I doubt very much you’re off the dope as you claim, but taking you at your word, what withdrawal symptoms did you expect to have as you begin to get used to dealing with reality and real feelings with no numbing agent?
I didn’t have any when I dropped marijuana. Still, at the time I was still on the legal drugs of tobacco and alcohol. Felt the withdrawals when I gave those up.
Some do have problems, some don’t, being the point of the link.
Probably best we don’t don’t diminish the, for some, very real physical and psychological withdrawal effects and reduce them to a simple ‘meh’.
I used marajuana to offset social anxiety. I found the amount I had to drionk to achieve the same left me vomitting for days. I mainly used on the weekends. I discovered it, well began smoking it, when in my last year oif university. I noticed it began to affect my short term memory a couple of years later, especially during a presentation tot he 35 partners of my law firm. I cut back.
I noticed no side effects other than my undiagnosed chemical imbalance related to seratonin was winning more on a daily basis.
Prescription drugs however I noticed MAJOR differences when I reduced doses.
I am amazed at how many people with mental health problems unilaterally lower or stop their medication. I think it points to the overall perception that it is a weakness to be on such medications. Who would stop taking their heart meds just because they started to feel fine? Most, if not all would attribute it to the drugs and keep taking them for fear of a fatal heart attack.
Anger and irritability are a symptom of cannabis withdrawal 😉 lol
“The fourth most common symptom is anger. This can range from a slow burning rage to constant irritability to sudden bursts of anger when least expected: anger at the world, anger at loved ones, anger at oneself, anger at being an addict and having to get clean”
To be fair, any one can claim any thing on the net, but if you’re getting clean, good for you. It can take a period of months to fully detox from thc, so good luck with that.
My drug use, hardly relevant, but okay…
In my past I have had periods of being a daily cannabis smoker.
I have been addicted to tobacco.
I have had experience of legal highs.
Now I do none of those, so cleanish-skin would be a better descriptor.
I partake in an occasional bottle of cider or perry, but not since I’ve been on prescription meds as the instructions state limit alcohol.
Addictive meat < Drugs. Keep pulling back on that bow string Mr Hood. 😆
Hi, I’m The Al1en, I’m a meataholic and it’s been six weeks since my last bacon buttie.
Bet I could go longer without a chicken curry than you’ll manage without a spliff, and with no withdrawal symptoms, not even a random cluck or cock a doodle don’t.
And just for that, I’m re-hashing an old joke of mine, first aired on here January 2013
You’ve got to feel sorry for drug addicts and how they have to go cold turkey.
But I bet they’re glad they’re not sex addicts, who have to go cold sausage.
A couple of random jumps from pot doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms, to meat is addictive, to meat causes cancer.
For the record, uv rays can cause cancer, just like smoking pretty much anything will, especially cannabis, where the toke is usually held in the lungs for a longer period. To reduce your chances, I wouldn’t eat a kebab in the sunshine after a drag on a joint.
I’m not sure why you are attacking me. Is it because I said I don’t believe your abstinence or don’t accept your meh as the definitive authority on wacky baccy come downs?
Either way, seeing the progression of responses to my fairly tame and sincere posts, I’m not that much surprised. Maybe I do believe you’re giving up after all, though the way you were engaged in the addict wars the other week, it is hard to tell 🙂
I’m sensing a whiff of paranoia, but it could just be something in the air, though after saying I’m full of shit and not remembering a few minutes later, well, that’s almost conclusive about your short term memory 😆
Phillip, phillip, ”Red meat gives you bowel cancer”, please provide us a link to this assertion, something at least with a modicum of professionalism involved other than some Hippie ‘i thunk it therefor it is theory’ would be nice,
”Bowel cancer is the biggest cancer killer in New Zealand”, a link to some proof of this would also not go amiss Phillip, its not that i consider you a bullshit artist, no hang on, i do consider you to be engaged most days in heavy bouts of the male bovine defecating,
Proof please i am tired of doing hours of research to prove liars are doing just that…
We can’t knock Phill too much, although having said that when the occasion arises to its always a pleasure,
Having Phill admit His poly-addiction was halfway to having Him make the attempt to at least try a drug free lifestyle and we should be at least a little supportive of Him in His attempt even if we think He is full of the brown stuff with His daily reports on His non-use,
my next attempt at Phills rehabilitation into the real world will have to be to have Him write His comments in at least a semblance of logically structured English instead of the plagarism of E.E whats-his-face who wrote the occassional poem in the lack of style Phill has chosen to adopt,
Far from a heroic poet of the left E.E whats-his-face was a supporter of the Republican’s and an admirer of McCarthyism happily content to pen and publish the odd poem full of racial innuendo…
While we work on your lack of style through the plagarism of E.E whats-his-faces few poems written in this mangled stupidity Phill we will also have to do a little remedial instruction for you on continued repetition which leaves the readers bored and you looking un-intelligent,
The brain damage suffered by heavy drug users is in most cases, depending on the level of such self inflicted damage, usually self healing over a period of ensuing years of being free from the addiction,
We might then expect you to lift the intelligence quotient of you comments,(although in your case i would suggest such hope is a forlorn one), and stop being so boringly repetitive…
Yes exactly Phillip, you have used the derr rejoinder above on numerous occasions, containing zero humor on its first use it has failed to grow any and in fact seems to have sunk into the minus as a reposte containing any wit whatsoever,
But, just for you i can assure you that my ashtray is emptied on a regular basis on the days of the week when i take out my food scraps for burial in my extensive garden, a small modicum of ash i am assured is a positive for soil development,
And now, i must leave you to it for an hour as said garden, along with the other household chores must be attended to at the ponderous speed the bone deformity growing on my spine allows for,
Definitely wont be able to answer in the affirmative if ever labelled spineless as i am possessed of one with extras,(i am sure i have left an opening there Phillip that even one such as you suffering the withdrawal of years of drug abuse can dredge a modicum of humor from)…
Imagine if every time somebody expressed support for capitalism, they were immediately screamed down with death tolls from Colonial India, the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the worst of US foreign policy. Those who argued against them, rather than engaging any of their arguments directly, informed them that they were “psychotic“, heartless apologists for some of the worst crimes in history, then proceeded to catalogue these crimes as if that settled the debate. Perhaps the incredulous anti-capitalists would go so far as to tell the capitalist that they were insulting the victims of these crimes, and even that if they ever met those victims, they’d probably get beaten up or something. Sound stupid? Well, this is where debates about communism lie today.
Thanks for that. Here’s one in reply that I imagine you might enjoy:
While depression economics has many strange features, the most important one to remember is this: with slack in the economy, it’s possible to have an economic free lunch. If our economy were running at capacity, new government spending, for example, would tend to create inflation because the capacity (workers, raw materials, and equipment) would have to be bid away from someone else, thereby raising prices. But during a depression that doesn’t happen. Instead, new spending brings idle capacity into production. To put that another way, the single-most-important underpinning of a functioning economy is to ensure that there is sufficient aggregate demand.
What do people want? They want Jobs. Higher wages. A warm, safe home to live in. Affordable rent and a secure tenancy. Cheap power. Protection from those bastards at WINZ, CYFS and the ACC. Unions that people can join without fear of losing their jobs. Free doctors’ visits. Free dental care. Schools that give their kids the very best start in life. The right to hunt and fish and swim in the mountains, lakes and rivers of their own country without running into “Private Property – Keep Out” signs and without getting sick. An end to the selling off their country’s farms and forests to foreigners. – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/19/what-the-hells-gone-wrong-with-cunliffe/#sthash.eAch3oqu.dpuf
There you go. Everything you really need to know about NZ politics in one clean, clear paragraph.
I know a lot of people don’t enjoy it much when Chris writes about how Labour could do better – but I find it makes him a more reliable compass than most.
I wrote the other day about Cunliffe needing to demonstrate leadership, and I’ve long advocated a UBI as the killer policy that will cut through the neo-lib smokescreen. And yet in that one para Chris has identified exactly where and how Cunliffe can express this leadership – in terms that have real meaning for the ordinary NZ voter.
Hasn’t Cunliffe been saying that his Labour will deliver a lot of those things? Using different words but still the underlying politics is very similar to what Trotter is saying.
What specific instances has Cunliffe failed on these kinds of issues? Or are you just questioning his delivery?
That’s a fair question. I agree Labour has been doing the groundwork, it has announced some policy – I’m sure a lot of good things are going on.
But yes the delivery hasn’t – delivered. Somehow it’s all come across as ‘a dash here and a dab there’ without much sense of being part of a coherent, consistent narrative.
Part of the blame lies with the msm who will not do Labour any favours in this respect. Part of the blame lies with an atomised society that has been largely and deliberately switched off.
If there was a simple, silver bullet answer to this way smarter minds than mine would know it by now – and if not I wouldn’t spell it out in a public forum. But the one thing I’m sure of is this – if we keep playing by the Nats rules, on their playing field, the left will forever struggle.
I don’t want to just get over the line with a marginal coalition. If we are going to make the changes necessary to bury neo-liberalism in this country the left needs a mandate no-one will challenge for a decade.
I totally agree about the coherent narrative part, that hasn’t been there yet. But that was largely because Labour was in stasis with the previous chief of staff.
That was partly DC’s fault but at least now Matt is in there I am confident we will see a significant improvement. The train was just parked up at the station so it is going to take a month or so to get up to speed.
Asking Labour to bury neo-liberalism in this country in 6 months is quite an ask.
If you’re looking for a landslide victory for the left then you’ve got to be prepared for another 3 years of National. That’s the reality.
I understand that the situation with the CoS was really unfortunate. It must have been destabilising and Matt will take some time to get up to speed as anyone does in a new role.
Maybe I am dreaming – but to my mind losing the election AND then having Cunliffe being forced to resign really leaves the left in NZ in a pretty bleak place.
I simply don’t see a lot of other figures who I think have both the experience and talent to take the game off National. And then subsequently run a strong stable government.
That’s the point – there are very few people in Labour or the Greens who have track record in successfully running a Ministerial office for any length of time. Experience counts. It boils down to maybe six people, and of those I really only respect Cunliffe, King and Goff.
Where does that leave us in the event of a loss in September?
Winning elections is only part of the deal. Having the people capable of doing a good job of running a Ministry is the another part – if that is you want them to achieve something worthwhile.
That’s why Cunliffe needs to stay on – he’s the only left wing MP whose policy I can support AND who I’d trust to run a government competently.
I simply don’t see a lot of other figures who I think have both the experience and talent to take the game off National.
Sometimes having experience is what gets in the way. After all, the experienced person will try to continue doing things the way that they know how when what we need is to do things differently. Cunliffe is, IMO, in this position.
What we need is a team with the shear arrogance to get in there and make the necessary changes. Of course, they still need to get the populace onside to make the changes.
“..I don’t want to just get over the line with a marginal coalition. If we are going to make the changes necessary to bury neo-liberalism in this country the left needs a mandate no-one will challenge for a decade..”
plus one..
rather than limp over the line..i wd almost rather key got back..
..as that wd see a cleanout of the old neo-lib reactionaries/do nothings in labour..
Most of Trotter’s rant is what David Cunliffe has been saying the whole time… Apart from Trotter trying to shove a couple of his Waitakere man tropes in there, I mean who complains about CYFS?
That’s my problem with trotter, he’s so fickle, he chops and changes his perspective all the time. Yet every time he delivers a perspective, it’s somehow always the definitive perspective, even when it contradicts what he’s said in an earlier piece.
Red, totally agree with you, that half of Chris Trotters latest went straight to the heart of the ‘bread and butter’ issues that effect the bottom 30% of the economy the most and Labour cannot seem to get any sort of grip on these most basic of issues,
Phill Twyford kindly took the time to Post here at the Standard yesterday and far from inspire me everything He said concerning housing resonated in my mind as an exhibition of how far Labour is removed from the realities of that real world lived every day by those of us in that bottom 30% of the economy…
Finally some of the Labour Caucus doing a days work!
Cosgrove, Robertson and Jones getting some cut through.
