sanctimonious & holier- than -thou, 3 parts drivel, and 5 parts of nothing at all?
The Greek people will not accept their sovereignty being stolen by the International Bankster Occupiers
Biggest national strikes ever.
http://rt.com/news/greeks-strike-protest-biggest-163/