There are now two types of ladders:
The gold plated ones used exclusively for the welfare of the rich and the powerful.
The rickety ramshackle ones grudgingly used for the rest.
As far as I know, nobody in the Labour party did anything like phone the police to warn them off prosecuting Liu for domestic violence, and no Labour member has a spouse involved with Liu’s company or anything like that. Where’s the pay for play?
Unless there is some evidence of favouritism shown towards this man by Labour, what’s the actual story?
Well said, Phil.
State funded +Any donation of $1,000 plus (or may be even $100 plus) to be transparent and openly declared with no anonymity provision available.
Maurice Williamson helped this character buy a house/batch next to his own and even said he does some house handyman repair work for him when this fellow goes off to china for a holiday. The immigration minister, Woodhouse said that he ‘personally went and visited this guy in his hotel/residence’ to get his suggestions for changes to the immigration laws! Can’t you see how unbecoming and dodgy for a government cabinet minister to do that! By the way, Key even went and opened his hotel. National has, as far as I have have read, declared only $22,000 from this man when National seems to be much closer to him.
Both Labour and National should come clean about ALL the donations from this fellow and there aught to be a thorough investigations by the police or IRD or parliament or election commission about ALL the activities, dealings and behaviour of this individual.
In my opinion, any donation of $1,000 or more from anyone or any group should be declared by all political parties. Better transparency is what is needed to keep NZ corruption free.
Some important questions need to be asked. Why has this Liu fellow made his statement now? What is his motive or agenda? Is his statement true or a lie? Where is his receipt? Has he been pressurised to issue this statement? By who? Why through a lawyer? Why no affidavit? Why is he not fronting up for a face to face interview by media? Why is he trying to damage the Labour party just before the coming elections? How much has he given to the National party? What favours has he received by the cabinet ministers and by this government? What dirty tricks is National playing behind the scenes? Lots of important questions need answers here.
Well, having observed the recent developments, which are of course a well planned, well paced smear campaign coming from John Key and his underlings, the sad thing is, mud sticks. And the reality is this, John Key’s top drawer is not brimming full with harmful documents and info on Labour and that party’s MPs for no reason.
The decades of adopting a “third way” form of neo-liberalism, thus with the capitalism we have now, the long time of flirting with big business, with rich donors, with wining and dining at high level functions, and with socialising with the top elite persons in society, this has not happened without Labour Members of Parliament, especially former Ministers, having compromised themselves. That is why Labour has lots credit, reputation, support in the traditional and otherwise usual voter base.
All talk of returning to the roots, over recent years, has not been believed by many, and NOT so by me either!
The rot sits deep, and there is much hidden, and sadly Key and his loyal muck-rakers got more than a handful of info at their hands, having worked in a calculated, strategic manner, they seem to have ample of it. Much of the complicit MSM serve his and the Nats’ requests, willingly, but they can do so, they have info that has some value to it.
And such rich, wealthy Chinese business migrants, like Mr Liu, they will not take kindly to being accused, suspected, blamed and put into public disrepute by certain politicians, leaders or not, who come from parties that he once may have donated big to (by way of discrete trusts or in other forms), so they come back with a vengeance.
That is what we are having now, Labour is screwed, this election is screwed, that is for Labour, the party is discredited now, make no damned doubt about it, it is HISTORY, unless a long, painful rejuvenation and reformation happens over a long time.
I told you all months ago, repeatedly, and was lambasted by a fair few, Labour are “gonners”, there is an urgent and absolute need for a new, left or progressive party, that represents what Labour once stood for. The present lot do not deserve to continue sitting in Parliament, and ignoring the needs of the weakest and poorest out here. All their slogans ring hollow. What the f*** have you offered those on benefits in this election? Not much, to be honest, so go and tidy up your mess, and leave the main opposition to the Greens and others now, thank you!
The result of Labour’s and I fear also David Cunliffe’s stuff ups, and hypocrisy, that is that John Key can now make political changes daily, serving the US interests, even defending drone strikes that inevitably will kill innocent, and many other disgusting things that will come.
So we can thank Labour for all this crap that we will soon get under a third term of an equally shallow, hollow, hypocritical, lying and self serving National Party led government. I feel sorry for those on benefits, the full swing of more hate driven “reforms” will be on their way. Shame on you, Labour, shame on you!
phil, today we have something substantial to ask questions about.
Like Edwards you seem keen to get the boot into Labour as often as possible, whether there’s any evidence or not.
These are issues about Labour in the past in government. Nothing to do with Cunliffe, everything to do with the MO of soft neoliberal Labour.
It’s really good to look at such things in the light of substantial evidence, and for Labour to clear out any remnants of neoliberal collusion.
Rick Barker is history. Some of the likes of Mallard, King etc, seen taking Sky City hospitality at sports events…. time this kind of thing was relegated to history.
And generally, we need more transparency around funding for poltiical parties, and measures to lower limits on the amounts of funding that come frome private donations.
Edwards in the article – Edwards, though, has a history of it. I don’t have time to look it up, because I’m about to get ready for work.
You, yesterday and today, so keen to turn questions on Labour without any significant evidence, rather than look closely at what the NZ Herald articles are doing within the context of an up-coming election.
“..You, yesterday and today, so keen to turn questions on Labour without any significant evidence, rather than look closely at what the NZ Herald articles are doing within the context of an up-coming election…”
sigh..!..so..(i repeat)..that was why i was one of the first to call bullshit! on that liu-letter..?
..and to opine that cunnliffe should also call bullshit! on it…and front-foot it..?
..eh..?
..how does that all fit in with yr phils’-secret-plan/agenda narrative..?
..i’m calling bullshit! on you..
..and the longer you/labour twist and turn on this one..the longer it will drag on..
..can you seriously not see that basic/screamingly-obvious political-fact/imperative at play here..?
..and again..when will the man with all the answers from labours; p.o.v…
..former bag-man mike williams..when will he surface..?
..(we all know he isn’t media-shy..eh..?..so..?..)
..if there were no donations..why has he not popped up in the media to call liu out..?
..have you asked yrslf that question..?
..(instead of whipping up messanger-conspiracy-theories..eh…?)
I agree, the HMS Labour is severely listing and if this isn’t sorted and put to bed within the next week or two then Labour is heading to the bottom taking the lefts hope of electoral victory with it.
Yes, you are. Swallowing the Herald’s hackery. Read Geddis at Pundit then pull your head in. If you consider yourself more ethical than a Tory you’ll withdraw your remarks too.
It demonstrates that Mike Williams (just like everyone else) would be a fucking idiot to dance to the National Party’s tune, or do you think they’ll stop playing if you start dancing?
Go on, dance around until you’re exhausted: they’ve got more tunes lined up just as soon as you realise you’ve been had.
Phillip, ”after the fact” is what you should be considering, remember we are talking here of events in 2007,
i said yesterday that i would ”unhappily” concede that Liu had donated a large sum, or large sums of money to the Labour Party when a shred of evidence was produced to that effect,
Lets examine this evidence shall we, ”a firm of lawyers, said to act for Liu gave an anonymous donation to Labour in 2007”,
Now in 2007 can you point to the Herald printing a story which says just that???,
That is the gist of this little sordid tale, not what is now known today in the year 2014, but, what was known in the year 2007 when the firm of lawyers made this donation on behalf of ”anonymous”…
phillip. You were stating it as fact and it is not fact even yet. The column in the Herald says $150,000 but does not back that up other than “Mr Liu said.” There is nothing in the returns to back it up. You might have just said “it was rumoured that Mr Liu…. ”
Anyway the damage has been done because people will say either ho hum, or those tricky Labour people, or best maybe the whole system of clarity of donation be refined. Who knows?
Oh, we talked to Liu, he signed a document that we’re not going to show you (never mind that he wouldn’t sign an avadavit) and he says x, y, z. We’re not going to give you any detail of that (like where and when the auction was), you’ll just have to take our word for it. Even better, we’ve got our tame ‘political commentator’ who says LABOUR ARE CORRUPT, and we’re going to print lots of his words without telling you where they came from, or why he should be trusted. Oh, and we’ll throw in some editorialising from our chief reporter, like how embarassing this is for Labour, because why have independent neutral reporting when you can do what the fuck you like and influence the election of a nation state?
Also, phil, we are in election mode. The NZ Herald is leading a strong smear campaign aimed to destabilise Labour and the Left, in order to undermine the chances of a left government forming. We shouldn’t let the Herald lead us around by the nose. We need to ask wider questions, not just related to the ones they have raised about Labour.
The author, Bevan Hurley, says the NZ Herald has a signed statement by Liu from May 3. This must be the afidavit that lawyers were reported to be poring over a couple of days ago. Clearly it didn’t pass the legal tests, and was reported to lack documentation.
So, we still need to see some documented evidence off the claims. How trustworthy are Liu’s signed statements?
I agree that this is a concerted attack against Labour by NZH, but I also think Mike Williams should be fronting this, this is a governance issue and its important that Labour’s record keeping is maintained at the highest standard. Unfortunately I suspect that William’s and co have just replicated the National Party’s practices, and unfortunately this is the outcome…The NZ Herald attacks Labour. As a matter of Principle Labour should always, always operate at 100% transparency.
This could turn out to be a load of bull shit, but obviously Labour’s record keeping isn’t at a level that we can say with 100% certainty that it is. The executive need to get things in order after September, I suspect that as National anticipated, this is the issue that will cost the Left the government in the next election. Its on Mike Williams head.
The problem Cunliffe has is that distancing himself will be very difficult. There are a number of current mps from the previous govt still there and the letter which while completely above board is enough to tie him to liu in the public’s eyes.
As for transparency im not sure he has a lot of credibility there either he did after all set up his own trust system.
Its starting to look like Labour are no better than National when it comes to suspect funding practices. Disappointing.
Why not show the commitment to fixing this via proposing a particularly strong sort of campaign finance reform and heavy consequences for breaching the rules? Something too strong for National to support and including something new.
Then every time they say “you did this dodgy thing” You can say – “the policy to fix it is on the table – and you oppose it”
Then there are three possibilities
1) the policies suggested were weak policies designed to look strong but designed to catch no one.
2) National blocked the policies and they should get a bloody nose for being the real problem.
3) Labour/National and other parties should be prosecuted under these rules.
The Lui “scandal” is very much National demonstrating the principle that; the best defense is a strong offense. We Greens may be trying to run a campaign on a pittance, but now that Labour are all but neutralised on calling-out dodgy funding, hopefully our MPs will be on the Tories case about their donors from now on.
I am so looking forward to a Turei vs Woodhouse debate down here in Dunedin North.
“The NZ Herald is leading a strong smear campaign aimed to destabilise Labour and the Left, in order to undermine the chances of a left government forming.”
With strong support from Fairfax and TV3. Both have been on constant attack all week. The blatant propaganda has been gobsmacking. I’ve made a complaint to Fairfax but am yet to do so with 3. Will do as soon as I get a chance.
Respect to David Cunliffe for being centred, calm, strong and articulate throughout
They’re probably busy running it by their lawyers first @David.
I wonder who’s going to front on Kathryn Ryans “From the Right ….. & From the Right” tomorrow. Will it be Mr Williams? or will Ms Pagani be drafted in?
Geddis has checked Labour’s donation records for 2007 and reports that there are several donations of significant amounts paid through lawyers from undisclosed clients – including one of $150,000.
BUT Geddis also points out that such donations were totally legal under the electoral donations law in place in 2007. AND that any wrongdoing under the law in place in 2007 is well past the 6 month deadline for prosecution under that law.
If Geddis and Edgeler are correct, then neither the Police nor the current Parliament can investigate.
I would also point out that Liu has claimed that he gave equal amounts to Labour and National or something similar. Therefore IMO, if there are ongoing pushes to investigate the donations to Labour, then there should also be the same investigations into Liu’s donations to National.
IMO, if these donations to National were later than those to Labour and were under the much tighter electoral donations law which have come in over more recent years, and if the donations did not meet the more recent requirements, National could find themselves in deeper water than Labour …..
I don’t quite get all of this. There was an auction/raffle used to raise funds. (And sure, that’s potentially dodgy or ‘less than up front’ on a number of levels) But unless the details of all winning bids are routinely recorded for parliamentary rules’ sake, the fundraising is fundraising and not donations per se.
Good point/question , Bill. I am not not familiar enough with party fundraising etc or election donations law (and the changes over the years) to comment, but would really like the views of the likes of Geddis or Edgeler on this. Perhaps Mickey Savage could throw some light on this.
NZ Femme said yesterday that money raised in such auctions gets collated, and that total amount is declared not the individual amounts. Presumaby then Labour wouldn’t have a record of the individuals. If this is true, then Labour needs to explain that (given the MSM don’t seem capable of doing their job properly).
Nice info veuto. At last someone dealing with facts.
From what you say it is now simple: under the law as then in place there would be no record of Liu’s Labour party donation in Liu’s name. Presumably there is similarly no record of Liu’s National party donations for the same reason.
The only story here is that Williamson, in intervening for Liu, ignored the separation of powers, a fundamental tenet of democracy, and so was justifiably sacked.
Why can’t Labour simply say the above and nothing else?
Agreed. May I add Woodhouse meeting Liu in a hotel room to discuss immigration issues is still a much bigger story than the MSM have led the public to believe.
Q: When did a Minister last visit your home to hear your policy views?
Mike Williams has said that money raised in auctions is collated and the gross sum is recorded rather than individual items. And he said that in handling the raising of millions of dollars over the years from hundreds of different donors no one would stand out. The evidence does not show that Liu donated a large sum of money. Liu’s name does not occur on any of the official Parliamentary records.
Check the record. All the parties had donations from Trusts and lawyers and the names of the donors remain anonymous. As with National at the time. http://www.elections.org.nz/parties-candidates/registered-political-parties-0/party-donations/party-donations-year/1996-2007
Actually a bagman collects dirty money. As with your other claims lately there’s no proof that money donated to Labour has been obtained through forgery, bribery or thievery.
In fact there’s no proof that Mike Williams has ever accepted a donation of money that’s been illegally transferred or utilized for unscrupulous endeavours.
You really do need to get a grip on reality there phillip ure and stop defaming somebody without a shred of evidence for doing so. Otherwise you’ll simply end up looking like a fool!
Care to provide a link showing that Mike William’s describes himself as a bagman phillip ure? I can only find a references to Owen Glen saying:
Mr Williams was really a “bag man for the Labour Party” who wouldn’t take “a second breath unless the prime minister tells him too”.
But that’s pretty much it. Do you think Owen Glen was referring to Williams as carrying bags of money? I don’t think so. Don’t try to weasel out of your defamatory statements by claiming words have different meanings. That’s about as pathetic as it gets.
It’s funny how you respond when challenged phillip ure with baseless ad hominems…spitting and cursing that I must be drunk or stoned because I dared to question your “wisdom” lol. Is that because your low self-esteem cannot accept the fact that you’re wrong?
Do you actually have a link for William’s referring to himself as a bagman phillip ure, or was that just another brain fart?
I think you might be getting bagman confused with moneybags. Bagman has a very specific meaning that you shouldn’t misconstrue. It means somebody who accepts dirty money. There is no other meaning to that word. Unless you’re trying to say that Mike Williams accepts dirty money it might be best to use a different word.
