All of that is so pertinent but there has to be context.
It doesn't matter that what you say is true. The mass who are against Ardern and Labour, the mass who have it that everything wrong with NZ is down to them and every grievance in their lives personally gets back to them, means Luxon doesn't have to say anything of substance.
The belief is that magically with 'not Labour' we'll be on the way to enough doctors and nurses and truckies and builders and teachers and farm workers and hospitality workers. And the housing crisis that started in 2017 will be gone and there'll be no poverty. Crime wave and youth crime? In short order they'll become things of the past.
We have a dumb country and it's destined to determinedly stay that way. The masses don't want to hear reasoned intelligent discussion and solutions.
This time, Rabuka and Bainimarama – both former military leaders and coup makers – have used the democratic electoral system rather than guns and force to try to win to power. But behind them sits a culture of command and control that will be difficult to dislodge.
Thanks for the link Sacha, though recent developments have gotten weird:
Viliame Gavoka is no longer the leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party.
SODELPA General Secretary, Lenaitasi Duru says the party leader’s position was deemed vacant, after the party failed to become the majority, as per the party’s constitution…
Duru says according to the SODELPA constitution, the leader’s position will remain vacant until the party’s Annual General Meeting in 2024.
As The Conversation piece by Ratuva notes, it is only through Gavoka's son in law that there is any connection between the two parties. So it now seems likely that a 3party coalition led by Rabuka is on the cards. Unless Bainimara declares a state of emergency and calls in the military first. I hope the next Sodelpa leader is chosen before 2024!
there is a personal link between SODELPA and the FFP, whose secretary (as well as attorney-general and minister for the economy in the previous government) is Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. An Indo-Fijian Muslim, Sayed-Khaiyum is the son-in-law of SODELPA leader Viliame Gavoka, an indigenous Fijian (Taukei).
Given David Seymour is dropping hints all over the place that ACT will demand a true conservative government from Luxon, and not a political vehicle that has had a blue paint job over the previous red, the Left may get something out of the upcoming election after all. Coalition talks may get quite nasty between ACT and National. Keep the popcorn handy.
They are pseudo Libertarians. The coalition at best will be weak conservative. I can't see how coalition talks can get past this hurdle:
''In October, Seymour said redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and putting them to a public and binding referendum would be a bottom line in any governing negotiations.''
Instead of being glib, I don't think you quite understand the ramifications of this quote, should ACT get their way. Have a think.
''In October, Seymour said redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and putting them to a public and binding referendum would be a bottom line in any governing negotiations.''
FFS, do we have to repeat this every day between now and the election? Are people not getting it or (tediously) pretending not to get it? Every 3 years, same posturing before the election, same reality after it.
Seymour's "bottom line" means nothing. Here's how it goes:
Luxon: "Hi Dave, which Cabinet job would you like?"
Seymour: "None, unless you hold a referendum that will destroy your very brief term as PM".
Luxon: "None it is then".
Seymour: "Er, hang on a sec, let's not be too hasty, this referendum idea is … negotiable. Finance portfolio would make it disappear".
Not convinced you were paying attention. Christopher said repeal 3-waters and the Maori health authority and then Seymour said, make sure he repeals 3-waters and the Maori health authority.
if you want to reference a politician in the MSM you have to give the reference. eg Luxon was on x radio station talkback date/time. Preferably with a link (yes, this means when you are on the internet about to make a comment on TS, you first google the thing you have listened to).
This is because we are here for the robust debate, and people reading and commenting having access to the thing you listened improves debate. It's not FB or twitter or a personal blog where one can just say what one thinks, we're not a reckons forum. There is a debate standard.
You're lucking I didn't just dump the whole comment for wasting moderator time.
as you can now see, someone is commenting on your response to the unknown talkback and disagreeing with you, but we can't fact check because you didn't provide a reference.
''Not convinced you were paying attention. Christopher said repeal 3-waters and the Maori health authority and then Seymour said, make sure he repeals 3-waters and the Maori health authority.''
Nah – I judge a political analysis primarily on one thing. Does it have a framework of unity – or division?
Unity is only possible when you have an evolving set of common principles and purposes in order to have coherence.
All functioning societies are a tripolar blend of three broad political instincts; conservative, liberal and social. All three fundamentally share a common interest and purpose in a healthy, functioning society; sharing six core human values . Where we differ is in how we place differing weights on these values.
That in turns means being able to point to what is in and what is out; which introduces the notion of boundaries, and discipline. Each of the three broad political poles can go too far; this is obvious from history. In very broad and simplistic terms:
When liberalism places too much weight on personal liberty it becomes libertarianism.
When conservatism places too much weight on sanctity it becomes some form of fascism.
And when socialism places too much weight on fairness and equity of outcome it becomes marxism.
Note how the extremists of each group, the libertarians, the fascists and marxists bitterly condemn everyone else as standing in the way of the revolutionary, radical change they dearly wish for. And hate most of all moderates of all shades who get on with negotiating political interests, building consensus and delivering a functioning world.
That is a decent question. I would guess from your commenting record here that it is something you personally place a high value on.
But everything hinges on how you decide to implement fairness. Equal opportunity is something most people agree on; enforcing equal outcomes is another thing altogether.
There is a lot of nuance in this; humans seem to thrive with some degree of competition, but our societies also require a high degree of cooperation at at the same time. Yet when the inequality gradient becomes too extreme, when the rungs at the bottom of the ladder are too far apart or missing altogether, this cooperation breaks down and is the trigger for all manner of social dysfunction.
Clearly both extremes of inequality fail, but measuring and sensing where the optimum balance between them might lie – remains in my view and unsolved problem. Mostly because we are not willing yet to have an honest conversation about what the causes of inequality really are.
The pipeline from phoney left to populist right is represented par excellence by Bradsbury, Trotter, and all the weirdo Putin tankies on the "left" who seem to pine for the certainty of being on the wrong side of the cold war. Maybe all that pro-Putin bullshit they’ve watched on RT has addled their brains, who knows. And since I am old enough to have visited Eastern Europe during the cold war, anyone who took Moscow's shilling was definitely on the wrong side.
Interesting comment on the idea of the Cathedral/Bazaar model. Most of us who consider ourselves to be on the progressive left understand that we are in an ideological battle with two powerful forces. The first is the donor driven politics of the center right that has ruled our lives for most of the last five decades. The second is an even bigger threat from reactionary nationalists in alliance with religious fundamentalists who want to turn back the clock to some glorious era that never existed except as a nightmare for women and minorities. Trotter and Bradbury only want to fight the first group, and and ignore or even play footsie with a reactionary fascist adjacent right. Trotter spends his whole life in a lengthening shadow of obsessive and increasingly absurd conspiracy theories over race issues, endlessly invoking comparisons between co-governance and the racial policies of the Nazis and harking back in a proto-fascist idealised past. Bradbury's is an amusing blowhard and buffoon, who confesses to utter frustration at the "woke lefts" obsession with identity politics whilst seemingly devoting his entire existence to endlessly making common cause with the libertarian far right to wage an incessant war on the topic. His journey from left to a soft cock Boogaloo Boi is something else.
Interesting comment on the idea of the Cathedral/Bazaar model. Most of us who consider ourselves to be on the progressive left understand that we are in an ideological battle with two powerful forces. The first is the donor driven politics of the center right that has ruled our lives for most of the last five decades. The second is an even bigger threat from reactionary nationalists in alliance with religious fundamentalists who want to turn back the clock to some glorious era that never existed except as a nightmare for women and minorities
A restatement of the tripolar model I outlined above. Essentially you have described three political poles – progressive socialism, liberalism and conservatism.
