Doubt it. As one of your resident Putlerbots, I’m calling it for a final act of desperation on the part of one of Gulen’s dwindling supply of useful idiots.
Especially relevant locally, as well as globally. How animal based diets and agriculture are particularly harmful. Causing harm while extracting subsidies to do that harm.
I’ll guess not until the heat stress death toll in southern asia/middle east/africa goes over a billion total. Or a few thousand annually in southern US and Europe. So at least a couple of decades away. By which time it will be so much harder and more expensive to turn things around.
Well, yeah. We have the know-how to turn things around now, plus a lot of interesting developments in the pipeline. Putting in a serious effort to turn things around would be a massive economic boost, which should make most people happy all across the political spectrum. We just haven’t found the right argument to bring the electorate on board.
The biggest real obstacle remaining is the power and money of existing fossil-fuel interests that will literally do anything they think they can get away with to try to keep their power and revenue. A solid effort over a couple decades might break that down.
Andre do you seriously believe mankind can/will get its act together and save the planet? Take a look around the world and wonder how. Have you got a formula to overcome our rapacious greed, corruption and outright stupidity? What about Capitalism? What about impending climate wars, let alone the silly wars we have now? Can you see something I can’t in mans make up that will make us realize how deeply we are in the shit already? So far what have we done? A totally inadequate Paris Accord will not cut it, in fact most Countries are making a mockery of its already puny measures.
Like Pat says, I’m an optimist. Of sorts. “Saving” the planet isn’t going to happen. We’ve already irreversibly changed the planet, for the worse in my opinion. Even if humans stopped actively changing the planet right now it would still take decades to reach a quasi-steady state from all the changes we’ve started.
But societies usually get around to making some good choices, mostly after making a whole lot of bad choices. China has gotten serious about clean energy, after seriously fouling their own nest. They also got serious, in a viciously brutal way, about controlling population growth several decades ago. In general, the natural environment in the US is getting better. The list goes on….
Eventually we will make the choices necessary to stop emitting more carbon and trashing what’s left of the natural environment. If only because there’s more money in it that way.
The question is whether we do it soon enough that most of the current temperate zone remains habitable, or whether our descendants get forced to retreat to high latitudes and domed habitats while they desperately try to terraform the rest of the earth back to a habitable state. After a massive die-off.
Putting in a serious effort to turn things around would be a massive economic boost, which should make most people happy all across the political spectrum.
Yep, it would but it would kill the profits of the capitalists and revive their power and so it’s not done.
Hey the increase in deaths caused by the 2004 heatwave in Europe was over 20,000.
Europe gets it – that the planet is warming, and is trying to do something about it. On the other side of the ditch however …. The Chump is doing his damnedest to ramp it up – and Aussie idiots want to join him.
By the way – there are more deaths to heat waves in Aus than there are those caused by bush fires, or any other natural extreme event.
Yep. The US military also recognises climate change as a root cause of a lot of the threats they are likely to face, and have been funding a lot of R&D into ways to get off of fossil fuels. Over the objections of congressional Republicans, to their huge annoyance.
I don’t think the Ruskys have got a show of beating that!
Probably not but if and when the carbon bubble bursts Russia the petrostate, the world’s largest exporter of hydrocarbons (oil and gas combined), is fucked.
With the news that hundreds of males from East Aleppo between the ages of 30 and 50 who have placed themselves in government hands have gone missing, the UN is seeking to monitor the evacuation of Aleppo.
UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing the office had heard “worrying allegations that hundreds of men have gone missing after crossing into government-controlled areas” of Aleppo.
“Given the terrible record of arbitrary detention, torture and disappearances, we are of course deeply concerned,” he said.
Colville said family members had reported losing contact with the men, who are between the ages of 30 and 50, after they fled opposition-held areas of Aleppo about a week ago.
His comments came as Syrian government artillery bombarded the fast-shrinking rebel enclave in the heart of Aleppo on Friday.
The army has recaptured 85 percent of the eastern part of the city which the rebels had held since summer 2012.
The assault has prompted a mass exodus from east Aleppo where at least 80,000 people have fled their homes, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
To refresh my memory, I looked back at yesterdays Open Mike and stopped counting when I reached nine posts by you containing links to pro-regime propaganda. Jenny posted one link, to a Herald report about an anti-regime demonstration in Auckland. So, yes, I have noticed who is posting the daily tedious propaganda.
Ah, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (or as I like to call it, the Salafist Observatory for Jihadist Rights) and their phoney numbers. I believe they were behind the original truthiness of “250,000 civilians” in East Aleppo. Now the UN has stopped quoting them, having been caught out by reality when using their ‘estimates’. Now the Salafist Observatory’s 250,000 has become 80,000. I wonder what number their Salafist masters in Riyadh and Qatar will dream up for them when that number gets mugged by reality.
There are plenty:
A ceasefire would have no benefit to people in Syria.
Aleppo is being “liberated” by regime forces.
American forces targeted Syrian Army positions (not so much a lie as an unsubstantiated assertion).
US and western leaders have funded terrorists in Syria.
She knows the “will of the people of Aleppo” having been there four times (lie of omission, she’s only been to regime-held areas and only spoken to people the Assad regime let her speak to).
The people of Syria support their government (the fact there’s been an armed uprising against that government for years is a bit of a giveaway).
The people of west Aleppo are suffering terribly under a siege and bombardment by “terrorist factions” (true in itself, but effectively a lie of omission because she doesn’t mention that the people in east Aleppo are suffering a siege and bombardment orders of magnitude worse, courtesy of the regime she’s shilling for).
I got bored at that point, but overall she’s peddling bullshit for a despotic hereditary dictator – if anything, Bush is the lesser of the two, on the basis that he could at least claim to be not very bright.
I agree with some of that, but on the whole seems better than the coverage I’ve seen from British and American media.
I would have to say in particular that ceasefire agreements have been pointless there – militants have consistently thwarted any attempts for people to leave. As with Mosul, many civilians were clearly being held for the human shield factor. They really just used the time to re-up – and then continue fighting.
And the largest and most significant groups were Al Nusra and Al Zinki, who are terrorists in any sane person’s book. In that sense, calling their removal liberation isn’t as truthy as some of the stuff I’ve read from BBC, AP, Reuters, Washington Post, Torygraph, etc.
I think it’s also important to notice that a significant number of foreign fighters are in the rebellion.
Assad has foreign support too, but your argument was that the rebellion is the clue that he doesn’t have popular support. I would question that the rebellion signifies this given how much of it is manned by foreigners. Note that fighting age male Sunni make up the majority of refugees heading into Turkey and Europe. Had they remained, they wouldn’t have been conscripted by the army – they’d have been conscripted by foreign fighters whose strategic aim is to turn the Syrian Republic into a Caliphate – a Salafist Caliphate whose orientation is of course towards the people who sent them weapons and helped them enter the country in the first place – Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
But if they hated Assad that much, they’d surely join their foreign co-religionists and fight? Well, the reason they wouldn’t is that they don’t share their extremist aims. Syrian Sunni arriving in Germany have complained that the Saudi-run and financed mosques which predominate in Germany preach a version of Islam that they find extreme. In that sense, the majority of the rebels really are the angry nerds club of the Sunni world.
Capturing a city so you can bring it back under the control of your despotic hereditary dictatorship doesn’t fit any definition of “liberating” in which words still mean something.
Re conscription, read some of the accounts by refugees – I’ve seen plenty that refer to fleeing conscription into the army, none that mention fear of conscription by the rebels.
Also, the rebellion was five years ago. Sure, now it’s a war fought largely by clients of the regional powers involved (Iran vs the Gulf states), but that’s only because the Assad regime did such an excellent job of capturing, torturing and murdering the people back in 2011 who fancied a future featuring something a little closer to good governance.
The current disaster is mostly due to Assad’s response to the initial demonstrations against his rule, which he only got away with thanks to his Iranian and Russian patrons. If you don’t like seeing Aleppo full of Islamofascists, sheet the blame home where it belongs – the people currently claiming to be “liberating” Aleppo back into servitude.
“Capturing a city so you can bring it back under the control of your despotic hereditary dictatorship doesn’t fit any definition of “liberating” in which words still mean something”
Unless the alternative is that it becomes part of a Salafist caliphate, in which case almost anything else is liberation. We’re talking about the sort of sad cunts who even ban music and kite flying. There’s a massive gulf between Baathism and Salafism.
