Open Mike 20/05/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 20th, 2018 - 68 comments
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68 comments on “Open Mike 20/05/2018 ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    Get your daily dose of useless Libertarian delusions at Stuff today with Damien Grant, who reckons that New Zealand isn’t a racist or sexist country,

    What is it about Libertarians that they always manage to shit on other people’s liberty?

    • Ed 1.1

      And Stuff gives the scumbag a platform.
      Don’t click.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2

      Libertarians are strange in that they seem to think that only they should have liberty and everyone else should do what the libertarians tell them to do.

      In other words, they’re authoritarian with them being ‘special’.

    • millsy 1.3

      Libertarians believe in liberty unless you want to join a trade union.

      • Muttonbird 1.3.1

        Boom. Great one liner there.

      • Craig H 1.3.2

        Oddly, he actually lauds Trade Unions in this particular article.

        • Muttonbird 1.3.2.1

          He does consider it is the duty of Trade Unions to guard against bullying but at the same time his political ideology is that of people who seek to crush Trade Unions.

          This is typical of the confused libertarian speak of Grant, Seymour, and Farrar.

          • Incognito 1.3.2.1.1

            This is typical of the confusing libertarian speak of Grant, Seymour, and Farrar.

            FIFY

            It is entirely deliberate to be confusing!

    • McFlock 1.4

      known dickhead must be light on clicks lol

  2. OnceWasTim 2

    “What is it about Libertarians that they always manage to shit on other people’s liberty?”

    In a word ….. smugness

  3. Andre 3

    I’m fairly sure most people would see me as having my priorities skewed way over to protecting the environment to the point of being somewhat callous towards people issues. But even from that viewpoint, it seems weird to me that this arse Augustine Lau goes to jail over damaging trees, but not for shitting all over people by exploiting them in unsuitable unsanitary illegal ‘housing’.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/104044119/prison-term-for-damaging-trees-not-heavyhanded-appeal-court-rules

    https://www.interest.co.nz/property/90720/notorious-property-managerdeveloper-augustine-lau-speaks-out-about-why-hes-dog-box

    • Rosemary McDonald 3.1

      But, but…he’s providing housing for the homeless…saving them from the bus shelters…

      “Lau claims the Council also has double standards; prosecuting him for breaching the Resource Management Act in the process of housing vulnerable people, but allowing people to sleep at bus stops and in cars.

      Positioning himself as the victim in the situation, he says he’s simply trying to help reduce the number of homeless by providing often temporary accommodation.

      “I try to help Auckland Council solve some of the problems,” he says.”

      Great piece Andre, thanks for posting. Provides excellent insight into the minds of these people.

    • dukeofurl 3.2

      RMA has jail time penalties. Other nasty things he has done probably dont.

  4. Gabby 4

    It’s about choice. You can choose to die in the gutter rather than live in unacceptable rental accommodation, and so it’s your fault if you choose to survive.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1

      He said the small deposits, sometimes as low as 10 cents, were designed to make the accounts appear active, thereby improving staff members’ incentive compensation.

      I’d say a fairly predictable result of poorly thought out incentives in an overall culture of Greed is Good.

    • dv 5.2

      I think the key line at the start.

      as part of a scam to earn bonuses and meet targets.

      Especially TARGETS.

      • Incognito 5.2.1

        When the ‘target’ or KPI is the bonus and one’s performance is measured in bonuses you know that they have things back to front. It is an easy lazy tool for (HR) managers and bean-counters and serves those who’re full of self-entitlement and greed and want to climb the corporate hierarchical ladder at any cost with most bonuses to be collected at the top, of course (Ponzi scheme). No wonder that productivity is at a low level; everybody is chasing short-term self-interest – isn’t that the neoliberal dogma?

  5. dukeofurl 8

    Saw Amy Adams on TV this morning. Wow. Shes so much sharper and better at her spin lines than Bridges.
    Is this another case of the man gets the top job but isnt as capable as the woman runner up ?

  6. Ffloyd 9

    Morrissey. Is that true? Genuine question.

    • McFlock 9.1

      Why are you asking Morrissey about reality?