Liberalism promotes innovation, liberty and development. Conservatism balances this with a respect for institutions, systems and reliability. Socialism looks to fairness, respect and redistribution. Each of them plays a legitimate role in a healthy society; politics is the eternal contention between all three as time and circumstance change.
Extremism is when any of these three steps over a boundary. You can tell when you are an extremist because you conceive of yourself as a sole arbiter of of a singular truth, isolated in a battle against everyone else.
I'd like to see the argument made that Trotter and/or Redline have abandoned class struggle. I disagree with Trotter a fair amount, and I don't read him that often, but it's quite the claim that he has no class analysis.
Likewise claiming Redline have no class analysis. Whatever criticisms there are to be made about the politics of both, this just seems like an anti-anti reaction.
They want to defend the WRONG THING from neoliberalism – strong, closed-borders states.
Is she a supporter of open borders? Because neoliberalism does whatever the fuck it wants with borders eg the Key government used fast, excessive immigration as a tool in running the neoliberal economy. Unless one is in favour of open borders, I can't see how neoliberalism can be characterised as closed borders.
yeah, well I've yet to see a left wing explanation of how that will protect communities and the environment. The people I see running that position basically live in cities and visit nature and have zero plan for ecology and increasing population. Nor how to resolve the problems of resource depletion and how that impacts on low income/poor people.
Where Trotter and co react against that, they're holding a conservative position as a service to the community because of the liberals who think open borders are all good. I don't agree with Trotter much, but I think liberals believe they can force everyone to agree with them so what can they expect.
and of course there are clear parallels with women's rights and gender ideologists. People without healthy boundaries are just as dangerous as the people with authoritarian control boundaries.
People without healthy boundaries are just as dangerous as the people with authoritarian control boundaries.
Well yes. An idea I have been articulating here for some time. We might well debate the details of exactly where these boundaries are located – but it is worth noting the points we do align on.
The neo-liberal approach to border control is that executives/managerial class are free to ply their trade anywhere in the world (necessary as they continually move their production to where the lowest labour costs / best tax incentives are) whereas workers are not free to move willy nilly around the world to work.
This is embedded in international trade agreements in many cases and results in things like RSE at one end and the procession of overseas CEO's running and wrecking our public institutions at the other.
LOL … spare me the ID pols bullshit from pampered well-to-do virtue-signalers like dear old Daphne … Oligarchic Capitalism absolutely loves the affluent Woke cadre within the Professional Middle Class … its inherent divisiveness, its rejection of traditional Social Democratic class politics in favour of systematically scapegoating the non-indigenous majority of the working & lower-middle classes into a degraded, powerless second-class citizenship.
The new Woke Corporate Oligarchy, with its radically redefined Woke-Identitarian ideology, mirrors sanctimonious bourgeois ID politics activists of the pretend-"Left" in being no friend of democracy and no friend of class politics.
The ruthlessly self-interested masquerading as moral exemplars.
Bryce Edwards, Chris Trotter, DaphnaRedliner & a few others are a breath of fresh air against the perversion of the Left into a self-serving Vanity Project for an affluent, increasingly authoritarian segment of society.
You'll also run into the occasional good faith actor who sincerely believes "wokeism" needs to be aggressively opposed because the obsession with racial and sexual justice is sucking all the oxygen out of the room for more important matters and being used as a weapon to ram through pernicious power-serving agendas. It's this category that I am mainly addressing here, because I view the previous category as generally beyond redemption.
opps. Surely it is a pr mistake for Jacinda to appear in the trailer to Harry and Megan’s Netflix doco. Perhaps she wasn’t asked, although in the article it is claimed she has a strong bond with the couple
Surely she wouldn't openly side with a couple that have decided to operate open warfare by useing a completely one sided attack on netflix (haven't nor will ever watch it)
The trouble with this sort of nonsense is the ordinary people of the Ukraine have their own agency, and they beg to differ. Ukrainians know peace at any price is just another word for suicide.
It's good to see someone in politics making a sensible speech concerning the Ukrainian war. The point about having to pay four times the previous price for energy and forcing people to choose between eating and keeping warm is a point worth hammering home.
And the Ukranianians don't know that peace talks mean "suicide" We cannot "know" something that isn't true.
Yes. I forgot to mention the point Miss Daly made about the Americans laughing at Europe. The Americans don't want the war to end because they see it as weakening Russia, and if it weakens Europe also, that's a bonus.
It all contributes to the cause of American hegemony.
The lesson; If you don't want a proxy war on your borders. Don't invade your neighbours.
Russia is fighting the US and Nato in Ukraine?
Was the US fighting Russia and the Warsaw Pact in Vietnam?
While Vietnamese morale, patriotism, superior training and the belief that theirs was a just cause were clearly critical factors, the victory was also due to the virtually ceaseless flow of weapons from Russia.
Yes of course there was some element of 'proxy war' but principally the Vietnam war, was a war against US domination and take over.
The superpowers like to see their imperial rivals get a black eye.
But without the Vietnamese willingness to fight and resist the US invasion the Soviet Union would have had no where to send their weapons.
The same in Ukraine, again there is an element of 'proxy war' but principally the Ukraine war is a war against Russian domination and take over.
The proxy war started before 2014.
A simple reading of history shows the Americans were involved in the 2014 coup and have been arming and training the Ukrainian army ever since.
And if you remember the history of the Vietnam war, the Americans started by sending ‘trainers’to assist the South Vietnamese…
…..When asked if Moscow would consider a proposal to cease hostilities over the Christmas or New Year period, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said “There is no such topic on the agenda.”
Russia fired more than 70 missiles at Ukraine on Friday in one of its biggest attacks since the start of the war, knocking out power in the second-biggest city and forcing Kyiv to implement emergency blackouts nationwide, Ukrainian officials said.
Three people were killed when an apartment block was hit in central Kryvyi Rih and another died in shelling in Kherson in the south,….
I think the Orthodox Churches – Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, etc. – do not attach much importance to Christmas, For them the main event in the Christian calendar is Easter. For someone to suggest a ceasefire for Christmas seems a little pernicious.
Christmas Day by the Gregorian calendar is an official government holiday in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church celebrates pretty much like every other Catholic church does.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrations begin today our time, St Nicholas day, when Ukrainian kids clean and leave their footwear along with their Christmas letters on the window sill and St Nicholas visits overnight and leaves presents, and the festival runs through to late January.
So no, there's nothing at all pernicious about Christmas ceasefire proposals.
China appears to adopted ACT's COVID response policy, and “Let whoever needs to be infected infected, let whoever needs to die die. Early infections, early deaths, early peak, early resumption of production.” is going about as well as you'd expect.
As a vassal state of the Russian empire for centuries, and until very recently a captive of the same corrupt, kleptocratic mode of governance – this does seem entirely possible.
And when the Ukrainian people chose to go in a different direction, sacrifice their lives for this – you do nothing but shit on them.
Did you see the response below – it does need to be spelt out. Because we have those who are supplying the weapons being incapable of keeping a track of the money it is spending.
And as you said below, those selling the weapons are playing 'a hell of a dangerous game". I've read reports in the past, that some factions are they selling them to the Russians, which is total FUBAR and should be stopped. I don't think it's 70%, but even 1% is to much in my opinion.
