Campbell live had an amusing visit to Papakura last night and used blue whale Lillie’s to gauge support for the candidates. Labour’s Jerome Mika trounced Judith Collins. The media is full of negative comments about Collins. She won the seat last time by 9,800 and Mika is working very hard and is an effective campaigner. Papakura could be a seat to watch on election night.
I was driving to waiuku on sunday and between drury and waiuku we counted 12 national billboards and one ACT. Is that in papakura electorate? Anyway, if south auckland can be labelled as a single type (and it cant) , and that type has morality high on its scale, then national must be in trouble. I do wonder at the rural community stickly so steadfastly with national though…
It is one thing for many in the electorate to have believed the bank rolled strategy to dupe them BUT once you know they duped you if you still vote for them you damage everyone.
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.
Talking about billboards – there’s not one Green Party billboard in Queenstown that I have seen. Come on Green Party! I know we’re in one of the most conservative electorates in the country but I’d wager there’s a decent chunk of Green Party support in the Southern Lakes area, after all loads of people here rely on our environment to make a living.
I’m pleased though that there lots of Labour billboards and they aren’t getting trashed either.
Unlike the National ones. Over near the airport in Frankton Mr Key is sporting a set of devil-horns and a big fat $ sign on his forehead and the silly little Todd Barclay ones they deliberately stick right in front of Liz Craig’s Labour billboards are routinely getting kicked over.
Why not contact your local branch and offer to help put up billboards?
In Auckland billboards are being put up with a lot of volunteer support. A lot depends on the amount of local volunteers available. Sitting on the sidelines and criticising is not how it gets done.
I wasn’t being critical karol – it was an observation really. The lack of any Green Party presence (so far) in Queenstown surprises me a bit since I reckon they could do quite well here.
Collins hasn’t changed her stripes. This is just confirmation of what she is like. Unfortunately there is a large amount of people out there who like her ‘crusher’ tactics.
There is a striking “bulge” in National’s electoral support in the 50 to 64 age bracket, and the profile is very different from 2011 :
Percentage of population by age bracket supporting National December 2011
18 to 24 – 38.4%
25 to 34 – 36.2%
35 to 49 – 46.7%
50 to 64 – 38.9%
65 plus – 44.4%
Percentage of population by age bracket supporting National July 2014
18 to 24 – 25.8%
25 to 34 – 32.9%
35 to 49 – 42.2%
50 to 64 – 51.2%
65 over – 44.6%
Two remarks
1) that’s a large constituency of people of roughly JK’s age who are fairly apolitical and identify with him (nice guy, winner)
2) They are National’s “soft underbelly”… (sorry, couldn’t resist)
Watch this demographic as the election approaches!
“…that’s a large constituency of people of roughly JK’s age who are fairly apolitical and identify with him (nice guy, winner)…”
nice guy, winner…? oh right you mean hateful parasite.
I see you’ve located “middle NZ”. Ahh yes, middle New Zealand, if only the world could be run by them, huh? Labour should totally try to attract those people. Oh wait, they are. Middle New Zealand, so balanced and reasonable and empathetic and aware of the consequences to their ambitions. Middle New Zealand, they’re “apolitical”. They don’t vote often, but when they do, they vote right.
True. But it’s also the same group that made a slightly smaller bulge in 2011. As the 65+ group’s %age hasn’t changed, and the 35-49%age has dropped, I’d guess that the big support is coming from those nearer 50 than those about to hit retirement age: ie as crododill says – those around JK’s age.
Only the 47, 48 and 49 year olds in the 2011 35-49 year group would now be in the 50-64 year group so I’m not sure that, on their own, they could ‘transfer’ the bulge from the 35-49 group in 2011 to the 50-64 group in 2014, especially given that the bulge is rather larger this time.
Having said that, I’m sure those born around the same time as John Key are more likely to have imbibed a similar approach to life as he apparently has.
I’m a bit suspicious of the NZEDC due to; my general scepticism regarding polls, and particularly; the inclusion of iPredict and Exceltium (Hooton). Also, I have seen the numbers bounce around a fair bit overnight – when I looked last night via Scoop it had the Nats at 50 seats, now (12 hours later) they’re at 53.
But they do have this Labour demographic data to contrast against the National numbers that A Connor reproduces:
July 2014 support across population by age bracket
27.2% of 18 to 24
21.8% of 25 to 34
20.7% of 35 to 49
21% of 50 to 64
24.8% of 65 and over
2011 support across population by age bracket
25.3% of 18 to 24
24.8% of 25 to 34
23.5% of 35 to 49
23.8% of 50 to 64
23.1% of 65 and over
I wonder if that’s people worrying about waiting for super. I’m 58 and I have to think about it, although I don’t let the raising of the age make me vote NAct. I still think it’s just about the worst policy Labour could have come up with.
In regard to Nationals new TV advertisement, did National think about the fact that:
Rowing Skiffs are tippy and lightweight, they kind of reflect our economy.
Opposition are in a safe lifeboat probably unsinkable….interesting
Actually Phil, I reckon Whale is the wrong name for the scumball in question. I would suggest that Hagfish might be better, given the amount of slime they generate, but hey, its not nice to insult the humble hagfish with comparison.
Labour needs to get an ad out quickly with a waka powered by proud working class Kiwis. Something local rather than something harking back to Oxbridge. Rowing is not quite as elite as polo, but it comes close.
“Collins’ woes and the fallout from Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics again dominated the campaign yesterday but National is hoping to move the debate on to its positive election message today with the release of its first campaign advertisement.”
Yeah Right! The stink of desperation is getting unbearable.
I hope the media get around to asking questions of those Nat MPs who employed Slater and Lusk to eliminate their opposition in the National Party candidate selection
processes. Mandy Hager makes the point:
“Where has been the discussion on the truly ghastly chapter about rigging candidate selection in order to bring in chosen far-right candidates? This has HUGE implications for our future – and people have a right to know who they are voting for and how they got to be there.” http://mandyhager.blogspot.fr/p/occasional-political-rant.html
Actually, Colin should speak up, possibly a good chance to snatch up a good % of the vote, sure he is eating his masters, but you would think the powers that be would want that, as at least it wasn’t going left or to the great unknown, Winston. You would think that ACT would speak up too, personal responsibility and all…
I’m reasonably certain that CC wouldn’t know what a conscience was if it bit him. It’s why he has to go to a book to know the difference between right and wrong and he still gets it wrong.
The attacks on Julian Assange are as cruel and depraved as ever
Al Jazeera, TV3, ITV and Radio NZ are as reliable as the Soviet news agency Tass
In Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, Franco’s Spain, apartheid South Africa and many other brutal regimes of the past, truth-tellers were hounded mercilessly. “Reporters” for newspapers, radio and television rarely even pretended to be honest or impartial, and functioned as simply an extra arm of the state. Citizens who dared to speak out against state crimes were smeared—one of the favorites in Russia was and continues to be trumped-up sex charges—and harried into exile.
Stalin, Mao, Franco, Vorster et al. are all dead now, but their doleful legacy lives on. The mainstream media in New Zealand, just as their equivalents overseas, continue to parrot state propaganda, “to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable”. As you read the following transcripts of what is nothing more than systematic character assassination, note the way these de facto state servants utter snide speculations about the dissident’s health and “what’s going on inside his mind”. That’s straight out of the Soviet playbook. Note also the ongoing gag about how “blond” the victim is; Cameron Slater’s friend David Farrar is as amused by it as Paul Henry is…
Attack No. 1….. The Paul Henry Show, TV3, Monday 18 August 2014
PAUL HENRY: This was an interesting move by Julian Assange. I have a word for Assange: “scurvy”. [snort] Ha ha ha! JANIKA TER ELLEN: It’s a sunlight problem. He doesn’t get enough sunlight in the Ecuadorian Embassy. PAUL HENRY: Well, he’s gone VERY blond! He he he he he he! It’s like being in a prison. I wouldn’t do the press conference thing like him. I’d just … walk out! JANIKA TER ELLEN: He’d be arrested wouldn’t he! By the Swedish police. PAUL HENRY: No they’d just say, “Who’s that? Shit, it can’t be him!” The alternative is going to the United States and having your fingernails pulled out. …[pause]… He he he he he he! And hooked up to a generator. He he he he he! JANIKA TER ELLEN:[dubiously] Mmmmmm…. PAUL HENRY: We shouldn’t make light of him. JANIKA TER ELLEN:[giggling] YOU shouldn’t make light of him!
Attack No. 2….
Al Jazeera News, 11 p.m. (New Zealand time), Monday 18 August 2014
Laurence Lee interviews Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson in front of the Ecuadorian Embassy. LAURENCE LEE: Now I just want to see what’s going on inside Julian Assange’s mind…
The ticker tape at the bottom of the screen reads: “ASSANGE IS WANTED FOR EXTRADITION TO SWEDEN TO FACE SEX ALLEGATIONS.”
Al Jazeera—which is, let us not forget, Qatar State Television—has consistently repeated the U.S.-U.K. line against Julian Assange. Its reporters and editors have never, to my knowledge, been permitted to utter a word of support for him. This ideological subservience contrasts starkly with their no-nonsense statements about the Egyptian junta’s jailing of three Al Jazeera reporters. In respect to its own persecuted reporters, Al Jazeera refuses to pretend the Egyptian government’s case against them has any substance, and routinely denounces their imprisonment as a travesty of justice.
Attack No. 3…. Firstline, TV3, 7a.m. news, Tuesday 19 August 2014
This time, instead of someone from the TV3 stable wielding the machete, it’s an absurdly biased “report” from ITV. The English reporter, whoever he is, displays the same contempt for Assange and for the viewers as Paul Henry did the night before….
ITV reporter: “Soon” in Wikispeak does not mean “imminent”, but “when we get what we want”…Julian Assange and his acolytes… So once again, Julian Assange has got the world’s media to turn up here and plead his case… He’s still holed up here. Meanwhile, the British taxpayer has paid seven million dollars and rising to make sure he doesn’t abscond.
Attack No. 4…. The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 19 August 2014
Jim Mora, David Farrar, Chris Wikaira, Zara Potts
JIM MORA: Two minutes to five. Not much time left to discuss a couple of things. Uh, Julian Assange. The press conference at the Ecuadorian Embassy. He’s leaving, weee-e-e-e-lll, n-n-nnot really, well not right now. What do you think is happening here? Do you think the Ecuadorians are getting a bit antsy and he’s making noises to placate them? What’s YOUR analysis?
…[A brief pause while the Panelists ponder deeply]…
CHRIS WIKAIRA: Sounds like he might’ve outstayed his welcome! MORA: What do YOU think, David? DAVID FARRAR: I’m not sure that’s the case, because, look, they’ve taken heat for having him there. And they’ve already taken that heat. Britain, Sweden, others are very annoyed with them for that. Kicking him out now won’t really restore them into the good graces. What it seems is there’s a mix of things. He seems to have health issues and you don’t really get good health care in an embassy. And he seems to be relying on a European Court ruling that he seems to think might be of benefit to him. And let’s be blunt here: it can’t be much fun in an embassy. MORA: No. And he’s very short of Vitamin D. You’d think there’d be a courtyard where he’d get some sun of an afternoon wouldn’t you. Cos he’s appeared on a balcony before, when he’s made his semi-papal appearances. Hasn’t he.
Well he IS very blond! So, ha ha, maybe he’s not one that can handle the sun too much.
David Farrar, Chris Wikaira, Jim Mora, Laurence Lee, Paul Henry and the “reporter” from ITV did not mention why the British and U.S. regimes are so hellbent on exacting vengeance on Julian Assange. Here it is once again, in case anyone has forgotten….
I wonder if you could explain that statement which, on the face of it, is a moronic one. Almost as ignorant, and moronic, in fact, as this one you posted a few weeks ago….
Well it gets worse–Cactus Odgers and Josie Pagani are replacing Bryce Edwards at the NZ Herald for the election period. Bryce is no great analyst rather a blog link collator in my opinion and quick to deflate Labour when he can. But he is a marxist in comparison to the new pair of right opportunist and far right.
For “balance” according to the Herald, but appears a blatant attempt to get ACT some presence while Pagani will likely do her best to undermine Labour and left bloc unity.
I should have added an explanation Tracey–this rather unbelievable scenario was via a twitter source who may on reflection indeed have been having a little ‘joke’.
And why does a party that got less than 3% of the popular vote get a soapbox for “balance”. ACT currently has NO MPs due to deception. 17% of its MPS are guilty of deception ofdences and ms odgers called for hagers address for angry businessmen.
as cathy odgers puts it and needs to apply to herself, “chop chop” and she must be excluded from the nz herald political team of commentators given revelations about her email.
NZ Herald have worked out that continuing to keep Cathy Odgers on would be more damaging to themselves, than using Josie Pagani as ‘the Left’ commentator would be to Labour.
Meanwhile, a non-electorate highly-ranked Labour MP is pushing for a policy that is wrong on so many counts. My heart bleeds.
You can complain about lawyers or former lawyers. A former lawyer is someone like me who does not hold a current practsing certificate. You can only call yourself a “lawyer” if you hold a current practising certificate.
I note your link to chchch lawyers complaining. Of note, to me, is they complain about a street naming NOT her conduct, or Odgers as revealled in recent times.
Problem is she has not done any of this stuff as a lawyer per se… Possibly personally and possibly as a minister
Misconduct defined in relation to lawyer and incorporated law firm
(1) In this Act, misconduct, in relation to a lawyer or an incorporated law firm,—
(a) means conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm that occurs at a time when he or she or it is providing regulated services and is conduct—
(i) that would reasonably be regarded by lawyers of good standing as disgraceful or dishonourable; or
(ii) that consists of a wilful or reckless contravention of any provision of this Act or of any regulations or practice rules made under this Act that apply to the lawyer or incorporated law firm or of any other Act relating to the provision of regulated services; or
(iii) that consists of a wilful or reckless failure on the part of the lawyer, or, in the case of an incorporated law firm, on the part of a lawyer who is actively involved in the provision by the incorporated law firm of regulated services, to comply with a condition or restriction to which a practising certificate held by the lawyer, or the lawyer so actively involved, is subject; or
(iv) that consists of the charging of grossly excessive costs for legal work carried out by the lawyer or incorporated law firm; and
(b) includes—
(i) conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm that is misconduct under subsection (2) or subsection (3); and
(ii) conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm which is unconnected with the provision of regulated services by the lawyer or incorporated law firm but which would justify a finding that the lawyer or incorporated law firm is not a fit and proper person or is otherwise unsuited to engage in practice as a lawyer or an incorporated law firm.
Problem is she is not doing this dirty stuff as part of regulated services of lawyer, or giving legal advice.
Her boss should be the one sanctioning. As minister of justice i believe she is responsible for tge Act governing the law society
Thanks Tracey .. is it worth noting she used her JudithCollinsLaw email address with Pleasants’ details for WO .. wondering does that mean she did it as a lawyer ?
and to Collins being her governing ‘boss’ …. oh dear.
“conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm which is unconnected with the provision of regulated services by the lawyer or incorporated law firm but which would justify a finding that the lawyer or incorporated law firm is not a fit and proper person or is otherwise unsuited to engage in practice as a lawyer or an incorporated law firm.”
thx freedom .. the link date seems odd and wrong … I read the story only yesterday, so it is current …. the link will take you through to yesterday’s story.
The linked to article I see, is “Audrey Young: Policies and people all part of campaign” published July 28 when Audrey Young introduced the “Herald team @nzhpolitics” and discussed, amongst other things, how there was still three days left before parliament rises thus verifying the article’s date of July 28 as correct. Am I missing something ?
freedom .. seemsthe date is correct, but maybe re-published yesterday… actually I have no idea ! But big news right now is Herald has Cathy Odgers announced as withdrawn from the team !
Click on HARD NEWS by Public Address on right hand links and scroll thru to comment by Bryce Edwards who states it …
“And as of a few minutes ago, the Herald’s Shayne Currie has announced: ‘Cathy Odgers has withdrawn’ ” by Bryce Edwards at about 10.30 am
They’ve taken a bit of a hit from the fallout of ‘dirty politics’ but it seems the (media) empire is striking back. The weakest link who isn’t even from the left versus the sharpest knife in Slater’s cesspool.
That’ll make for really balanced and accurate commentating in the run-up to the election.
Has there been any reason given for Helen Kelly being replaced on ‘The Nation’ at the last minute by Pagani in the immediate fallout of the book. Is intelligent left-wing analysis surplus to requirements in an emergency?
..he was just given a platform upon which to spin his little heart out..
..why didn’t mora ask him about the ‘princess-parties’…
“..The Young Nationals women were described as ‘retards’..
..and ‘just dirty girls who flip it up’..”
..farrar does this washing-of-his-hands of that far-right vileness uttered by that far-right scum…
..and that is utter bullshit..
