I know that a lot here think that Corbyn winning the Labour election shows that “this is what the people want” and its a “start of a move to the left”.
72% of the population dont think he looks like a prime minister in waiting, and 37% of Labour voters were less likely to support Labour in the next election
Im thinking looking at who he’s adding to his shadow cabinet – its only going to get worse.
I have always argued that the guy would be a disaster – Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong – But Im still thinking its looking good for the Tory’s moving forward.
Edit – Doing my morning reading – here is a good one:
Why destroy Corbyn, when you can use him to destroy Labour:
Wake up James!
This is what really is happening.
Now you either are unaware of the fact that the British establishment,
Including the Tories and their owned media, are determined to destroy Corbyn, which I doubt …..
or you are a repeater of their toxic lies.
I deliberately didnt link to things like that – and I agree there are plenty of them.
But what I did point to were a) a HUGE labour funder who is pushing to drop Corbyn, or he will fund a new party.
Do you really think thats down to “the media” or do you think its a “toxic lie”
and b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.
Again – they are most likely not to be swayed by “right wing media” as they are Labour voters.
But hey – keep your tinfoil hat on and think perhaps, just perhaps the guys viewed as an idiot by a lot of people.
Plenty of other facts like most of his front bench not wanting to serve under him – did they all chose to do this because of “the media” – or perhaps there is a bit of truth outside “your world” that the guys an idiot and most of the voting public can see this?
Also – why is it left wingers that often think they are the only ones who can see thru “the biased media” and everyone else is a sheep / idiot / right winger. Cracks me up.
” b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.”
if true (and hard to confirm and even more difficult to believe) then it merely confirms the accusation that there is little discernible difference between the Blairites and the Tories…fifth column?
“Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories”
Ahhhhh, no, that’s complete and utter bollocks, isn’t it.
20% of Labour supporters say they are “more likely” to vote Conservative as a result of the new leadership. ie more likely than they were before the leadership election, not that it’s more likely than not that they’ll defect (which seems to be what you’re implying).
As a leading figure for pollster, YouGov has said (in a critique of this ORB Poll and the way it’s been reported), “more or less likely is not a particularly high criteria to meet – less likely is a long way short of not going to. So a headline like The Independent’s today saying Corbyn loses fifth of Labour voters based on 20% of Labour voters agreeing with a statement that with Corbyn as leader they are more likely to vote Tory is over-egging it. Those voters aren’t necessarily lost, they may still vote Labour tomorrow, their likelihood of voting Labour has just dropped to some degree.”
Meanwhile, here’s some interesting data from the poll that you “inadvertently” failed to mention …
ORB Poll for The Independent
More likely to vote Labour with Corbyn leading the Party SNP supporters 36% Lib Dem supporters 27% Ukip supporters 20% Tory supporters 8%
Incidentally, 63% of Labour supporters said they were more likely to vote Labour as a result of Corbyn’s election. No doubt many will be core supporters who wouldn’t consider voting any other way and are simply wanting to boost Corbyn’s and Labour’s chances, but it’s also likely that a section of this 63% will genuinely be more likely to turn out at the next election for the Party now that they have a leader offering a real alternative.
I’m not going to pretend the findings overall are pleasant reading, but considering the firestorm of abuse and ridicule and vitriol he’s had to suffer over the last couple of months and especially the last week, it’s not exactly a massive surprise.
Meanwhile, the 4 latest Party Support Polls conducted since Corbyn’s election (compared to previous results from same Pollster)
ICM (11-13 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 9 to 6 points
Com Res (16-17 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 14 to 12 points
Opinium (15-18 Sep)
No other post-Election Opinium Poll to compare this one with but Tories are just 5 points ahead of Labour in this Poll.
YouGov (15-16 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 11 to 8 points
And more of the electoral evidence that really matters….
Labour vote up in all 4 local body by-election seats a couple of days ago.
Up more than 7 points in one of its London council seats and up more than 5 points in a county council seat in Tory rural Yorkshire.
And a few more stats from the latest poll to be released – raising questions about just how comparatively “unpopular” Corbyn is.
This is from the Com Res Poll (16-17 Sep)
And bear in mind that, after making recent changes to its methodology, Com Res tends to show bigger Conservative leads than other Pollsters. So, if anything, these may err towards a slight inflation of Tory support and sentiment (although, impossible to know for sure).
Views of Leading Politicians
…………………Favourable………Unfavourable
Corbyn…………..24%…………………..42%
Cameron……….35%…………………..42%
Osborne………..25%…………………..42%
Clegg…………….18%……………………45%
Farron…………….6%…………………….18%
(Farron = new Lib Dem leader)
So, Corbyn’s no more disliked than PM Cameron or Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne. His ratings are, in fact, almost exactly the same as Osborne (who is being groomed to take the Tory leadership at some time in the future) and the only difference with Cameron is that Corbyn has a higher ‘Don’t Know’ / lower favourability %. Raises serious questions about the depiction of Corbyn as overwhelmingly unpopular.
