I couldn’t find anything on last night’s meeting in the Herald this morning, despite going right to the bottom of the page. I guess it will be tucked away somewhere. Ironically, an article on Key’s performance in his interview with John Campbell, was still up, despite it being days old.
Yes, Campbell’s poll result 52666 votes, 89% against the Bill. Combined with another amazing pack public meeting…and virtually nothing in the NZ Herald.
If you mean the Hoskings who wrote this, then yeah, I’d really like to hear how that quiet chat goes . . .
“Government of laws and not of men” is not a left wing principle: it was most clearly enunciated by John Locke, whose writings on government in the late 17th Century form the basis of much classical liberal and conservative philosophy about private property rights – and what is personal privacy if not a private property right? – and small government.
Those who favour small government, and having the rights of officials to interfere in your lives and business kept under firm legal control, should be concerned about this legislation.
You might be irritated by the way a few prominent left wing journalists have seized upon this and used it as a soapbox.
You might be outraged at the shamelessness of opposition parties who rail against this particular extension of state power but who plan to extend that powers with every other announcement they make.
Put that irritation and outrage to one side for now. It will keep, believe me. There is a more important issue to deal with now.
Think on this: what will those politicians from the left wing parties like the Greens or Labour do with these powers when and if they attain office?
If you think they will do anything rather than use these powers to further bolster the size of the state in our lives, then I have an emissions trading scheme to sell you.
Hasn’t the Green Party said it will repeal the Act? How is this consistent with your spin?
I suspect that, especially given the information uncovered by Nicky Hager, any SIS/GCSB left employed under a Labour/Greens/Mana government would keep spying, but not as directed by the government. The information obtained, probably about the left, would go straight to Washington. The Greens and Mana know this and even some in Labour are waking up to it. The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
Wonder why human rights abuses are becoming the norm here and our laws watered down. Take a look at what happening in the UK. Its time to sever ties with this country:
Human rights are legal fictions which are used in place of the natural rights of common law. There are very good reasons to sever state ties with the UK, but it isn’t something that can happen overnight because of the oaths of allegiance of NZ MPs and judges.
“Go Figure” Moment of the Day: on Firstline this morning…
“If Shearer was really serious about being Prime Minister he would have come and sorted this out because that’s what Helen Clark did with the then Leader of the Opposition.”
A bit of role reversal going on there I think.
In accordance with most historical mass movements, those opposed to GCSB might consuder adopting a simple symbol of opposition to wear as a badge etc.(e.g. HART badges, red poppy, etc)
I suggest the outline of a fish or snapper, in red. (J Key’s attempted red herring). Easy to make, easily recognisble.
Reminded again of the US comedian who said: ” You’re Prime Minister’s name is John Key? That’s what you ask for in America when you need to go to the bathroom in a service station !”
I therefore suggest a small drawing of a toilet because it is where he is leading us.
I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown to match that of the search for the yacht Nina and its occupants. Apparently there are 41 satellites viewing this area of the world – I don’t know if that is the total or just from the west. Concerned people are scouring views from one private satellite (the USA refused access to its own citizens to view the government’s records) looking for signs of these precious people. Our NZ parents and their children are not so precious.
Perhaps we could have a report every day of one NZ family that had been needy and had received all the help wanted to improve their position and find themselves in a secure home, with transport, able to manage their parental duties, near to work, and with a holiday weekend provided and paid for and tutoring and sports equipment for the children, and further part-time education for the parents. Just to show that we and our government agencies are working to assist citizens to have opportunities to successfully make their way in life. To show we do not abandon our people when there are rough times and they are under stress from poverty and lack of job opportunities and low wages.
Agree Amirite. Hone added perspective which has always been visible but so often ignored. And “we” expect “them” to help “us” fight “our” battles. Much like the times when Maori and low boys were only any good if they won tests or the Ranfurly Shield. Those times are still with us in measure, as much as popular middle class canard denies it.
Hone has some powerful things to say that apply to Maori and pakeha as well. Good on him. You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off. Someone has to insist for fair treatment and an opportunity to live life, and not the vicious punitive government punch in the nose.
They have given away other people’s property (our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports – would the Dutch mine their polders,barriers against the sea, for a quick buck?) to ensure one section of society can trade without let or hindrance. Doh, they then make their own hindrance. And don’t have proper surveillance where it is needed, over their own processes and pipes. Can’t have pipes flowing with money into NZ and not have clean pipes going out.
You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off.
yep. look at the history of the abolition movement, the 40 hour week, womens suffrage, the right to form trade unions.
The Left has forgotten what it takes to make real changes. Its why the fuckwit Right Wingers go on about “having better manners” to lefties. Because they know about the power of taking concrete action on concrete issues.
Without doing that we will always get watered down policy wonkish positioning.
“our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports ”
Trade barriers are a major cost. They especially hurt the poor while transferring resources to the few. Capitalists become lobbyists and get rich behind tariffs (or worse import licenses). How can you support policies that transfer resources from consumers to producers to prop up inefficient local production? It is ridiculous. I thought this debate finished 20 years ago.
Trade barriers hurt the poor? Are you saying that competing with Chinese laborers pound for pound, who on average get paid as little as $6,500 NZD annually (Gansu province) is good for people on low incomes in New Zealand? It is clearly not more efficient to compete with economies that pay their workers peanuts, especially when none of those savings are transferred to consumers.
some trade barriers will be required in order to bring a degree of localisation back to the NZ economy, and to buffer us from external economic shocks.
Removal of barriers only works if each country has the exact same wages, exact same services (hospital, fire, telecoms, etc), exact same laws and protections and, most importantly, the exact same enforcement of those laws and protections. If they’re not the same then the price difference is incorrect which results in industry going to where it’s least efficient. Exactly as we’ve been seeing over the last few decades.
@Grey
I’ve often thought the same sort of thing after a large earthquake – the politicians, the media, councils et al – anxious to show their concern and understanding.
I guess killing them slowly (the beneficiaries, the indigent, etc) is acceptable these days.
What we need is to follow Thatcher’s way and decide to have a good war, it takes people’s minds off their chilblains after earthquakes destroy their housing and revitalises National Spirit.
Trouble is after the traditional expressions of concern, the government will want the affected people to wait for a few years till they get round to taking them seriously. I remember this approach being applied to an African famine fast approaching. The authorities were preparing and expected to be ready to mount humanitarian assistance within six months. But only six weeks food was left – the reporting journalist was in tears. /sarc
So they say that our GDP per capita is increasing.
But is it really? Are we as a nation of people more active and producing and doing more? My suspicion is no we are not. My suspicion is that the GDP numbers simply reflect an increase in the amount of money spinning around the economy. And where has that money come from? My suspicion is all of that extra money has come from debt lent into existence and printed by the banks.
It is a anti-spam “feature” from wordfence. It looks at how many page requests different types of organisms make per minute and throttles it if it exceeds a quantity (currently 4) in that minute, then you get that message.
What it is for is to stop someone trying to dump the whole or a large part of the whole site at once thereby making the site largely inaccessible for others. One or the other of the limits get hit multiple times every day. The bingbot is particularly obnoxious. But there is also someone from China reading successively through various authors comments last week. And we’ve had attempts to do simple page sweeps from inside NZ (and not just the National Library)
Bit of a bugger if you’re someone who just looks at the site every few days, opens anything that looks interesting in a new tab and settles down for a quick few minutes’ concentrated reading.
I was ready to blame it on Sticky Beak Key and his insatiable desire to read all my emails though. Might be an idea for something to do if the error page is customisable…
Whatever he’s doing, I wish he’d just bugger off, and take Goff, King, Shearer, Jones, and Hipkins with him. He is an irrelevance and an embarrassment. His major achievements have been to close schools and gag Cunliffe.
The home of the NeoLiberal revolution the U$. The Brave new world we have been copying courtesy of Roger the Dodger and his followers continues to show its true colours:
“Drastic growth in “extreme poverty” in US”
The 1% continue to crow on the pile’s top having cornered most of the wealth.
Well yes, Colonial Viper, it IS very bad if the Guardian had to destroy the Snowden material, but
why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites? Surely when you’re dealing with such sensitive material you (the media concerned) would ensure safety of content by copying, and re-copying and taking the USBs elsewhere. Maybe they did do that ….. hope so, anyway.
but why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites?
They did.
You seem to be missing the point, the UK government shouldn’t be able to demand that information that the media has be destroyed. Going the route that the UK has here it shows that the UK is well on the way to becoming an oppressive, totalitarian state.
The Guardian notes that the UK Govt was probably just making a point – that it can physically interfere with a newspaper publisher if it wants to.
The Chief Editor wrote an editorial – remarkably – outlining what happened. He said that Whitehall officials were told that copies of the data were held internationally and that Glenn Greenwald was writing and publishing from Brazil so wouldn’t even be affected by any UK injunction.
They ordered the smashing of the Guardian’s computer equipment anyway. One of the agents joked while witnessing the destruction that they could now call off the “black helicopters”.
What is it with New Zealanders and dogs? I reckon we are about the most uncivilised race on the planet when it comes to dogs. Can’t walk down the street without having to keep an eye out for dogshit bombs. Can’t go to places where dogs are either banned or required to be on a lead because so many owners ignore the rules (despite people with kids going to these places to avoid dogs). Can’t sleep in many urban locales because there will be some dog barking incessantly.
However, it annoys me that, walking places from my home, I sometimes come across a dog not on a lead (some times with, sometimes without an owner). It can make what should be a pleasurable, and environmentally-friendly way of getting place, unpleasant – because unleashed dogs scare me. The owners may think they are harmless, but how can I be sure of that?
Exactly Karol. Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions, as the above linked article indicates (again). Imo it is unacceptable for dog owners to impose themselves on other people in this way. Similarly with the bombs left on the footpath – in our neighbourhood I would challenge anybody to walk around any block in the vicinity with eyes closed (!) and not end up with the stinking goopoop jammed into their shoes and then walked into the house. Gross.
Finally, I appreciate most owners are responsible but it seems from mine anecdote that the proportion of responsible owners in NZ is far lower than elsewhere.
at an absolute level yes – but you can tell an awful lot about how a dog might behave if you understand their thought process and non verbal cues. The signals are different for different breeds – but theres a lot of common ground and they are surprisingly easy to learn and the responses you can use are highly effective (most of the time)
while i agree there are some really shitty dog owners out there (hey, i live in west AK) they ARE a minority and it serves no one to take a position of it being an issue of dog owners imposing on everyone else.
The far more sensible and productive angle is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes for both yourself an others around you.
and i say this as someone who has had to drag their partner through the front door and slam a rotties head in said door to get it to detach from her leg.
i hate crap dog owners but i equally have little time for people who assume dogs think and react like humans. I see it as we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society
(this is in no way a comment about the dog attack case in question, or an attack on yourself VTO – just my 10cents)
I’m sure you’re right framu, especially when it comes to reading a dog’s tell-tale signs.
Don’t know about this though “is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes” or this “we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society”. That is imposing one person’s life choices on others and I don’t see why that is reasonable. I accept it is a reality but only in the same way that drunk drivers are a reality.
sheesh – most dogs you see in public are on no way compareable to the threat you face from drunk drivers – hyperbole much?
re: we all have responsibilities – think of it this way.
You see a dog in the street, you are responsible for how you react.