..as on his blog..since forever..he has given the worst of them their head…
..they can say whatever they want..encouraged on by the urgings of the other denizens..and the non-demurring of their host..farrar..
(and of course he has done ‘tricks’ like having a fake benificiary (maori..of course..!..)..tania heke was the name she was given..(oh..!..how they must have laughed..!..eh..?..thinking up that little ‘wheeze’..)..
..this fake maori benificiary posted how she and her other benificiaries got drunk in the mornings/ate takeaway pizza..and laughed openly at their ‘mug’-neighbours..as they drove off to work..
farrar posted this pack of lies on his site..
..this fake persona just feeding all those poor-hating sentiments/prejudices of the bottom-feeders that are farrars’-people..
..yellow-hate-journalism of the very worst sort…
..this toxic-poison/pus running thru/bursting like a lanced-boil from the national party..is as much down to farrar..as it is to the other major players..(his furious public-handwashing/wringing notwithstanding..)
..but wd mora ever call him out on all that evil-shit..?
..hell no..!
..and look..!..there’s jordan williams..!..that other dirty-politics/mora-panel-person..
I’m starting to feel sorry for Assange. All he did was little light raping and then run away and hide when the heat came on. Can’t we just move on? I’ve written to the Pope asking that he be made a saint. Ok, Assange isn’t a Catholic and nor am I, but I can’t help thinking it would bring some much needed sunshine into Julian’s life. Bless.
I’m starting to feel sorry for Assange. All he did was little light raping and then run away and hide when the heat came on.
No he did not. You are simply repeating official lies. I have refuted you over this so many times in the past that it’s redundant to administer yet another ass-kicking this time. (It’s your lucky day, Te Reo!)
Can’t we just move on? I’ve written to the Pope asking that he be made a saint. Ok, Assange isn’t a Catholic and nor am I, but I can’t help thinking it would bring some much needed sunshine into Julian’s life. Bless.
Sober commentators at the time of Franco knew what was going on.Republican papers continued to
be published in Madrid,in Valencia,and in Barcelona.
The trouble was practically all of the diplomatic elite in Spanish Embassies around Europe were pro-Franco.So humanitarian enquiries were easily brushed away and quickly forgotten.
13 Companies in total that he was the Director of. For 11 of those companies he resigned as Director on 20th March 1995, and 10 of those companies have since been struck off. Of the remaining 3 companies 1 more has also been struck off, leaving 2/13 companies still going.
Jason Ede was last seen entering the Beehive with a security card. Anyone seen him come out?
Slaters outburst on stuff.co.nz gives even more insight into Slater, imo. Anyone who thinks Slater does not have some pretty big underlying “issues” is kidding themselves. Apart from anything else, is this who he wants to present to his kids? I dont know how old they are, but this stuff doesnt stay secret.
a recent txt-poll had 73% for collins to be fired…
..i really can’t see key lugging this rotting albatross around his neck..all the way up to the election..
..yeah..nah..eh..?
..collins’-futures are dropping in value..as we speak..
..with the common-refrain now being:.’gee..!..collns must have something serious on key…for him not to have fired her yet’..
..this must be telling key he has to move..and soon…
..one wd expect huge-promises re post-parliament life are being made to collins..as we speak..
..she who wd have been prime minister..in her own mind..
..(and guess who can barely keep from grinning at her plight..in the background..?..bennet and joyce..of course..!..being just two in national who will be happy to see collins being showen the door..)
I have to wonder whether the whole Key / Collins business is a total stalemate: Key knows what Collins and Slater are capable of. If he cuts her loose now, she might have the ability to totally humiliate him and drag him even further into the pit of depravity she and Slater inhabit, which will destroy his brand (which is all National have to win the election).
At the same time, National know they can’t win without Key (who will they get to front the election? Steven Joyce??). So the calculation for them might be purely about their best chance at holding on to power: Having Collins around damages the credibility of National, but they can still win the election with her on board. If they sack her and she fingers Key as being a part of this whole thing, they have no chance of winning the election.
Tories will do anything to hang on to power, no matter how dumb they might look in the process.
@ politikiwi-they are throwing Collins to the wolves-she is the scapegoat so that Key can appear Persil White. Even Claire Robinson is on-message today on MR saying Collins should resign.
While Collins must go, Key is up to his neck in the Whale Oil slime at least as much as Collins.
For Key to appear clean he’d have to agree that her conduct is unbecoming of a Minister and sack her.
He hasn’t done that, so either he thinks what she did was OK (and the guy is more than likely a psychopath so that might be case) or he knows sacking her will drag him down even further.
And this whole defence of “she only provided his title, not his name” is total bollocks. Even if that’s true, she still knew what the information was going to be used for. If you read the book it’s clear that Collins and Slater share a mean streak and she knew full well what he was going to do with the information.
Collins is as nasty as Slater, and Key has no politically viable option but to sack her. If he doesn’t, then this rabbit hole is much deeper than it looks
It is a long, largely sympathetic and quite thought provoking piece on Kim Dotcom. It might even be worth a proper blog entry of it’s own on this site to bring it to a wider audience.
Interesting as it is, it was a comment in the comments section that stopped me –
“It wasn’t the biggest raid in NZ. That was in the Ureweras; another almighty cock up by our boys in blue. “Incompetent” doesn’t begin to describe the NZ police.
And there is a load of corruption in NZ. Just not the brown envelope under the table type. More of a nod and a wink variety.”
Yeah, by any measure our police ARE incompetent. So why isn’t anyone doing anything about even suggesting they need an overhaul and a kick up the backside?
Good news for Labour in the Wairarapa electorate. Ron Mark has announced he is standing for NZ First. The Carterton mayor is pretty popular amongst some quarters in the electorate and is certain to take away a few thousand votes from the National candidate Alaister Scott who isn’t running a particularly strong campaign. Most of Mark’s votes will come from erstwhile National voters which should greatly increase Keiran McAnulty’s chances of winning the electorate for Labour
The candidate, Jono Naylor, is a liberal(ish) christian who has been a tad underwhelming as mayor for the last few years. He has name recognition and a small but helpful boundary change in his favour, but Iain Lees-Galloway has been a good MP and he has a very effective campaign team around him.
The one odd thing I hear about Naylor is the rumour that he donated to Labour at the last election. If so, his candidature might be a case of mutual dead rat swallowing.
I wondered same, but for sure the two very young tobacco boys must be .. Clutha/Southland and Hutt South. Questions need to be asked. Also I think Rodney voters need to ask meaningful questions now of how Mark Mitchell got the nomination. ( And why are the losers in Rodney nominations not complaining ?)
I tell myself it is all taking time … took the Herald a week to verify the veracity of Whaledump .. I have to trust there are machinations everywhere.
“I tell myself it is all taking time … took the Herald a week to verify the veracity of Whaledump .. I have to trust there are machinations everywhere.” Exactly how I feel!
@fambo. While I accept that having a good local MP is nice, and at the risk of sounding boring, it is worth repeating that it is the PARTY VOTE that really matters.
if any journalist whi isnt cowering under pressure from slates dirt, or whose editor isnt cowering under fear such dirt, please ask MrKey
“Given you wont dismiss ms collins for lying about aspects of her trip to china, appointing mr bhatnagar to a paying directorship, giving personal details of a public servant to a viscious blogger, does this mean you consider the cabinet manual a worthless joke of a guide?”
Oh, and let people know the cabinet manual requires the highest ethical standards, cos the public wouldnt have any reasonto think such a requirement exists under this PM.
If he blusters, tell him policy is made and implemented by CMinisters, so people deserve to know who is trustworthy.
And when he blusters again, put his 2008 lecture to helen clark to him.
Proverbs 22:8 8 Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end.” (Whaledump)
Campbell Live last night had a segment about the tragedy the hit that family on the West Coast, which Slater described as ‘feral’
It was mentioned that the son that died in the crash was an IT student and it left me wondering if some of his IT mates are the ones who hacked Slater and are now putting the boot into him.
It ties in well – the family has a tragic history of young sons dying (including one at Pike river) and I would salute anyone who is seeking specific revenge on that repulsive person.
Somehow Slater has left many with the impression that the family was wild and ummm “feral.” This excellent piece totally undid that impression and the father was a sad credible man who had lost 4 sons through a series of tragic accidents. The final death was Judd, a young man who was studying IT and had a steady job. He was the back seat passenger in a car driven by a drunk friend.
The first item in: http://www.tv3.co.nz/CAMPBELL-LIVE-Tuesday-August-19-2014/tabid/3692/articleID/102230/MCat/2908/Default.aspx?ref=MustWatch
And the death of their son lost just before Judd was in Pike River mine explosions, where his father also worked but had some time off. It is an almost incomprehensible series of tragic events in just one family. The mother’s anger and despair in her phone calls to Slater are to be understood and forgiven in the ugly circumstances imho.
But, according to Nicky Hager in DP, Key and Slater commiserated in very ugly terms about how the mother had addressed Key at a Pike River meeting.
But why on earth did Slater single out this young man’s death and call him ‘a feral’ in the very first place ? Why was it important to Slater ? Makes no sense to me at all as he seems not to be random in anything he does ?
Those who know families such as the Halls on the West Coast, and know families like Slaters and Keys, know full well where the higher qualities of humanity lie … there aint no doubt about it
The government admits it is using ACC levies to fiddle the books. This is dumb. ACC levies should be set at the level needed to sustain the ACC scheme. General taxation (Income/Company/GST) should be used to achieve the the desired budget outcome.
The Herald explains it here:
“It is not to the Government’s credit that the $297 million surplus has been achieved by denying workers and employers a cut in accident compensation levies. ACC minister Judith Collins has admitted the reason the Government has ignored ACC’s recommendation for bigger cuts for the third year running was, “because we need to get to surplus.”
Assuming of course that they aren’t dealt a BNZ-scale surprise by National fiddling the books. Campbell Live reported last night that EQC had failed to file financial projections for next year (in violation of the Crown Entities Act), and that this could have a significant effect on the government’s balance-sheet. No-one from the government would front up to explain this, which suggests they’re hiding something (namely, a billion dollar budget hole). Meanwhile, the government published its Pre-Election Fiscal Update, showing they’d meet their surplus target. But given the government’s refusal to front on the EQC news, I’m not sure that we can trust it.
National seems to be trying to find any way to show a surplus – especially when it’s unlikely that there’ll be one.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.
There is a new Roy Morgan poll out (The usual favourite of this website).
The last one they had appears to have been a rogue.
Todays figures were
National 48% (Plus 2)
Labour 27.5% (Down 2.5)
Green 11.5% (Down 0.5
New Zealand First 6.5% (Plus 1.5)
All together now
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn
All those changes compared to the previous Roy Morgan Poll (except maybe NZF) are within the margin of error. So I don’t see how it can mean that the previous poll was a ‘rogue’. You don’t seem to know much about statistics.
In any case, we are continuing to see polls from different companies conducted over similar periods with differences well outside the margin of error – strongly suggesting that at least some of the polls are biased in some way. Gloating about the results of a single poll is therefore pretty pointless. Let’s just wait for 20 Sept and see the result of the only poll that really matters.
Cunliffe on TV3’s Firstline this morning……..looking and sounding prime ministerial. In contrast what’s the other guy doing ?
Night after night now……..shakily flailing away in the increasingly Monty Pythonesque amalgam persona of ‘Emperor-Canute-No-Clothes’.
While lurking in the shadows ‘The-Vindictive-Bully-Weeping-For-Herself ‘. Whom the guy’s shielding. Is this TheGodKey myth/construct unravelling ?
The National Party Conference is only a few days off. The faithful inside and outside caucus are gonna be ‘required’ to stamp and cheer, present all adoring. Suspect there’ll be a goodish number whom for their embarrassment simply won’t be able convincingly, or be prepared even, to play that game. Key embraces an arrogant, unrepentant, ‘double-down’ bully ahead of them – ‘them’ being the self-perceived, Bill English personaed, decent, consummately reasonable folk. Not good !
And when the media rats who’re partially responsible for the remarkable durability of the now choking myth/construct…….when they sniff blood……..well who knows ?
Will Patrick Gower chase the clucking Bill English and/or weak-link, shitting themselves, List MPs into the dunnies ? If that occurs it’ll be what they DON’T say and how they DON’T say it that’ll be telling……
Uneffingbelievable dept.
Just as one gets the sniff of a Labour win David Parker gets the firehose out yet again; super age to rise to 67 under Labour. Nats will retain current age.
a) Yes there is an aging population bubble that must be dealt with, but super is affordable if we want it to be.
b) Yes, Nats are bullshitting they know a) has to be dealt with they are just not saying so.
c) For the purposes of winning this election why scare the horses? Surveys show the older bloke sector are bloody touchy about this and are still clinging to Key on it, 1 or 2% in it imo.
So; is Parker just trying to eager beaver and justify his figures and appear reasonable to soft electors or intentionally putting a passive aggressive spanner in the works?
Tiger-you may find, having softened the electorate up last time along with the CGT, that the retirement at 67 issue plays a little better this time around and may even be neutral. It does show that Labour is fiscally responsible.
Hopefully they will include some flexiblity for manual workers.
Hope you are correct Git, if people flogged out at 60 can get early super or some form of income support not involving third degree from WINZ that is good and needs to be well publicised. If others want to and can work till mid 70s and not pick up full super good on them.
{Hopefully they will include some flexiblity for manual workers.}
Breaded Git,they have.Go back to when DC was last here at the Standard,he made some good points on that,but,yes it does need to be teesed out a bit more.
How is pulling billions of dollars out of communities and keeping people in an excess labour pool where there are not enough jobs to go around “FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE”
Did Labour’s TV ad not say something about putting people first, instead of putting book keeping entries first?
Think before repeating neoliberal moneterist bullshit PLEASE
Yeah if Labour want to avoid losing to openly active criminals, really all they need to do is shut the hell up for a few weeks, then rehash the “first 150 days” stuff and nothing more. Unfortunately, someone near the power circle is authorising terribly timed sound-bite media releases that paint Labour as self-sabotaging out-of-touch idiots. And of course the media lap it up. It’d be all good for the Greens etc, if there was any chance of a miracle event where voters actually voted them the leading coalition partner.
Really really hate to say this: the Red Team is getting it wrong in terms of the super age rise policy.
Winston is right:
– failure to run a sound economy is the problem, not superannuation
– at 4.1% of GDP, this is way below other countries
Bill English and Nats win the public argument that they are better financial and political managers as shown by leaving the super age unchanged, while keeping it all fully costed and affordable.
If Labour is fixated with an argument that something needs to be done to get back into surplus by 2018, or to brag about their fiscal credibility, the super age rise policy is N.O.T. that argument. Find another one.
If National wants to talk policy and win more votes, this is one of them.
parker has also said today that third parties will only have $200 million to carve up between them..(!)
..and that if unable to make the supluses they have promised..
..that promises made at election time will have to be broken..(he refused to detail which wd go first..)
..i am fast coming to the conclusion i wd like the greens to be the biggest party..labour second..and a strong int/mana in third..
..give parker the job of hunting down/prosecuting the big tax-dodgers..
..set him on the trail of that pile of money ripped off from the govt every year..an amount..depending on who you talk to..between $3 billion – $7 billion each/every year..
..he’d be good at that..
..currently he is just making labour look like clark-govt. redux..
.i am fast coming to the conclusion i wd like the greens to be the biggest party
Came to that conclusion a long time ago. And I’m not sure if I want Labour in government at all as they’re now a hold over from the previous failed system.
esp as parker cites the need for surpluses as being the reason to be miserly..to break just-made election-promises..
..whereas the greens’ plans..audited/ticked off by infometrics..promise to fix poverty..and to get bigger surpluses than labour..and to pay off the outrageous debts wracked up by key..sooner than labour..
..w.t.f. is not to prefer about that..?
..as norman said:..’this is what progressive govts do’..
..labour is still too sodden with neo-lib..
..with parker the bright-eyed boy/advocate for those neo-lib beliefs/policies..
..and if the toxic clouds/sludge around national continues..(and i can’t see why they won’t..)
..then i cd see many national voters choosing peters and/or the greens…
.the conservatives cd do well too..from that spillage from national..
..and of course..int/mana are over there carving out their own path..
..this is shaping up to be the election of the minor parties..
..with labour losing support because of fear of/boredom with clark redux..
..and the national vote collapsing under the weight of all the scandals…
..(and we still have the dotcom/greenwald spook-shit drop five days before the election…to look forward to..whoar..!
..’holy showers of shit..!..batman..!’..)
.i repeat..this is the most interesting election i can remember..
Parker is a real asset to Labour; we right leaning types are quite fond of him. He was very clear this morning that whatever deals might be required to achieve a “majority” there will be no deficits under his watch. If necessary promised government expenditure will be trimmed accordingly. Given the proposed CGT and minor increase in the top marginal rate will generate relatively modest extra revenue anyway, looks like real squeeze on wriggle room going forward. He also has the guts to increase the age of entitlement under “super”; what’s not to like?!
