Open Mike 21/06/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 21st, 2017 - 66 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

66 comments on “Open Mike 21/06/2017 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tamati Tautuhi 1
    21 June 2017 at 6:07 am

    Any odds on Todd Barclay’s demise today ?

    Obviously the PM’s Office knew about this Issue and did they get directly involved ?

    The plot thickens ?

    • Ed 1.1
      21 June 2017 at 6:17 am

      Low odds,
      The press gallery are not impressed with English.
      These are not the headlines he’d be wanting to read.

      Tape saga shows lack of leadership
      By:Barry Soper

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11879788

      English inflicts damage to own leadership
      By: Audrey Young

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11879785

      National owes the taxpayer for Todd Barclay’s hush money
      By Patrick Gower

      http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/patrick-gower-national-owes-the-taxpayer-for-todd-barclay-s-hush-money.html

      • Red 1.1.1
        21 June 2017 at 10:29 am

        upcoming Rugby test and Americas cup is more interesting, this borefest will be fish n chip paper next week, beltway issue at best now zzzzzzz

    • Cinny 1.2
      21 June 2017 at 6:34 am

      It’s headline news on both networks this morning, I don’t think this will be going away anytime soon. Kiwi’s don’t like arrogance or liars.

      When you do a runner from the press without answering any questions, then they will be all over you like white on rice, it makes it look like he has more to hide.

      • Tamati Tautuhi 1.2.1
        21 June 2017 at 6:42 am

        If it smells like a rat it probably is a rat ?

        • Cinny 1.2.1.1
          21 June 2017 at 6:53 am

          For sures, just had a peak at the Herald, seven out of the nine political stories are about Barclay

      • tc 1.2.2
        21 June 2017 at 6:54 am

        Unlike the past 8+ years where not answering questions and lying has seen our owned MSM whimper away while assisting with dirty politics memes.

        The NZ electorate seems to not mind the arrogance, see what happens when a bit of journalism occurs.

        IMO Blinglish will act sometime soon and all the media puppets will fawn over his strong leadership allowing this distraction from housing, health, education etc to play out.

        • bwaghorn 1.2.2.1
          21 June 2017 at 7:32 am

          yes if scum key was still around the nats would have sailed through this , twas an odd 8 years to witness

          • Tamati Tautuhi 1.2.2.1.1
            21 June 2017 at 7:39 am

            Key would have tidied this issue up quick smart, unfortunately Bill doesn’t have Key’s skills in this department.

            • garibaldi 1.2.2.1.1.1
              21 June 2017 at 8:17 am

              Things were running out for Key’s smarminess so he buggered off. More like a dishonestly flawed 8 years than odd.

              • ianmac …
                21 June 2017 at 8:45 am

                This Barclay episode started with Key and his smelly fingers leave the mess for English to clean up.

      • Red 1.2.3
        21 June 2017 at 10:30 am

        No they don’t but full well understand most politicians are, Darren Hugh’s episode comes to mind

    • Draco T Bastard 1.3
      21 June 2017 at 10:10 am

      We’re probably going to see the same thing as we did with Philip Field. He’s going to wait to be found guilty before being removed from office.

      We have no other legal paths to remove this scum from office.

      • Anne 1.3.1
        21 June 2017 at 10:24 am

        It looks like the police are going to pick up the cudgels again:

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11879975

        If the police prosecute – and surely they will – then English has an excuse to stand him down.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.1
          21 June 2017 at 12:17 pm

          Apparently he’s just a backbench MP that doesn’t actually do anything so Blinglish is limited there. He could tell him not to turn up at parliament but he can ignore that. The only other thing he might be able to do is remove him from any committees he’s on.

          The only thing that Blinglish can do is the same as Helen Clark did when Philip Field was on the rocks and going down – kick him out of the party.

          No one can get him out of the electoral office until and unless he’s actually convicted of a crime that carries a maximum sentence of two years jail or more or he doesn’t get voted back in – whichever comes first.