The dog owner cant be accountable for kids running up to a dog and trying to pat it, or people deliberatly jumping right next to the dog, leaping at it, teasing it or any other number of reactions that will lead to a pretty predictable result. They are accountable for their dogs reaction however
(though im a firm believer in accepting how others see your dog in public – if i had a muscular type dog it would wear a muzzle in public even if it was a softie)
Are we not imposing our selves on dog owners and dogs by behaving like this? Imposition and compromise is a two way street. You cant sit there and say “Well im not into dogs therefore all dog owners have to adjust themselves to suit me” That just leads into a dead end with each side saying its not their fault
Dogs exist – we should take the initiative and educate ourselves and our children on how to behave around and interact with them, otherwise someone gets bit, and the dog possibly gets put down
But surely if one was on the street minding their own business, it is not their responsibility to avoid a dog that is off a lead, any more than it is their responsibility to avoid being hit by a drunk driver.
true – im more talking about our general attitude than a specific scenario.
You are still the author of your reaction – if the dog is showing zero signs of threat and you ignore it its probably going to go on its way – if you leap about the place and act scared the dog is going to start showing interest – possibly unhealthy interest
If you look back at what im saying here we all have responsibilities – dog owner and general public.
I firmly favour knowing both your dog AND how others view your dog. If youve got a rottie its not the most socially harmonious thing to walk it off its lead regardless of its temperament.
An example of the approach the opposition needs to take to show the public precisely what Key’s doing in a way that everybody understands and that convinces people that Key is wrong:
I don’t really know and am not a lawyer but my guess is that if that’s what the contract says and if it’s all going to be covered in legislation anyway then it would be lawful. Even if this level of detail isn’t in the legislation I’d guess that a contract saying as much would be enough.
lprent if you’re around, what has happened to the small colourful square things that used to sit next to each posters name? Always found these extremely helpful in running through a thread – could decide whether to ignore or consider at a far faster pace. Now it takes longer to run down a thread and see what’s going on….
They should be there on both the desktop and mobile versions. But I’ve been trying out a late loader on the desktop version to conform to the mobile version. It loads the images via javascript after the rest of the text page has loaded.
Do you have javascript turned off? Is there are blank space for them? What are you running on?
Oh dear, just when Labour start to get a bit of traction Shearer stuffs it up, wonder why he didn’t want norman to know and what will norman think of that…
and heres the clip if anyone (including Cunliffe ;)) is interested:
National party undercover agent 26 – David Shearer has official blown his cover, arghhhh frustrating he’s done some great work but the jobs not quite done.
Don’t be stupid BM/chris73. The Minister in charge of the GCSB, John Key, is obliged under law to inform the leader of the opposition about any significant developments concerning the GCSB. The fact that Shearer had to approach Key shows that the Prime Minister is ignoring the rules.
Given that Key’s got past history of having to correct statements in the House about who initiated contact with whom, and is apparently incapable of remembering what he’s seen, been briefed on or signed, I’d frankly want his story to be corroborated by a host of angels and saints before considering the possibility that Key’s not outright lying.
The lesson is do not enter into confidential chats with John Key to improve cross-party cooperation, because he will twist it to make it appear like a betrayal. Dirty tricks indeed. Surprised? Na.
Whats funny is that if Key had said no as per the agreement and it came out later they did have meetings the left would have been all up in arms about brain fades and lying…
Of course Shearer could maybe not be so much of a fucking idiot in the first place
Shearer asked Key if he or any of his staff had contacted Labour as the Government worked to gain cross-party support for the proposed legislation.
Shearer insisted “who approached who” was important – he instigated the meeting and Key had his “facts round the wrong was”.
“This is the Government’s bill, the Government did not do anything to try and initiate a sit-down with other parties in order to get broader consensus across the House,” he said.
It’s National’s bill and they should have been the ones approaching other parties – they didn’t.
Are our CCO’s just duplicating effort?
At present, citizens and ratepayers who have a question about council issues or who want to report a problem have to choose between the Auckland Council service centre or one of the CCOs. Would you support integrating the CCO service centres into a single service centre?
Currently if you report a leaking drain, your call may be handled by Auckland Council, WaterCare or AucklandTransport depending on where the drain is.
If you want to ask a question under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, you may have to ask Auckland Council AND Auckland Transport AND WaterCare. And they may all give you copies of the same information!
What would you do to overcome this waste of ratepayers’ money? waste of citizens’ time and duplication of effort?
Bruce
______________________________________________________________________________
20 August 2013
THE CONSIDERED OPINION OF AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT, ON ‘CCOs’
To be blunt – I believe that the ‘Council Controlled Organisation’ (CCO) model has been the mechanism for the corrupt corporate takeover of the Auckland region.
This is the self-appointed, self-selected, ‘invitation-only’ private sector lobby group, which really runs the Auckland region.
Check for yourself, the links between Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs.
How many Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland? )
Unelected, appointed businesspeople now control core Council services.
I am, and have been for years, adamantly opposed to the CCO model, and have had considerable experience fighting the former Metrowater CCO model, in my capacity as Media Spokesperson for the Water Pressure Group.
CCOs must go.
Core Council services must be brought back under the direct democratic control of elected representatives.
The reality is that private sector businesspeople do NOT ‘transmogrify’ into competent ‘public servants’.
The LAW, systems, culture and habits from the private sector business world are not the same as those from the ‘public service’ / government world.
In fact, in my considered opinion, the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ mantra that ‘public is bad – private is good’ – has been a global rort and fraud perpetrated upon the public.
At Auckland Council and CCO level, there are now thousands of consultants and contractors, with their private snouts in our public trough, making private profit out of public services which used to be provided ‘in-house’.
Have YOUR rates gone up or down since this Auckland ‘SUPERCITY’ was forced upon us?
If this ‘contracting-out / PRIVATISED’ model was genuinely more ‘efficient’ – wouldn’t rates be going DOWN – not UP?
As Mayor – I will have directly-attached to the Mayor’s office, not ‘spin-doctors’, but a small team of forensic investigators, who will OPEN THE BOOKS and make available for public scrutiny, the NAMES of the consultants/ contractors; the SCOPE / TERM and VALUE of these contracts.
Also, a ‘Quality Assurance’ expert in the public service area, who will help ensure proper ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ systems are in place, to help ensure ‘prudent stewardship’ over our public monies, assets and resources.
(I have had a Quality Assurance background myself, so have some knowledge and experience in setting up systems THAT WORK.)
Also a ‘whistle-blower hotline’ direct to the Mayo\’s office, so that anonymous tipoffs from concerned staff/citizens, can help to expose corrupt conflicts of interest.
Unless a ‘cost-benefit’ analysis proves that the use of private ‘consultants/ contractors’ is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of ratepayer monies, then these services will be returned ‘in-house’.
‘Cutting out the private consultants /contractors\’ should help to free up some hundreds of millions of ratepayers public monies.
I believe that the public majority should benefit from our public monies, and this ‘corporate welfare’ must STOP.
David Shearer: Is the Prime Minister saying that the law society, the human rights commission, the privacy comissioner, Geoffry Palmer, and many others also don’t understand the law?
John Key: Mr Speaker, yes.
House: What an arrogant man, what an arrogant man.
These words from David Slack on Mora this afternoon in response to Mora asking whether the PM’s assurances affect his position on the GCSB bill:
“No (!). If I’m buying a used car I’m going to listen to the mechanic not the used car salesman.” – wherein Key is the used car salesman and Geoffrey Palmer is the mechanic. Beautiful !
What the hell has happened to this country ? Are we that dumb ? A country where seemingly all the mechanics can be roundly debunked by a wan “I disagree” from the used car salesman.
Certainly the Affable Tory Fool Mora was somewhat animated in asserting that the PM’s assurances cannot be spurious (as the other panelist mentioned) because there are those who trust those assurances. What ? Thought Mora was Mensa material ?
Lolz wans’t that a good laugh, and the TV news made the guffaws even bigger, i have often accused the current Prime minister of turning the Office of Prime Minister into little more than the rough shack to be found on any used car lot in this country,
Tonight Him and Bill confirmed that they are seeking the annual award for the top NZ used car salesman with a vengence announcing tonight a used car salesman pay a third now and a third later deal with the latest ransacking of New Zealand’s asset base,
Bill from Dipton, never to be found wanting for a word when things get really really stupid, when asked how much flicking the next load of power shares on tick would cost against the price gained from the share offer looked impressively akin to the village idiot when He told the media he wouldn’t have a clue…
Do we take it as read then, is the American NSA paying hard cash for the New Zealand GCSB’s ability to plug the US spy agency’s into the data stream of New Zealand citizens,
What a neat way for the GCSB to avoid all New Zealand laws currently being enacted in the Parliament, simply plug the NSA into the data stream and they in turn can report back any ‘threats’ to the current National Government,
Who’s going to know??? when the Prime Minister point blank refuses to confirm or deny the NSA payment question asked by Russell Norman in the House today who among us would now be willing to bet money that they are not paying the GCSB here to plug them directly into the data stream,
When the Prime Minister could not answer NO to Russell Norman’s question in the House today over US NSA payments to the GCSB the equivocation simply screamed YES…
i have to wonder if the payments made by the US spy agency NSA to foreign intelligence organizations includes GPS locations so as to give the Prez an easy target should He feel the need to launch a drone or two in the general direction should future events label ‘crticism’ as a definite terrorist threat…
I think the NSA has contributed/owned GCSB for many, many years .. as long as Waihopai has been open ( or is it closed?) and even Tangimoana before then. And I don’t think the prime ministers knew .. well, David Lange said he didn’t know until he read one of Nicky Hager’s books.
Actually, I have always wondered how the US powers-that-be had power over Helen Clark to not make this country GM free when the chance was there and the mood of the country was with her. Never made sense to me, and I have to keep wondering. How little have we known for how long ??
.. in interview, Mr Livingstone said plainly that MI5, Britain’s “national” branch of the intelligence services (MI6 is international), had covered up paedophile rings, so they could find blackmail evidence as leverage on politicians.
Why attack the consensus? In recent years, social scientists have started to put the pieces together. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change in 2011, replicated by a 2013 study published in the journal Climatic Change, found that public perceptions about scientific agreement are linked to support for policy to mitigate climate change. When people think that scientists are still debating about what’s causing climate change, they’re less likely to support climate action.
The problem is that, for the last 20+ years, we’ve had a bunch of sociopaths/psychopaths attacking the consensus in the public domain and thus causing doubt in the public.
Anything that dose not suit your agenda annoyes you I think. From 08 or any other time. And then you stand upon your soap box and preach about democracy at the same time banning anyone who has a different point of view. Irony
[lprent: Off topic for the post. Moved to OpenMike. Read the policy.
I usually ban for silly behaviour. A good indicator would be to dump a off-topic comment into the top level comments of a post. You look like a good candidate. But who knows – now you have had your wee wank and spray like a miniature poodle, you may even have something to contribute. Stranger things have happened. ]
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The recent floods in Southland have highlighted the issue of Rio Tinto's illegal toxic waste dump in Mataura. But according to Newsroom, there's an even worse mess in Ruakaka near Whangarei:A Northland property stockpiled one million litres of flammable and toxic chemicals. Almost two years since the situation came to ...
It’s amazing just how many attack ads $100,000 buys you these days. The National Party has really been going to town lately, with their latest Twitter campaign making a number of questionable and blatantly false assertions, one being that poverty has worsened under the Labour led Government.The National Party's claim ...
OMV's exploratory drilling in the Great South Basin has failed to find oil. Good. Firstly, because we can't afford to burn the oil and gas we've already found, so there's just no point looking for more. And secondly, because offshore, deep-water drilling poses a risk of an environmental catastrophe, which ...