Many economically literate people would be seriously interested in the Greens if they just stuck to their knitting on proper “green” issues and not stray in to the left wing nonsense; “green” should not be left or right. Massive lost opportunity for real political leverage.
The Greens ARE a left wing party. It’s in their founding values and origins with the Values party. If it weren’t left wing, many of us would not vote for it.
Understand that. My point is that that excludes a large percentage of the population who might well give their party vote to the Greens. It also means that the Greens would not be beholden to Labour (as they still are), and have achieved far more from being part of Governments of the left and right. You may not support them but the rivers might be cleaner.
Students are fighting back. The link to the Daily Blog below is a speech by students at Auckland University given directly to Steven Joyce who was about to give a speech. It’s a must read, it details all the nasty tinkering Mr Fuxit has done to Tertiary Education and they demand free education. Well done those students. We all pay for Universities so why should only the rich be able to afford to go.
GUEST BLOG: Reclaim UoA – Students’ Message to Steven Joyce « The Daily Blog
I find it really hard to support naïve but well meaning students in endless protest. Aren’t they supposed to be smart self-aware people? In ten years they will be the same people they protest against now, they will have to be, to pay off their loans or make careers in an economic system that demands that:
“The current government has made it impossible for people from lower income backgrounds to enter higher education. Excluding marginalised peoples from the benefits of higher education wastes potential. It keeps the rich wealthy and the poor in poverty.”
There is so much ignorance in that statement, as if a magical government using the systems we have now, could or would make the changes necessary without serious cost to the educated classes, that I can only guess that either there are no students of UoA at that protest or the lectures there deal only with how to bake cakes and dream dreams.
If they were really concerned, they’d leave UoA or wherever they are and “make their own way in the world”, reshaping it with their obvious intellects. Wake up students, you will become the people you target now unless you make a change in yourself. Do something real about it, or shut up.
You started your comment by saying that the students shouldn’t protest and be politically active. Then you finished by saying that students should take action and change the world.
That’s what they are doing, dickhead.
I find it really hard to support naïve but well meaning students in endless protest. Aren’t they supposed to be smart self-aware people?
BTW I’m pretty sure that the yoof are going to say: Fuck John Key. And Fuck You Too.
+100 marsman…and GO STUDENTS for a FREE high quality Tertiary Education for all New Zealanders! Young New Zealanders have been sold short by John Key ‘s NACT government for too long
…I like this comment from Wild Katipo ( could NOT say it better myself)
You students jolly well that push that to the hilt, …it has been PROVEN that student loan systems are not needed…..the origins of this malaise hark back to the neo liberal efforts during the Lange govt years…the vehicle was Roger Douglas..
This was fully endorsed by the Business Round Table , the whole concept was not for the future generations…but to milk them for all they can get.
These same vicious individuals who never payed a cent during the 60′s and 70′s when they were at university….. now lumber the young with insufferable debt.
A good resource to understand this is the documentary ‘ Fortress New Zealand’ by Ian Fraser…those political scientists among you will be well aware of it Im sure.
In tandem with this..was the deliberate destruction/dismantling of the trade unions…such acts as the Employment Contracts Act…specifically designed to end collective bargaining in favour of employer -biased individual contracts. And this directly pertains to the shoddy wages and working conditions of SO MANY of our workforce.
Divide and conquer…as old as Rome itself.
When the voice of dissent is no longer heard… we then know democracy is dying . The very act of having that freedom to oppose, dissent, protest is a hallmark of a functioning, vibrant democracy when truly led by the citizenry.
It demonstrates active participation and the absence of arbitrary , autocratic rule.
For a long time..we have not heard much from the students …possibly due to minimizing by mainstream media , but when the learned , the academics , the intellectuals , those voices opposing unpopular govt legislation are silenced , bullied , lied to…we are well on the way to fascism . Be it passive or aggressive in nature , The aim of that style of govt is always the same .
Power and control. That is not democracy.
this from a fresh comment by ‘Tigger’ under Brian Rudman’s oped this morning:
“The United States government plane landing for a few hours in NZ, seems a bit odd, the reason given suspect, are they helping NZ elections, hmmm, not a good look.”
Nothing. Presumably English would step in as Acting PM for the rest of the campaign and the whole sorry trainwreck would keep on rolling along to its inevitable conclusion.
As I understand it, what we have now is a caretaker government. They have no power to pass legislation but only act on the day to day business and even that’s limited.
+1 phillip. Clever. Not sure how they (the Greens) got their numbers out so soon after the prefu though.
Labour (Parker) said it would be a week for them to update their numbers after the prefu. Then they should copy the Greens and get their numbers professionally reviewed.
Hard case accidentally tuning in to Sean Plunkett on Radio Live this morning – my gosh he can be a hectoring fellow – hard case because as much as he keeps pushing the business that ‘ordinary people’ know nothing and care less about the issues inherent in “Dirty Politics”, these ‘ordinary people’ will insist on ‘phoning in. Reflecting quite the opposite of Plunkett’s somewhat hubristic tosh. Maybe the heartland he bawlingly claims as his is a little pissed off at it being implied they’re amoebic idiots when it comes to those issues. Take note commenter Ad re no penetration beyond The Beltway and the Commentariat.
I thought policy was important, lately not a great deal of discussion on policy, look at Kiwibuild and sourcing from Labour detail … https://www.labour.org.nz/sites/default/files/issues/policy-kiwibuild_0.pdf
Given that there have been announced 18,000 SHA’s and another 21,000 to be announced where are the 7,000 Kiwibuild properties to be built over the next 3 years to be situated,? Answer :”Much of the land will come from HNZC buying new land or building on existing developments ” Try and buy raw unzoned land within Auckland for under $500k/ha.
Why not use this valuable govt asset of existing HNZC land and build …. State Houses, not sell our assets as we have with power coys.
So Labour believes that “Estimates of the cost of a modest entry-level home suggest they can be built for less than $300,000” so we build them then there is the land component- still get a cost exceeding $450k that will help most of us. Well perhaps those who are contributing to the existing housing affordability problem 🙁 !!! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11251200
“As New Zealanders begin to learn the full extent of Slater’s corruptions, smear campaigns and how much he and his Whale Oil blog have influenced elections in the last six years, he is being paid, as I type this, to also pedal Israeli propaganda…
And now we can see the importance of Hager taking care to only use material that’s in the public interest. It doesn’t feel right to read about private individuals’ health problems.
Whoever put that together (assuming it’s a ‘have’), given that they’ve added a signature on the bottom of what looks like ministerial stationery that would purport to be Collin’s…yeah, not good.
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), Cheryl Gwyn, announced today that she would be instituting an inquiry concerning allegations that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) might have released official information to Mr Cameron Slater, regarding briefings provided to the then Leader of the Opposition, for political purposes.
More at the link.
But is this just going to be the SIS investigating itself?
OOps Morgan Poll:
“National (48%) holds its lead over Labour/ Greens (39%) as ‘Dirty Politics’ revelations provide a new challenge for PM John Key”
“Support for Key’s Coalition partners has fallen slightly overall with the Maori Party 1% (down 0.5%), Act NZ (0.5%, unchanged) and United Future 0.5% (unchanged).”
“Support for the Labour Party is 27.5% (down 2.5%), the Greens are down 0.5% to 11.5%. Potential ‘king-makers’ NZ First looks set to return to Parliament with 6.5% (up 1.5%) – the highest support for NZ First since September 2013, the Internet-Mana Party alliance is 2.5% (unchanged). Support for the Conservative Party of NZ is 1% (unchanged) and support for Independent/ Others is 1% (unchanged).”
I can’t find the actual dates when this poll was taken though it is dated today.
I see you conveniently left out the “National (48%, up 2%)”.
It’s H-Fee all over again… the left backed themselves to the hilt that JK had something to hide, and the left got punished for it.
Another election year, another supposed “scandal” the left have latched on to. The public see right through the bullshit the left are up to, and will punish them again.
They are going the same place as Oravida. Disgraceful corrupt and really enough for the witch to be sacked. And hopefully those from outside the Beltway will recognise that.
But are they getting us any closer to the election result we need?
Our positive story is being drowned out by Whale and Collins. My observation is this is turning people off politics. It is not converting people from right to left.
We need to get back on track.
Labours ad today was fucking brilliant. More of that please
Enough is enough Roy Morgan state that most of the polling was done around the time of the burning effigy and anti Semitic nasty comments which are totally unacceptable hence the bounce !
RM also state that the Hager book had come out late in the polling period and wouldn’t have made much of a difference to earlier trends!
The polling timeframe doesn’t catch any of Key or Collins’ shambolic responses to the book. Also I reckon the rise for NZ First can be attributed to Winston’s long term ownership of all the issues around the Lochinver sale which would have been the biggest issue during almost all of the polling period.
Rolflcopter Roy Morgan Said the polling period was coming to an end when scandal broke so didn’t affect figures but they claim the bounce was caused by burning effigy and anti Semitic behaviour which is totally abhorrent to all New Zealanders !
Funny that my copy does not have the dates but”…both landline and mobile telephone, with a NZ wide cross-section of 809 electors from August 4-17, 2014.”
End of survey Sunday 17 August. Therefore possible effects of dirty politics yet to show.
Never mind. David Farrar will have updates from his constant polling. He will let good news be known and clamp tight on bad news.
Quite apart from all that NEVER TRUST the POLLS or POLLSTERS! ( unless of course it is in your favour…lol…but even then be wary)
Polls like statistics are very dependent on the sampling( and the mood of the sampled)…and too often can be swung one way or another and used as political propaganda imo
The Left is going to win this election…Great Policies!… and John Key and NACT are damaged beyond redemption
a herald editorial-writer..(roughan..?..o’sullivan..?..) has dropped a whopper..
..in an editorial slagging the greens poverty-busting policies..
..he/she claimed this:..
..’Six years after becoming a sole parent, Ms Turei graduated from Auckland University and began work with Simpson Grierson. Her experience suggests that the welfare system as it exists is not necessarily a poverty trap..”
said editorial-writer failed to mention that ‘ladders’ bennett has since removed access to the allowances etc. she used…
..so the editorial-writets’ assertions are a pile of fresh/stinking bullshit..
..and that begs the question..didn’t he/she know that bennett had axed the training incentive allowance for those sole-parents that followed her..
..and if they didn’t know..such ignorance in an editorial-writer is inexcusable..
While the sad and tragic fate of Flight MH17, and its potential for sparking a major war in the Ukraine, has disappeared from New Zealand media concerns an apparently detailed and extensive review of the event and subsequent developments appears here:
I still maintain an open mind as I don’t believe everything I read on the Web any more than I (now) believe what I read in the MSM or hear issuing from Governments with agendas, but the only way one can hope to form even a provisional opinion is to get as much info as possible from as many sources as possible and hope to find consistant threads and narratives that strike one as at least having the ‘ring’ of truth.
Tom Bradford +100…thanks for that link….certainly comprehensive ….and i am afraid terribly damning ( if it is true, which from what I have read elsewhere, it could well be….scarey! )
Except it’s mostly from Russian sources and hasn’t been mentioned anywhere else it seems and scanning over the content on the site it’s making FOX look professional in comparison T_T
And google searches on “21st century wire” “climate change” are most illuminating, along with other searches and the owner of the site is also “interesting”.
In short, it’s a rather fucking clear conspiracy site, which like it’s brethren only useful as an illustration of how insane otherwise sane people can, and if I were as incredulous as you I’d argue the site’s paid for by CIA/NSA to spread disinformation T_T
Bonus bit – they also like claiming russia has no laws on the books that impact LGBT people negatively, spinning them instead as preventing a colour revolution.
The point has been made by Nicky Hager himself that he was not comfortable with publishing the personal details of Slater and his confidants, and in doing so maintains a level of professionalism.
That’s the thing here, the black ops of Slater, Ede, Lusk, Batnagar, Kate, and Collins are just plain unclean, but through the publishing of Dirty Politics, Nicky Hager has run the stuff through his own character filter and it’s come out washed and on message. That message being the unethical inner workings of the current government.
Whaledump runs the risk of undoing the professionalism that Nicky Hager has brought to the subject and provides a means with which John Key and his ministers can attack the message.
Guess so, and the other side of the argument, I suppose, is that the middle voter IS SO STUPID that they either can’t see or don’t care about dirty politics and they need to have the message constantly forced down their throat at carefully managed and paced junctures, and that is what Whaledump intends to do.
If WhaleDump are who they seem to be, then they are going to do nothing to Nicky Hager’s professional image. Nicky stated that he gave all the information back to his source and that he has no control over what they do with it.
There, done and dusted with that one.
Second point being that I am loving the fact that WhaleDump effectively means that the Dirty Politics issue won’t disappear under the next set of headlines because there will constantly be new information for the media to process – and it is guaranteed that they will as they can’t afford their competition getting an exclusive scoop.
If Key isn’t a lovely shade of sickly green by election day, I would be surprised. I’m tempted to think that this is truly going to come down to the leader debates because it is going to be JFK v Nixon all over again where if Key is having the same difficulties on stage next to Cunliffe as he is having now in interviews…
I am not happy about th inclusion in the whale dump, personal information that is not inthe public interest. And it’s not doing their cause any good.
They show that Hager was more principled in how he used the material.
However, MSM journos, are still taking an interest. Corin Dann said, the personal info wasn’t necessary, but today’s whaledump was important because of the background it gave to the SIS OIA issue.
just watched this standup w key and journos
1. Is that shaving nick on his cheek calculated?
2. Most Nzealanders will be interested that p.ms wearing a wig
Edit could be comb over But! Nzealanders deserve to know the truth!
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before; but Key is the first NZ PM to wear a reasonable quality rug, or any rug.
Toupee´s are rather 70s American and quaint in these days of shaved bonces like Jamie Whyte’s. Would I criticise someone for employing a high tech replacement limb or dental plate? No they are obviously of some use.
Yes Karol, he’s not talking to journalists anymore, he’s talking to the true blue Nat voters for whom hearing him say, “There’s nothing to see here, it’s all bollocks,” is all they need to hear to keep on ticking the blue box.
Well, I guess it just means Key is braced for more damaging info. His answer was about damaging info about Collins. Key backtracked saying the more info wasn’t necessarily going to be about Collins. But clearly he does expect something more to come out about her. How does he know?
oh, the sweet irony that if Kim Dotcom’s original company had not been forcibly closed down by FBI etc, then the new Mega with its sublime and unbreakable encryption might not have happened .. it is wonderful that Whaledump is using it. Oh, the irony is delicious.
also, I wondered how Nicky Hager avoided all the spy systems to keep his book details totally undisclosed until he publication date ? Maybe our spooks are not really very clever at all. Would that be such a surprise to discover ?
I think Key is faking ( watch his eyes)….Key knows it ALL!…EVERYTHING! ….but is pretending he doesn’t and pretending he is completely ignorant about what has been happening with Collins, Slater and Ede
…Key is trying to bluff his way out but he knows the game is up for a NACT win ( he just wants to get outta there)….question is how close the shit gets to covering him?
imo Ede is the missing link( the invisible man who goes through the fire wall) ….and the key to KEY….but who is the key turning in whose lock?…who is the puppet master?
Key doesnt know who the leaker is or they would have nabbed him
(imo…Gower did a good job….didn’t let Key off the hook ….and kept pressing with the questions despite the fob offs)
“The latest Roy Morgan Poll was being conducted when the majority of the news media still hadn’t read the book and were still trying to defend National with the ‘this is politics as usual’ mantra
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 3, 2006
Are some corporate CEO’s, doctors, lawyers, politicians and scientists psychopaths? The answer could be “yes” if you use a definition which labels individuals who are often intelligent and highly charismatic, but display a chronic inability to feel guilt, remorse or anxiety about any of their actions. Tack on the use of violence and intimidation to control others and satisfy selfish needs and the label expands.
How to Identify a Psychopath
One Methods:Identifying Psychopaths with the Hare Checklist
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist was initially developed to assess the mental condition of people who commit crimes, and it is commonly used to diagnose people who may exhibit the traits and tendencies of a psychopath. Most mental health professionals define a psychopath as a predator who takes advantage of others using charm, deceit, violence and other methods to get what they want. Identify a psychopath by using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist and trusting your own intuition.
I’m more than a little tired of these recurring attempts to safety-pin terms like “psychopath” and “sociopath” on members of the government. Why can’t they just be adjudged particularly nasty on the basis of their visible actions, rather than requiring some sort of spurious remote diagnosis?
I’m interested in trying to work out why people do what they do.
The next observation is that if ‘birds of a feather flock together’ – if Judith Collins can accurately be described as a ‘psychopath’ – what does that make John Key?