“Also, the rebellion was five years ago. Sure, now it’s a war fought largely by clients of the regional powers involved (Iran vs the Gulf states), but that’s only because the Assad regime did such an excellent job of capturing, torturing and murdering the people back in 2011 who fancied a future featuring something a little closer to good governance.”
Oh, I agree – but that’s the problem; we’re too late now. It’s Baathism or Salafism. There simply aren’t enough secularists (or actual Syrians) in the rebel forces for it to end any other way.
“Re conscription, read some of the accounts by refugees – I’ve seen plenty that refer to fleeing conscription into the army, none that mention fear of conscription by the rebels.”
Yeah I have to be fair seen some saying this, but I do remember there being others cited by Voltairenet, the Saker and others who were saying this. And, likewise, my other point – that the Syrian Sunni who are arriving in Germany etc. find the Saudi run mosques too extreme for them – because they preach the sort of Salafism which the rebels are inspired by. If you find what they can get away with preaching in Germany too extreme, imagine what they’ll be up to in areas of Syria where they now have free hand.
“The current disaster is mostly due to Assad’s response to the initial demonstrations against his rule, which he only got away with thanks to his Iranian and Russian patrons. If you don’t like seeing Aleppo full of Islamofascists, sheet the blame home where it belongs – the people currently claiming to be “liberating” Aleppo back into servitude.”
I partially agree. Russia of course wants a tin pot ally which will let them host its naval forces at Tartus, but this is systemic. NATO and Russian strategy which treats the region like a chessboard plays out how it will. For me, it’s unfortunately just a realist question. Russia’s ally, Syria, is a tin pot dictatorship but it’s secular. NATO is playing with Wahhabi fire – and it will always burn its handler, and anyone else who gets in its way. Syria hasn’t invaded anyone since those ridiculous Arab wars of conquest against Israel in the 60s and 70s. Wahhabists on the other hand will always seek to conquer. That’s why smart geopolitics involves not hiring or arming those kind of lunatics. For some reason the American intelligence services are always either picking the most feckless, or the most unhinged.
Final analysis from me, you can coexist with Putin or Assad if you negotiate with them honestly and like a grown up. You can’t negotiate with Salafists. For that reason, they have to lose.
“On 10 December 2016, Eva Bartlett — an activist and blogger who openly says she is biased in favor of the Syrian regime — was featured in a circulating YouTube video that says she is “schooling” a “mainstream media” reporter by making a series of outlandish-sounding claims, including that international media are conspiring to fabricate stories of hospital bombings and that anti-government activists are “recycling” victims to cast the Syrian military in a negative light. (She also refers to all factions fighting President Bashar al Assad’s forces as terrorists.)… ”
“… Bartlett’s claim that the child victim Aya, is “recycled” is the same type of charge levied by conspiracy theorists at parents of children who were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. It is a claim also promoted by David Icke, who is best known for believing the world is controlled by Martian lizard people.”
Good to see the mainstream character assassination begin. When that happens to someone, it usually means they’re hitting a few points bang on.
No link to the vid where she claims to be making shit up (the one ‘doing the rounds on youtube)?
ffs – she’s unconscionable (according to scopes) because she refers to’ terrorists’ where ‘our’ side is meant to refer to ‘rebels’!!!
There are a number of questionable claims, exaggerations and subtle dishonesties made in that article (eg – the elections were not just held in government areas, but across the whole of Syria and in Syrian embassies in foreign countries – That’s widely documented and accepted. She has said the hospital was never destroyed not that it was never hit…and so on)
I thought snopes was about ensuring accuracy, not doing hatchet jobs.
“Snopes.com /ˈsnoʊps/, also known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a website covering urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, and other stories of unknown or questionable origin.[3] It is a well-known resource for validating and debunking such stories in American popular culture,[4] receiving 300,000 visits a day.[5]
Snopes.com was created by Barbara and David Mikkelson, a California couple who met in the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup.[6] The site is organized by topic and includes a message board where stories and pictures of questionable veracity may be posted…”
” …In 2012, FactCheck.org reviewed a sample of Snopes’ responses to political rumors regarding George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama, and found them to be free from bias in all cases. FactCheck noted that Barbara Mikkelson was a Canadian citizen (and thus unable to vote in US elections) and David Mikkelson was an independent who was once registered as a Republican. “You’d be hard-pressed to find two more apolitical people,””
Until now, I’ve had no opinion one way or the other about ‘snopes’. So I get that you’re assuming ‘I don’t like’ them on the basis that I’ve called that piece into question.
I’ve watched and listened to fair bit of Bartlett and the Bartlett I’ve been listening to and watching and reading simply hasn’t taken the positions or made the claims that snopes alleges.
Now sure, maybe my own bias has utterly deafened me to some outrageous aspect of Bartlett’s reporting. I doubt it though.
Meanwhile, I know that snopes has a reputation for debunking shit and that a fair number of people check it out (I guess that aligns with the “well-known resource for validating and debunking such stories in American popular culture,[4] receiving 300,000 visits a day” bit.) – my emphasis because…
Popular culture and mainstream…synonymous might be too tight a binding. But y’know….
personally I think the ‘mainstream media’ is a crock of shit – it seems just oh so convenient and more than a little suspicious to have scapegoats whenever the news we think should be seen isn’t, or we see stuff we think we shouldn’t have to.
fact checking is monotonous work in the land of post-truth – good luck to snopes or anyone that does it – and yes I am sure it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a truly independent, unaffected voice or fact-checker – as with the quantum – when you look at it, you alter it.
The fog of civil war is a real pea-souper. Maybe you can see through it. I know I can’t, other than to be certain that the choice is between atrocity and conversation and I know which I’d like to see.
Geopolitical groups and individual countries have been supporting terrorists, freedom fighters and other (insert tag du jour) since forever to support their ideologies, wants and needs and expansionist policies.
To suggest that a nebulous tag of ‘the west’ are the only ones who do this would be blinkered in the extreme.
That point is totally irrelevant to the question asked. What we have to determine is whether verified reports of war crimes are being dismissed or ignored and what part they play in Paul’s open support for a dictator who has slaughtered innocents and why he pushes his agenda here, on a left leaning web site.
Paul has a duty to respond sincerely to save any semblance of credibility.
This fellow “Peter Swift” is deliberately repeating lies that have been discredited thoroughly.
Are there any standards of veracity here, or are people like him going to be allowed to say anything at all, no matter how obscene and demonstrably untrue it may be?
Is it Paul’s apparent support for Assad’s Syria?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks aren’t war crimes?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks haven’t been inflicted upon the civilian population?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks have been verified?
That Paul has to respond to save his cred?
Or this is a left leaning web site?
I’m happy for the moderators (except Jock) to pit my record against yours and for them to boot the sh1ttiest one of us out for good. 😉
Let’s face it, if they’d rather keep a no talent hack, mental stalker of radio shows over a half decent, left of center labour/green supporter, then it’s not really a place I’d want to remain part of anyway.
Barrel bombs are no more a war crime than any conventional weapon used in a city. Use of chemical weapons are of course. I do wonder why the UN has suddenly said that such use was by the Syrian forces when a) they never had proof before and b) all Syrian chemical weapon stockpiles were surrendered years ago.
You do realize that most of the people in Syria are Christians and the whole war has a strong religious undertone. Russia is to 75% Orthodox Christian and the odd one out is Turkey, being Muslim in the mix. Everybody KNOWS that they play a double game appeasing the Americans and shooting the Kurd’s on both side of the border. Of cause this is about money, lots of it.
There are no honorable people involved anywhere. The biggest fear is that when the refugees have been evacuated all hell will break loose, whatever is left of Syria will be bombed to bits. Meanwhile, to the south Yemen is starting to burn. BTW, Yemen’s are Shafi’i Muslims or Sunni in majority.
Do you really belief that this discriminate bombing and suffering of mostly the very young or old and women will end soon? Really?
A few facts – I don’t I openly support Assad’s regime.
I merely ( as you know) have pointed people to the work of independent journalists in Syria.
It seems much clearer that you have active support for the al Qaeda ‘rebels’ of East Aleppo?
Do you support their practices of throat cutting, heart eating, beheading?
Friendship is very needed in this world – even positive moves towards previous enemies if that will produce some good.
Seventh day of Christmas with Friendship quote:
You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends,
and how, how rare and strange it is, to find in a life composed so much of odds and ends…to find a friend who has these qualities,
who has, and gives those qualities upon which friendship lives.