Any amount would be too much, but if it is as low as 1% I would be delighted. Ukraine will be no more immune from having traitorous fuckers than anywhere else.
Point is, the leakage is probably some low number, no-one as a reliable handle on it – and Ed is still repeating weak propaganda sources without thinking much.
Well of course; but have you just implicitly acknowledged that Russia does propaganda too?
The simple difference is this – there are Russian troops in Ukraine and not the other way around. No amount of agitprop, or obfuscation over the meaning of words from either side, can gloss over that reality.
It was Putin who turned a diplomatic confrontation into a kinetic one; he started this war and he still has the power to end it at any moment.
Not sure if it is a low number and here why. Reports have surfaced that the weapons are in Russia, Syria, and as of last week or so, Africa. With a spread like that, not a small number. I'd guess maybe 3-6% of all materials, including weapons. And in the shear scale of whats being sent that is a large amount.
I'm guessing (wild guess) it's Russian Ukraine's or Gangs who are doing the selling. With the flood of arms and other materials its just too easy in a war zone which is having it's infrastructure systematically destroyed, for stuff to go missing.
On one hand the Putin fanboys tell us that Ukraine is only beating Russia solely because of Western military aid. Now they are saying only a fraction of this military aid 30% is reaching them?
All I can say to that, is the Ukrainian people are mounting a remarkable defence of their homeland against the Russian invading forces without it.
It's the spilling of the arms out to other conflicts which is the problem Jenny are we there yet. How many of these weapons and materials are ending up in Russian hands? Or the head choppers in Syria?
On one hand the Putin fanboys tell us that Ukraine is only beating Russia solely because of Western military aid.
Umberto Eco;
However, the followers must be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. Thus, by a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.
Presumably the Ukrainians are finding 70% of the weapons to be surplus to requirements and are therefor flogging them off for cash the they need to buy other consumer goods of which they have a greater need.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials say they have not documented any instances of illicit use or transfer of American arms in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on Feb. 24. The State Department has acknowledged that Russian forces’ capture of Ukrainian arms could lead to those weapons being smuggled on to other countries. Other weapons have gone missing; a Swedish grenade launcher, apparently pilfered from a battlefield in Ukraine, exploded in the trunk of a car in Russia in May.
Arms trade experts warn that the administration and its allies must remain on guard despite the broad Western support for Kyiv’s effort to confront Putin’s invasion and the brutal tactics his forces have used against Ukrainian cities and civilians.
Rachel Stohl, the vice president for research programs at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said officials also must develop longer-term plans to ensure the security of surplus U.S. weapons once the conflict with Russia ends, noting Ukraine’s history as a theater for small-arms smuggling after the Cold War.
This would seem to imply that the Russians have captured 70% of the weapons supplied. Are the Russians more successful in this war than the propagandists are letting on?
An NBC report cited a small-scale Lithuanian non-lethal supplier to Ukraine who estimated only 40% of shipped weapons reached the frontlines in the early stages of the 2022 war. Months later, the report was repackaged by RT, citing a CBS claim that 70% of shipped weapons were misappropriated.
If the CBS had really turned up solid information that 70% of weapons were not making it to the Ukrainian front – then it is reasonable to think people in Ukraine would know this fact as well.
And what do you imagine would happen to someone caught in such treachery? Because that is exactly what it is – and traitors everywhere are marked out for a very short life.
It would be silly to suggest there is no leakage of this sort, but it is a hell of a dangerous game to be playing.
It is RT who are currently peddling the 70% claim adam.
Have a good read of the CBS article on which the original estimate was based. This was in April just over a month after the invasion by Russia. Understandably things would be a little chaotic then and supply lines would be patchy at best – remember the chaos as millions of people were fleeing the country at that time. Logistical supplies would take time to progress through to the front lines even with the best will in the world.
Jonas Ohman is founder and CEO of Blue-Yellow, a Lithuania-based organization that has been meeting with and supplying frontline units with non-lethal military aid in Ukraine since the start of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in 2014. Back in April, he estimated that just "30-40%" of the supplies coming across the border reached its final destination. But he says the situation has significantly improved since then and a much larger quantity now gets where it's supposed to go.
and in particular the editors note:
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect changes since the CBS Reports documentary "Arming Ukraine" was filmed, and the documentary is also being updated. Jonas Ohman says the delivery has significantly improved since filming with CBS in late April. The government of Ukraine notes that U.S. defense attaché Brigadier General Garrick M. Harmon arrived in Kyiv in August 2022 for arms control and monitoring.
Yes, and several others who shall remain nameless, but are too far down the RT rabbit hole to know the difference between truth, regurgitated opinion, and propaganda.
Well duhh, I knew the original figure was from RT, why I said it.
Never thought the 70% figure was anywhere near real. But, there are arms spilling out. To many are ending up in the hands of bad actors. From Russia, to Syria, to Africa.
I don't know who Daphne Lawless is Joe 90.
And what is the “Cathedral/ Bazaar model”? When I googled it I got stuff about it being about software
But she is utterly incorrect about Redline. They have not rejected class analysist and the link below about the Workers Now political party indicates this. Strong rights given to unions, low tax threseholds for workers, womens spaces for women only (non woke), free speech for all as workers need to be free to debate ideas.
I read most of Chris Trotters articles and he certainly brings class analysis into what he is writing (although I suspect he would call himself a social democratic (sorry Chris if I am misrepresenting you).
And what is the “Cathedral/ Bazaar model”? When I googled it I got stuff about it being about software
I also looked it up on google. The way it seems to be being used here is as a metaphor for the distinction between oligarchic democracy and participatory democracy,
We are being treated on this site to disinformation about Ukraine, courtesy of a few who have fallen into Kremlin propaganda. One of the egregious lies that Russia invented to justify their murderous and unprovoked invasion is that Ukraine "is Nazi".
Ukrainian Jews give some of the strongest rebukes to this nonsense.
….attempts to smear Kyiv as a Nazi-led regime are nothing more than "Russian propaganda." The Nazi myth has infuriated Ukraine’s Jews. Not only does it ignore their voices. It puts Jewish lives in danger.
…Alexander Shatkhin (of no relation to Igor) is a lifelong Odesa resident who attended a Jewish school as a child. He characterized Ukraine as "super safe" for Jews and said that antisemitism hasn’t been a serious issue since the 1990s, when "Soviet thinking" was the norm. A seasoned traveler, he believes that Ukraine is safer for Jews than many Western European states…
…In November, 111 Ukrainian Jewish leaders signed a public letter calling Ukrainian Jews victims of Russian war crimes and denouncing Putin’s destruction of Holocaust memorials, synagogues, and Jewish cemeteries. Those who believe that Ukraine is full of Nazis should listen to these Jews, who are natural experts on this subject
Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Jeffrey Sachs, John Mearsheimer amongst other informed and independent experts and thinkers present a different narrative to the one we are being fed by the corporate mainstream media, yes.
Chomsky and Pilger would do well to get out from behind their keyboards, visit the country they profess to care so much about – and listen to ordinary Ukrainian people.
There's no controversy around the fact that Ihor Kolomoisky, a jewish Ukrainian oligarch with an Israeli passport funded the Azov militia when it began in 2014.He had no problem with its neo nazi symbols and ideology, as long as it was effective in brutalising his competitors and attacking the Russians of the Donbas.It was effectively his own private militia.