Thankfully Cunliffe does not play the game of trying to hog the limelight. Cunliffe has the self confidence to encourage all his front bench to show their wares.
It is a big contrast from when Mold and Robertson were blocking Cunliffe and others from getting any limelight. Keep it up Labour.
BTW we should be hearing more from Shearer Goff King et al. Has anyone seen them get publicity?
However, I get flashes of anger when I remember the fucking stupid behaviour of Mallard and Roberson and the twits that surrounded them in Wellington. Their selfishness did a lot of damage to the party and Cunliffe has a lot a shit to clean up. I hope he is getting the help he needs.
I too expect Goff, Shearer, King, Hipkins and other to land some solid blows on the Government: up your game boys and girls; the membership will be pissed if you slouch.
I certainly do not want to see or hear anything from Mallard. Please Trevor, continue to be a great man of the people up the the valley….away from the media.
The following comments are my considered opinion as an anti-corruption ‘whistle blower’:
How come, as an anti-corruption ‘whistleblower’ – fighting for transparency in Auckland Council rates spending, and exposing corrupt conflicts of interest within Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs, (particularly with the powerful private sector ‘invitation-only’ $10,000 per year membership fee – lobby group the Committee for Auckland), I’m being censored, assaulted by Council Officers and now threatened with the sale of my home, while corrupt Judith Collins – MINISTER FOR JUSTICE – has protection at the highest levels while she arguably feathers her (and her husband’s) own nest?
Is corrupt Judith Collins being protected by shonky John Key?
Why?
Because they’re both corrupt?
Because shonky John Key is getting advice on corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ from his party political ‘Office of the Prime Minister’ as opposed to the supposedly more independent and impartial Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) ?
Please be reminded that dodgy John Banks was protected by shonky John Key – but the DEFENDANT John Banks has been committed to trial for electoral fraud in the Auckland High Court for a 10 day hearing on 19 May 2014.
As I predicted – 2014 is the year that New Zealand is being rocked to the core with scandals of corrupt corporate ‘conflicts of interest’ and cronyism – which go right to the top.
Want to see a framework for genuine transparency and democratic accountability at NZ central and local government level and within the judiciary?
I don’t get all the fuss over the Kohanga Reo fuss the last couple days. Yesterday on te wireless Nat Radio the Panel, Jim Mora had the little turd Jordan Williams on ranting about how evil it was that the trust had set up a corporate structure which was entirely lawful but which had a result which was a sham in that it broke a link that quite clearly existed between the end point and the start point (public funding)
Perhaps Jordan Williams would care to also attack political party donation structures which put in place corporate structures which are entirely lawful but which have a result which is a sham in that it breaks a link that quite clearly exists between the end point and the start point (secret funding)
Jordan Williams could start with the National and Labour Parties.
It was a disgusting and hypocritical attack by the organisation that is controlled by Jordan Williams and David Farrar. Their credibility weakens every time they stick their heads over the parapet. Bunch of puppet muppets, not to mention blatantly racist as evidenced by their target selection…
The Dunedin City Council’s financial dealings arm buying up bits of resorts. And losing $6 million. And apparently hardly under anyone’s control. Then the money spent on the Forsyth Barr stadium. The ratepayers/taxpayers are being used as a pool of ensklaved investors under these policies of today.
The central government should take away the general competence of councils. It is too easy for men and women who want to strut around making deals and feeling important. With ratepayers money. If anything was to be developed it should be model housing, to designs that the local government commission would have had drawn up allowing multiple use of sectionsm apartments for family living, up to say four stories high with lifts etc. Slanted to the sun, allowing some privacy, space for gardening. Things like that. Not playing the smart shit speculator style.
Delta spent $14.17 million on the properties in 2008 and 2009. It now expected a loss of between $6.4 million and $8.7 million, with the amount to be confirmed by the end of the year, the [Auditor-general’s] report said… The report cleared Delta and its directors of any impropriety or conflicts of interest, and made no recommendations for changes to any party. That was largely due to the work already undertaken by the council to restructure the governance arrangements of its companies… included separating the membership of the DCHL board from its subsidiary companies, and appointing a new council group chief financial officer
Losing half your money on a property investment, is certainly unimpressive management skills. However, I remain to be convinced that putting everything in central government’s hands is the solution. Look how well that’s going with the Christchurch rebuild and Canterbury water.
But, yes; energy-smart state housing would be a boon for the country. I can’t see the present NAct crew doing anything about it though.
I’m not suggesting tht everything should be done by central government. I am suggesting that any projects above a certain amount (possibly based on a percentage of the last annual rates total) should be passed before perhaps a panel with some financial and accounting and development people from government and the local people.
It is necessary to confer, objectively look at the figures, really it would be mentoring. It wouldn’t be just a political fix with one person like Brownlee, plus political appointees, any body or bodies, it would need people beyond those whose abilities need to be measured with regard to the Peter Principle.
Cripes DTB have you ever been involved in parish pump politics? Do you have a local newspaper with a reasonable number of letters printed each day? Or on line comments? The issues get churned so often they end of as grey slush. And the same arguments vented in boring repetition. AAghhh!@
Leave it to the people and you can end up with nothing or some wildly impractical scheme that presses some emotional button. And stops there because it doesn’t serve any purpose that is really wanted. Like a monument to WW1. What the hell what about WW2 memorials, we want equal time, and the Vietnam War too, and what about the war that the Western powers are trying to organise right now.
People should have their say but don’t believe that saying about the wisdom of masses. People understanding the issues, agreeing with the issues, and then choosing from possible measures to meet those issues, with budgets, the employment graph showing the figures for extra employment when completed and running etc.well wouldn’t that be fine and dandy. Do most people go to that trouble? That is what is needed when voting.
You almost have to winnow out people who firstly won’t even consider the project, or who aren’t willing to see any of their rates get spent on more than the basics, or think it is the wrong colour, or who want the money spent on something else they consider should have priority etc. or you will never get anything done.
Leave it to the people and you can end up with nothing or some wildly impractical scheme that presses some emotional button. And stops there because it doesn’t serve any purpose that is really wanted.
Bollocks.
People will have the choice – fund this or that or raise rates. Specifically they’re given all the information first.
Do most people go to that trouble? That is what is needed when voting.
If the information is easily available then, yes, I believe they will.
and that’s not going to skew the participation rates at all? Poorest fok have to go to the pooling boths on a rainy day, folk with internet at home don’t need to change out of their pjs?
it might well mean that when the penalty for failure is worse than what we have today.
It might mean that but it probably won’t.
do you believe people make decisions based on information or their own prejudices?
Both but that most people will make decisions based upon the evidence if they have easy access to that evidence. IMO, this is where politics falls down ATM – people just don’t have easy access to the evidence and research.
Basically, you’re making voting more accessible for some and not for others.
Not really. The majority of households have their own internet connection and everyone else (~13%) would be able to go down to either their local school, church, library to vote there. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people in that 13% had cell phones with internet connection.
Of course, the government should be getting an internet connection out to those last few percent. Internet connection needs to be a government supported right and not just a nice to have left to the market.
Near enough isn’t good enough. And that’s not even getting into the issues around electronic voting in general.
The only thing worse than having every spending issue voted on would be having it easier for some people to vote on it than others. Even if it is only 10% you’re alienating.
Draco, Noting your response to me in today’s Open Mike on direct democracy, I take it you would be happy for moral issues to decided directly, as well as spending and taxes? A poll commissioned by TV3’s The Nation last year showed 38% of New Zealanders supported a return to capital punishment (other polls, albeit older, have found majority level support for capital punishment). If this issue was decided by direct vote there would be much ‘information’ I am sure provided by the likes of sensible sentencing trust. It would be an information war. Progressive measures in society have always been driven by vocal minorities. I do not think there is an information utopia that awaits which changes this old, basic, fact of human history.
Yeah, actually, it is. If we keep waiting for everything to be perfect then nothing will ever change.
Noting your response to me in today’s Open Mike on direct democracy, I take it you would be happy for moral issues to decided directly, as well as spending and taxes?
Yes.
A poll commissioned by TV3′s The Nation last year showed 38% of New Zealanders supported a return to capital punishment
So it wouldn’t be implemented then would it and thus not a concern.
If this issue was decided by direct vote there would be much ‘information’ I am sure provided by the likes of sensible sentencing trust. It would be an information war.
It would be if we allowed it to be and I don’t think we would for more than a short time. The problem we have, ATM, is that we still allow the spreading of misinformation.
Progressive measures in society have always been driven by vocal minorities.
Yep but when the laws have been changed to suit it’s usually been the politicians that have been behind where the populace was. The Equal Marriage Act was a good example of this.
According to the grapevine around 80% of people prefer the Greens policies.
Yeah, actually, it is. If we keep waiting for everything to be perfect then nothing will ever change.
The worry is whether it changes for the worse.
You reckon that the death penalty wouldn’t be reintroduced because only 38% of the population want it.
What % of the eligible voters wanted a national government?
Half of voters who voted.
Only 74% of voters actually voted.
74/2 = 37% of voters want a national govt.
Draco, who is the ‘we’ that would determine what constitutes ‘misinformation’? Would it go to a majority vote?
It wouldn’t be a “we” but a formula. The majority vote would be about determining if such a law is necessary.
The worry is whether it changes for the worse.
You reckon that the death penalty wouldn’t be reintroduced because only 38% of the population want it.
What % of the eligible voters wanted a national government?
Half of voters who voted.
Only 74% of voters actually voted.
74/2 = 37% of voters want a national govt.
Yeah, couldn’t happen.
We do need to get more people voting but I think that direct democracy would do that. IMO, The apathy that we’re seeing is a direct result of representative democracy because the politicians ignore the people and what they want and do things, such as selling off state assets, which are bad for the country and people feel powerless because they can’t get the politicians to change. If the politicians listened we wouldn’t still have neo-liberalism – that would have gone out under the 5th Labour government.
It might be that the poor and weak are yearning to be free.
Or it could just be that 30 years of neolibs has rotted the culture of community into a culture of only caring about those things which relate directly to oneself.
In the latter case, it’s quite likely that a large chunk of folk who just concentrate on getting along in life won’t notice that civic politics has finally generated an issue that would screw them over. Squeakiest wheel, and all that.
I thought that “direct democracy” involved more than just voting in an election and going with the majority? I thought it involved everyone participating in discussions that formulate policies, and aiming for consensus.
‘It wouldn’t be a “we” but a formula. The majority vote would be about determining if such a law is necessary.’
What is the ‘formula’; can you elaborate perhaps?
If, say, no information could go before the decision-making public other than peer reviewed published research that represented the so-called ‘weight of evidence’ in any given field/issue, then why not dispense with voting, and make decisions on a scientific/technocratic basis?
Surely it would be more rational and efficient?
No – because the thing about peer reviewed research, especially in the social sciences, social policy etc, is that there are differing views by the experts. And usually, underlying the differences are different values, or different value-weighting to crucial factors. It can result in different ways 2 experts approach a research project and analyse the data. Often things are not that clear cut.
In education: do you go for training people to obey authorities and thus become a totally compliant workforce? – will result in efficient production of cars, but workers who lead miserable lives.
Or do you go for teaching people to learn how to learn, and to become innovative and creative – even if that means they decide to rebel against current policies and want to draw up a new form of government?
‘I thought that “direct democracy” involved more than just voting in an election and going with the majority? I thought it involved everyone participating in discussions that formulate policies, and aiming for consensus.’
Representative democracy is supposed to engender the ability for everyone to participate in discussions that formulate policies. Through select committee hearings, letters to MPs, petitions, letters to the editor, voting in non-binding referenda, general elections.
But as politicians ignore public feeling on many if not most issues, some people tout direct democracy as the means by which the public can retain control. So instead of venal politicians voting along party lines, you get the tyranny of the majority.
I would prefer to see an overhaul of parliamentary democracy whereby most decisions were conscience based, and MPs were not enslaved to the party line.
Direct democracy can mean participatory democracy at a grass roots level – has nothing to do with going with the majority vote – but working together in self managing systems to achieve a consensus.