How much it means that, I say this to you – without these friendships – life, what cauchemar! (nightmare)
T.S. Eliot
“It increasingly feels like we’re being stretched. It’s harder for, if you’re on a low income, to move out of being on a low income. Yet, there are people at the top who are doing exceptionally well.
“And that’s the result of policies and laws. Policies create the economy, and here we are,” he said.
Lawyer, Olympian, socially-conscious, and high-achieving Ben Sanford stands for Labour in Rotorua against the corrupt McLay who lied about suppressing law-changes to international trusts after a lobby meeting with John Key’s lawyer.
The British have always valued their independence – and, translated into modern terms, that means the value attached to self-government and democracy. That is the element that, in their keenness to emphasise their “Europeanness”, is overlooked and misunderstood by the Brexit critics.
Much of the impetus behind the decision to leave the EU came, in other words, from that long-standing British commitment to running their own affairs, without interference from Continental powers. They wanted to regain “control” – perhaps an abstract concept but one that mattered to many Brexit voters.
Those who condemn those voters for their ignorance and bigotry might ask themselves whether it is not the critics who reveal their ignorance. Even at 12,000 miles distance, I fancy that I understand what those voters were seeking to achieve. The drive to achieve and retain the right to self-government is not to be derided; it has served both Britain and Europe very well in the long history they share.
And this is the same reason why I think we need to withdraw from FTAs, the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO. Through these we’re giving away too much of our independence.
Mullett
I understand that you have a vaccination grievance. It is obvious that you never recovered from yours and are bent on saving the world from dying of preventable illnesses.
“Beginning to wish there was a separate Middle East post like those US election ones…”
yep – never in the course of human history have so many, talked so much, about something they know almost nothing about – it’s all a bit ‘my link is bigger than your link’ – definitely is not spreading knowledge, understanding or even any illumination. waste. of. time.
pdm is an old chum of Keeping Stock who was featured in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics”. Rightwing blogger Keeping Stock, much admired and supported on his blog by pdm was exposed as a player in National’s dirty political games. Why is pdm here on The Standard? How can he say and believe such daft things, endlessly and with the witless confidence usually attributed to fools ?
Why is pdm here on The Standard? How can he say and believe such daft things, endlessly and with the witless confidence usually attributed to fools ?
Trying out an attack line.
Looks like last weeks jelly eggs have hatched, by crikey. If you are coming to Tasman to holiday this week or next just beware, they are only a problem if you make it one.
Tips…
Wear something on your feet and inspect the high tide mark, and just have a look through the shells and sticks to see if there are any blue bottles/man o war around. Will give you an idea if there are any in the sea.
Still want to swim in the sea but arent sure, i’d suggest a wetsuit
If you get stung, make sure you are ready for it, YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE TENTACLES THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT otherwise it will sting like hell and the more you move around the more poison is released into the body. So get some tweezers, a stick, razor blade, credit card etc and make sure you have removed all the stingers. Only after all the stingers have been removed bathe the area in warm water. You may want to take some paracetamol or ibuprofen. If it’s still hurting about 30 mins later you may have not removed all the stingers, so check again and if really concerned seek medical attention.
Whatever you do don’t put vinegar on it or piss on it especially if the stingers are still in there it will only make it worse.
If you have symptoms such as severe muscle pain (abdomen, chest, limbs, etc.), headache, weakness that may result in collapse, having a runny nose and watery eyes, difficulty in swallowing, sweating and rashes, head to A&E or get some professional medical help asap.
Still want to swim, go to the rivers, there are plenty and great fun, baby rapids for the kids to enjoy with a tyre tube, pools for snorkeling and rocks and bridges to jump off of, take your insect repellent and you will have a great time.
Hey, hey… ALL THE BEST TO BEN SANDFORD, the newly selected Labour Party Candidate for Rotorua.
“Labour candidate Ben Sandford says the social problems he grew up with have not been solved – and he’s running against Todd McClay in 2017 so he can fix them.”
“A qualified lawyer, Sandford represented New Zealand in skeleton racing from 2002 to 2014. He finished 11th at the 2010 Winter Olympics.”
Look forward to hearing more about you in due course, and CONGRATULATIONS 😀
As the media cottons on to the fact he doesn’t think too quickly, Bling will increasingly get caught out making old-white-male comments like this. He reminds me of Prince Charles or Prince Philip in this respect.
Here he both denies and trivialises more than a century of struggle for women’s rights.
That is absolutely appalling. The next thing we know he will be coming out with the ultimate heresy.
He will admit that he doesn’t actually see any need for him to apologise for being a man. How low can he go?
After that we will discover he has all sorts of strange beliefs. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually believes in faithfulness in marriage and other strange practices that will be anathema to the 20% of New Zealanders who are on the hard-core left of politics. He may even think that it is right for him to support his family.
I have the sense that your grip on the meaning of ‘feminism’ is as shaky as the prime minister’s. I take it you’re quite happy to see women as inferior beings?
“women as inferior beings”.
Of course not. How could I possibly think such a thing when I consider myself compared to my wife? She is a far superior being.
Actually a friend of mine claims he is smarter than his wife and that his wife agrees with the proof.
He says that he married her, which was a very smart move on his part.
He then points out the she married him which was a very foolish thing to do.
They are still married though.
“Bill English: I don’t know what ‘feminist’ means.”
Lots of analysis floating round on twitter (he’s too smart to not know what it means and it’s a dog whistle). I also think it’s highly likely that he is still strongly anti-abortion and that that factors in there somewhere.
Yeah, one of those weird ideas that lefties have, a woman’s right to choose, is not held by the NZ PM.
I wouldn’t take it so seriously. He was asked whether he regarded himself a feminist and while answering that question he bumbled around in his usual way and what came out was a bunch of garbled non-sense.
What was more interesting is how he came across as stuttering and awkward – reminiscent of his 2002 days. And when you’re the leader you can’t afford to appear like that. With English, though, he can’t change. That’s how he is. That’s why with Key gone the nats are toast next year, even if they do only go down a few points because that’s all they need to lose.
In Absurd Theatre of Israel, Netanyahu Submits to Settler Outlaws
by YOSSI VERTER, Haaretz, Dec. 19, 2016
To avoid the violent scenes that ensued during the last evacuation of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona, Netanyahu was willing to spend millions and bend every rule of proper governance. …..
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[The woman is indeed an idiot and is spouting some nonsense that’s easily debunked – eg “double tapping” that was first reported on in relation to US forces, not Russian. And of course, she omits to mention that the lack of basic medical supplies is because of illegal sanctions imosed by the US and others….but it didn’t belong in that thread Morrissey] – Bill
Thanks Bill. However, I posted it on the “Question…” thread because Samantha Power is chuntering on about Syria. I thought it was the appropriate place for it, but I accept your judgement.
What we have been seeing worldwide, from India to the UK to the US, is the rebellion against the inner circle of no-skin-in-the-game policymaking “clerks” and journalists-insiders, that class of paternalistic semi-intellectual experts with some Ivy league, Oxford-Cambridge, or similar label-driven education who are telling the rest of us 1) what to do, 2) what to eat, 3) how to speak, 4) how to think… and 5) who to vote for.
But the problem is the one-eyed following the blind: these self-described members of the “intelligentsia” can’t find a coconut in Coconut Island, meaning they aren’t intelligent enough to define intelligence hence fall into circularities — but their main skill is capacity to pass exams written by people like them. With psychology papers replicating less than 40%, dietary advice reversing after 30 years of fatphobia, macroeconomic analysis working worse than astrology, the appointment of Bernanke who was less than clueless of the risks, and pharmaceutical trials replicating at best only 1/3 of the time, people are perfectly entitled to rely on their own ancestral instinct and listen to their grandmothers (or Montaigne and such filtered classical knowledge) with a better track record than these policymaking goons.
Yes. Left up to the luminaries who inhabit Yawns and Kiwibog the Pike River families would have been sealed up in the mine along with the 29 and Winston Peters.
Utmost and deeply abiding respect for these people.
Along with Helen Kelly, they will be at the top of the Real New Zealanders of the Year list.
Liberal feminists are about achieving equality within the current structure and accepting individualism etc.
Socialist feminists want a different structure and values. Bennett sure as hell isn’t a socialist feminist, or even a social democratic feminist – evidence is in the way she has made life tougher for solo mothers – they are the ones who have suffered most as a result of Bennett’s punitive social welfare policies.