Only 10% of Labour supporters have an unfavourable view of Corbyn.
More than half of middle-aged respondents and Ukip supporters feel unfavourable towards Tory PM Cameron.
……………………………….Agree…..Disagree…..Don’t Know
Corbyn danger to………35%…………34%…………..31%
National Security
Cameron danger to……25%…………53%…………..22%
National Security
Which is where you and they are wrong again. Their attacks on Corbyn are bolstering support for Labour as the RWNJs, including you, show just how nasty they are.
If he can replace his big funders with many thousands of individuals he might become the leader of a peoples party ,but I expect that’s what the right fear.
Losing your largest financial backers who start offering to fund a ‘break out’ party is positive news for labour and should be viewed as such. The right are correct to fear this.
If I was the AB’s I would be thinking about this result very carefully – I wouldn’t be sending the B Team out against Argentina. Who would have thought of it – there’s going to be some fun and games (excuse the pun) over the next 3 weeks. Good on Japan for their effort and bringing some unpredictability into the rest of the games.
Thanks James for that, now the AB’s just need to pray that some of their prize show ponies don’t limp off in the first 10 minutes of play in the early games like some of them have a habit of doing. Also the young fella who has had his native doctor fix up his leg, let’s hope it doesn’t let him down or Hansen will be rueing he put him in the team in place of Israel Dagg and Cory Jane.
The EU have recognised the pitfalls in the current Investor State Dispute System and has proposed an alternative. The National Party shut down the chance to debate the merits and flaws of ISDS in our Parliament by not even letting Fletcher Tabuteau’s Bill get to a first reading.
The EU have published their proposed new version for discussion. This is how rules and regulations should be made- by common agreement FOLLOWING input from all
interested parties/stakeholders. Tim Groser doesn’t consider the public to be stakeholders.
“Brussels, 16 September 2015
The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System.
The Investment Court System would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).”
What Is This Horrible Feeling Jeremy Corbyn Stirs In Me?
by PADDY McGUFFIN, Morning Star, 19 September 2015
Well, I hope you’re happy now you selfish bastards. You got what you wanted. Thanks to you Labour now has a leader with dignity, honour, compassion and above all honesty and integrity. In a very real sense Labour has become Labour again for the first time in a generation.
Shit.
Oh, it’s alright for you lot, with your demands for social justice and fairness but did any of you once give a thought to those of us who toil at the coalface of savage abuse, misanthropy and satire?
No.
Some of us have spent a large portion of our lives howling at the moon and attacking the New Labour project under first “El Presidente” Tony Blair and then “Dead Ed” Miliband. To borrow a phrase from the late demented Hunter S Thompson, this column beat New Labour like a gong, every chance it got.
He had Nixon and the campaign to re-elect the president, I had Blair and his neoliberal megalomaniacal mendacity.
Multiple illegal wars, anti-trade union legislation, PFI, flogging arms to despots.
I used to have to get up early just to make sure I could fit all the anger and hatred in.
And of course it wasn’t just Blair, there was a whole gallery of grotesques and hypocrites to pick from.
A quick glance at the front benches and you could have been at the Nuremberg trials.
Then of course there was the charisma vacuum of the Miliband years which saw the party not so much bring the fight to the Tories as bleat pathetically on the sidelines that it wasn’t fair.
The sheer spinelessness of Miliband was a thing of wonder, you were amazed he could actually stand up at Prime Minister’s Questions — and then promptly wished he hadn’t.
“The other complaint about his Shadow Cabinet was the low number of women appointed, only 16 out of 31 rather than the half he promised.” & “As he’s been leader for five days now, the press are calming down a bit. By tomorrow headlines will only say things like, “Cor-Bin Laden will force pets to be Muslim”, followed by an interview with 89-year-old Vera, who says: “It’s not fair because my hamster’s scared of burqas. That’s the last time I’ll vote Labour.”” & many more…
Morrisey
Thanks
I like this bit :
“At least with Blair you had to spend a moment working out what he was lying about this time and why. With Miliband you didn’t have to bother”
A schoolgirl’s dream of having her award-winning invention made in New Zealand has been shattered after the foundry making the product demanded a huge price rise.
Ayla Hutchinson, 16, from the tiny Taranaki settlement of Tariki, made headlines around the world for her school science project invention, and recently scored a big contract with a US firm to supply tens of thousands of Kindling Crackers.
But her fledging business is now in limbo, unable to meet offshore orders, because of the dispute with Precision Foundry of Auckland and its investor owners. Millions of dollars are at stake.
Short story: Private Equity firm takes over real industry, promptly destroys it trying to extract monopoly rents. In the process, wrecks promising little export business.
It is, in sum, the story of New Zealand’s manufacturing/industrial sector since the 1980s. Incompetent and greedy rentiers from the finance sector ransack the productive sector searching for short term windfall profits.
Sorry, but in a world of climate change and peak everything, it’s crazy to be making such items from heavy metal in NZ and then shipping them internationally. Such things should be made for local markets eg in the US they should be made there, probably in-state. It makes more sense to them to manufacture in situ.