Ergo – your idea of “direct democracy” seems like a version of representative democracy.
‘Ergo – your idea of “direct democracy” seems like a version of representative democracy.’
Sorry, I probably didn’t write it very well.
I do not support direct democracy, which is the public directly voting on laws etc.
I favour representative democracy. My idea of an ‘overhaul’ of the parliamentary system is about making it more democratic, not getting rid of the representative part.
Or it could just be that 30 years of neolibs has rotted the culture of community into a culture of only caring about those things which relate directly to oneself.
I’m not wielding any silver bullets. I see a need for change because the present system is throttling us and think that if we wait for everything to be perfect before we do anything then no change will come about.
What is the ‘formula’; can you elaborate perhaps?
Been thinking about it for awhile but haven’t come up with an answer. I’d probably base it around peer review though.
If, say, no information could go before the decision-making public other than peer reviewed published research that represented the so-called ‘weight of evidence’ in any given field/issue, then why not dispense with voting, and make decisions on a scientific/technocratic basis?
What resources we have available on a sustainable basis is a hard fact and is thus a scientific question and can only be answered by the scientists. What we do with those resources is a political decision and is therefore open to communal discussion. The same would be true of the laws of a country.
I thought that “direct democracy” involved more than just voting in an election and going with the majority? I thought it involved everyone participating in discussions that formulate policies, and aiming for consensus.
Direct democracy can mean participatory democracy at a grass roots level – has nothing to do with going with the majority vote – but working together in self managing systems to achieve a consensus.
And how would you measure the consensus if there was no voting?
And there’s nothing that says that the community couldn’t decide what sort of support it required for the decision to pass even if there was still opposition.
I was upset when National started introducing market rents for state houses back a while. They did it in stages. Poor people were shifted out of their homes as the plans became more stringent, because they got reprioritised out of them.
What was the reaction. Nobody seemed to really care, a bit of Labour aggression, a hearing from religious leaders, probably a wee bit of sympathy from regular wage workers and house owners, but also the usual back-biting between some between beneficiaries I would think.
People having a place to live is central in what we expect in society, and what the government demands – that you have a permanent address – and we know that sleeping in cars or under bridges is not countenanced by the authorities and it is dangerous. The Auckland murder of a woman sleeping in an Auckland Park was not solved I think. I don’t think there was sex involved and she had no goods.
Recently an Americam women was on Radionz talking about her hard times with her children. She and they had slept in a car for a year or so and she had succeeded in getting them through and okay. But if the authorities had found her out they would have sliced and diced them. They can be real Nastys and pass judgment on struggling families depsite how well they are coping with inhuman odds.
But ultimately people can be smug, taking an interest in others’ welfare is too hard or ‘they don’t deserve it’. The 1001 dogs of excuses for not giving a damn. Sorry DTB ‘da people’ ain’t going to rise up and act. They would need to be motivated by someone or some event. Even setting oneself on fire in a town square on behalf of housing for all who need it, probably wouldn’t get past that complacent plastic bubble so many live in.
That’s really just a continuation of the old (counted in centuries) whinge from the conservatives and the rich that amounts to if we leave it to the people they’ll do it all wrong with the addendum from the rich of and they’ll vote to keep their wealth rather than letting us have and control it. Suffice to say that I find such arguments specious. We may make mistakes but they are our mistakes to make and not those of some dictators even if those dictators were elected.
Well I am coming from the point that the people don’t always do what is best for the people, they don’t always keep a watching eye on what is being done to make sure it is good for all people. If anyone expects that to happen automatically they are expecting ideal behaviour which crowds do not produce.
If we here in NZ did what we should have years ago we would have protested at Roger Douglas and cohort’s behaviour and policies more but we were too apathetic and since then we haven’t done what’s best for the country but settled for minimum personal satisfaction. It’s the old thing about not doing anything for others under stress, but eventually the stress comes to you. Our present situation illustrates what I have said earlier.
And so we are attempting this year, to get a Labour government being the aim, and secondly ensuring that this government does what needs to be done, in conversation, consultation and with the people. That is the ideal, and Labour has to work on recruiting voters who are enthused about them so they will vote for that Party to get that scenario. Not believe in their hearts that people when told the facts will arise and do the right thing.
“We may make mistakes but they are our mistakes to make and not those of some dictators even if those dictators were elected.”
I don’t find mistakes made by ‘the people’ any the less hurtful than those made by dictators. It’s a sweet notion that the people are going to positively cohese and do good things. But good outcomes have to be worked for, the people won’t automatically go to the path of most good, and care about those left out.
If anyone expects that to happen automatically they are expecting ideal behaviour which crowds do not produce.
We’re not talking about crowds though. We’re talking about individuals talking, discussing and voting.
If we here in NZ did what we should have years ago we would have protested at Roger Douglas and cohort’s behaviour and policies more but we were too apathetic and since then we haven’t done what’s best for the country but settled for minimum personal satisfaction.
We did protest. The problem was that we didn’t have any choice nor any say in what the government was doing. Nor did we have the right to recall them – not that that would have made any difference as all we could have done was replace them with National and the 1990s showed us how bad that would have been. Since then we still haven’t had a lot of choice because Labour and National are two sides of the same coin. Bringing in direct democracy will give us that choice and the ability to make changes which are denied us by representative democracy.
And so we are attempting this year, to get a Labour government being the aim, and secondly ensuring that this government does what needs to be done, in conversation, consultation and with the people.
And one that won’t work as Labour will continue to prop up capitalism at our expense. The representatives will continue to represent only business and the profit motive.
I don’t find mistakes made by ‘the people’ any the less hurtful than those made by dictators.
I didn’t say that they would be. The benefit of them is that we won’t be able to blame the government for them. We’ll have to wear the responsibility ourselves.
But good outcomes have to be worked for, the people won’t automatically go to the path of most good, and care about those left out.
With respect GW I absolutely disagree. It would be a monumental tragedy, nay travesty, if local government functions were further rolled into central government – there are already examples of how and why this is bad with the lack of control that Auckland has over their CCO’s and the top-down approach that is being driven to unify Wellington’s councils. I’d much prefer a more direct and accountable level of local democracy as the answer to the problems that you have identified (which I do agree with).
Once the capability of local governance is improved with adequate transparency and accountability I would personally go in the other direction and vest more local responsibility away from central government. Pipe dream stuff though I suspect but I live in hope 🙁
that guynz
I can’t agree with your trust in local government and limitations on them giving clear heads and preventative effects on speculative brainfarts any more than I would place all my trust in central. There should be limited opportunities for local government – either on its own behalf or through some quasi-private business arm or connection – to enter into projects over a certain limit without scrutiny and okay from central government entities.
Someone needs to hold up a stop sign to those with the delirious exhiliration of handling figures with lots of 0’s around them. Local characters who have made good with their own efforts candesire to go on to multiply this and build on their persona increasing to personal empires in their area. I wonder if Hubbard SCF could come into this category?
Believe me – I have as little trust in current local government as I do central government 🙂 I do however believe that with the right structural changes, a much more direct level of democracy could and should be applied at the local level. As DtB has mentioned above it could be by way of online voting or direct referendum or any other manner of things that the present structures neither encourage nor really allow. In a lot of respects it may encourage more of a meritocracy in local body governance which coupled with greater transparency would surely be a positive.
Regrettably the current trajectory is for a complete dis-empowerment of local government which has moved the voice (and control) further away from the people and trust has been eroded accordingly.
Delta (ie the old Otago EPB/Dunedin MED/DCC works and services) should really stick to their knitting and provide Dunedin/Otago with works and services, and an electricity network. It is crap like that that sees councils stripped of the right to own things like electricity networks.
That’s what you get when you have have thousands of military bases all over the world with hydroslides, foodcourts, and golf courses, and then you decide that destroyers would look really cool with lasers bolted onto them.
Phil ure a legend.
One thing I have noticed since you have cut your cannibis intake is your posts have far fewer dots and are more coherant .
Compulsive addictions are hard to deal with and usually people just change from one to another.
So long as it is a healthy addiction that is good .
Ok Hooton come out of that rock your hiding under!
Making Tory allegations about Jones jumping ship has been strongly refuted. While some of us speculated out loud Jones may bail to NZF after the next election, that was a setup for you Hooton and like the idiot you are, ya feel for it hook line and sinker.
From about 8am-9am, cruise ship passengers and commuters were greeted by a banner – ”Time for clean energy” – hanging from the station’s clocktower, about 12m up… ”It’s a farewell to [oil and gas explorer] Anadarko. It [the banner] is below the clock to give a timely message to the Government, that now the [exploration drilling ship] Noble Bob Douglas has left New Zealand, we all have to unite and stop deep sea drilling.” The ship has spent a month drilling about 60km north of Dunedin and will leave soon for the Gulf of Mexico.
So maybe a bit premature, but Anadarko have been increasingly elusive and cagey of late. Once we have confirmation that the igNoble BD is indeed heading out of our waters there should be a larger “Glad you aren’t Here” public event.
Parsupial.
The drill baby drill drools in Nactional have had their platform removed.
Now they only have the shell left which may crumble as Well.
Gold mines are closing and consolidating.
Coal mines are closing
Dolomite mines closing.
Phosphate mine on the brink.
No mention from National on its complete failure.
More like another barrier to getting rid of Dot Con has been removed = less funding for left-wing politicians who’ve stated they’ll look at blocking his extradition
Also Dot Con was one of the lefts big hopes in trying to score a hit against John Key which is amusing in itself
A foreign, convicted businessmen being one of the lefts great hopes…
[lprent: Ok. Thats enough. Please show evidence single left-wing politician or party who has received substantive funding from DotCom and who has said that they will block his extradition. You are banned until you do, and I’ll put it on auto-spam. ]
Woosh, that went right over your head didn’t it. I’m not disputing what was said by those politicians – as you have clearly demonstrated, it’s a matter of record.
What I was saying is that you’ve drawn a long bow that A) he was going to be a significant funder of any left campaign (when in fact he has historically funded right wing politicians anyway) and B) that he was the “left’s big hopes in scoring a hit against John Key”. Both of which have tenuous links with reality at best…
Huh? I also oppose dotcom’s extradition, and so for that matter would most of the local legal profession.
Basically the offenses that he is being attempted to be extradited for wouldn’t be offenses here – which isn’t essence is a major part of the local argument going on in the courts. THere is quite a lot of question if they are offenses even in the US.
The way that the US has applied for the extradition and the actions of the police here were probably in large part unlawful.
Many of the actions of the police after the arrest were definitely unlawful and amounted to theft by the police in defiance of the court.
Basically you’re simply displaying all of the moronic stupidity that many of the followers of the right display in NZ. It appears to come from a innate genetic inability to think in the presence of police.
I’d also say that staging an armed raid on an obese man and pregnant woman while making no provision for emergency medical aid (such as having an ambulance ready at the staging point) amounts to criminal nuisance.
But then good luck getting the cops to look at that one.
Generally, criminal liability requires not only the doing of a prohibited act but also either an intention to do the harm proscribed or recklessness whether it ensues. In other words, there must be a guilty mind (mens rea) as well as an unlawful act. There are, however, many exceptions to this in New Zealand, especially in the case of regulatory offences. Moreover, some crimes, notably manslaughter, are based on negligence. This country differs from most others in that the test of criminal negligence is, in many cases, the same as that for civil negligence – failure to observe the standard of care of a reasonable man – and even a slight degree of negligence can give rise to criminal liability.