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A lot has happened since the UN’s report on 1.5ºC was released in October 2018. New Zealand’s Zero Carbon Bill has passed, and enshrines the 1.5ºC goal in law. The UK and France have also legally strengthened their targets to Net Zero 2050. The School Strike For Climate and Extinction ...
Next year is an election year, and Labour needs money to fund its campaign. So naturally, they're selling access:Labour is charging wealthy business figures $1500-a-head to lunch with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at its annual conference later this month. [...] On the weekend beginning November 29th, around 800 delegates will ...
Yesterday the government announced its changes to tenancy laws, including an end to no-cause evictions, limits on rent increases, and anonyminity for tenants who defend their rights against bad landlords (sadly necessary because landlords are scum who maintain blacklists of "uppity" tenants). They're all good moves, and have resulted in ...
In 2003 New Zealand sent a Provincial Reconstruction Team to Afghanistan to support America's doomed war there. While there, they conducted regular weapons practice on local firing ranges, littering the landscape with unexploded ammunition. These ranges weren't secure - they're on land used by locals for animal herding - so ...
Green MP Gareth Hughes has announced he will retire at the election. Its understandable - he's been there ten years, and wants to actually see his children grow up rather than miss it while drowning in the toxic parliamentary sewer. But his departure is also a huge loss for the ...
Words and images by Jacqui GibsonGone are Auckland Museum’s days of doing science using a museum-centric academic approach, after Māori land rights holders Ngāti Kuri gave the museum an ultimatum.Tom Trnski holding a fossilised whale tooth from the Far North.Aussie-born Head of Natural Sciences at Auckland Museum ...
MediaWorks announced in October 2019 that it intended to sell off its struggling television business and cancel or cut back on several popular local programmes, including New Zealand Today, Married at First SightNew Zealand and 7 Days. Its radio and outdoor advertising arms are currently performing well, but MediaWorks’ ...
Westminster voting intention:CON: 44% (+3)LAB: 28% (-1)LDEM: 14% (-1)BREX: 6% (-)via @OpiniumResearch, surveyed this weekChgs. w/ 08 Nov— Britain Elects (@britainelects) 16 November 2019 This, of course, doesn't look good. Labour have been chucking big, headline grabbing policies left, right and centre ... Well, maybe not right. Left, left ...
Some readers may remember that I mentioned last year that I was applying for NZ citizenship. I filled out the paperwork and had my original citizenship interview in February. Everything went well until they discovered that, because I had spent five months in the US in 2017, I had not ...
by Deirdre O’Neill It is becoming quite acceptable for certain sections of the left to declare that people like me – women who are ‘gender critical’ – should not be allowed in leftist or anarchist spaces. Leaving aside the arrogance and implicit authoritarianism of this claim, its lack of critical ...
There is an article in The Conversation, written by Jeremy P. Shapiro (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University), about what he sees as the psychologically-based underpinnings of three main matters that seem to vex people all around the planet. The article is titled “The Thinking ...
. . Blogger Martyn Bradbury has won his case against unreasonable search and surveillance against the NZ Police; and subsequent Police attempts to produce evidence in secrecy, in a closed Court. His case highlights a disturbing growing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand for State power to be used against ...
The Committee of Disobedient Women has intercepted an email from Dr Emma Eejut, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Massey University to the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Jan Thomas. Dear Jan, Thank you for your courageous move. I think 10 pages of blether** should tie any of the students game enough to try holding ...
That's the only response to the findings of the Ombudsman's investigation into LGOIMA practices at the Christchurch City Council:My investigation identified serious concerns about the Council’s leadership and culture, and its commitment to openness and transparency. In particular, Council staff raised concerns with me about various methods employed by some ...
NZ First seems to be nakedly trying to enrich itself from public office:A powerful New Zealand First figure helped establish a forestry company that then pushed for money from two key funding streams controlled by a New Zealand First Minister. An RNZ investigation has found Brian Henry, lawyer for Winston ...
Behrouz Boochani is an award winning author and journalist. He is also a refugee, who for the past six years has been detained in Australia's offshore gulag on Manus Island, and in Papua New Guinea. But last night, with the cooperation of the WORD Christchurch festival and Amnesty International, he ...
Different Strokes: If a multicultural immigration policy imposes no obligation on immigrant communities to acknowledge and ultimately embrace their host nation’s most cherished traditions and values, then how is that nation to prevent itself from being reduced to a collection of inward-looking and self-replicating ethnic and cultural enclaves?THE COALITION GOVERNMENT’S ...
Protective Zone: Reading the rules and guidelines released by Massey University, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that its governing body considers the whole concept of free speech a disruptive threat to the orderly imparting of orthodox academic knowledge.IN TRUE ORWELLIAN fashion, Massey University has announced its commitment to ...
Farmers held a hate-march on Parliament today, complete with MAGA hats, gun-nut signs, and gendered insults. While supposedly about a grab-bag of issues - including, weirdly, mental health - it was clear that the protest was about one thing, and one thing only: climate change. And specifically, forestry "destroying" rural ...
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security released their annual report today, and I've been busy reading through it. In amongst the usual review of what they've been doing all year, there's a few interesting bits. For example, a discussion on "agency retention and disposal of information", which points out that ...
Recently more than 150 post-graduate students and young scientists presented an open letter to the Green Party via The Spinoff, encouraging them to reconsider their position on genetic modification. Their target is tackling climate change issues.[1] Can any party continue to be dismissive about genetic modification (GM) contributing to ...
by Deirdre O’Neill Under Thatcher and then Blair and continuing up until our contemporary moment, the working class has seen its culture slowly and progressively destroyed. The change from an industrial society to a service society produced a marked shift in focus from the working class as the backbone of ...
Since 2013, the Australian government has detained refugees without trial in Pacific gulags, where they are abused, tortured, and driven to suicide. The policy is not just an abuse of human rights and possible crime against humanity; it has also had a corrosive effect on the states Australia uses as ...
It seems fair to say that we currently live in a problematic political moment in world history. Democracies are in decline and dictatorships are on the rise. Primordial, sectarian and post-modern divisions have re-emerged, are on the rise or have been accentuated by political evolutions of the moment such as ...
Last month, Greenpeace head Russel Norman surrendered his speaking slot at an EPA conference to student climate activist Sorcha Carr, who told the EPA exactly what she thought of them. It was a bold move, which confronted both regulators and polluters (or, as the EPA calls them, "stakeholders") with the ...
The core principle supposedly underlying New Zealand's electoral finance regime is transparency: parties can accept large donations from rich people wanting to buy policy, but only if they tell the public they've been bought. Most parties abide by this, so we know that TOP was wholly-owned by Gareth Morgan, and ...
Today is a Member's Day, probably the second-to-last one of the year, and its a big one, with the Third Reading of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. last Member's Day it was reported back from committee, after MPs voted narrowly to make it subject to a (rules TBA) ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzThe growth of the human population over the last 70 ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...
by Don Franks In 1957, E M Forster wrote, of his greatest work: “The India described in ‘A Passage to India’ no longer exists either politically or socially. Change had begun even at the time the book was published ( 1924) and during the following quarter of a century it ...
The Referendums Framework Bill was due back from select committee today. But there's no report on it. Instead, the bill has been bounced back to the House under Standing order 29593) because the Committee didn't bother to produce one. They probably tried. But given the membership of the committee (which ...
Two years into New Zealand’s Labour-led government, the long-delayed Zero Carbon Bill became law on 7 November. Passed essentially unanimously, the lengthy public debates and political manoeuvring faded away until the final passage was even anticlimactic: Flipping through the @nzstuff@DomPost I was starting to wonder if I’d dreamt ...
Now the Zero Carbon Bill is law, what's next? Obviously, the ETS changes currently before select committee are going to be the next battleground. But we're also going to get a good idea of where we're going, and if the progress the Zero Carbon Act promises is good enough, during ...
Grant PearceThe effects of the current Australian bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland (and also again in California) are devastating and far-reaching. To date, the fires have resulted in several lives being lost and many homes and properties destroyed. Here in New Zealand, the impacts have been only ...
A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...
"I saw a newspaper picture,From the political campaignA woman was kissing a child,Who was obviously in pain.She spills with compassion,As that young child'sFace in her hands she gripsCan you imagine all that greed and avariceComing down on that child's lips?" ...
Dr Matt Boyd, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick WilsonThe Global Health Security Index which considers pandemic threats has just been published. Unfortunately, NZ scores approximately half marks (54/100), coming in 35th in the world rankings – far behind Australia. This poor result suggests that the NZ Government needs to ...
The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
The Herald reprints an Australian story on a couple of tragic deaths in Bali from drinking cocktails that had methanol in them. The story argues that methanol is likely the result of home distillation. But what the young tourists were experiencing was far from a hangover. They’d consumed a toxic cocktail ...
Last month, the police announced a trial of specialist roaming armed units, which would drive round (poor, brown) areas in armoured SUVs, armed to the teeth. When they announced the trial, they told us it was about having armed police "ready to attend major incidents at any time if needed". ...
Spain went to the polls today in the second elections this year, after the Socialists (who had come to power in a confidence vote, then gone to the polls in April) rejected the offer of a coalition with the left-wing PoDemos, and instead decided to gamble n a better outcome ...
A couple of days ago I attended (and spoke at) the University of Waikato’s “LearnFest” event. There were lots of talks and sessions on very diverse aspects of teaching, mostly at tertiary level. One was by Myra Williamson from Te Piringa Faculty of Law here at Waikato, on Contract Cheating ...
There will be a transit of Mercury – the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the Sun – taking place at sunrise in New Zealand on Tuesday, 12th November. It was by observing such an event 250 years ago that James Cook and his scientist colleagues were able ...
Since becoming the world’s first openly transexual mayor and member of parliament, Georgina Beyer has been recognised as a trailblazer for trans rights. Daphna Whitmore talks with her about where she sees the current trans movement We start out talking about legislation the government put on hold that would have ...
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ...
National Messiah? Chris Luxon identifies himself as an evangelical Christian. If he is genuine in this self-characterisation, then he will take every opportunity his public office provides to proselytise on behalf of his faith. He will also feel obliged to bear witness against beliefs and practices he believes to be ...
I'm going to make a Reckless Prediction™ that the Tories have 'topped out' in the 'poll of polls' / Britain Elects multipoll tracker at about 38%, and in the next week we will start to see Labour creep up on them.In fact, we might just be seeing the start of ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
New Zealand First are celebrating the announcement of an investment of $3.5 million into five new trapping devices. These are a range of bait and trap devices, all designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. NZ First conservation spokesperson Jenny Marcroft says that this latest development will ...
Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third readinginParliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its first reading in Parliament. “Today’s progress takes serious action on the mental health and addiction crisis the country is facing,” says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Jenny Marcroft. “The re-establishment ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries Today the Government announced the delivery of the promise to protect New Zealand interests by applying a new National Interest Test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. This further strengthening of the Overseas Investment Act will ...
The Coalition Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high-risk assets to overseas buyers. Under current Overseas Investment Act (OIA) rules, assets such as ports and airports, telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and ...
Rt Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Allegations raised this morning by Stuff Limited / Fairfax concern a party matter but I am confident that New Zealand First has operated within electoral laws, now and for the last 27 years. Declarable donations were declared to the Electoral Commission. Our ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
The Coalition commitment to add 1800 new Police officers to frontline policing has been achieved with the graduation of 59 constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters say today’s graduation means 1825 new Police have been deployed all ...
Ensuring APEC work gets input from diverse New Zealand business and trade interests is behind three new appointments to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Rachel Taulelei, Malcolm Johns and Toni Moyes have been appointed to represent New Zealand on the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ...
Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa. Thank you for having me to speak today. To start, I’d like to acknowledge Sharron Lloyd, the General Manager of the Trans–Tasman Business Circle, the partners for this event Westpac’s David McLean, and Derek McCormack from AUT, and, of course ...
A four-month investigation by former Environment Court judge Professor Peter Skelton found that Otago’s freshwater planning system is not fit for purpose to manage the region’s rivers, lakes and aquifers and that the Council has inadequate rules for the taking of water and the discharge of nutrients. “Existing planning provisions ...
Introduction Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This is the first opportunity I’ve had to speak to an LGNZ meeting since the local elections, and I’m delighted to see the fresh faces of newly elected mayors. To returning mayors here today, as well as chief ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters departs New Zealand today to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nagoya at the invitation of this year’s G20 President, Japan. “This is the first time New Zealand will attend a G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and we are deeply honoured that it is at ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of diplomat Carl Reaich as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the European Union. “The Ambassador to the EU is one of the most important and senior roles in New Zealand’s foreign service, advocating for New Zealand’s interests with the EU institutions,” Mr ...
Innovation and technology are behind five new tools to give nature a helping hand by helping eliminate predators, funded through the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “The new tools will be trialled in ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the first reading of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2021 (APEC 2021) Bill in Parliament today. The temporary bill supports New Zealand’s security preparations for hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in 2021. “APEC is the leading economic and trade forum ...
The Government is making progress on improving the wellbeing of the one million New Zealanders under the age of 18,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on World Children’s Day. The Government has today recommitted to the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history – the United Nation’s Convention on ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter has released a new report celebrating the contribution of Māori women in business across Aotearoa New Zealand. “Māori women are leaders in our communities, they employ many people and support our economy and our communities,” Julie Anne Genter said. The report, Ngā wāhine kaipakihi: ...
Four parcels of land have been bought in Omokoroa, in the Western Bay of Plenty District, for an education facility that will accommodate both a primary and secondary school on a campus-like facility, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. Two parcels were acquired from private land owners and two were ...
1 million New Zealanders warmed by the Winter Energy Payment 36,000 families bank the Best Start Payment in first year 6,000 more families received the Family Tax Credit, 220,600 in total They receive an increase too – from an average of $117 to $157 a week for Inland Revenue clients, ...
New rules to clamp down on overzealous wheel clamping and extortionate fees charged in order to release a vehicle have passed their final stage in Parliament today. The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill has now passed its third reading. “These changes mean $100 will be the maximum wheel clamping ...
An independent Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is a step closer after it unanimously passed its first vote in Parliament today. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill lays the groundwork for establishing the Commission as a fully independent crown entity – delivering on a key recommendation of He Ara ...
We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to screen travellers for border and immigration risks off-shore before they travel to New Zealand. It was launched in August and became mandatory on 1 October 2019. More than 500,000 NZeTAs have been issued since ...
A proposed national plan of action to reduce the number of seabirds caught in fisheries is being circulated for public feedback. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage say New Zealand is a global centre of seabird diversity with about 145 species in our waters. It has more ...
The Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. Associate Finance Minister David Parker said under current Overseas Investment Act rules, assets such as ports and ...
The Government is building special housing to accommodate one of Aotearoa’s greatest taonga- our kaumātua, says the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Speaking at a National Kaumātua Service Providers Conference in Rotorua today, the Minister reinforced the importance kaumātua play in maintaining and passing on mātauranga Māori, knowledge, ...
Eleven men from a pilot forestry training programme for prisoners in Northland now have full time jobs or job offers upon release, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis and Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. The ‘release to work’ programme was a collaboration between Te Uru Rākau and the Department of Corrections, ...
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...
The families of more than 416,000 students will be better off next year as their schools have signed up to the Government’s donations scheme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. The scheme will see almost $62.5 million in additional Government funding go to schools nationwide next year. “I’m really pleased ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next four weeks,” Mr Peters said. “A New Zealand Medical Assistance ...
Fa’atalofa atu, malo e lelei, Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to the Child Poverty Action Group for asking me to be here today to provide an update on some of the things that have been happening across my the social development portfolio. Can I firstly acknowledge the vast ...
***Please check against delivery*** Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to open this year’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Conference and AGM. Firstly, thank you Dr Alan Jackson, NZTR Chair for your introduction. And let us acknowledge also: The NZTR Board; Dean McKenzie, Chair ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer and more secure, Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Kris Faafoi has announced today. Both renters and landlords will benefit from the suite of practical changes to the Residential ...
A marine conservation milestone - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve - is being celebrated today at a community event in Tairāwhiti/East Coast attended by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “The creation of this marine reserve in November 1999 was a game ...
The Government is asking the food industry to step up work to tackle obesity including reducing sugar, fat and salt in their products, better information for consumers, and tighter restrictions on advertising to children. Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor have responded to a ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.We’re still buzzing after the rip-roaring success of the Corny Christmas party this week and we won’t even let a rogue earwig in the studio dampen our spirits. There’s a lot of exciting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased people.Review: Linear, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney The value of Australian First Peoples’ scientific ...
Sam Brooks reviews the latest generation of the Pokémon games which finally hits the big-ish screen.“I love Pokémon but I wish I could play it on my TV.”I’ve been playing Pokémon for 20 years and that’s been the main thing I’ve heard from my fellow Pokémon friends/fans. The games have been engrossing, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Minister Stuart Robert this month announced a number of “practical changes” to the scheme. Acknowledging the NDIS is not consistently living up to expectations, he said these improvements will put ...