“Millions of dollars are at stake.”
Which suggestst that this is about making money and that they are at the entry level of the same game the big boys are playing and getting a slap down. Because that’s how the game is played. There are other ways to make a living and do business.
With the way 3d printing is rapidly evolving I would think that the future lies in going into a shop getting them to print you’re kindling splitter or what ever and a fee being played to the holder of the patent. That would mean the raw materials could come from the nearest available point.
I hope it’s not actionable to suggest that I would not like to do business with Mr Ayers. I suspect getting everything in writing wouldn’t help much. He no doubt views this as ‘leverage’.
State Department spokespersons—it’s Jen Psaki in the following clip—often flounder under a wave of questions by reporters like we see here. However, these revealing encounters never make it on to the nightly news. It can’t be because anyone thinks these gruelling encounters are boring; they are anything but. Jen Psaki has obviously undergone extensive media training, but she is unable to maintain her condescending smile to the end here: unwilling to engage and clearly losing her composure, she eventually brushes off further questions: “I’m done.”
So why do we never see these reporters on our TV screens, but are instead forced to suffer the likes of government-friendly “reporters” like Patrick Gower in New Zealand, Jeremy Paxman in the UK and Matt Lauer in the USA?
‘This is what you cook for Ukraine?’ State Dept Psaki grilled over leaked tape
It’s a long post but contains some important data -in light of the increasing number of people dying as a result of being shot by police.
There have been 3 fatal police shootings between May and September this year – one of those shot was unarmed and none had harmed anyone.
Of the last 7 people shot by police, 6 were Maori. Of the total 31 who have been shot, 13 were Maori.
Disturbingly few were the archetypical violent career criminal we might expect to be most likely to be shot by police; a lot were petty criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated, in the grip of a personal crisis.
In light of the steady move to a general arming of a police force which is almost as big as the defence force – these are huge issues.
This is an excellent post TeWhareWhero, and would make a great guest repost on the Standard.
It gathers together a lot of evidence about the increasing use of weapons by police that confirms a gut feeling I had about the recent spate of police shootings. Thank you.
‘Perhaps we should look at them closer.’
Or we could look closer at why society is producing more people that are in such a state that they end up running in to the sharp end of the law.
+1, we don’t analyse and problem solve what bought the person to be carrying a weapon and a possible risk to the public, instead we ignore all that and look for bandaid solutions like security guards at WINZ offices and police armed with more and more weaponry. Those kind of responses have a good chance of increasing the problem I would say.
@james “And in how many of the shootings have police been FOUND TO HAVE BEEN (my caps) in the wrong? “…. NEVER NOT ONCE. well that does make some of us think! !! others may prefer not to.
I have looked very closely at all of those who died – as much as I can with what is in the public domain. When I started looking into the sort of people the police shoot I thought it would be mostly violent and hardened criminals. I knew of some shootings which gave me concern – Wallace and Bellingham being two cases in particular – but I was shocked by what I found.
Most of those who have been shot are petty and often disorganised criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated and distressed / confused people.
Very few had killed other people – 2 of these were mass murderers.
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
Of course most of the people who died played a part in their death but to say they ’caused’ it is simplistic in the extreme.
The IPCA has never overturned the findings of the internal police enquiries into fatal shootings by police officers. It has found sometimes glaring errors of judgement and procedure but in all 27 cases investigated thus far, the IPCA has found that lethal force was justified.
if it wasn’t justified there would be grounds for a homicide prosecution because the police do not have an automatic right – thankfully – to kill people whether by shooting, or by asphyxiation when restraining them, or by causing fatal crashes when in pursuit.
Police are as bound to uphold the law as we are – well, in theory at least because they investigate themselves and have every expectation that the IPCA will not contradict the findings of that internal enquiry.
There are 8400 sworn police officers, almost of whom already have or soon will have access to firearms and some of whom are equipped to military standards.
We have a defence force of 9200 plus 2000 reservists.
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
For “it is not about oppressing free speech or stifling academic freedom”, Mr Cameron promises of his new regulations. “It is about making sure that radical views and ideas are not given the oxygen they need to flourish.” Stifle, verb: “to kill by depriving of oxygen”.
How long before we see such stifling regulations here in NZ from our present authoritarian, anti-democratic government?
…when many of New Zealand’s brightest university graduates ( straight ‘A’s in some cases in rather more profound subjects than property speculation) can not afford to do honours at New Zealand universities , even when invited to by university academics who regard them as their brightest students!
…and when many, if not most, young New Zealanders can not afford to own property because they are in so much student debt and house prices have gone way beyond their reach… thanks to foreign buy ups of New Zealand housing allowed by jonkey Nactional
You all seem very reticent on the travesty of justice that is taking place on monday. I would have thought that the takeover of our police and justice system by corporate America would be of some concern to thestandard commenters
@ xanthe …you are behind the times ….this was thrashed out on ‘Open Mike’ on the 17th….and for excitement one person was banned for defamation ( smirk)…actually two people were banned but one was banned for a very long time….and he deserved it!