        • gsays 1.3.1.2
          21 June 2017 at 1:27 pm

          again what, for the police, is new information?
          apart from the public being privvy to the police statement by the prime minister.

          something isn’t right here.

          • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.2.1
            21 June 2017 at 2:23 pm

            True. Either the police stopped the investigation for political reasons before or they really are incompetent.

            • Anne 1.3.1.2.1.1
              21 June 2017 at 6:38 pm

              There’s a third option. They were instructed to stop the investigation.

  2. Ad 2
    21 June 2017 at 7:54 am

    An awful lot of massive corporations signing up to a carbon tax, in the USA. Not adequate, but a really interesting broadcast to President Trump:

    https://www.clcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Climate_Leadership_Council_WSJ_Ad.pdf

  3. WILD KATIPO 3
    21 June 2017 at 8:12 am

    In remembrance.

    Last video of Otto Warmbier before imprisonment in North … – YouTube
    Video for last photos of otto warmbier youtube▶ 0:34

    • Sabine 3.1
      21 June 2017 at 12:20 pm

      last day of that black fella that was killed while driving a car in the us. the cop was found not guilty of anything, not even of being not suited to being a cop.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ac7Zblqyk

      authoritarian governments do as authoritarian governments do. And for what its worth, that US American kid could have not gone to North Korea as everyone knows they are not a democracy, not a great and friendly tourist destination. Whereas the black fellow in the car, well he was in his home country, in his home city, with his missus and the child on the way home.

      Authoritarian governments kill, and they will always say that the killed was breaking some law, the one ‘stole’ a poster, the other ‘driving while black’.

      • WILD KATIPO 3.1.1
        22 June 2017 at 12:53 am

        You may not like the nationalist movement , Brexit , Trump or Alex Jones.

        But it was telling that there was a clip of a late night TV show host mocking Otto Warmbier crying and pleading before N. Korea’s courts , and accusing him of being a privileged ‘ white’ ‘ frat- boy’ as well as several times even mocking his name ‘ Warmbier’.

        What an inverted racist piece of shit.

        And that particular late night host was not only ‘ African American’ , – but a known and prominent anti Trump personality and supporter of Hillary Clinton.

        That was BEFORE news of 22 year old Otto Warmbeirs death hit the headlines.

        And if that isn’t politically motivated inverse racism ,… then what is.

        I notice they’ve taken that clip down from you tube.

        And rightly so.

        • Sabine 3.1.1.1
          22 June 2017 at 10:53 am

          i shall cry about inverse racism when white people stop killing non white people by the dozen.

          that seventeen year old muslima who got bashed after leaving a food joint with her friends. Beaten to death, dumped in a pond. They call it “road rage”.

          the black women, pregnant and with kids at home, calls some cops and is killed in front of her children. by the cops. Ooops, they call that ‘ a series of unfortunate events’.

          the bullshit generally speaking that goes on and on in the states, and other places that we call ‘white working class economic anxiety’.

          this kid should have never been where he was, but it was his choice to go there. He could have finished his holiday in China, gone home to his family with nothing but good memories. But alas, he went to North Korea, a beacon of human rights.
          So while i have pity with his family, even have pity with him, i have more pity for those that get killed in their homes, their cities, on their streets but fuckwits who know they will get away with it casue ‘white working class economic anxiety’ and a severe case of ‘negrophobia’.

          I don’t give a flying fuck about white people whinging about discrimination. We, us white people, our ‘culture’ wrote the fucking book on discrimination and racism.

          This killing of the boy here was by a totalitarian state, and the killings that i listed where by a totalitarian state.
          Pot, kettle all fucking black.

  4. esoteric pineapples 4
    21 June 2017 at 8:27 am

    Here’s the first part of the Oliver Stone four hour interview with Putin – very interesting

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKbz5S8yQDw

    Here’s Stone being interviewed on Democracy Now! about the interview – also very interesting

  5. esoteric pineapples 5
    21 June 2017 at 8:34 am

    No-one is paying much attention to what is happening in Venezuela but it is hugely important within the context of what is happening with the United States and many other parts of the world right now. There is a conscious attempt to undermine the socialist government through economic means.

