“To the economically illiterate, if some company makes a million dollars in profit, this means that their products cost a million dollars more than they would have cost without profits. It never occurs to such people that these products might cost several million dollars more to produce than if they were produced by enterprises operating without the incentives to be efficient created by the prospect of profits.”
[Changed the font and added WP blockquote using Editor for clarity. Bold is for specific emphasis – if you bold the whole quoted text it come across as shouting – Incognito]
Now and then being 'bold' can be justified. But of course if used too often it loses its effectiveness, ie our minds get used to it, it just becomes more of the same, or we get irrritated and turn away.
But so much of our societal habits and practices are usual, accepted and unexamined. Like always wanting higher profits and lower wages. Labour costs are commonly the biggest costs that a firm can face; so that maybe they reflect the truth of how things should be.
And something that the quote of Thomas Sewell does not mention, is that the profits that are found high enough to be satisfactory, often are that way because economic externalities have been left out.
That is no money has been paid out or withheld to pay for past damage to workers or the environment and none has gone into studying and implementing practices to prevent future damage. The rest of society bears that cost, which is exponential we find when we look at all the results on the ground and in Climate Change itself.
I think this is a place for people's thoughts and minds to exchange and learn from each other. Shouldn't that be encouraged, not reduced by rules set by long practice which may be discouraging in this era of disruption which we need to face, discuss and understand? There need to be limits but not too rigid. The times demand we shake ourselves and open up our brains.
A quote and a query comes to mind. Do we understand why the quote below from Shortland Street has longevity? That might offer us a 'Being John Malkovich' (film) window to our psyche, ie
"You're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata."
Setting authoritarian and rigid rules has not worked; we see by the mess and despair around us amongst a majority of people. We need looser rules to make us do what the PTB decided and agreed rules to guide us to an amicable living rather than just civil. Can we achieve a new way to handle our future with many hands on it, of people stepping forward who are thoughtful, informed, considered, and collaborative, and whose decisions are practical and mindful of the effect on all.
I was listening to Radionz this morning with Kim Hill and other interesting speakers. (Do others know Lloyd Cole's music?) One is an author, Sarah Moss from the UK, who I thought had some good ideas. We who are thinking and not just doing, take in and give out ideas, and are trying to be collaborative. So I mention this interview as likely to be interesting to others. I feel good when i hear people who have good ideas and hopes for a human future. Maybe you do too.
Perhaps we need to think about thinking. Against the ordinary citizen are people who study how our minds work and create propaganda that pushes our personal buttons. We need to understand ourselves and the things that they learn. So this from one google listing on brainstorming.
It's a pity that when someone puts up a statement or quote that has said something to them and they share it, another person tries to find some small aspect of it that can be used to dismiss the main point of it. Dont uou think? (I am putting some errors into my discourse so you can find something easy to comment on!)
Ah there's the rub. Let's proceed. I can't I must be in the garden but have put up my think piece to add to the fertile field of thought here on this blog. Good growing!
I do think points of order matter but it's rather tiring. Prefer them to everything but the major matter. You lot ( except me when I want amusement) are terrible. This isn't a Left amusement park, but as a letters depositary that's how it ends up. Climate change, end of resources and the poorest of us, are everything. In comparison, nothing else matters.
Finally someone with a platform being honest and talking about class struggle…time for those companies making millions in profit to share that wealth around with the workers… and here is something that deserves to be bold
Bernie Sanders' Union Platform Calls for Class Struggle
I don't think you will see Warren making a big issue with class warfare going forward ( I could be wrong here) I have noticed her rhetoric has shifted to more of a defending the 'hard working middle class' as of late, which would fit in nicely with her new role as saviour of the establishment DNC, I mean she has been obliquely endorsed by the Koch Bros funded Third Way think tank after all…but then you seem to be status quo centrist kind of guy, so I can see how Warren would tick all your boxes…you guys are all about being pragmatic and compromise, even as we head faster and faster toward the cliff…you are like “can’t we slow down just a bit..please”
“She believes in capitalism, amazingly we have to say this, but that matters. What she’s offering is not a rejection of capitalism.”
“She is not tipping over the edge into what is absolutely unsustainable in a general election,” he added. “Our principle problem with Sanders is that he has.”
"Yet she scares the money men." you really think so? ..I guess that's why she had the tick from Third Way then, cos they like scaring themselves.
Look 90, warren is pretty good,of course and no doubt or argument from me, but she is also a shaping up as the compromise candidate for the establishment to back. and they really are scared of Bernie, shit scared, because unlike Warren , he wants real systemic change, he is the only one who will actually 'rock the boat'..and that is just a fact.
Anyhoo, you rock the boat to build movements suitability large enough to affect real, systemic change. Any movement large enough to affect real, systemic change must include the centre and unless he can capture the centre, Sander's won't be able to deliver squat.
I like her. I'd prefer Bernie of course, but she comes across as smart, hard-headed, and looking to address the drivers of many US problems. If the DNC can be persuaded to abandon self-sabotage sufficiently to let go of Biden, Warren can probably beat Trump. If not though, there's that thing about those who refuse to learn the lessons of history.
I like her too, but lets face it Bernie is the only one who could possibly change the direction of the US in a real and meaningful way, infact he is the only one who wants too, Warren will end up being like Helen Clark ..thats why Third way like her, in her (Warren's) own words a capitalist to her bones.
No worries, comradeship is what attracted me to Left politics when I was a very young man, and is still what I believe is it's real power.
I guess that is why it is always under assault from those in power, and those (like many here unfortunately) on the left who have drunk the kool aid of neoliberalism…it's a damn shame.
What do you think Bernie will do/achieve as POTUS?
He'll have a couple of years of both houses, if enough dem reps are on board with his plan.
He might get one or two big hits, like Obama did with healthcare. Or Warren might with campaign finance reform.
But he's not the Chosen One. He's just a man. You're setting yourself up for another four years of bitterness, and that's if he gets elected. If he misses the nom, we'll never hear the end of it. Again.