2.) The second reason is what it could cost New Zealand in damages:
$2 Billion dollars…
…”Sony decided not to sign up to the case against Dotcom because they believed there was a chance he would get off these trumped up charges and in turn sue everyone involved in taking him down to the tune of $2billion???
And we had to sign up to this?
So how much exactly are we on the hook for here? If you don’t care that he has been unjustly dealt with and his rights breached, you may be in for one hell of a shock if he wins and we are left paying for this politically motivated prosecution….
never mind the $2 billion will be better spent with kim
he intends to use it (from twitter) to
”
Build a high tech school
Build a children’s hospital
Fund 100yrs of Internet Party
”
If Craig Joubert were a judge, he’d be
pretty much identical to this hapless woman
South Africa’s “non-referee” Craig Joubert became infamous for his refusal to stop the All Blacks’ concerted strategy of cheating in the 2011 RWC final. [1] How many of us were aware that almost exactly two years earlier, Joubert’s failure to do his job was being uncannily foreshadowed in an Arizona courtroom? A shameful, shameful performance indeed…..
Landline only polls are decried but are we forgetting that the people who have landlines are the people who actually vote? Are we forgetting that, as has been pointed out today, under 50% of 18-29 year olds (the mobile-only generation) actually vote?
Commiserations to the family of the deceased but surely this death is just another of the seemingly weekly workplace deaths we read about in John Key’s New Zealand.
He, by dint of ideologically driven health and safety policy, appears to not give a shit about workplace deaths.
Most of these so called journalists (churnalists) seem to think that it is the right thing to do to try to trip up the opposition leaders and show them in a poor light rather than to hold the government to serious account.
I do not understand why these journalists behave in this shoddy manner.
Personally I prefer a Labour led government with the Greens and NZF together for balance and long life, like 2, 3 or 4 terms if all behave well politically within reason.
If that is not possible for any reason, then if numbers work out, then
Just Labour+NZF will be quite fine for a reasonable tenure, like 2 or 3 terms.
or
Just Labour +Greens will be ok, but risky to endure a longer tenure. May be just 1 or 2 terms.
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Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
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I know that a lot here think that Corbyn winning the Labour election shows that “this is what the people want” and its a “start of a move to the left”.
So – hows it actually going?
One of Labours largest doners are saying roll him or he will fund a new party:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11877103/Labour-donor-Assem-Allam-tells-MPs-to-topple-Jeremy-Corbyn.html
72% of the population dont think he looks like a prime minister in waiting, and 37% of Labour voters were less likely to support Labour in the next election
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/19/uk-britain-politics-corbyn-idUKKCN0RJ0AX20150919
Im thinking looking at who he’s adding to his shadow cabinet – its only going to get worse.
I have always argued that the guy would be a disaster – Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong – But Im still thinking its looking good for the Tory’s moving forward.
Edit – Doing my morning reading – here is a good one:
Why destroy Corbyn, when you can use him to destroy Labour:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/jeremy-corbyn-tories-destroy-labour
Tory think Corbyn not a Tory!
Wake up James!
This is what really is happening.
Now you either are unaware of the fact that the British establishment,
Including the Tories and their owned media, are determined to destroy Corbyn, which I doubt …..
or you are a repeater of their toxic lies.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/08/owen-jones-right-are-mocking-jeremy-corbyn-because-secretly-they-fear-him
Paul,
I deliberately didnt link to things like that – and I agree there are plenty of them.
But what I did point to were a) a HUGE labour funder who is pushing to drop Corbyn, or he will fund a new party.
Do you really think thats down to “the media” or do you think its a “toxic lie”
and b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.
Again – they are most likely not to be swayed by “right wing media” as they are Labour voters.
But hey – keep your tinfoil hat on and think perhaps, just perhaps the guys viewed as an idiot by a lot of people.
Plenty of other facts like most of his front bench not wanting to serve under him – did they all chose to do this because of “the media” – or perhaps there is a bit of truth outside “your world” that the guys an idiot and most of the voting public can see this?
Also – why is it left wingers that often think they are the only ones who can see thru “the biased media” and everyone else is a sheep / idiot / right winger. Cracks me up.
” b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.”
if true (and hard to confirm and even more difficult to believe) then it merely confirms the accusation that there is little discernible difference between the Blairites and the Tories…fifth column?
“Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories”
Ahhhhh, no, that’s complete and utter bollocks, isn’t it.
20% of Labour supporters say they are “more likely” to vote Conservative as a result of the new leadership. ie more likely than they were before the leadership election, not that it’s more likely than not that they’ll defect (which seems to be what you’re implying).
As a leading figure for pollster, YouGov has said (in a critique of this ORB Poll and the way it’s been reported), “more or less likely is not a particularly high criteria to meet – less likely is a long way short of not going to. So a headline like The Independent’s today saying Corbyn loses fifth of Labour voters based on 20% of Labour voters agreeing with a statement that with Corbyn as leader they are more likely to vote Tory is over-egging it. Those voters aren’t necessarily lost, they may still vote Labour tomorrow, their likelihood of voting Labour has just dropped to some degree.”
