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Open mike 22/06/2025

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 22nd, 2025 - 66 comments
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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 22/06/2025 ”

  1. Todays Posts 1
    22 June 2025 at 6:00 am

    Today's Posts (updated through the day):

    Reply
  2. Dennis Frank 2
    22 June 2025 at 6:48 am

    Oodles of leftist journos flushed out of their refuges now must face market forces: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwzmj9v34o

    Trump's cuts target the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which is supported by Congress and funds the affected news outlets, such as VOA, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Radio Free Europe… some 1,300 staff have been put on paid leave at Voice Of America (VOA) since Friday's executive order… China's Global Times welcomed the cuts, calling VOA a "lie factory".

    Xi may now reach out to Donald for an across the water left/right handshake. There's a significant downside for the US – could be an own goal. This guy points to it:

    VOA's director Michael Abramowitz said Trump's order has hobbled VOA while "America's adversaries, like Iran, China, and Russia, are sinking billions of dollars into creating false narratives to discredit the United States".

    Reply
  3. Phillip ure 3
    22 June 2025 at 9:33 am

    Mediawatch on rnz is reporting that elective surgeries in hospitals are only done 8-4..mon-fri…

    Surely better use could be made of those assets ..?

    Is two shifts such a radical idea ..?

    This is barking…long waiting lists for surgeries….and assets underused to an epic degree. .(!)

    [link added]

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018992384/sick-leave-saga-public-v-private-health-claims

    Reply
    • Visubversa 3.1
      22 June 2025 at 10:20 am

      The problem is likely to be the staff. They just don't have the specialists, or the theatre and recovery support nurses.

      Reply
      • gsays 3.1.1
        22 June 2025 at 10:34 am

        While what you say is true, as a long time shift work observer, surgery and related activities are a Mon to Fri, 9-5 job.

        Reply
        • Phillip ure 3.1.1.1
          22 June 2025 at 10:41 am

          Why do you say that..?

          Surely even two seven hour shifts would be a more efficient use of those assets ..?

          ..and would lessen waiting lists..?

          ..and obviate the (claimed) need to privatize..?

          And why not seven days..?…why only five..?

          Reply
          • aj 3.1.1.1.1
            22 June 2025 at 11:57 am

            For surgeons who do work in both public and private, they need time to work in private. I wonder how many in that workforce work in both sectors.

            Reply
          • gsays 3.1.1.1.2
            22 June 2025 at 1:19 pm

            You've got the hospital.

            Folk from the community come in for surgery. Post surgery they then need to have a bed in the said hospital.

            There is EDs that will need emergency surgery done. EDs also experience 'granny dumping'. Nana/Pop is unwell, needing a bed in hospital for the weekend.

            Elderly care facilities are prone to shifting clients to hospitals as they are generally not staffed to care for anyone beyond a sniffle.

            Fridays are a time for emptying beds/discharging.

            It is about capacity and underfunding. If there weren't weekends, consultants wouldn't have time off.

            Reply
            • Phillip ure 3.1.1.1.2.1
              22 June 2025 at 6:00 pm

              Pretty much everything you have listed are imperatives dictated by how the hospital is run now..

              What I am suggesting is that bigger brains than mine investigate how it can be done better..

              ..bringing us better use of assets..and shortening waiting times..

              Doesn't that make sense..?

              ..if stumped..overseas hospitals running operations shifts could be a valuable resource/full of how to…

              Reply
        • Kay 3.1.1.2
          22 June 2025 at 12:06 pm

          I had my (elective but necessary) eye surgery at 8am on a weekday. I imagine the staff involved had to be there earlier.

          Reply
          • Visubversa 3.1.1.2.1
            22 June 2025 at 1:08 pm

            For my eye surgery, I had to be there at 7.30am. The staff were all there – ready and waiting for us. I don't know how many operations they did that day, there were people in the waiting area when I came out and there were also other people in the recovery area, and in the preparation room.

            Reply
    • Phillip ure 3.2
      22 June 2025 at 10:34 am

      I really like the idea of ring fencing revenue raised from extra taxing of the richest ..