Phil, your memory is faulty; it was Owen Glenn who referred to Williams as a bagman (and a liar) during the Winston Peters donation row. Mind you, Mike Williams does have an excellent sense of humour, so perhaps you might be able to find some instance of him joking along those lines, but I’d be very surprised.
Bagman is a derogatory term with a long history, and these days it actually is often used in a political context. Pretty sure it comes from the racing industry, where illegal bookies never carried cash themselves, but had a stooge nearby. I’ve heard it used in Aussie politics many times, but it’s not something someone would normally refer to themselves as, as its clearly an insult.
“Labour has an “optics problem”. It has to explain how as a party it managed to completely forget that this guy was splashing around tens-of-thousands of dollars at its fundraisers a mere 7 years ago.”
I have no trust left in the Labour Party as a competent organisation. It seems like it just wanders blindly from one trainwreck to another in the last year. I don’t know if that’s Cunliffe’s fault, but it hasn’t really improved much since he’s taken over.
Seven years is a long time now. I frequently deal with govt departments and large private companies who have no institutional memory lasting that long. As far as I can tell this is due to high turnover of staff and the demise of public service careers or people not longer working for one business for a long time. Probably also something to do with restructuring and the attempt to undermine existing structures within organisations. I have no idea what’s happened with Labour, but if it’s true that donations at auctions are recorded in total not individually, then I can easily believe that there is no-one around who can explain these donations. And if the rules of the day allowed such recording of auction donations, then I don’t see what the issue is now.
Myself, I have no trust left in the MSM. Bryce Edwards should be ashamed of himself. I know this isn’t new, but this election is being manipulated by the MSM as much as NACT and Crosby Textor and there’s something different about it. Maybe just the blatancy. If something doesn’t change bloody soon this is the end of our democracy.
Its already gone. No one from the 20 yrs upwards is really interested unless its an App on their phone and the older genereation just want to be left alone and able to survive. Two large demographics that are on the margins and hence have no democratic voice. Maori are getting more and more tribal and the immigrants wish they had choosen Australia. Here is another section of society that will either vote for their elder or not at all. So roughly 60% of the population are not engaged because no one is really inteersted in them and their ideas and thoughts. National is a party of the minority wealthy and they will be voting, mark my words. So status quo remains, everyybody has an aha experience and things will just slowly deteriete further. No guts no glory. Many comments I read here are more concerned with party internal issues then the wider picture that affects the generation that should be the one leading in the future. It all looks more and more like Mad Max to me.
Ha ha ha. Today Colin Craig is going to CHOOSE the electorate he wants to stand in. How sick is this. Key is going to have his work cut out for him with this little charade. He’s going to end up a laughing stock.
Millsy
OMG I never thought of that.
The (unconvicted) crim. Banks as associate Minister of Education with his attempts to privatise our tax payer funded schools was bad enough.but Craig!?
Who took Mr Liu’s $150,000? How many laws were broken? Will the defense be
a It wasn’t Cunliffe
b It was years ago
c Just a National smear
d Just a NZH smear
e Yeah , but what about X,Y and Z that National did
f All of the above!
Nope, the “defence” is that you can’t even get Liu’s statement correct. He claims to have given $100,000 at an auction fundraiser – most likely this was bundled with the rest of the auction bids and counted as one donation – and spent $50,000 wining and dining an MP who isn’t in Parliament any more.
There was no $150k to “take”.
And as Andrew Geddis has covered (veutoviper linked to his post above) on the face of it, no laws were broken at all.
If the prominence given to the ‘story’ by the Herald and Fairfax is anything to go by the public has already moved on.
Political parties accept donations, Maurice Williamson interfered in a police investigation and Judith Collins tried to cover up a massive conflict of interest. As for the $150k, let’s see Liu’s accounts for the relevant time period. They’ll be listed as charitable donations for tax purposes I expect.
If not, I suppose it’s in the same category as the undeclared $1m I gave to National.
A donation to a political party is not, as I understand it, a charitable donation and could not therefore be claimed as a tax deduction.
Good try though.
I wonder if Mr Liu still has the fabled bottle of wine?
Then why did John Key lie about a charity golf game?
Perhaps it was listed in his accounts as petty cash withdrawals. Either way it’s up to him to provide evidence. If and when he does, and it turns out the declared $150k donation is his, I expect you’ll demonstrate personal responsibility, withdraw, and apologise.
What is relevant than going back to historical donations etc given/received during the past rules, would be to investigate and open all the donations given to political parties and their accounting AFTER the new electoral finance law was passed.
Certainly this donation issue needs to be revisited and all loopholes plugged.
Personally I would like all donations or fund raising of say $1,000 or more from any individual or entity to be declared, transparent and non-anonymous.
I would like clean non corrupt politics and way of life in New Zealand. If someone wants to donate to a party, they should have the integrity and courage to do it openly.
Cue law firms accepting one thousand paper transactions for one thousand dollars each then declaring the $800,000 donation as coming from one source: the law firm, and collecting a tidy fee for administering a trust fund.
When suggesting solutions, please try and avoid proposing existing loop-holes as panacea.
Most political parties have fundraising auctions. People donate things and other people bid on them. When Labour was in government the Chinese arrived at the fundraising events of prominant MPs, particularly Helen and Cabinet Ministers. They seemed to be competing with each other to show off their wealth and gain prestige from outbidding each other. Fortunately, as soon as the Government changed, they buggered off to suck up to the Nats. They will now be paying silly money to play golf with John Key.
Wouldn’t they want to know who it is so they can get more money later on? How many organisations anywhere wouldn’t bother to note an individual that gave them that much money?
Labour has plenty of supporters in the Chinese community who could overcome language barriers.
The relationship between party staff and a donor is a curious one. If the donation comes with expectations, for example, the best thing staff can do is show the donor the door. They certainly don’t want them anywhere near an MP.
We know what National sells its owner/donors: face time with the PM and ministers, legal and regulatory changes, openly offered for sale. It’s brazen, and apparently the Police and SIS aren’t interested even when the Auditor General expresses concern.
Time to put a stop to it, whether or not ‘he did it too’.
No Ant. The Nearly $100,000 was for a bottle of wine at a fund raiser. As with the current National fundraiser at Antoinette’s (sp?) the money raised is collated and presented as a lump sum. And back in the 2000s the rules were even slacker.
Therefore could it be argued that each person who donated money for the dinner must be named?
I don’t care so much about electoral donation laws and how they are gamed, even informally recorded, competent party administrators should notice someone dropping heaps of money so they can approach them for future donations, it’s unbelievable that an organisation wouldn’t note someone down who is currently donating large sums and who could potentially provide more large sums in the future.
All the public will see is that they have been bored shitless with Labour and their mates in the MSM raving on about Collins, Williamson et al, and now they are shown to be much, much worse. The one thing the public hate about politicians is hypocrisy.
So even if Liu won’t sign an affidavit (thus protecting himself) he has stated an event and a date, 2007.
There must be records of this transaction somewhere. $100,000 is a chunk of change in any party’s bucket. Which means IRD will probably have a record of it from Liu’s accounts, which means Liu will have a record of it. – Who does not make note of a $100,000 political donation?
Important reality moment though, if it was a cash payment, there will be a bank record of the cash withdrawl transaction. The transaction has a date, the bank search will not be difficult…. or does Liu just have hundreds of thousands of dollars in ready cash just lying around.
If Liu’s records can show the transaction then Labour’s records should as well but if it turns out a $100,000 donation ‘got lost’ by Labour then every person involved must be promptly put on the bus. A bus that seems to be picking up passengers from both sides of town the longer it stays on the road.
In light of this information it now appears that Labour has information to go forward on and seeing as nothing was done against the rules, National’s donations must be given the same forensic eye.
Imho, what has transpired on the Big Liu Bus highlights how our entire political funding protocols need to be made more publicly transparent. Sounding a bit like a stuck record I know but I beleive the EDRNZ is an idea worth investigating and every single person I have had personal discussion with on the concept has agreed . . once they get past the unadulturated simplicity of the concept.
“As with the current National fundraiser at Antoinette’s (sp?) the money raised is collated and presented as a lump sum. And back in the 2000s the rules were even slacker.
Therefore could it be argued that each person who donated money for the dinner must be named?”
— in that circumstance ianmac the EDRNZ receives the sum total and the event keeps a legally required log of the individual donor details for any sum over [$1000] or whatever figure is deemed the threshold for anonymous donations.
I beleive $1000 is a fair limit as the only time anonymous donations should be accepted is through bucket collections/raffles and similar low volume collections. Charging 5k a plate and having twenty people at a very private dinner suddenly be anonymous is a slap in the face for anyone being told by the abusers of the system that transparency matters. If a donor is not happy being identified supporting a party, I woud ask that party why their money should be acceptable.
Interesting freedom though are you saying that that is the system or that it should be the system? What is the EDRNZ?
Meanwhile back in 2007…
PS gone back and reread your post @9.2
“i do not have permission to edit this comment” error
I have one thing to add, the longer this teacup is allowed to overflow the more I am convinced major reform is essential. The one reform I think is imperative is that commercial entities of any sort should be banned from donating to political parties.
if Antoine’s wants to donate, then their owner can donate.
If a board reckons their company should donate then see what the workers think and see who actually wants to chip in. Otherwise the owner can use their own cash.
Having a corporate structure does not mean it is a commercial enterprise. Charities, unions and similar community groups are not commercial entities and should be allowed to donate. Lobby groups will certainly find ways to work around this but if they have a corporate structure that passes the commercial entity rule then the identity of the corporate structure is still on record.
or they all just donate lots and lots and lots of $999 donations, which come corporate reporting time, would be interesting entries to explain 🙂
I missed this yesterday (not Key’s remarks, but as I/S’s succinct response – as they rarely post on the weekends):
Asked to confirm whether his Government had ever made a decision to actively rejoin Five Eyes, Key responded: “I don’t think that’s right, but I remember there were some vague things…” He then said he would check.
This is a major change to our intelligence and foreign policy; how can the Prime Minister (and Minister in charge of the GCSB) not know about it? Did he just not notice? Or did the spies not tell him (effectively running their own foreign policy without any democratic mandate whatsoever)?
But are we talking about this on Open Mike? No, the topic of discussion is still predominantly the carefully orchestrated Lui story. The US secretary of state states:
“we don’t have to ask, this is one where we know that New Zealand stands with us.”
And we just keep chewing over the gristle of Lui’s alleged donations.
The US governments commits us to a war in a Iraq supposedly without even asking our PM who was in Washington at the time (and attending briefings at the Pentagon)! As a Green Party member, this seems much more important to the country than blowing more oxygen onto the embers of a nonscandal.
Thanks for that, it was late by the time I had a look at the site yesterday and got caught up at comment 12 (trying to educate fisiani about why rushing legislation to allow logging protected forests was not in the nation’s interest – a futile task; but perhaps educational to onlookers), and didn’t make it back to comment 2.
CV had a good point that; “Probaby we were still feeding the network full info but they were cutting back our access privileges”. Karol, Rosie & DTB were certainly onto the; “There were some vague things” line of Key’s.
Folk are discussing it in the wider world though.
The released notes are being distributed.
In NZ and in America and in Europe there are now hundreds of co-operative kiwis who want some answers. Some of these kiwis are, shall we say, a bit upset and these are not people who generally comment on blogs, but their anonymous activities are often discussed there.
I hope those anonymous types do keep on ensuring further releases of notes. Trusting that our elected representatives will exercise there duties with respect to the will of the nation seems more of a mugs game than ever these days.
This over at TDB is pretty good by Bomber’s standards (there’s been some thought gone into finding links and quotes, rather than his just posting a nice turn of phrase without further reflection). The Youtube video won’t play for me though, so I don’t know if this is entirely accurate; “Key’s concern was that if we didn’t rush into this immoral [2003 Iraq] war with America we may miss out on a free trade deal”.
What is most disturbing about Key’s expolitative vitriol is the timbre he delivers it in.
It is not that of a senior statesman discussing the true costs of the horrors of war.
It is kin to a pissed munter stumbling along with his mates egging each other into a strip club.
“it doesn’t mater that they are offerring up bodies and all the rest of it”
is one particular line that exposes the vacuous cavity that is that man’s soul.
“In the end it’s over to you” was a nice appropriation of a Key line at the end of the clip (I guess 2003 was before Parliament video online, so quite a good edit).
With us set to be aiding the drone-bombing of Iraq, this is timely information:
Since the outbreak of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, military drones have malfunctioned in myriad ways, plummeting from the sky because of mechanical breakdowns, human error, bad weather and other reasons, according to more than 50,000 pages of accident investigation reports and other records obtained by The Post under the Freedom of Information Act…
Military drones have slammed into homes, farms, runways, highways, waterways and, in one case, an Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane in midair…
Several military drones have simply disappeared while at cruising altitudes, never to be seen again…
Frank W. Pace, president of aircraft systems for General Atomics, the leading producer of large military drones… [said] “We’ve never reported a loss of life,”
I particularly like that; “We’ve never reported a loss of life”, because of course the first thing the survivors of a family who’d been killed by falling death-machine debris would do is to complain to the manufacturer and occupying army.
so an easy fix is to play the url in our buddy VLC -playlist- advanced open -add url –
Haven’t tried that. My usual response to a youtube video not playing is to download it via a video capture tool in Firefox (This can’t be done in Chrome as Chrome prevents video capture tools from doing that).
It is how I normally stream Parliament TV, as PTV is windows/mac only and I use ubuntu.
‘video downloadhelper’ is the best I have seen for keeping up with youtube.
Might be the odd time where downloading is not possible as downloadhelper catches up with youtube changes but never more than a day or so.
Today’ Q&A – Michelle Boag, leaves one breathless. There are a few numbers of possibilities if she denies the reason of the Iraq invasion under Bush: Nativity, Propaganda, Alzheimer’s, Loyalty blind and uncritical. Have I missed something?
Right after that an interview with Rosa Delauro, Democratic Representative USA Connecticut. How refreshing, an educated women not afraid to call a spade a spade with eloquence and tact.
She points out that the Bush administration has lied to the people of the US taking them into war with Iraq. In regards to Trade, under the Nafta agreement they have lost 800000 jobs. She points out that agriculture agreement will impact on wages in NZ with Vietnam being part of that paying 28c per hour. That means job losses.One does not have to agree with everything she said but one needs some good research and facts to counter act.
Of cause the Republicans want to push ahead as quickly as possible. John Boozman makes diplomatic good noises saying that the US people like NZ but cant figure out how to get here as it is so far away(???). He wants fair trade not free trade, sounds good but fair has had a bit of a partisan connotation if you look at past records and one wonders fair for whom?
Dairying – increased competitions will be a factor (impacting on NZ) but he hopes that will be sorted out. My thoughts: Maybe Nzlanders will get also 28c per hour?
War in Iraq: Of cause this impacts on Oil prices….
Back to Michelle Boag, little NZ – representing the ineptitude of the politician here and the difference could not be more obvious.
The tragedy is that it is these voices who will “represent” the ordinary people who have even less of a clue. Good defend NZ.
Robert Reid on Qand A was an absolute buffoon yet again. What on earth is this class warfare he keeps banging on about? His 1970’s Communist learnings are so last century. No wonder Michelle Boag was exasperated. He is not of this planet.