Meanwhile, here’s some interesting data from the poll that you “inadvertently” failed to mention …
ORB Poll for The Independent
More likely to vote Labour with Corbyn leading the Party
SNP supporters 36%
Lib Dem supporters 27%
Ukip supporters 20%
Tory supporters 8%
Incidentally, 63% of Labour supporters said they were more likely to vote Labour as a result of Corbyn’s election. No doubt many will be core supporters who wouldn’t consider voting any other way and are simply wanting to boost Corbyn’s and Labour’s chances, but it’s also likely that a section of this 63% will genuinely be more likely to turn out at the next election for the Party now that they have a leader offering a real alternative.
I’m not going to pretend the findings overall are pleasant reading, but considering the firestorm of abuse and ridicule and vitriol he’s had to suffer over the last couple of months and especially the last week, it’s not exactly a massive surprise.
“Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong”
You’ve never spoken a truer word
Meanwhile, the 4 latest Party Support Polls conducted since Corbyn’s election (compared to previous results from same Pollster)
ICM (11-13 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 9 to 6 points
Com Res (16-17 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 14 to 12 points
Opinium (15-18 Sep)
No other post-Election Opinium Poll to compare this one with but Tories are just 5 points ahead of Labour in this Poll.
YouGov (15-16 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 11 to 8 points
And more of the electoral evidence that really matters….
Labour vote up in all 4 local body by-election seats a couple of days ago.
Up more than 7 points in one of its London council seats and up more than 5 points in a county council seat in Tory rural Yorkshire.
And a few more stats from the latest poll to be released – raising questions about just how comparatively “unpopular” Corbyn is.
This is from the Com Res Poll (16-17 Sep)
And bear in mind that, after making recent changes to its methodology, Com Res tends to show bigger Conservative leads than other Pollsters. So, if anything, these may err towards a slight inflation of Tory support and sentiment (although, impossible to know for sure).
Views of Leading Politicians
…………………Favourable………Unfavourable
Corbyn…………..24%…………………..42%
Cameron……….35%…………………..42%
Osborne………..25%…………………..42%
Clegg…………….18%……………………45%
Farron…………….6%…………………….18%
(Farron = new Lib Dem leader)
So, Corbyn’s no more disliked than PM Cameron or Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne. His ratings are, in fact, almost exactly the same as Osborne (who is being groomed to take the Tory leadership at some time in the future) and the only difference with Cameron is that Corbyn has a higher ‘Don’t Know’ / lower favourability %. Raises serious questions about the depiction of Corbyn as overwhelmingly unpopular.
Only 10% of Labour supporters have an unfavourable view of Corbyn.
More than half of middle-aged respondents and Ukip supporters feel unfavourable towards Tory PM Cameron.
……………………………….Agree…..Disagree…..Don’t Know
Corbyn danger to………35%…………34%…………..31%
National Security
Cameron danger to……25%…………53%…………..22%
National Security
Corbyn danger to………37%………….31%……………32%
Economic Security
Corbyn should have…..50%………….29%……………21%
sung the National Anthem
Corbyn offers a………….41%………….31%……………28%
positive difference
from other politicians
Corbyn should …………..22%………….54%……………23%
smarten up
his appearance by
shaving off his beard
At 70, Corbyn too……….40%…………..41%……………19%
old to be PM
Corbyn is …………………..37%…………..37%…………..26%
being treated
unfairly by the media
Corbyn is …………………..52%………….22%…………….26%
making more people
interested in politics
Overall, public sentiment regarding Corbyn is rather less clear-cut than James’ arguments might suggest.
Oh – and see my link – they are not trying to destroy Corbyn – they are using him to destroy Labour. 😉
Which is where you and they are wrong again. Their attacks on Corbyn are bolstering support for Labour as the RWNJs, including you, show just how nasty they are.
+ 1 exactly!
If he can replace his big funders with many thousands of individuals he might become the leader of a peoples party ,but I expect that’s what the right fear.
Your’er right.
Losing your largest financial backers who start offering to fund a ‘break out’ party is positive news for labour and should be viewed as such. The right are correct to fear this.
Mean while in the real world JAPAN BEAT South africa in RWC.
And that …. was AWESOME !!!!!
Eddie Jones ,fantastic coach…the same man who showed up AB’s coach John Mitchell for the fraud he was.
If I was the AB’s I would be thinking about this result very carefully – I wouldn’t be sending the B Team out against Argentina. Who would have thought of it – there’s going to be some fun and games (excuse the pun) over the next 3 weeks. Good on Japan for their effort and bringing some unpredictability into the rest of the games.
Barbara – the AB’s have already named their team. It was a full strength one.
Thanks James for that, now the AB’s just need to pray that some of their prize show ponies don’t limp off in the first 10 minutes of play in the early games like some of them have a habit of doing. Also the young fella who has had his native doctor fix up his leg, let’s hope it doesn’t let him down or Hansen will be rueing he put him in the team in place of Israel Dagg and Cory Jane.
