Open mike 21/11/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 21st, 2023 - 26 comments
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26 comments on “Open mike 21/11/2023 ”

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  1. observer 1
    21 November 2023 at 6:38 am

    As so often, it's the fake apology that makes it worse:

    New National MP Cameron Brewer celebrated victory for 'stale, pale males' after defeat of Sri Lankan-born rival | RNZ News

    "minor offence … humour …" – and he's only disappointed that it has been reported. Not for being an obnoxious bigot.

    • bwaghorn 1.1
      21 November 2023 at 7:23 am

      I guess he's just depowering a racist sexest slur!

    • AB 1.2
      21 November 2023 at 9:03 am

      Brewer's not disclosing anything we weren't already aware of, What he's expressing is a large part of the deranged animus we saw predominantly from men towards Lab-Green. The viciousness of threatened privilege/wealth/hierarchy/power (whatever you want to call it) is a constant in human affairs.

    • Terry 1.3
      21 November 2023 at 12:19 pm

      I’ve been openly described as a “pale, stale male”, by several younger activist types at my company. I think initially it was because I stopped them from getting into trouble with a project that they were working on.

      Do what’s the issue?

      • observer 1.3.1
        21 November 2023 at 12:21 pm

        Were you celebrating the defeat of a brown woman?

        • Terry 1.3.1.1
          21 November 2023 at 1:55 pm

          If it’s okay to be called “A stale pale male” then surely if you actually are one, and you win an election, then you can celebrate it and describe your self as a stale pale male.

          But we know that is not the point. The intent behind calling someone a pale stale male is to insult that persons age, skin colour and gender.

          I you want to insult me please have the courage to use offensive language

          • observer 1.3.1.1.1
            21 November 2023 at 2:08 pm

            When did Vanushi Walters call Brewer a "stale pale male"? Or anything personal and derogatory? Please let us know. You seem to have some info about her that nobody else has.

            Or perhaps, much like Cameron Brewer, you seem determined to invent an insult that didn't happen.

            • Terry 1.3.1.1.1.1
              21 November 2023 at 2:47 pm

              I’ve always found it interesting that certain types of people (eg bullies etc) insult people, then get upset when an insult is returned.

              Some people then get upset when the recipient of an insult, takes ownership of said insult and makes fun about being insulted.

              This then shows the true nature of the insulter, they are a bit of a dick, and of no consequence

              • observer …
                21 November 2023 at 6:32 pm

                So you have nothing.

                Only Cameron Brewer referred to his race and gender. Vanushi Walters did not. The insult was invented by Brewer.

                It's good that you have finally acknowledged this undisputed fact.

                • Terry …
                  21 November 2023 at 7:45 pm

                  I really don’t understand what you’re issue is about this

                  plenty of white middle aged men have had derogatory comments made about them, due to their race, age and gender, especially if someone believes they are on the right of the political spectrum.

                  It does get a bit tiresome.

                  There was nothing wrong with what he said, because describing a white middle aged bloke, as pale, stale and male, is apparently perfectly acceptable. So if he describes himself that way, what is the problem?

      • AB 1.3.2
        21 November 2023 at 12:51 pm

        The issue is that Brewer is pretending (only half in jest) that he's a member of an oppressed minority and his victory in the seat is redressing an injustice. He's nothing of the sort.

        The appellation "pale, stale, etc." is certainly pretty dumb. The "pale" is irrelevant and the "stale" might also be irrelevant if it refers just to age – rather than (say) adherence to a failed set of ideas. The young people who called you that are likely to be immature kids and probably best treated with amused detachment – which I expect you did.

        One of the great manufacturers of this fake oppression was the Top Gear guy Jeremy Clarkson. He was a multi-millionaire with a huge media platform that enabled him to say virtually anything he liked. But in his heyday, he liked to present himself as the haggard, downtrodden victim of the authoritarian plague of "political correctness". In the end he over-reached and it turned out that he couldn't say absolutely anything he liked. There was indeed a limit, but that limit was so far short of oppression that the whole thing was a joke.

    • Tiger Mountain 2.1
      21 November 2023 at 8:05 am

      A nice example of a most effective meme this one…those two will have Baldrick begging for mercy, if he is not already.

    • Chris 2.2
      21 November 2023 at 8:56 am

      "One too many Weet-Bix" – wow – Seymour must be feeling way too aquired and not very merged right now.

  3. pat 3
    21 November 2023 at 7:37 am

    " The electorate doesn’t vote for designations, it votes for ideas. 38.6% is what Christopher Luxon got for not being Chris Hipkins. It isn’t enough."

    https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/125293/chris-trotter-looks-whether-christopher-luxons-corporate-leadership-style-can

    • Bearded Git 3.1
      21 November 2023 at 8:34 am

      The Nats got 38.1 not 38.6.

    • Ed1 3.2
      21 November 2023 at 10:08 am

      Chris Trotter makes a good point about Luxon. Before the final count he acted as though it was holiday time. We know that he and others he wished to involve will have received public service briefings – and in a few cases departments have some idea of likely changes, but there is no excuse for Luxon effectively shutting down public comment on international issues, where there is a long history of largely bi-partisan approaches to New Zealand policies. I was pleased when Hipkins made his statement – it was not controversial, but gave a priority to saving lives without entering into arguments about rules and grievances and alliances – Luxon's response indicated he put deals before people's lives. But Trotter's criticism could be said of many leaders; the sooner Labour get out from under 'caretaker' conventions the better. .