Robert Reid was spot on, I enjoy and appreciate the way he cuts through the crap. He makes the program worth watching. He raises the standard of debate when he is on the commenting panel. Really great to see someone of his calibre being aired on TV. Well done to Q&A for having him on the show.
I think Robert Reid was a bit flustered as he was trying to respond to Michelle Boag – she is an old lady whose world is only save if she believes her own propaganda. Let he go into retirement she is what you might call – past it.
Old Botox Boag showed just how mad she is by trying to justify Americas’ so called ‘war on terrorism.’ Invading Iraq then pulling out and leaving the place in disarray is so typical of how the Yanks operate. Prior to the invasion Iraq had a lot better systems like health & education than America & probably New Zealand. Where was the democracy in Husain’s hanging? Yip about the same as Bin Laden’s illegal assassination.
Cunliffe was quite right in pointing out that the focus should be on political policy, something that National are piss weak in. Susan Wood is a has been jurno quite a terrible interviewer compared to The Nations front lady. I’ve always considered her to be a bit of an air head.
Great to see Bob Reid back on Q&A countering Boags horse shit dribble.
Yes rightly pointed out Phil, and as in any war there is a fortune to be made by the captains of greed. GW Bush father and son lined the pockets of their political backers to the tune of billions through contracts like Black Ops, and reconstruction.
:).
I’m going to get shit for the following I am damn sure!!!
Juggling Sunday (with Wallace), Q+A with Suzie (Dear), and The Nation (with “for Christ’s Sake Liza shut the fuck up and let them finish answering the question”) can be a problem.
But in our MSM representations, I’ve noticed how those that are ANGRY but who profess ‘assertiveness’, male and female alike seem to end up with bloody great verticle wrinkles above their top lip. I now understand what my somewhat racist/mysogynist father once banged on about.
The top lip verticle wrinklers characterise themsleves by utterings like:
“The fact is ……”
“Oh rubbish….”
“There is no Alternative..”
“End of Story!!!! …”
….. and no other difference of opinion matters OR should be tolerated.
In today’s MSM offerings, check out Michelle Boag, and indeed Suzie herself, plus Pagani’s developing verticles.
It’s sad that the above are all female, because it affects male and female alike.
…. and of course I do have a neighbour that’s a Vein (aka Vain) Doctor and into all that Caci Clinic shit who (with his wife) drives around in a black Penis extension the both of them have no spatial awareness of size (whether crossing lanes, or pathetically trying to park).
I’ll delve into it further. Boag’s are especially revealing though.
Hi Tim
Pass on your findings. I have been air travelling lately and looking at my ‘fellow
travellers’ I noticed some that looked as if everything had been grim since they read fairy stories.
I am getting anxious that reading the news and political columns will result in a similar unpleasant expression on my face that will set forever. At the end of this year I don’t want to find I look like a Shar Pei dog!
I tried to edit but didn’t have permission to do so but it was as follows
EDIT: Oh and just in case you’re thinking this is an affront to the female form …. I’ll give you a generalisation about males that comes from living with a few .
Bear potted males are bloody useless aims when pissing. I’m not sure whether it’s ‘cos they can’t see their own dicks, or whether they’re just slovenly, but the yellow liquid around the base of the toilet says it all!
Of course though I expect shit thrown at me, I’d rather see intelligent discussion on non-superficial stuff, with a diversity of opinion given free reign.
(even if it is PU versus Bad12) :p
Tim
We are a wide-ranging discussion forum here. Toilets have their place, they are not to be taken lightly, and toilet humour by nature, tends to be robust. But eeeyuuh get cleaning the one you mention soon. And then have a look at Mrs Brown’s Boys on tv – there is plenty of robust humour to match. Just found it recently.
Different tribes celebrated Matariki at different times. For some it was when Matariki rose in May/June. For others it was celebrated at the first new moon, or full moon, following the rising of Matariki.
My whanau have always treated it as pretty much synonymous with solstice, which may not be that traditional but is convenient. Anyway, in Waipounamu it’s pretty rare that you can either; see past the clouds, or endure the frosts at 5am in winter to see the stars. Especially in Otepoti/ Dunedin where I’d have to drive to Aramoana or to a Peninsula beach to have a chance of seeing the eastern horizon then.
The Herald’s stance on Labour’s historical donations are priceless considering how they acted when Labour reformed the laws around electoral donations making it more transparent.
Folks, confirmation that the Brass Razoo Solidarity band will be busking in Cuba Mall today between 1 – 2pm as a little fundraiser for People’s Power Ohariu. Come down and have a chat and if you have any loose change, we will gladly help lighten you of it’s load 🙂
We’ll either be near the Manners St end or on the stage south of the bucket fountain. Follow the sound!
Good luck, Rosie. I had hoped to get there, but now have friend coming with trailer to take garden rubbish to the tip – bad timing on tip trip, but beggars can’t be choosers etc etc
Hi veutoviper, nice that you had considered coming along 🙂
A friend with a trailer is a friend indeed! What a good feeling to be getting rid of all the garden rubbish – a chore at the best of times. A well deserved cuppa should be in order at the end of it.
What an understanding exchange on practicalities between Rosie and veutoviper.
I hope you have a good showing with good takings at Cuba mall Rosie, and that the wind doesn’t blow spray on you from the water sculpture – thinking of fresh Wellington winds. A trailer in the hand is worth two dozen in others’ backyards!
The hypocrisy by some of the posters at this site is astonishing.
As i have said for a very long time Labour is every bit as bad as National and David Cunliffe is at best cringeworthy.
If the left truly want change to take place in the NZ political landscape we need to strongly support real parties of the left and consign Labour to the scrap heap or a merger with their spiritual home in the National party.
Letting yourself be led by the nose by John Armstrong is a bad look, especially in light of Geddis’ contribution over at Pundit.
A singular feature of any anti-Labour story the National Party cooks up is the number of alleged lefties jumping on the bandwagon, hand-wringing, defeatist, and in the next breath they’ll tell you the Left needs unity.
This is cringe : “They strolled the White House South Lawn, checked out the president’s putting green, had a squiz at Obama’s back orifice and First Lady Michelle Obama’s famous veggie garden, and part of the White House the family use.” “It was cool”
tinfoilhat
‘As I have said for a very long time’ – you can say that again, and you will I am sure. Yoicks! Don’t you ever stop. Take up lawn bowls or riparian planting or something useful you can manage why don’t you.
David Cunliffe is doing a good job. Death by a thousand cuts and poisoned arrows from people such as yourself is hard to withstand and I think he is doing well. Go for it our David and don’t think of simply being against Goliath, the opposition you have from NACT is more like a male Gorgon.
Your first priority should be kicking out this present National government and its coalescing partners.
Your second priority should be not to undermine the Labour party and thus damage your chance of getting rid of National.
…if you go back to the financial returns from political parties for 2007, there is listed a donation to Labour of $150,000 from “Palmer Theron, Solicitors, on behalf of an undisclosed client”…
Pretty easy to clear up. Let Liu open all his books for the last ten years to an impartial third party: I suggest the Inland Revenue Department.
The 100k for a bottle of wine, if true, did not have to be declared any more than John Key’s 50k tie. Even wretched authoritarian followers like you don’t obey the laws that haven’t been passed yet.
Yes, it was legal, but what about the “image” of Labour, spending much time accusing National of “crony capitalism”, of “access for cash”, of the use of “cabinet clubs” to raise cash, and exploiting such electioneering slogans and topics?
It smells of hypocrisy, and that is how the public will perceive it.
Cunliffe did not help with his trust to raise funds for his leadership campaign. He (justifiably) can still withhold names of two donors to his campaign, but it does not look good!
There has been a lot coming together, and while it is of course a smear campaign, it is opening a pandora’s box, and reveals again the past actions of Labour in fund-raising and more.
So the Nats have come with a return fire attack, and nobody talks about policy, while the media just loves such stuff, digging up “dirt”, or supposed “dirt” and “scandals”, to get more readership, viewers and listeners, justifying more advertising sales and charges.
Labour did not do their homework, and they still carry the past load of baggage, from when they were in government, and courting rich and powerful, to donate to them, same as National and ACT.
I have a confession. I secretly donated one trillion dollars to the Labour Party. Ok, I’m not going to sign an affidavit to that effect, but I will allow the Herald to claim I’ve said that in a statement, though I’d prefer it they didn’t actually show anyone the statement or say how they got it.
I’m not convinced Liu made such a donation. Interesting that it has now gone from $15,000 to $150,000. Just alter the comma and add a naught- easy-peasy. I guess that’s the point of TRP @ 18. 🙂
Why would someone like Liu, who is on record as having a tendency to suck up to those in power, make an anonymous donation of $150,000 through a legal firm? Surely, he would want those in power to know he had made the donation. He certainly made sure the Nats knew about his donations. Very strange.
…if you go back to the financial returns from political parties for 2007, there is listed a donation to Labour of $150,000 from “Palmer Theron, Solicitors, on behalf of an undisclosed client”…
I know you won’t take personal responsibility for your lies, so I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to draw attention to your hypocrisy as well as your dishonesty.
dimebag russell
Try to keep the comments straightforward and cut the creeping xenophobia, it doesn’t aid intelligent political discussion. I thought that is what you were aiming at – showing us your intelligence and incisive, crisp comment.
I thought David Cunliffe was great on Q&A his morning. Feel very encouraged, especially as Key has gifted the Labour Party a major point of difference with his toadying up to Uncle Sam.
Funny watching that, it’s like journalists still haven’t got that the membership, affiliates, and caucus decide on the Labour leadership, Cunliffe’s only “gone” after the election if it’s the democratic will of the party.
Why? What has Labour done that you think is so wrong?
Oh that’s right, Maurice Williamson interfered in a police investigation, Liu looks dirty by association with Williamson, and Labour look dirty because The New Zealand Herald says they do.
greywarbler.
If you choose to see anything offensive in my (possibly poor) attempt at humour, then that is exactly what you will see. Nothing offensive was intended.
I’ll lay odds that all the political parties will in future be extremely careful about any financial dealings with Chinese businessmen.
Don’t be such a sensitive wee sausage!
wyndham
Don’t be such a fool. Of course we have to be careful in our dealings with wealthy powerful nations, USA, Germany, UK, indonesia, Brazil, India, China etc and none of those is entirely trustworthy. France sent bombers employed by their government and blew up a ship in our docks, they dropped nuclear bombs in our part of the world, the USA is planning to conscript our forces for their alternative army to the UN.
We have to be alert about financial and other problems from all nations, and not get caught up in prejudicial language and stereotypes. There is great trouble for us ahead as we try and keep our heads above a tide of global hegemony of wealth swamping us from wherever.
Don’t be an insensitive saveloy, aim for a higher cuisine and judicious gourmet language. Following the behaviour and language of tunnel-visioned politicians, was it Collins talking about sausages, would confirm you as a fool.
From No Right Turn: …..Naturally, there’s no mention of a $100,000 donation in Labour’s 2007 party donation return. But there’s a reason for this: our electoral law at the time did not count over-valued purchases as “donations”. So, you could pay $100,000 for a $20 bottle of wine as a backhanded way of slipping a party or a candidate some cash in exchange for a favour, and they would not have to report it in any way to the public. Things have changed since then: In December 2007 Labour passed the Electoral Finance Act……”
Another piece of sanity? I like the bit about: (I guess there’s an alternative explanation that those pundits and insiders are total goldfish with no memory, or ignoring inconvenient facts because they have axes to grind, which is believable. The political scientists OTOH have no excuse because they actively debated the law at the time). http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/
I am listening to Wallace Chapman Professor Dr Jonathan Boston and of course the only person who knows anything about beneficiaries, Lindsay Mitchell. Dr Boston is so dry he must be cracked. Add water and he would leak all over. He is in agreement with a rise for super entrance to 67. That is how we will balance the needs of older and younger. Boston has co-written Child Poverty in NZ. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/10181859/Lift-super-age-to-beat-child-poverty
Also he finds ways to advocate against raising the minimum wage.
Then Wallace reads an email pointing out the money wasted on gambling etc and Mitchell has spoken about budget advice.
Why not Susan St John as academic and objective commentator on child poverty instead of neo-lib obssessed right winger Mitchell?
“Why not Susan St John as academic and objective commentator on child poverty instead of neo-lib obsessed right winger Mitchell?”
Perhaps because she has extreme views, and we know what she will say before she even opens her mouth. “Tax rich pricks more and increase the size of welfare checks.” Or words to that effect.
Do you really want people to be living on the streets.
When we had a top tax rate of 66% we had the highest living standards in the world. I people wanted a house, they got one. If people want health care, they got it.
It is greedy people like you who charge high rents from houses, high dividends from power companies, and leave people in poverty.
S Rylands doesn’t want too many people living on the streets, because they’d smell and he’d have to step on them physically as well as by proxy. On the other hand they are a great weapon in the Tory arsenal: “you’re lucky to have a job”.
I was complaining about the poor advice and opinion that I was hearing on Radionz about child poverty. Drylands from Oz, the land of dry, reinforces my point so well.
What the RWs want is to keep repeating their mantras which they know won’t work to solve whatever problem is being discussed, but they fill the time and space, and their talk appears as honest attempts to consider and search for better outcomes.
But no, the discourse just maintains the status quo system which is moulded to suit them, or vice versa for profitable, pragmatic reasons. That is why Drylands can say that Susan St John ‘has extreme views’ – she is outside the accepted discourse.
And nothing is said or done that would make a real difference – no opinion of note is encouraged or acted on which would differ from the mantra, unless it is in a half-hearted way as a pilot. That then will have a period of implementation and then be dropped even if it has good results, or it will go forward but have the guts cut out from it with further but inadequate funding and short time frames. This enables, finally, the RW to say ‘We tried, but it didn’t work’ with hand-wringing Uriah Heep-like.
The talk needs to get to the heart of the matter, and allow for the perceived faults of those having difficulties, which requires a heart, empathy and understanding, not found commonly in the common sense opinions and actions of RWs.
There is no money to fix child poverty – so they say
There is no money to fix youth unemployment – so they say
There is no money to keep Super at 65 – so they say
Yes NZ households have $120B in bank deposits
There is another $200B in managed funds
In May one Auckland real estate company alone sold 1109 Auckland houses for a combined value of $779.6M – that’s in ONE MONTH
Well it looks to me like there’s plenty of money sloshing around the system, its just that we don’t care enough about child poverty, youth unemployment or Super to find the few billion dollars needed a year to sort it all out.
CV Those figures are I am sure coming from you, correct. Where do the unbelievers find them? What link in the stats or tables to get them?
I have just been visiting in the north of the NI and there is money available for lots of things up there. But I was in Northland and some young guys skating along the main route stepped out into the path of my relative’s car and spat at her. Not a good feeling, especially as coping with that in traffic could have resulted in an injury, which would have added injury to insult and I mean for all parties involved.
The bad feelings build as the unemployment, the underemployment, the poverty goes on. And I hear there is the constant experience of employers of useless, rude, careless, and virtually unemployable young people.
Yet after talking to an older very experienced previously builder, and thoughtful man about his dealings with youngsters getting PEP jobs, work experience and training and how useful it was to prepare and motivate the happier youngsters, I can only shake my head in sorrow that nothing is now done like that in a nation-wide program.