Azov was also backed by the interior ministry of the Ukrainian govt, many of whom are Jewish , so this nonsense that no Jew would countenance far right neo nazis is quite false
Russia is returning to the days of the former Soviet Union when it comes to antisemitism, fired by the need for a “scapegoat,” the former Chief Rabbi of Moscow asserted in an interview published on Thursday.
“Russia is returning to the Soviet Union, not in terms of communism, but in terms of its isolation from the rest of the world, antisemitism, general mobilization, repression of dissidents, and economic hardship,” Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said in an interview with the Spanish Catholic news outlet Alfa & Omega. “It has become a very unpleasant place to live.”
Goldchmidt said that 50,000 Jews had left Russia for Israel since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, a process he emphasized he had “encouraged.”
“Russia has a very difficult history of government antisemitism,” Goldschmidt observed. “When things go wrong, they look for a scapegoat.”
[…]
Crude antisemitic rhetoric had surfaced again in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, Goldschmidt noted, for example in the claim of Russian propagandists that the war is an operation to “denazify” Ukraine — a stance the rabbi dismissed as “utter nonsense.”
In that regard, Goldschmidt also mentioned the false claim made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood”, the allegation made by Russian Security Council Aleksei Pavlov that the Orthodox Chabad movement is a “sect,” and the authorities ongoing attempts to shutter the local operations of the Jewish Agency, which assists those making aliyah to Israel.
For what it is worth; in the two short periods I lived and worked in Russia I encountered a casual anti-Semitic (and a frank racism directed specifically toward black people ) often enough to surprise me.
That is to say not a daily occurrence or openly blatant, but often enough to suggest it was not rare either.
1. Adopt the Greens 1% wealth tax on those with asset equity over $1M
2. The American concept of progressive income tax for companies as we do for individuals (so high profit companies pay more tax – the Oz banks etc)
3. A FTT (if seen as more efficient than incorporation of the financial services sector into GST)
4. 1-3 enabling reduced income tax and or WFF/AS changes.
5. A land tax for contributions to an infrastructure fund (for housing/PT/water etc)
6. The first year after any increase in AS involves a rent freeze
Housing
1. buy up homes (those with space for granny flat small builds extra) and or lease to increase the number of state houses charging income related rent to 100,000 and get people out of motels.
2. the current upgrade/renovate or replace phase to get Kainga Ora stock up to modern standard include a focus on disability and aged friendly accommodation renovation.
3. take advantage of the building downturn to reboot Kiwibuild – and allow existing flat/apartment owners to buy in when starting a family, aging singles seeking co-ownership companionship/mutual support, and boomers downsizing (see 7) (this allows sales while mortgage rates are high).
Welfare
1. Disability singles at super rates, and the base income support rate when in partnership
2. move repayment of debt to the TD model (begins once people have employment)
3. support those with terminal sickness or undergoing cancer treatment at ACC levels
4. refinance the debt of women going onto the DPB after divorce (and become partners in making mortgage payments, leading in some long term cases to the home becoming a state house).
PT
1. Free offpeak to CSC holders and students. Half fare otherwise.
Health
1. no tertiary debt repayments required for anyone working in our health system
2. investment in drugs that keep people in employment and out of health care (GP/hospital/carer) dependency to reduce system costs and stress on capability
Dental.
1. Expand CS card service from hospital treatment (emergency check and tooth removal) to annual dental visits.
2. Expand hospital treatment to low income workers.
After spending around 18 months investigating the riot, the House of Representatives select committee recommended at their final meeting on Monday that Mr Trump face four charges:
Inciting, assisting, aiding or comforting an insurrection
Obstruction of an official proceeding
Conspiracy to defraud the United States
Conspiracy to make a false statement
Predictably Donald Trump has called the SC, a "kangaroo court"
The term kangaroo court comes from the notion of justice proceeding "by leaps", like a kangaroo – in other words, "jumping over" (intentionally ignoring) evidence that would be in favour of the defendant.
Referring to a legal trial as a kangaroo court is a serious charge, since it implies that the trial was not conducted in a legal or fair fashion. Outside the United States, the term is not as widely heard
Oh that's a surprise, Trump calls it a kangaroo court and wants the talk to be about that.
I thought it was an investigation, an inquiry into what happened on Jan 6 and around that. I realise the committee heard from many, many people. I heard that others who had information refused to share what they knew. People who apparently had dealings with Trump on that day as events unfolded.
The definition including "that would be in favour of the defendant"? There was no defendant. There was no trial. It was not a court.
You see! (Why are we wasting our energy talking about Seymour??)
"The Green Party welcomes an historic new global agreement to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade and calls on the Government to follow it with immediate action to protect native wildlife."
RT Russia Today, speculates on Russia's defeat in their war with Ukraine.
RT accuses Ukraine and Nato of planning a genocide of Russian speakers in Ukraine on Russia's defeat.
The weird thing is the President of Ukraine is a native Russian speaker, who learnt to speak Russian at school.
The weird thing about this story is that the Russian Federation have been mercilessly bombing the Russian speaking Ukrainian city of Odessa
The other weird thing, the President of Ukraine is a native Russian speaker, who learnt to speak Russian at school. Will he too be rounded up in this supposed post war pogrom of Russian speakers?
Bu truly the most weirdest thing about this claim, in a paragraph that would not be out of place in an episode of Black Adder Goes To War, RT's evidence for this supposedly planned genocide of Russian speakers in the Donbas following a Ukraine victory is the lack of any evidence for it.
What will happen to ethnic Russians in Donbass and Crimea, if Ukraine and NATO emerge victorious from the current conflict?
….if Kiev and NATO win, what happens to the Russians living in the regions they will have ‘liberated’? This is the question I posed to both former and current US government officials and experts. But no one would answer. So I searched online. Likewise, nothing. No detailed information on Kiev’s post-war plan. Their silence is sinister.
The morning after Russia's retreat from Ukraine, Ukrainian army officers will rip off their Ukrainian uniforms to reveal their black Waffen SS uniforms complete with glittering silver deaths head insignia and will order the round up of millions of Ukrainian Russian speakers. President Zelensky having served his purpose, will be detained and stripped of his titles and with the other Russian speakers loaded into cattle cars to be transported to one of many newly built extermination camps alongside all the Jews and Gypsies (OMG Zelensky a Russian speaking Jew, will be doubly damned)
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
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Imagine that you are the political editor for a major news organisation. You sit down for an extended interview with the man who wants to be PM.
And then you produce a report which does not have a single specific policy. Or even a hint of one. A parade of platitudes
The headline is a joke: "Upfront". No. There is nothing there. Zilch.
A festive chocolate fish for anyone who can point to any content at all in what Luxon says here. Take the challenge …
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130803325/christopher-luxons-endofyear-interview-why-politicians-need-to-be-upfront-about-new-zealands-problems
Policy? Luxon instead used the interview to double down on racist comments.
At least fellow traveller, Jeremy Clarkson, did accept responsibility and attempted an apology:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2022/12/uk-tv-presenter-jeremy-clarkson-horrified-meghan-column-caused-hurt.html
Luke, I am your father.
All of that is so pertinent but there has to be context.
It doesn't matter that what you say is true. The mass who are against Ardern and Labour, the mass who have it that everything wrong with NZ is down to them and every grievance in their lives personally gets back to them, means Luxon doesn't have to say anything of substance.
The belief is that magically with 'not Labour' we'll be on the way to enough doctors and nurses and truckies and builders and teachers and farm workers and hospitality workers. And the housing crisis that started in 2017 will be gone and there'll be no poverty. Crime wave and youth crime? In short order they'll become things of the past.