So far 'All' he's done is entirely move the conversation, and that's just as a candidate.
He allows the population who are suffering under a corrupted, ineficient and inhumane system of Health Care, Education, Housing, Employment..realise they can in fact demand better service and protections from their elected Representatives.
There is a reason the Corporate powers and DNC would rather he exited stage left…and its not because he has no power to bring about change..
From the fact that many of the #metoo wave of candidates, including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, were members of and activists for the Democrats (and its state affiliates) for more than a few years before 2016.
Bernie did change the conversation, but he was an outsider looking to use the Democrat Party machinery. He wasn't a lifelong Democrat. Many of the #metoo crowd are.
Maybe Rose McGowan had a stronger effect on the dems than St Bernie did.
I don't think they would like to be described as " #metoo candidates", as I am sure their platform encompasses a little more than that one issue, and further, if you really don't understand that all the progressive gains recently are directly the result of the momentum and energy created by Bernie Sanders, then I would say you have seriously misread the direction of US politics since 2016.
You get precious about the terminology I used to denote a wave of candidates who decided 2018 was the time to put themselves forward, and then you dismiss literally all the work they did in the democratic party before Bernie became a member and continue as democrats after he got re-elected to senate as an independent.
Sanders fights. It's the right attitude. He talks. Warren making agreements with corrupt power doesne impress. Everything needs to be overthrown. Power needs to bow to the people. No agreement needs to be made with the present. This makes me think he should choose Tulsi Gabbard as his vice-president. But I don't think that plutocracy will allow him.
I'm saying revolution. Or nothing for our youngers.
Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “army of unemployed” almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers’ goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before.
[Left the bold (!) but changed the font and added WP blockquote using Editor for clarity. Italics is for specific emphasis and effect – if you italicise the whole quoted text it loses its effect – Incognito]
There is no “TS's style new guide” because it would have been forewarned and announced loudly and clearly and quite possibly after some consultation. That said, Lynn does try to improve the text Editor and other things here by making technicaladjustments with various success, as you know.
I think you might be taking my Moderation note as some kind of authoritarian instruction, when it is/was actually meant to be read as a suggestion. If you don’t agree with the suggestion to improve clarity of comments, I’m keen to hear it and the reason(s) why. Blockquotes and quotation marks have a special function as does font style; I think they are there for a reason. Please don’t get too alarmed and/or read too much into being ‘moderated’.
Lastly, I thought it was obvious that I was not ‘moderating’ in a vacuum but in the context of the comment @ 1 and the reactions it elicited.
I apologise if I did upset you, as this was not my intention. NB some commenters here have an idiosyncratic style that’s beyond reprieve 😉
I’ve always block quoted comments I reply to and italicised text I cite.
Tricky when you have a mixture of quotes like that. I seem to have started italicising short initial ones from other commenters like this, but doubt there is any right way.
Accessibility work taught me it is harder for people to read lots of italics, capitals, or bold. Most of us can test that pretty easily by just reading an average paragraph in different formats..
FOR INSTANCE, DO YOUR EYES GET MORE TIRED READING A WHOLE CHUNK IN CAPS LIKE THIS WHEN IT GOES ON FOR MORE THAN A LINE OR TWO? MIGHT BE OKAY AS A HEADING BUT AT FOUR OR FIVE LINES THE EFFORT MAY BECOME MORE APPARENT. DOES ALSO DEPEND ON THE FONT USED. MY EYES END UP FEELING A BIT PHYSICALLY SORE THESE DAYS WHEN I ENCOUNTER THIS. HOW ABOUT YOURS?
Likewise long blocks of text without paragraphs, or excessive use of ellipses (both are almost a guarantee for me not to read a comment).
I used to use italics a fair bit, as it seems to convey quoting better than " " for longer quotes. Now I tend to use the blockquote, although it's a bit idiosyncratic (on my browser at least).
All bold irks me because it messes with my brain over moderation bold.
Not so long ago, I think it was after one of the iterations of the Text Editor, I embarked on a personal crusade to improve readability here and enhance readers’ experience (scrolling!). Nobody ever commented on it but I became zealously obsessed and deleted almost every non-breaking space that had no clear stylistic function other than to add unnecessary ‘whitecaps’ to each comment, big or small, and even created large deserts of white space.
Suffice to say, it was an exercise in futility and like carrying water to the sea using a bucket with holes in it.
True but I do trust Twitr a lot more than Bookface on that front. Have not managed to monetise our attention very well by comparison.
Results from free tracking cookie manager from the EFF:
Privacy Badger (www.eff.org/privacybadger) is a browser extension that automatically learns to block invisible trackers. Privacy Badger is made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that fights for your rights online.
Privacy Badger found 22 potential trackers on thestandard.org.nz:
Yeah, I know. I’ve looked at this a number of times over the years.
We use google analytics (keep track of usage – nothing else is remotely accurate), google fonts (the fonts used on the site are from there – which is why it looks familiar across many platforms), gravatar (those personalised icons), QR (the post barcode), twitter (the shout and count on twitter icon), facebook (the shout and count on facebook icon), and wordpress.org (including the wp) because we use wordpress jetpack.
Of those, the twitter and the QR aren’t critical. Basically twitter is the peanuts in terms of draw and the home to a noisy minority of wordy loons, QR is only used by a small number of new readers on mobiles.
However some of the other cookies (what you’re calling trackers) aren’t ‘on’ the standard. They are either on your client or attached to external videos.
Plus of course there is a load of javascript in various portions of the site – mostly jquery. Not that much because I limit its use in favour of site longevity.
Down below the level you can see, there are a pile of connections to other systems. The wordfence that prevents site attacks by looking at what everyone is asking for and from where. The AWS cloudfront (via w3 total cache) that looks at the calls for every image and document on the site and supplies it from locations around the world, the AWS route 53 that does the same for the DNS, the shunting through voyager….
If you choose to turn all them off – then that is your issue. The site won’t be that usable without them (especially the bits of javascript – which are far more dangerous than cookies).