Who needs 10 reasons not to watch ‘seven sharp’, Hosking is reason enough and the red-neck raving about small towns like Minginui and, apparently this sort of rubbish is Hoskings forte, Wairoa, are a pathetic expense indulged in by Hoskings at the taxpayers over-expense in paying Him to push Hs ugly little red-necks vision,
As someone emailed in reply, any idiot could do Hoskings job for a fraction of the expense so why don’t they just kick the fucking retard out the door save the State a million or two in the process and give us all far less brain damage while they are at it,
Given Hoskings dumb reasoning billions upon billions of welfare money is poured into the City of Auckland every year so lets empty the shit-hole out and burn it to the fucking ground,
What none of these idiots can grasp is that there are only X amount of jobs in the economy so it pretty much does not matter just who and where the unemployed are to be found, if every soul in Minginui were forced into Auckland next week and given a job in the current economy then an equal X amount of people give or take 1 or 2 would be made unemployed,
Hosking is the ugly face of neo-liberal hate speech formulated in His mind so as not to breach ‘codes’ of broadcasting, you can bet, as He admits Himself, he hasn’t got the guts to enter the towns Minginui or Wairoa…
Today is apparently ‘International day for fighting against racism’, my thought on learning this was shouldn’t every day contain an element of such a fight,
i have my electricity retailer to thank for the above ‘pearl’ of wisdom who kindly provided me with a few days power on special to mark the occasion…
Surprise surprise. The Salvation Army is going to replace the Problem Gambling Foundation. As an organisation the Salvation Army is slightly to the right of Genghis Khan so I can expect to see no more criticism of Sky City or pokies.
Would love to see the tenders made public but not likely I guess
Given that if we want to avoid dangerous climate change, no more than 20% of oil reserves can be burned, the superfund has invested $292M in companies which will be being devalued catastrophically sometime within the next few years.
Did anyone else watch Andrew Little, Ian Lees Galloway, Carol Beamont and Darien Fenton (and Denise Roach and Jan Logie) give their speeches in parliament on the Employment Relations Amendment farce the other day?
They were all really fantastic and the Tories that responded didn’t have any cognisant replies at all and instead just said really nasty, illogical, irrational, dumb stuff (as per usual).
It’s a great shame those speeches weren’t replayed on the MSM because it shows just how streaks ahead Labour and left really are.
Little Andrew is talking shit. Wages have gone up by 14% in 20 years. Don’t be a fuckwit Geoff even you can’t be that thick. My hourly rate has gone up by almost 50% in eleven years, I know that would be more than the average but 14% increase in 20 years is complete bullshit.
Interesting, IF NZFirst does not get 5% of the vote then i would suggest that national will be one hell of a big Opposition after the 2014 vote,
The if is a big one because i do not necessarily believe that the above will occur, i am more inclined to believe that National support is a bit weaker than what the Morgan polls it at and the NZFirst a bit stronger,
i can well believe the Green Party being up there at 13-14% and my mind is starting to change a little in my voting selection for 2014, previously i was considering a Party vote for Mana if the Green Party vote seemed to be holding up closing in on the election,
Now my belief is swinging toward the idea that New Zealand needs a 15% Green Party and my vote might have to reflect that, sadly leaving Mana to put all its efforts into the Waiariki seat as a means of furthering the movements aims which could well give Mana a pivotal 2 seats in the next Parliament…
(PS, one hell of a swing for the Green Party between Morgans, was Roy’s son stung by the criticism that He was conflicted by having too many mining interests to be impartial)…
Commercial banks create money at will; amount of loans created in a day not limited by reserves on hand
For those who had any remaining doubts, I think the Bank of England clears it up pretty well.
Commercial banks create money, in the form of bank deposits, by making new loans. When a bank makes a loan, for example to someone taking out a mortgage to buy a house, it does not typically do so by giving them thousands of pounds worth of banknotes. Instead, it credits their bank account with a bank deposit of the size of the mortgage. At that moment, new money is created. For this reason, some economists have referred to bank deposits as ‘fountain pen money’, created at the stroke of bankers’ pens when they approve loans…Reserves are, in normal times, supplied ‘on demand’ by the Bank of England to commercial banks in exchange for other assets on their balance sheets. In no way does the aggregate quantity of reserves directly constrain the amount of bank lending or deposit creation.
This description of money creation contrasts with the notion that banks can only lend out pre-existing money, outlined in the previous section. Bank deposits are simply a record of how much the bank itself owes its customers. So they are a liability of the bank, not an asset that could be lent out. A related misconception is that banks can lend out their reserves. Reserves can only be lent between banks, since consumers do not have access to reserves accounts at the Bank of England.
Latest Horizon Poll arrived. Not sure who they were hawking for, but based on a few of the questions, there are some tragic campaign slogans being considered 🙂
Their poll is crap, honestly it’s a vote and plug for any party to jack the poll. Roy Morgan has National slumping. The poll on election day is the one that counts. L/G should romp in as the non voting 800,000 in 2011 are committing as each day rolls by. Non vote will be slashed to 400,000 which will be a near landslide loss for the Tories.
Here’s an astounding article from the Sydney Morning Herald, in which a journalist explains why the media ignored a protest that attracted over 100,000 people:
Hmmmmm. The call for civility from the Left by the journalist Maley is reasonable; frontline newspaper journos are rarely the ones who make the call on how prominent or major their story appears on the final newsprint. That is the job of the paper’s editor of course.
However, what Maley and the MSM appear not to have recognised is the increasing level of ANGER and CYNICISM in many communities regarding the state of the so-called “democracy” that they are now having to cope and survive in.
Therefore, while calls for “civility” are understandable and reasonable, I believe that far bigger underlying societal currents are being missed.
Colonial V
Maley sounds a bit like Josie Pagani. Floating along giving comfortable little comments about how the natives are revolting untouched by the true emotion, the realities behind it.
There was an interesting comment on why Obama and O-care is not better regarded by the USA public by Wayne Brittenden this morning and I think the guy that followed also had some interesting things on the USA – basically that the trend is to further Rightness. They will be soon making it the in thing to cut off their little fingers to show their commitment to the Party that serves their version of truth, freedom, the American way and apple pie.
Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint ( 18′ 31″ )
11:40 With many Americans registering for Obamacare before this year’s cutoff
point at the end of the month, Wayne takes a timely look at this most enigmatic of US presidents. Finlay follows up with US social critic, Professor Robert Jenson. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
A blank DVD worth 75 cents cost him his job, but David Dumolo has now been awarded $3000 compensation in the Employment Court.
The former Lakes District Health Board (LDHB) IT technician based in Rotorua was fired in May 2010 after the health board found he had acted dishonestly.
Dumolo took his case to the Employment Relations Authority, who sided with the board, finding he had engaged in serious misconduct and his dismissal was justified.
In a decision released today, Judge Mark Perkins overturned the authority’s determination, and said the dismissal was unjustifiable.
Dumolo, also a martial arts instructor, had been training Rotorua hospital staff in self-defence.
After he took a blank DVD to record some footage for his martial arts students, he was sacked.
Absolutely fucking insane. Someone has clearly abused process to get rid of an employee without any justification whatsoever. None, zero, zilch. I trust the fuckwit in the DHB HR who colluded in this farce has been docked for the legal costs and penalties incurred.
Even more astounding that the first Court which looked at it upheld the sacking.
Clearly the Nats hubris has caught up with them. At the clear risk of being a wet-blanket I have to point out that Labour is still stuck on it’s tribal 30-33% lower boundary. Love to see this improve into the high 30’s.
So would I.
I think the left needs some positive momentum. There’s still a lot of unnecessary bagging going on from within the left, and people buying into the narrative that the MSM appeared to be pushing.
If we don’t hang together then….you know what.
That’s a threadbare interpretation of what he’s saying.
First up Chris is as tribal leftie as anyone. Period. And he cares deeply.
Secondly he’s been around long enough to see all the things that can go wrong – and I think at times they haunt him.
Thirdly he’s a highly skilled writer and perhaps more than any of us he keenly feels the subterranean skews, spins and slants in the much of the msm narrative – and he senses just how much of a head-wind this creates for the left.
So when he reads the situation as teetering on a knife-edge, that things could very badly in this election I think he’s right to do so. The left needs it’s Cassandra to tell us about our blind spots and moments of overreach and hubris.
I find him energising and inspiring. Maybe we’re just of the same generation and he makes sense to me.
Chris is a part of the MSM, many of his pieces appear in lots of the country’s papers so when he pontificates (http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/all-over-bar-counting.html) about Labour having no chance, of DC being unlikable, he isn’t just warning the choir, he’s influencing potential left voters across the country. And not in a way that helps our chances. That’s my opinion anyway.
This is what you would call an over-reaction. And lots of employers are starting to do it. A short word and the provided oppurtunity to replace the DVD would have been the best course of action.
Trying to find the recently published website showing the detail of river water quality over all NZ.
Am using a CH Ch computer and cannot backtrack to find this excellent detailed online site.
Anyone?
Interesting piece in Radionz Rural News – Report reveals landfarm poorly run
A new report shows a Taranaki landfarm, where oil industry waste is disposed of, was being so poorly run the regional council was forced to intervene and the contractor running the landfarm was removed.
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
The committee has published this list to inform the public about its work, and to give clarity to submitters who have contacted the committee asking if they will be invited to make an oral submission. ...
Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of ...
The US President's suggestion, which sparked enormous debate globally, has been labelled as a threat, not a proposal, by the Federation of Islamic Associations. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine McCarthy, Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Interior of Auckland South Men’s Prison.Getty Images Prisons are not colourful places. Typically, they are grey or some variation of a monochrome colour scheme. But increasingly, ...
FICTION1Tree of Nourishment (Kāwai 2) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Interesting to note that the author of the biggest-selling New Zealand novel in Waitangi Week is Māori (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai, and Ngāti Kahungunu).2 Kāwai: For Such a Time as This (Kāwai 1) by Monty Soutar (David ...
Remembering the renowned New Zealand writer, who died on February 5, 2025. The Stopover When the trout rise like compassion It is worth watching when the hinds come down from the hills with a new message it will be as well to listen. – Brian Turner Poet, environmentalist, sportsman, journalist, ...
Survivors can choose to have former High Court judge Paul Davison assess their individual claims to tailor payments to their personal circumstances. ...
Are we too modest when it comes to celebrating our putrid plant life?She’s beauty. She’s grace. She smells like a decaying corpse and lurks in the backrooms of Auckland Zoo, wallowing tragically in a bucket. In recent weeks an Australian corpse plant named Putricia has captured the noses and ...
day five of ‘withdrawals’ from years of heavy/daily-use of cannabis..
..symptoms..?
..s.f.a..
..and northland pot-users should know they are currently sweeping thru their back yards..
..so there will be the usual roadblocks/intimidation of locals..
..that they get every year at about this time..
..and i repeat:..why this costly exercise in futility..?
..why not just legalise/regulate/tax..
..what is the safest intoxicant of all..?
..and (as noted) i am currently in day five of ‘withdrawals’ from years of daily use of the stuff..
..and am still waiting for the ‘withdrawal’-effects to kick in..
..and imagine what a sick puppy i wd be..
..were i on day five stopping booze after such long/heavy daily-use..?
..and irony beyond irony..
..these fearless drug-warriors no doubt at the end of their days’ work ‘rooting out’ this least harmful of intoxicants..
..no doubt celebrated with a few cold-ones of the drug that causes the most damage in our country/society..
(..it really is an upside-down world..alice..!..)
I doubt very much you’re off the dope as you claim, but taking you at your word, what withdrawal symptoms did you expect to have as you begin to get used to dealing with reality and real feelings with no numbing agent?
https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/literature/pamphlets/detoxing-from-marijuana
I didn’t have any when I dropped marijuana. Still, at the time I was still on the legal drugs of tobacco and alcohol. Felt the withdrawals when I gave those up.
Some do have problems, some don’t, being the point of the link.
Probably best we don’t don’t diminish the, for some, very real physical and psychological withdrawal effects and reduce them to a simple ‘meh’.
I used marajuana to offset social anxiety. I found the amount I had to drionk to achieve the same left me vomitting for days. I mainly used on the weekends. I discovered it, well began smoking it, when in my last year oif university. I noticed it began to affect my short term memory a couple of years later, especially during a presentation tot he 35 partners of my law firm. I cut back.
I noticed no side effects other than my undiagnosed chemical imbalance related to seratonin was winning more on a daily basis.
Prescription drugs however I noticed MAJOR differences when I reduced doses.