This would ensure that there is a basic employment available with working for the dole, doing useful stuff that is not make-work, and with payment incentives for each successful monthly program completed so that would give opportunities to buy clothes, pay off a bike etc and make a life, while still being on the dole, but be a vital, semi-skilled person ready for a job when it became available. I was shown apparently constant newspaper advertisements from companies unable to find employees. The reasons for this difficulty was implied to be that people are too lazy, or their education is inadequate.
But there is no will to run work schemes, to integrate young people into the working community with useful skills and receiving respect from all, by despicable RWs. There is money for all sorts of things, but not for the displaced people. By this I mean those displaced by the bloody neo liberal, free market policies adopted by our government and dominant economists and financiers. It is a disgrace and the smugness and excuses of the wealthy that blame poverty and social disintegration on the victims of the shitty systems that Labour subversives introduced and NACTs happily followed is callous and determined ignorance, and has led to destruction of our society.
And so many people I meet fall into victim blaming, and denigration of the unemployed and beneficiaries. The next step is walling themselves off as in gated communities and arguments about whether charity works and whether people should be allowed to beg, or busk because the hands are out too much and it is unpleasant and a nuisance.
It would cost $280M per year to provide minimum wage jobs to 10,000 young people. Resolving many of the issues that you saw. That would be money flowing into local communities which the government would then tax back into its own coffers over time.
CV Those figures are I am sure coming from you, correct. Where do the unbelievers find them? What link in the stats or tables to get them?
May Auckland house sales for Barfoot and Thompson, 1109 properties for a total of $779.6M
And overall money supply as tracked by the RBNZ is up $32B since April 2012 to over $240B, so the amount of money in the economy is still expanding rapidly BUT very little of it is going to where it is required for our poor and our young.
Thanks CV
Big money going into Whangarei. Near Marsden Point refinery – big open area deemed Marsden City. ready for development. And nearby large numbers of 1970’s Oz style houses in a marina type development with special lock installed to ensure proper depth near houses for regular yachts. Auckland people are trying to sell their places high, and buy north for lower with a tidy sum left over for other purposes.
Big developments in South Auckland with water views and many two storey houses in modern style with colonnades at front door or boxy modern look all with large windows and often no front fences allowed. Lots of plantings and green areas and walkways around and they are set up for wifi or broadband or both, not quite up with it. Pretentious and expensive.
So there is much money expected with return on investment by developers and their financiers, although there is much complaining at the ‘unreasonable’ way that Council loads costs on each section.
We have never needed foreign capital. All we’ve needed is the people to do the job which includes making our natural resources available. This is why we need higher productivity and better education. It makes those people available.
Amazingly enough, it doesn’t take money to make these things available but the political will to change the system.
Any functioning society needs to have a cross generation agreement that the very young are nurtered until ready to go out on their own and in turn the older generation will be looked after. Even animals can do this, but perhaps there are species below that.
The plan to disrupt and distract for the next 16 weeks is well under way. Labour announce a policy and then a few hours later some Labour scandal emerges. Everyone talks about the scandal and forgets the policy. 15 more scandals to go. Thanks for the tip offs by the ABC’s.
If you mean the traitor; Shane Jones, by “ABC’s” [sic] then perhaps, but Lui seems to be a much more likely source.
Your plan is always to disrupt and distract, I assume you’ll continue until your next ban – not just the next 16 weeks. However, I doubt you have any more knowledge of actual National Party tactical intentions than I do.
Your words have that distinctive tone of flatulance from a fizzy anus.
I don’t consider either you or fisiani capable of intelligent debate; but please prove me wrong. I consider my comment at 11 to be an attempt at considered discourse, the one at 25.1 was simply me taunting an idiot. Nor did I say that a toilet was necessarily involved – in his case I regard those words are a merely farting through a RWNJ Santorum of bigotry.
Your neoliberal anti-socialist bullshit on the other hand requires a shovel more than a toilet.
Well SJ is a traitor, given that he supports the lowering of environment and labour market standards to enrich industrialists.
You are a traitor and a scab as well, given that you had solid working class union credentials, and then you support and vote for a party that wishes to destroy the trade union movement, and throw the workers and the most vulerable to the wolves. Do you really want people living in caravans grumpy? Do you really want NZ to go down that road?
Plus you support the continal degradation of air and water quality that will ensure that people will have crippling health effects over an ongoing period.
Some of what you say is true Millsy. I am, what you might call a reformed character. In defense, I would have to point out that my role as union branch secretary and advocate was when we had “solid working class unions”.
Labour certainly is no longer the representative of the workers, and for that matter, nor are the unions.
Nope, after surviving dozens of restructuring a in the Douglas years finished up starting my own business, employ 15 people with offices in Christchurch and Auckland.
My dissatisfaction with the unions began and ended when they worked hand in glove with management to destroy the public sector. The Labour Party under Lange and Clark were the biggest hypocrites imaginable. I see no change.
Nope, we also had jobs in the organization we worked for, union work and advocacy was voluntary and in addition to our normal job.
I just believe that left wing politics has nothing to offer NZ as they are now, in fact none of the major left parties offer much for the workers, the future has to be a high wage economy with a strong currency. I just happen to believe the best way to achieve that is with National (at present).
To deal with TRP first, it was one of the many Railways unions and just got absorbed by whatever took over after the workshops were closed down.
As for Millsy, I think the biggest step towards turning NZ into a sweatshop economy was done during the Douglas/Lange years. The current policy of Left to lower the currency will also have the consequence of lowering real wages.
All the other issues you list might surprise you, the answer is no to all those. You might be surprised that I am actually a bit leftie on those causes. In particular, I think it was the biggest con every to break up the publicly owned electricity system and would support re nationalizing.
The unions as they are do not do their job, prime example the education sector unions, more interested in protecting their patch than the interests of their members to maximize their income based on their ability.
No, the teaching unions want to protect the PUBLIC provision of education. Where as if National had their way, education would be privatised and run by churches and businesses. Like they were prior to 1877. They are already halfway there with charter schools. Science and technology is vital to this country if we want it to prosper, but if our children are being taught that the earth was created by waving a magic wand, then we have no hope.
And then teachers would find themselves as casual employees.
I think you are half right……wrong about currency though. If a business can only survive because it is cheap, it shouldn’t be there. To lower the exchange rate, depress wages and increase import costs just to give an inefficient business the ILLUSION of wealth is stupid.
I understand your concerns about education and if that were the result, I would agree but I just don’t buy into your fears.
I still dont see how a high currency can lead to higher wages.
It has been the case for over 100 years that collective bargaining high union membershiop with strong respect for workers to form and join unions (Peter Jackson doesnt have that respect) (doesnt have to be 100% ) and strong labour protections lead to higher wages. Which is why wages in the US, China and India are low.
Under a high currency, the wages you earn have higher purchasing power. If currency is lowered and wages stay the same, this is a decrease because purchasing power is diminished.
The goal is increased wages with a strong currency, if we are held back by businesses that can only exist because they are cheap, and low wages and currency are the means to that, then we don’t need that business.
It seems obviously that if the dollar is too high, then our exporters suffer and if it is too low, then we end up paying more for imported goods (though smartphones and tablets are something we can do without if needs be).
‘Float’ or peg the NZD within an undisclosed bandwidth of a central parity … but ensure close monitoring by the Reserve Bank against an undisclosed basket of currencies of major trading partners and competitors. This, in theory, allows the government to have more control over imported inflation and to ensure our exports remain competitive.
That was largely borrowed from an economy that has successfully managed their currency.
Have you a better term for one who; takes National MP donations for his Labour leadership campaign, and then promptly flees to a job specially created by National when this revealed in the media?
Bryce Edwards seems to be having his own brand of brain fade. Compare and contrast his opinion on the alleged Liu donation to the Labour Party in today’s Herald, with the Key $50,000 G Tie/ Wong affair. (Reposting this link from yesterday’s open mike in case people missed it)
Similarly, with the purported sale of John Key’s tie for $50,000, a explanation could quite conceivable be made for why this was a business transaction and not a political donation. Although it sounds like a donation to me, the political finance laws are very vague on this. They suggest that a donation might make up that portion of the money exchanged that is above the market price of the good that is sold. But how do you determine the market value of what is arguably a piece of iconic political memorabilia from a leader who is now prime minister?
Just want to remark that if I had such large amounts of disposable cash, then $100 000 for a bottle of wine signed by Helen Clark is more than twice as desirable than a $50 000 tie. I mean, at least I could drink the wine.
So now I’m wondering if Labour will do worse in the coming election then National did in 2002 but more interestingly will Labour bleed off enough votes that the Greens party becomes the single largest left wing party in government
Labour 30% to 34% range; strong gutsy left wing policy, unapologetic and unashamed = top end of the range, weak centrist watered down policy on minor matters = bottom of the range
Get rid of raising the retirement age = 1%-2% boost all round
You would stand around watching the last huia’s death throes would you chris73? Trying to salvage NZs valuable political infrastructure knowing it may disintegrate is not interesting, that is not the right word. Greens cannot replace Labour, it can’t be done.
I wouldn’t compare the Labour party to a bird for one thing besides I never said Labour would become extinct rather its heading for a major hiding at the election and suggesting the damage will be so bad that the Greens may become the the biggest party on the left
Labour approx 27% – 30% Greens approx 10% – 12% were Labour to shed 8% – 10% and the Greens to pick up 7% – 9% of that in the upcoming months then the election will be less about National winning and more about the Greens taking over Labour as the party of opposition
Although were this come to pass I think it would be only temporary as Labours true believers would come back to the fold after a period of time
True but then a couple of weeks ago if I’d have suggested that Labour had taken over 100 grand from a chinese businessman and not declared it I’d have been called (among other things) delusional as well
I’m thinking that in light of the recent events the Greens may well be upgrading their target
If he bought a bottle of wine it didn’t have to be declared. Just like your operator’s $50k tie.
Are you the Central Scrutinizer, here to enforce all the laws that haven’t been passed yet? Or are you simply a pedestrian, partisan ex-squaddy doing your best to imitate a parrot?
That Judith Collins tried to cover up her massive conflict of interest, Maurice did his best to pervert the course of justice, Banksie is going to prison, and since you don’t want to talk about any of that let’s discuss policy? No? Because donations?
Its amusing watching Cunliffe be found out as incompetent over Liu when it was Labour that brought him up but it was even funnier watching Robertson talk about Gotcha politics beside Collins
Of course I’m transparent, I want National to win the election because National are good for the country, I’m less keen on Labour winning because they’d have to bring in a whole bunch of nutters with them and that’d be bad for the country
I don’t think what Collins, Williamson, Banks and Cunliffe did or didn’t do was so bad but so be it smears are done because smears work and both sides use them
Do you think theres any more to come out over this because I think theres more
Oh, I’m sure National are so desperate they’ll do anything but discuss policy, and that they have concocted more smears, but that’s to be expected, cf. Piff et al 2012.
Greens cannot replace Labour, but can take a good chunk of voters from it. Add to it the 1+% of Internet Mana and Labour risks becoming a minor component of the opposition to Key’s next term government.
Latest Roy Morgan poll puts the conservatives at 1.5% and if McCully steps aside then the Conservatives could see 3% so he’d bring in 3-4 MPs with him I guess
Gives him more options and will reinforce the notion that voting for the left is a waste of time so he may still only need the Maori Party and Peter Dunne
He’d be the last cab of the rank but hes still in the rank so my feeling is yes as its better for NZ otherwise it’d be Labour/Greens/IMP/WinstonFirst (maybe) and that’d be really bad for NZ
Google is your friend if you’d like to read their work, but in a nutshell, they (him and et al) show that right wingers are not only stupid (cf. Hodson & Busseri) and terrified of the bogeyman (Kanai et al), their ethics are in the gutter too.
No you won’t. In fact you probably have trouble recognising how your relentless demonstration of gullibility and bad faith makes your pronouncements as reliable as tea-leaves.
Your dreaming 73, even the smile and hugging of babies from John Key won’t get the people of East Coast Bays to vote enough in numbers for the God Botherers Party. It an’t Epsom… dida dang dang dang!
How off putting to National if Key try’s this one on. One thing it says is National are worried the Left will get the vote out. And of course we will in record numbers. I am one of probably a thousand that is taking a week off work to campaign in the final week of the election. We have the numbers out on the streets this time. And don’t you wingnuts hate that aye Hooton, Shrillands and co!
Too funny – a Heartland affiliated moran who in the past has asserted white asbestos poses no measurable risk to health and there’s no scientific evidence to support the belief that inhaling other people’s smoke causes cancer.
Christopher Booker quoting the “Real Science” blog is your proof?
Do you also follow his lead in denying the risks of; passive smoking, BSE, and asbestos? Do you favour the conjecture of Intelligent Design, over the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
Anyway, even if true; I can see how this might this might be a blow to the Greens (though there are many reasons to safeguard our ecosphere beyond climate change – it’s just the most pressing). But the left predates this by many decades, if not centuries (depending how one defines the term).
Oh joy, so much hyperbole and lack of actual discussion on what was actually done to the data.
Anyhow, it’ll be the same old bullshit parade that occurred over the land-surface temperature data and corrections and weightings made to the data to avoid biases from local environmental effects (land island heat effects, elevation, etc etc), and thus not cause issues with statistical analysis tools*. Which will be confirmed as the rebuttals start rolling in to Brooker’s evidence free bullshit.
Also, generally if there’s issues with how data is manipulated, it comes up in ye olde journals, not the fucking telegraph of all places, a place more renowned for failing at science 101, particularly with any science that gets in the way of tory politics.
=======================================================
*short version; there’s assumptions that data need to meet in order to use a particular analysis on them, and if not meet or violated it leads to the results being biased or utterly useless, r.e. parametric vs non-parametric and fun with binomial’s, or multiple variable data sets being used for a student T-test instead of being run through an ANOVA or more suitable GLM variant.
Two issues, stick to pollution and I will support you, try to whip up hysteria on Global Warming which is being shown every day to be more of a con, and I just laugh.
not much hope for your grandkids then mate. Hope you live to a ripe old age so you can answer to them why you didn’t take climate change seriously when you had the chance.
I’m still waiting for the price of holiday homes in the Marlborough Sounds to come down, meanwhile Sumner is full of Greenies paying over the odds for waterfront properties.
this will be a real boost for Winston NZF i would have thought…no one likes new immigrants bringing corruption in tow , trying to manipulate and buy our political system and politicians to their own personal material advantage
…. and then when found out ….pointing the finger at other innocent opposition political leaders and parties …aided and abetted by NACT newspaper innuendo and media bias…but no facts as yet …only slander
NZers will take a very poor view of this…. just as they did with Mayor Brown’s goings on and subsequent voting over the casino/convention centre
Becuase people dont seem to realise that immigrants are pushing NZers out of our jobs, schools and universities, because they are putting immigrants first.
The Labour Party President has published a statement re Mr Liu. Cannot find it yet but it does cast doubt on Mr Liu’s credibility. eg There was no fund raiser on the book auction date given by Liu.
Here it is:”Statement from Moira Coatsworth, Labour Party President, Donghua Liu reported allegations – summary of facts
22 Jun 2014
Several media organisations have reported that Donghua Liu claims he purchased a book for $15,000 at a Labour Party fundraiser in 2007. We have found no records of any such purchase. No-one has provided any documentary evidence to us that contradicts our records.