No-one could pay me enough to provide the kind of site detailing that these systems provide. Which is why they are used.. One stacked on top of the other – and they are all potential monitoring systems.
Plus of course there is me.
Welcome to the net – built in a mound of monitoring systems where the basic anonymity is that really we don’t care enough to turn over the midden enough to clear out the problems.
It’s possible the anti-change campaigners in both Chamberlain Park [golf course] and Takapuna will be a deciding factor in the final tally even if they’re a minority of the population. After decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, the city’s governing body and local boards could once again see an influx of candidates who are primarily distinguished by their ability to say no to things.
It seems to me that a more embracing guide for living than being kind is needed, though 'kind' helps. I believe 'kind' creates the feeling of a hippy-sounding mantra. It doesn't stand against the hard-nosed approach of the majority mired in the capitalist system, which I notice comes with a kevlar (more modern than armour) protection from receipt and acceptance of compassionate thoughts and understanding.
What about being kind and practical in balance in everything. I think that would help us to face off the dismissal of the human condition that is prevalent in neolib economics, and Randian 'The Virtue of Selfishness'.*
Stephen Fry discusses Ayn Rand and her works 2minsapprox
Incidentally that is shown as coming from Radio 4. If a country has only private radio, they would not hear or see any of this sort of discussion. Instead it would be full of capitalist jargon very focussed on what were seen to be profitable subjects, ventures and discussions that would be influential in maintaining the wall against expansion of understanding and help.
Synchronicity at work? There seems to be more attention being paid to the use of language and rhetoric.
It may seem pedantic to make a fuss over language, but it is important to remember the power of labelling and the connotations that go with it. It is a reminder too that we should consider how language is carefully packaged and presented to us by our politicians.
Within the binary structure of language, which itself is debatable, words are defined not in and of themselves, but in relation to their opposites. This means that if a "victim" exists within this set of circumstances, then a "perpetrator" must also exist. Hence, the concept of "victim" can be used as a rhetorical tactic to assign guilt to someone in the court of public opinion.
I think what we have seen being played out in the NZ Media recently is a classic example of a ternary (triangular) structure similar to the Karpman drama triangle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpman_drama_triangle) involving the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor (sometimes called the Perpetrator). These roles can interchange. This model describes “a type of destructive interaction that can occur between people in conflict”.
I’m not going to assign names/entities to the three roles in this drama but like to emphasise that binary descriptions, concepts, and ‘explanations’ can be useful but can also be extremely limiting and overly simplistic depending on the context and their use or aim.
Our need to think – and toss ideas round outside the envelope (is writing letters and NZ Post really a thing of the past, should we be happy to see it disappear?). Random thoughts, like the above, are they useful and valuable or just inefficient?
The more we rely on technology to make us efficient, the fewer skills we have to confront the unexpected, says writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan. She shares why we need less tech and more messy human skills — imagination, humility, bravery — to solve problems in business, government and life in an unpredictable age. "We are brave enough to invent things we've never seen before," she says. "We can make any future we choose."
Fucking unbelievable. That they were cavalier with evidence collection, destroyed evidence, and we don't know who or why. Can't believe the Pike River families are still having to g through this kind of thing.
Newshub revealed police notes in February that described the way they gathered evidence as "diabolical". Now we know they destroyed exhibits they decided "had no evidential value".
"It's troubling. It indicates a reasonably relaxed view to the handling of evidence," says independent investigator Tim McKinnel.
He says evidence is generally only disposed of if there are storage issues or if exhibits present a health and safety risk.
"Outside of those issues, I can't see why you would begin destroying items from a potential crime scene when so little is known about what happened there," he says.
Police will not say who exactly ordered the items be destroyed. But the lead police investigator only found out about it late last year.
Espots – gaming – not gambling. A shared space for the young brought up on the computer and games since they paid pacman at age 6 probably. Good idea to bring them together for simple friendship even proximity. A guided space where you can hang out with no stress.
..."We also have events during night-time as well where we tend to fill the arena with people, so Tuesday nights – I'm actually at the arena tonight and the boys here are being very quiet … we’ve got them in here playing Formula 1 2019 together, so it’s a racing car game."
The arena is packed during these weekly events, Featonby says.
"We’ve got a big group from one of the hostels that come in every Tuesday night without fail and fill the arena for me, which is quite nice. One of the main parts I like about being the esports coordinator is the relationship-building – getting to know them and sharing their passion for gaming."
. …"What we don’t support are realistic first-person shooters, so being the first university to have an esports presence we’re very wary that we need to be above board with everything we do and especially after Christchurch."
Games that feature realistic-looking guns, blood and gore – like the popular Counter-Strike – are not available at the arena, a move which was unpopular with some, but some of the more cartoon-style shooting games are allowed.
Jonathan Pie in full flow dissing everything in Boorish's Cabnt. Take note – not for sensitive ears – has a go at every bit of virtue signalling from the Conservatives.
Media coverage of the economy is drifting into the territory of predicting a recession and then when this does not come explaining that there was little growth but for that via migration.
This without placing this in perspective – past growth was slightly higher and so was immigration.
Given continuing demand from employers for more migrants … and the path to a higher MW ($20 in April 2021), those predicting recession connected to local economic factors alone have no credibility.
Really, you can still use the same tenancy agreement with all the same clauses you had back in 2016, as long as you cross out the bit about the letting fee.
This is all despite a Government which came to power promising the first serious change to tenancy laws in a generation, with an end to no-cause termination, limiting and codifying rent increases, more allowances for pets, and more modification of homes.
Is "social credit" an organisation, an author, or just a generic category of story? Can't seem to find it on the site. Might just be a category from Bradbury – I was wondering if the actual social credit movement was getting more active again.
Social Credit is New Zealand's oldest, surviving, smaller political party.
The following (below) is from mosa's initial link.