      As I recall it, the ginger wonder was initially a frontline combat infantry officer in Afghanistan, but got evacuated when it was leaked he was there (as a high profile target he was basically a walking increase in combat intensity). So he retrained as a copilot/gunner and went back in a slightly more rear-echelon and securable capacity.

      He could have volunteered from the get-go to fly rescue helicopters lifting idiots off Ben Nevis, or a comfy staff position. He volunteered for people to shoot at him.

      I’ve never been a fan, and I sure don’t like the concept of the monarchy or even his taste in fancy dress, but he gets points for that.

      • Poission 9.1.1

        Skin in the game.(Nassim)

        Even today, monarchs derive their legitimacy from a social contract that requires physical risk-taking. The British Royal family made sure that one of its scions, Prince Andrew, took more risks than “commoners” during the Falkland war of 1982, his helicopter being in the front line. Why? Because noblesse oblige; the very status of a lord has been traditionally derived from protecting others, trading personal risk for prominence—and they happened to still remember that contract. You can’t be a lord if you aren’t a lord.

        https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/skin-in-the-game-9780241247471/extracts/1783-skin-in-the-game

      • Morrissey 9.1.2

        He volunteered for people to shoot at him.

        Yes, those Afghan villagers and shepherds he targeted posed a mortal threat to him in his helicopter gunship.

        …he gets points for that.

        Peasants are 10 points. Extra for an Afghan child?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1.3

        Just don’t forget that Morrissey trash-talking someone doesn’t automatically make them a good person 😉

        • Morrissey 9.1.3.1

          Just don’t forget that Morrissey trash-talking someone doesn’t automatically make them [sic] a good person.

          We know you’re a good guy, Bloke.

        • McFlock 9.1.3.2

          lol very true.

          But someone who volunteers for combat isn’t all bluster – unlike mozza

          • Morrissey 9.1.3.2.1

            “someone who volunteers for combat isn’t all bluster”

            Yes indeed, shooting people from a helicopter gunship involves more than simply bluster. You are correct, sir!

            • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1.3.2.1.1

              frontline combat infantry officer

              Tenuous isn’t the half of it.

      • dukeofurl 9.1.4

        His first deployment was Iraq with his battalion, but that was cancelled, The 2nd was Afghanistan in a different role calling in airstrikes and other patrol duties.

        After that he then changed to learn helicopter flying and 5 years after his first tour in Afghanistan he was back for 20 weeks with a attack helicopter squadron.

        His brother as the direct heir wouldnt have been sent to a war zone, thats why he ended up rescue helicopter squadrons

        • McFlock 9.1.4.1

          oh true – never consciously made that connection in my noggin. I thought I’d just taken the rescue thing at random.

          Funny how minds work.

  7. Morrissey 10

    Quote of the Week
    No. 1: alwyn: “Why don’t you accept it?”

    This is, quite unintentionally, the funniest and saddest thing we have seen all week….

    I see the first thing you link to is a denial. Why don’t you accept it.

    https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20-05-2018/#comment-1485874

    Quote of the Week is a series devoted to garnering the most pathetic, most deluded, most bewildered, most slavish comments on the World Wide Web. It is compiled by Morrissey Breen and Serena Sopwith Fotherington for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.

    • Ad 10.1

      This may well be Open Mike but it is really poor form to try and humiliate any commenter as you are doing.

      If you want to see more people leave The Standard because you disagree with them, you will turn this place into an echo-chamber.

      • Morrissey 10.1.1

        I don’t want him to leave. I want him, and others who are quick to accept government lies, to think a little bit.

        Oh, that’s right, you’re quite a zealous disciple for all that Russian conspiracy nonsense, aren’t you….

        • ad 10.1.1.1

          You can do that, and mind your manners and cease the hounding of commenters who disagree with you.

      • Muttonbird 10.1.2

        Who else has left The Standard?

  8. Morrissey 11

    Anyone who thinks Prince Harry, Willie Apiata and all the others shooting up
    Afghanistan are “heroes” should listen to Afghani commentators like Malalai Joya….

  9. AsleepWhileWalking 12

    Are they fucking kidding?