I am amazed at how many people with mental health problems unilaterally lower or stop their medication. I think it points to the overall perception that it is a weakness to be on such medications. Who would stop taking their heart meds just because they started to feel fine? Most, if not all would attribute it to the drugs and keep taking them for fear of a fatal heart attack.
I have probably digressed, sorry.
so..i am lying..?..heh..!
why the fuck would i..?
..when i have always been so open about my drug-use/history..
..and..’reality’..’real feelings’..’numbing agent’..?
..w.t.f. r u smoking..?
..and..like a beer do ya..?
..on any tranks/meds/energy-drinks/sleeping pills..?
..eh..?
(and from yr link..)
“..Most have only minor physical discomfort if any at all. .”
(and..)
“..By far the most common symptom of withdrawal is insomnia..”
that’s bullshit..i am still sleeping like a baby..
Anger and irritability are a symptom of cannabis withdrawal 😉 lol
“The fourth most common symptom is anger. This can range from a slow burning rage to constant irritability to sudden bursts of anger when least expected: anger at the world, anger at loved ones, anger at oneself, anger at being an addict and having to get clean”
so why am i still resolutely cheerful/laughing at the clowns/circus..?
..and how about answering the question about yr drug-use..?
..are you a cleanskin..?
..or are yr drug-habits legal..?
..eh..?
To be fair, any one can claim any thing on the net, but if you’re getting clean, good for you. It can take a period of months to fully detox from thc, so good luck with that.
My drug use, hardly relevant, but okay…
In my past I have had periods of being a daily cannabis smoker.
I have been addicted to tobacco.
I have had experience of legal highs.
Now I do none of those, so cleanish-skin would be a better descriptor.
I partake in an occasional bottle of cider or perry, but not since I’ve been on prescription meds as the instructions state limit alcohol.
@allen..
..did you forget yr addictions to animal-flesh/fat/bye-products..?
..i’ll bet you shrink from the thought of stopping them..
..eh..?
..brings you out in a cold sweat..?
..the very thought of doing that..?
Addictive meat < Drugs. Keep pulling back on that bow string Mr Hood. 😆
Hi, I’m The Al1en, I’m a meataholic and it’s been six weeks since my last bacon buttie.
Bet I could go longer without a chicken curry than you’ll manage without a spliff, and with no withdrawal symptoms, not even a random cluck or cock a doodle don’t.
And just for that, I’m re-hashing an old joke of mine, first aired on here January 2013
You’ve got to feel sorry for drug addicts and how they have to go cold turkey.
But I bet they’re glad they’re not sex addicts, who have to go cold sausage.
hey..!..
pot doesn’t give you cancer..
..meat does..
..and recently dairy has also been fingered for that..
..but you shine on..!..you crazy carnivore..!
..eh..?
..laugh at the evidence..eh..?
..and you are full of bullshit..
..you could not just stop necking meat/dairy..
..yr meat-monkey’d give you grief..
Phillip, that’s just stupid, hardly unexpected from you, if eating meat gave ‘you’ cancer we would all have it, cancer that is…
A couple of random jumps from pot doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms, to meat is addictive, to meat causes cancer.
For the record, uv rays can cause cancer, just like smoking pretty much anything will, especially cannabis, where the toke is usually held in the lungs for a longer period. To reduce your chances, I wouldn’t eat a kebab in the sunshine after a drag on a joint.
I’m not sure why you are attacking me. Is it because I said I don’t believe your abstinence or don’t accept your meh as the definitive authority on wacky baccy come downs?
Either way, seeing the progression of responses to my fairly tame and sincere posts, I’m not that much surprised. Maybe I do believe you’re giving up after all, though the way you were engaged in the addict wars the other week, it is hard to tell 🙂
um..duh..!
..red meat gives you bowel cancer..
..we have one of the highest global-rates of eating red-meat/fat..
..bowel cancer is the biggest cancer-killer in nz..
..w.t.f. have u been smoking..?
@ allen..
..i am not ‘attacking’ you..
..i am just pointing out that you are talking shite..
(and don’t worry..you aren’t alone..
..have you met bad..?..)
..and tho’ not now consuming..
..there is no way i will stop arguing/fighting for sane laws around drugs..
..all drugs..
I’m sensing a whiff of paranoia, but it could just be something in the air, though after saying I’m full of shit and not remembering a few minutes later, well, that’s almost conclusive about your short term memory 😆
Phillip, phillip, ”Red meat gives you bowel cancer”, please provide us a link to this assertion, something at least with a modicum of professionalism involved other than some Hippie ‘i thunk it therefor it is theory’ would be nice,
”Bowel cancer is the biggest cancer killer in New Zealand”, a link to some proof of this would also not go amiss Phillip, its not that i consider you a bullshit artist, no hang on, i do consider you to be engaged most days in heavy bouts of the male bovine defecating,
Proof please i am tired of doing hours of research to prove liars are doing just that…
Tell me Dr A1lien, what is your recommendation for dealing with the facetious passive-aggressive bullshit of third parties?
Like yours? Just have a laugh, but then you’re not very passive 🙂
We can’t knock Phill too much, although having said that when the occasion arises to its always a pleasure,
Having Phill admit His poly-addiction was halfway to having Him make the attempt to at least try a drug free lifestyle and we should be at least a little supportive of Him in His attempt even if we think He is full of the brown stuff with His daily reports on His non-use,
my next attempt at Phills rehabilitation into the real world will have to be to have Him write His comments in at least a semblance of logically structured English instead of the plagarism of E.E whats-his-face who wrote the occassional poem in the lack of style Phill has chosen to adopt,
Far from a heroic poet of the left E.E whats-his-face was a supporter of the Republican’s and an admirer of McCarthyism happily content to pen and publish the odd poem full of racial innuendo…
must be time for a ciggie..eh..?
..and..have you emptied that ashtray yet..?
While we work on your lack of style through the plagarism of E.E whats-his-faces few poems written in this mangled stupidity Phill we will also have to do a little remedial instruction for you on continued repetition which leaves the readers bored and you looking un-intelligent,
The brain damage suffered by heavy drug users is in most cases, depending on the level of such self inflicted damage, usually self healing over a period of ensuing years of being free from the addiction,
We might then expect you to lift the intelligence quotient of you comments,(although in your case i would suggest such hope is a forlorn one), and stop being so boringly repetitive…
speaking of ‘being so boringly repetitive…’
..eh..?
Yes exactly Phillip, you have used the derr rejoinder above on numerous occasions, containing zero humor on its first use it has failed to grow any and in fact seems to have sunk into the minus as a reposte containing any wit whatsoever,
But, just for you i can assure you that my ashtray is emptied on a regular basis on the days of the week when i take out my food scraps for burial in my extensive garden, a small modicum of ash i am assured is a positive for soil development,
And now, i must leave you to it for an hour as said garden, along with the other household chores must be attended to at the ponderous speed the bone deformity growing on my spine allows for,
Definitely wont be able to answer in the affirmative if ever labelled spineless as i am possessed of one with extras,(i am sure i have left an opening there Phillip that even one such as you suffering the withdrawal of years of drug abuse can dredge a modicum of humor from)…
Good for you mr ure, well done. True.
Hopefully soon you will also be able to stop murdering plants for your food supply too and consume something which kills nought.
@ vto..
..heh..!
Congrads on 6 days..
I have been sober for close to 12 months and it isnt easy.
Best of luck
@ risil..
..chrs..
Just some light reading for the morning
Pieria: Unlearning the History of Capitalism
Follow the links as well.
thanks for this Draco.
DtB,
Thanks for that. Here’s one in reply that I imagine you might enjoy:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_may_2014/features/free_money_for_everyone049287.php?page=all
i wd recommend watching the collins/jones encounter on tvone breakfast this morn..
..most illuminating about both of them..really..
..and leading to two conclusion:..
..one:..listen/watch to this hubris-drenched/arrogant/egotist..(the collins one..)..
..and then shudder at the idea of her ever leading national/being prime minister..
..and then watch/listen to the other ‘hubris-drenched/arrogant/egotist’..
..and wonder why he is even in the labour party..
@PU
I can’t bear to watch that visual pus, but I’m glad I have you to remind me things haven’t changed.
Here’s a para from Chris Trotter’s latest.
There you go. Everything you really need to know about NZ politics in one clean, clear paragraph.
I know a lot of people don’t enjoy it much when Chris writes about how Labour could do better – but I find it makes him a more reliable compass than most.
I wrote the other day about Cunliffe needing to demonstrate leadership, and I’ve long advocated a UBI as the killer policy that will cut through the neo-lib smokescreen. And yet in that one para Chris has identified exactly where and how Cunliffe can express this leadership – in terms that have real meaning for the ordinary NZ voter.
Hasn’t Cunliffe been saying that his Labour will deliver a lot of those things? Using different words but still the underlying politics is very similar to what Trotter is saying.
What specific instances has Cunliffe failed on these kinds of issues? Or are you just questioning his delivery?
That’s a fair question. I agree Labour has been doing the groundwork, it has announced some policy – I’m sure a lot of good things are going on.
But yes the delivery hasn’t – delivered. Somehow it’s all come across as ‘a dash here and a dab there’ without much sense of being part of a coherent, consistent narrative.
Part of the blame lies with the msm who will not do Labour any favours in this respect. Part of the blame lies with an atomised society that has been largely and deliberately switched off.
If there was a simple, silver bullet answer to this way smarter minds than mine would know it by now – and if not I wouldn’t spell it out in a public forum. But the one thing I’m sure of is this – if we keep playing by the Nats rules, on their playing field, the left will forever struggle.
I don’t want to just get over the line with a marginal coalition. If we are going to make the changes necessary to bury neo-liberalism in this country the left needs a mandate no-one will challenge for a decade.
I totally agree about the coherent narrative part, that hasn’t been there yet. But that was largely because Labour was in stasis with the previous chief of staff.
That was partly DC’s fault but at least now Matt is in there I am confident we will see a significant improvement. The train was just parked up at the station so it is going to take a month or so to get up to speed.
Asking Labour to bury neo-liberalism in this country in 6 months is quite an ask.
If you’re looking for a landslide victory for the left then you’ve got to be prepared for another 3 years of National. That’s the reality.
I understand that the situation with the CoS was really unfortunate. It must have been destabilising and Matt will take some time to get up to speed as anyone does in a new role.
Maybe I am dreaming – but to my mind losing the election AND then having Cunliffe being forced to resign really leaves the left in NZ in a pretty bleak place.
I simply don’t see a lot of other figures who I think have both the experience and talent to take the game off National. And then subsequently run a strong stable government.
That’s the point – there are very few people in Labour or the Greens who have track record in successfully running a Ministerial office for any length of time. Experience counts. It boils down to maybe six people, and of those I really only respect Cunliffe, King and Goff.
Where does that leave us in the event of a loss in September?
In the event of a loss in September Labour should just keep going with Cunliffe.
If you dump Cunliffe then you dump all the good people he now has with brought in with him (matt etc).
You’re back to square one and you get someone who in all likelihood is going to be to the right of DC.
Perhaps one of the few people in the caucus to the left of DC is Andrew Little but he would presumably fail the experience criteria in your opinion.
You say you respect King and Goff but presumably you wouldn’t care to see them as leader if burying neo-lib is your goal?
No. But I’d be ok with them as Ministers.
Winning elections is only part of the deal. Having the people capable of doing a good job of running a Ministry is the another part – if that is you want them to achieve something worthwhile.
That’s why Cunliffe needs to stay on – he’s the only left wing MP whose policy I can support AND who I’d trust to run a government competently.
Sometimes having experience is what gets in the way. After all, the experienced person will try to continue doing things the way that they know how when what we need is to do things differently. Cunliffe is, IMO, in this position.
What we need is a team with the shear arrogance to get in there and make the necessary changes. Of course, they still need to get the populace onside to make the changes.
@ red loxix..
“..I don’t want to just get over the line with a marginal coalition. If we are going to make the changes necessary to bury neo-liberalism in this country the left needs a mandate no-one will challenge for a decade..”
plus one..
rather than limp over the line..i wd almost rather key got back..