The trustee of the New Zealand First Foundation and Winston Peters' personal lawyer has threatened a $30 million lawsuit against a National MP, in the latest twist of the donations scandal. ...
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum based in the Asia-Pacific Region. New Zealand will host APEC 2021 in November 2021, with related events running for a year from December 2020 until November 2021. ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Dr Brian Ward of soft-tissue repair company Aroa.Dr Paul Callaghan, who inspired Callaghan ...
Emerging political leaders from 15 Pacific countries and territories will be in New Zealand next week to meet with one and other, and their New Zealand counterparts, to discuss major challenges and opportunities in the Pacific. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Billingsley, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, UNSW The small number of Australians being held in prison camps in northern Syria has been an ongoing, albeit low-level, challenge for the Australian government. There are believed to be eight Australian fighters for ...
Louise Mensch is set to hit New Zealand airwaves this evening. Who is this conspiracy theorist and what could she possibly be saying to Lisa Owen?Who is Louise Mensch?She’s a former Tory MP, founder of the Rupert Murdoch-funded “no safe spaces” website Heat Street, a romance novelist, and a conspiracy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis McNevin, Professor of Forensic Genetics, University of Technology Sydney Designer baby, anyone? A New Jersey startup company, Genomic Prediction, might be able to help you. Genomic Prediction claims to be able to use DNA testing to predict disease risk in an ...
Marion McLeod revels in the return of Olive Kitteridge, the compassionate curmudgeon who won Elizabeth Strout a Pulitzer Prize. It’s the year of the sequel: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Toy Story 4, Rambo 5 … Do movies ever make it to double figures? Books and miniseries certainly do. Genre ...
National is questioning those in charge of the Provincial Growth Fund after it was revealed a NZ First-linked forestry company made an application to the fund, headed by NZ First MP Shane Jones. ...
James Borrowdale spent the last cricket season examining Neil Wagner and his unique approach to bowling. Today, in the first test of the Black Caps’ summer, Wagner returns.Neil Wagner has a wicket. He freezes mid-pitch, fists clenched at his side, knees slightly bent, a roar on his lips. His brows ...
A record volume of resales of units in its retirement villages has boosted Ryman's first half profit with the second half expected to be stronger than the first, the company says. ...
The main problem with HIV today is stigma – and it is almost entirely based on outdated information and fear, says Mark Fisher of HIV+ support organisation Body Positive ahead of the World AIDS Day Festival which opens in Auckland tomorrow.A person living with HIV on effective treatment cannot pass ...
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In the wake of Wellington City Councillors voting for a 28 per cent increase in their base salaries , the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning Iona Pannett’s decision to take a second salary. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams ...
For nearly six years, Laura Giddey has been a permanent house sitter in Auckland. Here, she explains why she does it and how it’s changed her life for the better. It all began in December 2013. I had a friend whose husband was in the navy and was going away for ...
A Waikato stud owner revealed as a New Zealand First donor says he doesn't care how the money got there, as long as it was used to benefit the party. ...
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Government finance statistics (general government) gives an economic representation of New Zealand's central and local government financial activity. ...
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Today Hāpai Te Hauora’s Māori Public Health Team launches "Tobacco is Not Our whakapapa" a series of video clips which seeks to re-center whakapapa in the narrative of tobacco harm minimisation. ...
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 content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Matt Shand (Stuff): Who are the donors behind the NZ First Foundation? Matt ...
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A few days ago, Fanimals announced it would not be returning for another season. Emily Writes, and her kids, are heartbroken.On my list of things I might write about one day it simply said ‘Fanimals’ sandwiched between ‘How old is BeckBroJack?’ and ‘Is Peter Krause the most dad-like dad on television?’I ...
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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Dozens of electorates will have boundary changes, Zespri launches legal action over special kiwifruit, and more tumbles out of NZ First Foundation.Dozens of electorates will see their boundaries change, and a whole new electorate will be created in Auckland, if ...
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Open mike 20/08/2014 
Open mike is your post.
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Campbell live had an amusing visit to Papakura last night and used blue whale Lillie’s to gauge support for the candidates. Labour’s Jerome Mika trounced Judith Collins. The media is full of negative comments about Collins. She won the seat last time by 9,800 and Mika is working very hard and is an effective campaigner. Papakura could be a seat to watch on election night.
I was driving to waiuku on sunday and between drury and waiuku we counted 12 national billboards and one ACT. Is that in papakura electorate? Anyway, if south auckland can be labelled as a single type (and it cant) , and that type has morality high on its scale, then national must be in trouble. I do wonder at the rural community stickly so steadfastly with national though…
It is one thing for many in the electorate to have believed the bank rolled strategy to dupe them BUT once you know they duped you if you still vote for them you damage everyone.
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.
Hunua electorate – current MP Dr Paul Hutchinson.
Very true-blue electorate. Key can do no wrong.
Thanks molly. Seems a waste of money on the billboards
Talking about billboards – there’s not one Green Party billboard in Queenstown that I have seen. Come on Green Party! I know we’re in one of the most conservative electorates in the country but I’d wager there’s a decent chunk of Green Party support in the Southern Lakes area, after all loads of people here rely on our environment to make a living.
I’m pleased though that there lots of Labour billboards and they aren’t getting trashed either.
Unlike the National ones. Over near the airport in Frankton Mr Key is sporting a set of devil-horns and a big fat $ sign on his forehead and the silly little Todd Barclay ones they deliberately stick right in front of Liz Craig’s Labour billboards are routinely getting kicked over.
Intetesting cos the Greens are billboarding Epsom.
On one corner all but ACTs signs are down.
I wonder if any have been changed to
Working for cameron slater
Why not contact your local branch and offer to help put up billboards?
In Auckland billboards are being put up with a lot of volunteer support. A lot depends on the amount of local volunteers available. Sitting on the sidelines and criticising is not how it gets done.
I wasn’t being critical karol – it was an observation really. The lack of any Green Party presence (so far) in Queenstown surprises me a bit since I reckon they could do quite well here.
Scott
If you want some GP billboards to put up
email boardsgreen@gmail.com
Wishful thinking.
Collins hasn’t changed her stripes. This is just confirmation of what she is like. Unfortunately there is a large amount of people out there who like her ‘crusher’ tactics.
And she is no shrinking violet, but looking and smelling like amorphophallus titanum.
Nice, except for the smell.
Just looking at the Electoral Consortium stuff just put on line :
http://www.electionresults.co.nz/national-loses-youth-gains-middle-aged
There is a striking “bulge” in National’s electoral support in the 50 to 64 age bracket, and the profile is very different from 2011 :
Percentage of population by age bracket supporting National December 2011
18 to 24 – 38.4%
25 to 34 – 36.2%
35 to 49 – 46.7%
50 to 64 – 38.9%
65 plus – 44.4%
Percentage of population by age bracket supporting National July 2014
18 to 24 – 25.8%
25 to 34 – 32.9%
35 to 49 – 42.2%
50 to 64 – 51.2%
65 over – 44.6%
Two remarks
1) that’s a large constituency of people of roughly JK’s age who are fairly apolitical and identify with him (nice guy, winner)
2) They are National’s “soft underbelly”… (sorry, couldn’t resist)
Watch this demographic as the election approaches!
“…that’s a large constituency of people of roughly JK’s age who are fairly apolitical and identify with him (nice guy, winner)…”
nice guy, winner…? oh right you mean hateful parasite.
I see you’ve located “middle NZ”. Ahh yes, middle New Zealand, if only the world could be run by them, huh? Labour should totally try to attract those people. Oh wait, they are. Middle New Zealand, so balanced and reasonable and empathetic and aware of the consequences to their ambitions. Middle New Zealand, they’re “apolitical”. They don’t vote often, but when they do, they vote right.
Interesting observation. Thanks. Is that the group that has gained more under National or who havent but blindly believe they are “nearly there”?
They’re also the part of the population approaching retirement age – or it’s on their medium-term horizon.
True
True. But it’s also the same group that made a slightly smaller bulge in 2011. As the 65+ group’s %age hasn’t changed, and the 35-49%age has dropped, I’d guess that the big support is coming from those nearer 50 than those about to hit retirement age: ie as crododill says – those around JK’s age.
Only the 47, 48 and 49 year olds in the 2011 35-49 year group would now be in the 50-64 year group so I’m not sure that, on their own, they could ‘transfer’ the bulge from the 35-49 group in 2011 to the 50-64 group in 2014, especially given that the bulge is rather larger this time.
Having said that, I’m sure those born around the same time as John Key are more likely to have imbibed a similar approach to life as he apparently has.
I’m a bit suspicious of the NZEDC due to; my general scepticism regarding polls, and particularly; the inclusion of iPredict and Exceltium (Hooton). Also, I have seen the numbers bounce around a fair bit overnight – when I looked last night via Scoop it had the Nats at 50 seats, now (12 hours later) they’re at 53.
But they do have this Labour demographic data to contrast against the National numbers that A Connor reproduces:
http://www.electionresults.co.nz/labour-supporters-more-likely-vote-2011
I wonder if that’s people worrying about waiting for super. I’m 58 and I have to think about it, although I don’t let the raising of the age make me vote NAct. I still think it’s just about the worst policy Labour could have come up with.
It’s just awful.
In regard to Nationals new TV advertisement, did National think about the fact that:
Rowing Skiffs are tippy and lightweight, they kind of reflect our economy.
Opposition are in a safe lifeboat probably unsinkable….interesting
And let’s hope the skiff’s don’t tip over, because under National the river won’t be swimable.
I was somewhat worried that the oldies in the boat might have a Whale come up underneath them.
@ enui..heh..!
Actually Phil, I reckon Whale is the wrong name for the scumball in question. I would suggest that Hagfish might be better, given the amount of slime they generate, but hey, its not nice to insult the humble hagfish with comparison.
Labour needs to get an ad out quickly with a waka powered by proud working class Kiwis. Something local rather than something harking back to Oxbridge. Rowing is not quite as elite as polo, but it comes close.
According to Vernon Small on Stuff:
“Collins’ woes and the fallout from Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics again dominated the campaign yesterday but National is hoping to move the debate on to its positive election message today with the release of its first campaign advertisement.”
Yeah Right! The stink of desperation is getting unbearable.
“stink of desperation is getting unbearable”, that would be right.
collins, the corpse flower.
and withering under the glare of media.
I hope the media get around to asking questions of those Nat MPs who employed Slater and Lusk to eliminate their opposition in the National Party candidate selection
processes. Mandy Hager makes the point:
“Where has been the discussion on the truly ghastly chapter about rigging candidate selection in order to bring in chosen far-right candidates? This has HUGE implications for our future – and people have a right to know who they are voting for and how they got to be there.”
http://mandyhager.blogspot.fr/p/occasional-political-rant.html
Oh you mean undermining democracy¿ apparently everyones doing it.
NOT a peep k from societys so called conscience, the colin craig parry
Actually, Colin should speak up, possibly a good chance to snatch up a good % of the vote, sure he is eating his masters, but you would think the powers that be would want that, as at least it wasn’t going left or to the great unknown, Winston. You would think that ACT would speak up too, personal responsibility and all…
What would baby cheeses do?
and Christine Rankin didn’t make it the multi party meeting in Epsom last night .. very odd and missing in action …
I’m reasonably certain that CC wouldn’t know what a conscience was if it bit him. It’s why he has to go to a book to know the difference between right and wrong and he still gets it wrong.
The attacks on Julian Assange are as cruel and depraved as ever
Al Jazeera, TV3, ITV and Radio NZ are as reliable as the Soviet news agency Tass
In Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, Franco’s Spain, apartheid South Africa and many other brutal regimes of the past, truth-tellers were hounded mercilessly. “Reporters” for newspapers, radio and television rarely even pretended to be honest or impartial, and functioned as simply an extra arm of the state. Citizens who dared to speak out against state crimes were smeared—one of the favorites in Russia was and continues to be trumped-up sex charges—and harried into exile.
Stalin, Mao, Franco, Vorster et al. are all dead now, but their doleful legacy lives on. The mainstream media in New Zealand, just as their equivalents overseas, continue to parrot state propaganda, “to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable”. As you read the following transcripts of what is nothing more than systematic character assassination, note the way these de facto state servants utter snide speculations about the dissident’s health and “what’s going on inside his mind”. That’s straight out of the Soviet playbook. Note also the ongoing gag about how “blond” the victim is; Cameron Slater’s friend David Farrar is as amused by it as Paul Henry is…
Attack No. 1…..
The Paul Henry Show, TV3, Monday 18 August 2014
PAUL HENRY: This was an interesting move by Julian Assange. I have a word for Assange: “scurvy”. [snort] Ha ha ha!
JANIKA TER ELLEN: It’s a sunlight problem. He doesn’t get enough sunlight in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
PAUL HENRY: Well, he’s gone VERY blond! He he he he he he! It’s like being in a prison. I wouldn’t do the press conference thing like him. I’d just … walk out!
JANIKA TER ELLEN: He’d be arrested wouldn’t he! By the Swedish police.
PAUL HENRY: No they’d just say, “Who’s that? Shit, it can’t be him!” The alternative is going to the United States and having your fingernails pulled out. …[pause]… He he he he he he! And hooked up to a generator. He he he he he!
JANIKA TER ELLEN: [dubiously] Mmmmmm….
PAUL HENRY: We shouldn’t make light of him.
JANIKA TER ELLEN: [giggling] YOU shouldn’t make light of him!
Attack No. 2….
Al Jazeera News, 11 p.m. (New Zealand time), Monday 18 August 2014
Laurence Lee interviews Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson in front of the Ecuadorian Embassy.
LAURENCE LEE: Now I just want to see what’s going on inside Julian Assange’s mind…
The ticker tape at the bottom of the screen reads: “ASSANGE IS WANTED FOR EXTRADITION TO SWEDEN TO FACE SEX ALLEGATIONS.”
Al Jazeera—which is, let us not forget, Qatar State Television—has consistently repeated the U.S.-U.K. line against Julian Assange. Its reporters and editors have never, to my knowledge, been permitted to utter a word of support for him. This ideological subservience contrasts starkly with their no-nonsense statements about the Egyptian junta’s jailing of three Al Jazeera reporters. In respect to its own persecuted reporters, Al Jazeera refuses to pretend the Egyptian government’s case against them has any substance, and routinely denounces their imprisonment as a travesty of justice.
Attack No. 3….
Firstline, TV3, 7a.m. news, Tuesday 19 August 2014
This time, instead of someone from the TV3 stable wielding the machete, it’s an absurdly biased “report” from ITV. The English reporter, whoever he is, displays the same contempt for Assange and for the viewers as Paul Henry did the night before….
ITV reporter: “Soon” in Wikispeak does not mean “imminent”, but “when we get what we want”…Julian Assange and his acolytes… So once again, Julian Assange has got the world’s media to turn up here and plead his case… He’s still holed up here. Meanwhile, the British taxpayer has paid seven million dollars and rising to make sure he doesn’t abscond.
Attack No. 4….
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 19 August 2014
Jim Mora, David Farrar, Chris Wikaira, Zara Potts
JIM MORA: Two minutes to five. Not much time left to discuss a couple of things. Uh, Julian Assange. The press conference at the Ecuadorian Embassy. He’s leaving, weee-e-e-e-lll, n-n-nnot really, well not right now. What do you think is happening here? Do you think the Ecuadorians are getting a bit antsy and he’s making noises to placate them? What’s YOUR analysis?
…[A brief pause while the Panelists ponder deeply]…
CHRIS WIKAIRA: Sounds like he might’ve outstayed his welcome!
MORA: What do YOU think, David?
DAVID FARRAR: I’m not sure that’s the case, because, look, they’ve taken heat for having him there. And they’ve already taken that heat. Britain, Sweden, others are very annoyed with them for that. Kicking him out now won’t really restore them into the good graces. What it seems is there’s a mix of things. He seems to have health issues and you don’t really get good health care in an embassy. And he seems to be relying on a European Court ruling that he seems to think might be of benefit to him. And let’s be blunt here: it can’t be much fun in an embassy.
MORA: No. And he’s very short of Vitamin D. You’d think there’d be a courtyard where he’d get some sun of an afternoon wouldn’t you. Cos he’s appeared on a balcony before, when he’s made his semi-papal appearances. Hasn’t he.
Well he IS very blond! So, ha ha, maybe he’s not one that can handle the sun too much.
David Farrar, Chris Wikaira, Jim Mora, Laurence Lee, Paul Henry and the “reporter” from ITV did not mention why the British and U.S. regimes are so hellbent on exacting vengeance on Julian Assange. Here it is once again, in case anyone has forgotten….
Rape culture: you’re soaking in it.
Rape culture: you’re soaking in it.