The government has announced it will strengthen whistleblower protections. The major change is "allowing people to report serious wrongdoing direct to an external authority if they wish", which fixes one of the big flaws in the Act. At present, whistleblowers must generally make their disclosure direct to the body they ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bruce Lieberman CARLSBAD, CA. – When it comes to paying the electric bill, most people don’t give it a second thought – it’s something that in effect is “baked in.” But across California and several other states, local governments increasingly are ...
Excerpts from Being and Being Bought, by Kajsa Ekis Ekman, Spinifex Press, 2013. Part 4 Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book. This is the fourth part of a synopsis and brief commentary of the book by Daphna ...
The Democracy Virus: China’s authoritarian political system enables a level of social surveillance and control that liberal democratic societies cannot match. The Chinese Government makes full use of the latest digital technology to both punish – and reward – its citizens. The plans it formulates cannot be challenged, or hindered. Where ...
Another day, another IPCA report on criminal conduct by policy. This time they kicked a child in the head when he was handcuffed:Police chased him and yelled out for him to stop. When he turned to face the police, he threatened them with a hammer. That's when the officers tasered ...
The investigation of two of the five parties in Parliament for fraud around their election donations has pushed the issue of party funding back into the spotlight. And while there are obvious things we can do to tighten up the donations regime - a much lower declaration threshold, realtime disclosure ...
While the south of New Zealand has been struggling with too much rain in recent days, here in the north we are so very short of it (though Saturday’s forecast looks promising). Basically, we have had almost none since Christmas.As someone who relies on rain to wash the car, ...
Former National Party MP Jami-Lee RossIt comes as no surprise that Jami-Lee Ross has been named as one of the defendants in the X2 $100,000 National Party donations case currently before the courts. Click bait journalists who were chaffing at the bit to discredit the former senior whip had already ...
Stand Clear! Winston Peters is encouraging voters to think of RNZ as belonging to “The Media Party”. He wants them to see it as a politically partisan institution with its own, vicious attack-dogs in the electoral fight. If he succeeds, it will be, and probably should be, the end of ...
"You're going to need a longer runway" Gratton et al explore the ongoing effects of upward-creeping temperatures on aviation in Greece in the period since 1955 at a range of airports in that country. For longer runways impacts are measurable but with little impact on operations. For airports with shorter runways, ...
In mid-December the Israeli secret police, the Shin Beit, revealed it had arrested dozens of Palestinian left-wing activists, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in the previous few months. Among those arrested was one of the central leaders of the PFLP, Khalida Jarrar. As ...
Former National Party chief whip Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four people charged over National's multiple fraudulent donations. How unsurprising. Meanwhile, just days ago National leader Simon Bridges was trying to pretend the charges were nothing to do with his party. Yeah, right. When your chief whip effectively publicly ...
If you've been watching FYI for a while, you'll have noticed that the police have a bad habit of demanding ID from requesters. They have apparently been repeatedly told to stop doing this by the Ombudsman, but we all know what law enforcement thinks of the law, so thye keep ...
Collateral Damage: For the Green Phoenix to be reborn, the funeral pyre so patiently assembled by its identity politicians over the course of many fractious years – but with growing intensity over the past three – first has to be ignited. The terrible probability, of course, is that, in setting ...
If you follow politics in New Zealand you've likely noticed that the right wing have been going on and on about the Coalition Government failing to reduce poverty. In fact they’ve been incessantly claiming, in the absence of any conclusive data, that poverty has been getting worse.Yesterday, NewstalkZB reported:Mike Hosking: ...
The Herald reported over the weekend that an Auckland business owner is being targeted with asset forfeiture laws over a workplace death:A workplace fatality has seen police use a law usually associated with drugs and organised crime to seize millions of dollars in assets from a business owner because of ...
Just days after talking about how people feel "squeezed" and promising tax and service cuts as a "solution", National is talking about cancelling a rise in the minimum wage if elected: National is considering scrapping the Government's planned minimum wage increase if it wins this year's election, the party's finance ...
Nobody thinks about the next century anymore. That at least is Sci-Fi writer William Gibson’s observation (in this BBC 4 short interview, starting at 1:43:50 ). He calls it “Futures Fatigue”, but isn’t judgemental about it. Gibson notes that in the 20th century speculation about the 21st (and beyond) was common. Now ...
A Labour government desperate for the numbers crawls into bed with Winston Peters. Winston ignores the law and secretly takes money under the table from someone. When it is exposed just months out from an election, he is investigated by the Serious Fraud Office. That's what happened back in 2008. ...
So the Serious Fraud Office has another secret $100,050 National Party donation before the Courts in a major scandal that looks set to quash any chances Simon Bridges had of winning the 2020 election.Yesterday, Newsroom reported:The Serious Fraud Office prosecution of four people over donations to the National Party involves ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Iceberg twice the size of Washington, D.C., breaks off Pine Island glacier in Antarctica Story Highlights: The Pine Island ...
Prof Philippa Howden-ChapmanHousing policy is building up to be the key election issue again. In this blog I reflect on the importance of the role of the New Zealand Government in improving access to affordable housing. I look at what the Government has been doing to increase quality public housing ...
Writing on The Spinoff, Danyl Mclauchlan argues that we have a vacuum in our political system, in that there is no longer an anti-establishment party anymore:I think there’s a vacuum in our political system. There are obvious problems with the status quo but no real critics offering reform. It’s a ...
Stuff today has a piece about the government discovering it has been oversubsidising polluters for a decade under the Emissions Trading scheme:The Government is pledging to urgently fix an issue within the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), after it emerged some polluters are likely being over-compensated with taxpayer-funded carbon credits. [...] ...
The Marlborough District Council, tired of public scrutiny, wants to increase the amount it charges for LGOIMA requests:The cost of requesting official information from Marlborough's government agency could almost double after a jump in "fishing expeditions". Charges could be raised from $60 to $100 an hour for information supplied by ...
When Winston Peters was caught money laundering donations and stalking journalists, the Greens were conspicuous by their silence. It was another example of how getting along with their government partners was eroding their values and their own reputation. It was obviously unsustainable, and so now James Shaw has finally spoken ...
I am among the most pro-free speech people I know. I don’t doubt there are others more strident than me, but I’m certainly up there. And my support for freedom of expression isn’t limited to opposition to government-imposed restrictions. It extends to a belief that employers should have limited powers ...
With over 69,000 confirmed cases and 1,600 deaths, here’s your round-up of the latest coronavirus news. New disease and virus have now officially been named On the 11th February, the WHO Director General announced a new name for the disease: COVID-19 which is short for coronavirus disease 2019. The naming ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Feb 9, 2020 through Sat, Feb 15, 2020 Editor's Pick ANALYSIS-Climate change opens up 'frontier' farmland, but at what cost to the planet?Climate change could expand farmland globally by ...
After cross-examination Jones knew he would lose the defamation case he took against film maker Renae Maihi. That’s why he threw in the towel. The weight of evidence was clearly against the old tycoon with the defense presenting fifty articles to confirm Jones’ racist views.Being unable to harass somebody into ...
Sprung! Former NZ First president, Lester Gray, chats with RNZ's Guyon Espiner in the carpark of a Tauranga shopping centre.(Photo supplied anonymously to NZ First and The BFD.)IT’S CLEAR THAT an important aspect of Jacinda Ardern’s political success is her willingness to seek – and take – advice. This ...
Ruth Cunningham, Charlotte Paul, Andrew MoorePublic health responses to infectious diseases such as COVID-19 require us to draw on our common humanity and be explicit about our values. Recognising this will help us make good decisions in difficult situations so that, for example, the need to impose restrictive measures ...
The Helen Clark Foundation has released its report on the housing crisis, and found that house-hoarders are to blame for it:Property investors are to blame for New Zealand's high house prices, a new research paper published by the Helen Clark Foundation says. [...] McArthur said previous attempts to address housing ...
The Abortion Legislation Committee has reported back on the Abortion Legislation Bill and recommended that it be passed with some amendments. Unfortunately, the latter include even more hoops to jump through for those seeking abortions after 20 weeks, including a time-wasting requirement to consult a second doctor. No-one casually seeks ...
Brexit is likely to be a disaster for the UK (how sad, never mind). But now that they're out of the EU, the latter has finaly taken the opportunity to blacklist one of their key tax havens:The Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, is to be put on an EU ...
I’m not quite sure of what to make of the new figures for COVID-19 (as we must now call the novel coronavirus – though I’m not sure the capitalisation is correct) from Hubei province:Image from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51495484The spike yesterday is a consequence of a using a different way of ...
Bob Jones has dropped his defamation case against Renae Maihi. Good. But at the same time, it perfectly exposes what the case was all about: not protecting Jones' reputation, but punishing someone who had dared to criticise him, and deterring others from doing the same. This rich pompous asshat dragged ...
As I've done for the past few years, I'm curating and presenting The Listening Lounge, the talk programme at Splore. On the morning of Saturday the 22nd at the Living Lounge stage, the korero goes like this.Yes, we're talking about drugs again, not just because I'm professionally interested in drug ...
What Were They Thinking? RNZ's CEO Paul Thompson (left) and Jim Mather, Chairman of the RNZ Board of Governors, attempt to justify the debacle arising out of their attempt to downgrade RNZ Concert to the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Select Committee at Parliament on Thursday, 13 February 2020.WHAT IS ...
Dame Tariana Turia with former PM John KeyWhat is it about Tariana Turia’s grudge against the Labour Party? Not content with attacking the Government over Whānau Ora funding, which was increased by $80 million in 2019, she has now made it personal by saying that Jacinda Ardern is out of her ...
Back in 2017, right after being elected, Jacinda Ardern promised that there would be no new mines on conservation land. Since then, her government has done nothing to make that happen, and now the policy has been officially "parked" for the election:West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor says the "no new ...
So the guy who advocated for public burning and beheading feels offended because someone called him a racist!Perhaps Bob Jones hasn't heard of the very old saying; Live by the sword, die by the sword?I mean for someone who often writes opinionated nonsense about Maori; this is a ridiculous case ...
The government today announced a major support package aimed at reducing homelessness. A thousand new transitional housing places, more support for people to find homes (or not lose them in the first place), all good stuff. The one problem with it is that they're going to start charging people in ...
Courtroom Drama: There is no off-switch in a courtroom. Neither is it possible to turn the page in disgust. Ill-formed and ill-defended opinions will be exposed ruthlessly and unapologetically. As Shakespeare put it: “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving.” Sometimes the ...
As of today, the novel coronavirus spreading in China is called COVID-19. Why does it matter? Around the office, we’ve had several conversations over the past few weeks about how 2019-nCoV needed its own name. First, it was getting annoying calling it by the above designation, and ‘novel coronavirus’ doesn’t ...
by Philip Ferguson Last month B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported: “In 2019, Israeli security forces killed 133 Palestinians, including 28 minors. Of the casualties, 104 were killed in the Gaza Strip, 26 in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and three within ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Arms (Firearms Prohibition Orders) Amendment Bill (No 2) (Brett Hudson)Its basicly more "tough on crime" nonsense (its already illegal for unlicensed people to own guns) designed to wedge NZ First against its arsehole base. ...