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12055234


    In the case of KiwiBuild, the Government feels affordable housing should not be restricted only to those on low or modest incomes.

    No income test for Kiwibuild homes. That means modest incomes (whatever that is) get to compete with high incomes, pushing prices up and defeats the entire point of Kiwibuild.

    I’m reminded (again!) that I voted L/G by default, not out of love.

    Are they having other *feelings* we should know about?

    • Ed 12.1

      Labour offer neoliberalism.
      A milder strain of the virus.
      But neoliberalism none the less.

      And it was they that imported the cult into the country.

      Douglas, Prebble and the leaders of the neoliberal coup d’état need to see their day in court.

      And tried for treason.
      And sentenced.
      Severely.

    • Graeme 12.2

      I read that and couldn’t find a quote saying that anyone can buy a KiwiBuild home. That aspect of the article stunk of the writer, or editor, being a bit mischievous. Particularly with the herald ramping up the mortgage porn through their One Roof section of late.

      They are probably conflating this,
      “Twyford said last week that officials were looking at a scheme which would allow a third party such as a bank or a government agency to co-own a property by taking on a share of the mortgage.” to mean that anyone can have an interest in a Kiwi Build property.

  10. Muttonbird 14

    I dimly remember the last few posts from that idiot CV before he was permabanned. He rabbited on about hardened targets and how that was the way to protect students from shooters.

    Turns out just weeks later the latest victims were in a school with exactly the sort of plan CV trumpeted as being the way forward. Armed teachers and staff and two full time armed marshals in the hallways.

    Turns out CV’s thinks, and gun-toting trigger happy yank thinks, don’t add up to dry shit in terms of protecting life.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/104058683/santa-fe-school-had-a-shooting-plan-and-armed-officers–still-10-people-died

    • Cemetery Jones 14.1

      It’s funny how you make posts like that now, but I don’t recall any of his interactions here being the intellectually one sided exchanges you seem to characterise them as. Look him up on twitter and take him on directly if you’re all that.

      • Muttonbird 14.1.1

        I already waste too much time on the two or three forums I do contribute to so I’m not about to start tweeting CV who I think is a bitter loser anyway. A bitter loser who mysteriously abandoned whatever social conscience he once pretended to have.

        And, I did take him on on this forum on this very issue. I won and he was perma-banned so why the fuck would I revisit that on Twitter?

        My post above is vindication of the defeat of his ideas and posting ability at The Standard because he promoted hard targets, brave gun-toting cops, and other Trumpisms which have all been proven ineffective by the events in Texas.

        Go back and look it up.

  11. Muttonbird 15

    This article describes everything which is wrong about this country.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2018/05/more-auckland-houses-for-sale-but-fewer-buyers.html

  12. eco maori 17

    Good morning the AM SHOW about 6 months ago I warned about a biosecurity breach Eco Maori said more money need to be spent to stop a out break like this I heard that had happened but the virus Mycoplasma was already here so why did I have these concerns .
    Well it was because of that farm in Mango MAF already new about that shocking farm the state of the stock was bad that farm should have been shut down years ago.
    But you know what MAF is its a retirement home for x sandflys who have the cover there m8 ass at all cost so the culture in the new MPI has to be changed so this mess does not happen again Duncan I agree with you stop the movement of the cows not doing that shows me that they are still trying to protect there production next season an not focused on controlling that virus.
    Aziz I now some one that was in the same situation as you hes a good person thats shows eco maori saying war is for idiots .
    Eco Maori has started a new job in the recycling business
    I think the horses in Australia should be controlled even tho I love my horses the endangered wild fauna should be protected there are millions of horses around Papatuanuku. Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys were playing up in Tauranga yesterday

  13. eco maori 18

    I was listening to Mark Sainsbury talk back radio show he was descusing the Te mata Peak issues now I’m not getting to much into the debate but the council should have considered consulting Nga Kahanunu about the track know that it is a sacred place also one caller said I’m not racist but the Maoris straight away her first few words make her a racist full stop so stop kidding your self’s and try an be a intelligent person and self examine yourself Ana to kai Ka kite ano

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