Social Credit, which has been part of New Zealand’s political landscape for 66 years, was the first party to propose a comprehensive environmental policy when it published a 28 page booklet entitled ‘You and Your Environment’ in 1973.
It was also the first party to promote an anti-nuclear position for New Zealand and it campaigned strongly for proportional representation.
More of us from the left should be supporting them.
Yes we know, you think lefties and environmentalists should vote for a party that doesn't have a shit show chance of getting into Parliament rather than the one that is already there. All so boring.
With Labour largely having the Greens onside, they know there is hardly anywhere for the left-wing voter to turn. Hence, we on the left need to show them otherwise.
The competition would be good for the left, forcing them both (Labour and the Greens) to up their game.
And that, IMO, would be a real concern for Labour. They would have to offer us more than merely being a National lite.
I think it is great that Labour is playing nice with the Greens these days. There are two things that are needed now for a more left and environmental government:
1. for the Greens to win back the vote they lost back to Labour last election and other stragglers they can pick up so that they are a bigger player in the government
2. for Labour to win more of the swing vote from National so that Winston First's support is not required to pass legislation.
More of us from the left should be supporting them.
You'd like to see more of the left vote directed to parties that won't make the threshold, so that their vote share gets re-distributed to, among others, right-wing parties? So not surprised to hear that…
I'd like to see more of the left vote directed to them (SC) to not only make the threshold but to help them win.
But clearly, I can't do that alone.
The left have a choice. Continue to vote Labour and get National lite or force Labour to up their game. The Greens have shown they are ineffective. Shaw won't rock the boat. Hell, they were the ones that came up with the BRR all on their own. Largely robbing Labour of the funding to do little more than National. Therefore, it's time to give SC a go.
Less chance of them climbing to even get a score on the board in opinion polls than there is of you being taken seriously on this site claiming to be part of "we on the left".
Good to hear! If only NZ would just wait for some kind of study so that we know it is safe or not. But no, why not experiment with our population first (because, rugby!)?
For fucks sake i am sick off feckin rugby !!!!!!!!
It is totally out of control and wayyyyyy over the top.
Imagine what it will be like when or if we loose or win for that matter.
If we loose then the NZRFU will hold an inquiry which will regrettably get more publicity than the current Burnham shambles.
If we win it will be like the second coming of christ and no one even those kiwis who DON'T watch this stupid 80 minutes of utter crap will not be safe.
What annoys me is: we've got the police ballsing-up the Pike River Inquiry by destroying crucial evidence, and it now transpires senior Defence Force personnel were either total incompetents or downright liars.
But all we get to hear about is a bunch of macho-ridden boof-heads kicking a funny shaped ball around a field.
You know things are dire when the arch capitalists start musing thus…
"Off the record, other senior people in the City tell me they find the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who has been circulating among them busily in recent months, a serious and intriguing figure: a supposed Marxist who looks, and sometimes talks, a bit like a bank manager.
A similar thaw is under way in the more thoughtful parts of the business press. With western capitalism having a crisis of confidence, at the very least – this week the Financial Times announced “Capitalism: time for a reset” – Labour’s radical economic alternatives have begun to look more reasonable to some business journalists. The Economist, despite its longstanding support for the Thatcherite free-market reforms that McDonnell would like to reverse, has been covering the development of Labour’s new economic thinking with intense curiosity since 2017. This month, the more cautious, centrist FT has published a succession of long articles about “Labour’s new establishment” and its ambitions for Britain. While the pieces were still spiked with criticisms, the scale of the coverage has suggested a degree of respect – and that corporate Britain needs to understand Corbynism, and be prepared to make some accommodations with it."
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TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
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— Thomas Sowell
Hmmm.
[Changed the font and added WP blockquote using Editor for clarity. Bold is for specific emphasis – if you bold the whole quoted text it come across as shouting – Incognito]
Are you worried people will not read your quote if you do not make the whole thing bold?
Now and then being 'bold' can be justified. But of course if used too often it loses its effectiveness, ie our minds get used to it, it just becomes more of the same, or we get irrritated and turn away.
But so much of our societal habits and practices are usual, accepted and unexamined. Like always wanting higher profits and lower wages. Labour costs are commonly the biggest costs that a firm can face; so that maybe they reflect the truth of how things should be.
And something that the quote of Thomas Sewell does not mention, is that the profits that are found high enough to be satisfactory, often are that way because economic externalities have been left out.
That is no money has been paid out or withheld to pay for past damage to workers or the environment and none has gone into studying and implementing practices to prevent future damage. The rest of society bears that cost, which is exponential we find when we look at all the results on the ground and in Climate Change itself.
In this place, whole sentences in bold tend to be moderators' comments.
I think this is a place for people's thoughts and minds to exchange and learn from each other. Shouldn't that be encouraged, not reduced by rules set by long practice which may be discouraging in this era of disruption which we need to face, discuss and understand? There need to be limits but not too rigid. The times demand we shake ourselves and open up our brains.
A quote and a query comes to mind. Do we understand why the quote below from Shortland Street has longevity? That might offer us a 'Being John Malkovich' (film) window to our psyche, ie
Setting authoritarian and rigid rules has not worked; we see by the mess and despair around us amongst a majority of people. We need looser rules to make us do what the PTB decided and agreed rules to guide us to an amicable living rather than just civil. Can we achieve a new way to handle our future with many hands on it, of people stepping forward who are thoughtful, informed, considered, and collaborative, and whose decisions are practical and mindful of the effect on all.
I was listening to Radionz this morning with Kim Hill and other interesting speakers. (Do others know Lloyd Cole's music?) One is an author, Sarah Moss from the UK, who I thought had some good ideas. We who are thinking and not just doing, take in and give out ideas, and are trying to be collaborative. So I mention this interview as likely to be interesting to others. I feel good when i hear people who have good ideas and hopes for a human future. Maybe you do too.