Kids learn better with a full stomach. That's why we launched our Lunches in Schools programme, which is already providing free and healthy school lunches to thousands of children so they can focus on what's important - learning. ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP based in Clutha-Southland This afternoon to a crowd of over 100 people in Mataura -- Mark Patterson, New Zealand First List MP based in Clutha-Southland launched a parliamentary petition regarding the aluminium dross issue in Mataura, Southland. The petition asks that the ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Finance, Fletcher Tabuteau has welcomed Statistics New Zealand’s latest report as a timely reminder of the value that this Coalition Government brings to every day New Zealanders: “This Coalition Government has meant a ...
Today New Zealand First made a pledge to campaign at the election to fund St John Ambulance the 90 per cent it has asked for. Government funding would allow St. John’s to achieve fully funded status. Leader of New Zealand First, Rt Hon Winston Peters publicly declared his determination to deliver ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order Newly released Police data shows once again the number of fleeing drivers have continued to skyrocket with a record 512 incidents occurring in December – almost tripling the number of incidents occurring just ten years ago, says New Zealand First Law and ...
While the Provincial Growth Fund has provided $2 million to set up temporary water supplies in Kaikohe and Kaitaia, Regional Economic Minister Shane Jones said he is greatly concerned that there are “issues” in implementing the projects. The Minister said the immediate solution was to pipe water from a bore ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP for Clutha-Southland NZ First is calling on Rio Tinto to accept its responsibilities to the Southland community and enable the immediate removal of the toxic Aluminium Dross from the Mataura Paper Mill site. New Zealand First List MP for Clutha-Southland, Mark Patterson ...
The Coalition Government has announced that a further $500,000 will be given to help residents in Southland and Otago to speed up recovery efforts from the floods. It follows prior government assistance of $200,000 earlier this month where the Southland Mayoral Relief Fund received $100,000 to support communities impacted by ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones was on RNZ’s Morning Report talking about the recent droughts in the Northland region and what the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is doing to alleviate its impact. The PGF recently announced a funding of $2 million for temporary water supplies to Kaikohe and Kaitaia, ...
Speaking to The Country’s Jamie Mackay, New Zealand First MP and Cabinet Minister Shane Jones talks water storage, plant-based meat imitation, and superstar Hollywood director James Cameron. While water storage may have its critics, Minister Jones defended the scheme by saying: “unless we invest and continue to invest” in this ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones is accusing northern iwi leaders of selling out Māori by voting for ideologically-driven court cases rather than practical steps to increase water supply. “I just think that iwi leaders who think that water issues are going to be solved by perpetually fighting in the ...
A dairy owner in St Kilda, Dunedin was delighted to hear that an attempted robbery of his establishment was foiled by a government-funded security system. Sean Lee was delighted at how well the anti-theft smoke system worked. When a knife-wielding man entered the store, the shop assistant immediately pressed a ...
Customs says it stopped more than three tonnes of illegal drugs coming into New Zealand last year. This includes 1,180kg of methamphetamine, 329kg of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine precursors, which could have been converted into 246kg of methamphetamine, 739kg and 6469 pills of MDMA or Ecstasy and 60kg of cocaine. Offshore, ...
Hon. Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Up to $2 million will be allocated from the Provincial Growth Fund to set up temporary water supplies in Kaikohe and Kaitaia where drought is biting hard, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Drought conditions in Northland have led to ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Law and Order New Zealand First welcomes the deployment of an Eagle Police helicopter in Christchurch in what is a step towards fulfilling its long-standing goal to increase the use of police helicopters for the front line, particularly in addressing the scourge of fleeing drivers. Christchurch leads ...
It may have been the first sitting week of 2020, but our Government is already in full-swing - managing a strong economy, investing in infrastructure, and working to break the cycle of homelessness. Read below for all that, and more... ...
In a heated debate in Parliament, National's Deputy Leader Paula Bennett claimed that “nearly 1600 patched gang members have been added” since the Coalition Government took power. To illustrate her point, she altered a chart used by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to show her government’s progress in housing to instead ...
Speech by the Rt Hon Winston Peters at Parliament’s Opening 2020 "We all need insurance" This year New Zealanders are going to have a clear choice to make That choice is between: Optimism versus pessimism; More progress versus back to the future; Investment versus divestment; Unity versus division. New Zealand ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has slammed the Board of Auckland Airport following the airport's runway closing twice within two weeks due to maintenance. Around 2,000 passengers were affected by last week’s runway closures, according to 1NEWS. Another maintenance closure on January 24 saw two international flights and three domestic flights ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Broadcasting New Zealand First supports the commissioning of a business case to assess the viability of a new public media entity. “A strong media environment is critical for a healthy democracy. New Zealand First is a strong supporter of a diverse, independent media,” New Zealand First broadcasting spokesperson ...
Pounamou and technology industries in the West Coast region are set to receive more than $2 million in Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding. This was announced by the Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau during Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika. He said $800,000 would be given to Development West ...
A new partnership programme between the New Zealand Police and Fiji Police will focus on combatting transnational organised crime and enhancing investigative skills, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on the first day of her visit to Fiji. The programme will see: · New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama met today in Suva, and renewed their commitment to continue to strengthen Fiji-New Zealand relations on a foundation of shared values and equal partnership. The Prime Ministers acknowledged the kinship between Fijians and New Zealanders, one that has endured over ...
A $19.9 million investment from the Provincial Growth Fund will help develop essential infrastructure for an industrial hub in the Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. “The funding will go to three projects to further develop the Putauaki Trust Industrial Hub, an industrial ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing $8.3 million on a roading package for Mahia that will lead to greater and wider economic benefits for the region and beyond, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced at an event in Mahia today. The $8.3 million announced consists of: $7 ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed new reporting showing the Coalition Government is on track to meet its child poverty targets, with 18,400 children lifted out of poverty as a result of the Families Package. Stats NZ has released the first set of comprehensive child poverty statistics since the Government ...
Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter today announced that Bikes in Schools facilities have been rolled out to 20,000 more kiwi kids under this Government. She made the announcement at the opening of a new bike track at Henderson North School in Auckland. “Bikes in Schools facilities give kids ...
Benefit settings rise in line with wages as of 1 April Main benefits will increase by over 3 percent, instead of 1.66 percent, on 1 April with the Government’s decision to annually adjust benefit rates to increases in the average wage. The Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, said ...
Strengthening New Zealand’s political and business ties with India will be the focus of Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters’ and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker’s visit to India this week. The Ministers are co-leading a high level business delegation to India to support increased people and economic engagement ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio continues to champion for greater Pacific participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers with the announcement of the Toloa Awards, with 8 recipients of the Toloa Community Fund and 13 Toloa Tertiary Scholarships. “The Toloa Programme encourages more Pacific peoples ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has extended the date for people to have their say on proposed changes to improve management of whitebait across New Zealand. Submissions were due to close on 2 March 2020 but will now remain open until 9am on Monday 16 March 2020. “I have ...
The endangered toroa/Antipodean albatross has new international protection for its 100,000km annual migration, thanks to collaborative efforts led by New Zealand, Australia and Chile. Today, 130 countries agreed to strictly protect Antipodean albatross at the Conference of Parties on the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild ...
No sales to under-18-year-olds No advertising and sponsorship of vaping products and e-cigarettes No vaping or smokeless tobacco in smokefree areas Regulates vaping product safety comprehensively, - including devices, flavours and ingredients Ensure vaping products are available for those who want to quit smoking Vaping regulation that balances ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little will travel to Berlin tomorrow to represent New Zealand at a high-level summit on nuclear disarmament. This year, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) celebrates 50 years since it entered into force. “New Zealand’s proud record and leadership on nuclear disarmament is unwavering, so it’s important we are present ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will visit two of New Zealand’s most important Pacific partners, Fiji and Australia, next week. The visit to Fiji will be the first by a New Zealand Prime Minister in four years and comes during the 50th anniversary of Fijian independence and diplomatic relations between our ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little and New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball, have today announced the appointment of the Chief Commissioner of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the location, and the membership of the Establishment Advisory Group. Colin Carruthers QC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of the CCRC for an ...
Māori Development Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Agriculture Minister Hon Damien O’Connor co-announced the first horticultural finalists for the Ahuwhenua Trophy celebrating excellence in the Māori agricultural sector. The three finalists are Ngai Tukairangi Trust from Mt Maunganui, Otama Marere Trust from Tauranga, and Hineora Orchard Te Kaha 15B Ahuwhenua ...
A new kete of resources to strengthen support for students with dyslexia will provide extra tools for the new Learning Support Coordinators (LSCs) as they start in schools, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Minister launched the kete in Wellington this morning, at the first of three induction ...
The Government continues to make progress on a fairer and more secure rental market for renters and landlords with the First Reading of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill and its referral to the Social Services and Community Select Committee. “Now is the opportunity for landlords, tenants and others who want ...
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Hon James Marape will visit New Zealand from 21-25 February, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have a warm and friendly relationship. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Marape here and strengthening the relationship between our two countries,” ...
Thousands of children have begun receiving a free lunch on every day of the school week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The Government’s free and healthy school lunch programme is under way for 7,000 students at 31 schools in Hawke’s Bay / Tairāwhiti and Bay of Plenty / Waiariki, extending ...
The Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni today announced a new approach that continues to broaden the Government’s social sector focus from a narrow, investment approach to one centred on people and wellbeing. Minister Sepuloni said redefining the previous approach to social investment by combining science, data and lived experience ...
The Government is strengthening the Protected Disclosures Act to provide better protection for whistle blowers, Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins said today. “The Protected Disclosures Act is meant to encourage people to speak up about serious wrongdoing in the workplace and protect them from losing their jobs or being ...
Nǐn hǎo (Hello in Mandarin). Xīn Nián Kuài Lè (Happy New Year in Mandarin) Néi Hóu (Hello in Cantonese). Sun Nin Fai Lok (Happy New Year in Cantonese) Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you for your invitation to attend this celebration today. I would like to acknowledge ...
Kia ora. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata. E ngā mana whenua ki tēnei rohe Taranaki Whānui, Te Upoko o Te Ika, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa – kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi. E ngā mana, e ...
Kia ora. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata. E ngā mana whenua ki tēnei rohe Taranaki Whānui, Te Upoko o Te Ika, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa – kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi. E ngā mana, e ngā ...
Tougher penalties for gun crime are a step closer with the passage of firearms reform legislation through another stage in Parliament. The Arms Legislation Bill has tonight passed its Second Reading. “The changes have one objective - to prevent firearms falling into the wrong hands,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. ...
Introduction Mr Speaker We all know why we are here today. It has been a long journey. The journey did not actually begin on 15 March 2019. It began on 30 June 1997. Almost 23 years ago, Justice Sir Thomas Thorp told us what was wrong with our firearms legislation. ...
The Government’s work to put trades and vocational education back on the agenda took another major step forward today with the passing of the Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Bill, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is a watershed day for trades and vocational education. These law changes formalise ...
Speeding up the return of Christchurch regeneration activities to local leadership is behind the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today by Minister Megan Woods. “As we approach nine years since the February 2011 earthquake in Canterbury, and with the transition to local leadership well underway, the time ...
Hundreds of New Zealanders and international visitors will be able to get back out into nature with the Milford Track partially reopening next week, after extensive assessments and repairs, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The popular Great Walk has been closed since 3 February after an extreme ...
Up to 110 new EV chargers nationwide in cities and regions 50 electric vehicles for ride-sharing The Government is helping deliver more infrastructure and options for low emissions transport through new projects, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. Tauranga, Nelson, Levin, New Plymouth and Oamaru are just some ...
New Zealanders are increasingly better off under this Government as wages rise and families have more disposable income, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ reported today that average household disposable incomes after housing costs rose 4.9% in 2019. This was the highest rise in four years and came as ...