    Here is Abby Martin interviewing Venezuela’s Economy Minister which is very interesting

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk1qlKu_RJo

    Here Abby Martin is interviewed about her recent trip to Venezuela where she was in great danger from opposition “protestors” who are groups of agitators who go about doing things like blocking highways with petrol tankers they hijack, and burning people alive. The majority of people being killed in protests in Venezuela are being killed by this opposition agitators, not government forces.

  6. WILD KATIPO 6
    21 June 2017 at 8:53 am

    Yep – its happening all over from all quarters… And John Key was a mate of Obama and passed some of the most invasive surveillance laws this country has ever seen.

    And a few years before called Glen Greenwald a ‘screaming lefty’ – then was found to be lying about the XKEYSCORE program…. remember?

    Globalists. Good for nothing.

    Colonel Shaffer Warns Of A Bloody Civil War – YouTube
    Video for Colonel Shaffer Warns Of A Bloody Civil War The Alex Jones Channel The Alex Jones Channel▶ 18:24

  7. Kevin 7
    21 June 2017 at 9:11 am

    Now, if only our SFO could grow a pair…

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/20/sfo-charges-barclays-bank-executives-ceo-2008-qatar-fundraising

    “Taking on Barclays, one of the largest banks in the world, and its most senior officials who literally were at the very top, sends a very strong message that the SFO is now fearless in terms of the companies and individuals it pursues.”

    • adam 7.1
      21 June 2017 at 11:15 am

      The SFO was set up to terrorize small to medium business, not corporations. Gotta keep the club protected.

  8. Andre 8
    21 June 2017 at 9:16 am

    Can we look forward to extremist vegans running around dumping boxes of ticks all over the place now?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oh-lovely-the-tick-that-gives-people-meat-allergies_us_59496743e4b0579a1f392748

    Come to think of it, could be a useful weapon against climate change…

  9. Andre 9
    21 June 2017 at 9:30 am

    Ooooh, meee-ow. McCain getting a wee bit tetchy about how his own team is carrying on…

    http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/338633-mccain-no-american-has-seen-healthcare-bill-but-im-sure-russia-has

    edit: He’s not the only one, but the others aren’t as entertaining.

    http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/338643-trio-of-conservative-republicans-rip-senate-healthcare-process

  10. greywarshark 10
    21 June 2017 at 9:51 am

    The health boil is bursting. Pus coming out, and there is a deep well of bad news and bad government management. Bad because the government is bad and is trying to demonise the systems that the DHBs have to govern themselves by appointing government people over their heads who are not accountable to the DHBs for what they do, but are drawing on their money.

    And that is bad government management because of its lack of effectiveness, lack of oversight which has been taken from the DHBs, and bloody arrogance by government which seems set on a titanic course directly targeted in an effort to bring our health and hospital system to a state of crisis. And then, obviously, they will replace many direct government-provided services with contracted out to some private entity. Milking the (public) cow is what they know, it works for them, so refine the systems and adapt and keep forging ahead while the public stands gawping. ‘You wanted to say something? Sorry, too slow. Bye’ ……

    I’ll just add this last little sentence from Bradbury’s recent summation of National.
    it creates a false illusion of middle class wealth that keeps them voting National.
    It’s the key to everything now.

    • greywarshark 10.1
      21 June 2017 at 10:17 am

      Health interviews from Radionz.

      business health
      9:05 am today
      Mounting anger from DHBs towards Health Ministry
      From Nine To Noon, 9:05 am today
      http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201848288/mounting-anger-from-dhbs-towards-health-ministry

      Listen duration 20′ :58″
      There’s widespread anger from District Health Boards over the Health Ministry’s performance and the budget funds blunder.

      (Note that this has been catalogued under business health, not government health. Not a good look I think.)

      • In Vino 10.1.1
        21 June 2017 at 6:32 pm

        Well said, gws. Serious issue, but I guess that the lions and america’s cup (non-capitalisation deliberate) will take prominence. Frustrating.