..as that wd see a cleanout of the old neo-lib reactionaries/do nothings in labour..
.(you know who you are..!..)
..and cd ensure that mandate in ’17..
Most of Trotter’s rant is what David Cunliffe has been saying the whole time… Apart from Trotter trying to shove a couple of his Waitakere man tropes in there, I mean who complains about CYFS?
That’s my problem with trotter, he’s so fickle, he chops and changes his perspective all the time. Yet every time he delivers a perspective, it’s somehow always the definitive perspective, even when it contradicts what he’s said in an earlier piece.
Red, totally agree with you, that half of Chris Trotters latest went straight to the heart of the ‘bread and butter’ issues that effect the bottom 30% of the economy the most and Labour cannot seem to get any sort of grip on these most basic of issues,
Phill Twyford kindly took the time to Post here at the Standard yesterday and far from inspire me everything He said concerning housing resonated in my mind as an exhibition of how far Labour is removed from the realities of that real world lived every day by those of us in that bottom 30% of the economy…
Finally some of the Labour Caucus doing a days work!
Cosgrove, Robertson and Jones getting some cut through.
Thankfully Cunliffe does not play the game of trying to hog the limelight. Cunliffe has the self confidence to encourage all his front bench to show their wares.
It is a big contrast from when Mold and Robertson were blocking Cunliffe and others from getting any limelight. Keep it up Labour.
BTW we should be hearing more from Shearer Goff King et al. Has anyone seen them get publicity?
Yes, the bad-old-days are behind us.
However, I get flashes of anger when I remember the fucking stupid behaviour of Mallard and Roberson and the twits that surrounded them in Wellington. Their selfishness did a lot of damage to the party and Cunliffe has a lot a shit to clean up. I hope he is getting the help he needs.
I too expect Goff, Shearer, King, Hipkins and other to land some solid blows on the Government: up your game boys and girls; the membership will be pissed if you slouch.
I certainly do not want to see or hear anything from Mallard. Please Trevor, continue to be a great man of the people up the the valley….away from the media.
The following comments are my considered opinion as an anti-corruption ‘whistle blower’:
How come, as an anti-corruption ‘whistleblower’ – fighting for transparency in Auckland Council rates spending, and exposing corrupt conflicts of interest within Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs, (particularly with the powerful private sector ‘invitation-only’ $10,000 per year membership fee – lobby group the Committee for Auckland), I’m being censored, assaulted by Council Officers and now threatened with the sale of my home, while corrupt Judith Collins – MINISTER FOR JUSTICE – has protection at the highest levels while she arguably feathers her (and her husband’s) own nest?
Misuse of public office for private gain?
That’s CORRUPTION – end of story.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Key-admits-second-Oravida-golf-game/tabid/1607/articleID/336743/Default.aspx
Is corrupt Judith Collins being protected by shonky John Key?
Why?
Because they’re both corrupt?
Because shonky John Key is getting advice on corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ from his party political ‘Office of the Prime Minister’ as opposed to the supposedly more independent and impartial Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) ?
Please be reminded that dodgy John Banks was protected by shonky John Key – but the DEFENDANT John Banks has been committed to trial for electoral fraud in the Auckland High Court for a 10 day hearing on 19 May 2014.
As I predicted – 2014 is the year that New Zealand is being rocked to the core with scandals of corrupt corporate ‘conflicts of interest’ and cronyism – which go right to the top.
Want to see a framework for genuine transparency and democratic accountability at NZ central and local government level and within the judiciary?
Try this :
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ANTI-CORRUPTION-WHITE-COLLAR-CRIME-CORPORATE-WELFARE-ACTION-PLAN-Ak-Mayoral-campaign-19-July-2013-2.pdf
Now see why I’m being ‘picked on’?
Will it shut me up?
No way – they’re picking on the WRONG woman …..
Penny Bright
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
um..!..why are you actually not paying yr rates..?
“..Most of What You Think You Know About Milk – Is Probably Dairy Industry Lies..”
“..The powerful dairy lobby has been spreading dangerous health claims about milk –
for decades..”
(cont..)
http://www.alternet.org/most-what-you-think-you-know-about-milk-probably-dairy-industry-lies
and seriously..!
..almond-milk is the rolls-royce of milks..
Expensive though; unless you’re getting ground almonds at cornmeal prices (or have an orchard).
Almond milk is easy to make at home. Works out cheaper too.
I don’t get all the fuss over the Kohanga Reo fuss the last couple days. Yesterday on te wireless Nat Radio the Panel, Jim Mora had the little turd Jordan Williams on ranting about how evil it was that the trust had set up a corporate structure which was entirely lawful but which had a result which was a sham in that it broke a link that quite clearly existed between the end point and the start point (public funding)
Perhaps Jordan Williams would care to also attack political party donation structures which put in place corporate structures which are entirely lawful but which have a result which is a sham in that it breaks a link that quite clearly exists between the end point and the start point (secret funding)
Jordan Williams could start with the National and Labour Parties.
It was a disgusting and hypocritical attack by the organisation that is controlled by Jordan Williams and David Farrar. Their credibility weakens every time they stick their heads over the parapet. Bunch of puppet muppets, not to mention blatantly racist as evidenced by their target selection…
The Dunedin City Council’s financial dealings arm buying up bits of resorts. And losing $6 million. And apparently hardly under anyone’s control. Then the money spent on the Forsyth Barr stadium. The ratepayers/taxpayers are being used as a pool of ensklaved investors under these policies of today.
The central government should take away the general competence of councils. It is too easy for men and women who want to strut around making deals and feeling important. With ratepayers money. If anything was to be developed it should be model housing, to designs that the local government commission would have had drawn up allowing multiple use of sectionsm apartments for family living, up to say four stories high with lifts etc. Slanted to the sun, allowing some privacy, space for gardening. Things like that. Not playing the smart shit speculator style.
Greywarbler
This story?
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/295960/delta-thwarted-proper-scrutiny-breached-acts
Losing half your money on a property investment, is certainly unimpressive management skills. However, I remain to be convinced that putting everything in central government’s hands is the solution. Look how well that’s going with the Christchurch rebuild and Canterbury water.
But, yes; energy-smart state housing would be a boon for the country. I can’t see the present NAct crew doing anything about it though.
I’m not suggesting tht everything should be done by central government. I am suggesting that any projects above a certain amount (possibly based on a percentage of the last annual rates total) should be passed before perhaps a panel with some financial and accounting and development people from government and the local people.
It is necessary to confer, objectively look at the figures, really it would be mentoring. It wouldn’t be just a political fix with one person like Brownlee, plus political appointees, any body or bodies, it would need people beyond those whose abilities need to be measured with regard to the Peter Principle.
Just pass the actual authorisation to spend the money to the rates payers via an online voting system.
Cripes DTB have you ever been involved in parish pump politics? Do you have a local newspaper with a reasonable number of letters printed each day? Or on line comments? The issues get churned so often they end of as grey slush. And the same arguments vented in boring repetition. AAghhh!@
Leave it to the people and you can end up with nothing or some wildly impractical scheme that presses some emotional button. And stops there because it doesn’t serve any purpose that is really wanted. Like a monument to WW1. What the hell what about WW2 memorials, we want equal time, and the Vietnam War too, and what about the war that the Western powers are trying to organise right now.
People should have their say but don’t believe that saying about the wisdom of masses. People understanding the issues, agreeing with the issues, and then choosing from possible measures to meet those issues, with budgets, the employment graph showing the figures for extra employment when completed and running etc.well wouldn’t that be fine and dandy. Do most people go to that trouble? That is what is needed when voting.
You almost have to winnow out people who firstly won’t even consider the project, or who aren’t willing to see any of their rates get spent on more than the basics, or think it is the wrong colour, or who want the money spent on something else they consider should have priority etc. or you will never get anything done.
Bollocks.
People will have the choice – fund this or that or raise rates. Specifically they’re given all the information first.
If the information is easily available then, yes, I believe they will.
Big question mark about all that. Nice idea DTB.
At least make landlords walk to a ballot box before pulling small-minded viciousness out of their arses.
/shrug
The landlords are a minority.
the ones most likely to vote against, e.g. funding for council flats and height restrictions.
Whereas a whole bunch of other people are and will be just alienated from the entire process
Not really, it’s easy to set up libraries and schools so that they can vote there. People aren’t limited to their own internet connection.
and that’s not going to skew the participation rates at all? Poorest fok have to go to the pooling boths on a rainy day, folk with internet at home don’t need to change out of their pjs?
Just because we can’t get it perfect doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it.
it might well mean that when the penalty for failure is worse than what we have today.
Draco, do you believe people make decisions based on information or their own prejudices?
It might mean that but it probably won’t.
Both but that most people will make decisions based upon the evidence if they have easy access to that evidence. IMO, this is where politics falls down ATM – people just don’t have easy access to the evidence and research.
and you base that on… ?
Basically, you’re making voting more accessible for some and not for others. How is that a good idea?
Not really. The majority of households have their own internet connection and everyone else (~13%) would be able to go down to either their local school, church, library to vote there. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people in that 13% had cell phones with internet connection.
Of course, the government should be getting an internet connection out to those last few percent. Internet connection needs to be a government supported right and not just a nice to have left to the market.
Near enough isn’t good enough. And that’s not even getting into the issues around electronic voting in general.
The only thing worse than having every spending issue voted on would be having it easier for some people to vote on it than others. Even if it is only 10% you’re alienating.
Draco, Noting your response to me in today’s Open Mike on direct democracy, I take it you would be happy for moral issues to decided directly, as well as spending and taxes? A poll commissioned by TV3’s The Nation last year showed 38% of New Zealanders supported a return to capital punishment (other polls, albeit older, have found majority level support for capital punishment). If this issue was decided by direct vote there would be much ‘information’ I am sure provided by the likes of sensible sentencing trust. It would be an information war. Progressive measures in society have always been driven by vocal minorities. I do not think there is an information utopia that awaits which changes this old, basic, fact of human history.
Yeah, actually, it is. If we keep waiting for everything to be perfect then nothing will ever change.
Yes.
So it wouldn’t be implemented then would it and thus not a concern.
It would be if we allowed it to be and I don’t think we would for more than a short time. The problem we have, ATM, is that we still allow the spreading of misinformation.
Yep but when the laws have been changed to suit it’s usually been the politicians that have been behind where the populace was. The Equal Marriage Act was a good example of this.
According to the grapevine around 80% of people prefer the Greens policies.
‘The problem we have, ATM, is that we still allow the spreading of misinformation.’
Draco, who is the ‘we’ that would determine what constitutes ‘misinformation’? Would it go to a majority vote?
The worry is whether it changes for the worse.
You reckon that the death penalty wouldn’t be reintroduced because only 38% of the population want it.
What % of the eligible voters wanted a national government?
Half of voters who voted.
Only 74% of voters actually voted.
74/2 = 37% of voters want a national govt.
Yeah, couldn’t happen.
It wouldn’t be a “we” but a formula. The majority vote would be about determining if such a law is necessary.
We do need to get more people voting but I think that direct democracy would do that. IMO, The apathy that we’re seeing is a direct result of representative democracy because the politicians ignore the people and what they want and do things, such as selling off state assets, which are bad for the country and people feel powerless because they can’t get the politicians to change. If the politicians listened we wouldn’t still have neo-liberalism – that would have gone out under the 5th Labour government.
It might be that the poor and weak are yearning to be free.
Or it could just be that 30 years of neolibs has rotted the culture of community into a culture of only caring about those things which relate directly to oneself.
In the latter case, it’s quite likely that a large chunk of folk who just concentrate on getting along in life won’t notice that civic politics has finally generated an issue that would screw them over. Squeakiest wheel, and all that.
I thought that “direct democracy” involved more than just voting in an election and going with the majority? I thought it involved everyone participating in discussions that formulate policies, and aiming for consensus.
‘It wouldn’t be a “we” but a formula. The majority vote would be about determining if such a law is necessary.’