      And as has been said before..letting everyone know how that money is being used…annual report cards back to us punters wouldn't hurt ..

      This would help making that wealth tax more palatable to the electorate..

      Another thing that could be easily ring fenced for health..would be fully legalising cannabis….and firing that substantial revenue raised into health has a logic of its own…

      Reply
    • weka 3.3
      22 June 2025 at 1:07 pm

      I added the Mediawatch link to your comment, because the reasons are discussed comprehensively later in that piece.

      Reply
    • Terry 3.4
      22 June 2025 at 1:14 pm

      Making full use of the facilities does make sense, It would be getting the logistics together, along with a change of institutional mindset to make it work.

      Two shifts would need twice the surgeons and all other support staff. Equipment used during surgeries needs to be serviced and cleaned between surgeries.

      Reply
      • gsays 3.4.1
        22 June 2025 at 1:24 pm

        And the bed space.

        With a view to future-proofing the Government surely wouldn't skimp on size of a new hospital build./sarc

        Reply
        • Phillip ure 3.4.1.1
          22 June 2025 at 6:03 pm

          And a ring-fenced wealth tax to fund the necessary upgrades/staffing costs..

          Reply
          • Bearded Git 3.4.1.1.1
            22 June 2025 at 6:29 pm

            I like the ring fencing of money from the Social Investment Levy (wealth tax) too Phillip…and I think the voters will like it too.

            Reply
            • Phillip ure 3.4.1.1.1.1
              22 June 2025 at 7:20 pm

              Wouldn't it be refreshing if there could be a pledge from all three parties to do just that..?

              …prior to going into the election…

              ..I think it would be a total vote winner…

              ..the voters want solutions to what ails us..

              ..let's hope those three parties can see that…and how empowering it would be for them during the campaign…

              It would keep the tories and their ratbag hangers-on on the back foot..

              Reply
    • Vivie 3.5
      22 June 2025 at 1:56 pm

      Sarah Dalton, executive director of the ASMS, explained the reasons more elective surgeries aren't being performed in public hospitals – namely lack of government funding and staff shortages:

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/564820/media-in-the-middle-of-political-skirmishes-over-sickness-and-health

      "Are doctors' unions preventing more elective surgeries?

      "Absolutely not. The limits are more about management decisions on staffing costs, availability of recovery beds and how to distribute operating theatres between acute and elective work," Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists told Mediawatch.

      "The barrier to providing more elective surgeries is a refusal to pay staff required to work longer hours … and inability to provide sufficient staff to run our operating theatres to their maximum capacity."

      "We don't have anything in place that would stand in the way of doctors opting to work in a different work pattern or longer hours. And in fact, many of them frequently do.

      "Typically surgeons and anaesthetists work 10 hour days. A number of hospitals sometimes run what are sometimes called twilight theatres in the early evening or on weekends.

      "I don't think the way that the discussion has been presented is entirely fair – and it is somewhat misleading.

      "It is concerning to us that 'private' is seen as the answer when in fact they are already near capacity for what they can do. And we also have significant doctor shortages."

      Reply
      • Bearded Git 3.5.1
        22 June 2025 at 6:38 pm

        Exactly Vivie….and that bastard Mike Hosking is blaming it all on the unions

        Listen to Mediawatch on RNZ this morning at 9.05 where this issue is addressed at length.

        Labour is favoured by the polls on health…if they play their cards half right it will win the Left the election.

        Reply
    • Ad 4.1
      22 June 2025 at 12:49 pm

      It is pretty much the plot of Top Gun Maverick.

      Reply
    • SPC 4.2
      22 June 2025 at 12:56 pm

      The liar-in-chief said he would decide in two weeks.

      Qui est surpris.

      Reply
      • Scud 4.2.1
        22 June 2025 at 1:09 pm

        Here's my post from lastnight, suggesting something was going on around 10:30pm NZ Time.

        As of 2-3hrs ago there are about 8 Air to Air Tankers Airborne with 8-9 B2's out of Whiteman AFB Airborne.