We have a dumb country and it's destined to determinedly stay that way. The masses don't want to hear reasoned intelligent discussion and solutions.
Solid summary of Fijian election from Canterbury professor https://theconversation.com/a-knife-edge-election-in-fiji-sees-power-shift-and-a-chance-to-bring-back-real-democracy-196465
Negotiating demands revealed by kingmaker party
https://twitter.com/MichaelFieldNZ/status/1604890354548822016
Thanks for the link Sacha, though recent developments have gotten weird:
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/fijian-elections/gavoka-no-longer-sodelpa-leader/
As The Conversation piece by Ratuva notes, it is only through Gavoka's son in law that there is any connection between the two parties. So it now seems likely that a 3party coalition led by Rabuka is on the cards. Unless Bainimara declares a state of emergency and calls in the military first. I hope the next Sodelpa leader is chosen before 2024!
[deleted]
Given David Seymour is dropping hints all over the place that ACT will demand a true conservative government from Luxon, and not a political vehicle that has had a blue paint job over the previous red, the Left may get something out of the upcoming election after all. Coalition talks may get quite nasty between ACT and National. Keep the popcorn handy.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/12/act-leader-david-seymour-questions-christopher-luxon-s-loyalty-to-conservatism-ahead-of-election-year.html
Act is a radical right-wing party. Never been conservative.
They are pseudo Libertarians. The coalition at best will be weak conservative. I can't see how coalition talks can get past this hurdle:
''In October, Seymour said redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and putting them to a public and binding referendum would be a bottom line in any governing negotiations.''
And people think Ardern is divisive?
Ardern is yesterdays news,….don't you think?
Seymour and Luxon are yesterday's comic-strip.
Coming to a town near you, tomorrow.
What will they be conserving?
White privilege, I expect.
Instead of being glib, I don't think you quite understand the ramifications of this quote, should ACT get their way. Have a think.
''In October, Seymour said redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and putting them to a public and binding referendum would be a bottom line in any governing negotiations.''
So what would that be conserving?
status quo aka BAU
It's all about choice, squeaks Seymour.
Hobson's Choice.
FFS, do we have to repeat this every day between now and the election? Are people not getting it or (tediously) pretending not to get it? Every 3 years, same posturing before the election, same reality after it.
Seymour's "bottom line" means nothing. Here's how it goes:
Luxon: "Hi Dave, which Cabinet job would you like?"
Seymour: "None, unless you hold a referendum that will destroy your very brief term as PM".
Luxon: "None it is then".
Seymour: "Er, hang on a sec, let's not be too hasty, this referendum idea is … negotiable. Finance portfolio would make it disappear".
Luxon: "Done".
The bottom line … isn't. And you know it.
Not convinced you were paying attention. Christopher said repeal 3-waters and the Maori health authority and then Seymour said, make sure he repeals 3-waters and the Maori health authority.
Why don't you trust Christopher?
first paragraph deleted.
if you want to reference a politician in the MSM you have to give the reference. eg Luxon was on x radio station talkback date/time. Preferably with a link (yes, this means when you are on the internet about to make a comment on TS, you first google the thing you have listened to).
This is because we are here for the robust debate, and people reading and commenting having access to the thing you listened improves debate. It's not FB or twitter or a personal blog where one can just say what one thinks, we're not a reckons forum. There is a debate standard.
You're lucking I didn't just dump the whole comment for wasting moderator time.
as you can now see, someone is commenting on your response to the unknown talkback and disagreeing with you, but we can't fact check because you didn't provide a reference.
You mean this?
''Not convinced you were paying attention. Christopher said repeal 3-waters and the Maori health authority and then Seymour said, make sure he repeals 3-waters and the Maori health authority.''
Yes. Here you are again wanting to have a conversation about something without providing the reference you were just modded on.
take the day off. If you're not going to take moderation seriously, I'm not wasting any more of my time.
Great opportunity to catch up on old recordings of The Farming Show.
In a fucking nutshell.
https://twitter.com/daphlawless/status/1604555947187523585
https://twitter.com/daphlawless/status/1604570940029169664
Nah – I judge a political analysis primarily on one thing. Does it have a framework of unity – or division?
Unity is only possible when you have an evolving set of common principles and purposes in order to have coherence.
All functioning societies are a tripolar blend of three broad political instincts; conservative, liberal and social. All three fundamentally share a common interest and purpose in a healthy, functioning society; sharing six core human values . Where we differ is in how we place differing weights on these values.
That in turns means being able to point to what is in and what is out; which introduces the notion of boundaries, and discipline. Each of the three broad political poles can go too far; this is obvious from history. In very broad and simplistic terms:
When liberalism places too much weight on personal liberty it becomes libertarianism.
When conservatism places too much weight on sanctity it becomes some form of fascism.
And when socialism places too much weight on fairness and equity of outcome it becomes marxism.
Note how the extremists of each group, the libertarians, the fascists and marxists bitterly condemn everyone else as standing in the way of the revolutionary, radical change they dearly wish for. And hate most of all moderates of all shades who get on with negotiating political interests, building consensus and delivering a functioning world.
Is there such a thing?
It explains a lot that in your tripolar fantasy world, fairness should moderated.
That is a decent question. I would guess from your commenting record here that it is something you personally place a high value on.
But everything hinges on how you decide to implement fairness. Equal opportunity is something most people agree on; enforcing equal outcomes is another thing altogether.
There is a lot of nuance in this; humans seem to thrive with some degree of competition, but our societies also require a high degree of cooperation at at the same time. Yet when the inequality gradient becomes too extreme, when the rungs at the bottom of the ladder are too far apart or missing altogether, this cooperation breaks down and is the trigger for all manner of social dysfunction.
Clearly both extremes of inequality fail, but measuring and sensing where the optimum balance between them might lie – remains in my view and unsolved problem. Mostly because we are not willing yet to have an honest conversation about what the causes of inequality really are.
The pipeline from phoney left to populist right is represented par excellence by Bradsbury, Trotter, and all the weirdo Putin tankies on the "left" who seem to pine for the certainty of being on the wrong side of the cold war. Maybe all that pro-Putin bullshit they’ve watched on RT has addled their brains, who knows. And since I am old enough to have visited Eastern Europe during the cold war, anyone who took Moscow's shilling was definitely on the wrong side.
Interesting comment on the idea of the Cathedral/Bazaar model. Most of us who consider ourselves to be on the progressive left understand that we are in an ideological battle with two powerful forces. The first is the donor driven politics of the center right that has ruled our lives for most of the last five decades. The second is an even bigger threat from reactionary nationalists in alliance with religious fundamentalists who want to turn back the clock to some glorious era that never existed except as a nightmare for women and minorities. Trotter and Bradbury only want to fight the first group, and and ignore or even play footsie with a reactionary fascist adjacent right. Trotter spends his whole life in a lengthening shadow of obsessive and increasingly absurd conspiracy theories over race issues, endlessly invoking comparisons between co-governance and the racial policies of the Nazis and harking back in a proto-fascist idealised past. Bradbury's is an amusing blowhard and buffoon, who confesses to utter frustration at the "woke lefts" obsession with identity politics whilst seemingly devoting his entire existence to endlessly making common cause with the libertarian far right to wage an incessant war on the topic. His journey from left to a soft cock Boogaloo Boi is something else.
A restatement of the tripolar model I outlined above. Essentially you have described three political poles – progressive socialism, liberalism and conservatism.