Thanks carolyn thats a very clear distinction, So those feminists promoting identity politics would be liberal feminists then. A social feminist would be working to remove inequality for all.
I wouldn’t classify Bennett as a liberal feminist either. She’s neoliberal, so she’ll use whatever politics suit her at the time, hence her part-time feminist comment.
If you think that that article was about promoting liberal feminism, you missed the point, and it yet again demonstrates both your poor understanding of feminism and your unwillingness to allow women to have their own politics.
I have come to dislike the term “identity politics” – it tends to be used by opponents to feminism as a stick to beat them/us with. But from the anti-identity politics crowd, I do get the sense that that have a view of feminism that is more like liberal feminism.
A liberal feminist is more likely to want to leave capitalism in tact. Today, Judith Collins cited Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem as her feminist influences from way back..
Liberal feminism is an individualistic form of feminist theory, which focuses on women’s ability to maintain their equality through their own actions and choices. Liberal feminists argue that society holds the false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men; thus it tends to discriminate against women in the academy, the forum, and the marketplace. Liberal feminists believe that “female subordination is rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to and success in the so-called public world”. They strive for sexual equality via political and legal reform.[1]
I certainly think that is what Trotter is talking about in his recent piece on left wing conservatism. He talks about a focus on “individual rights”.
Sue Bradford used to call herself an Eco-feminist and socialist on her twitter profile, as I recall.
I understand you being desperate for a Minister of Women who is an avowed feminist….be it a liberal, socialist or fascist…so I get that you can, in your overwhelming and unbounded joy, make a small, but important mistake.
What Paula Beenitt ackshully said to that nice lady who speaks funny on the wireless this morning was that she was a feminist “most days.”
…..”said she was one, most days.
“You know there’s some days when I don’t even think about it and I’m getting on being busy, but I still get a bit worked up about some of the unfairness that I’ve seen, mainly for other women and not for myself these days.”
And come on…she has the backing of Our New Leader, Bull….
:…English said he thought Bennett’s example was the most important thing.
“She has such an inspiring story herself that everyday of the week she is achieving things and doing things which will be inspiring to a lot of, particularly younger, women who can see that we are in a country where there are no boundaries if they are able to do it, want to do it, they can get to do it.”
What a distorted and inequitable strange world we live in
Christine Lagarde Head of the IMF was found guilty of fraud. Another Neo fucking crook not paid one cent in tax but was let off by the courts with no sentence, If it had been a small deprived French kid stealing from a French equivalent of Pak & Slave he would have had the book thrown at him.
Also at the moment visiting NZ the world’s biggest drug cheating cycling dickhead Lance Armstrong, Going by tonight’s news, he is worshipped and idolised by many of the cycling wankers in NZ.
If it was a Russian Athlete who may not have been involved in the so-called Russian drug cheating, they would have been banned and no doubt booed by the media.
Can anyone identify a photo of Trevor Mallard in the crowds around Armstrong?
I’m willing to bet he was there but he may have been hiding at the back of the crowd.
Agree with that Alwyn, incidentally I have enjoyed a lot of your opinions this year, have not agreed with them and at times you have gone off on a tangent. But at least you, like a lot of people who visit here have given me food for thought at times. Compliments of the season to you and your family mate.
The crowds around Armstrong are the people who idolise celebrity.
Cycle racing fans I know suspected Armstrong of cheating for years before he was finally exposed and think he is an arsehole.
It’s the fame those Aucklanders are following.
“The Syrian and Russian regimes have committed and are continuing to commit genocide on innocent civillinas including thousands of women and children.
Syrians and Russian governments have lost their moral compass and their legitimacy as responsible members of the international community. They must now answer to the international community’s calls for their criminal actions to be scrutinised by the International Criminal Court.
The Federation most strongly condemns the criminal actions of Syrian and Russian governments. We call upon the New Zealand, United Nations and all world leaders to rally strongly against the Syrian and Russian governments and their allied foreign forces for their atrocities and massacres in Aleppo and to bring them to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.”
Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand inc.
Does the FIANZ also condemn the indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Jahadi ‘rebels’ in Aleppo?
Seems like Syrian people a lot closer than Auckland are relieved al Nusra, al Qaeda and ISIS have been defeated.
Still, keep churning out the propaganda Jenny.
Why would so many people flee to the Government controlled area of west Aleppo if they were at risk of genocide? Why would 75% of Aleppo’s population be in west Aleppo if it was under the control of Government tyrants?
BERLIN — The leader of the Austrian far-right Freedom Party has signed what he called a cooperation agreement with Russia’s ruling party and recently met with Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the designated national security adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump of the United States.
[…]
The Freedom Party, founded in the 1950s by ex-Nazis, surged this year to nearly capture the largely ceremonial presidency of Austria in May, but was defeated in a final runoff on Dec. 4. Still, its ascendance, alongside the rise of rightist parties in many European countries and with Mr. Trump’s victory, has raised new questions about political realignment across the continent.
“The Assad regime has won the support of fascists and far-right nationalist parties and organizations across Europe. These include the National Front (France), Forza Nuova and CasaPound (Italy), Golden Dawn and Black Lilly (Greece), the British National Party (UK) and the National Rebirth of Poland, Falanga and All Polish Youth (Poland).”
“The Assadist “Left” are clearly conservative anti-imperialists, taking the “campist” position that the main leaders of opposition to neoliberal globalisation are the leaderships of various states, who range from authoritarian to totalitarian in their internal regimes – thus excluding any role for mass action in changing the world, and indeed smearing the Arab Spring uprisings as CIA-sponsored attempted coups.”
Daphne Lawless
“…conservative-left reactions to the Trump debacle have ranged from welcoming it as a blow to neoliberal globalisation (ludicrous, given the identity of the various plutocrats whom Trump is naming to his cabinet), to the less wild-eyed interpretation that a “revolt of the white working class” defeated Hillary Clinton. This latter interpretation conveniently lends itself to calls for a more “traditional” left politics targeting “ordinary” (read: white, male) workers, and throwing not only the feminist movement but oppressed queer, ethnic and religious minority workers under the bus.”
Chris Trotter, and by association some of own authors are conservative left.
I’d call them the do-nothing left. They wait and they wait for apologies for injustices to white males under previous Labour governments. They obstruct the current Labour party still demanding apologies more than 30 years later.
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
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Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
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Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
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The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
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By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
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Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
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A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
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A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
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Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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the seven horsemen ?….
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/19/seven-deadly-things-trash-planet-human-life#comment-89778104
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/87751593/russian-ambassador-gunned-down-in-ankara-seriously-wounded
ooh fuck
This is very concerning and alarming. OOhhh fuck is right, history springs to mind.
The RT troll farm has got it all sorted…apparently is was a false flag organised by the CIA on the orders of Mossad.
Doubt it. As one of your resident Putlerbots, I’m calling it for a final act of desperation on the part of one of Gulen’s dwindling supply of useful idiots.
Especially relevant locally, as well as globally. How animal based diets and agriculture are particularly harmful. Causing harm while extracting subsidies to do that harm.
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/19/animal-agriculture-subsidies-threaten-planet/
how much longer do you think our collective heads will remain in the sand?
I’ll guess not until the heat stress death toll in southern asia/middle east/africa goes over a billion total. Or a few thousand annually in southern US and Europe. So at least a couple of decades away. By which time it will be so much harder and more expensive to turn things around.
you’re an optimist i see.
Well, yeah. We have the know-how to turn things around now, plus a lot of interesting developments in the pipeline. Putting in a serious effort to turn things around would be a massive economic boost, which should make most people happy all across the political spectrum. We just haven’t found the right argument to bring the electorate on board.
The biggest real obstacle remaining is the power and money of existing fossil-fuel interests that will literally do anything they think they can get away with to try to keep their power and revenue. A solid effort over a couple decades might break that down.
Andre do you seriously believe mankind can/will get its act together and save the planet? Take a look around the world and wonder how. Have you got a formula to overcome our rapacious greed, corruption and outright stupidity? What about Capitalism? What about impending climate wars, let alone the silly wars we have now? Can you see something I can’t in mans make up that will make us realize how deeply we are in the shit already? So far what have we done? A totally inadequate Paris Accord will not cut it, in fact most Countries are making a mockery of its already puny measures.