        The 1st set of Tankers refuelled the B2's just after Takeoff! The B2 roll out after Take Off suggests they are close to their All Up Max Take Off weight, leading to speculation that B2's are loaded with 2 GBU-57's (Bunker Busting Bombs) as each GUB-57 weighs 30,000lbs each.

        There is also a NOTAM issued just North West/ West North West of Hawaii and the Size of the NOTAM suggests a possible Air to Air Tanker Refuelling Bracket.

        I haven't heard of any USAF Tankers station in Oz atm, but in saying that, the preparations for Ex TS 25 are currently under way which starts mid July.

        Reply
      • Puckish Rogue 4.2.2
        22 June 2025 at 1:25 pm

        How dare he not tell everyone his plans

        Reply
        • SPC 4.2.2.1
          22 June 2025 at 1:30 pm

          He did.

          1.It would happen within the 2 weeks, or not at all.

          2.He had TG back down (a second time and much more in line) to reduce opposition after he acted, he had decided.

          Reply
        • weka 4.2.2.2
          22 June 2025 at 1:45 pm

          less that than he's already demonstrated that he's a psychopath who has already demonstrated that he can't be trusted many many times. That's instability right there.

          Reply
          • Puckish Rogue 4.2.2.2.1
            22 June 2025 at 3:26 pm

            Agree to disagree, Iran has had numerous years to disband their nuclear weapons program.

            Reply
            • Psycho Milt 4.2.2.2.1.1
              22 June 2025 at 4:38 pm

              Yeah, I won't be shedding any tears over one of the worst regimes since the Nazis losing the ability to make nuclear weapons. It isn't (or shouldn't be) a left-right issue.

              Reply
              • Puckish Rogue …
                22 June 2025 at 5:36 pm

                Agreed 100%

                Although I would disagree with the US with putting boots on the ground if it comes to that

                Reply
                • Psycho Milt …
                  22 June 2025 at 5:44 pm

                  Same here. I'm pretty confident they wouldn't, because it would make Trump's "no more foreign wars" message impossible. Mind you, that's predicated on him being normal, which he doesn't seem to be.

                  Reply
              • Phillip ure …
                22 June 2025 at 6:20 pm

                Seen in just that context what you say hangs together..

                But it is where it sits in the bigger picture…where all the war crimes are happening..all that it is part of…that is the issue..

                And let's not lose sight of the fact that the chief spook..gabbard…said they were three yrs away from having one ..if they started now…and that they currently have no program…

                …that this whole strike is built on a pile of bullshit ..as part of Israel's agenda..somewhat sullies yr clinical view..I wd contend..

                And Jon Stewart did a brilliant timeline takedown of netanyahu peddling those imminent nukes warnings..way back to when he was using crayons to draw his imagined nukes .

                ..once again..a pile of bullshit..

                Reply
                • Dennis Frank …
                  22 June 2025 at 6:36 pm

                  Steve Bannon told us their media strategy was to flood the zone with bullshit, several years ago. Almost as if the Protocols of The Elders of Zion need no longer be mentioned, eh? wink

                  Reply
                • Psycho Milt …
                  22 June 2025 at 6:50 pm

                  "But it is where it sits in the bigger picture…where all the war crimes are happening..all that it is part of…that is the issue.."

                  I agree. I believe it's tangential to those war crimes, in that the biggest source of the crimes has been severely damaged even before the US (hopefully, at least) took their nukes programme out. However, I don't think Trump gives a rat's ass about problems that don't affect him personally, so it's unlikely that broader issue even got a look-in at the decision-making.

                  "And let's not lose sight of the fact that the chief spook..gabbard…said they were three yrs away from having one .."

                  Gabbard is a Putin enthusiast, so I give her statements on this as much credibility as I'd give Putin's. One of the worst things about Trump 2.0 is that he's figured out he needs to prioritise loyalty to him over loyalty to the Constitution, so unlike in 2017 we're looking at a US administration made up of complete fucking nut jobs. That worries me way more than these strikes.

                  "And Jon Stewart did a brilliant timeline takedown of netanyahu peddling those imminent nukes warnings..way back to when he was using crayons to draw his imagined nukes ."