I wonder if you could explain that statement which, on the face of it, is a moronic one. Almost as ignorant, and moronic, in fact, as this one you posted a few weeks ago….
How does Farrar gets a platform on RNZ after the recent revelations?
Shame on our public broadcaster.
Well it gets worse–Cactus Odgers and Josie Pagani are replacing Bryce Edwards at the NZ Herald for the election period. Bryce is no great analyst rather a blog link collator in my opinion and quick to deflate Labour when he can. But he is a marxist in comparison to the new pair of right opportunist and far right.
For “balance” according to the Herald, but appears a blatant attempt to get ACT some presence while Pagani will likely do her best to undermine Labour and left bloc unity.
Are you joking?
I should have added an explanation Tracey–this rather unbelievable scenario was via a twitter source who may on reflection indeed have been having a little ‘joke’.
Thank god… But the cathy odgers bit rung a bell
oops dept; from the man himself…
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/08/20/bryce-edwards-stood-down-from-herald-for-election-season-are-the-editors-drunk/#comment-240411
Baby cheeses!!!
This from the paper that called for cunlife to resign… But not key or colins.
And why does a party that got less than 3% of the popular vote get a soapbox for “balance”. ACT currently has NO MPs due to deception. 17% of its MPS are guilty of deception ofdences and ms odgers called for hagers address for angry businessmen.
Baby cheeses!!!
as cathy odgers puts it and needs to apply to herself, “chop chop” and she must be excluded from the nz herald political team of commentators given revelations about her email.
The line up for the election period was at the bottom of an Audrey Young article yesterday. I linked to it in open mike.
Why anyone would read those two is beyond me – odgers is a disgrace and pagani is a, well, a nobody imo.
HERALD HAVE WITHDRAWN CATHY ODGERS ! apparently the story was from two weeks ago, pre-Dirty Politics publication.
The Herald must be listening !
Just read it from Bryce Edwards in a comment on Public Address .. see link on right hand side under heading HARD NEWS …
“And as of a few minutes ago, the Herald’s Shayne Currie has announced: ‘Cathy Odgers has withdrawn’.” Bryce Edwards at about 10.30 am
NZ Herald have worked out that continuing to keep Cathy Odgers on would be more damaging to themselves, than using Josie Pagani as ‘the Left’ commentator would be to Labour.
Meanwhile, a non-electorate highly-ranked Labour MP is pushing for a policy that is wrong on so many counts. My heart bleeds.
NZ Herald tweeted that.
Tracey and Tiger .. should be a joke but it’s true. And Bryce Edwards has gone ..
Audrey Young in Herald yesterday ..
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11300033
@Tracey .. can you advise how we might address Law Society re her activities ?
Sure
complaints@lawsociety.org.nz
You can complain about lawyers or former lawyers. A former lawyer is someone like me who does not hold a current practsing certificate. You can only call yourself a “lawyer” if you hold a current practising certificate.
I note your link to chchch lawyers complaining. Of note, to me, is they complain about a street naming NOT her conduct, or Odgers as revealled in recent times.
Problem is she has not done any of this stuff as a lawyer per se… Possibly personally and possibly as a minister
Misconduct defined in relation to lawyer and incorporated law firm
(1) In this Act, misconduct, in relation to a lawyer or an incorporated law firm,—(a) means conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm that occurs at a time when he or she or it is providing regulated services and is conduct—
(i) that would reasonably be regarded by lawyers of good standing as disgraceful or dishonourable; or
(ii) that consists of a wilful or reckless contravention of any provision of this Act or of any regulations or practice rules made under this Act that apply to the lawyer or incorporated law firm or of any other Act relating to the provision of regulated services; or
(iii) that consists of a wilful or reckless failure on the part of the lawyer, or, in the case of an incorporated law firm, on the part of a lawyer who is actively involved in the provision by the incorporated law firm of regulated services, to comply with a condition or restriction to which a practising certificate held by the lawyer, or the lawyer so actively involved, is subject; or
(iv) that consists of the charging of grossly excessive costs for legal work carried out by the lawyer or incorporated law firm; and
(b) includes—
(i) conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm that is misconduct under subsection (2) or subsection (3); and
(ii) conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm which is unconnected with the provision of regulated services by the lawyer or incorporated law firm but which would justify a finding that the lawyer or incorporated law firm is not a fit and proper person or is otherwise unsuited to engage in practice as a lawyer or an incorporated law firm.
Problem is she is not doing this dirty stuff as part of regulated services of lawyer, or giving legal advice.
Her boss should be the one sanctioning. As minister of justice i believe she is responsible for tge Act governing the law society
Thanks Tracey .. is it worth noting she used her JudithCollinsLaw email address with Pleasants’ details for WO .. wondering does that mean she did it as a lawyer ?
and to Collins being her governing ‘boss’ …. oh dear.
“conduct of the lawyer or incorporated law firm which is unconnected with the provision of regulated services by the lawyer or incorporated law firm but which would justify a finding that the lawyer or incorporated law firm is not a fit and proper person or is otherwise unsuited to engage in practice as a lawyer or an incorporated law firm.”
Hi yeshe,
just a heads up that your link goes to an article from July 28
thx freedom .. the link date seems odd and wrong … I read the story only yesterday, so it is current …. the link will take you through to yesterday’s story.
The linked to article I see, is “Audrey Young: Policies and people all part of campaign” published July 28 when Audrey Young introduced the “Herald team @nzhpolitics” and discussed, amongst other things, how there was still three days left before parliament rises thus verifying the article’s date of July 28 as correct. Am I missing something ?
freedom .. seemsthe date is correct, but maybe re-published yesterday… actually I have no idea ! But big news right now is Herald has Cathy Odgers announced as withdrawn from the team !
Click on HARD NEWS by Public Address on right hand links and scroll thru to comment by Bryce Edwards who states it …
“And as of a few minutes ago, the Herald’s Shayne Currie has announced: ‘Cathy Odgers has withdrawn’ ” by Bryce Edwards at about 10.30 am
thanks yeshe, wasn’t having a dig, just wanted to confirm the article was the same one you were referring to …
excellent news about uprooting the cactus
didn’t think you were having a dig at all … it’s very odd re the date ! and uprooting the cactus .. a lovely turn of phrase 🙂
They’ve taken a bit of a hit from the fallout of ‘dirty politics’ but it seems the (media) empire is striking back. The weakest link who isn’t even from the left versus the sharpest knife in Slater’s cesspool.
That’ll make for really balanced and accurate commentating in the run-up to the election.
Has there been any reason given for Helen Kelly being replaced on ‘The Nation’ at the last minute by Pagani in the immediate fallout of the book. Is intelligent left-wing analysis surplus to requirements in an emergency?
Its not a public broadcaster its nationals broadcaster like tvnz, toe the line or be shown the door.
@ paul..that was a bit of a shocker..
..he was just given a platform upon which to spin his little heart out..
..why didn’t mora ask him about the ‘princess-parties’…
“..The Young Nationals women were described as ‘retards’..
..and ‘just dirty girls who flip it up’..”
..farrar does this washing-of-his-hands of that far-right vileness uttered by that far-right scum…
..and that is utter bullshit..
..as on his blog..since forever..he has given the worst of them their head…
..they can say whatever they want..encouraged on by the urgings of the other denizens..and the non-demurring of their host..farrar..
(and of course he has done ‘tricks’ like having a fake benificiary (maori..of course..!..)..tania heke was the name she was given..(oh..!..how they must have laughed..!..eh..?..thinking up that little ‘wheeze’..)..
..this fake maori benificiary posted how she and her other benificiaries got drunk in the mornings/ate takeaway pizza..and laughed openly at their ‘mug’-neighbours..as they drove off to work..
farrar posted this pack of lies on his site..
..this fake persona just feeding all those poor-hating sentiments/prejudices of the bottom-feeders that are farrars’-people..
..yellow-hate-journalism of the very worst sort…
..this toxic-poison/pus running thru/bursting like a lanced-boil from the national party..is as much down to farrar..as it is to the other major players..(his furious public-handwashing/wringing notwithstanding..)
..but wd mora ever call him out on all that evil-shit..?
..hell no..!
..and look..!..there’s jordan williams..!..that other dirty-politics/mora-panel-person..
I’m starting to feel sorry for Assange. All he did was little light raping and then run away and hide when the heat came on. Can’t we just move on? I’ve written to the Pope asking that he be made a saint. Ok, Assange isn’t a Catholic and nor am I, but I can’t help thinking it would bring some much needed sunshine into Julian’s life. Bless.
TRP
++++++10
I’m starting to feel sorry for Assange. All he did was little light raping and then run away and hide when the heat came on.
No he did not. You are simply repeating official lies. I have refuted you over this so many times in the past that it’s redundant to administer yet another ass-kicking this time. (It’s your lucky day, Te Reo!)
Can’t we just move on? I’ve written to the Pope asking that he be made a saint. Ok, Assange isn’t a Catholic and nor am I, but I can’t help thinking it would bring some much needed sunshine into Julian’s life. Bless.
That was funny.
Not.
Sober commentators at the time of Franco knew what was going on.Republican papers continued to
be published in Madrid,in Valencia,and in Barcelona.
The trouble was practically all of the diplomatic elite in Spanish Embassies around Europe were pro-Franco.So humanitarian enquiries were easily brushed away and quickly forgotten.
MetService weather forecast for Auckland today:
“Showers, frequent with chance of thunder from PM.”
That will be no thunder, just a self-piteous whimper.
John Key lies.
John Key is a liar.
Don’t forget it. Ever.
Yes well I’m going to point out today the record on the Companies Office for John Key as a Director, here
http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/individual/search?q=key%2C+john&roleType=ALL&indEntityTypes=ALL&indDirStatus=ALL&indEntityStatusGroups=ALL&addressKeyword=&advancedPanel=false#results
13 Companies in total that he was the Director of. For 11 of those companies he resigned as Director on 20th March 1995, and 10 of those companies have since been struck off. Of the remaining 3 companies 1 more has also been struck off, leaving 2/13 companies still going.
Jason Ede was last seen entering the Beehive with a security card. Anyone seen him come out?
Slaters outburst on stuff.co.nz gives even more insight into Slater, imo. Anyone who thinks Slater does not have some pretty big underlying “issues” is kidding themselves. Apart from anything else, is this who he wants to present to his kids? I dont know how old they are, but this stuff doesnt stay secret.
National might be working for nz, but minister collins is too busy doing other things
She is busy upsetting people for sure .. in Stuff today …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10400852/Law-Society-critical-of-Judith-Collins
the comments are worth a moment or two as well !! Folks is not happy with Crusher Coldslaw !
a recent txt-poll had 73% for collins to be fired…
..i really can’t see key lugging this rotting albatross around his neck..all the way up to the election..
..yeah..nah..eh..?
..collins’-futures are dropping in value..as we speak..
..with the common-refrain now being:.’gee..!..collns must have something serious on key…for him not to have fired her yet’..
..this must be telling key he has to move..and soon…
..one wd expect huge-promises re post-parliament life are being made to collins..as we speak..
..she who wd have been prime minister..in her own mind..
..(and guess who can barely keep from grinning at her plight..in the background..?..bennet and joyce..of course..!..being just two in national who will be happy to see collins being showen the door..)
I have to wonder whether the whole Key / Collins business is a total stalemate: Key knows what Collins and Slater are capable of. If he cuts her loose now, she might have the ability to totally humiliate him and drag him even further into the pit of depravity she and Slater inhabit, which will destroy his brand (which is all National have to win the election).
At the same time, National know they can’t win without Key (who will they get to front the election? Steven Joyce??). So the calculation for them might be purely about their best chance at holding on to power: Having Collins around damages the credibility of National, but they can still win the election with her on board. If they sack her and she fingers Key as being a part of this whole thing, they have no chance of winning the election.
Tories will do anything to hang on to power, no matter how dumb they might look in the process.
@politikiwi
At the same time, National know they can’t win without Key (who will they get to front the election? Steven Joyce??).
Anyone seen / heard from Joyce lately ?
He fronted interviews on the day after Dirty Politics was released. I haven’t heard anything more from him since, it’s all been Key.
Key is intimately wedded to this Lady Macbeth of Dirty Politics. He is desperately keeping her on or he will go down too.
@ politikiwi-they are throwing Collins to the wolves-she is the scapegoat so that Key can appear Persil White. Even Claire Robinson is on-message today on MR saying Collins should resign.
While Collins must go, Key is up to his neck in the Whale Oil slime at least as much as Collins.
Ede needs to be outed on the MSM.
For Key to appear clean he’d have to agree that her conduct is unbecoming of a Minister and sack her.
He hasn’t done that, so either he thinks what she did was OK (and the guy is more than likely a psychopath so that might be case) or he knows sacking her will drag him down even further.
And this whole defence of “she only provided his title, not his name” is total bollocks. Even if that’s true, she still knew what the information was going to be used for. If you read the book it’s clear that Collins and Slater share a mean streak and she knew full well what he was going to do with the information.
Collins is as nasty as Slater, and Key has no politically viable option but to sack her. If he doesn’t, then this rabbit hole is much deeper than it looks
I am not sure if this has been linked to before – http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/17/kim-dotcom-megaupload-new-zealand-interview
It is a long, largely sympathetic and quite thought provoking piece on Kim Dotcom. It might even be worth a proper blog entry of it’s own on this site to bring it to a wider audience.
Interesting as it is, it was a comment in the comments section that stopped me –
“It wasn’t the biggest raid in NZ. That was in the Ureweras; another almighty cock up by our boys in blue. “Incompetent” doesn’t begin to describe the NZ police.
And there is a load of corruption in NZ. Just not the brown envelope under the table type. More of a nod and a wink variety.”
Yeah, by any measure our police ARE incompetent. So why isn’t anyone doing anything about even suggesting they need an overhaul and a kick up the backside?
Remind me who our last four ministers of police were. There may be a clue.
I hear you.
Great article. Had to go to a leftish British newspaper to get it though, here most of his press seems to be negative.
I have to say too, after many years away, that the journalists here are not exactly attack dogs.
i understand it was up on whoar back on the 18th..
..key-quote:..
“..His father was an alcoholic and he and his mother were both beaten and abused.
To this day he says he can’t bear to see a man display any sort of violence to a woman.
‘And I’ve never drunk a drop of alcohol. I’ve never wanted to know if that was in me’..”
Good news for Labour in the Wairarapa electorate. Ron Mark has announced he is standing for NZ First. The Carterton mayor is pretty popular amongst some quarters in the electorate and is certain to take away a few thousand votes from the National candidate Alaister Scott who isn’t running a particularly strong campaign. Most of Mark’s votes will come from erstwhile National voters which should greatly increase Keiran McAnulty’s chances of winning the electorate for Labour
Cool
Anyone else wondering if nationals candidate for palmerston north is a product of tge lusk/slater strategy, or is he too old?
The candidate, Jono Naylor, is a liberal(ish) christian who has been a tad underwhelming as mayor for the last few years. He has name recognition and a small but helpful boundary change in his favour, but Iain Lees-Galloway has been a good MP and he has a very effective campaign team around him.
The one odd thing I hear about Naylor is the rumour that he donated to Labour at the last election. If so, his candidature might be a case of mutual dead rat swallowing.
Thanks TRP
I wondered same, but for sure the two very young tobacco boys must be .. Clutha/Southland and Hutt South. Questions need to be asked. Also I think Rodney voters need to ask meaningful questions now of how Mark Mitchell got the nomination. ( And why are the losers in Rodney nominations not complaining ?)
I tell myself it is all taking time … took the Herald a week to verify the veracity of Whaledump .. I have to trust there are machinations everywhere.
“I tell myself it is all taking time … took the Herald a week to verify the veracity of Whaledump .. I have to trust there are machinations everywhere.” Exactly how I feel!
@fambo. While I accept that having a good local MP is nice, and at the risk of sounding boring, it is worth repeating that it is the PARTY VOTE that really matters.
if any journalist whi isnt cowering under pressure from slates dirt, or whose editor isnt cowering under fear such dirt, please ask MrKey
“Given you wont dismiss ms collins for lying about aspects of her trip to china, appointing mr bhatnagar to a paying directorship, giving personal details of a public servant to a viscious blogger, does this mean you consider the cabinet manual a worthless joke of a guide?”
Oh, and let people know the cabinet manual requires the highest ethical standards, cos the public wouldnt have any reasonto think such a requirement exists under this PM.
If he blusters, tell him policy is made and implemented by CMinisters, so people deserve to know who is trustworthy.
And when he blusters again, put his 2008 lecture to helen clark to him.
I wont hold my breath
Ever considered being a media segment producer.