The Herald on Sunday has reported that Donghua Liu has signed a statement claiming he paid “close to $100,000” for wine at a 2007 Labour Party fundraiser. The Herald on Sunday have refused to provide us with a copy of the statement or even let us read the statement. We consider this to be a denial of natural justice.
The Herald on Sunday reports that Donghua Liu’s statement was signed on 3 May 2014, but the paper only contacted us about the statement yesterday. This delay raises serious questions.
The Herald on Sunday have, however, disclosed to us that Donghua Liu’s statement claims the fundraiser was held on 3 June 2007. We have found no record of any fundraiser held on that date.
We have had no approaches from the Electoral Commission or any regulatory agency. We have always cooperated with regulators, and will always do so when required.
We continue to call on Donghua Liu and any third parties who might have information about these allegations, including the Prime Minister, to place what they know into the public domain or to refer to the regulators."
It’s the only way to do it. To be fair to Cunliffe, little of the donation saga can yet be attributed to him so the Party should always have made the running on this.
Any fallout will affect the whole party of which Cunliffe is just the current leader.
Lisa Owen: After the week you’ve had, could it get any worse?
David Cunliffe: Look I actually think this hasn’t been too bad a week at all. What’s happened is that support for me within my team is absolutely rock solid and I think public support has galvanised in the face of what people can see is pretty petty politics by the current government.
Optimism is one thing but this…if he considers that this hasn’t been too bad a week at all then I can’t wait to see how he describes losing the election and leadership
The Cunliffe thinks that Labour are unsinkable but so too did many on the Titanic. I wonder if he will stop the bluster a few minutes before his concession speech or will he still be defiant and know that the specials will be a landslide.
So much easier to simply talk to one another, but for the inconvenient embodiment of “insufficient contact with out-groups” eh. The Herald will go behind a pay-wall soon and then you can haz yr very own Tea Party. That will make everything ok since all right-thinking people will flock to you.
http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org/the-real-story-in-the-fairfax-polls/
Maybe everyone else has already read this but off the sidebar at the Standard there is an intriguing explanation of the Fairfax polling.
This bit was interesting:
“So, the reported support for National between November 2012 and June 2014 appears to show a 10% increase in the proportion of New Zealanders supporting the party. Yet, there are (marginally) fewer people declaring their support for National in June 2014.
Thanks for that link – it’s much what swordfish has been saying (increasing undecided voters as election approaches) but good to see it presented graphically.
I’ve not been commenting on the polls recently as they’re not really worth the time. The thing that struck me recently is that; even though the Ipsos and Roy Morgan polls came out on the same day, with overlapping sample periods, everyone has been quoting the; Labour on 23% (I) rather than 28% (RM).
The problem I have with these polls is the very thing that Puddleglum neglects to discuss (not that I blame him – specifics of polling selection & methodology of commercial polling companies are very elusive):
For now, I’ll ignore all the debates over polling methodology (e.g., landlines versus cellphones, who is more likely to answer phones or agree to participate, etc.).
Also, I think the RM results bear out my contention that their previous poll was a rogue. Sure; the Greens only gained 33% rather than the 50% I predicted, but they are back within the compass of previous results (since May 2012).
As a kid, I used to ask my parents why they couldn’t just build more lanes on the freeway. Maybe transform them all into double-decker highways with cars zooming on the upper and lower levels. Except, as it turns out, that wouldn’t work. Because if there’s anything that traffic engineers have discovered in the last few decades it’s that you can’t build your way out of congestion. It’s the roads themselves that cause traffic.
And our present government wants to build more and bigger roads. Of course, there’s probably some profit to be made by having so many cars on the roads causing all these problems. Lets see:
The oil companies will be making a killing
The roading companies will be doing quite well
The trucking companies will be doing Ok as well
The only people who’ll be worse off will be the majority of people who have to pay those profits and the deadly price of all that pollution.
dont forget there may be NACT hidden agendas here for a hugely increased population…and with this comes monster cities , multi-story buildings/accommodation, infrastructure, traffic , private toll roads/rail etc…..and much more opportunity for NACTS and cronies to make money
….but very little benefit to ordinary NZers who will have to compete for scarce resources against wealthy immigrants….housing, education , hospitals ….and a ruination of the nature/human balance …ie at a huge cost to our natural environment
Grumpy, why do you support the lowering of environmental standards so the air and water can be poisoned and how are you are going to explain to your grandchildren that it was people like to who voted for these standards to be lowered so people can make more money and that is why they cannot swim in the river or have to wear a gas mask then they go out.
While the world is fascinated with Picketty here’s the real gen on inequality.
Capitalists are hoarding because they havn’t screwed us enough to guarantee making profits from our labour.
So stagnation is the story…pending more cuts to wages and conditions and more M&As.
“And in a great new paper to be delivered to the upcoming Rethink Economics conference in London next weekend (http://www.rethinkingeconomicslondon.org/),
Michael Burke shows that this failure to invest is endemic to the major capitalist economies (The Great Stagnation as the Crisis of Investment). Burke shows that gross investment (both business and government and before depreciation) experienced the sharpest decline of all main components of GDP during the Great Recession. Such gross investment is down 5.2% in the OECD since 2008 and as a proportion of GDP it is down from 22% to 20%, reaching a new low since 1960.”
Couldn’t be bothered signing on to access the details of your claim. Please specify to what degree each party is regarded as being “in league with the polluters and plutocrats”. It seems unlikely that the Greens would be equal on such a scale to ACT. But we do have to deal with the world as it is, not how we would like it to be.
Your statement sounds like a justification for nonvoting to me, which I doubt is what those who created the “climatevoter” site intended.
Get ready for a big debate on how to improve democracy in New Zealand. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi announced the review panel that will oversee a once-in-a-generation overhaul of electoral rules, including how political parties are funded. The announcement contained details of some significant changes to elections and ...
When the government passed the Zero Carbon Act in 2019, it established a "split gas" target, with separate budgets for carbon dioxide and methane. The logic here was that farmers were a powerful lobby group the government didn't want to annoy methane was a short-lived gas, so we should focus ...
For black youth in America, there can be only three ways out of the ghetto: athletics, music or drug dealing. And for every individual who succeeds in making it out, dozens more attach themselves to their celebrity crews in order to bask in the reflected glory, and partake of the ...
Grant Robertson is a big fan of British socialist folk-punk singer Billy Bragg. The finance minister even wrote an opinion column last year that started and ended with lyrics from Bragg’s iconic song “Between the Wars”, with its key line “Sweet moderation; Heart of this nation”. Robertson titled his column, ...
A Free Speech Union conversation Free Speech Union spokesperson Dane Giraud speaks to former Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox about the Māori presence at the recent parliamentary protests. Marama (who would be briefly trespassed by Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard) spent a number of days on the ground and ...
Nina Power discusses the collective political subject – what does it mean? She poses questions such as does a crowd think? Does a mob think or does it just act? What does it mean when we bring a group together to discuss something? Discussing the concept of the autonomous individual ...
Some defenders of Ukrainian neo-Nazis claim Nashi is a Russian neo-Nazi group or at least links the Kremlin to a neo-Nazi subculture. Image credit: Wikipedia Moving on in my critique of the article mentioned in the first post of this series (see Confusion about ...
Some people are still in the denial stage regarding the presence and role of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. OK, I can understand how people who don’t know the history behind this current war and are influenced by the wartime campaigns of virtue-signalling may hold to this denial stage. It’s not ...
Dawn Felagund over at The Silmarillion Writers Guild has been putting together an interesting look at the ways in which Tolkien fandom changed as a result of the Peter Jackson movies. In addition to the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey, she has been getting direct feedback from fans who were around ...
Australia went to the polls on Saturday, and while the preferences are still being counted, clearly voted for a change of government. Unfortunately, this being Australia, this meant swapping one coal-loving, refugee-hating racist for another. Which is perhaps why Labor's primary vote share decreased this election, with voters instead turning ...
Australia’s new PM Anthony Albanese faces an obvious dilemma, barely before he gets his feet under the desk. Australia is the world’s leading exporter of coal. Will the new Labor government prioritise the jobs for Queensland/NSW workers in its mining-dependent communities – or will Labor start to get serious about ...
From Public Housing To The Lodge: Anthony Albanese wins the Australian Federal Election, bringing the career of Scott Morrison and his boofhead Coalition government to an end. The defeat of the boofheads was the victory Australia had to have.CRIKEY! Those Aussies are pissed-off. To appreciate just how pissed-off they are ...
Jacinda Ardern’s trip to the United States this week has been months in the making. A stop in Washington DC is already locked in, but the Prime Minister’s recent positive test for Covid-19 has delayed the official announcement of a meeting with President Joe Biden. Reports now suggest Ardern is ...
This post is a response to a request from Peter Baillie. I don’t know him from Adam and I suspect he was attempting sarcasm but I offered to give him a response. I would welcome any comments or discussion he could add – but that is up to him. ...
In the wake of an otherwise unremarkable New Zealand Budget, I was not expecting to supply much in the way of political commentary. Why would I? The most notable aspect was Grant Robertson throwing a one-off $350 at anyone who earns less than $70,000 a year and who doesn’t ...
Finland, Sweden, Novorossiya, and Incorrect AnalysesSince Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin has made much of NATO's supposed expansion to the east. As I wrote on 1 April:Much has been made of Putin's apparent anger that Ukraine was on the verge of joining NATO.However, this has been over-stated by both Western ...
Hoopla And Razzamatazz: Putting the country into debt allows a Minister of Finance to keep the lights on and the ATMs working without raising taxes. That option may become unavoidable at some future time, for some future government, but that is not the present government’s concern – not in the ...
Speaking Truth To Power: Greta Thunberg argues that the fine sounding phrases of well-meaning politicians changes nothing. The promises made, the targets set – and then re-set – are all too familiar to the younger generations she has encouraged to pay attention. They have heard it all before. Accordingly, she ...
The Spiral of Silence Problem As climate communicator John Cook cleverly illustrates below, a big obstacle to raising awareness about climate change is the "spiral of silence," a reluctance to talk about it. There are many reasons for this reluctance we can speculate about. Perhaps people don't want to be ...
The informed discussion on the next steps in tax policy is about improving the income tax base, not about taxing wealth directly.David Parker, the Minister for Inland Revenue, gave a clear indication that his talk on tax was to be ‘pointy-headed’ by choosing a university venue for his presentation. As ...
A couple of weeks ago, Newsroom reported that the government was failing to meet its proactive release obligations, with Ministers releasing less than a quarter of cabinet papers and in many cases failing to keep records. But Chris Hipkins was already on the case, and in a recent cabinet paper ...
Why are the New Zealand media so hostile to the government – not just this government, but any government? The media I have in mind are not NZME-owned outlets like the Herald or Newstalk ZB, whose bias is overtly political and directed at getting rid of the current Labour government. ...
Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard, Dr Andrew Dickson, Dr Julie Bennett, Carmen Timu-Parata, Prof Nick Wilson Kvalsvig A, Baker M, Summers J, Telfar Barnard L, Dickson A, Bennett J, Timu-Parata C, Wilson N. The urgent need for a Covid-19 Action Plan for ...
In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and I speculate on how the Ruso-Ukrainian War will shape future regional security dynamics. We start with NATO and work our way East to the Northern Pacific. It is not comprehensive but we outline some potential ramifications with regard to ...
At base, the political biffo back and forth on the merits of Budget 2022 comes down to only one thing. Who is the better manager of the economy and better steward of social wellbeing – National or Labour? In its own quiet way, the Treasury has buried a fascinating answer ...
by Don Franks Poverty in New Zealand today has new ugly features. Adequate housing is beyond the reach of thousands. More and more people full time workers must beg food parcels from charities. Having no attainable prospects, young people lash out and steal. A response to poverty from The Daily ...
Drought: the past is no longer prologue Drought management in the United States (and elsewhere) is highly informed by events of the past, employing records extending 60 years or longer in order to plan for and cope with newly emerging meterorological water deficits. Water resource managers and agricultural concerns use ...
The government announced its budget today, with Finance Minister Grant Robertson giving the usual long speech about how much money they're spending. The big stuff was climate change and health, with the former being pre-announced, and most of the latter being writing off DHB's entirely fictional "debt" to the the ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has delivered a Budget that will many asking “Is that all there is?” There is a myriad of initiatives and there is increased spending, but strangely it doesn’t really add up to much at all for those hoping for a more traditional Labour-style Budget. The headline ...
Last year, Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Robert Tapaitau stood down as a minister after being charged with conspiracy to defraud after an investigation into corruption in Infrastructure Cook Islands and the National Environment Service. He hasn't been tried yet, but this week he has been reinstated: The seven-month ...
A ballot for three member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill (Chris Baillie) Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill (Golriz Ghahraman) Increased Penalties for ...
No Jesus Here.She rises, unrested, and stepsOnto the narrow balconyTo find the day. To greetThe Sunday God she sings to.But this morning His face is clouded.Grey and wet as a corpseWashed by tears.Behind her, in the tangled bedding,the children bicker and whine.Worrying the cheap furnitureLike hungry puppies.They clutch at her ...
After two years of Corona-induced online meetings in 2020 and 2021, this year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from May 23 to 27. To take hybrid and necessary hygiene restrictions into account, there (unfortunately) will be no ...
“Māori star lore was, and still remains, a blending together of both astronomy and astrology, and while there is undoubtedly robust science within the Māori study of the night sky, the spiritual component has always been of equal importance” writes Professor Rangi Matamua in his book Matariki – Te whetū tapu ...
The foibles of the Aussie electoral system are pretty well-known. The Lucky Country doesn’t have proportional representation. Voting for everyone over 18 is compulsory, but within a preferential system. This means that in the relatively few key seats that decide the final result, it can be the voters’ second, third ...
Julia Steinberger is an ecological economist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. She first posted this piece at Medium.com, and it was reposted on Yale Climate Connections with her permission. Today I went to give a climate talk at my old high school in Geneva – and was given a ...
A/Prof Ben Gray* Gray B. Government funding of interpreters in Primary Care is needed to ensure quality care. Public Health Expert Blog.17 May 2022. The pandemic has highlighted many problems in the NZ health system. This blog will address the question of availability of interpreters for people with limited English ...
I have suggested previously that sometimes Tolkien’s writer-instincts get the better of him. Sometimes he departs from his own cherished metaphysics, in favour of the demands of story – and I dare say, that is a good thing. Laws and Customs of the Eldar might be an interesting insight ...
One of the key planks of yesterday's Emissions Reduction Plan is a $650 million fund to help decarbonise industry by subsidising replacement of dirty technologies with clean ones. But National leader Chris Luxon derides this as "corporate welfare". Which probably sounds great to the business ideologues in the Koru club. ...
Poisonous! From a very early age New Zealanders are warned to give small black spiders with a red blotch on their abdomens a wide berth. The Katipo, we are told, is venomous: and while its bite may not kill you, it can make you very unwell. That said, isn’t the ...
“The truth prevails, but it’s a chore.” – Jan Masaryk: The intensification of ideological pressures is bearable for only so-long before ordinary men and women reassert the virtues of tolerance and common sense.ON 10 MARCH 1948, Jan Masaryk, the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, was found dead below his bathroom window. ...