  4. Sandra Le Cron 4
    21 November 2023 at 9:09 am

    Three parties in Cabinet together…..how long will it last ? Who will be the first to de-camp? If it works, it will be a fantastic success!

    • Descendant Of Smith 4.1
      21 November 2023 at 11:00 am

      If it works, it will be a fantastic success!

      Seriously what actual policies do you think they have that will make it successful and for whom.

      Increasing immigration will further push up house prices, unemployment and rents and likely homelessness. Tax cuts and interest deductions will benefit the well off more than the poor and will push investment into housing.

      Like John Key's government the whole point of this governments policies is to increase housing demand against supply. A government designed by landlords for landlords. A capitalist's wet dream.

      Retail will continue to suffer as more workers money goes into rent and mortgage and other debt servicing as people borrow to live. As power bills go up due to service the debt incurred from borrowing to pay dividends, as water is more privatised and meters go in to follow the same return to shareholder priority as with electricity and the British experiment.

      The company town has become the company country.

      1. Own everything
      2. Suppress wages to increase profit
      2. Steal capital from company through high salaries
      3. Use that capital to buy workers houses
      4. Charge high rent to get pittance wages back
      5. Own the businesses where workers have to shop
      6. Own shares in the banks where workers take on debt to live and get more wages back through share dividends
      6. Workers working for nothing

      Anyone would think Queen Victoria is still on the throne.

      • Patricia Bremner 4.1.1
        21 November 2023 at 12:40 pm

        That expresses what is happening. It is fine for them, 'till it all falls over.

        sad

      • Sandra Le Cron 4.1.2
        22 November 2023 at 4:04 pm

        And, get some of these stupid signs changed into a language that most people can read and understand! A sensible policy at last!

  5. joe90 5
    21 November 2023 at 12:14 pm

    Meet Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security. Kahnist youth coordinator, exempted from national service because of his extremist right wing background, convicted supporter of a terror organisation, anti-peace activist, settler terrorist, and renowned for a TV appearance a few weeks before Rabin was assassinated waving an ornament that had been stolen from Rabin's car, declaring: "We got to his car, and we'll get to him too."

    This is who governs Israel.

    https://bsky.app/profile/eladn.bsky.social/post/3ken6rbavvp25

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/20/families-of-gaza-captives-reject-talk-of-death-penalty-for-hamas-detainees

  6. Macro 6
    21 November 2023 at 1:07 pm

    Earth briefly exceeded more than 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial benchmark this weekend, preliminary data showed. When compared with the 1991-2020 average, the global mean on Friday was 2.07 degrees Celsius above average preindustrial levels, and 2.06C above preindustrial on Saturday. This year is on track to be the hottest on record globally, with temperature records set in July, August, September, and October. November is on track to be the hottest such month on record.

    https://www.axios.com/2023/11/20/earth-2c-warming-threshold-passed-report

  7. SPC 7
    21 November 2023 at 2:34 pm

    The Broadcasting Standards Authority has found a comment made about striking teachers on Mike Hosking’s NewstalkZB Breakfast show was inaccurate and breached broadcasting standards.

    The thing is that his is a fact free show based entirely around his reckons, there was however a court decision in the USA which said that people who hardly ever say anything truthful should not be held to the same standards as others.

    The case of Tucker Carlson.

    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/09/judge-rules-fox-news-tucker-carlson-not-source-of-news-defamation-suit-mcdougal-trump.html

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/301012628/bsa-finds-mike-hosking-breakfast-breached-broadcasting-standards-with-striking-teachers-comment

    And there endeth the lesson.

  8. ianmac 8
    21 November 2023 at 4:45 pm

    Luxon is no stranger to dodging stuff!

    Don't know how to link to Andre Vance's book about the National Party Blue Blood, but I did note this:

    By 2016, the airline was earning record profits, helped by

    weak fuel prices and booming tourism. He had big plans. The

    airline signed new code-share agreements and alliance deals and

    opened new international routes. With New Zealand's tourism

    sector booming, there were record profits and Air New Zealand

    placed orders for the latest aircraft.

    He shat all over (former CEO)Rob Fyfe in one interview when he said that when he took over

    it was basically a disaster' a former colleague says. "It wasn't. Rob

    Fyfe did a fantastic job to get it to where it was. Luxon benefited

    from a worldwide tourism boom, the source says. When you

    you're making many million dollars a year that covers up many

    sins, including probably opening up too many routes, buying too

    many aircraft, and Greg Foran [Luxon's successor) hinted at that

    quite recently in public!

    The colleague points to Luxon's impeccable timing. He has

    been pretty tinny in getting in on the good times and leaving

    before the bad. Very John Key-esque. Although the tourism boom waned in 2016/17, Air New Zealand made an enormous

    purchase of aircraft in 2019. “Everything was geared towards

    growth, growth, growth and didn't understand that the music

    stops eventually.” By 2019, even before the arrival of Covid-19,

    cuts had to be made. "To be slightly unkind, maybe part of that

    was he didn't want a story of decline so he kept the music running

    A bit too long. And then got out,” the colleague says.