All New Zealanders need to have their voices heard at work to ensure we have an inclusive and productive economy. Today we introduce a Bill to do this for workers in the New Zealand screen industry, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “The Screen Industry Workers Bill will ...
The Government has announced further help for the Southland and Otago regions to speed up recovery efforts from the floods. “I’ve approved Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG), making $500,000 available to help with the clean-up in Fiordland, Southland, and the Clutha district in Otago,” Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
Following the announcement that more than 340 schools will be funded to run events promoting vocational education, the Government has announced it will fund a further 257 events to be run by employers and industry. “These industry-run events will allow more than 30,000 students to connect with more than 2,000 ...
Today the Government is making progress on a fairer and more secure rental market for renters and landlords with the introduction of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill in Parliament. “This Bill includes a series of reforms to improve the wellbeing of the 609,700 households that live in rented homes, and ...
A Government programme to wipe out pea weevil has achieved a world first, with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor today announcing the successful eradication of the noxious pest from Wairarapa. This means the nearly four-year ban on pea plants and pea straw was lifted today. Commercial and home gardeners can again grow ...
Southland residents hit by flooding caused by heavy rainfall can now access help finding temporary accommodation with the Government activating the Temporary Accommodation Service, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare announced today. “The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to help ...
“Is that it?” That’s Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s response to Simon Bridges’ much-hyped economic speech today. “Simon Bridges just gave the most over-hyped and under-delivered speech that I can remember during my time in politics,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s not surprising. Simon Bridges literally said on the radio this morning ...
A trial deployment of the Police Eagle helicopter in Christchurch will test whether the aircraft would make a significant difference to crime prevention and community safety. “The Bell 429 helicopter will be based in Christchurch for five weeks, from 17 February to 20 March,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. “The ...
OPINION:By Murray Horton in Christchurch For as long as the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (Cafca) has existed – more than 45 years now – we have called for the closure of the aluminium smelter, owned by giant transnational corporation, Rio Tinto. There are numerous grounds for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The inquiry into allegations of misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is examining 55 separate incidents or issues, according to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force report, tabled Tuesday. These involve “predominantly” allegations ...
Tourism bosses have been invited to join a new advisory group, allowing them to stay in "constant communication" with the government in their response to the coronavirus. ...
Alex Casey delivers her eighth power rankings for The Bachelorette NZ, where a humble avocado changed everything forever. Click here for previous instalments. Glass me with the talking bottle, slice my hand off with a fax machine and send me straight to the Centre De Emergencies, because this was the most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition government has supported Labor’s motion in the Senate to call for men’s rights activist Bettina Arndt to be stripped of her Order of Australia award over her comments on last week’s horrendous murder-suicide ...
he Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa welcomes the withdrawal of the hugely controversial resolution on anti-semitism from the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. It is a victory for free speech and human rights. PSNA looks forward to working with other organisations ...
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is calling on New Zealand to back his country in pushing Australia to commit more to climate change action. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Fileborn, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Melbourne The downfall of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has come to a head following his conviction for rape in the third degree and a criminal sex act in the first degree. He was acquitted ...
After days of rumours, Mediaworks have removed Hannah Tamaki as a cast member for the 2020 season of Dancing with the Stars. Sam Brooks reflects on the controversy.On Sunday, the NZ Herald gossip column Spy broke the news that Hannah Tamaki – wife of Destiny Church founder Brian and head of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Queensland Coroner James McDougall has handed down his findings into the tragic deaths of four people on Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride in 2016. He reported a litany of failings ...
Sri Krishnamurthi reflects in this special report on what life is really like trying to live and cope with the effects of a stroke for three years. Those were the most horrifying days of my life. It’s only now that I find the courage to write about my trials ...
Dear Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister), Hon David Clark (Minister of Health) and Hon Chris Hipkins (Minister of Education) We are students, educators, staff and leaders across the tertiary sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. We have an urgent message ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan N Williams, Associate Director/National Technical Leader-Aboriginal Heritage, EMM Consulting Pty Ltd, UNSW The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that without a substantial decrease in our use of fossil fuels, we are on track for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Onno van der Groen, Research Fellow in the school of medical and health sciences, Edith Cowan University You may have heard of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that has been touted as having stress-busing properties, and is the subject of countless hours ...
Over the weekend, a Twitter spat blew up into a full blown controversy when New Zealander Jason Lei Howden blew up his own movie with a bizarre series of tweets.The trailer for Guns Akimbo makes it look like a fun romp, the sort of film your flatmate who keeps all ...
By underfunding investment in the young we've been able to create budget surpluses to be siphoned into the NZ Super Fund at the current rate of nearly $2.5b a year. This has some serious impacts for a lot of families. ...
‘Over the last six months I’ve realised there are always more tears.’ In August, Emily Writes wrote about the tough months following her son’s hospitalisation and diagnosis. This is what’s happened since.Part 1:Ward One: Emily Writes on love and fear and hope at her son’s hospital bedSix months ago I ...
Mercury's first half profit has dropped as weak wholesale conditions and intense competition drove down revenue. The power generator and retailer's net profit dropped 20.2 percent in the six months to December to $83 million, reflecting below average generation and divestment of its smart metering business. Revenue was down 14 ...
He’s been the country’s leading supporter of the strangest films in the world, and now he’s made his first feature film. Sam Brooks talks to Auckland film champ Ant Timpson about his directorial debut, Come to Daddy.My first encounter with industry legend Ant Timpson was from afar, at a 2010 ...
Summerset's annual profit is down with higher wages expected to continue to be a drag on earnings over the coming year. The retirement village operator's net profit fell 18.3 percent to $175.3 million in the year to December, as expenses rose, while the construction of fewer living units contributed to ...
NZME media group has slumped to a large loss after writing down the value of its business as it pursues a merger with its rival Stuff. The company's loss for the year ended December was $165 million, which included a write down of $175m in the value of the business, ...
Whoopee! A pay rise. No – to be precise, a rise in the national super which is paid to some of the team at Point of Order. Super was included in the boost to benefits announced yesterday by Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Fair to say, this boost did not ...
Movie Mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of rape. But the problem is much bigger and more insidious than a few bad men, writes Victoria University's Jan Jordan. In May 2017, New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor had a conversation with Hollywood actress Rose McGowan that began the downfall of movie ...
Jamela Alindogan reports on journalists in the Philippines protesting and demanding better protection of press freedoms. Video: Al JazeeraBy Neil Joshua N. Servallos in Manila The University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, which has the biggest and oldest journalism school, has released a statement supporting television broadcaster ...
Homeownership has long been touted as the great Kiwi dream, but not everyone’s looking for a permanent fix. Jihee Junn explores the rising phenomenon of renters by choice.Even if I had a hundred grand sitting in the bank for me to spend right now, I’m not sure buying a house ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamie Parr, Lecturer, Australian Catholic University German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is sometimes dismissed as a malevolent figure, obsessed with the problem of nihilism and the “death of God”. Understandably, these ideas are unsettling: few of us have the courage to confront ...
US politics ain’t for the faint-of-heart. Signs of desperation are emerging in the Democratic Party as Senator Bernie Sanders surges to the lead after three key polls – and party grandees worry whether mainstream United States is ready to elect a “socialist”. Then, Republicans fear the US intelligence agencies, labelled ...
The Opportunities Party (TOP) today proudly announced the first tranche of candidates that will contest the upcoming 2020 New Zealand General Election. After two successive “smile and wave” governments Kiwis can see through the charade. Politics has ...
Media company NZME sees a further modest fall in revenues and earnings - and declares itself the "right owner" for rival Stuff Ltd as it gives more details of its push for political and regulator support. ...
Media company NZME declares itself the "right owner" of Stuff and gives more details of its push for political and regulator support. NZME expects further details of its proposed bid to buy rival Stuff to be made public in "coming weeks" - and any Kiwishare offered to the Government to be ...
The Council of Trade Unions is pleased that the Government is continuing to shine light on the issue of poverty in New Zealand and specifically child poverty with new statistics out today. CTU policy director and economist Andrea Black was at the ...
Forest & Bird is concerned at misinformation circulating regarding a policy statement aimed at protecting New Zealand’s unique biodiversity. The National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity is being consulted on by the ...
QUOTE from; Article: NZ Energy and Environment Business Week https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2002/S00150/govt-vehicle-fleet-emissions-heading-in-wrong-direction.htm First published in Energy and Environment on February 13, 2020. “The latest data shows the Government’s attempts to electrify its vehicle fleet and cut its emissions ...
The defendants in the National Party donations case have pleaded not guilty to charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office. The four men entered their pleas today during their first appearance in the Auckland District Court. Yikun Zhang (48), Shijia (Colin) ...
A teenager who was stabbed more than 16 times by her ex-partner has spoken out about her ordeal, and thanked those who ran to her aid. Crystal Tupou was left fighting for her life after her ex-partner stabbed her multiple times in broad daylight on ...
The New Zealand stock exchange has fallen more than 2 percent on the opening, following drops in global stock markets amid coronavirus fears. Overnight the three main indexes in the US have fallen by about 3 percent, while the UK's FTSE 100 share index closed 3.3 percent lower. Yesterday, the ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentForeign affairs and trade Barbara Dreaver (1News): Ardern’s visit to Fiji, Australia a test of New Zealand’s climate change ...
Four men facing Serious Fraud Office charges over donations made to the National Party - including MP Jami-Lee Ross - have pleaded not guilty at their first court appearance. ...
It competes directly for talent with the lavishly subsidised film industry, yet Simon Dasan, creative director of Wellington powerhouse A44, says New Zealand’s game creators are still thriving. There’s an uncanny parallel between New Zealand’s gaming industry and Ashen – the action role-playing game which is one of its most accomplished ...
Low observations of Hector’s dolphin calves, and dolphins much further out to sea than usual in early summer, have raised fears for this endangered species only found in New Zealand waters. The concerning summer comes after another delay in the ...
Bay of Plenty Police have acknowledged the findings of an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report into an incident at Tauranga Hospital in March 2018. The IPCA investigated an allegation of excessive use of force by officers transporting ...
By Will Steffen of the Australian National University Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s announcement on Friday that a Labor government in Australia would adopt a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 was a big step in the right direction. But a bit of simple maths reveals the policy is too ...
The Tasman District mayor is vowing to press on with a large irrigation project, despite a 25 percent jump in its cost. When finished in 2022, the Waimea Dam will be 53 metres high and hold 13 billion litres of water - that's more than the contents of 5000 Olympic ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denise Buiten, Senior Lecturer in Social Justice and Sociology, University of Notre Dame Australia As the country mourns the horrific murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey at the hands of their father, many people are trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Varney, Senior Research Dietitian in the Department of Gastroenterology, Monash University The FODMAP diet is used to help manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but it’s becoming more popular. Now bloggers and so-called health gurus have jumped on board, claiming it can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Notley, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media, Western Sydney University Like adults, children use the news to learn about what’s happening in the world. But the circulation of misinformation, such as the recent spread of fake news about COVID-19 (the disease caused ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Kirk, Postdoctoral Fellow, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT University People living in cities far from the unprecedented bushfires this summer may feel they can do little more to help beyond donating to organisations that support affected wildlife. But ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katarina Miljkovic, ARC DECRA fellow, Curtin University We’ve all heard of earthquakes, but what about marsquakes? NASA’s InSight mission has, for the first time, recorded seismic activity coming from Mars’ interior. The observations, recorded in 2019 and published today, will help understand ...