Just been to https://howgood.com It takes NZ postcodes and has a drop down list of my local stores. Nice.
where are the NZ bits? I can only see the US one.
The EU have recognised the pitfalls in the current Investor State Dispute System and has proposed an alternative. The National Party shut down the chance to debate the merits and flaws of ISDS in our Parliament by not even letting Fletcher Tabuteau’s Bill get to a first reading.
The EU have published their proposed new version for discussion. This is how rules and regulations should be made- by common agreement FOLLOWING input from all
interested parties/stakeholders. Tim Groser doesn’t consider the public to be stakeholders.
“Brussels, 16 September 2015
The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System.
The Investment Court System would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).”
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5651_en.htm
What Is This Horrible Feeling Jeremy Corbyn Stirs In Me?
by PADDY McGUFFIN, Morning Star, 19 September 2015
Well, I hope you’re happy now you selfish bastards. You got what you wanted. Thanks to you Labour now has a leader with dignity, honour, compassion and above all honesty and integrity. In a very real sense Labour has become Labour again for the first time in a generation.
Shit.
Oh, it’s alright for you lot, with your demands for social justice and fairness but did any of you once give a thought to those of us who toil at the coalface of savage abuse, misanthropy and satire?
No.
Some of us have spent a large portion of our lives howling at the moon and attacking the New Labour project under first “El Presidente” Tony Blair and then “Dead Ed” Miliband. To borrow a phrase from the late demented Hunter S Thompson, this column beat New Labour like a gong, every chance it got.
He had Nixon and the campaign to re-elect the president, I had Blair and his neoliberal megalomaniacal mendacity.
Multiple illegal wars, anti-trade union legislation, PFI, flogging arms to despots.
I used to have to get up early just to make sure I could fit all the anger and hatred in.
And of course it wasn’t just Blair, there was a whole gallery of grotesques and hypocrites to pick from.
A quick glance at the front benches and you could have been at the Nuremberg trials.
Then of course there was the charisma vacuum of the Miliband years which saw the party not so much bring the fight to the Tories as bleat pathetically on the sidelines that it wasn’t fair.
The sheer spinelessness of Miliband was a thing of wonder, you were amazed he could actually stand up at Prime Minister’s Questions — and then promptly wished he hadn’t.
Read more
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-8ffe-What-is-this-horrible-feeling-Jeremy-Corbyn-stirs-in-me#.Vf3gTuD7JFR
This is some great stuff here http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-wont-stop-until-everyone-in-britain-is-offended-10506322.html
“The other complaint about his Shadow Cabinet was the low number of women appointed, only 16 out of 31 rather than the half he promised.” & “As he’s been leader for five days now, the press are calming down a bit. By tomorrow headlines will only say things like, “Cor-Bin Laden will force pets to be Muslim”, followed by an interview with 89-year-old Vera, who says: “It’s not fair because my hamster’s scared of burqas. That’s the last time I’ll vote Labour.”” & many more…
Morrisey
Thanks
I like this bit :
“At least with Blair you had to spend a moment working out what he was lying about this time and why. With Miliband you didn’t have to bother”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/72073486/schoolgirl-inventor-forced-to-take-product-offshore
A great invention by a teenager, stymied by the cost of building in NZ and what apears to gaming by the company who were building the device.
A real shame for the sort of innovator NZ needs
Short story: Private Equity firm takes over real industry, promptly destroys it trying to extract monopoly rents. In the process, wrecks promising little export business.
It is, in sum, the story of New Zealand’s manufacturing/industrial sector since the 1980s. Incompetent and greedy rentiers from the finance sector ransack the productive sector searching for short term windfall profits.
Sorry, but in a world of climate change and peak everything, it’s crazy to be making such items from heavy metal in NZ and then shipping them internationally. Such things should be made for local markets eg in the US they should be made there, probably in-state. It makes more sense to them to manufacture in situ.
“Millions of dollars are at stake.”
Which suggestst that this is about making money and that they are at the entry level of the same game the big boys are playing and getting a slap down. Because that’s how the game is played. There are other ways to make a living and do business.
With the way 3d printing is rapidly evolving I would think that the future lies in going into a shop getting them to print you’re kindling splitter or what ever and a fee being played to the holder of the patent. That would mean the raw materials could come from the nearest available point.
I hope it’s not actionable to suggest that I would not like to do business with Mr Ayers. I suspect getting everything in writing wouldn’t help much. He no doubt views this as ‘leverage’.
Why do we never see these decent reporters on TV?
State Department spokespersons—it’s Jen Psaki in the following clip—often flounder under a wave of questions by reporters like we see here. However, these revealing encounters never make it on to the nightly news. It can’t be because anyone thinks these gruelling encounters are boring; they are anything but. Jen Psaki has obviously undergone extensive media training, but she is unable to maintain her condescending smile to the end here: unwilling to engage and clearly losing her composure, she eventually brushes off further questions: “I’m done.”