Its my litigation experience coming to the fore.
delicious encapsulating cartoon this morning in Herald …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11311370
Proverbs 22:8 8 Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end.” (Whaledump)
Campbell Live last night had a segment about the tragedy the hit that family on the West Coast, which Slater described as ‘feral’
It was mentioned that the son that died in the crash was an IT student and it left me wondering if some of his IT mates are the ones who hacked Slater and are now putting the boot into him.
It ties in well – the family has a tragic history of young sons dying (including one at Pike river) and I would salute anyone who is seeking specific revenge on that repulsive person.
The hacker has said it is not politically motivated
if above it would be personally motivated…
Somehow Slater has left many with the impression that the family was wild and ummm “feral.” This excellent piece totally undid that impression and the father was a sad credible man who had lost 4 sons through a series of tragic accidents. The final death was Judd, a young man who was studying IT and had a steady job. He was the back seat passenger in a car driven by a drunk friend.
The first item in:
http://www.tv3.co.nz/CAMPBELL-LIVE-Tuesday-August-19-2014/tabid/3692/articleID/102230/MCat/2908/Default.aspx?ref=MustWatch
That sort of impression ianmac will only be made on people who live in a bubble
unfortunately that is probably an awful lot of people
And the death of their son lost just before Judd was in Pike River mine explosions, where his father also worked but had some time off. It is an almost incomprehensible series of tragic events in just one family. The mother’s anger and despair in her phone calls to Slater are to be understood and forgiven in the ugly circumstances imho.
But, according to Nicky Hager in DP, Key and Slater commiserated in very ugly terms about how the mother had addressed Key at a Pike River meeting.
But why on earth did Slater single out this young man’s death and call him ‘a feral’ in the very first place ? Why was it important to Slater ? Makes no sense to me at all as he seems not to be random in anything he does ?
Those who know families such as the Halls on the West Coast, and know families like Slaters and Keys, know full well where the higher qualities of humanity lie … there aint no doubt about it
always so
always been so
The government admits it is using ACC levies to fiddle the books. This is dumb. ACC levies should be set at the level needed to sustain the ACC scheme. General taxation (Income/Company/GST) should be used to achieve the the desired budget outcome.
The Herald explains it here:
“It is not to the Government’s credit that the $297 million surplus has been achieved by denying workers and employers a cut in accident compensation levies. ACC minister Judith Collins has admitted the reason the Government has ignored ACC’s recommendation for bigger cuts for the third year running was, “because we need to get to surplus.”
The whole article is here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11311286
Another Minister (soon to be ex-minister) Collins screw up, though probably under instructions from the devious Bill English.
Fiscal rectitude and false books
National seems to be trying to find any way to show a surplus – especially when it’s unlikely that there’ll be one.
What has happened to Roy Morgan…There hasn’t been a poll published for coming up 3 weeks.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.
There is a new Roy Morgan poll out (The usual favourite of this website).
The last one they had appears to have been a rogue.
Todays figures were
National 48% (Plus 2)
Labour 27.5% (Down 2.5)
Green 11.5% (Down 0.5
New Zealand First 6.5% (Plus 1.5)
All together now
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn
no, it means that the one at 23.5%, which tories loved, was the rogue.
At this time in 2011, RM was routinely polling national above 50%.
They got 47%.
Now national are polling 48%.
No need for the opposition to panic just yet.
All those changes compared to the previous Roy Morgan Poll (except maybe NZF) are within the margin of error. So I don’t see how it can mean that the previous poll was a ‘rogue’. You don’t seem to know much about statistics.
In any case, we are continuing to see polls from different companies conducted over similar periods with differences well outside the margin of error – strongly suggesting that at least some of the polls are biased in some way. Gloating about the results of a single poll is therefore pretty pointless. Let’s just wait for 20 Sept and see the result of the only poll that really matters.
Interesting shift to Mr Peters. Looks like he may have benefited from staying out of (not getting caught) Dirty Politics.
Cunliffe on TV3’s Firstline this morning……..looking and sounding prime ministerial. In contrast what’s the other guy doing ?
Night after night now……..shakily flailing away in the increasingly Monty Pythonesque amalgam persona of ‘Emperor-Canute-No-Clothes’.
While lurking in the shadows ‘The-Vindictive-Bully-Weeping-For-Herself ‘. Whom the guy’s shielding. Is this TheGodKey myth/construct unravelling ?
The National Party Conference is only a few days off. The faithful inside and outside caucus are gonna be ‘required’ to stamp and cheer, present all adoring. Suspect there’ll be a goodish number whom for their embarrassment simply won’t be able convincingly, or be prepared even, to play that game. Key embraces an arrogant, unrepentant, ‘double-down’ bully ahead of them – ‘them’ being the self-perceived, Bill English personaed, decent, consummately reasonable folk. Not good !
And when the media rats who’re partially responsible for the remarkable durability of the now choking myth/construct…….when they sniff blood……..well who knows ?
Will Patrick Gower chase the clucking Bill English and/or weak-link, shitting themselves, List MPs into the dunnies ? If that occurs it’ll be what they DON’T say and how they DON’T say it that’ll be telling……
David Cunliffe – a Minister some years ago and will put the ‘Prime’ into Prime Minister:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Opposition-Time-running-out-for-Judith-Collins/tabid/1607/articleID/357564/Default.aspx
Uneffingbelievable dept.
Just as one gets the sniff of a Labour win David Parker gets the firehose out yet again; super age to rise to 67 under Labour. Nats will retain current age.
a) Yes there is an aging population bubble that must be dealt with, but super is affordable if we want it to be.
b) Yes, Nats are bullshitting they know a) has to be dealt with they are just not saying so.
c) For the purposes of winning this election why scare the horses? Surveys show the older bloke sector are bloody touchy about this and are still clinging to Key on it, 1 or 2% in it imo.
So; is Parker just trying to eager beaver and justify his figures and appear reasonable to soft electors or intentionally putting a passive aggressive spanner in the works?
Tiger-you may find, having softened the electorate up last time along with the CGT, that the retirement at 67 issue plays a little better this time around and may even be neutral. It does show that Labour is fiscally responsible.
Hopefully they will include some flexiblity for manual workers.
Hope you are correct Git, if people flogged out at 60 can get early super or some form of income support not involving third degree from WINZ that is good and needs to be well publicised. If others want to and can work till mid 70s and not pick up full super good on them.
I am just talking short term electoral tactics.
{Hopefully they will include some flexiblity for manual workers.}
Breaded Git,they have.Go back to when DC was last here at the Standard,he made some good points on that,but,yes it does need to be teesed out a bit more.
With all due respect but FUCK OFF
How is pulling billions of dollars out of communities and keeping people in an excess labour pool where there are not enough jobs to go around “FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE”
Did Labour’s TV ad not say something about putting people first, instead of putting book keeping entries first?
Think before repeating neoliberal moneterist bullshit PLEASE
Yeah if Labour want to avoid losing to openly active criminals, really all they need to do is shut the hell up for a few weeks, then rehash the “first 150 days” stuff and nothing more. Unfortunately, someone near the power circle is authorising terribly timed sound-bite media releases that paint Labour as self-sabotaging out-of-touch idiots. And of course the media lap it up. It’d be all good for the Greens etc, if there was any chance of a miracle event where voters actually voted them the leading coalition partner.
Really really hate to say this: the Red Team is getting it wrong in terms of the super age rise policy.
Winston is right:
– failure to run a sound economy is the problem, not superannuation
– at 4.1% of GDP, this is way below other countries
Bill English and Nats win the public argument that they are better financial and political managers as shown by leaving the super age unchanged, while keeping it all fully costed and affordable.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/252537/labour-pushing-later-retirement-age
If Labour is fixated with an argument that something needs to be done to get back into surplus by 2018, or to brag about their fiscal credibility, the super age rise policy is N.O.T. that argument. Find another one.
If National wants to talk policy and win more votes, this is one of them.
That is why progressive voters must give their party vote to Green.
This country desperately needs Russell Norman as Finance Minister.
David Parker represents the status quo. There will be no real change if Parker has control of the cheque book.
Only a strong Green party can deliver the fairer society we all crave.
Make sure you vote Green
Status quo on super age is Nats’, as well as Winston’s, position: no age rise.
Parker is hardly status quo on the super age. Check out ACT.
parker has also said today that third parties will only have $200 million to carve up between them..(!)
..and that if unable to make the supluses they have promised..
..that promises made at election time will have to be broken..(he refused to detail which wd go first..)
..i am fast coming to the conclusion i wd like the greens to be the biggest party..labour second..and a strong int/mana in third..
..give parker the job of hunting down/prosecuting the big tax-dodgers..
..set him on the trail of that pile of money ripped off from the govt every year..an amount..depending on who you talk to..between $3 billion – $7 billion each/every year..
..he’d be good at that..
..currently he is just making labour look like clark-govt. redux..
..and that wd be no good for anyone..
Came to that conclusion a long time ago. And I’m not sure if I want Labour in government at all as they’re now a hold over from the previous failed system.
and like the previous labour govt…
..they have no plans/policies to help alleviate the miseries of the childless-poor…
..the difference between now and 2011..
..is that everyone in poverty was ignored/not mentioned..by fucken anyone..in 2011..
..(harawira was..but he was a media non-person then..(
..the word was not memtioned..esp. not by goff/labour..
..this time the children in poverty are being spoken of/attended to..
..(which is a good thing..with of course int/mana and the greens having the strongest policies in those areas..)
..but the childless-poor..?
..yeah..nah..eh..?
..this time out…they are still the invisible people…
..and memories of the nine long years of the clark govt just ignoring/marginalising/not ever helping the poorest..
..those memories are flooding back..
..the more i think about it..the more i want the labour vote to collapse to int/mana and the greens..
..i want int/mana and the greens to be in the majority..
..i am now convinced this is the only way we will get real/meaningful change..
esp as parker cites the need for surpluses as being the reason to be miserly..to break just-made election-promises..
..whereas the greens’ plans..audited/ticked off by infometrics..promise to fix poverty..and to get bigger surpluses than labour..and to pay off the outrageous debts wracked up by key..sooner than labour..
..w.t.f. is not to prefer about that..?
..as norman said:..’this is what progressive govts do’..
..labour is still too sodden with neo-lib..
..with parker the bright-eyed boy/advocate for those neo-lib beliefs/policies..
..and if the toxic clouds/sludge around national continues..(and i can’t see why they won’t..)
..then i cd see many national voters choosing peters and/or the greens…
.the conservatives cd do well too..from that spillage from national..
..and of course..int/mana are over there carving out their own path..
..this is shaping up to be the election of the minor parties..
..with labour losing support because of fear of/boredom with clark redux..
..and the national vote collapsing under the weight of all the scandals…
..(and we still have the dotcom/greenwald spook-shit drop five days before the election…to look forward to..whoar..!
..’holy showers of shit..!..batman..!’..)
.i repeat..this is the most interesting election i can remember..
Newsflash: Anti labour bullshitter in anti labour bullshit spouting shocker.
Are you cameron slater’s even more retarded alter ego?
Parker is a real asset to Labour; we right leaning types are quite fond of him. He was very clear this morning that whatever deals might be required to achieve a “majority” there will be no deficits under his watch. If necessary promised government expenditure will be trimmed accordingly. Given the proposed CGT and minor increase in the top marginal rate will generate relatively modest extra revenue anyway, looks like real squeeze on wriggle room going forward. He also has the guts to increase the age of entitlement under “super”; what’s not to like?!
probably why some “right leaning types” are also fond of the Greens!
….because the Greens too are fiscally responsible! ( and they look after the retired!)
….unlike John Key’s NACT who squander NZ for the benefit of their mates
Many economically literate people would be seriously interested in the Greens if they just stuck to their knitting on proper “green” issues and not stray in to the left wing nonsense; “green” should not be left or right. Massive lost opportunity for real political leverage.
The Greens ARE a left wing party. It’s in their founding values and origins with the Values party. If it weren’t left wing, many of us would not vote for it.
Understand that. My point is that that excludes a large percentage of the population who might well give their party vote to the Greens. It also means that the Greens would not be beholden to Labour (as they still are), and have achieved far more from being part of Governments of the left and right. You may not support them but the rivers might be cleaner.
Students are fighting back. The link to the Daily Blog below is a speech by students at Auckland University given directly to Steven Joyce who was about to give a speech. It’s a must read, it details all the nasty tinkering Mr Fuxit has done to Tertiary Education and they demand free education. Well done those students. We all pay for Universities so why should only the rich be able to afford to go.
GUEST BLOG: Reclaim UoA – Students’ Message to Steven Joyce « The Daily Blog
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/08/20/guest-blog-reclaim-uoa-students-message-to-steven-joyce/
I find it really hard to support naïve but well meaning students in endless protest. Aren’t they supposed to be smart self-aware people? In ten years they will be the same people they protest against now, they will have to be, to pay off their loans or make careers in an economic system that demands that:
“The current government has made it impossible for people from lower income backgrounds to enter higher education. Excluding marginalised peoples from the benefits of higher education wastes potential. It keeps the rich wealthy and the poor in poverty.”
There is so much ignorance in that statement, as if a magical government using the systems we have now, could or would make the changes necessary without serious cost to the educated classes, that I can only guess that either there are no students of UoA at that protest or the lectures there deal only with how to bake cakes and dream dreams.
If they were really concerned, they’d leave UoA or wherever they are and “make their own way in the world”, reshaping it with their obvious intellects. Wake up students, you will become the people you target now unless you make a change in yourself. Do something real about it, or shut up.
You started your comment by saying that the students shouldn’t protest and be politically active. Then you finished by saying that students should take action and change the world.
That’s what they are doing, dickhead.
BTW I’m pretty sure that the yoof are going to say: Fuck John Key. And Fuck You Too.
+100 marsman…and GO STUDENTS for a FREE high quality Tertiary Education for all New Zealanders! Young New Zealanders have been sold short by John Key ‘s NACT government for too long
…I like this comment from Wild Katipo ( could NOT say it better myself)
You students jolly well that push that to the hilt, …it has been PROVEN that student loan systems are not needed…..the origins of this malaise hark back to the neo liberal efforts during the Lange govt years…the vehicle was Roger Douglas..
This was fully endorsed by the Business Round Table , the whole concept was not for the future generations…but to milk them for all they can get.
These same vicious individuals who never payed a cent during the 60′s and 70′s when they were at university….. now lumber the young with insufferable debt.
A good resource to understand this is the documentary ‘ Fortress New Zealand’ by Ian Fraser…those political scientists among you will be well aware of it Im sure.
In tandem with this..was the deliberate destruction/dismantling of the trade unions…such acts as the Employment Contracts Act…specifically designed to end collective bargaining in favour of employer -biased individual contracts. And this directly pertains to the shoddy wages and working conditions of SO MANY of our workforce.
Divide and conquer…as old as Rome itself.
When the voice of dissent is no longer heard… we then know democracy is dying . The very act of having that freedom to oppose, dissent, protest is a hallmark of a functioning, vibrant democracy when truly led by the citizenry.
It demonstrates active participation and the absence of arbitrary , autocratic rule.
For a long time..we have not heard much from the students …possibly due to minimizing by mainstream media , but when the learned , the academics , the intellectuals , those voices opposing unpopular govt legislation are silenced , bullied , lied to…we are well on the way to fascism . Be it passive or aggressive in nature , The aim of that style of govt is always the same .
Power and control. That is not democracy.
this from a fresh comment by ‘Tigger’ under Brian Rudman’s oped this morning:
“The United States government plane landing for a few hours in NZ, seems a bit odd, the reason given suspect, are they helping NZ elections, hmmm, not a good look.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11311371
Is Key flying in a support team ???
I like Nationals new ad
https://twitter.com/somewhereben/status/501866027374751744/photo/1
@ outofbed.. heh..!
Very disappointing to see a copy of Dirty Politics (epub) on Pirate Bay this morning
off course I have reported this to the FBI 😉
Wondered where my son got it from and then sent it to me…
anyone know what would happen constitutionally if Key were forced to resign before the election ?
Nothing. Presumably English would step in as Acting PM for the rest of the campaign and the whole sorry trainwreck would keep on rolling along to its inevitable conclusion.
thx for that traffic report !
Yep. Technically we don’t have a government at the moment as the writ that the GG signs effectively dissolves government.
Errr, not sure that means we don’t have a government. The writ doesn’t “dissolve” the government.
As I understand it, what we have now is a caretaker government. They have no power to pass legislation but only act on the day to day business and even that’s limited.
Understand better:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/about-parliament/how-parliament-works/fact-sheets/00HOOOCPubResAboutFactSheetsElection1/parliament-brief-parliament-and-the-general-election#_Toc144019912
so does that mean we don’t technically have a prime minister ? are we in perilous waters ?
Key is still the PM
aren’t the greens doing well..?
..having their full-fiscal/economic-plans audited/confirmed as feasible..by infometrics..
..was a stroke of genius..
+1 phillip. Clever. Not sure how they (the Greens) got their numbers out so soon after the prefu though.