Perhaps we need to think about thinking. Against the ordinary citizen are people who study how our minds work and create propaganda that pushes our personal buttons. We need to understand ourselves and the things that they learn. So this from one google listing on brainstorming.
https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/top-brainstorming-techniques–cms-27181
19 Top Brainstorming Techniques to Generate Ideas for Every Situation
A few techniques for this type of brainstorming include Step Ladder Brainstorming, Round Robin Brainstorming, Rapid Ideation, and Trigger Storming.
Sorry I just copied + pasted and it was bold. Didn't think.
All good. Enjoy your eve.
operative word being 'might'
It's a pity that when someone puts up a statement or quote that has said something to them and they share it, another person tries to find some small aspect of it that can be used to dismiss the main point of it. Dont uou think? (I am putting some errors into my discourse so you can find something easy to comment on!)
you may not recognise the importance of the caveat.
the proverb dosnt say "profit is the mother of invention"
'Some small aspect' – or a fundamental flaw..
Ah there's the rub. Let's proceed. I can't I must be in the garden but have put up my think piece to add to the fertile field of thought here on this blog. Good growing!
I do think points of order matter but it's rather tiring. Prefer them to everything but the major matter. You lot ( except me when I want amusement) are terrible. This isn't a Left amusement park, but as a letters depositary that's how it ends up. Climate change, end of resources and the poorest of us, are everything. In comparison, nothing else matters.
How would this economist manage to ignore lots of factors including externalities? Ah, by being another of these dolts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell
Oof.
Finally someone with a platform being honest and talking about class struggle…time for those companies making millions in profit to share that wealth around with the workers… and here is something that deserves to be bold
Bernie Sanders' Union Platform Calls for Class Struggle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRfL5B_uJRo
What took him so long?
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4779589/class-warfare
I don't think you will see Warren making a big issue with class warfare going forward ( I could be wrong here) I have noticed her rhetoric has shifted to more of a defending the 'hard working middle class' as of late, which would fit in nicely with her new role as saviour of the establishment DNC, I mean she has been obliquely endorsed by the Koch Bros funded Third Way think tank after all…but then you seem to be status quo centrist kind of guy, so I can see how Warren would tick all your boxes…you guys are all about being pragmatic and compromise, even as we head faster and faster toward the cliff…you are like “can’t we slow down just a bit..please”
Warren emerges as potential compromise nominee
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/democratic-establishment-elizabeth-warren-136987
Why Elizabeth Warren doesn’t scare many moderate (read establishment) Democrats..
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/campaigns/article231718348.html
“She believes in capitalism, amazingly we have to say this, but that matters. What she’s offering is not a rejection of capitalism.”
“She is not tipping over the edge into what is absolutely unsustainable in a general election,” he added. “Our principle problem with Sanders is that he has.”
Warren was on message long before the advent of St Bern.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-viral-video-of-elizabeth-warren-going-after-gop-on-class-warfare-2011-9?
Yet she scares the money men.
https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1171500839686590464
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/delivering-alpha-elizabeth-warren-presidency-causes-a-scare.html
"Yet she scares the money men." you really think so? ..I guess that's why she had the tick from Third Way then, cos they like scaring themselves.
Look 90, warren is pretty good,of course and no doubt or argument from me, but she is also a shaping up as the compromise candidate for the establishment to back. and they really are scared of Bernie, shit scared, because unlike Warren , he wants real systemic change, he is the only one who will actually 'rock the boat'..and that is just a fact.
What tick?
Anyhoo, you rock the boat to build movements suitability large enough to affect real, systemic change. Any movement large enough to affect real, systemic change must include the centre and unless he can capture the centre, Sander's won't be able to deliver squat.
I like her. I'd prefer Bernie of course, but she comes across as smart, hard-headed, and looking to address the drivers of many US problems. If the DNC can be persuaded to abandon self-sabotage sufficiently to let go of Biden, Warren can probably beat Trump. If not though, there's that thing about those who refuse to learn the lessons of history.
I like her too, but lets face it Bernie is the only one who could possibly change the direction of the US in a real and meaningful way, infact he is the only one who wants too, Warren will end up being like Helen Clark ..thats why Third way like her, in her (Warren's) own words a capitalist to her bones.
Hi Adrian.
Just wanted to thank you for your support last week.
No worries, comradeship is what attracted me to Left politics when I was a very young man, and is still what I believe is it's real power.
I guess that is why it is always under assault from those in power, and those (like many here unfortunately) on the left who have drunk the kool aid of neoliberalism…it's a damn shame.
What do you think Bernie will do/achieve as POTUS?
He'll have a couple of years of both houses, if enough dem reps are on board with his plan.
He might get one or two big hits, like Obama did with healthcare. Or Warren might with campaign finance reform.
But he's not the Chosen One. He's just a man. You're setting yourself up for another four years of bitterness, and that's if he gets elected. If he misses the nom, we'll never hear the end of it. Again.
So far 'All' he's done is entirely move the conversation, and that's just as a candidate.
He allows the population who are suffering under a corrupted, ineficient and inhumane system of Health Care, Education, Housing, Employment..realise they can in fact demand better service and protections from their elected Representatives.
There is a reason the Corporate powers and DNC would rather he exited stage left…and its not because he has no power to bring about change..
Sanders shifted the conversation in 2016 – and it shifted even further last year, from within the Democratic party.
As a president, how much do you think he could actually get done?
Reforming healthcare requires both houses to cooperate, and SCOTUS to defeat any legal challenges.
Reforming administration requires budgetary approval from the legislature.
Can he unilaterally end US hegemony around the world?
Change minimum wage levels?
Role back the attack on reproductive healthcare?
"from within the Democratic party" WTF..really? where exactly did you get that totally outrageous fake news from?…the Russians maybe?
From the fact that many of the #metoo wave of candidates, including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, were members of and activists for the Democrats (and its state affiliates) for more than a few years before 2016.
Bernie did change the conversation, but he was an outsider looking to use the Democrat Party machinery. He wasn't a lifelong Democrat. Many of the #metoo crowd are.
Maybe Rose McGowan had a stronger effect on the dems than St Bernie did.