What is the ‘formula’; can you elaborate perhaps?
If, say, no information could go before the decision-making public other than peer reviewed published research that represented the so-called ‘weight of evidence’ in any given field/issue, then why not dispense with voting, and make decisions on a scientific/technocratic basis?
Surely it would be more rational and efficient?
ideally.
But in practise, in NZ now?
Technocratic basis – re peer reviewed research?
No – because the thing about peer reviewed research, especially in the social sciences, social policy etc, is that there are differing views by the experts. And usually, underlying the differences are different values, or different value-weighting to crucial factors. It can result in different ways 2 experts approach a research project and analyse the data. Often things are not that clear cut.
In education: do you go for training people to obey authorities and thus become a totally compliant workforce? – will result in efficient production of cars, but workers who lead miserable lives.
Or do you go for teaching people to learn how to learn, and to become innovative and creative – even if that means they decide to rebel against current policies and want to draw up a new form of government?
‘I thought that “direct democracy” involved more than just voting in an election and going with the majority? I thought it involved everyone participating in discussions that formulate policies, and aiming for consensus.’
Representative democracy is supposed to engender the ability for everyone to participate in discussions that formulate policies. Through select committee hearings, letters to MPs, petitions, letters to the editor, voting in non-binding referenda, general elections.
But as politicians ignore public feeling on many if not most issues, some people tout direct democracy as the means by which the public can retain control. So instead of venal politicians voting along party lines, you get the tyranny of the majority.
I would prefer to see an overhaul of parliamentary democracy whereby most decisions were conscience based, and MPs were not enslaved to the party line.
Direct democracy can mean participatory democracy at a grass roots level – has nothing to do with going with the majority vote – but working together in self managing systems to achieve a consensus.
Ergo – your idea of “direct democracy” seems like a version of representative democracy.
‘Ergo – your idea of “direct democracy” seems like a version of representative democracy.’
Sorry, I probably didn’t write it very well.
I do not support direct democracy, which is the public directly voting on laws etc.
I favour representative democracy. My idea of an ‘overhaul’ of the parliamentary system is about making it more democratic, not getting rid of the representative part.
I’m not wielding any silver bullets. I see a need for change because the present system is throttling us and think that if we wait for everything to be perfect before we do anything then no change will come about.
Been thinking about it for awhile but haven’t come up with an answer. I’d probably base it around peer review though.
What resources we have available on a sustainable basis is a hard fact and is thus a scientific question and can only be answered by the scientists. What we do with those resources is a political decision and is therefore open to communal discussion. The same would be true of the laws of a country.
And how would you measure the consensus if there was no voting?
And there’s nothing that says that the community couldn’t decide what sort of support it required for the decision to pass even if there was still opposition.
Silver bullets is one thing.
But if you don’t look at where you’re pointing the thing before you pull the trigger, that’s another problem entirely.
Of course national won’t. That would decrease demand for electricity and thus lower the profits the private owners make.
I was upset when National started introducing market rents for state houses back a while. They did it in stages. Poor people were shifted out of their homes as the plans became more stringent, because they got reprioritised out of them.
What was the reaction. Nobody seemed to really care, a bit of Labour aggression, a hearing from religious leaders, probably a wee bit of sympathy from regular wage workers and house owners, but also the usual back-biting between some between beneficiaries I would think.
People having a place to live is central in what we expect in society, and what the government demands – that you have a permanent address – and we know that sleeping in cars or under bridges is not countenanced by the authorities and it is dangerous. The Auckland murder of a woman sleeping in an Auckland Park was not solved I think. I don’t think there was sex involved and she had no goods.
Recently an Americam women was on Radionz talking about her hard times with her children. She and they had slept in a car for a year or so and she had succeeded in getting them through and okay. But if the authorities had found her out they would have sliced and diced them. They can be real Nastys and pass judgment on struggling families depsite how well they are coping with inhuman odds.
But ultimately people can be smug, taking an interest in others’ welfare is too hard or ‘they don’t deserve it’. The 1001 dogs of excuses for not giving a damn. Sorry DTB ‘da people’ ain’t going to rise up and act. They would need to be motivated by someone or some event. Even setting oneself on fire in a town square on behalf of housing for all who need it, probably wouldn’t get past that complacent plastic bubble so many live in.
That’s really just a continuation of the old (counted in centuries) whinge from the conservatives and the rich that amounts to if we leave it to the people they’ll do it all wrong with the addendum from the rich of and they’ll vote to keep their wealth rather than letting us have and control it. Suffice to say that I find such arguments specious. We may make mistakes but they are our mistakes to make and not those of some dictators even if those dictators were elected.
Well I am coming from the point that the people don’t always do what is best for the people, they don’t always keep a watching eye on what is being done to make sure it is good for all people. If anyone expects that to happen automatically they are expecting ideal behaviour which crowds do not produce.
If we here in NZ did what we should have years ago we would have protested at Roger Douglas and cohort’s behaviour and policies more but we were too apathetic and since then we haven’t done what’s best for the country but settled for minimum personal satisfaction. It’s the old thing about not doing anything for others under stress, but eventually the stress comes to you. Our present situation illustrates what I have said earlier.
And so we are attempting this year, to get a Labour government being the aim, and secondly ensuring that this government does what needs to be done, in conversation, consultation and with the people. That is the ideal, and Labour has to work on recruiting voters who are enthused about them so they will vote for that Party to get that scenario. Not believe in their hearts that people when told the facts will arise and do the right thing.
“We may make mistakes but they are our mistakes to make and not those of some dictators even if those dictators were elected.”
I don’t find mistakes made by ‘the people’ any the less hurtful than those made by dictators. It’s a sweet notion that the people are going to positively cohese and do good things. But good outcomes have to be worked for, the people won’t automatically go to the path of most good, and care about those left out.
We’re not talking about crowds though. We’re talking about individuals talking, discussing and voting.
We did protest. The problem was that we didn’t have any choice nor any say in what the government was doing. Nor did we have the right to recall them – not that that would have made any difference as all we could have done was replace them with National and the 1990s showed us how bad that would have been. Since then we still haven’t had a lot of choice because Labour and National are two sides of the same coin. Bringing in direct democracy will give us that choice and the ability to make changes which are denied us by representative democracy.
And one that won’t work as Labour will continue to prop up capitalism at our expense. The representatives will continue to represent only business and the profit motive.
I didn’t say that they would be. The benefit of them is that we won’t be able to blame the government for them. We’ll have to wear the responsibility ourselves.
Then we have work to do.
With respect GW I absolutely disagree. It would be a monumental tragedy, nay travesty, if local government functions were further rolled into central government – there are already examples of how and why this is bad with the lack of control that Auckland has over their CCO’s and the top-down approach that is being driven to unify Wellington’s councils. I’d much prefer a more direct and accountable level of local democracy as the answer to the problems that you have identified (which I do agree with).
Once the capability of local governance is improved with adequate transparency and accountability I would personally go in the other direction and vest more local responsibility away from central government. Pipe dream stuff though I suspect but I live in hope 🙁
that guynz
I can’t agree with your trust in local government and limitations on them giving clear heads and preventative effects on speculative brainfarts any more than I would place all my trust in central. There should be limited opportunities for local government – either on its own behalf or through some quasi-private business arm or connection – to enter into projects over a certain limit without scrutiny and okay from central government entities.
Someone needs to hold up a stop sign to those with the delirious exhiliration of handling figures with lots of 0’s around them. Local characters who have made good with their own efforts candesire to go on to multiply this and build on their persona increasing to personal empires in their area. I wonder if Hubbard SCF could come into this category?
Believe me – I have as little trust in current local government as I do central government 🙂 I do however believe that with the right structural changes, a much more direct level of democracy could and should be applied at the local level. As DtB has mentioned above it could be by way of online voting or direct referendum or any other manner of things that the present structures neither encourage nor really allow. In a lot of respects it may encourage more of a meritocracy in local body governance which coupled with greater transparency would surely be a positive.
Regrettably the current trajectory is for a complete dis-empowerment of local government which has moved the voice (and control) further away from the people and trust has been eroded accordingly.
Delta (ie the old Otago EPB/Dunedin MED/DCC works and services) should really stick to their knitting and provide Dunedin/Otago with works and services, and an electricity network. It is crap like that that sees councils stripped of the right to own things like electricity networks.
Back on the subject of Ukraine, RT drops all pretense of being anything other than a mouthpiece for Kremlin propoganda
http://www.ibtimes.com/russia-today-drops-all-pretense-editorial-independence-publishes-pro-putin-propaganda-1562535
And while there is a lot of anti-Semitism among Ukraine nationalists, still a better love story than Twilight. Ukraine’s Jews would even now rather Russia didn’t “help” them – k’thankx’bi
http://www.jta.org/2014/03/03/news-opinion/world/ukraine-chief-rabbi-accuses-russians-of-staging-anti-semitic-provocations
Probably they haven’t forgotten why Cossacks love long roads and Fiddler on the Roof is a Disneyfied version of the clearing of the Shtetls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtetl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement
America’s debt mountain seeems to be a bit of a problem.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-20/what-surprise-it-turns-out-they-lied-about-deficit-last-year
That’s what you get when you have have thousands of military bases all over the world with hydroslides, foodcourts, and golf courses, and then you decide that destroyers would look really cool with lasers bolted onto them.
Phil ure a legend.
One thing I have noticed since you have cut your cannibis intake is your posts have far fewer dots and are more coherant .
Compulsive addictions are hard to deal with and usually people just change from one to another.
So long as it is a healthy addiction that is good .
fewer dots from fewer spots? 🙂
😀
I couldn’t care less where PU gets his kicks, but I’m sceptical he has given the pot away. I think he’s just trying to take Bad12’s ammunition away.
fender..
..the whites of my eyes are so white..
..you need shades to look at me..
🙂
Have you had any trouble getting to sleep, or been having more intense/vivid dreams?
no..i expected a sleep-issue..
..but still sleeping like a baby..
..and i was expecting the vivid dreams..
..but nah..!
Ok Hooton come out of that rock your hiding under!
Making Tory allegations about Jones jumping ship has been strongly refuted. While some of us speculated out loud Jones may bail to NZF after the next election, that was a setup for you Hooton and like the idiot you are, ya feel for it hook line and sinker.
And now have little credibility if any left lol.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11223616
And the dumb MS media hooked onto it too, and ran with this non-story showing how stupid and useless they are.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/295964/anadarko-ship-farewelled-message
So maybe a bit premature, but Anadarko have been increasingly elusive and cagey of late. Once we have confirmation that the igNoble BD is indeed heading out of our waters there should be a larger “Glad you aren’t Here” public event.
Parsupial.
The drill baby drill drools in Nactional have had their platform removed.
Now they only have the shell left which may crumble as Well.
Gold mines are closing and consolidating.
Coal mines are closing
Dolomite mines closing.
Phosphate mine on the brink.
No mention from National on its complete failure.
Penny not so bright just pay your rates you are never going to win that battle.
Cutting off your nose etc .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9853153/Supreme-Court-rules-against-Kim-Dotcom
Well theres another couple of nails in the lefts coffin for this election
Riiiiight,
Because Kim’s appeal to get some evidence from the US has been declined
must =
New Zealander’s voting for National.
Your logic is somewhat confused.
More like another barrier to getting rid of Dot Con has been removed = less funding for left-wing politicians who’ve stated they’ll look at blocking his extradition
Also Dot Con was one of the lefts big hopes in trying to score a hit against John Key which is amusing in itself
A foreign, convicted businessmen being one of the lefts great hopes…
[lprent: Ok. Thats enough. Please show evidence single left-wing politician or party who has received substantive funding from DotCom and who has said that they will block his extradition. You are banned until you do, and I’ll put it on auto-spam. ]
I can only assume you’ve stopped taking your meds Chris.. That is one hell of a long bow that you are drawing.