    • Tamati Tautuhi 10.2
      21 June 2017 at 10:56 am

      Always a lot of money $$$’s to be made in change especially for the people involved in effecting the change.

      There is an old saying “If is isn’t broken don’t try and fix it, neoliberalism tried to change an effective Health System here in NZ”.

  11. heman 11
    21 June 2017 at 9:59 am

    nick smith latest on point england.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201848280/govt-accused-of-micro-managing-pt-england-housing-development

    he is retaining the playing fields but in order to do that he is taking them away.
    And banning farm animals on a public reserve. Surely a step too far?

    • joe90 12.1
      21 June 2017 at 11:43 am

      Buy it for a dollar, we’ll give you 82 cents worth of tax relief and you get to wring a 3% return on your dollar.

      Following Trump’s election, markets rose as investors predicted that Trump would increase infrastructure spending and provide a tailwind to the economy. But rather than directly borrowing cash and paying for infrastructure projects, Trump’s infrastructure plan actually offers some $137 billion in tax cuts to private investors who are willing to back and own transportation projects.

      As a result, Trump’s plan doesn’t guarantee additional spending in the economy, Krugman said. The Nobel Prize winner added that private investors may simply choose to privatize infrastructure projects that would have happened with or without Trump’s plan—only the private company would pay just 18 cents on the dollar, while taxpayers would cover the rest.

      http://fortune.com/2016/11/21/paul-krugman-trump-infrastructure/

  13. mac1 13
    21 June 2017 at 11:48 am

    Wow! Today’s editorial in Fairfax media. It catalogues the lying and misinformation, and weighs into English, Key, the Police and Barclay.

    It begins-” The spat over an obscure National backbencher has caused serious damage to the reputation of Prime Minister Bill English. It has also raised disturbing questions about the political independence of the police. Finally, it has dealt a fatal blow to the credibility of Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.

    And ends

    “This is a squalid shambles.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/93898739/editorial-a-bad-day-for-the-national-party

    It is also interesting that the only supporters in the background for Barclay when he made his so-called apology and then scarpered were other lowly-placed National back-benchers. They may also have issues about how they got in through stacking their own selection processes, as Barclay is alleged to have done.

    Senior MPs were noticeably absent.

    • mac1 13.1
      21 June 2017 at 12:55 pm

      One of the backbenchers supporting Barclay at his media apology outing was Paul Foster-Bell, who in three years as an MP by 2016 had lost twelve staff. Lest we forget.

      https://yournz.org/2016/06/26/foster-bells-staff-problems/

      Another back-bencher attending was Stuart Smith who rolled the sitting Kaikoura MP, Colin King, in 2014. That little saga involved some shenanigans as well.

  14. weka 14
    21 June 2017 at 12:09 pm

    John Hart‏ @farmgeek

    James Shaw receiving a warm welcome at the @FedFarmers AGM.

    https://twitter.com/farmgeek/status/877303286050676736

    and this reply from FedFarmers Diary Chair,

    Chris Waikato Farmer‏ @Lewisridge_Farm 27m

    James spoke really well. Everyone impressed with how he delivered his message! Won some respect!

    This is why the GP have James Shaw in a suit as co-leader. It’s about change.

  15. joe90 15
    21 June 2017 at 12:18 pm

    A reign of error…… and, I’ll get me coat..

    In 151 days, President Trump has made 669 false and misleading claims

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/?

  16. Penny Bright 16
    21 June 2017 at 12:54 pm

    Subject: URGENT! Request for Minister Simon Bridges as Leader of the House to ensure the Pt England Development Enabling Bill is NOT progressed through the House.

    21 June 2017

    ‘Open Letter’

    Minister Simon Bridges,
    I have just contacted the Speaker’s Office, regarding the progressing of the Point England Development Enabling Bill, when information upon which this Bill is based is factually inaccurate.

    I call on you as Leader of the House to ensure this fundamentally flawed legislation is NOT progressed through the House.