I don't think they would like to be described as " #metoo candidates", as I am sure their platform encompasses a little more than that one issue, and further, if you really don't understand that all the progressive gains recently are directly the result of the momentum and energy created by Bernie Sanders, then I would say you have seriously misread the direction of US politics since 2016.
Noice.
You get precious about the terminology I used to denote a wave of candidates who decided 2018 was the time to put themselves forward, and then you dismiss literally all the work they did in the democratic party before Bernie became a member and continue as democrats after he got re-elected to senate as an independent.
St Julian. St Bernie! Can I get a St Greta? Preys Jaysus.
Only if it's for the greta good
People do seem to be warming to her around the globe. Must be some sort of expression for that, like "world-wide mellowing".
@ Adrian Thornton (at 3:59 pm)
Sanders fights. It's the right attitude. He talks. Warren making agreements with corrupt power doesne impress. Everything needs to be overthrown. Power needs to bow to the people. No agreement needs to be made with the present. This makes me think he should choose Tulsi Gabbard as his vice-president. But I don't think that plutocracy will allow him.
I'm saying revolution. Or nothing for our youngers.
Sowell.
Really?
See my Moderation note @ 8:34 AM.
And while we're bolding.
– Albert Einstein
[Left the bold (!) but changed the font and added WP blockquote using Editor for clarity. Italics is for specific emphasis and effect – if you italicise the whole quoted text it loses its effect – Incognito]
Good quote. Thanks Joe90.
See my Moderation note @ 10:24 AM.
I've always block quoted comments I reply to and italicised text I cite.
Do you have a link to TS's style new guide?
There is no “TS's style new guide” because it would have been forewarned and announced loudly and clearly and quite possibly after some consultation. That said, Lynn does try to improve the text Editor and other things here by making technical adjustments with various success, as you know.
I think you might be taking my Moderation note as some kind of authoritarian instruction, when it is/was actually meant to be read as a suggestion. If you don’t agree with the suggestion to improve clarity of comments, I’m keen to hear it and the reason(s) why. Blockquotes and quotation marks have a special function as does font style; I think they are there for a reason. Please don’t get too alarmed and/or read too much into being ‘moderated’.
Lastly, I thought it was obvious that I was not ‘moderating’ in a vacuum but in the context of the comment @ 1 and the reactions it elicited.
I apologise if I did upset you, as this was not my intention. NB some commenters here have an idiosyncratic style that’s beyond reprieve 😉
Tricky when you have a mixture of quotes like that. I seem to have started italicising short initial ones from other commenters like this, but doubt there is any right way.
Accessibility work taught me it is harder for people to read lots of italics, capitals, or bold. Most of us can test that pretty easily by just reading an average paragraph in different formats..
FOR INSTANCE, DO YOUR EYES GET MORE TIRED READING A WHOLE CHUNK IN CAPS LIKE THIS WHEN IT GOES ON FOR MORE THAN A LINE OR TWO? MIGHT BE OKAY AS A HEADING BUT AT FOUR OR FIVE LINES THE EFFORT MAY BECOME MORE APPARENT. DOES ALSO DEPEND ON THE FONT USED. MY EYES END UP FEELING A BIT PHYSICALLY SORE THESE DAYS WHEN I ENCOUNTER THIS. HOW ABOUT YOURS?
Likewise long blocks of text without paragraphs, or excessive use of ellipses (both are almost a guarantee for me not to read a comment).
I used to use italics a fair bit, as it seems to convey quoting better than " " for longer quotes. Now I tend to use the blockquote, although it's a bit idiosyncratic (on my browser at least).
All bold irks me because it messes with my brain over moderation bold.
current bugbear is the gaps that the editor leaves in at the bottom of comments (or between cut and pastes).
Not so long ago, I think it was after one of the iterations of the Text Editor, I embarked on a personal crusade to improve readability here and enhance readers’ experience (scrolling!). Nobody ever commented on it but I became zealously obsessed and deleted almost every non-breaking space that had no clear stylistic function other than to add unnecessary ‘whitecaps’ to each comment, big or small, and even created large deserts of white space.
Suffice to say, it was an exercise in futility and like carrying water to the sea using a bucket with holes in it.
haha, I've been totally tempted. I edit my own, and other people's if I'm moderating. Hopefully Lynn will find a fix.
I do feel for you as moderators having to read all this. The new editor adding easy formatting buttons is not necessarily a good thing. 🙂
I really like the twitter embeds though, that might be my favourite change.
"I really like the twitter embeds though, that might be my favourite change."
you do understand that these (twitter embeds) prompt each readers browser to collect a twitter cookie?
what's your point there xanthe?
not really making a point but rather referencing a previous discussion here about why do we pick up so many cookies when accessing TS
embedded stuff is great but there is a cost in personal data leakage
"why do we pick up so many cookies when accessing TS"
I think most people, myself included, won't understand the implications of what you are pointing to.
True but I do trust Twitr a lot more than Bookface on that front. Have not managed to monetise our attention very well by comparison.
Results from free tracking cookie manager from the EFF:
Yeah, I know. I’ve looked at this a number of times over the years.
We use google analytics (keep track of usage – nothing else is remotely accurate), google fonts (the fonts used on the site are from there – which is why it looks familiar across many platforms), gravatar (those personalised icons), QR (the post barcode), twitter (the shout and count on twitter icon), facebook (the shout and count on facebook icon), and wordpress.org (including the wp) because we use wordpress jetpack.
Of those, the twitter and the QR aren’t critical. Basically twitter is the peanuts in terms of draw and the home to a noisy minority of wordy loons, QR is only used by a small number of new readers on mobiles.
However some of the other cookies (what you’re calling trackers) aren’t ‘on’ the standard. They are either on your client or attached to external videos.
Plus of course there is a load of javascript in various portions of the site – mostly jquery. Not that much because I limit its use in favour of site longevity.