Liberalism promotes innovation, liberty and development. Conservatism balances this with a respect for institutions, systems and reliability. Socialism looks to fairness, respect and redistribution. Each of them plays a legitimate role in a healthy society; politics is the eternal contention between all three as time and circumstance change.
Extremism is when any of these three steps over a boundary. You can tell when you are an extremist because you conceive of yourself as a sole arbiter of of a singular truth, isolated in a battle against everyone else.
I'd like to see the argument made that Trotter and/or Redline have abandoned class struggle. I disagree with Trotter a fair amount, and I don't read him that often, but it's quite the claim that he has no class analysis.
Likewise claiming Redline have no class analysis. Whatever criticisms there are to be made about the politics of both, this just seems like an anti-anti reaction.
Scratching my head at this too,
Is she a supporter of open borders? Because neoliberalism does whatever the fuck it wants with borders eg the Key government used fast, excessive immigration as a tool in running the neoliberal economy. Unless one is in favour of open borders, I can't see how neoliberalism can be characterised as closed borders.
We live in a strong, open border state where we can come and go as we please.
yeah, well I've yet to see a left wing explanation of how that will protect communities and the environment. The people I see running that position basically live in cities and visit nature and have zero plan for ecology and increasing population. Nor how to resolve the problems of resource depletion and how that impacts on low income/poor people.
Where Trotter and co react against that, they're holding a conservative position as a service to the community because of the liberals who think open borders are all good. I don't agree with Trotter much, but I think liberals believe they can force everyone to agree with them so what can they expect.
and of course there are clear parallels with women's rights and gender ideologists. People without healthy boundaries are just as dangerous as the people with authoritarian control boundaries.
Well yes. An idea I have been articulating here for some time. We might well debate the details of exactly where these boundaries are located – but it is worth noting the points we do align on.
The neo-liberal approach to border control is that executives/managerial class are free to ply their trade anywhere in the world (necessary as they continually move their production to where the lowest labour costs / best tax incentives are) whereas workers are not free to move willy nilly around the world to work.
This is embedded in international trade agreements in many cases and results in things like RSE at one end and the procession of overseas CEO's running and wrecking our public institutions at the other.
Border control remains a class issue.
.
LOL … spare me the ID pols bullshit from pampered well-to-do virtue-signalers like dear old Daphne … Oligarchic Capitalism absolutely loves the affluent Woke cadre within the Professional Middle Class … its inherent divisiveness, its rejection of traditional Social Democratic class politics in favour of systematically scapegoating the non-indigenous majority of the working & lower-middle classes into a degraded, powerless second-class citizenship.
The new Woke Corporate Oligarchy, with its radically redefined Woke-Identitarian ideology, mirrors sanctimonious bourgeois ID politics activists of the pretend-"Left" in being no friend of democracy and no friend of class politics.
The ruthlessly self-interested masquerading as moral exemplars.
Bryce Edwards, Chris Trotter, DaphnaRedliner & a few others are a breath of fresh air against the perversion of the Left into a self-serving Vanity Project for an affluent, increasingly authoritarian segment of society.
https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/the-ruling-class-promotes-identity?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Bradbury does not hesitate to condemn the woke left but extends the hand of friendship to antivaxxer MAGA idiots trying to overthrow Parliament.
I suggest we should try and find solidarity on the left and leave the loony fringes of the right for ACT or NZ1
100% Swordfish.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/jacinda-ardern-appears-in-trailer-for-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-new-netflix-documentary/3MKRAERMW5H2PDQRNEFOZKTACE/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/jacinda-ardern-appears-in-trailer-for-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-new-netflix-documentary/3MKRAERMW5H2PDQRNEFOZKTACE/
opps. Surely it is a pr mistake for Jacinda to appear in the trailer to Harry and Megan’s Netflix doco. Perhaps she wasn’t asked, although in the article it is claimed she has a strong bond with the couple
Surely she wouldn't openly side with a couple that have decided to operate open warfare by useing a completely one sided attack on netflix (haven't nor will ever watch it)
Bwagon, I suspect Jacinda wouldn't have openly sided with H and M. The "close bond"may be tested a bit if they have used her without her permission
Clare Daly speaks truth to power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFRkXjlMx6o&t=5s
The trouble with this sort of nonsense is the ordinary people of the Ukraine have their own agency, and they beg to differ. Ukrainians know peace at any price is just another word for suicide.
It's good to see someone in politics making a sensible speech concerning the Ukrainian war. The point about having to pay four times the previous price for energy and forcing people to choose between eating and keeping warm is a point worth hammering home.
And the Ukranianians don't know that peace talks mean "suicide" We cannot "know" something that isn't true.
the
Spot on mikesh
The Ukrainians tried to make peace In April, but Boris Johnson was sent over to make sure the war was continued.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-must-not-be-pressured-into-bad-peace-deal-says-uk-pm-johnson-2022-06-07/
Yes. I forgot to mention the point Miss Daly made about the Americans laughing at Europe. The Americans don't want the war to end because they see it as weakening Russia, and if it weakens Europe also, that's a bonus.
It all contributes to the cause of American hegemony.
And that is what this proxy war is all about.
What a shame that pooty can't see that he's being played.
The lesson; If you don't want a proxy war on your borders. Don't invade your neighbours.
Russia is fighting the US and Nato in Ukraine?
Was the US fighting Russia and the Warsaw Pact in Vietnam?
While Vietnamese morale, patriotism, superior training and the belief that theirs was a just cause were clearly critical factors, the victory was also due to the virtually ceaseless flow of weapons from Russia.
Yes of course there was some element of 'proxy war' but principally the Vietnam war, was a war against US domination and take over.
The superpowers like to see their imperial rivals get a black eye.
But without the Vietnamese willingness to fight and resist the US invasion the Soviet Union would have had no where to send their weapons.
The same in Ukraine, again there is an element of 'proxy war' but principally the Ukraine war is a war against Russian domination and take over.
https://www.rbth.com/…/vietnam_war_the_critical_role_of…
The proxy war started before 2014.
A simple reading of history shows the Americans were involved in the 2014 coup and have been arming and training the Ukrainian army ever since.
And if you remember the history of the Vietnam war, the Americans started by sending ‘trainers’to assist the South Vietnamese…
That is why we urgently need a ceasefire.
Evidence? Or another soft-headed reckon?
Joe, are really trying to say the Americans weren’t involved in the 2014 coup?
Wow.
I'll ask again, do you have any evidence Americans were involve?
Really? Do you have any evidence?
Cite?
The Russian aggressor will not even agree to a Christmas truce.
Russia launches one of its most damaging missile attacks yet against civilian infrastructure
UKRAINE INVASION
A unilateral withdrawal back to the their own borders is the only guarantee of a proper lasting peace with the Russian Federation invaders.
I think the Orthodox Churches – Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, etc. – do not attach much importance to Christmas, For them the main event in the Christian calendar is Easter. For someone to suggest a ceasefire for Christmas seems a little pernicious.
Christmas Day by the Gregorian calendar is an official government holiday in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church celebrates pretty much like every other Catholic church does.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrations begin today our time, St Nicholas day, when Ukrainian kids clean and leave their footwear along with their Christmas letters on the window sill and St Nicholas visits overnight and leaves presents, and the festival runs through to late January.
So no, there's nothing at all pernicious about Christmas ceasefire proposals.
Is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church a Uniate Church? I'm asking simply as a matter of interest.
They're a non-orthodox eastern mob so I guess they are.