                  Yeah, I know – the temptation to think "Fucking Netanyahu's been peddling this for decades" or "This is just like the supposed WMD in Iraq" is very strong, but there's other evidence to consider, not least: Mossad's burned a huge amount of espionage capital on this operation, ie it's a great success but building it would have been enormously costly in time, effort, money, operational security etc, you name it, and now they've burned all that – the Iran regime will now know what they did and how they did it, some of their agents and local sympathisers are likely to be captured, tortured and killed, and the ability to do the same again will be zero. It's like the pagers thing with Hizballah, you couldn't run a Mossad operation now that consists of "Here, awesome pagers going cheap!", that option's gone for good. So, you don't burn through this amount of resource if you don't have a good reason for doing it. On this, I'd trust Mossad way further than I'd trust US intelligence, even if US intelligence weren't currently being run by a conspiracy theorist.

                  Reply
                  • Phillip ure …
                    22 June 2025 at 7:10 pm

                    What conspiracy theories does gabbard cling to..?

                    (I ask as someone who knew her when she was a child..)

                    And I understand her 3 yrs claims were made in her report in her role ..and was the findings of the intelligence community she rules over…
                    And surely the mossad campaign was getting netanyahu to lead trump by the nose…?

                    Reply
                  • Nic the NZer …
                    22 June 2025 at 7:27 pm

                    Yeah, Yeah, the head of US intelligence services is only acting in the interests of Russia (and obviously authored this report herself to pre-emptively undermine Trump (who didn't want to attack Iran anyway) when Israel attacks Iran three months later).

                    Very convincing, doesn't sound exactly what Netanyahu said about Iraq WMDs, at all. No wonder you are convinced about this obviously false premise for, attacking the country you have had a hard on for being attacked, at all.

                    Think we should also conclude Mossad has something pretty heavy on Trump because even he is not so thick as to realize his negotiations were manipulated to set the initial attack up. Probably a full copy of the Epstein files would be a good guess.

                    Reply
                    • Puckish Rogue …
                      22 June 2025 at 8:09 pm

                      If Trump was in the Epstein files the Democrats would have released/leaked the details years ago

                    • Phillip ure []
                      22 June 2025 at 8:46 pm

                      Nah..!…that would also expose Clinton..(and who knows who else..in the Democrat party..)

                      ..they have mutually assured destruction on that one…

                      A guy called Wolff..who writes on the daily beast..

                      ..claims to have seen the photos seized from Epstein's safe in the FBI raid..

                      He goes into some detail..describing what trump and Epstein are doing in those photos..with young undressed girls..

                    • Puckish Rogue []
                      22 June 2025 at 9:34 pm

                      I like conspiracy theories as much as the next guy (shout out to The Why Files) but unless I see evidence…

                      I would put more stock in the idea that if you release the names then they lose their worth as blackmail targets…

                    • Psycho Milt …
                      22 June 2025 at 8:24 pm

                      Don't get me wrong, I don't have a horse in that race. In the wildly unlikely event it were to turn out that one of the worst totalitarian regimes left in the modern world was enriching uranium to at least 60%, possibly 80%, simply and only because it takes an unseemly pleasure in flushing billions of dollars down the toilet, Israel would still have a cast-iron casus belli based on that regime making undeclared war against it for the last 20 years, and the US would still have pretty good reason to do the UN's job for it, seeing as the UN won't.

      • Muttonbird 4.2.3
        22 June 2025 at 1:46 pm

        And we wonder why it's difficult to trust the US/Israel axis.

        Reply
        • SPC 4.2.3.1
          22 June 2025 at 1:52 pm

          They are predictable in their own way … .

          UNSC veto powers and those they protect do stuff outside the rules because they can get away with it.

          Fraser warned us about that in 1945.

          Reply
    • Bearded Git 4.3
      22 June 2025 at 1:32 pm

      Bernie Sanders says Trump does not have legal authority to bomb Iran-see short video below.

      https://twitter.com/i/status/1936584697632497920

      Reply
      • SPC 4.3.1
        22 June 2025 at 1:49 pm

        He is confusing declaration of war with military action, this is not the area he is good at.