Clearly, the attempt to take the politics out of climate change has itself been a political decision, and one meant to remove much of the heat from the global warming issue before next year’s election. What we got from yesterday’s $2.9 billion Emissions Reduction Plan was a largely aspirational multi-party ...
Michelle Uriarau (Mana Wāhine Kōrero) talks to Dane Giraud of the Free Speech Union LISTEN HERE Michelle Uriarau is a founding member of Mana Wāhine Kōrero – an advocacy group of and for Māori women who took strong positions against the ‘Self ID’ and ‘Conversion Practises Bills’. One of the ...
If we needed any confirmation, we have it in spades in today’s edition of the Herald; our supposedly leading daily newspaper is determined to do what it can to decide the outcome of the next election – to act, that is, not as a newspaper but as the mouthpiece for ...
Sean Plunkett, founding editor of the new media outlet, The Platform, was interviewed on RNZ's highly regarded flagship programme "Mediawatch".Mr Plunkett has made much about "cancel culture" and "de-platforming". On his website promoting The Platform, he outlines his mission statement thusly:The Platform is for everyone; we’re not into cancelling or ...
“That’s a C- for History, Kelvin!”While it is certainly understandable that Māori-Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis was not anxious to castigate every Pakeha member of the House of Representatives for the crimes committed against his people by their ancestors; crimes from which his Labour colleagues continue to draw enormous benefits; the ...
The Government promised a major reform of New Zealand’s immigration system, but when it was announced this week, many asked “is that it?” Over the last two years Covid has turned the immigration tap off, and the Government argued this produced the perfect opportunity to reassess decades of “unbalanced immigration”. ...
While the new fiscal rules may not be contentious, what they mean for macroeconomic management is not explained.In a pre-budget speech on 3 May 2022, the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, made some policy announcements which will frame both this budget and future ones. (The Treasury advice underpinning them is ...
Under MMP, Parliament was meant to look like New Zealand. And, in a lot of ways, it does now, with better representation for Māori, tangata moana, women, and the rainbow community replacing the old dictatorship of dead white males. But there's one area where "our" parliament remains completely unrepresentative: housing: ...
Justice Denied: At the heart of the “Pro-Life” cause was something much darker than conservative religious dogma, or even the oppressive designs of “The Patriarchy”. The enduring motivation – which dares not declare itself openly – is the paranoid conviction of male white supremacists that if “their” women are given ...
In case of emergency break glass— but glass can cut Fire extinguishers, safety belts, first aid kits, insurance policies, geoengineering: we never enjoy using them. But given our demonstrated, deep empirical record of proclivity for creating hazards and risk we'd obviously be foolish not to include emergency responses in our inventory. ...
After a brief hiatus, the “A View from Afar” podcast is back on air with Selwyn Manning leading the Q&A with me. This week is a grab bag of topics: Russian V-Day celebrations, Asian and European elections, and the impact of the PRC-Solomon Islands on the regional strategic balance. Plus ...
Last year, Vanuatu passed a "cyber-libel" law. And predictably, its first targets are those trying to hold the government to account: A police crackdown in Vanuatu that has seen people arrested for allegedly posting comments on social media speculating politicians were responsible for the country’s current Covid outbreak has ...
Could it be a case of not appreciating what you’ve got until it’s gone? The National Party lost Simon Bridges last week, which has reinforced the notion that the party still has some serious deficits of talent and diversity. The major factor in Bridges’ decision to leave was his failed ...
Who’s Missing From This Picture? The re-birth of the co-governance concept cannot be attributed to the institutions of Pakeha rule, at least, not in the sense that the massive constitutional revisions it entails have been presented to and endorsed by the House of Representatives, and then ratified by the citizens of New ...
Fiji signed onto China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018, along with a separate agreement on economic co-operation and aid. Yet it took the recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands to get the belated attention of the US and its helpmates in Canberra and Wellington, and the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Lexi Smith and Bud Ward “CRA” It’s one of those acronyms even many-a-veteran environmental policy geek may not recognize. Amidst the scores and scores of acronyms in the field – CERCLA, IPCC, SARA, LUST, NPDES, NDCs, FIFRA, NEPA and scores more – ...
In a nice bit of news in a World Gone Mad, I can report that Of Tin and Tintagel, my 5,800-word story about tin (and political scheming), is now out as part of the Spring 2022 edition of New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). As noted previously, this one owes a ...
Dr Jennifer Summers, Professor Michael Baker, Professor Nick Wilson* Summers J, Baker M, Wilson N. Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk: important measures to help guide the pandemic response. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 May 2022. In this blog we explore two useful mortality indicators: Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) and Infection-Fatality ...
In the depths of winter, most people from southern New Zealand head to warmer climes for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. Yet during the height of the last Ice Age, one species of moa did just the opposite. I’m reminded of Bill Bailey’s En Route to Normal tour that visited ...
In the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions ...
Elizabeth Elliot Noe, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Andrew D. Barnes, University of Waikato; Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, and John Innes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchUrbanisation, and the destruction of habitat it entails, is a major threat to native bird populations. But as our new research shows, restored ...
Unfinished: Always, gnawing away at this government’s confidence and empathy, is the dictum that seriously challenging the economic and social status-quo is the surest route to electoral death. Labour’s colouring-in book, and National’s, have to look the same. All that matters is which party is better at staying inside the lines.DOES ...
Radical As: Māori healers recall a time when “words had power”. The words that give substance to ideas, no matter how radical, still do. If our representatives rediscover the courage to speak them out loud.THERE ARE RULES for radicalism. Or, at least, there are rules for the presentation of radical ...
We’ve worked hard to make sure our communities are safer places for everyone to live. Since taking office in 2017, we’ve delivered New Zealand’s largest Police force ever, taken action on gang violence, and extended successful rehabilitation programmes to break the cycle of offending. We have seen a significant reduction ...
The Green Party is again calling on the Government to review the economic response to COVID-19, as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand puts up the Official Cash Rate today to 2 percent. ...
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s latest step toward electoral reform, which begins to fulfil an important part of the Co-operation Agreement between the two parties. ...
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Mr Speaker, It has taken four-and-a-half years to even start to turn the legacy of inaction and neglect from the last time they were in Government together. And we have a long journey in front of us! ...
Today Greens Te Mātāwaka Chair and Health Spokesperson, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, said “The Greens have long campaigned for an independent Māori Health Authority and pathways for Takatāpui and Rainbow healthcare. “We welcome the substantial funding going into the new health system, Pae Ora, particularly for the Māori Health Authority, Iwi-Partnership ...
Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government continue to drive investment in nature protection Urgent action needed on nature-based solutions to climate change Future budget decisions must reflect the role nature plays in helping reduce emissions ...
Landmark week for climate action concludes with climate budget Largest ever investment in climate action one of many Green Party wins throughout Budget 2022 Budget 2022 delivers progress on every part of the cooperation agreement with Labour Budget 2022 is a climate budget that caps a landmark week ...
Green Party welcomes extension to half price fares Permanent half price fares for Community Services Card holders includes many students, which helps implement a Green Party policy Work to reduce public transport fares for Community Services Card holders started by Greens in the last Government Budget 2022 should be ...
New cost of living payment closely aligned to Green Party policy to expand the Winter Energy Payment Extension and improvement of Warmer Kiwi Homes builds on Green Party progress in Government Community energy fund welcomed The Green Party welcomes the investment in Budget 2022 to expand Warmer Kiwi ...
Budget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...
Green Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...
Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...
A stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
People battling with eating disorders can expect more support being available with additional funding allocated. In addition to the $15.5 million spent each year, $3.9 million in extra funding over four years has been secured as part of Budget 2022. “This will help increase the capacity of eating disorder services ...
New workforce frameworks launched today will make an important difference to people impacted by family violence by strengthening responses and ensuring services support people’s safety, and long-term healing and wellbeing. “People have long been asking for workforces capable of providing safe, consistent, and effective responses to family violence, in ways ...
The Government is providing further support to help Police protect small businesses affected by a spike in ram raids, Minister of Police Poto Williams says. $6 million from the Proceeds of Crime Fund will be invested in a crime prevention programme to be managed by Police which will include solutions ...
Associate Minister of Education (Māori) Kelvin Davis has today announced 51 education resources that will help bring Mātauranga Māori to life. “Matariki is our first uniquely te ao Māori public holiday and is a time for us to remember the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. Matariki ...
Budget 2022 has taken capital investment in school property under this Government to $3.6 billion since 2018, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “A further $777m in capital investment means new schools and kura, more classrooms, and includes $219m in capital funding that will go directly to schools over the ...
Budget 2022 will deliver 1900 new health workers and will support 2700 more students into training programmes through a $76 million investment to continue to grow the health workforce for our Māori and Pacific communities, Associate Ministers of Health Peeni Henare and Aupito William Sio announced today. “This Budget specifically ...
60,000 more people to receive screening each year. Over $36 million across four years to shift the starting age for bowel screening from 60 years old to 50 years old for Māori and Pacific people. Associate Ministers of Health Peeni Henare and Aupito William Sio say Budget 2022 will ...
The Government has appointed a Startup Advisors’ Council to help identify and address the opportunities and challenges facing high growth start-up businesses, Research, Science, and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, and Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash have announced. “Startups are major contributors to the knowledge and innovation that we ...
Hundreds of New Zealand companies are set to benefit from the launch of two new grants aimed at fuelling firms that want to innovate, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods says. “This $250 million investment over the next four years is a sign of my commitment to some of ...
New Zealand’s legal aid scheme will be significantly strengthened with further investment from Budget 2022, Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi announced today. “Budget 2022 will help around 93,000 more people be eligible for legal aid from January 2023, fulfilling our election promise to make improvements to our court system so ...
Investing in the Māori media sector over the next two years will support the industry while it transitions to a new public media environment, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. “By capturing and sharing local stories and innovative Māori content with New Zealand audiences, across a range of ...
The Government has today confirmed key details of the nationwide rollout of cameras on commercial fishing vessels. Up to 300 inshore fishing vessels will be fitted with the technology by the end of 2024, providing independent, accurate information about fishing activity and better evidence for decision-making,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
It is my pleasure to be here at TRENZ 2022. This is an event that continues to facilitate connection, collaboration and engagement between our businesses and key overseas markets. The conversations that happen here will play a crucial role in shaping New Zealand’s tourism recovery. That’s why TRENZ remains such ...
Māori businesses will play a vital role to help lift whānau Māori aspirations and dreams for a better life, while reinforcing New Zealand’s economic security. A successful Progressive Procurement initiative to diversify government spend on goods and services and increase Māori business engagement with government procurement is getting a further ...
The continued Budget 22 investment into the Cadetship programmes will ensure Māori thrive in the labour market, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. The Government will invest $25 million into the Cadetships programme, delivered by Te Puni Kōkiri. As the whole world struggles with rising inflation, the Government’s ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Minister of Defence Peeni Henare today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the Pacific-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand and Solomon Islands have an enduring and long-standing partnership,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Minister of Defence Peeni Henare today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the Pacific-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand and Solomon Islands have an enduring and long-standing partnership,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
Director-General, esteemed fellow Ministers, and colleagues, tēnā koutou katoa. Greetings to all. Aotearoa New Zealand is alarmed at the catastrophic and complex health crisis evolving in Ukraine. We reiterate our call for an immediate end to Russian hostilities against Ukraine. Chair, this 75th Session of the World Health Assembly comes at ...
As part of a regular review by the Department of Internal Affairs, the fees for New Zealand passports will increase slightly due to the decrease in demand caused by COVID-19. Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti says that the Government has made every effort to keep the increase to a minimum ...
The Government is providing additional support to the Buller District Council to assist the recovery from the February 2022 floods, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan announced today. “The Buller District has experienced two significant floods in short succession, resulting in significant impacts for the community and for Council to ...
New Zealand is a step closer to a more resilient, competitive, and sustainable coastal shipping sector following the selection of preferred suppliers for new and enhanced coastal shipping services, Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced today. “Coastal shipping is a small but important part of the New Zealand freight system, ...
Tēnā koutou katoa It’s a pleasure to speak to you today on how we are tracking with the resource management reforms. It is timely, given that in last week’s Budget the Government announced significant funding to ensure an efficient transition to the future resource management system. There is broad consensus ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis have welcomed the release of a paper from independent advisory group, Taumata Aronui, outlining the group’s vision for Māori success in the tertiary education system. “Manu Kōkiri – Māori Success and Tertiary Education: Towards a Comprehensive Vision – is the ...
The best way to have economic security in New Zealand is by investing in wāhine and our rangatahi says Minister for Māori Development. Budget 2022, is allocating $28.5 million over the next two years to strengthen whānau resilience through developing leadership within key cohorts of whānau leaders, wāhine and rangatahi ...
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agencies will receive $166.5 million over four years to help whānau maintain and build their resilience as Aotearoa moves forward from COVID-19, Minister for Whānau Ora Peeni Henare announced today. “Whānau Ora Commissioning Agencies and partners will remain a key feature of the Government’s support for whānau ...
The development of sustainable, plant-based foods and meat alternatives is getting new government backing, with investment from a dedicated regional economic development fund. “The investment in Sustainable Foods Ltd is part of a wider government strategy to develop a low-emissions, highly-skilled economy that responds to global demands,” said Stuart Nash. ...
With New Zealand expecting to see Omicron cases rise during the winter, the Orange setting remains appropriate for managing this stage of the outbreak, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “While daily cases numbers have flattened nationally, they are again beginning to increase in the Northern region and hospitalisation ...
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi today announced appointments to the independent panel that will lead a review of New Zealand’s electoral law. “This panel, appointed by an independent panel of experts, aim to make election rules clearer and fairer, to build more trust in the system and better support people to ...
Honourable Dame Fran Wilde will lead the board overseeing the design and construction of Auckland’s largest, most transformational project of a generation – Auckland Light Rail, which will connect hundreds of thousands of people across the city, Minister of Transport Michael Wood announced today. “Auckland Light Rail is New Zealand’s ...
Boost to Māori Medium property that will improve and redevelop kura, purchase land and build new facilities Scholarships and mentoring to grow and expand the Māori teaching workforce Funding to continue to grow the Māori language The Government’s commitment to the growth and development of te reo Māori has ...
On the eve of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s trade mission to the United States, New Zealand has joined with partner governments from across the Indo-Pacific region to begin the next phase of discussions towards an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The Framework, initially proposed by US President Biden in ...
As part of New Zealand’s ongoing response to the war in Ukraine, New Zealand is providing further support and personnel to assist Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “We have been clear throughout Russia’s assault on Ukraine, that such a ...
Budget 2022 is providing investment to crackdown on tobacco smuggling into New Zealand. “Customs has seen a significant increase in the smuggling of tobacco products into New Zealand over recent years,” Minister of Customs Meka Whaitiri says. This trend is also showing that tobacco smuggling operations are now often very ...
Prime Minister to lead trade mission to the United States this week to support export growth and the return of tourists post COVID-19. Business delegation to promote trade and tourism opportunities in New Zealand’s third largest export and visitor market Deliver Harvard University commencement address Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on winning the Australian Federal election, and has acknowledged outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "I spoke to Anthony Albanese early this morning as he was preparing to address his supporters. It was a warm conversation and I’m ...
Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Matariki Tapuapua, He roimata ua, he roimata tangata. He roimata e wairurutu nei, e wairurutu nei. Te Māreikura mārohirohi o Ihoa o ngā Mano, takoto Te ringa mākohakoha o Rongo, takoto. Te mātauranga o Tūāhuriri o Ngai Tahu ...
Three core networks within the tourism sector are receiving new investment to gear up for the return of international tourists and business travellers, as the country fully reconnects to the world. “Our wider tourism sector is on the way to recovery. As visitor numbers scale up, our established tourism networks ...
The Minister of Customs has welcomed legislation being passed which will prevent millions of dollars in potential tax evasion on water-pipe tobacco products. The Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products) Amendment Act 2022 changes the way excise and excise-equivalent duty is calculated on these tobacco products. Water-pipe tobacco is also known ...
The Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to help the Levin community following this morning’s tornado, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by severe weather events in Levin and across the country. “I know the tornado has ...
The Quintet of Attorneys General have issued the following statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “The Attorneys General of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand join in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeremy Moss, Professor of Political Philosophy, UNSW Sydney Mark Baker/AP Australia’s climate election has been won. Now comes the harder part. It’s now entirely possible we could see a government committed to domestic climate action, speeding up the exit of ...
The Texas shooting and gun control debates have largely overshadowed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visits to Senators at the United States Capitol. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Kildea, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his election night victory speech by declaring: “I commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.” This commitment, delivered on the eve of the ...
Ministers continue to beat the drum for the goodies dispensed in the Budget, a week after Finance Minister Grant Robertson delivered his Budget speech and the Government published a raft of documents and press statements to tell the nation who got how much. Some of the ministerial post-Budget announcements relate ...
Prevention of Family Violence Minister Marama Davidson says they give specialist family and sexual violence organisations and general workforces the tools to respond appropriately ...
In today’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee briefing, the Reserve Bank Governor was questioned by MPs about Government spending and said, “We believe it is putting upward pressure on aggregate demand and hence inflation” in the near-term. ...
The Parnell Business Association welcomes the announcement from Police Minister Poto Williams that the Government is investing in crime prevention for our small retailers, including the installation of bollards and other structures to protect ...
Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson has welcomed the response by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to complaints relating to Council decisions around the Civic Facility. In a response released today, the OAG said it had received complaints about whether ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland The 1833 Leonid Meteor storm, as seen over Niagara Falls.Edmund Weiß (1888) As Earth orbits the Sun, it ploughs through dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids. That debris gives birth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Clark, Deputy Engagement Editor, The Conversation Right from the outset, it is clear Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s agenda is very different to his predecessor Scott Morrison’s – from emphasising his commitment to fighting climate change to foreign leaders in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shidan Tosif, Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Parents are understandably worried about what would happen if their infant caught COVID-19. Babies may be considered vulnerable due to immature immune systems, and are also not eligible for ...
The Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand congratulates Porirua City Council on their decision to become an accredited Living Wage Employer. After 10 years of campaigning, community leaders in Porirua are excited that workers employed by contractors ...
Concerns were raised with us about aspects of Masterton District Council’s decision to fund a new civic facility. The civic facility is a significant project for the Council and the community, and there has been public interest in the options considered. ...
The claim that there has been only one person harmed at Te Puni Wai this year by a young person is either a deliberate lie or a demonstration of the total disconnection with the actual reality of the situation on the frontline, NUPE Secretary Janice ...
Police Minister Poto Williams has told Aucklanders they should "absolutely" expect a decrease in gun crime after gang attacks in recent days, and arrests have already been made. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Goodwin, Teaching Specialist, The University of Melbourne With the swearing in of a new arts minister, there is a unique opportunity to address some of the structural issues around pay and job precarity in the arts and build a more equitable ...
New Zealand has suffered several jolts in the past week, not least a higher interest rate regime as the Reserve Bank counters surging inflation. But at least one beacon of light shines through the gloom: the country’s leading primary export industry’s boom is moving to a second season of high ...
Mayoral candidate Leo Molloy says the Government’s package to protect small businesses from ram raids won’t even touch the surface in Tāmaki Makaurau. “While I’m flattered that the Government has picked up a policy that I announced more than a ...
Signatories to a recently launched petition are urging the Government to introduce civics education into schools nationwide. Joni Tomsett, described by RNZ as a 28-year-old student from the Tasman region, launched the petition on the community campaign platform OurActionStation to make civics education a core subject in all secondary schools ...
Police will manage a $6 million crime prevention programme, installing bollards and similar measures to prevent ram raids, as part of the government's response to such attacks. ...
New Zealand may be getting somewhat ahead of the international curve in its response to the rapidly increasing prevalence of dementia. A new report out this week from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) shows that only around 20 per cent of World ...
Retail NZ welcomes today's announcement of a Government funding package to support retailers in response to retail crime. “Today’s annoucement of $6 million dollars to help retailers respond to crime is significant for the sector. The ability for ...
New Zealand’s 240,000 licensed firearm owners feel vindicated by the acknowledgement of National Party leader Chris Luxon that a firearm register won’t stop gang crime. After the spate of gang crime in Auckland on Tuesday, Mr Luxon said National would ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University This article contains mentions of the Stolen Generations, and policies using outdated and potentially offensive terminology when referring to First Nations people. May 26 is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dietmar Müller, Professor of Geophysics, University of Sydney For hundreds of millions of years, Earth’s climate has warmed and cooled with natural fluctuations in the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. Over the past century, humans have pushed CO₂ levels ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Pawson, Professor of Housing Research and Policy, and Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Plenty was said in the election campaign about the very real challenges faced by first home buyers and by homeowners already mortgaged to the hilt. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Messina, Team Leader in the Infectious Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Honorary Fellow at The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics., Murdoch Children’s Research Institute After virtually disappearing for two years, influenza is back and rapidly sweeping across Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nerilie Abram, Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; Deputy Director for the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Australian National University Nerilie Abram, Author provided The 2022 federal election will go down in history as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Keating, Visiting Fellow, College of Business & Economics, Australian National University Shutterstock The new government has inherited an extraordinarily difficult budget situation. The budget deficit amounts to 3.5% of gross domestic product this financial year and it will be almost ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cain Polidano, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Concerned that many people won’t have enough retirement savings even with compulsory superannuation, since 2003 the Australian government has had a scheme to encourage low and middle-income earners to voluntarily put ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tregear, Principal Fellow and Professor of Music, The University of Melbourne Jeff Busby/Opera Australia Opera Australia has received outstanding reviews for its Melbourne season of Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. The casting of German singer Jonas Kaufmann in the title ...
A former senior Labour Party figure says New Zealand has effectively gone to war without consulting the public by joining Nato's efforts to defeat Russia's military objectives in Ukraine. ...
A former senior Labour Party figure says New Zealand has effectively gone to war without consulting the public by joining Nato's efforts to defeat Russia's military objectives in Ukraine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton has declared there is more to him than his tough side, as he formally announces he will stand for the Liberal leadership. Dutton, set to be unopposed when the Liberals meet next week, ...
By Melisha Yafoi in Port Moresby The Papua New Guinean government can expect to be fined a hefty US$5 million (K17.6 million) each for six illegal shipments (K105 million total) of waste oil being transported to Singapore through Indonesian waters. A formal notice was issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment ...
By Barbara Dreaver, TV1 News Pacific correspondent Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to visit Kiribati on Friday for four hours as part of a Pacific tour to strengthen security ties in the region. It is the first top level bilateral meeting between the two countries since Kiribati switched allegiance ...
RNZ News Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken to media to demonstrate to the US market that New Zealand is “open for business”, having arrived in the US yesterday. Her trip includes meeting members of Congress and the UN Secretary-General, attending a launch event for sustainable meat exports, delivering the ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea police have warned the public to take precaution with criminals now operating in large numbers in some suburbs of the second city Lae after an attack on University of Technology students. Metropolitan police commander Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanban issued the warning following the attack on ...
RNZ Pacific Australia’s newly sworn-in Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, says the new Labor government “will be a generous, respectful and reliable member of the Pacific family”. In a message addressing the region on Monday, Wong set the tone for Australia’s renewed priorities for its island neighbours. Wong said Australia recognised ...
By Sheryl Lal and Akansha Narayan in Nadi, Fiji Although Fiji was unaffected by the first wave of covid-19, its tourism sector — the lifeblood of the economy — has been devastated by border closure across the world due to the pandemic in the past two years. Thus, when the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erik Eklund, Professor of History, Federation University Australia The recent federal election saw some close calls but few surprises in the regions, where wild electoral swings are rare. But we should look closer at two regional seats that straddle the NSW/Victorian ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Moffitt, Associate Professor, Australian Catholic University Many commentators tipped Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party (UAP) and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to perform well this election by scooping up the “freedom” and anti-vax vote from voters angry about how the pandemic was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland Getty Before the 2019 federal election, many people expected Australia would vote for faster climate action. That, of course, didn’t happen. But just three years later, the climate election ...
The government is set to delay plans to improve the insulation of new homes in New Zealand, just days after including the measures in the much vaunted emissions reduction plan unveiled last week. The emissions reduction plan included a move to improve ...
The Reserve Bank has raised the official cash rate to 2% – but will that slay the inflationary beast roaming the countryside.? Point of Order doesn’t think so. Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr made the right belligerent noises as he fired the bullet today but he needed a fiscal -policy ...
We were pleasantly surprised to catch up on the latest announcement from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta – jointly issued with Defence Minister Peeni Henare – about the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force deployment to Solomon Islands. This is being done as part of the Pacific-led Solomon Islands ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Griffin, Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland Shutterstock We’ve all become familiar with virus mutations over the course of the pandemic, and can all probably list off the COVID variants including Alpha, Delta and Omicron. ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken with US TV host and comedian Stephen Colbert about the school shooting in Texas, as part of her trip to the United States. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tess Parker, Research Fellow, Monash University From February to May 2022, many places in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia have seen record-breaking daily and monthly rainfall. Repeated periods of persistent and intense rain have caused devastating and widespread floods. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra New treasurer Jim Chalmers has been in multiple briefings since Sunday, and the message he sends in this podcast is that he is not going to try to gild the economic lily with the Australian ...
The Monetary Policy Committee today increased the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 2.0 percent. The Committee agreed it remains appropriate to continue to tighten monetary conditions at pace to maintain price stability and support maximum sustainable employment. ...
A $30 million investment by the Government to improve coastal shipping services is great news for jobs, the economy and the environment, said the Council of Trade Unions. “A viable coastal shipping service has huge advantages for New Zealand, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Imogene Smith, Casual academic, provisional psychologist and Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) candidate, Deakin University Shutterstock For many dads, having a child is unplanned. What happens next can vary. One man said: We broke up and she called me soon ...
Coastal shipping has received a $30 million boost from the government, aimed at improving local supply chains and helping move freight off the roads. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carolyn Hill, Teaching Fellow, Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images A minor culture war has broken out over Auckland’s urban identity since Auckland Council responded to the government’s new housing rules: on one side, defenders of “special character” areas ...
New Zealand’s biggest company by capitalisation on the NZX, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare which sells its products in 120 countries, has supplied $880 million of hospital hardware over the past two years. That’s the equivalent of about 10 years’ hardware sales before COVID-19. This remarkable performance deserves the plaudits of ...
The Socialist Equality Group in New Zealand and the World Socialist Web Site will hold an online public meeting on Saturday, June 4, at 5:00 p.m. to launch the new book Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up , published by Mehring Books. ...
The Minister of Justice, Hon Kris Faafoi, announced on Tuesday morning the panel and terms of reference for the Independent Electoral Law Review. The voting age is at the top of the list of electoral laws the review will be considering. Make It ...
Ted Johnston, Coleader of New Conservative states “There are important changes needed to the Electoral laws, but we must beware Labour and National passing self-serving laws to further perpetuate their duopoly.” Our elections are just passing of the ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Grant Robertson’s “sweet moderation” Grant Robertson is a big fan of British socialist folk-punk singer Billy Bragg. The finance minister even wrote an opinion column last year that started and ended with lyrics from Bragg’s iconic song “Between the Wars”, with its key line ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Computational Law & AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock The first serious accident involving a self-driving car in Australia occurred in March this year. A pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries when hit by a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND The nightly television news coverage of the 2022 federal election was among the most juvenile and uninformative in 50 years. Given that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Holden, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Sydney Shutterstock It’s a common scenario: you decide to go out for dinner and fancy something different. So, you look to online reviews to help you make your dining choice. If you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Hornsey, Professor, University of Queensland Business School, The University of Queensland Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s shock loss to an independent running on a climate action platform wasn’t a fluke event. “Teal” independents have ousted five of Frydenberg’s colleagues, all harvesting votes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Holloway, Senior Research DECRA Fellow, Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University During the 2022 federal election campaign, schools barely rated a mention. While the Labor government’s cabinet will not be finalised until next week, we expect ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elaine Nash, PhD Candidate, University of South Australia Shutterstock There are many reasons to employ people living with intellectual disability. Most obvious is that it’s the right thing to do – it helps promote social justice, diversity, corporate social responsibility, ...
So it’s now looking like Murray Mc Cully will stand aside for Colin Craig in East Coast Bays.
…. if it looks like Nats aren’t doing so well in the polls in coming weeks. Wonder how the locals will take that?
and folks in bennetts’ old/abandoned seat are asking..
..since her departure:..
..’where have all the ladders gone..?’
There are now two types of ladders:
The gold plated ones used exclusively for the welfare of the rich and the powerful.
The rickety ramshackle ones grudgingly used for the rest.
Well this clusterfuck should fix their polling problems.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11279089
FFS can’t Labour get it’s shit sorted out? This STINKS to high heaven.
Yep – right up there with $850,000 for Pledge Cards, and then changing the law to stop any prosecution.
Can you explain why?
As far as I know, nobody in the Labour party did anything like phone the police to warn them off prosecuting Liu for domestic violence, and no Labour member has a spouse involved with Liu’s company or anything like that. Where’s the pay for play?
Unless there is some evidence of favouritism shown towards this man by Labour, what’s the actual story?
“..Where’s the pay for play?..”
short answer;..liu got citizenship etc..with ministers from both parties over-riding ministerial advice to not proceed with/grant liu citizenship..
..how is that for starters..?
..and i certainly am not arguing a minimising of what williamson got the boot for..
..the ‘actual story’ is the purchase of influence..by donors..from both parties..
..and the seemingly loose-as rule of mike williams as labour party president/bagman..
..that enough to be getting on with..?
..all this is doing is compounding the case for ending our politicians being able to be ‘bought’..
..and to have state-funding of political-campaigns..
..having after each election..this bunch of sweaty-individuals/corporates who have donated..waiting for their pay-offs..
..is a perversion/bastardisation of democracy..
Well said, Phil.
State funded +Any donation of $1,000 plus (or may be even $100 plus) to be transparent and openly declared with no anonymity provision available.
Maurice Williamson helped this character buy a house/batch next to his own and even said he does some house handyman repair work for him when this fellow goes off to china for a holiday. The immigration minister, Woodhouse said that he ‘personally went and visited this guy in his hotel/residence’ to get his suggestions for changes to the immigration laws! Can’t you see how unbecoming and dodgy for a government cabinet minister to do that! By the way, Key even went and opened his hotel. National has, as far as I have have read, declared only $22,000 from this man when National seems to be much closer to him.