Like Pat says, I’m an optimist. Of sorts. “Saving” the planet isn’t going to happen. We’ve already irreversibly changed the planet, for the worse in my opinion. Even if humans stopped actively changing the planet right now it would still take decades to reach a quasi-steady state from all the changes we’ve started.
But societies usually get around to making some good choices, mostly after making a whole lot of bad choices. China has gotten serious about clean energy, after seriously fouling their own nest. They also got serious, in a viciously brutal way, about controlling population growth several decades ago. In general, the natural environment in the US is getting better. The list goes on….
Eventually we will make the choices necessary to stop emitting more carbon and trashing what’s left of the natural environment. If only because there’s more money in it that way.
The question is whether we do it soon enough that most of the current temperate zone remains habitable, or whether our descendants get forced to retreat to high latitudes and domed habitats while they desperately try to terraform the rest of the earth back to a habitable state. After a massive die-off.
hope those self contained domes have already been built and stocked then…..and are suitably defendable
Haven’t you got yours sorted yet?
Dome wasn’t built in a day
Elegant repartee, Pat.
Yep, it would but it would kill the profits of the capitalists and revive their power and so it’s not done.
Hey the increase in deaths caused by the 2004 heatwave in Europe was over 20,000.
Europe gets it – that the planet is warming, and is trying to do something about it.
On the other side of the ditch however …. The Chump is doing his damnedest to ramp it up – and Aussie idiots want to join him.
By the way – there are more deaths to heat waves in Aus than there are those caused by bush fires, or any other natural extreme event.
Then there’s Russia – a big fossil-fuel interest that probably thinks it would benefit from the world being a few degrees warmer than it is now.
Yep. You’re right there – at least we are one step above Russia 🙁
The biggest single user of fossil fuels on this planet is the American military. I don’t think the Ruskys have got a show of beating that!
Yep. The US military also recognises climate change as a root cause of a lot of the threats they are likely to face, and have been funding a lot of R&D into ways to get off of fossil fuels. Over the objections of congressional Republicans, to their huge annoyance.
Some more detail on the US military views of climate change and fuels, and how General Mattis may be the lone voice for keeping efforts going.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/james-mattis-climate-change-trump-defense-232833
Probably not but if and when the carbon bubble bursts Russia the petrostate, the world’s largest exporter of hydrocarbons (oil and gas combined), is fucked.
http://www.opec.org/library/Annual%20Statistical%20Bulletin/interactive/current/FileZ/Main-Dateien/SubSection3.html
As long as the capitalists can keep them there so as to support their continued profits.
hmmmm…so it would seem…though one gets the feeling the dam may be beginning to crack.
With the news that hundreds of males from East Aleppo between the ages of 30 and 50 who have placed themselves in government hands have gone missing, the UN is seeking to monitor the evacuation of Aleppo.
“Hundreds of men from east Aleppo go ‘missing'”
According to the Japan Times Russia has announced that they will veto any UN resolution to allow UN observers to monitor the evacuation.
“Bus torchings cloud Aleppo evacuation effort as Russia threatens to veto U.N. resolution for access”
The world needs to ask the Assadist regime and their Russian and Iranian allies what are you trying to hide?
http://europe.newsweek.com/photos-syria-allegedly-show-torture-systematic-killing-278894?rm=eu
Don’t support fascism
(It really shouldn’t have to be said)
PM – have you noticed who is posting the daily tedious propaganda?
‘..have you noticed who is posting the daily tedious propaganda?’
Yes
Is it Paul? The supporter and head cheer leader of a barrel bombing, chlorine gassing, hospital targeting killer of women and children?
To refresh my memory, I looked back at yesterdays Open Mike and stopped counting when I reached nine posts by you containing links to pro-regime propaganda. Jenny posted one link, to a Herald report about an anti-regime demonstration in Auckland. So, yes, I have noticed who is posting the daily tedious propaganda.
So why do you put out the propaganda of al Nusra, al Qaeda and ISIS – all ultra-authoritarian ‘fascist’ organisations?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamofascism
http://isj.org.uk/fascism-and-isis/
From Jenny’s link in post two – Japan Times
Who’d have ever thought the Japan Times would be under the control of and a propaganda mouthpiece for middle eastern terrorists. lol
Ah, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (or as I like to call it, the Salafist Observatory for Jihadist Rights) and their phoney numbers. I believe they were behind the original truthiness of “250,000 civilians” in East Aleppo. Now the UN has stopped quoting them, having been caught out by reality when using their ‘estimates’. Now the Salafist Observatory’s 250,000 has become 80,000. I wonder what number their Salafist masters in Riyadh and Qatar will dream up for them when that number gets mugged by reality.
Sooner or later, the West is going to have to think about military intervention in Syria, and I don’t mean dropping smart bombs on supply depots.
Why?
What would be different this time?
We have a few armchair warriors on the Standard, who believe the msm’s propaganda.
They believed this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7xyd_IRgGs
And now they believe all the stories we’re told about Syria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1VNQGsiP8M
Lies have been used to start wars before.
Especially after assassinations.
Yes, that’s two videos featuring bare-faced liars with an unsavoury agenda. There really are a lot of suckers out there.
What was Eva Bartlett lying about?
There are plenty:
A ceasefire would have no benefit to people in Syria.
Aleppo is being “liberated” by regime forces.
American forces targeted Syrian Army positions (not so much a lie as an unsubstantiated assertion).
US and western leaders have funded terrorists in Syria.
She knows the “will of the people of Aleppo” having been there four times (lie of omission, she’s only been to regime-held areas and only spoken to people the Assad regime let her speak to).
The people of Syria support their government (the fact there’s been an armed uprising against that government for years is a bit of a giveaway).
The people of west Aleppo are suffering terribly under a siege and bombardment by “terrorist factions” (true in itself, but effectively a lie of omission because she doesn’t mention that the people in east Aleppo are suffering a siege and bombardment orders of magnitude worse, courtesy of the regime she’s shilling for).
I got bored at that point, but overall she’s peddling bullshit for a despotic hereditary dictator – if anything, Bush is the lesser of the two, on the basis that he could at least claim to be not very bright.
I agree with some of that, but on the whole seems better than the coverage I’ve seen from British and American media.
I would have to say in particular that ceasefire agreements have been pointless there – militants have consistently thwarted any attempts for people to leave. As with Mosul, many civilians were clearly being held for the human shield factor. They really just used the time to re-up – and then continue fighting.
And the largest and most significant groups were Al Nusra and Al Zinki, who are terrorists in any sane person’s book. In that sense, calling their removal liberation isn’t as truthy as some of the stuff I’ve read from BBC, AP, Reuters, Washington Post, Torygraph, etc.
I think it’s also important to notice that a significant number of foreign fighters are in the rebellion.
Assad has foreign support too, but your argument was that the rebellion is the clue that he doesn’t have popular support. I would question that the rebellion signifies this given how much of it is manned by foreigners. Note that fighting age male Sunni make up the majority of refugees heading into Turkey and Europe. Had they remained, they wouldn’t have been conscripted by the army – they’d have been conscripted by foreign fighters whose strategic aim is to turn the Syrian Republic into a Caliphate – a Salafist Caliphate whose orientation is of course towards the people who sent them weapons and helped them enter the country in the first place – Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
But if they hated Assad that much, they’d surely join their foreign co-religionists and fight? Well, the reason they wouldn’t is that they don’t share their extremist aims. Syrian Sunni arriving in Germany have complained that the Saudi-run and financed mosques which predominate in Germany preach a version of Islam that they find extreme. In that sense, the majority of the rebels really are the angry nerds club of the Sunni world.
Capturing a city so you can bring it back under the control of your despotic hereditary dictatorship doesn’t fit any definition of “liberating” in which words still mean something.
Re conscription, read some of the accounts by refugees – I’ve seen plenty that refer to fleeing conscription into the army, none that mention fear of conscription by the rebels.
Also, the rebellion was five years ago. Sure, now it’s a war fought largely by clients of the regional powers involved (Iran vs the Gulf states), but that’s only because the Assad regime did such an excellent job of capturing, torturing and murdering the people back in 2011 who fancied a future featuring something a little closer to good governance.
The current disaster is mostly due to Assad’s response to the initial demonstrations against his rule, which he only got away with thanks to his Iranian and Russian patrons. If you don’t like seeing Aleppo full of Islamofascists, sheet the blame home where it belongs – the people currently claiming to be “liberating” Aleppo back into servitude.