In today’s edition: Coronavirus’ harsh impact on New Zealand’s economy starts to reveal itself; Bridges advocates matching Australia’s deportation policies and the Shelly Bay dispute ratchets up.
As major outbreaks were confirmed in Iran and Italy, the impact of Coronavirus on New Zealand’s economy started to become more clear, ...
ReadingRoom is devoting all week to the best-selling book in New Zealand right now, In The Clearing, the brilliant thriller by Ngāpuhi author JP Pomare. Today: Steve Braunias interviews journalist Chris Johnston, who has written extensively about the creepy cult which inspired Pomare's novel. When I looked ...
While two companies give conflicting accounts of past events, authorities are silent on the sale of a piece of equipment which could be used to process the 830,000 litres of dangerous solvents. The distillation unit essential to process the almost million litres of toxic and flammable solvents abandoned in Ruakaka ...
Laura Robertson once hated running, was overweight, then battled a heart condition. But nothing, it seems, will stop the athletic paramedic lining up in the punishing Ironman. Laura Robertson was a cross country cheat. She hated the race and did anything and everything she could to shorten it. She simply wasn’t a ...
Vivienne Martini, who worked for OT and its predecessor CYFS for 15 years, says the case of the boy badly injured at his home in Flaxmere raises deep issues about the practices at the children’s ministry. This case is about the terrible abuse of a child. But it is also ...
A group discovered to be digging for proof of a giant pre-Māori race in the limestone caves of Waikato have not lost their minds all of a sudden, but are continuing a legacy of religion-based racism in the area, writes Scott Hamilton.Earlier this month, RNZ’s Susan Strongman reported that amateur ...
A long-awaited bill to regulate vaping has been unveiled at parliament. Here’s the skinny.What does the bill do?The bill, which associate health minister Jenny Salesa is calling “the most significant change to New Zealand’s smokefree laws since they were introduced 30 years ago”, will introduce a complete ban on the ...
This month's Treaty settlement with Moriori includes an unusual provision - setting the official record on the people's history straight For more than 100 years, New Zealanders have been fed a myth. The myth goes something like this: that once upon a time, Aotearoa was home to a race of ...
By Vasinatta Yama in Mt Hagen Eight prisoners at the Baisu Correctional Service prison near the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mt Hagen are dead following a massive jail breakout. Western Highlands Acting Provincial Police Commander David Kongui confirmed that two prisoners have surrendered, while an unknown number of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A foreign intelligence service sent a “sleeper” agent to Australia, who provided logistical support for visiting spies, the head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, has revealed, in a speech pledging to intensify the fight against the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Apart from committing a crime, what do you have to do or say to be stripped of your order of Australia award? Where “a line” should be drawn is the question the Council for the ...
Open mike 20/08/2013 
by the Council of Disobedient Women When Moana Maniapoto recently lamented that Rachel Stewart was no longer writing for the Herald, political commentator Morgan Godfery was quick to brag on Twitter, like a schoolyard bully, how proud he was of “driving Rachel Stewart from the Herald”. What a contrast Morgan ...7 hours ago
You’re probably aware that the Achievement Standards used to assess senior school students’ learning are being reviewed. Science is one of the ‘pilot’ subjects in this process, where a ‘Subject Expert Group’ has developed 4 draft Science standards¹ (a significant step away from the current 30+, and a response to ...9 hours ago
It seems we can’t even get through a week these days without the National Party's leader, Simon Bridges, making some sort of silly announcement about a policy that doesn’t actually exist.Usually concerning Bridges’ gut instinct and the undoing of whatever the Government has recently announced, National’s reactionary opinions and uncosted ...10 hours ago
Oh look! NZ First's secret slush fund was laundering donations from Talley's:One of the country's biggest fishing companies, Talley's, and its managing director donated nearly $27,000 to the New Zealand First Foundation, which has been bankrolling the New Zealand First Party. The foundation received $26,950 from seafood giant Talley's and ...12 hours ago
High Risk Call: Insensitive though it may seem to even pose the question: how will the electorate respond to what the Prime Minister’s opponents will undoubtedly characterise as an attack on New Zealanders’ freedom of speech? At more than twelve month’s remove from the terrible events of 15 March 2019, ...2 days ago
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I am about to mail my overseas ballot to Florida so that it can be counted in the Democratic primary on March 17. In Florida you have closed as opposed to open primaries, which means that one must declare a party preference in order to vote in a party primary. ...3 days ago
In mid-December the Israeli secret police, the Shin Beit, revealed it had arrested dozens of Palestinian left-wing activists, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in the previous few months. Among those arrested was one of the central leaders of the PFLP, Khalida Jarrar. As ...6 days ago
I am among the most pro-free speech people I know. I don’t doubt there are others more strident than me, but I’m certainly up there. And my support for freedom of expression isn’t limited to opposition to government-imposed restrictions. It extends to a belief that employers should have limited powers ...1 week ago
Kids learn better with a full stomach. That's why we launched our Lunches in Schools programme, which is already providing free and healthy school lunches to thousands of children so they can focus on what's important - learning. ...13 hours ago
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP based in Clutha-Southland This afternoon to a crowd of over 100 people in Mataura -- Mark Patterson, New Zealand First List MP based in Clutha-Southland launched a parliamentary petition regarding the aluminium dross issue in Mataura, Southland. The petition asks that the ...16 hours ago
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he Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa welcomes the withdrawal of the hugely controversial resolution on anti-semitism from the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. It is a victory for free speech and human rights. PSNA looks forward to working with other organisations ...6 hours ago
By underfunding investment in the young we've been able to create budget surpluses to be siphoned into the NZ Super Fund at the current rate of nearly $2.5b a year. This has some serious impacts for a lot of families. ...10 hours ago
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Movie Mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of rape. But the problem is much bigger and more insidious than a few bad men, writes Victoria University's Jan Jordan. In May 2017, New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor had a conversation with Hollywood actress Rose McGowan that began the downfall of movie ...12 hours ago
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Roy Morgan.
National down 7
Labour up 5
Greens up 4.
Guess the corporate media won’t mention it then.
http://www.roymorgan.com/morganpoll/new-zealand/voting-intention-summary
I couldn’t find anything on last night’s meeting in the Herald this morning, despite going right to the bottom of the page. I guess it will be tucked away somewhere. Ironically, an article on Key’s performance in his interview with John Campbell, was still up, despite it being days old.
sigh.
Yes, Campbell’s poll result 52666 votes, 89% against the Bill. Combined with another amazing pack public meeting…and virtually nothing in the NZ Herald.
However number 1 item on RNZ 7am News.
Will RNZ get a live interview from the government on the issue?
Or will JK have a quiet chat with his mate Hoskings on ZB
If you mean the Hoskings who wrote this, then yeah, I’d really like to hear how that quiet chat goes . . .
“Government of laws and not of men” is not a left wing principle: it was most clearly enunciated by John Locke, whose writings on government in the late 17th Century form the basis of much classical liberal and conservative philosophy about private property rights – and what is personal privacy if not a private property right? – and small government.
Those who favour small government, and having the rights of officials to interfere in your lives and business kept under firm legal control, should be concerned about this legislation.
You might be irritated by the way a few prominent left wing journalists have seized upon this and used it as a soapbox.
You might be outraged at the shamelessness of opposition parties who rail against this particular extension of state power but who plan to extend that powers with every other announcement they make.
Put that irritation and outrage to one side for now. It will keep, believe me. There is a more important issue to deal with now.
Think on this: what will those politicians from the left wing parties like the Greens or Labour do with these powers when and if they attain office?
If you think they will do anything rather than use these powers to further bolster the size of the state in our lives, then I have an emissions trading scheme to sell you.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/gcsb-bill-why-small-govt-conservatives-should-be-worried-rh-p-144493
Hasn’t the Green Party said it will repeal the Act? How is this consistent with your spin?
I suspect that, especially given the information uncovered by Nicky Hager, any SIS/GCSB left employed under a Labour/Greens/Mana government would keep spying, but not as directed by the government. The information obtained, probably about the left, would go straight to Washington. The Greens and Mana know this and even some in Labour are waking up to it. The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
QFT
repealing the Bill isn’t any good as the original Act is more full of holes than Swiss cheese.
The NZ Herald’s online heading
Rugby’s $64m injury bill
The ACC forked out nearly $64 million for rugby injuries in the past year – with almost 70,000 active claims for players at all levels.E
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111163
Bread and circuses.
Who is the editor of the Herald?
On mobile site this is the fourth article from top – http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111156 – a piece designed to make Key look reasonable about spying.
Jesus, Herald, you think you’re not ready being watched?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111048
It’s in the ‘Most popular’ sidebar on the website, currenty number two. No sign of snapper.
A lawyer, and atheist, and the ugly truth about NZ’s corrupt judicial system:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/08/marriage_day.html/comment-page-1#comment-1189287
Wonder why human rights abuses are becoming the norm here and our laws watered down. Take a look at what happening in the UK. Its time to sever ties with this country:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/19/david-miranda-interview-detention-heathrow
Human rights are legal fictions which are used in place of the natural rights of common law. There are very good reasons to sever state ties with the UK, but it isn’t something that can happen overnight because of the oaths of allegiance of NZ MPs and judges.
“Go Figure” Moment of the Day: on Firstline this morning…
“If Shearer was really serious about being Prime Minister he would have come and sorted this out because that’s what Helen Clark did with the then Leader of the Opposition.”
A bit of role reversal going on there I think.
In accordance with most historical mass movements, those opposed to GCSB might consuder adopting a simple symbol of opposition to wear as a badge etc.(e.g. HART badges, red poppy, etc)
I suggest the outline of a fish or snapper, in red. (J Key’s attempted red herring). Easy to make, easily recognisble.
i like the idea of a symbol/badge to show support but not a fish!
Have you never heard of christianity ?
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=fish+christian+symbol&client=firefox-a&hs=1sE&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=fJ0SUs_kOqTxiAe1qYHYBQ&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=980&bih=757>
Surely a satellite silhouette would be more apt
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=satellite+dish+silhouette&client=firefox-a&hs=88t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZZwSUpOZEIaOiAep2YHIDA&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=982&bih=761
(excuse the long links, a nice tidy clean link kept getting screwed up)
p.s to mods: why am I still in moderation, two days now, what have i written of late to warrant such interest?
Reminded again of the US comedian who said: ” You’re Prime Minister’s name is John Key? That’s what you ask for in America when you need to go to the bathroom in a service station !”
I therefore suggest a small drawing of a toilet because it is where he is leading us.
Perhaps it is your name being so treacherous in these times and all that.
🙂 had crossed my mind that perhaps the inner machinations of askimet or whatever it is has done exactly that
and yes even this comment is in moderation
I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown to match that of the search for the yacht Nina and its occupants. Apparently there are 41 satellites viewing this area of the world – I don’t know if that is the total or just from the west. Concerned people are scouring views from one private satellite (the USA refused access to its own citizens to view the government’s records) looking for signs of these precious people. Our NZ parents and their children are not so precious.
Perhaps we could have a report every day of one NZ family that had been needy and had received all the help wanted to improve their position and find themselves in a secure home, with transport, able to manage their parental duties, near to work, and with a holiday weekend provided and paid for and tutoring and sports equipment for the children, and further part-time education for the parents. Just to show that we and our government agencies are working to assist citizens to have opportunities to successfully make their way in life. To show we do not abandon our people when there are rough times and they are under stress from poverty and lack of job opportunities and low wages.