        Reply
        • weka 4.3.1.1
          22 June 2025 at 2:02 pm

          yeah, it looks like sending troops requires Congress, but remote bombing doesn't.

          I'm not sure what the difference is between being at war and declaring war. Do you know?

          Reply
          • SPC 4.3.1.1.1
            22 June 2025 at 2:03 pm

            Declaring a war is with the intent of conquest (sometimes but not always meaning occupation), not just achieving a war action aim/objective.

            For example no declaration of war on Mexico before stealing land (nor Greenland off Denmark?).

            They did declare war on Spain in 1898 though to steal their imperial possessions in the Caribbean and SE Asia – with no effort to confront Spain in Europe (sending a message to Europe?).

            Reply
  6. Drowsy M. Kram 6
    22 June 2025 at 1:04 pm

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/563983/experts-warn-regulatory-standards-bill-threatens-future-public-health-laws

    This is what Deputy PM Seymour gets paid for – and I'm not talking about his salary.

    David Seymour Now Attacks A Second UOA Professor For Opposing His "Dangerous" Regulatory Standards Bill

    Seems like the Epsom MP and Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is going to make this a daily occurrence i.e. to attack our most esteemed and caring professionals in NZ.

    Note: Dame Mary Anne Salmond ONZ DBE FRSNZ is a New Zealander of the Year. In 2020, she was appointed to the Order of New Zealand for outstanding leadership in the highest honour in New Zealand's royal honours system. She is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Auckland, and the first New Zealander to be elected a fellow of both the US National Academy of Sciences and the British Academy. In 2013 she was named 'Cultural Anthropologist of the Year' and has received numerous awards for her work and service over decades.

    Anne Salmond has been critical of Atlas Network's NZ Initiative and the "dangerous" Regulatory Standards Bill for a while. Here is one of her articles Seymour is angry at – What’s wrong with the Regulatory Standards Bill – 9 reasons why Act’s legislation on regulation is flawed and should not pass

    A reminder: you can still piss David Seymour off by submitting to OPPOSE the Regulatory Standards Bill by Monday June 23 @ 1pm.

    Reply
  7. Stephen D 7
    22 June 2025 at 1:34 pm

    It’s all on for young and old now.

    ”LIVE: Trump says US has bombed 3 nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow”

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/6/22/live-us-joins-israels-attacks-on-iran-bombs-three-nuclear-sites

    Reply
  8. Bearded Git 8
    22 June 2025 at 2:02 pm

    "The international law expert, Donald Rothwell, said it was “virtually impossible” to mount a case that the US’ reported strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were legal under international law.

    Under article 51 of the UN charter, states are allowed to use force to defend themselves from an armed attack.

    International law experts argue the charter does not provide a broader right to preemptive attacks, such as the strikes Israel launched on Iran on 13 June on the grounds of eliminating Tehran’s nuclear threat."

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jun/22/israel-iran-war-live-trump-says-us-has-attacked-nuclear-sites-in-iran-including-fordow#top-of-blog

    On Al Jazeera they are saying Trump may have opened himself up to impeachment.

    Reply
    • SPC 8.1
      22 June 2025 at 2:19 pm

      Tell it to a UNSC veto power (see WMD in Iraq) not bound by anything the ICC says because they are not signed up.

      The US is a member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) …

      AI

      The International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in The Hague and was established in 1945 by the UN Charter. The ICJ settles legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies.

      Reply
  9. Muttonbird 9
    22 June 2025 at 5:42 pm

    It's MAGA heaven in here today. Gross.

    Reply
    • Bearded Git 9.1
      22 June 2025 at 6:47 pm

      Before the election Standardistas need to share pictures of Shane Jones wearing his "Make NZ Great Again" cap.

      Links to Trumpism will be poison…NZF will sink like a stone….sub 5%

      Reply
  10. SPC 10
    22 June 2025 at 10:10 pm

    The Ayatollah, a visit by the ghost of Uncle John to bring peace to the ME and an interruption by a great niece who had won a belly dancing competition, neither could see the wood for the trees of the forest of old age and death.

    Reply

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