70% of western weapons sent to the Ukraine are not reaching troops?
https://legalresearchandanalysis.com/current-affairs/70-of-western-weapons-sent-to-ukraine-dont-reach-troops-cbs
China appears to adopted ACT's COVID response policy, and “Let whoever needs to be infected infected, let whoever needs to die die. Early infections, early deaths, early peak, early resumption of production.” is going about as well as you'd expect.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1604748747640119296
Ukraine is a corrupt country.
Weapons have made their way into the ‘terror hotspot of the Lake Chad region.’
https://www.voanews.com/a/nigerian-president-ukraine-war-funneling-arms-fighters-into-lake-chad-basin/6856806.html
https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2022/12/03/ukraine-war-weapons-in-nigeria-why-india-should-be-concerned.html
As a vassal state of the Russian empire for centuries, and until very recently a captive of the same corrupt, kleptocratic mode of governance – this does seem entirely possible.
And when the Ukrainian people chose to go in a different direction, sacrifice their lives for this – you do nothing but shit on them.
Yeah what was Ed thinking being critical of the proliferation of arms towards other conflicts.
/sarc
Indeed no-one supports that kind of proliferation. I did not imagine that needed spelling out.
But the claim made by Ed was 'Ukraine is a corrupt country'. Fair enough that I might question why.
Did you see the response below – it does need to be spelt out. Because we have those who are supplying the weapons being incapable of keeping a track of the money it is spending.
And as you said below, those selling the weapons are playing 'a hell of a dangerous game". I've read reports in the past, that some factions are they selling them to the Russians, which is total FUBAR and should be stopped. I don't think it's 70%, but even 1% is to much in my opinion.
Any amount would be too much, but if it is as low as 1% I would be delighted. Ukraine will be no more immune from having traitorous fuckers than anywhere else.
Point is, the leakage is probably some low number, no-one as a reliable handle on it – and Ed is still repeating weak propaganda sources without thinking much.
You are aware that the US is also involved in propaganda?
Well of course; but have you just implicitly acknowledged that Russia does propaganda too?
The simple difference is this – there are Russian troops in Ukraine and not the other way around. No amount of agitprop, or obfuscation over the meaning of words from either side, can gloss over that reality.
It was Putin who turned a diplomatic confrontation into a kinetic one; he started this war and he still has the power to end it at any moment.
The war started in 2014.
It suits NATO and the US to pretend the events of February 2022 came out of the blue. It didn’t.
Not sure if it is a low number and here why. Reports have surfaced that the weapons are in Russia, Syria, and as of last week or so, Africa. With a spread like that, not a small number. I'd guess maybe 3-6% of all materials, including weapons. And in the shear scale of whats being sent that is a large amount.
I'm guessing (wild guess) it's Russian Ukraine's or Gangs who are doing the selling. With the flood of arms and other materials its just too easy in a war zone which is having it's infrastructure systematically destroyed, for stuff to go missing.
I'm not sure that the US minds very much if terrorists are armed.
The procurement and destination of weapons and materiels is at the heart of any military's operations security.
But the AFU will be delighted to hear that their enemy thinks they're losing 70% of US supplied arms.
/
On one hand the Putin fanboys tell us that Ukraine is only beating Russia solely because of Western military aid. Now they are saying only a fraction of this military aid 30% is reaching them?
All I can say to that, is the Ukrainian people are mounting a remarkable defence of their homeland against the Russian invading forces without it.
It's the spilling of the arms out to other conflicts which is the problem Jenny are we there yet. How many of these weapons and materials are ending up in Russian hands? Or the head choppers in Syria?
Umberto Eco;
Presumably the Ukrainians are finding 70% of the weapons to be surplus to requirements and are therefor flogging them off for cash the they need to buy other consumer goods of which they have a greater need.
FFS that old and erroneous article – published over 6 months ago has been roundly debunked and shown by actual events to be a load of hogwash.
Here is just one article where CBS has had to pull a report based in the bullshit being peddled here.
There are many others if anyone wants to waste some time .
In which case why have arms turned up in the Mail Basin? This story is dated December 3rd.
CBS, as a United States news source in a proxy war involving the US, cannot be regarded as an impartial source.
This would seem to imply that the Russians have captured 70% of the weapons supplied. Are the Russians more successful in this war than the propagandists are letting on?
Actually, where does the 70% figure come from?
Out of someones arse.
Exactly.
If the CBS had really turned up solid information that 70% of weapons were not making it to the Ukrainian front – then it is reasonable to think people in Ukraine would know this fact as well.
And what do you imagine would happen to someone caught in such treachery? Because that is exactly what it is – and traitors everywhere are marked out for a very short life.
It would be silly to suggest there is no leakage of this sort, but it is a hell of a dangerous game to be playing.
Oh please the state department is in full propaganda mode over this war.
They are a source I take with a grain of salt, like RT.
It is RT who are currently peddling the 70% claim adam.
Have a good read of the CBS article on which the original estimate was based. This was in April just over a month after the invasion by Russia. Understandably things would be a little chaotic then and supply lines would be patchy at best – remember the chaos as millions of people were fleeing the country at that time. Logistical supplies would take time to progress through to the front lines even with the best will in the world.
and in particular the editors note:
Fark! It was dumped here on TS by that notorious time-wasting (x) Sophist who’s copped a 1-day ban since.
Yes, and several others who shall remain nameless, but are too far down the RT rabbit hole to know the difference between truth, regurgitated opinion, and propaganda.
Thanks for setting the record straight.
There is the report of arms turning up in the Lake Mali area, according to Nigerian and Indian sources.
I posted link above and here it is again.
https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2022/12/03/ukraine-war-weapons-in-nigeria-why-india-should-be-concerned.html
Third time's a charm
Well duhh, I knew the original figure was from RT, why I said it.
Never thought the 70% figure was anywhere near real. But, there are arms spilling out. To many are ending up in the hands of bad actors. From Russia, to Syria, to Africa.
I don't know who Daphne Lawless is Joe 90.
And what is the “Cathedral/ Bazaar model”? When I googled it I got stuff about it being about software
But she is utterly incorrect about Redline. They have not rejected class analysist and the link below about the Workers Now political party indicates this. Strong rights given to unions, low tax threseholds for workers, womens spaces for women only (non woke), free speech for all as workers need to be free to debate ideas.
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2022/12/15/workers-now/
I read most of Chris Trotters articles and he certainly brings class analysis into what he is writing (although I suspect he would call himself a social democratic (sorry Chris if I am misrepresenting you).
https://twitter.com/daphlawless/status/1604572652819320832
Thanks Weka.
And what is the “Cathedral/ Bazaar model”? When I googled it I got stuff about it being about software
I also looked it up on google. The way it seems to be being used here is as a metaphor for the distinction between oligarchic democracy and participatory democracy,
Thanks Mikesh!
We are being treated on this site to disinformation about Ukraine, courtesy of a few who have fallen into Kremlin propaganda. One of the egregious lies that Russia invented to justify their murderous and unprovoked invasion is that Ukraine "is Nazi".
Ukrainian Jews give some of the strongest rebukes to this nonsense.
Ukraine’s Jews denounce myth of rampant Nazism
Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Jeffrey Sachs, John Mearsheimer amongst other informed and independent experts and thinkers present a different narrative to the one we are being fed by the corporate mainstream media, yes.
It is not misinformation, though.
I have agreed with various things from Chomsky and Pilger in the past – but not on this.
Seems they have intellectualised themselves into knots, and have emerged defending imperialism, dictatorship, war crimes and censorship.