Labour (Parker) said it would be a week for them to update their numbers after the prefu. Then they should copy the Greens and get their numbers professionally reviewed.
Hard case accidentally tuning in to Sean Plunkett on Radio Live this morning – my gosh he can be a hectoring fellow – hard case because as much as he keeps pushing the business that ‘ordinary people’ know nothing and care less about the issues inherent in “Dirty Politics”, these ‘ordinary people’ will insist on ‘phoning in. Reflecting quite the opposite of Plunkett’s somewhat hubristic tosh. Maybe the heartland he bawlingly claims as his is a little pissed off at it being implied they’re amoebic idiots when it comes to those issues. Take note commenter Ad re no penetration beyond The Beltway and the Commentariat.
Well done Sean !
I thought policy was important, lately not a great deal of discussion on policy, look at Kiwibuild and sourcing from Labour detail …
https://www.labour.org.nz/sites/default/files/issues/policy-kiwibuild_0.pdf
Given that there have been announced 18,000 SHA’s and another 21,000 to be announced where are the 7,000 Kiwibuild properties to be built over the next 3 years to be situated,? Answer :”Much of the land will come from HNZC buying new land or building on existing developments ” Try and buy raw unzoned land within Auckland for under $500k/ha.
Why not use this valuable govt asset of existing HNZC land and build …. State Houses, not sell our assets as we have with power coys.
So Labour believes that “Estimates of the cost of a modest entry-level home suggest they can be built for less than $300,000” so we build them then there is the land component- still get a cost exceeding $450k that will help most of us. Well perhaps those who are contributing to the existing housing affordability problem 🙁 !!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11251200
Andrew Geddis is being completely naive
http://pundit.co.nz/content/in-defence-of-kiwiblog
@ geoff..
..geddis has clearly never read a comments-thread @ kiwiblog…
‘Cameron Slater: Zionist and political pundit’
By Chloe King / August 20, 2014
“As New Zealanders begin to learn the full extent of Slater’s corruptions, smear campaigns and how much he and his Whale Oil blog have influenced elections in the last six years, he is being paid, as I type this, to also pedal Israeli propaganda…
To all those that think John Key is an affable guy…
Can you imagine him with the Twitter picture in this story?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10403461/Cunliffe-floored-by-pensioner
Nice to see some positive coverage there 🙂
‘Dear Toby Manhire. Bad call on backing Farrar’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 20, 2014
“I say this as someone who regards Toby Manhire as one of the smartest journalists/commentators/columnists this country has…
Another one.
http://pastebin.com/Kzu0C673
this Cehill Pienaar character sounds like a very nasty piece of work
how the hell did a man associated with SADF death squads ( The CCB ) get into the country ?
And now we can see the importance of Hager taking care to only use material that’s in the public interest. It doesn’t feel right to read about private individuals’ health problems.
jeez where will this all end up? Whaledump is going for it.
Duncan Garner tr0lling?
Hmmm lets see if Garner gets charged with identity fraud !
He has been very pissed off. Question: why is that?
Whoever put that together (assuming it’s a ‘have’), given that they’ve added a signature on the bottom of what looks like ministerial stationery that would purport to be Collin’s…yeah, not good.
in Herald now .. resignation denial from Collins …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11311761
lol
psyops…
Dirty tricks…exactly what National has been doing to all the other parties forever
Inquiry announced in response to Green Party request about release of OIA documents by SIS to Cameron Slater:
More at the link.
But is this just going to be the SIS investigating itself?
yes minister, will the minister responsible please stand up and speak for his department at some stage if that is not too much trouble
and what is the timelime and TORs
“
and the privacy commissioner wont investigate colins giving pleasants name to slater. article didnt say why not.
OOps Morgan Poll:
“National (48%) holds its lead over Labour/ Greens (39%) as ‘Dirty Politics’ revelations provide a new challenge for PM John Key”
“Support for Key’s Coalition partners has fallen slightly overall with the Maori Party 1% (down 0.5%), Act NZ (0.5%, unchanged) and United Future 0.5% (unchanged).”
“Support for the Labour Party is 27.5% (down 2.5%), the Greens are down 0.5% to 11.5%. Potential ‘king-makers’ NZ First looks set to return to Parliament with 6.5% (up 1.5%) – the highest support for NZ First since September 2013, the Internet-Mana Party alliance is 2.5% (unchanged). Support for the Conservative Party of NZ is 1% (unchanged) and support for Independent/ Others is 1% (unchanged).”
I can’t find the actual dates when this poll was taken though it is dated today.
August 4-17, 2014
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5747-roy-morgan-new-zealand-voting-intention-august-20-2014-201408200128
I see you conveniently left out the “National (48%, up 2%)”.
It’s H-Fee all over again… the left backed themselves to the hilt that JK had something to hide, and the left got punished for it.
Another election year, another supposed “scandal” the left have latched on to. The public see right through the bullshit the left are up to, and will punish them again.
So much for “Vote Positive”.
You really should update yourself with where things have been going over the last 72 hours.
They are going the same place as Oravida. Disgraceful corrupt and really enough for the witch to be sacked. And hopefully those from outside the Beltway will recognise that.
But are they getting us any closer to the election result we need?
Our positive story is being drowned out by Whale and Collins. My observation is this is turning people off politics. It is not converting people from right to left.
We need to get back on track.
Labours ad today was fucking brilliant. More of that please
This is a medium term gradual undermining of Key’s veneer of authority type development. Don’t expect instantaneous change.
We have don’t have much time Micky – Are you focussing on this election or 2017?
This poll is a fucking disaster for the left given the one story that has been in the media for the past week.
Look at the dates…………………..
The latest release apparently has lots of personal stuff about Slaters Mum as she battled cancer.
Can’t see that really helping the left, can you?
nope.
The all the information about government corruption though…
Disgraceful.
Has it? Have you read it, cos you havent read hager’s book.
Enough is enough Roy Morgan state that most of the polling was done around the time of the burning effigy and anti Semitic nasty comments which are totally unacceptable hence the bounce !
RM also state that the Hager book had come out late in the polling period and wouldn’t have made much of a difference to earlier trends!
Hey, give him a break.
It is in the first line after the OOps comment.
“OOps Morgan Poll:
“National (48%) holds its lead over Labour/ Greens (39%) “
Undecided percentages are still high!
The polling timeframe doesn’t catch any of Key or Collins’ shambolic responses to the book. Also I reckon the rise for NZ First can be attributed to Winston’s long term ownership of all the issues around the Lochinver sale which would have been the biggest issue during almost all of the polling period.
Rolflcopter Roy Morgan Said the polling period was coming to an end when scandal broke so didn’t affect figures but they claim the bounce was caused by burning effigy and anti Semitic behaviour which is totally abhorrent to all New Zealanders !
Funny that my copy does not have the dates but”…both landline and mobile telephone, with a NZ wide cross-section of 809 electors from August 4-17, 2014.”
End of survey Sunday 17 August. Therefore possible effects of dirty politics yet to show.
Never mind. David Farrar will have updates from his constant polling. He will let good news be known and clamp tight on bad news.
Quite apart from all that NEVER TRUST the POLLS or POLLSTERS! ( unless of course it is in your favour…lol…but even then be wary)
Polls like statistics are very dependent on the sampling( and the mood of the sampled)…and too often can be swung one way or another and used as political propaganda imo
The Left is going to win this election…Great Policies!… and John Key and NACT are damaged beyond redemption
a herald editorial-writer..(roughan..?..o’sullivan..?..) has dropped a whopper..
..in an editorial slagging the greens poverty-busting policies..
..he/she claimed this:..
..’Six years after becoming a sole parent, Ms Turei graduated from Auckland University and began work with Simpson Grierson. Her experience suggests that the welfare system as it exists is not necessarily a poverty trap..”
said editorial-writer failed to mention that ‘ladders’ bennett has since removed access to the allowances etc. she used…
..so the editorial-writets’ assertions are a pile of fresh/stinking bullshit..
..and that begs the question..didn’t he/she know that bennett had axed the training incentive allowance for those sole-parents that followed her..
..and if they didn’t know..such ignorance in an editorial-writer is inexcusable..
..and if they do know..?
..w.t.f..!..eh..?
While the sad and tragic fate of Flight MH17, and its potential for sparking a major war in the Ukraine, has disappeared from New Zealand media concerns an apparently detailed and extensive review of the event and subsequent developments appears here:
http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/07/25/mh17-verdict-real-evidence-points-to-us-kiev-cover-up-of-failed-false-flag-attack/
I still maintain an open mind as I don’t believe everything I read on the Web any more than I (now) believe what I read in the MSM or hear issuing from Governments with agendas, but the only way one can hope to form even a provisional opinion is to get as much info as possible from as many sources as possible and hope to find consistant threads and narratives that strike one as at least having the ‘ring’ of truth.
Tom Bradford +100…thanks for that link….certainly comprehensive ….and i am afraid terribly damning ( if it is true, which from what I have read elsewhere, it could well be….scarey! )
thanks tom
🙄
Except it’s mostly from Russian sources and hasn’t been mentioned anywhere else it seems and scanning over the content on the site it’s making FOX look professional in comparison T_T
i.e. they published this bullshit: http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/02/21/sandy-hook-game-changer-solid-new-evidence-of-a-cover-up-presented/
And google searches on “21st century wire” “climate change” are most illuminating, along with other searches and the owner of the site is also “interesting”.
In short, it’s a rather fucking clear conspiracy site, which like it’s brethren only useful as an illustration of how insane otherwise sane people can, and if I were as incredulous as you I’d argue the site’s paid for by CIA/NSA to spread disinformation T_T
Bonus bit – they also like claiming russia has no laws on the books that impact LGBT people negatively, spinning them instead as preventing a colour revolution.
Still uneasy about this Whaledump thing.
The point has been made by Nicky Hager himself that he was not comfortable with publishing the personal details of Slater and his confidants, and in doing so maintains a level of professionalism.
That’s the thing here, the black ops of Slater, Ede, Lusk, Batnagar, Kate, and Collins are just plain unclean, but through the publishing of Dirty Politics, Nicky Hager has run the stuff through his own character filter and it’s come out washed and on message. That message being the unethical inner workings of the current government.
Whaledump runs the risk of undoing the professionalism that Nicky Hager has brought to the subject and provides a means with which John Key and his ministers can attack the message.
if that happens it needs to be put at keys door for saying none of it was true
Guess so, and the other side of the argument, I suppose, is that the middle voter IS SO STUPID that they either can’t see or don’t care about dirty politics and they need to have the message constantly forced down their throat at carefully managed and paced junctures, and that is what Whaledump intends to do.
If WhaleDump are who they seem to be, then they are going to do nothing to Nicky Hager’s professional image. Nicky stated that he gave all the information back to his source and that he has no control over what they do with it.
There, done and dusted with that one.
Second point being that I am loving the fact that WhaleDump effectively means that the Dirty Politics issue won’t disappear under the next set of headlines because there will constantly be new information for the media to process – and it is guaranteed that they will as they can’t afford their competition getting an exclusive scoop.
If Key isn’t a lovely shade of sickly green by election day, I would be surprised. I’m tempted to think that this is truly going to come down to the leader debates because it is going to be JFK v Nixon all over again where if Key is having the same difficulties on stage next to Cunliffe as he is having now in interviews…
I am not happy about th inclusion in the whale dump, personal information that is not inthe public interest. And it’s not doing their cause any good.
They show that Hager was more principled in how he used the material.
However, MSM journos, are still taking an interest. Corin Dann said, the personal info wasn’t necessary, but today’s whaledump was important because of the background it gave to the SIS OIA issue.
key on 3 news looked both hunted and haunted..
no more smirkeys (beersies) for you john
Campbell takes on WH supporters.
What’s “WH”?
Whoops. Should be WO.
Ah, so.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-Key-didnt-know-Collins-passed-info-to-Slater/tabid/370/articleID/357691/Default.aspx
just watched this standup w key and journos
1. Is that shaving nick on his cheek calculated?
2. Most Nzealanders will be interested that p.ms wearing a wig
Edit could be comb over But! Nzealanders deserve to know the truth!
How long is Key going to get away with saying most New Zealanders will see it as an orchestrated left wing smear campaign – blatant BS-ing?
He’s been telling ‘most New Zealanders’ what they think for years why stop now?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before; but Key is the first NZ PM to wear a reasonable quality rug, or any rug.
Toupee´s are rather 70s American and quaint in these days of shaved bonces like Jamie Whyte’s. Would I criticise someone for employing a high tech replacement limb or dental plate? No they are obviously of some use.
Dirty Politics website has made available a version of today’s whaledump, with the unnecessary personal stuff deleted.
Sorry if this has already been bought up, but did everyone catch the bit near the start of this clip?
Gower asks Key, will he do anything about Collins if new information comes out about her.
Key says no, because he’s pretty sure that there will be more information coming out.
Um, not really sure what more I can say about that.
About 50 seconds in: http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-Key-didnt-know-Collins-passed-info-to-Slater/tabid/370/articleID/357691/Default.aspx
Oh and p.s. there is a beautiful moment a 4 mins where Paddy makes an announcement and you can actually see Key’s soul leave his body.
Yes.
Reminds me of this guy.
He’s not convincing the likes of Gower and Sabin, but Key’s pushing on with the spin for the people.
Haha yes! He popped into my mind the other day and I couldn’t explain why, but now it all becomes clear.
Yes Karol, he’s not talking to journalists anymore, he’s talking to the true blue Nat voters for whom hearing him say, “There’s nothing to see here, it’s all bollocks,” is all they need to hear to keep on ticking the blue box.
Well, I guess it just means Key is braced for more damaging info. His answer was about damaging info about Collins. Key backtracked saying the more info wasn’t necessarily going to be about Collins. But clearly he does expect something more to come out about her. How does he know?
I think it’s just a fairly safe bet. That’s what makes it such a bizarre defense.
Do you think Key might have tabs on the leaker?
The Hacker/s? is in whaledump?
I would be surprised if some security services are not trying to find them. Cat & Mouse.
oh, the sweet irony that if Kim Dotcom’s original company had not been forcibly closed down by FBI etc, then the new Mega with its sublime and unbreakable encryption might not have happened .. it is wonderful that Whaledump is using it. Oh, the irony is delicious.
also, I wondered how Nicky Hager avoided all the spy systems to keep his book details totally undisclosed until he publication date ? Maybe our spooks are not really very clever at all. Would that be such a surprise to discover ?
I think Key is faking ( watch his eyes)….Key knows it ALL!…EVERYTHING! ….but is pretending he doesn’t and pretending he is completely ignorant about what has been happening with Collins, Slater and Ede
…Key is trying to bluff his way out but he knows the game is up for a NACT win ( he just wants to get outta there)….question is how close the shit gets to covering him?
imo Ede is the missing link( the invisible man who goes through the fire wall) ….and the key to KEY….but who is the key turning in whose lock?…who is the puppet master?
Key doesnt know who the leaker is or they would have nabbed him
(imo…Gower did a good job….didn’t let Key off the hook ….and kept pressing with the questions despite the fob offs)
‘Why Cunliffe will be the next PM’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 20, 2014
“The latest Roy Morgan Poll was being conducted when the majority of the news media still hadn’t read the book and were still trying to defend National with the ‘this is politics as usual’ mantra
Is New Zealand’s former Minister of Police, and current Minister of Justice Judith Collins a ‘psychopath’?
Definition of a psychopath:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/07/03/improving-the-definition-of-%E2%80%98psychopath%E2%80%99/64.html
A better definition of ‘Psychopath’
By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 3, 2006
Are some corporate CEO’s, doctors, lawyers, politicians and scientists psychopaths? The answer could be “yes” if you use a definition which labels individuals who are often intelligent and highly charismatic, but display a chronic inability to feel guilt, remorse or anxiety about any of their actions. Tack on the use of violence and intimidation to control others and satisfy selfish needs and the label expands.
How to Identify a Psychopath
One Methods:Identifying Psychopaths with the Hare Checklist
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist was initially developed to assess the mental condition of people who commit crimes, and it is commonly used to diagnose people who may exhibit the traits and tendencies of a psychopath. Most mental health professionals define a psychopath as a predator who takes advantage of others using charm, deceit, violence and other methods to get what they want. Identify a psychopath by using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist and trusting your own intuition.
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Psychopath
Penny Bright
I’m more than a little tired of these recurring attempts to safety-pin terms like “psychopath” and “sociopath” on members of the government. Why can’t they just be adjudged particularly nasty on the basis of their visible actions, rather than requiring some sort of spurious remote diagnosis?
Have a rest then have a good look
I’m interested in trying to work out why people do what they do.
The next observation is that if ‘birds of a feather flock together’ – if Judith Collins can accurately be described as a ‘psychopath’ – what does that make John Key?
Penny Bright
Essential Watch on Inequality and Society