So why do we never see these reporters on our TV screens, but are instead forced to suffer the likes of government-friendly “reporters” like Patrick Gower in New Zealand, Jeremy Paxman in the UK and Matt Lauer in the USA?
‘This is what you cook for Ukraine?’ State Dept Psaki grilled over leaked tape
I doubt if our local media really want the public to see the job done properly. Their expectations might rise.
http://tewharewhero.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/what-sort-of-police-service-do-we-want.html
It’s a long post but contains some important data -in light of the increasing number of people dying as a result of being shot by police.
There have been 3 fatal police shootings between May and September this year – one of those shot was unarmed and none had harmed anyone.
Of the last 7 people shot by police, 6 were Maori. Of the total 31 who have been shot, 13 were Maori.
Disturbingly few were the archetypical violent career criminal we might expect to be most likely to be shot by police; a lot were petty criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated, in the grip of a personal crisis.
In light of the steady move to a general arming of a police force which is almost as big as the defence force – these are huge issues.
This is an excellent post TeWhareWhero, and would make a great guest repost on the Standard.
It gathers together a lot of evidence about the increasing use of weapons by police that confirms a gut feeling I had about the recent spate of police shootings. Thank you.
+2, thanks for highlighting this.
And in how many of the shootings have police been found to have been in the wrong?
The people being shot are the ones to blame for causing the situation in the majority of circumstances.
Perhaps we should look at them closer.
‘Perhaps we should look at them closer.’
Or we could look closer at why society is producing more people that are in such a state that they end up running in to the sharp end of the law.
+1, we don’t analyse and problem solve what bought the person to be carrying a weapon and a possible risk to the public, instead we ignore all that and look for bandaid solutions like security guards at WINZ offices and police armed with more and more weaponry. Those kind of responses have a good chance of increasing the problem I would say.
@james “And in how many of the shootings have police been FOUND TO HAVE BEEN (my caps) in the wrong? “…. NEVER NOT ONCE. well that does make some of us think! !! others may prefer not to.
Did you read the blog post James?
I have looked very closely at all of those who died – as much as I can with what is in the public domain. When I started looking into the sort of people the police shoot I thought it would be mostly violent and hardened criminals. I knew of some shootings which gave me concern – Wallace and Bellingham being two cases in particular – but I was shocked by what I found.
Most of those who have been shot are petty and often disorganised criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated and distressed / confused people.
Very few had killed other people – 2 of these were mass murderers.
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
Of course most of the people who died played a part in their death but to say they ’caused’ it is simplistic in the extreme.
The IPCA has never overturned the findings of the internal police enquiries into fatal shootings by police officers. It has found sometimes glaring errors of judgement and procedure but in all 27 cases investigated thus far, the IPCA has found that lethal force was justified.
if it wasn’t justified there would be grounds for a homicide prosecution because the police do not have an automatic right – thankfully – to kill people whether by shooting, or by asphyxiation when restraining them, or by causing fatal crashes when in pursuit.
Police are as bound to uphold the law as we are – well, in theory at least because they investigate themselves and have every expectation that the IPCA will not contradict the findings of that internal enquiry.
There are 8400 sworn police officers, almost of whom already have or soon will have access to firearms and some of whom are equipped to military standards.
We have a defence force of 9200 plus 2000 reservists.
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
50/50, huh? Given those odds, my vote goes to “Munter gets holes in him.”
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
This is the wrong way around. Yes, NZ has such extensive natural defences that it needs armed forces not much larger than its police force.
Why free speech is integral to the intellectual life of our universities
How long before we see such stifling regulations here in NZ from our present authoritarian, anti-democratic government?
Too late Draco – NZ got there ages ago!
Another appalling puff piece on Key by the propaganda tabloid rag the Herald.
Key..compared to Kennedy.
Unbelievable.
They have no shame.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11516001
+100 Paul…and this sick making from the Herald…Ironies MUCH!
‘Max Key – I’ll get you into Harvard’
“Max Key has joined a team of graduates helping young Kiwis gain entrance into institutions like Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard…
The Prime Minister’s son is studying commerce and property at the University of Auckland…
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11513568
…Where is a critical msm?
…when many of New Zealand’s brightest university graduates ( straight ‘A’s in some cases in rather more profound subjects than property speculation) can not afford to do honours at New Zealand universities , even when invited to by university academics who regard them as their brightest students!
…and when many, if not most, young New Zealanders can not afford to own property because they are in so much student debt and house prices have gone way beyond their reach… thanks to foreign buy ups of New Zealand housing allowed by jonkey Nactional
Kennedy was shot!!
Goes to a charity event for cancer and gives a speech about changing the flag…
/facepalm
I don’t think Key could show his disconnection from reality any better.
it is all about himself and his ego
You all seem very reticent on the travesty of justice that is taking place on monday. I would have thought that the takeover of our police and justice system by corporate America would be of some concern to thestandard commenters
what?
Kim Dotcom extradition hearing starts.
thanks veuto, I assumed so but prefer people who are being snarky to also be explicit if they want some attention.