Down below the level you can see, there are a pile of connections to other systems. The wordfence that prevents site attacks by looking at what everyone is asking for and from where. The AWS cloudfront (via w3 total cache) that looks at the calls for every image and document on the site and supplies it from locations around the world, the AWS route 53 that does the same for the DNS, the shunting through voyager….
If you choose to turn all them off – then that is your issue. The site won’t be that usable without them (especially the bits of javascript – which are far more dangerous than cookies).
No-one could pay me enough to provide the kind of site detailing that these systems provide. Which is why they are used.. One stacked on top of the other – and they are all potential monitoring systems.
Plus of course there is me.
Welcome to the net – built in a mound of monitoring systems where the basic anonymity is that really we don’t care enough to turn over the midden enough to clear out the problems.
It's a minimal set compared with commercial sites. Privacy Badger is an interesting tool.
On the pushback showing up in local politics: https://thespinoff.co.nz/local-elections/19-09-2019/the-two-loud-angry-campaigns-that-could-swing-the-auckland-local-elections/
Want some feel good?
"Be kind to one another"
https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/1175152974240157697
It seems to me that a more embracing guide for living than being kind is needed, though 'kind' helps. I believe 'kind' creates the feeling of a hippy-sounding mantra. It doesn't stand against the hard-nosed approach of the majority mired in the capitalist system, which I notice comes with a kevlar (more modern than armour) protection from receipt and acceptance of compassionate thoughts and understanding.
What about being kind and practical in balance in everything. I think that would help us to face off the dismissal of the human condition that is prevalent in neolib economics, and Randian 'The Virtue of Selfishness'.*
Stephen Fry discusses Ayn Rand and her works 2minsapprox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbfy6_fMBiw
Incidentally that is shown as coming from Radio 4. If a country has only private radio, they would not hear or see any of this sort of discussion. Instead it would be full of capitalist jargon very focussed on what were seen to be profitable subjects, ventures and discussions that would be influential in maintaining the wall against expansion of understanding and help.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virtue_of_Selfishness
Synchronicity at work? There seems to be more attention being paid to the use of language and rhetoric.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/115935261/politicians-treating-labour-party-sexual-assault-allegations-as-a-game-when-it-deserves-gravitis
I think what we have seen being played out in the NZ Media recently is a classic example of a ternary (triangular) structure similar to the Karpman drama triangle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpman_drama_triangle) involving the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor (sometimes called the Perpetrator). These roles can interchange. This model describes “a type of destructive interaction that can occur between people in conflict”.
I’m not going to assign names/entities to the three roles in this drama but like to emphasise that binary descriptions, concepts, and ‘explanations’ can be useful but can also be extremely limiting and overly simplistic depending on the context and their use or aim.
Our need to think – and toss ideas round outside the envelope (is writing letters and NZ Post really a thing of the past, should we be happy to see it disappear?). Random thoughts, like the above, are they useful and valuable or just inefficient?
The more we rely on technology to make us efficient, the fewer skills we have to confront the unexpected, says writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan. She shares why we need less tech and more messy human skills — imagination, humility, bravery — to solve problems in business, government and life in an unpredictable age. "We are brave enough to invent things we've never seen before," she says. "We can make any future we choose."
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4OPtFCs_fw
Fucking unbelievable. That they were cavalier with evidence collection, destroyed evidence, and we don't know who or why. Can't believe the Pike River families are still having to g through this kind of thing.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/09/items-found-around-pike-river-mine-destroyed-by-police-revealed.html
Police will not say who exactly ordered the items be destroyed.
Naturally.
Wag the dog and they're off. Iraq 2.0
https://twitter.com/CharlesMBlow/status/1175179334933520384
I wonder how many golliwogs that odious Trudeau had when growing up. The mind boggles… My guess would be that he had whole "families" of them…
How do you 'guess' that? Seems a bit ott to me.
The Nation: Simon Shepherd Interviews James Shaw.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1909/S00285/the-nation-simon-shepherd-interviews-james-shaw.htm
Nicely balanced middle of the road kind of interview.
Espots – gaming – not gambling. A shared space for the young brought up on the computer and games since they paid pacman at age 6 probably. Good idea to bring them together for simple friendship even proximity. A guided space where you can hang out with no stress.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/lately/audio/2018713717/game-theory-tom-featonby-on-the-omen-esports-arena
..."We also have events during night-time as well where we tend to fill the arena with people, so Tuesday nights – I'm actually at the arena tonight and the boys here are being very quiet … we’ve got them in here playing Formula 1 2019 together, so it’s a racing car game."
The arena is packed during these weekly events, Featonby says.
"We’ve got a big group from one of the hostels that come in every Tuesday night without fail and fill the arena for me, which is quite nice. One of the main parts I like about being the esports coordinator is the relationship-building – getting to know them and sharing their passion for gaming."
.
…"What we don’t support are realistic first-person shooters, so being the first university to have an esports presence we’re very wary that we need to be above board with everything we do and especially after Christchurch."
Games that feature realistic-looking guns, blood and gore – like the popular Counter-Strike – are not available at the arena, a move which was unpopular with some, but some of the more cartoon-style shooting games are allowed.
Labour conference at Brighton coming up.
Labour conference: Five things to look out for in Brighton
By Gavin Stamp Political reporter, BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49767667
Jonathan Pie in full flow dissing everything in Boorish's Cabnt. Take note – not for sensitive ears – has a go at every bit of virtue signalling from the Conservatives.
https://www.supernewsworld.com/Jonathan-Pie-Boriss-Britain-9526714.html
Media coverage of the economy is drifting into the territory of predicting a recession and then when this does not come explaining that there was little growth but for that via migration.
This without placing this in perspective – past growth was slightly higher and so was immigration.
Given continuing demand from employers for more migrants … and the path to a higher MW ($20 in April 2021), those predicting recession connected to local economic factors alone have no credibility.
Govt pissing around on making things fairer for renters: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/115955602/governments-rental-law-changes-missing-in-action
This was a good story of community working together for an outcome good for them all. Might have been put up before but worth another go.