“Capturing a city so you can bring it back under the control of your despotic hereditary dictatorship doesn’t fit any definition of “liberating” in which words still mean something”
Unless the alternative is that it becomes part of a Salafist caliphate, in which case almost anything else is liberation. We’re talking about the sort of sad cunts who even ban music and kite flying. There’s a massive gulf between Baathism and Salafism.
“Also, the rebellion was five years ago. Sure, now it’s a war fought largely by clients of the regional powers involved (Iran vs the Gulf states), but that’s only because the Assad regime did such an excellent job of capturing, torturing and murdering the people back in 2011 who fancied a future featuring something a little closer to good governance.”
Oh, I agree – but that’s the problem; we’re too late now. It’s Baathism or Salafism. There simply aren’t enough secularists (or actual Syrians) in the rebel forces for it to end any other way.
“Re conscription, read some of the accounts by refugees – I’ve seen plenty that refer to fleeing conscription into the army, none that mention fear of conscription by the rebels.”
Yeah I have to be fair seen some saying this, but I do remember there being others cited by Voltairenet, the Saker and others who were saying this. And, likewise, my other point – that the Syrian Sunni who are arriving in Germany etc. find the Saudi run mosques too extreme for them – because they preach the sort of Salafism which the rebels are inspired by. If you find what they can get away with preaching in Germany too extreme, imagine what they’ll be up to in areas of Syria where they now have free hand.
“The current disaster is mostly due to Assad’s response to the initial demonstrations against his rule, which he only got away with thanks to his Iranian and Russian patrons. If you don’t like seeing Aleppo full of Islamofascists, sheet the blame home where it belongs – the people currently claiming to be “liberating” Aleppo back into servitude.”
I partially agree. Russia of course wants a tin pot ally which will let them host its naval forces at Tartus, but this is systemic. NATO and Russian strategy which treats the region like a chessboard plays out how it will. For me, it’s unfortunately just a realist question. Russia’s ally, Syria, is a tin pot dictatorship but it’s secular. NATO is playing with Wahhabi fire – and it will always burn its handler, and anyone else who gets in its way. Syria hasn’t invaded anyone since those ridiculous Arab wars of conquest against Israel in the 60s and 70s. Wahhabists on the other hand will always seek to conquer. That’s why smart geopolitics involves not hiring or arming those kind of lunatics. For some reason the American intelligence services are always either picking the most feckless, or the most unhinged.
Final analysis from me, you can coexist with Putin or Assad if you negotiate with them honestly and like a grown up. You can’t negotiate with Salafists. For that reason, they have to lose.
“On 10 December 2016, Eva Bartlett — an activist and blogger who openly says she is biased in favor of the Syrian regime — was featured in a circulating YouTube video that says she is “schooling” a “mainstream media” reporter by making a series of outlandish-sounding claims, including that international media are conspiring to fabricate stories of hospital bombings and that anti-government activists are “recycling” victims to cast the Syrian military in a negative light. (She also refers to all factions fighting President Bashar al Assad’s forces as terrorists.)… ”
“… Bartlett’s claim that the child victim Aya, is “recycled” is the same type of charge levied by conspiracy theorists at parents of children who were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. It is a claim also promoted by David Icke, who is best known for believing the world is controlled by Martian lizard people.”
http://www.snopes.com/syrian-war-victims-are-being-recycled-and-al-quds-hospital-was-never-bombed/
Good to see the mainstream character assassination begin. When that happens to someone, it usually means they’re hitting a few points bang on.
No link to the vid where she claims to be making shit up (the one ‘doing the rounds on youtube)?
ffs – she’s unconscionable (according to scopes) because she refers to’ terrorists’ where ‘our’ side is meant to refer to ‘rebels’!!!
There are a number of questionable claims, exaggerations and subtle dishonesties made in that article (eg – the elections were not just held in government areas, but across the whole of Syria and in Syrian embassies in foreign countries – That’s widely documented and accepted. She has said the hospital was never destroyed not that it was never hit…and so on)
I thought snopes was about ensuring accuracy, not doing hatchet jobs.
so you don’t like snopes
“Snopes.com /ˈsnoʊps/, also known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a website covering urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, and other stories of unknown or questionable origin.[3] It is a well-known resource for validating and debunking such stories in American popular culture,[4] receiving 300,000 visits a day.[5]
Snopes.com was created by Barbara and David Mikkelson, a California couple who met in the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup.[6] The site is organized by topic and includes a message board where stories and pictures of questionable veracity may be posted…”
” …In 2012, FactCheck.org reviewed a sample of Snopes’ responses to political rumors regarding George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama, and found them to be free from bias in all cases. FactCheck noted that Barbara Mikkelson was a Canadian citizen (and thus unable to vote in US elections) and David Mikkelson was an independent who was once registered as a Republican. “You’d be hard-pressed to find two more apolitical people,””
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com
yeah they are real establishment hit-people…
Until now, I’ve had no opinion one way or the other about ‘snopes’. So I get that you’re assuming ‘I don’t like’ them on the basis that I’ve called that piece into question.
I’ve watched and listened to fair bit of Bartlett and the Bartlett I’ve been listening to and watching and reading simply hasn’t taken the positions or made the claims that snopes alleges.
Now sure, maybe my own bias has utterly deafened me to some outrageous aspect of Bartlett’s reporting. I doubt it though.
Meanwhile, I know that snopes has a reputation for debunking shit and that a fair number of people check it out (I guess that aligns with the “well-known resource for validating and debunking such stories in American popular culture,[4] receiving 300,000 visits a day” bit.) – my emphasis because…
Popular culture and mainstream…synonymous might be too tight a binding. But y’know….
personally I think the ‘mainstream media’ is a crock of shit – it seems just oh so convenient and more than a little suspicious to have scapegoats whenever the news we think should be seen isn’t, or we see stuff we think we shouldn’t have to.
fact checking is monotonous work in the land of post-truth – good luck to snopes or anyone that does it – and yes I am sure it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a truly independent, unaffected voice or fact-checker – as with the quantum – when you look at it, you alter it.
Now sure, maybe my own bias has utterly deafened me to some outrageous aspect of Bartlett’s reporting. I doubt it though.
I don’t.
The fog of civil war is a real pea-souper. Maybe you can see through it. I know I can’t, other than to be certain that the choice is between atrocity and conversation and I know which I’d like to see.
No we would have no fewer.
After all, you’re one of them.
Have you kept count of how many times you’ve posted this exact same video? You did it only yesterday, and it was already boringly familiar then.
Scroll past……….
Not much, the West would still be supporting an array of terrorist groups to overthrow a government they don’t like.
So just like the “East” then.
How is it just like the “East”?
Geopolitical groups and individual countries have been supporting terrorists, freedom fighters and other (insert tag du jour) since forever to support their ideologies, wants and needs and expansionist policies.
To suggest that a nebulous tag of ‘the west’ are the only ones who do this would be blinkered in the extreme.
The point is that the west are masters at it and then smother us with propaganda which too many people get sucked in by.
Like PM, Jenny, Peter Swift, Andre and others.
Wish they’d read the work of Patrick Cockburn.
A simple question for a simple mind.
Paul, do you deny the use of chlorine gas and barrel bombs against a civilian population by the Assad regime?
Before you get carried away just consider the weapons the US uses Peter.
That point is totally irrelevant to the question asked. What we have to determine is whether verified reports of war crimes are being dismissed or ignored and what part they play in Paul’s open support for a dictator who has slaughtered innocents and why he pushes his agenda here, on a left leaning web site.
Paul has a duty to respond sincerely to save any semblance of credibility.
MEMO to the Moderators of this site:
This fellow “Peter Swift” is deliberately repeating lies that have been discredited thoroughly.
Are there any standards of veracity here, or are people like him going to be allowed to say anything at all, no matter how obscene and demonstrably untrue it may be?
What’s ‘lies’ in question here?
Is it Paul’s apparent support for Assad’s Syria?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks aren’t war crimes?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks haven’t been inflicted upon the civilian population?
That barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks have been verified?
That Paul has to respond to save his cred?
Or this is a left leaning web site?
I’m happy for the moderators (except Jock) to pit my record against yours and for them to boot the sh1ttiest one of us out for good. 😉
Let’s face it, if they’d rather keep a no talent hack, mental stalker of radio shows over a half decent, left of center labour/green supporter, then it’s not really a place I’d want to remain part of anyway.