@ xanthe …you are behind the times ….this was thrashed out on ‘Open Mike’ on the 17th….and for excitement one person was banned for defamation ( smirk)…actually two people were banned but one was banned for a very long time….and he deserved it!
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17092015/
At the risk of repetition:
‘2 reasons why you as a New Zealander should care about the Kim Dotcom case’
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/17/2-reasons-why-you-as-a-new-zealander-should-care-about-the-kim-dotcom-case/
To summarise:
1.)The first reason is the injustice of the case:
2.) The second reason is what it could cost New Zealand in damages:
$2 Billion dollars…
…”Sony decided not to sign up to the case against Dotcom because they believed there was a chance he would get off these trumped up charges and in turn sue everyone involved in taking him down to the tune of $2billion???
And we had to sign up to this?
So how much exactly are we on the hook for here? If you don’t care that he has been unjustly dealt with and his rights breached, you may be in for one hell of a shock if he wins and we are left paying for this politically motivated prosecution….
never mind the $2 billion will be better spent with kim
he intends to use it (from twitter) to
”
Build a high tech school
Build a children’s hospital
Fund 100yrs of Internet Party
”
Go Kim !
@ xanthe +100….GO Kim!…may he sue and win every cent!
Letter from John Minto and the Left in support of Kim Dotcom
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/20/open-letter-to-kim-dotcom/
If Craig Joubert were a judge, he’d be
pretty much identical to this hapless woman
South Africa’s “non-referee” Craig Joubert became infamous for his refusal to stop the All Blacks’ concerted strategy of cheating in the 2011 RWC final. [1] How many of us were aware that almost exactly two years earlier, Joubert’s failure to do his job was being uncannily foreshadowed in an Arizona courtroom? A shameful, shameful performance indeed…..
Deputy Takes Papers From Defense Table
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo
Weird! Wonder what happened next?
He ended up in the slam….
Officer Refuses to Apologize For Taking Paper Goes to Jail
LPrent will probably appreciate this one 😈
[lprent: Indeed ]
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPUoDmLUcAANTSM.jpg)
On polls.
Landline only polls are decried but are we forgetting that the people who have landlines are the people who actually vote? Are we forgetting that, as has been pointed out today, under 50% of 18-29 year olds (the mobile-only generation) actually vote?
I’m pretty sure that a lot, if not all, polling companies now call mobiles as well. Roy Morgan does.
It was Tiger eat a keeper day today at Hamilton Zoo.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/72226055/tiger-kills-keeper-at-hamilton-zoo
Commiserations to the family of the deceased but surely this death is just another of the seemingly weekly workplace deaths we read about in John Key’s New Zealand.
He, by dint of ideologically driven health and safety policy, appears to not give a shit about workplace deaths.
hi muttonbird,
i echo your commiserations to the kudeweh family.
it is sort of notable that it is a rare death of a female in the workplace.
What a tragedy!!
Just imagine the amount of money this man could have made, fate can be cruel.
https://twitter.com/avancenz/status/645420332715671553
😆 He’s a danger to our shipping.
TV3: 3 News/Reid Research poll today plus the flag poll:
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/political-poll-support-low-for-flag-change-2015092016#disqus_thread
Jaysus. Can you imagine Gower emailing those people for a one word answer? As if that’s the new media.
How embarrassing is this type of journalism from the dropped pie himself?
Patrick Gower = increasingly irrelevant and soon to be totally irrelevant.
Most of these so called journalists (churnalists) seem to think that it is the right thing to do to try to trip up the opposition leaders and show them in a poor light rather than to hold the government to serious account.
I do not understand why these journalists behave in this shoddy manner.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/political-poll-support-low-for-flag-change-2015092016#axzz3mEe9MTaq
New poll out.
Now you have seen the final four flags, do you?
Want to change the flag: 25 percent
Keep the current flag: 69 percent
Don’t know: 6 percent
More than 2/3 of the country want to keep the current flag.
…and here is the political poll:
National: 47.3 percent (up 0.3 percent)
Labour: 33 percent (up 1.9 percent)
Greens: 10 percent (down 1.4 percent)
NZ First: 7.9 percent(down 0.5 percent)
ACT: 0.6 percent (up 0.1 percent)
Maori Party: 0.5 percent (down 0.1 percent)
Conservative: 0.5 percent (down 0.2 percent)
United Future 0 percent (down 0.1 percent)
This is Labour’s first time hitting 33 percent since June 2012, so a 3-year high for Labour. That’s good. But NZF would hold the balance of power.
“But NZF would hold the balance of power’
Personally I prefer a Labour led government with the Greens and NZF together for balance and long life, like 2, 3 or 4 terms if all behave well politically within reason.
If that is not possible for any reason, then if numbers work out, then
Just Labour+NZF will be quite fine for a reasonable tenure, like 2 or 3 terms.
or
Just Labour +Greens will be ok, but risky to endure a longer tenure. May be just 1 or 2 terms.
This is of course MY personal feeling.