Commenter says: Mike O'Donnell: " If you fail to treat people as the humans they are, at some point it's going to come back and bite you on the bum."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/115591856/a-closing-school-taught-its-community-some-new-skills
Public funded election broadcasting should be turned on head – Social Credit
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/09/21/public-funded-election-broadcasting-should-be-turned-on-head-social-credit
Is "social credit" an organisation, an author, or just a generic category of story? Can't seem to find it on the site. Might just be a category from Bradbury – I was wondering if the actual social credit movement was getting more active again.
Here you go Mc Flock
https://www.socialcredit.nz/
Cheers. Same symbol, must be the same crowd. And it looks like they're the old DSC from the 1990s-2000s.
Never really followed them, but I think it's a perspective to keep around.
Social Credit is New Zealand's oldest, surviving, smaller political party.
The following (below) is from mosa's initial link.
More of us from the left should be supporting them.
Yes we know, you think lefties and environmentalists should vote for a party that doesn't have a shit show chance of getting into Parliament rather than the one that is already there. All so boring.
Wrong.
I think we on the left require far better representation than what Labour and the Greens have provided thus far.
To me (and others) Labour and the Greens representation of the left has largely been disappointing.
Like sands through the hourglass, so are the concerns of our lives.
With Labour largely having the Greens onside, they know there is hardly anywhere for the left-wing voter to turn. Hence, we on the left need to show them otherwise.
The competition would be good for the left, forcing them both (Labour and the Greens) to up their game.
And that, IMO, would be a real concern for Labour. They would have to offer us more than merely being a National lite.
I think it is great that Labour is playing nice with the Greens these days. There are two things that are needed now for a more left and environmental government:
1. for the Greens to win back the vote they lost back to Labour last election and other stragglers they can pick up so that they are a bigger player in the government
2. for Labour to win more of the swing vote from National so that Winston First's support is not required to pass legislation.
More of us from the left should be supporting them.
You'd like to see more of the left vote directed to parties that won't make the threshold, so that their vote share gets re-distributed to, among others, right-wing parties? So not surprised to hear that…
No.
I'd like to see more of the left vote directed to them (SC) to not only make the threshold but to help them win.
But clearly, I can't do that alone.
The left have a choice. Continue to vote Labour and get National lite or force Labour to up their game. The Greens have shown they are ineffective. Shaw won't rock the boat. Hell, they were the ones that came up with the BRR all on their own. Largely robbing Labour of the funding to do little more than National. Therefore, it's time to give SC a go.
Less chance of them climbing to even get a score on the board in opinion polls than there is of you being taken seriously on this site claiming to be part of "we on the left".
You're fucking hilarious sometimes.
I didn't know Social Credit still existed!
I remember the days of Bruce Betham and Gary Knapp….whats Gary Knapp doing these days?
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/09/health-concerns-have-stopped-5g-rollout-in-australia.html
Good to hear! If only NZ would just wait for some kind of study so that we know it is safe or not. But no, why not experiment with our population first (because, rugby!)?
For fucks sake i am sick off feckin rugby !!!!!!!!
It is totally out of control and wayyyyyy over the top.
Imagine what it will be like when or if we loose or win for that matter.
If we loose then the NZRFU will hold an inquiry which will regrettably get more publicity than the current Burnham shambles.
If we win it will be like the second coming of christ and no one even those kiwis who DON'T watch this stupid 80 minutes of utter crap will not be safe.
Ditto, ditto, ditto.
I'm currently trying to figure out how I'm going to get through the next 3 weeks without going stark raving mad.
Each to their own I suppose. I like sitting down with a beer and watching a game of rugby. (or a few other sports come to that).
The media’s war with Bernie Sanders highlights the need to factcheck the factcheckers
An interesting read that does not mention rugby.
https://www.thecanary.co/us/us-analysis/2019/09/19/the-medias-war-with-bernie-sanders-highlights-the-need-to-factcheck-the-factcheckers
Who cares about frigging rugby! That is a subject that belongs to potatoes living on a couch and addicted to watching advertisements.
If they want to enjoy rugby they should get their arse moving and go and play some while they still can.
What annoys me is: we've got the police ballsing-up the Pike River Inquiry by destroying crucial evidence, and it now transpires senior Defence Force personnel were either total incompetents or downright liars.
But all we get to hear about is a bunch of macho-ridden boof-heads kicking a funny shaped ball around a field.
Ok got that off my chest. Back to normal.
Spoiler!
Ringo's still got it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph1GU1qQ1zQ
Jordan Peterson is checking himself into rehab.
All those gay couples getting married, casual hookups, and women being able to go on the pill are freaking him out.
'heh ''
https://twitter.com/Muellertime1000/status/1175048736965320706
You know things are dire when the arch capitalists start musing thus…
"Off the record, other senior people in the City tell me they find the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who has been circulating among them busily in recent months, a serious and intriguing figure: a supposed Marxist who looks, and sometimes talks, a bit like a bank manager.
A similar thaw is under way in the more thoughtful parts of the business press. With western capitalism having a crisis of confidence, at the very least – this week the Financial Times announced “Capitalism: time for a reset” – Labour’s radical economic alternatives have begun to look more reasonable to some business journalists. The Economist, despite its longstanding support for the Thatcherite free-market reforms that McDonnell would like to reverse, has been covering the development of Labour’s new economic thinking with intense curiosity since 2017. This month, the more cautious, centrist FT has published a succession of long articles about “Labour’s new establishment” and its ambitions for Britain. While the pieces were still spiked with criticisms, the scale of the coverage has suggested a degree of respect – and that corporate Britain needs to understand Corbynism, and be prepared to make some accommodations with it."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/21/bankers-corbyn-tories-no-deal-capitalism-radical-government
Mmmm?
Spark have waved the white flag on their streaming and made the second half of the sportsball free to air on tvnz's Duke channel. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12269739
You above all seem to be committed to showing the last legs of human wealth. Worthwhile aim.
The other, is ridiculous after-all.