    Kind regards

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-privatisation/ anti-Corruption campaigner’

    2017 Independent candidate for Tamaki.

    Exposing the $1.6 billion Tamaki ‘Regeneration’ – GENTRIFICATION $CAM.

  17. Pete 17
    21 June 2017 at 1:28 pm

    After the last few days in particular I’d thought Todd Barclay was an idiot.

    That Hekia Parata was one of his heroes shows the sort of cretin he is.

  18. Draco T Bastard 18
    21 June 2017 at 2:07 pm

    “How Did We Get Into This Mess?: Politics, Equality, Nature” by George Monbiot

    The article marked a new form of employment: the nursery consultant.3 These people, who charge £290 an hour, must find a nursery that will put their clients’ toddlers on the right track to an elite university. They spoke of parents who have already decided that their six-month-old son will go to Cambridge then Deutsche Bank, or whose two-year-old daughter ‘had a tutor for two afternoons a week (to keep on top of maths and literacy) as well as weekly phonics and reading classes, drama, piano, beginner French and swimming’. They were considering adding Mandarin and Spanish. ‘The little girl was so exhausted and on edge she was terrified of opening her mouth.’

    From infancy to employment, this is a life-denying, love-denying mindset, informed not by joy or contentment, but by an ambition that is both desperate and pointless, for it cannot compensate for what it displaces: childhood, family life, the joys of summer, meaningful and productive work, a sense of arrival, living in the moment. For the sake of this toxic culture, the economy is repurposed; the social contract is rewritten; the elite is released from tax, regulation and the other restraints imposed by democracy.

    Capitalism: destroying life from infancy.

    • greywarshark 18.1
      21 June 2017 at 2:33 pm

      Reminds me of helicopter mums and dads –
      5 Signs You Were Raised By Helicopter Parents | HuffPost
      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/5-ways-to-tell-you-were-raised-by-helicopter-parents_us...
      Sep 30, 2015 – The parenting style, characterized by a helicopter-like tendency to hover over children and swoop in to rescue them at the first sign of trouble, …

      And the beauty queen moulded from babyhood JonBenet Ramsay.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_JonBen%C3%A9t_Ramsey

      Being trained to be a financial star, a maths star, a rugby star, a tennis star, is very limiting to the soul. Social policy research has found that some families who build their lives around their child star do not love the child. If that child wants to reject their sport, music etc. the family can turn away and ostracise him or her, they like the social standing the gifted child gives.

      Also the book Affluenza talks about the destroying effect of living up to unreal goals.

  19. AB 19
    21 June 2017 at 2:07 pm

    Getting in before James.
    Fantastic Lions display last night – All Blacks clearly in big trouble. 2-1 to the Lions likely series outcome. Also Oracle are sure to come out faster than Team NZ after the 5 day break. Very little feel-good factor going into September.

  20. Ad 20
    21 June 2017 at 2:37 pm

    The English and Northern Irish 2017 coalition negotiating teams meet:

  21. Penny Bright 21
    21 June 2017 at 4:46 pm

    Here’s how MPs were misled, in my opinion, and given inaccurate advice regarding the Point England Development Enabling Bill.

    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Point%20England%20Development%20Enabling%20Bill.pdf

    “The development land adjoins housing owned by the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company that is due for redevelopment as part of the regeneration of the Tāmaki area.

    A new housing development on the development land will result in new homes being made available that could rehouse existing Tāmaki Redevelopment Company tenants and therefore assist the regeneration.

    ….”

    The Tamaki Redevelopment Company Ltd owns NO houses and has NO tenants.

    This ‘Tamaki Regeneration’ has been, in my opinion, a massive $1.6 billion $CAM.

    The real aim has been gentrification of Tamaki.

    Don’t you think that MPs would be given correct information before they passed legislation?

    Penny Bright

    2017 Independent candidate for Tamaki.

    Exposing the $1.6 billion Tamaki ‘Regeneration’ – GENTRIFICATION $CAM.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.