Barrel bombs are no more a war crime than any conventional weapon used in a city. Use of chemical weapons are of course. I do wonder why the UN has suddenly said that such use was by the Syrian forces when a) they never had proof before and b) all Syrian chemical weapon stockpiles were surrendered years ago.
then we have the uk cluster bombs in yemen
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38364694
You do realize that most of the people in Syria are Christians and the whole war has a strong religious undertone. Russia is to 75% Orthodox Christian and the odd one out is Turkey, being Muslim in the mix. Everybody KNOWS that they play a double game appeasing the Americans and shooting the Kurd’s on both side of the border. Of cause this is about money, lots of it.
There are no honorable people involved anywhere. The biggest fear is that when the refugees have been evacuated all hell will break loose, whatever is left of Syria will be bombed to bits. Meanwhile, to the south Yemen is starting to burn. BTW, Yemen’s are Shafi’i Muslims or Sunni in majority.
Do you really belief that this discriminate bombing and suffering of mostly the very young or old and women will end soon? Really?
A few facts – I don’t I openly support Assad’s regime.
I merely ( as you know) have pointed people to the work of independent journalists in Syria.
It seems much clearer that you have active support for the al Qaeda ‘rebels’ of East Aleppo?
Do you support their practices of throat cutting, heart eating, beheading?
Are you aware of the phosphorous bombs and depleted uranium used by the US in Iraq?
Wish they’d read the work of Patrick Cockburn.
I’ve read various pieces by Cockburn about this conflict, so your wish is granted in my case. Was there some point to your wish?
You might note his comments about the one sided propaganda the western media puts out.
Friendship is very needed in this world – even positive moves towards previous enemies if that will produce some good.
Seventh day of Christmas with Friendship quote:
Lawyer, Olympian, socially-conscious, and high-achieving Ben Sanford stands for Labour in Rotorua against the corrupt McLay who lied about suppressing law-changes to international trusts after a lobby meeting with John Key’s lawyer.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87592441/ben-sandford-named-labours-rotorua-candidate
Good luck in unseating this corrupt government.
What Lies Behind the Brexit Vote?
And this is the same reason why I think we need to withdraw from FTAs, the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO. Through these we’re giving away too much of our independence.
The Commonwealth….
I don’t believe that the Commonwealth actually determines what laws we can or can’t have but I could be wrong on that.
Beginning to wish there was a separate Middle East post like those US election ones…
Or at least a ban on posting the same videos over and over again.
+1.
I suggested a vaccination post to divert peoples attention………….what could possibly go wrong ?
Mullett
I understand that you have a vaccination grievance. It is obvious that you never recovered from yours and are bent on saving the world from dying of preventable illnesses.
Yay. Look over there, Aleppo-ites —> https://thestandard.org.nz/question-4/
“Beginning to wish there was a separate Middle East post like those US election ones…”
yep – never in the course of human history have so many, talked so much, about something they know almost nothing about – it’s all a bit ‘my link is bigger than your link’ – definitely is not spreading knowledge, understanding or even any illumination. waste. of. time.
So totally agree!
And yes –
more that one post of a video = Moderator warning
Posting a video 3 or more times = ban.
Such behaviour is simply spam.
yep I’m a fan of a ban on spam for that man
electoral college votes for trump
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38374749
Was always going to happen – despite some crazies thinking it wouldnt.
Those Nato spooks you refer to – they would be Helen Clarks people wouldn’t they.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Learn the difference between NATO and the UN. Forget it, you’re incapable.
Stupidest comment for 2016 – I think we may just have a winner – in a very strong field!
pdm is an old chum of Keeping Stock who was featured in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics”. Rightwing blogger Keeping Stock, much admired and supported on his blog by pdm was exposed as a player in National’s dirty political games. Why is pdm here on The Standard? How can he say and believe such daft things, endlessly and with the witless confidence usually attributed to fools ?
Dunning-Kruger effect.
Why is pdm here on The Standard? How can he say and believe such daft things, endlessly and with the witless confidence usually attributed to fools ?
Trying out an attack line.
Nah. Too daft even.
Looks like last weeks jelly eggs have hatched, by crikey. If you are coming to Tasman to holiday this week or next just beware, they are only a problem if you make it one.
Tips…
Wear something on your feet and inspect the high tide mark, and just have a look through the shells and sticks to see if there are any blue bottles/man o war around. Will give you an idea if there are any in the sea.
Still want to swim in the sea but arent sure, i’d suggest a wetsuit
If you get stung, make sure you are ready for it, YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE TENTACLES THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT otherwise it will sting like hell and the more you move around the more poison is released into the body. So get some tweezers, a stick, razor blade, credit card etc and make sure you have removed all the stingers. Only after all the stingers have been removed bathe the area in warm water. You may want to take some paracetamol or ibuprofen. If it’s still hurting about 30 mins later you may have not removed all the stingers, so check again and if really concerned seek medical attention.
Whatever you do don’t put vinegar on it or piss on it especially if the stingers are still in there it will only make it worse.
If you have symptoms such as severe muscle pain (abdomen, chest, limbs, etc.), headache, weakness that may result in collapse, having a runny nose and watery eyes, difficulty in swallowing, sweating and rashes, head to A&E or get some professional medical help asap.
Still want to swim, go to the rivers, there are plenty and great fun, baby rapids for the kids to enjoy with a tyre tube, pools for snorkeling and rocks and bridges to jump off of, take your insect repellent and you will have a great time.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/87727398/Swarms-of-Portugese-man-o-war-jellyfish-lurk-off-coast-of-Nelson
that’s intense.
Hey, hey… ALL THE BEST TO BEN SANDFORD, the newly selected Labour Party Candidate for Rotorua.
“Labour candidate Ben Sandford says the social problems he grew up with have not been solved – and he’s running against Todd McClay in 2017 so he can fix them.”
“A qualified lawyer, Sandford represented New Zealand in skeleton racing from 2002 to 2014. He finished 11th at the 2010 Winter Olympics.”
Look forward to hearing more about you in due course, and CONGRATULATIONS 😀
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87592441/ben-sandford-named-labours-rotorua-candidate
As the media cottons on to the fact he doesn’t think too quickly, Bling will increasingly get caught out making old-white-male comments like this. He reminds me of Prince Charles or Prince Philip in this respect.
Here he both denies and trivialises more than a century of struggle for women’s rights.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11770336
That is absolutely appalling. The next thing we know he will be coming out with the ultimate heresy.
He will admit that he doesn’t actually see any need for him to apologise for being a man. How low can he go?
After that we will discover he has all sorts of strange beliefs. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually believes in faithfulness in marriage and other strange practices that will be anathema to the 20% of New Zealanders who are on the hard-core left of politics. He may even think that it is right for him to support his family.
I have the sense that your grip on the meaning of ‘feminism’ is as shaky as the prime minister’s. I take it you’re quite happy to see women as inferior beings?
“women as inferior beings”.
Of course not. How could I possibly think such a thing when I consider myself compared to my wife? She is a far superior being.
Actually a friend of mine claims he is smarter than his wife and that his wife agrees with the proof.
He says that he married her, which was a very smart move on his part.
He then points out the she married him which was a very foolish thing to do.
They are still married though.
“Bill English: I don’t know what ‘feminist’ means.”
Lots of analysis floating round on twitter (he’s too smart to not know what it means and it’s a dog whistle). I also think it’s highly likely that he is still strongly anti-abortion and that that factors in there somewhere.
Yeah, one of those weird ideas that lefties have, a woman’s right to choose, is not held by the NZ PM.
I wouldn’t take it so seriously. He was asked whether he regarded himself a feminist and while answering that question he bumbled around in his usual way and what came out was a bunch of garbled non-sense.
What was more interesting is how he came across as stuttering and awkward – reminiscent of his 2002 days. And when you’re the leader you can’t afford to appear like that. With English, though, he can’t change. That’s how he is. That’s why with Key gone the nats are toast next year, even if they do only go down a few points because that’s all they need to lose.
In Absurd Theatre of Israel, Netanyahu Submits to Settler Outlaws
by YOSSI VERTER, Haaretz, Dec. 19, 2016
To avoid the violent scenes that ensued during the last evacuation of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona, Netanyahu was willing to spend millions and bend every rule of proper governance. …..
Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.759892
Obama—about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2016/12/18/cant-this-guy-shut-up-already/
If there’s a special Hell for the nastiest hypocrites,
this woman is going there direct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seKYakhu6dc
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[The woman is indeed an idiot and is spouting some nonsense that’s easily debunked – eg “double tapping” that was first reported on in relation to US forces, not Russian. And of course, she omits to mention that the lack of basic medical supplies is because of illegal sanctions imosed by the US and others….but it didn’t belong in that thread Morrissey] – Bill
Thanks Bill. However, I posted it on the “Question…” thread because Samantha Power is chuntering on about Syria. I thought it was the appropriate place for it, but I accept your judgement.
Toby Morris nails it again…
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-she-ll-have-the-fish
Well, he’s advocating for piscene violence should politicians tell us what we want…
+1
Well, it’s a violent metaphor – but non-fish (Nat policies) eaters are being asked to speak up.
Good piece of graphic story-telling
its a variation on the IYI as described by taleb.
What we have been seeing worldwide, from India to the UK to the US, is the rebellion against the inner circle of no-skin-in-the-game policymaking “clerks” and journalists-insiders, that class of paternalistic semi-intellectual experts with some Ivy league, Oxford-Cambridge, or similar label-driven education who are telling the rest of us 1) what to do, 2) what to eat, 3) how to speak, 4) how to think… and 5) who to vote for.
But the problem is the one-eyed following the blind: these self-described members of the “intelligentsia” can’t find a coconut in Coconut Island, meaning they aren’t intelligent enough to define intelligence hence fall into circularities — but their main skill is capacity to pass exams written by people like them. With psychology papers replicating less than 40%, dietary advice reversing after 30 years of fatphobia, macroeconomic analysis working worse than astrology, the appointment of Bernanke who was less than clueless of the risks, and pharmaceutical trials replicating at best only 1/3 of the time, people are perfectly entitled to rely on their own ancestral instinct and listen to their grandmothers (or Montaigne and such filtered classical knowledge) with a better track record than these policymaking goons.
Government buckling under the pressure from the Pike River families.
Good to see, although if they’d taken the advice of Pete George and other authority worshipping quitters, they’d have given up by now.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11770396
Yes. Left up to the luminaries who inhabit Yawns and Kiwibog the Pike River families would have been sealed up in the mine along with the 29 and Winston Peters.
Utmost and deeply abiding respect for these people.
Along with Helen Kelly, they will be at the top of the Real New Zealanders of the Year list.
Yay paula bennett is a feminist.. we won , might as well pack up and go have a holiday the fight is over
Liberal feminists are about achieving equality within the current structure and accepting individualism etc.
Socialist feminists want a different structure and values. Bennett sure as hell isn’t a socialist feminist, or even a social democratic feminist – evidence is in the way she has made life tougher for solo mothers – they are the ones who have suffered most as a result of Bennett’s punitive social welfare policies.
Thanks carolyn thats a very clear distinction, So those feminists promoting identity politics would be liberal feminists then. A social feminist would be working to remove inequality for all.
“So those feminists promoting identity politics would be liberal feminists then.”
No. https://overland.org.au/2016/12/this-is-what-solidarity-looks-like/
I wouldn’t classify Bennett as a liberal feminist either. She’s neoliberal, so she’ll use whatever politics suit her at the time, hence her part-time feminist comment.
Ahh your link promotes liberal feminism
ah your comment is anti-women.
If you think that that article was about promoting liberal feminism, you missed the point, and it yet again demonstrates both your poor understanding of feminism and your unwillingness to allow women to have their own politics.
I have come to dislike the term “identity politics” – it tends to be used by opponents to feminism as a stick to beat them/us with. But from the anti-identity politics crowd, I do get the sense that that have a view of feminism that is more like liberal feminism.
A liberal feminist is more likely to want to leave capitalism in tact. Today, Judith Collins cited Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem as her feminist influences from way back..
I’d say Steinem is a liberal feminist, though she sees herself as a radical feminist
A radical feminist focuses more on the patriarchal structure and values – many also are critical of capitalism, while some aren’t.
Friedan is also seen as a liberal feminist. Cited here:
Wikip on Liberal Feminism
I certainly think that is what Trotter is talking about in his recent piece on left wing conservatism. He talks about a focus on “individual rights”.
Sue Bradford used to call herself an Eco-feminist and socialist on her twitter profile, as I recall.
Sigh.
I understand you being desperate for a Minister of Women who is an avowed feminist….be it a liberal, socialist or fascist…so I get that you can, in your overwhelming and unbounded joy, make a small, but important mistake.
What Paula Beenitt ackshully said to that nice lady who speaks funny on the wireless this morning was that she was a feminist “most days.”
…..”said she was one, most days.
“You know there’s some days when I don’t even think about it and I’m getting on being busy, but I still get a bit worked up about some of the unfairness that I’ve seen, mainly for other women and not for myself these days.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/320897/pm-wouldn't-describe-himself-as-a-feminist
And come on…she has the backing of Our New Leader, Bull….
:…English said he thought Bennett’s example was the most important thing.
“She has such an inspiring story herself that everyday of the week she is achieving things and doing things which will be inspiring to a lot of, particularly younger, women who can see that we are in a country where there are no boundaries if they are able to do it, want to do it, they can get to do it.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11770336
So there.
What a distorted and inequitable strange world we live in
Christine Lagarde Head of the IMF was found guilty of fraud. Another Neo fucking crook not paid one cent in tax but was let off by the courts with no sentence, If it had been a small deprived French kid stealing from a French equivalent of Pak & Slave he would have had the book thrown at him.
Also at the moment visiting NZ the world’s biggest drug cheating cycling dickhead Lance Armstrong, Going by tonight’s news, he is worshipped and idolised by many of the cycling wankers in NZ.
If it was a Russian Athlete who may not have been involved in the so-called Russian drug cheating, they would have been banned and no doubt booed by the media.
Can anyone identify a photo of Trevor Mallard in the crowds around Armstrong?
I’m willing to bet he was there but he may have been hiding at the back of the crowd.
Agree with that Alwyn, incidentally I have enjoyed a lot of your opinions this year, have not agreed with them and at times you have gone off on a tangent. But at least you, like a lot of people who visit here have given me food for thought at times. Compliments of the season to you and your family mate.
The crowds around Armstrong are the people who idolise celebrity.
Cycle racing fans I know suspected Armstrong of cheating for years before he was finally exposed and think he is an arsehole.
It’s the fame those Aucklanders are following.
You are so right , compliments of the season to you also.
Big Gerry’s majority is going to balloon with a Cathedral rebuild.
I guess the uniform will be the traditional brown shirt.
/
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/report_trump_to_maintain_his_own_robust_private_security_force?
FIANZ Press release:
http://www.fianz.co.nz/node/629
Does the FIANZ also condemn the indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Jahadi ‘rebels’ in Aleppo?
Seems like Syrian people a lot closer than Auckland are relieved al Nusra, al Qaeda and ISIS have been defeated.
Still, keep churning out the propaganda Jenny.
13 December 2016 – About 37,000 people have fled eastern Aleppo for western areas of the city or the countryside, according to the United Nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/world/middleeast/syria-aleppo-civilians.html?_r=0
Why would so many people flee to the Government controlled area of west Aleppo if they were at risk of genocide? Why would 75% of Aleppo’s population be in west Aleppo if it was under the control of Government tyrants?
The fascist internationale comes together.
/
BERLIN — The leader of the Austrian far-right Freedom Party has signed what he called a cooperation agreement with Russia’s ruling party and recently met with Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the designated national security adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump of the United States.
[…]
The Freedom Party, founded in the 1950s by ex-Nazis, surged this year to nearly capture the largely ceremonial presidency of Austria in May, but was defeated in a final runoff on Dec. 4. Still, its ascendance, alongside the rise of rightist parties in many European countries and with Mr. Trump’s victory, has raised new questions about political realignment across the continent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/austrias-far-right-signs-a-cooperation-pact-with-putins-party.html?smid=tw-share
Who are Assad’s fascist supporters?
https://tahriricn.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/syria-who-are-assads-fascist-supporters/
“The Conservative Left”
Who are they?
What do they believe in?
https://fightback.org.nz/2016/12/20/trump-brexit-syria-and-conservative-leftism/
Chris Trotter, and by association some of own authors are conservative left.
I’d call them the do-nothing left. They wait and they wait for apologies for injustices to white males under previous Labour governments. They obstruct the current Labour party still demanding apologies more than 30 years later.