“..I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown ..”
you could maybe go and watch hones’ speech to the ak town hall meeting..
..he deviated from the script..reminding the mainly white/middle-class audience..
..that minorities/the poor/beneficiaries..are already living in/under a surveillance state..
..with petty/minor officials bullying/combing thru/prodding into/ruling over the minuitae/privacies of their lives..
..(a loan required to buy tampons..?..as they are deemed a ‘luxury’..?..by work and income..?..f.f.s..!..)
..as part of their everyday work..
..hone also pointed out the truism that likely a lot of the audience present nodded along in agreement with the idea of ‘benefit-reform’..
..and called on that audience to attend to these injustices as vigorously as they oppose this spooking-legislation..
phillip ure..
Best speech of the night, and not staged at all. I have more and more respect for the guy.
Agree Amirite. Hone added perspective which has always been visible but so often ignored. And “we” expect “them” to help “us” fight “our” battles. Much like the times when Maori and low boys were only any good if they won tests or the Ranfurly Shield. Those times are still with us in measure, as much as popular middle class canard denies it.
Hone has some powerful things to say that apply to Maori and pakeha as well. Good on him. You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off. Someone has to insist for fair treatment and an opportunity to live life, and not the vicious punitive government punch in the nose.
They have given away other people’s property (our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports – would the Dutch mine their polders,barriers against the sea, for a quick buck?) to ensure one section of society can trade without let or hindrance. Doh, they then make their own hindrance. And don’t have proper surveillance where it is needed, over their own processes and pipes. Can’t have pipes flowing with money into NZ and not have clean pipes going out.
yep. look at the history of the abolition movement, the 40 hour week, womens suffrage, the right to form trade unions.
The Left has forgotten what it takes to make real changes. Its why the fuckwit Right Wingers go on about “having better manners” to lefties. Because they know about the power of taking concrete action on concrete issues.
Without doing that we will always get watered down policy wonkish positioning.
“our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports ”
Trade barriers are a major cost. They especially hurt the poor while transferring resources to the few. Capitalists become lobbyists and get rich behind tariffs (or worse import licenses). How can you support policies that transfer resources from consumers to producers to prop up inefficient local production? It is ridiculous. I thought this debate finished 20 years ago.
Trade barriers hurt the poor? Are you saying that competing with Chinese laborers pound for pound, who on average get paid as little as $6,500 NZD annually (Gansu province) is good for people on low incomes in New Zealand? It is clearly not more efficient to compete with economies that pay their workers peanuts, especially when none of those savings are transferred to consumers.
some trade barriers will be required in order to bring a degree of localisation back to the NZ economy, and to buffer us from external economic shocks.
Removal of barriers only works if each country has the exact same wages, exact same services (hospital, fire, telecoms, etc), exact same laws and protections and, most importantly, the exact same enforcement of those laws and protections. If they’re not the same then the price difference is incorrect which results in industry going to where it’s least efficient. Exactly as we’ve been seeing over the last few decades.
When we had trade barriers, Fairylands, we did not really have any poor!
We did not have workers paid less than it cost to live. Funny that!
What a strange idea. Debates never finish.
@Grey
I’ve often thought the same sort of thing after a large earthquake – the politicians, the media, councils et al – anxious to show their concern and understanding.
I guess killing them slowly (the beneficiaries, the indigent, etc) is acceptable these days.
What we need is to follow Thatcher’s way and decide to have a good war, it takes people’s minds off their chilblains after earthquakes destroy their housing and revitalises National Spirit.
Trouble is after the traditional expressions of concern, the government will want the affected people to wait for a few years till they get round to taking them seriously. I remember this approach being applied to an African famine fast approaching. The authorities were preparing and expected to be ready to mount humanitarian assistance within six months. But only six weeks food was left – the reporting journalist was in tears. /sarc
So they say that our GDP per capita is increasing.
But is it really? Are we as a nation of people more active and producing and doing more? My suspicion is no we are not. My suspicion is that the GDP numbers simply reflect an increase in the amount of money spinning around the economy. And where has that money come from? My suspicion is all of that extra money has come from debt lent into existence and printed by the banks.
So, same level of activity just with more debt.
If so, that is good how?
Slashdot covering last night’s GCSB meeting:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/08/19/1550240/protests-mount-in-new-zealand-against-new-surveillance-laws
@Lynn – I like to open up several tabs at once and browse between them. I’ve been getting this message quite a bit lately.:
Is this a bug, or a feature?
Yeah I do the same and its been slowing down my Colonial Viper turbo boost!
It is a anti-spam “feature” from wordfence. It looks at how many page requests different types of organisms make per minute and throttles it if it exceeds a quantity (currently 4) in that minute, then you get that message.
What it is for is to stop someone trying to dump the whole or a large part of the whole site at once thereby making the site largely inaccessible for others. One or the other of the limits get hit multiple times every day. The bingbot is particularly obnoxious. But there is also someone from China reading successively through various authors comments last week. And we’ve had attempts to do simple page sweeps from inside NZ (and not just the National Library)
lprent, you have mail
Bit of a bugger if you’re someone who just looks at the site every few days, opens anything that looks interesting in a new tab and settles down for a quick few minutes’ concentrated reading.
I was ready to blame it on Sticky Beak Key and his insatiable desire to read all my emails though. Might be an idea for something to do if the error page is customisable…
I’ve widened it out from 4 pages per minute to 10 pages per minute. That should reduce the problem.
A lot of new traffic today coming in via google. They’re reading the GCSB posts. I guess that Snapper isn’t as interesting as John Key thinks?
Thank you for the change 🙂
Ta for fixing it.
Slippery finally tells a truth:
“If I wholesale blatantly flout the law as Prime Minister I’m never going to survive anyway.”
Audrey Young
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111384
Sixty years later and although they may have moved on from fomenting coups and calling them silly names they’re still at it. John Phillip Shah Key…?.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/19/politics/cia-iran-1953-coup/index.html
Is Trevor Mallard shit stirring? Is there a self proclaimed A and B Labour team? WTF is he on about?
Trevor Mallard @TrevorMallard 3m
Labour “B team” #fairnessatwork pic.twitter.com/QwJw0IrrDo
Whatever he’s doing, I wish he’d just bugger off, and take Goff, King, Shearer, Jones, and Hipkins with him. He is an irrelevance and an embarrassment. His major achievements have been to close schools and gag Cunliffe.
Great campaign management in 2011 as well
The home of the NeoLiberal revolution the U$. The Brave new world we have been copying courtesy of Roger the Dodger and his followers continues to show its true colours:
“Drastic growth in “extreme poverty” in US”
The 1% continue to crow on the pile’s top having cornered most of the wealth.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/19/extr-a19.html
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-05/40-us-workers-now-earn-less-1968-minimum-wage
Guardian says Britain forced it to destroy Snowden material
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/20/us-usa-security-snowden-guardian-idUSBRE97I10E20130820
This is very very bad.
Well yes, Colonial Viper, it IS very bad if the Guardian had to destroy the Snowden material, but
why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites? Surely when you’re dealing with such sensitive material you (the media concerned) would ensure safety of content by copying, and re-copying and taking the USBs elsewhere. Maybe they did do that ….. hope so, anyway.
They did.
You seem to be missing the point, the UK government shouldn’t be able to demand that information that the media has be destroyed. Going the route that the UK has here it shows that the UK is well on the way to becoming an oppressive, totalitarian state.
The Guardian notes that the UK Govt was probably just making a point – that it can physically interfere with a newspaper publisher if it wants to.
The Chief Editor wrote an editorial – remarkably – outlining what happened. He said that Whitehall officials were told that copies of the data were held internationally and that Glenn Greenwald was writing and publishing from Brazil so wouldn’t even be affected by any UK injunction.
They ordered the smashing of the Guardian’s computer equipment anyway. One of the agents joked while witnessing the destruction that they could now call off the “black helicopters”.
What is it with New Zealanders and dogs? I reckon we are about the most uncivilised race on the planet when it comes to dogs. Can’t walk down the street without having to keep an eye out for dogshit bombs. Can’t go to places where dogs are either banned or required to be on a lead because so many owners ignore the rules (despite people with kids going to these places to avoid dogs). Can’t sleep in many urban locales because there will be some dog barking incessantly.
Then you get this sort of thing.. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9064361/Rottweilers-had-attacked-a-child-before
New Zealand dog owners are irresponsible shitheads to an extent greater than pretty much every other place ever visited. They need to sharpen up.
Grump growl snarl
Most dog owners are responsible.
However, it annoys me that, walking places from my home, I sometimes come across a dog not on a lead (some times with, sometimes without an owner). It can make what should be a pleasurable, and environmentally-friendly way of getting place, unpleasant – because unleashed dogs scare me. The owners may think they are harmless, but how can I be sure of that?
Exactly Karol. Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions, as the above linked article indicates (again). Imo it is unacceptable for dog owners to impose themselves on other people in this way. Similarly with the bombs left on the footpath – in our neighbourhood I would challenge anybody to walk around any block in the vicinity with eyes closed (!) and not end up with the stinking goopoop jammed into their shoes and then walked into the house. Gross.
Finally, I appreciate most owners are responsible but it seems from mine anecdote that the proportion of responsible owners in NZ is far lower than elsewhere.
“Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions”
at an absolute level yes – but you can tell an awful lot about how a dog might behave if you understand their thought process and non verbal cues. The signals are different for different breeds – but theres a lot of common ground and they are surprisingly easy to learn and the responses you can use are highly effective (most of the time)
while i agree there are some really shitty dog owners out there (hey, i live in west AK) they ARE a minority and it serves no one to take a position of it being an issue of dog owners imposing on everyone else.
The far more sensible and productive angle is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes for both yourself an others around you.
and i say this as someone who has had to drag their partner through the front door and slam a rotties head in said door to get it to detach from her leg.
i hate crap dog owners but i equally have little time for people who assume dogs think and react like humans. I see it as we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society
(this is in no way a comment about the dog attack case in question, or an attack on yourself VTO – just my 10cents)
I’m sure you’re right framu, especially when it comes to reading a dog’s tell-tale signs.
Don’t know about this though “is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes” or this “we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society”. That is imposing one person’s life choices on others and I don’t see why that is reasonable. I accept it is a reality but only in the same way that drunk drivers are a reality.
Gotta fly…. later ..
sheesh – most dogs you see in public are on no way compareable to the threat you face from drunk drivers – hyperbole much?
re: we all have responsibilities – think of it this way.
You see a dog in the street, you are responsible for how you react.
The dog owner cant be accountable for kids running up to a dog and trying to pat it, or people deliberatly jumping right next to the dog, leaping at it, teasing it or any other number of reactions that will lead to a pretty predictable result. They are accountable for their dogs reaction however
(though im a firm believer in accepting how others see your dog in public – if i had a muscular type dog it would wear a muzzle in public even if it was a softie)
Are we not imposing our selves on dog owners and dogs by behaving like this? Imposition and compromise is a two way street. You cant sit there and say “Well im not into dogs therefore all dog owners have to adjust themselves to suit me” That just leads into a dead end with each side saying its not their fault
Dogs exist – we should take the initiative and educate ourselves and our children on how to behave around and interact with them, otherwise someone gets bit, and the dog possibly gets put down
But surely if one was on the street minding their own business, it is not their responsibility to avoid a dog that is off a lead, any more than it is their responsibility to avoid being hit by a drunk driver.
true – im more talking about our general attitude than a specific scenario.