I can only assume you have the memory of a goldfish or the memory of the typical left-wing supporter (which is pretty much the same thing):
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11200563
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/player/ondemand/206655100-mhb—dr-russel-norman–greens-will-block-kim-dotcom-s-extradition
Woosh, that went right over your head didn’t it. I’m not disputing what was said by those politicians – as you have clearly demonstrated, it’s a matter of record.
What I was saying is that you’ve drawn a long bow that A) he was going to be a significant funder of any left campaign (when in fact he has historically funded right wing politicians anyway) and B) that he was the “left’s big hopes in scoring a hit against John Key”. Both of which have tenuous links with reality at best…
You’re forgetting that right wing facts are supported by the argumentum ad nauseam.
Huh? I also oppose dotcom’s extradition, and so for that matter would most of the local legal profession.
Basically the offenses that he is being attempted to be extradited for wouldn’t be offenses here – which isn’t essence is a major part of the local argument going on in the courts. THere is quite a lot of question if they are offenses even in the US.
The way that the US has applied for the extradition and the actions of the police here were probably in large part unlawful.
Many of the actions of the police after the arrest were definitely unlawful and amounted to theft by the police in defiance of the court.
Basically you’re simply displaying all of the moronic stupidity that many of the followers of the right display in NZ. It appears to come from a innate genetic inability to think in the presence of police.
It is known as the sheepeople effect.
I’d also say that staging an armed raid on an obese man and pregnant woman while making no provision for emergency medical aid (such as having an ambulance ready at the staging point) amounts to criminal nuisance.
But then good luck getting the cops to look at that one.
Actually, that would be criminal negligence.
which section makes it criminal?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_negligence#Concept
NZ had to be difficult:
That’s ok, Chris. Stone Shi has delivered more than we could possibly have hoped, with a bit of help from John Key’s natural instinct to tell lies.
All Dotcom’s got is more evidence of that, but Key has confirmed it out of his own mouth.
😆
+1
http://tvnz.co.nz/seven-sharp/minginui-fights-back-video-5869950
this clip needs to go viral. the left fights back!
Who needs 10 reasons not to watch ‘seven sharp’, Hosking is reason enough and the red-neck raving about small towns like Minginui and, apparently this sort of rubbish is Hoskings forte, Wairoa, are a pathetic expense indulged in by Hoskings at the taxpayers over-expense in paying Him to push Hs ugly little red-necks vision,
As someone emailed in reply, any idiot could do Hoskings job for a fraction of the expense so why don’t they just kick the fucking retard out the door save the State a million or two in the process and give us all far less brain damage while they are at it,
Given Hoskings dumb reasoning billions upon billions of welfare money is poured into the City of Auckland every year so lets empty the shit-hole out and burn it to the fucking ground,
What none of these idiots can grasp is that there are only X amount of jobs in the economy so it pretty much does not matter just who and where the unemployed are to be found, if every soul in Minginui were forced into Auckland next week and given a job in the current economy then an equal X amount of people give or take 1 or 2 would be made unemployed,
Hosking is the ugly face of neo-liberal hate speech formulated in His mind so as not to breach ‘codes’ of broadcasting, you can bet, as He admits Himself, he hasn’t got the guts to enter the towns Minginui or Wairoa…
Today is apparently ‘International day for fighting against racism’, my thought on learning this was shouldn’t every day contain an element of such a fight,
i have my electricity retailer to thank for the above ‘pearl’ of wisdom who kindly provided me with a few days power on special to mark the occasion…
Surprise surprise. The Salvation Army is going to replace the Problem Gambling Foundation. As an organisation the Salvation Army is slightly to the right of Genghis Khan so I can expect to see no more criticism of Sky City or pokies.
Would love to see the tenders made public but not likely I guess
” As an organisation the Salvation Army is slightly to the right of Genghis Khan so I can expect to see no more criticism of Sky City or pokies.”
I thought i’d seen it all, but no surely this has to be one of the dumbest comments ever seen on this website.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11223253
Herald pushing the ‘don’t bother voting’ agenda.
And yet again Mike Williams is mostly useless.
First & repeated point should be that if ‘no vote’ from 2011 Election was a party in parliament due to MMP Party Vote it would be the 3rd biggest.
Because Party Vote directly affects the number of MPs in Parliament for a Party it literally is the case that every vote counts.
That is serious electoral power which can massively change the face of NZ Parliament if only they would go out & actually vote.
Good news everyone, Super Fund sinks $292m into US oil and gas. Idiots.
Given that if we want to avoid dangerous climate change, no more than 20% of oil reserves can be burned, the superfund has invested $292M in companies which will be being devalued catastrophically sometime within the next few years.
Sux! Stop NZ investment in fracking!
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/breaking-news/nz-super-fund-invests-in-n-american-energy/story-fni0xqe3-1226861164636
Did anyone else watch Andrew Little, Ian Lees Galloway, Carol Beamont and Darien Fenton (and Denise Roach and Jan Logie) give their speeches in parliament on the Employment Relations Amendment farce the other day?
They were all really fantastic and the Tories that responded didn’t have any cognisant replies at all and instead just said really nasty, illogical, irrational, dumb stuff (as per usual).
It’s a great shame those speeches weren’t replayed on the MSM because it shows just how streaks ahead Labour and left really are.
like this genius http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/32179
Andrew Little making the excellent point, in his speech, that over the last 20 years productivity has increased 50% and wages have only increased 14%.
Now where’s that little wanker JustLikeTigerWoods that’s always harping on about wages increasing with productivity?
Little Andrew is talking shit. Wages have gone up by 14% in 20 years. Don’t be a fuckwit Geoff even you can’t be that thick. My hourly rate has gone up by almost 50% in eleven years, I know that would be more than the average but 14% increase in 20 years is complete bullshit.
is that your nominal rate (i.e. $20/hr on 2003, $30/hr in 2014), or have you adjusted for inflation?
Because 14% seems to be in the right ballpark. You might be paid twice as much, but you can’t buy as much with it.
a relevant john lennon quote..
“Our society is run by insane people – for insane objectives.
I think we’re being run by maniacs – for maniacal ends.”
6 months to go. Way too close to call it yet. Trotter, Williams, Hooton take note.
Level pegging. The only way for NZ is green and I’m loving it.
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5489-new-zealand-vote-201403202250
yeah baby!
that’s right trotter, hooton, other tossers etc, you dont know shit!
Go LEFT!
Interesting, IF NZFirst does not get 5% of the vote then i would suggest that national will be one hell of a big Opposition after the 2014 vote,
The if is a big one because i do not necessarily believe that the above will occur, i am more inclined to believe that National support is a bit weaker than what the Morgan polls it at and the NZFirst a bit stronger,
i can well believe the Green Party being up there at 13-14% and my mind is starting to change a little in my voting selection for 2014, previously i was considering a Party vote for Mana if the Green Party vote seemed to be holding up closing in on the election,
Now my belief is swinging toward the idea that New Zealand needs a 15% Green Party and my vote might have to reflect that, sadly leaving Mana to put all its efforts into the Waiariki seat as a means of furthering the movements aims which could well give Mana a pivotal 2 seats in the next Parliament…
(PS, one hell of a swing for the Green Party between Morgans, was Roy’s son stung by the criticism that He was conflicted by having too many mining interests to be impartial)…
Commercial banks create money at will; amount of loans created in a day not limited by reserves on hand
For those who had any remaining doubts, I think the Bank of England clears it up pretty well.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-03-20/bank-england-admits-loans-come-first-%E2%80%A6-and-deposits-follow
Latest Horizon Poll arrived. Not sure who they were hawking for, but based on a few of the questions, there are some tragic campaign slogans being considered 🙂
Their poll is crap, honestly it’s a vote and plug for any party to jack the poll. Roy Morgan has National slumping. The poll on election day is the one that counts. L/G should romp in as the non voting 800,000 in 2011 are committing as each day rolls by. Non vote will be slashed to 400,000 which will be a near landslide loss for the Tories.
Relaxed that I am!
Here’s an astounding article from the Sydney Morning Herald, in which a journalist explains why the media ignored a protest that attracted over 100,000 people:
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/march-in-march-two-sides-to-the-story-we-didnt-run-20140321-357tg.html
Hmmmmm. The call for civility from the Left by the journalist Maley is reasonable; frontline newspaper journos are rarely the ones who make the call on how prominent or major their story appears on the final newsprint. That is the job of the paper’s editor of course.
However, what Maley and the MSM appear not to have recognised is the increasing level of ANGER and CYNICISM in many communities regarding the state of the so-called “democracy” that they are now having to cope and survive in.
Therefore, while calls for “civility” are understandable and reasonable, I believe that far bigger underlying societal currents are being missed.
Colonial V
Maley sounds a bit like Josie Pagani. Floating along giving comfortable little comments about how the natives are revolting untouched by the true emotion, the realities behind it.
There was an interesting comment on why Obama and O-care is not better regarded by the USA public by Wayne Brittenden this morning and I think the guy that followed also had some interesting things on the USA – basically that the trend is to further Rightness. They will be soon making it the in thing to cut off their little fingers to show their commitment to the Party that serves their version of truth, freedom, the American way and apple pie.
Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint ( 18′ 31″ )
11:40 With many Americans registering for Obamacare before this year’s cutoff
point at the end of the month, Wayne takes a timely look at this most enigmatic of US presidents. Finlay follows up with US social critic, Professor Robert Jenson.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
Here’s my WTF moment of the day:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/9854595/Man-fired-over-70c-theft-wins-compensation
Absolutely fucking insane. Someone has clearly abused process to get rid of an employee without any justification whatsoever. None, zero, zilch. I trust the fuckwit in the DHB HR who colluded in this farce has been docked for the legal costs and penalties incurred.
Even more astounding that the first Court which looked at it upheld the sacking.
If you need cheering up RL check out the Roy Morgan. All is not lost, oracle trotter got it wrong again.
Thanks – that does cheer me up a little.
Clearly the Nats hubris has caught up with them. At the clear risk of being a wet-blanket I have to point out that Labour is still stuck on it’s tribal 30-33% lower boundary. Love to see this improve into the high 30’s.
So would I.
I think the left needs some positive momentum. There’s still a lot of unnecessary bagging going on from within the left, and people buying into the narrative that the MSM appeared to be pushing.
If we don’t hang together then….you know what.
What did Trotter get wrong, geoff?
He’s recently been writing pieces saying Labour was screwed, the election is in the bag for National, Cunliffe sucks blah blah, complete bullshit.
That’s a threadbare interpretation of what he’s saying.
First up Chris is as tribal leftie as anyone. Period. And he cares deeply.
Secondly he’s been around long enough to see all the things that can go wrong – and I think at times they haunt him.
Thirdly he’s a highly skilled writer and perhaps more than any of us he keenly feels the subterranean skews, spins and slants in the much of the msm narrative – and he senses just how much of a head-wind this creates for the left.
So when he reads the situation as teetering on a knife-edge, that things could very badly in this election I think he’s right to do so. The left needs it’s Cassandra to tell us about our blind spots and moments of overreach and hubris.
I find him energising and inspiring. Maybe we’re just of the same generation and he makes sense to me.
Ok, I disagree.
Chris is a part of the MSM, many of his pieces appear in lots of the country’s papers so when he pontificates (http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/all-over-bar-counting.html) about Labour having no chance, of DC being unlikable, he isn’t just warning the choir, he’s influencing potential left voters across the country. And not in a way that helps our chances. That’s my opinion anyway.
Losing a job over 75c.
This is what you would call an over-reaction. And lots of employers are starting to do it. A short word and the provided oppurtunity to replace the DVD would have been the best course of action.
Agree +100
Trying to find the recently published website showing the detail of river water quality over all NZ.
Am using a CH Ch computer and cannot backtrack to find this excellent detailed online site.
Anyone?
This?
https://www.niwa.co.nz/gallery/nrwqn-map-1
This NIWA one?
snap 😉
Interesting piece in Radionz Rural News –
Report reveals landfarm poorly run
A new report shows a Taranaki landfarm, where oil industry waste is disposed of, was being so poorly run the regional council was forced to intervene and the contractor running the landfarm was removed.
Fracking hell.