They remind me of the conversation at the start of this clip…"It would be wise".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUS9Oy96YPQ
They remain voices I respect.
They have abandoned reason for madness.
Chomsky and Pilger would do well to get out from behind their keyboards, visit the country they profess to care so much about – and listen to ordinary Ukrainian people.
Good clip.
The Ukrainian Jews seem to be attacking a "straw man". I doubt whether, these days, Ukrainian fascism has anything to do with antisemitism.
There's no controversy around the fact that Ihor Kolomoisky, a jewish Ukrainian oligarch with an Israeli passport funded the Azov militia when it began in 2014.He had no problem with its neo nazi symbols and ideology, as long as it was effective in brutalising his competitors and attacking the Russians of the Donbas.It was effectively his own private militia.
Azov was also backed by the interior ministry of the Ukrainian govt, many of whom are Jewish , so this nonsense that no Jew would countenance far right neo nazis is quite false
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/1/who-are-the-azov-regiment
The people who gave the world the anti-cosmopolitan campaign the doctors plot, and the night of the murdered poets are smearing Jews, again.
Surely not?
Russia is returning to the days of the former Soviet Union when it comes to antisemitism, fired by the need for a “scapegoat,” the former Chief Rabbi of Moscow asserted in an interview published on Thursday.
“Russia is returning to the Soviet Union, not in terms of communism, but in terms of its isolation from the rest of the world, antisemitism, general mobilization, repression of dissidents, and economic hardship,” Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said in an interview with the Spanish Catholic news outlet Alfa & Omega. “It has become a very unpleasant place to live.”
Goldchmidt said that 50,000 Jews had left Russia for Israel since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, a process he emphasized he had “encouraged.”
“Russia has a very difficult history of government antisemitism,” Goldschmidt observed. “When things go wrong, they look for a scapegoat.”
[…]
Crude antisemitic rhetoric had surfaced again in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, Goldschmidt noted, for example in the claim of Russian propagandists that the war is an operation to “denazify” Ukraine — a stance the rabbi dismissed as “utter nonsense.”
In that regard, Goldschmidt also mentioned the false claim made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood”, the allegation made by Russian Security Council Aleksei Pavlov that the Orthodox Chabad movement is a “sect,” and the authorities ongoing attempts to shutter the local operations of the Jewish Agency, which assists those making aliyah to Israel.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/12/15/putins-russia-returning-to-soviet-era-antisemitism-former-chief-rabbi-of-moscow-asserts/
For what it is worth; in the two short periods I lived and worked in Russia I encountered a casual anti-Semitic (and a frank racism directed specifically toward black people ) often enough to surprise me.
That is to say not a daily occurrence or openly blatant, but often enough to suggest it was not rare either.
n=1 and all that.
If anyone wants a nice long read on this quiet Tuesday afternoon!
https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2022/12/Introductory-Material-to-the-Final-Report-of-the-Select-Committee.pdf
link does not work
fixed now
A Labour reboot for 2023
TAX
1. Adopt the Greens 1% wealth tax on those with asset equity over $1M
2. The American concept of progressive income tax for companies as we do for individuals (so high profit companies pay more tax – the Oz banks etc)
3. A FTT (if seen as more efficient than incorporation of the financial services sector into GST)
4. 1-3 enabling reduced income tax and or WFF/AS changes.
5. A land tax for contributions to an infrastructure fund (for housing/PT/water etc)
6. The first year after any increase in AS involves a rent freeze
Housing
1. buy up homes (those with space for granny flat small builds extra) and or lease to increase the number of state houses charging income related rent to 100,000 and get people out of motels.
2. the current upgrade/renovate or replace phase to get Kainga Ora stock up to modern standard include a focus on disability and aged friendly accommodation renovation.
3. take advantage of the building downturn to reboot Kiwibuild – and allow existing flat/apartment owners to buy in when starting a family, aging singles seeking co-ownership companionship/mutual support, and boomers downsizing (see 7) (this allows sales while mortgage rates are high).
Welfare
1. Disability singles at super rates, and the base income support rate when in partnership
2. move repayment of debt to the TD model (begins once people have employment)
3. support those with terminal sickness or undergoing cancer treatment at ACC levels
4. refinance the debt of women going onto the DPB after divorce (and become partners in making mortgage payments, leading in some long term cases to the home becoming a state house).
PT
1. Free offpeak to CSC holders and students. Half fare otherwise.
Health
1. no tertiary debt repayments required for anyone working in our health system
2. investment in drugs that keep people in employment and out of health care (GP/hospital/carer) dependency to reduce system costs and stress on capability
Dental.
1. Expand CS card service from hospital treatment (emergency check and tooth removal) to annual dental visits.
2. Expand hospital treatment to low income workers.
Predictably Donald Trump has called the SC, a "kangaroo court"
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64034559
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court
https://www.mylawquestions.com/what-is-a-kangaroo-court.htm
Between the NFTS and this, I think we can finally call trump, done.
Oh that's a surprise, Trump calls it a kangaroo court and wants the talk to be about that.
I thought it was an investigation, an inquiry into what happened on Jan 6 and around that. I realise the committee heard from many, many people. I heard that others who had information refused to share what they knew. People who apparently had dealings with Trump on that day as events unfolded.
The definition including "that would be in favour of the defendant"? There was no defendant. There was no trial. It was not a court.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2oXzrnti4
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/19/terry-hall-lead-singer-of-the-specials-dies-aged-63
Was thinking of this one after I heard the news today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs8WNk8tDsg&list=PL_Gl3Yre_1Y8OxbM_kdHBfrnfVanJpji0&index=4
You see! (Why are we wasting our energy talking about Seymour??)
"The Green Party welcomes an historic new global agreement to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade and calls on the Government to follow it with immediate action to protect native wildlife."
https://www.greens.org.nz/urgent_action_needed_at_home_following_global_deal_for_nature
Astonishing incompetence and corruption.
https://wartranslated.com/russian-volunteer-murz-on-why-russia-is-not-ready-to-defend-ukrainian-winter-offensive/
Hopefully some goodwill gestures await. Goodwill all the way back to Ukraine's borders would be nice.
RT Russia Today, speculates on Russia's defeat in their war with Ukraine.
RT accuses Ukraine and Nato of planning a genocide of Russian speakers in Ukraine on Russia's defeat.
The weird thing is the President of Ukraine is a native Russian speaker, who learnt to speak Russian at school.
The weird thing about this story is that the Russian Federation have been mercilessly bombing the Russian speaking Ukrainian city of Odessa
The other weird thing, the President of Ukraine is a native Russian speaker, who learnt to speak Russian at school. Will he too be rounded up in this supposed post war pogrom of Russian speakers?
Bu truly the most weirdest thing about this claim, in a paragraph that would not be out of place in an episode of Black Adder Goes To War, RT's evidence for this supposedly planned genocide of Russian speakers in the Donbas following a Ukraine victory is the lack of any evidence for it.
The morning after Russia's retreat from Ukraine, Ukrainian army officers will rip off their Ukrainian uniforms to reveal their black Waffen SS uniforms complete with glittering silver deaths head insignia and will order the round up of millions of Ukrainian Russian speakers. President Zelensky having served his purpose, will be detained and stripped of his titles and with the other Russian speakers loaded into cattle cars to be transported to one of many newly built extermination camps alongside all the Jews and Gypsies (OMG Zelensky a Russian speaking Jew, will be doubly damned)