You are still the author of your reaction – if the dog is showing zero signs of threat and you ignore it its probably going to go on its way – if you leap about the place and act scared the dog is going to start showing interest – possibly unhealthy interest
If you look back at what im saying here we all have responsibilities – dog owner and general public.
I firmly favour knowing both your dog AND how others view your dog. If youve got a rottie its not the most socially harmonious thing to walk it off its lead regardless of its temperament.
“New Zealand dog owners are irresponsible shitheads to an extent greater than pretty much every other place ever visited.”
You should spend some time in Paris.
An example of the approach the opposition needs to take to show the public precisely what Key’s doing in a way that everybody understands and that convinces people that Key is wrong:
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/selling-it-on-credit.html
The opposition needs to focus properly on convincing the public, not its mates who already agree with them.
is that even legal? (selling shares on credit)
I don’t really know and am not a lawyer but my guess is that if that’s what the contract says and if it’s all going to be covered in legislation anyway then it would be lawful. Even if this level of detail isn’t in the legislation I’d guess that a contract saying as much would be enough.
The fact that something is in legislation does not make it lawful. The state is fundamentally corrupt in its representation of law:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/08/police_assn_call_for_teina_pora_inquiry.html/comment-page-1#comment-1183508
lprent if you’re around, what has happened to the small colourful square things that used to sit next to each posters name? Always found these extremely helpful in running through a thread – could decide whether to ignore or consider at a far faster pace. Now it takes longer to run down a thread and see what’s going on….
They should be there on both the desktop and mobile versions. But I’ve been trying out a late loader on the desktop version to conform to the mobile version. It loads the images via javascript after the rest of the text page has loaded.
Do you have javascript turned off? Is there are blank space for them? What are you running on?
hmmmm, Q1 don’t know, Q2 no, Q3 don’t know. This is a problem when positive resistance to new technology is employed…..
Try it now. They should be back. I’ll have a look at the change in CPU load with those features off – affects the images.
Yep back now ta.
New RM poll: The relentless lying about spying has caught up with Johnny Sparkles.
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5113-new-zealand-voting-intention-august-2013-201308200137
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9064246/Labours-spy-bill-changes-unwanted
Oh dear, just when Labour start to get a bit of traction Shearer stuffs it up, wonder why he didn’t want norman to know and what will norman think of that…
and heres the clip if anyone (including Cunliffe ;)) is interested:
What a disappointment
National party undercover agent 26 – David Shearer has official blown his cover, arghhhh frustrating he’s done some great work but the jobs not quite done.
Key will be gutted.
Don’t be stupid BM/chris73. The Minister in charge of the GCSB, John Key, is obliged under law to inform the leader of the opposition about any significant developments concerning the GCSB. The fact that Shearer had to approach Key shows that the Prime Minister is ignoring the rules.
Necessity has no law.
lol
Given that Key’s got past history of having to correct statements in the House about who initiated contact with whom, and is apparently incapable of remembering what he’s seen, been briefed on or signed, I’d frankly want his story to be corroborated by a host of angels and saints before considering the possibility that Key’s not outright lying.
Considering how many times John Key has been lying over the years, I’d say that everything he said there was complete and utter BS.
The lesson is do not enter into confidential chats with John Key to improve cross-party cooperation, because he will twist it to make it appear like a betrayal. Dirty tricks indeed. Surprised? Na.
Seriously?
Shearer asked Key twice, the first time Key gave Shearer the opportunity to change his mind or alter the question.
But alas David Shearer the dumbest mofo ever blindly blundered on and darwined himself.
Whats funny is that if Key had said no as per the agreement and it came out later they did have meetings the left would have been all up in arms about brain fades and lying…
Of course Shearer could maybe not be so much of a fucking idiot in the first place
You’re obviously incapable of reading:
It’s National’s bill and they should have been the ones approaching other parties – they didn’t.
Addendum
FYI – arguably the most pivotal question in the Auckland Council Mayoral election?
AUCKLAND COUNCIL ELECTION: Question asked on http://vote.co.nz/dashboard/answer/2424
Are our CCO’s just duplicating effort?
At present, citizens and ratepayers who have a question about council issues or who want to report a problem have to choose between the Auckland Council service centre or one of the CCOs. Would you support integrating the CCO service centres into a single service centre?
Currently if you report a leaking drain, your call may be handled by Auckland Council, WaterCare or AucklandTransport depending on where the drain is.
If you want to ask a question under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, you may have to ask Auckland Council AND Auckland Transport AND WaterCare. And they may all give you copies of the same information!
What would you do to overcome this waste of ratepayers’ money? waste of citizens’ time and duplication of effort?
Bruce
______________________________________________________________________________
20 August 2013
THE CONSIDERED OPINION OF AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT, ON ‘CCOs’
To be blunt – I believe that the ‘Council Controlled Organisation’ (CCO) model has been the mechanism for the corrupt corporate takeover of the Auckland region.
(If you want evidence of corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ – check out for yourself http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership/member-organisations
This is the self-appointed, self-selected, ‘invitation-only’ private sector lobby group, which really runs the Auckland region.
Check for yourself, the links between Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs.
How many Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland? )
Unelected, appointed businesspeople now control core Council services.
I am, and have been for years, adamantly opposed to the CCO model, and have had considerable experience fighting the former Metrowater CCO model, in my capacity as Media Spokesperson for the Water Pressure Group.
CCOs must go.
Core Council services must be brought back under the direct democratic control of elected representatives.
The reality is that private sector businesspeople do NOT ‘transmogrify’ into competent ‘public servants’.
The LAW, systems, culture and habits from the private sector business world are not the same as those from the ‘public service’ / government world.
In fact, in my considered opinion, the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ mantra that ‘public is bad – private is good’ – has been a global rort and fraud perpetrated upon the public.
At Auckland Council and CCO level, there are now thousands of consultants and contractors, with their private snouts in our public trough, making private profit out of public services which used to be provided ‘in-house’.
Have YOUR rates gone up or down since this Auckland ‘SUPERCITY’ was forced upon us?
If this ‘contracting-out / PRIVATISED’ model was genuinely more ‘efficient’ – wouldn’t rates be going DOWN – not UP?
As Mayor – I will have directly-attached to the Mayor’s office, not ‘spin-doctors’, but a small team of forensic investigators, who will OPEN THE BOOKS and make available for public scrutiny, the NAMES of the consultants/ contractors; the SCOPE / TERM and VALUE of these contracts.
Also, a ‘Quality Assurance’ expert in the public service area, who will help ensure proper ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ systems are in place, to help ensure ‘prudent stewardship’ over our public monies, assets and resources.
(I have had a Quality Assurance background myself, so have some knowledge and experience in setting up systems THAT WORK.)
Also a ‘whistle-blower hotline’ direct to the Mayo\’s office, so that anonymous tipoffs from concerned staff/citizens, can help to expose corrupt conflicts of interest.
Unless a ‘cost-benefit’ analysis proves that the use of private ‘consultants/ contractors’ is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of ratepayer monies, then these services will be returned ‘in-house’.
‘Cutting out the private consultants /contractors\’ should help to free up some hundreds of millions of ratepayers public monies.
I believe that the public majority should benefit from our public monies, and this ‘corporate welfare’ must STOP.
(For more information check out http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz http://www.stopthesupercity.org.nz http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz )
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Her Warship’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11111531
………….nuf said !
David Shearer: Is the Prime Minister saying that the law society, the human rights commission, the privacy comissioner, Geoffry Palmer, and many others also don’t understand the law?
John Key: Mr Speaker, yes.
House: What an arrogant man, what an arrogant man.
These words from David Slack on Mora this afternoon in response to Mora asking whether the PM’s assurances affect his position on the GCSB bill:
“No (!). If I’m buying a used car I’m going to listen to the mechanic not the used car salesman.” – wherein Key is the used car salesman and Geoffrey Palmer is the mechanic. Beautiful !
What the hell has happened to this country ? Are we that dumb ? A country where seemingly all the mechanics can be roundly debunked by a wan “I disagree” from the used car salesman.
Certainly the Affable Tory Fool Mora was somewhat animated in asserting that the PM’s assurances cannot be spurious (as the other panelist mentioned) because there are those who trust those assurances. What ? Thought Mora was Mensa material ?
Lolz wans’t that a good laugh, and the TV news made the guffaws even bigger, i have often accused the current Prime minister of turning the Office of Prime Minister into little more than the rough shack to be found on any used car lot in this country,
Tonight Him and Bill confirmed that they are seeking the annual award for the top NZ used car salesman with a vengence announcing tonight a used car salesman pay a third now and a third later deal with the latest ransacking of New Zealand’s asset base,
Bill from Dipton, never to be found wanting for a word when things get really really stupid, when asked how much flicking the next load of power shares on tick would cost against the price gained from the share offer looked impressively akin to the village idiot when He told the media he wouldn’t have a clue…
Do we take it as read then, is the American NSA paying hard cash for the New Zealand GCSB’s ability to plug the US spy agency’s into the data stream of New Zealand citizens,
What a neat way for the GCSB to avoid all New Zealand laws currently being enacted in the Parliament, simply plug the NSA into the data stream and they in turn can report back any ‘threats’ to the current National Government,
Who’s going to know??? when the Prime Minister point blank refuses to confirm or deny the NSA payment question asked by Russell Norman in the House today who among us would now be willing to bet money that they are not paying the GCSB here to plug them directly into the data stream,
When the Prime Minister could not answer NO to Russell Norman’s question in the House today over US NSA payments to the GCSB the equivocation simply screamed YES…
“Equivocation” is such a beautiful word. Means “bullshitting”.
That’s what our society has become. Bullshit ! Great BBQs in Parnell though !
i have to wonder if the payments made by the US spy agency NSA to foreign intelligence organizations includes GPS locations so as to give the Prez an easy target should He feel the need to launch a drone or two in the general direction should future events label ‘crticism’ as a definite terrorist threat…
I think the NSA has contributed/owned GCSB for many, many years .. as long as Waihopai has been open ( or is it closed?) and even Tangimoana before then. And I don’t think the prime ministers knew .. well, David Lange said he didn’t know until he read one of Nicky Hager’s books.
Actually, I have always wondered how the US powers-that-be had power over Helen Clark to not make this country GM free when the chance was there and the mood of the country was with her. Never made sense to me, and I have to keep wondering. How little have we known for how long ??
.. in interview, Mr Livingstone said plainly that MI5, Britain’s “national” branch of the intelligence services (MI6 is international), had covered up paedophile rings, so they could find blackmail evidence as leverage on politicians.
Closing the consensus gap: Public support for climate policy
The problem is that, for the last 20+ years, we’ve had a bunch of sociopaths/psychopaths attacking the consensus in the public domain and thus causing doubt in the public.
imagine if the world’s rules and norms and structures and governances worked to concentrate the wealth and power down to the bottom of the pyramid
Anything that dose not suit your agenda annoyes you I think. From 08 or any other time. And then you stand upon your soap box and preach about democracy at the same time banning anyone who has a different point of view. Irony
[lprent: Off topic for the post. Moved to OpenMike. Read the policy.
I usually ban for silly behaviour. A good indicator would be to dump a off-topic comment into the top level comments of a post. You look like a good candidate. But who knows – now you have had your wee wank and spray like a miniature poodle, you may even have something to contribute. Stranger things have happened. ]
dude – its a blog, not the mechanism used to run the country – get over yourself
also – know what your on about. There’s plenty of righties who come here and dont get banned