Both Labour and National should come clean about ALL the donations from this fellow and there aught to be a thorough investigations by the police or IRD or parliament or election commission about ALL the activities, dealings and behaviour of this individual.
In my opinion, any donation of $1,000 or more from anyone or any group should be declared by all political parties. Better transparency is what is needed to keep NZ corruption free.
Some important questions need to be asked. Why has this Liu fellow made his statement now? What is his motive or agenda? Is his statement true or a lie? Where is his receipt? Has he been pressurised to issue this statement? By who? Why through a lawyer? Why no affidavit? Why is he not fronting up for a face to face interview by media? Why is he trying to damage the Labour party just before the coming elections? How much has he given to the National party? What favours has he received by the cabinet ministers and by this government? What dirty tricks is National playing behind the scenes? Lots of important questions need answers here.
Well, having observed the recent developments, which are of course a well planned, well paced smear campaign coming from John Key and his underlings, the sad thing is, mud sticks. And the reality is this, John Key’s top drawer is not brimming full with harmful documents and info on Labour and that party’s MPs for no reason.
The decades of adopting a “third way” form of neo-liberalism, thus with the capitalism we have now, the long time of flirting with big business, with rich donors, with wining and dining at high level functions, and with socialising with the top elite persons in society, this has not happened without Labour Members of Parliament, especially former Ministers, having compromised themselves. That is why Labour has lots credit, reputation, support in the traditional and otherwise usual voter base.
All talk of returning to the roots, over recent years, has not been believed by many, and NOT so by me either!
The rot sits deep, and there is much hidden, and sadly Key and his loyal muck-rakers got more than a handful of info at their hands, having worked in a calculated, strategic manner, they seem to have ample of it. Much of the complicit MSM serve his and the Nats’ requests, willingly, but they can do so, they have info that has some value to it.
And such rich, wealthy Chinese business migrants, like Mr Liu, they will not take kindly to being accused, suspected, blamed and put into public disrepute by certain politicians, leaders or not, who come from parties that he once may have donated big to (by way of discrete trusts or in other forms), so they come back with a vengeance.
That is what we are having now, Labour is screwed, this election is screwed, that is for Labour, the party is discredited now, make no damned doubt about it, it is HISTORY, unless a long, painful rejuvenation and reformation happens over a long time.
I told you all months ago, repeatedly, and was lambasted by a fair few, Labour are “gonners”, there is an urgent and absolute need for a new, left or progressive party, that represents what Labour once stood for. The present lot do not deserve to continue sitting in Parliament, and ignoring the needs of the weakest and poorest out here. All their slogans ring hollow. What the f*** have you offered those on benefits in this election? Not much, to be honest, so go and tidy up your mess, and leave the main opposition to the Greens and others now, thank you!
The result of Labour’s and I fear also David Cunliffe’s stuff ups, and hypocrisy, that is that John Key can now make political changes daily, serving the US interests, even defending drone strikes that inevitably will kill innocent, and many other disgusting things that will come.
So we can thank Labour for all this crap that we will soon get under a third term of an equally shallow, hollow, hypocritical, lying and self serving National Party led government. I feel sorry for those on benefits, the full swing of more hate driven “reforms” will be on their way. Shame on you, Labour, shame on you!
Labour’s OK. It’s foreign-owned, Nat-loving corporate media who have the problem.
Too few media owners…and none of them Kiwis.
So will East Coast Bays end up another Sheeple place just like Epsom.
“Wonder how the locals will take that?”
With regret I would think. Sadly it is a consequence of the electoral system.
liu has signed a detailing-statement saying he gave $150,000 to the labour party..
..and maybe now the question needs to be asked..
..to who..?
..or will it be group-denial on the menu again today..?
..and where is the man who can answer all of these pressing-questions..?
..questions that wont just go away..
..where’s waldo/mike williams..?
..labours’ bag-man at that time..
phil, today we have something substantial to ask questions about.
Like Edwards you seem keen to get the boot into Labour as often as possible, whether there’s any evidence or not.
These are issues about Labour in the past in government. Nothing to do with Cunliffe, everything to do with the MO of soft neoliberal Labour.
It’s really good to look at such things in the light of substantial evidence, and for Labour to clear out any remnants of neoliberal collusion.
Rick Barker is history. Some of the likes of Mallard, King etc, seen taking Sky City hospitality at sports events…. time this kind of thing was relegated to history.
And generally, we need more transparency around funding for poltiical parties, and measures to lower limits on the amounts of funding that come frome private donations.
“..Like Edwards you seem keen to get the boot into Labour as often as possible, whether there’s any evidence or not..”
seeing as you have made this claim against me..
..where is yr evidence/examples..?
Edwards in the article – Edwards, though, has a history of it. I don’t have time to look it up, because I’m about to get ready for work.
You, yesterday and today, so keen to turn questions on Labour without any significant evidence, rather than look closely at what the NZ Herald articles are doing within the context of an up-coming election.
“..You, yesterday and today, so keen to turn questions on Labour without any significant evidence, rather than look closely at what the NZ Herald articles are doing within the context of an up-coming election…”
sigh..!..so..(i repeat)..that was why i was one of the first to call bullshit! on that liu-letter..?
..and to opine that cunnliffe should also call bullshit! on it…and front-foot it..?
..eh..?
..how does that all fit in with yr phils’-secret-plan/agenda narrative..?
..i’m calling bullshit! on you..
..and the longer you/labour twist and turn on this one..the longer it will drag on..
..can you seriously not see that basic/screamingly-obvious political-fact/imperative at play here..?
..and again..when will the man with all the answers from labours; p.o.v…
..former bag-man mike williams..when will he surface..?
..(we all know he isn’t media-shy..eh..?..so..?..)
..if there were no donations..why has he not popped up in the media to call liu out..?
..have you asked yrslf that question..?
..(instead of whipping up messanger-conspiracy-theories..eh…?)
…where’s waldo/mike williams..?
..the man with all the answers..
..to all of our questions..
I agree, the HMS Labour is severely listing and if this isn’t sorted and put to bed within the next week or two then Labour is heading to the bottom taking the lefts hope of electoral victory with it.
This is not the time to play the ostrich.
phillip you had no evidence at the time you were saying. And the money still does not add up.
f.f.s..!..i was just repeating the news the herald had..
..w.t.f. is wrong with you..?
..demanding i/everyone(?) must have ‘all the evidence’ before saying anything..?
..you are being beyond fucken stupid..
Yes, you are. Swallowing the Herald’s hackery. Read Geddis at Pundit then pull your head in. If you consider yourself more ethical than a Tory you’ll withdraw your remarks too.
didn’t geddis confirm an amount of that size..?
..how the fuck is that disproving lius’-donation-claim..?
..have you all lost yr powers of basic-thinking over this..?
i-mac seems to equate reporting what the herald says..as then being the one who ‘has to prove’ the claims..?..(!)
..fucken barking..all of you…
..and what ‘remarks’ do i need to ‘withdraw’..?
..maybe a sample or two..?
It demonstrates that Mike Williams (just like everyone else) would be a fucking idiot to dance to the National Party’s tune, or do you think they’ll stop playing if you start dancing?
Go on, dance around until you’re exhausted: they’ve got more tunes lined up just as soon as you realise you’ve been had.
the paranoia runs deep in that one..
..heh..!
Yes, that’s right Phil, National will start fighting the election on policy starting tomorrow. On Planet Phil.
How quickly they turn on you phil. Hope that wakes you up.
It’s an amazing day when Philu is the most sane contributor on this topic.
Phillip, ”after the fact” is what you should be considering, remember we are talking here of events in 2007,
i said yesterday that i would ”unhappily” concede that Liu had donated a large sum, or large sums of money to the Labour Party when a shred of evidence was produced to that effect,
Lets examine this evidence shall we, ”a firm of lawyers, said to act for Liu gave an anonymous donation to Labour in 2007”,
Now in 2007 can you point to the Herald printing a story which says just that???,
That is the gist of this little sordid tale, not what is now known today in the year 2014, but, what was known in the year 2007 when the firm of lawyers made this donation on behalf of ”anonymous”…
phillip. You were stating it as fact and it is not fact even yet. The column in the Herald says $150,000 but does not back that up other than “Mr Liu said.” There is nothing in the returns to back it up. You might have just said “it was rumoured that Mr Liu…. ”
Anyway the damage has been done because people will say either ho hum, or those tricky Labour people, or best maybe the whole system of clarity of donation be refined. Who knows?
The Herald article is a fucking travesty.
Oh, we talked to Liu, he signed a document that we’re not going to show you (never mind that he wouldn’t sign an avadavit) and he says x, y, z. We’re not going to give you any detail of that (like where and when the auction was), you’ll just have to take our word for it. Even better, we’ve got our tame ‘political commentator’ who says LABOUR ARE CORRUPT, and we’re going to print lots of his words without telling you where they came from, or why he should be trusted. Oh, and we’ll throw in some editorialising from our chief reporter, like how embarassing this is for Labour, because why have independent neutral reporting when you can do what the fuck you like and influence the election of a nation state?
+111
Also, phil, we are in election mode. The NZ Herald is leading a strong smear campaign aimed to destabilise Labour and the Left, in order to undermine the chances of a left government forming. We shouldn’t let the Herald lead us around by the nose. We need to ask wider questions, not just related to the ones they have raised about Labour.
The author, Bevan Hurley, says the NZ Herald has a signed statement by Liu from May 3. This must be the afidavit that lawyers were reported to be poring over a couple of days ago. Clearly it didn’t pass the legal tests, and was reported to lack documentation.
So, we still need to see some documented evidence off the claims. How trustworthy are Liu’s signed statements?
I agree that this is a concerted attack against Labour by NZH, but I also think Mike Williams should be fronting this, this is a governance issue and its important that Labour’s record keeping is maintained at the highest standard. Unfortunately I suspect that William’s and co have just replicated the National Party’s practices, and unfortunately this is the outcome…The NZ Herald attacks Labour. As a matter of Principle Labour should always, always operate at 100% transparency.
This could turn out to be a load of bull shit, but obviously Labour’s record keeping isn’t at a level that we can say with 100% certainty that it is. The executive need to get things in order after September, I suspect that as National anticipated, this is the issue that will cost the Left the government in the next election. Its on Mike Williams head.
Cunliffe has responded well – distanced himself from past practices by Labour, and committed towards tighter systems and more transparencies.
And still National has to be held to account for its funding practices. It is way more supported by big money than Labour.
seriously karol..?
..you aren’t playing the ‘at-least-we’re-not-as-bad-as-them!’-card..?
..are you..?
..and i call things as i see them..
..be they on the right/left..or anywhere inbetween..
..i try really hard to be as ideological-blinkers free as i can..
..ideas i like..i go woo-hoo..!..
..ones i don’t..i go boo-hoo..!..
The problem Cunliffe has is that distancing himself will be very difficult. There are a number of current mps from the previous govt still there and the letter which while completely above board is enough to tie him to liu in the public’s eyes.
As for transparency im not sure he has a lot of credibility there either he did after all set up his own trust system.
Its starting to look like Labour are no better than National when it comes to suspect funding practices. Disappointing.
Yes! Because accepting donations is exactly the same as cash-for-access Cabinet Clubs and eighteen holes of golf with the PM.
Sorry to interrupt while you’re having such fun doing the National Party two-step; it looks like Labour declared the donation too.
Why not show the commitment to fixing this via proposing a particularly strong sort of campaign finance reform and heavy consequences for breaching the rules? Something too strong for National to support and including something new.
Then every time they say “you did this dodgy thing” You can say – “the policy to fix it is on the table – and you oppose it”
Labour have already done that, unfortunately it appears they thought it applied to everyone but them.
Then there are three possibilities
1) the policies suggested were weak policies designed to look strong but designed to catch no one.
2) National blocked the policies and they should get a bloody nose for being the real problem.
3) Labour/National and other parties should be prosecuted under these rules.
[citation needed]
Karol
The Lui “scandal” is very much National demonstrating the principle that; the best defense is a strong offense. We Greens may be trying to run a campaign on a pittance, but now that Labour are all but neutralised on calling-out dodgy funding, hopefully our MPs will be on the Tories case about their donors from now on.
I am so looking forward to a Turei vs Woodhouse debate down here in Dunedin North.
well karol..that notorious double-agent for the right..the unionist robert reid..
.on q& a..said it is down to the party organisation to investigate this..
..he didn’t seem to question lius’ claims..
..any revision of yr stated opinions yet..?
Nope – see further comments, posts (by others) and developments today.
It’s the Nats’ smear machine and Liu that should be fronting up with some evidence of their allegations.
We shouldn’t be letting NZ Herald lead us around by the nose.
“The NZ Herald is leading a strong smear campaign aimed to destabilise Labour and the Left, in order to undermine the chances of a left government forming.”
With strong support from Fairfax and TV3. Both have been on constant attack all week. The blatant propaganda has been gobsmacking. I’ve made a complaint to Fairfax but am yet to do so with 3. Will do as soon as I get a chance.
Respect to David Cunliffe for being centred, calm, strong and articulate throughout
+100 Rosie …”Respect to David Cunliffe for being centred, calm, strong and articulate throughout”….He will make a great Prime Minister!
The Oddest thing is that Stuff has nothing about this yet. But give them time.
Nope, this is a Herald exclusive.
They’re probably busy running it by their lawyers first @David.
I wonder who’s going to front on Kathryn Ryans “From the Right ….. & From the Right” tomorrow. Will it be Mr Williams? or will Ms Pagani be drafted in?
God Pagani, as useless as a Udders on a Bull.
Or as a dick on a cow.
I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and count to 10.
And then read this blog by Andrew Geddis on Pundit.
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/maybe-it-was-a-bottle-of-armand-de-brignac-nebuchadnezzar-champagne
Geddis has checked Labour’s donation records for 2007 and reports that there are several donations of significant amounts paid through lawyers from undisclosed clients – including one of $150,000.
BUT Geddis also points out that such donations were totally legal under the electoral donations law in place in 2007. AND that any wrongdoing under the law in place in 2007 is well past the 6 month deadline for prosecution under that law.
Further, Graeme Edgeler has tweeted this morning that neither the Privileges Committee nor the House can investigate something that happened under a previous government – https://twitter.com/GraemeEdgeler/status/480440174438932480
If Geddis and Edgeler are correct, then neither the Police nor the current Parliament can investigate.
I would also point out that Liu has claimed that he gave equal amounts to Labour and National or something similar. Therefore IMO, if there are ongoing pushes to investigate the donations to Labour, then there should also be the same investigations into Liu’s donations to National.
IMO, if these donations to National were later than those to Labour and were under the much tighter electoral donations law which have come in over more recent years, and if the donations did not meet the more recent requirements, National could find themselves in deeper water than Labour …..
Lots of “ifs” there.
I don’t quite get all of this. There was an auction/raffle used to raise funds. (And sure, that’s potentially dodgy or ‘less than up front’ on a number of levels) But unless the details of all winning bids are routinely recorded for parliamentary rules’ sake, the fundraising is fundraising and not donations per se.
Or am I missing something?
Good point/question , Bill. I am not not familiar enough with party fundraising etc or election donations law (and the changes over the years) to comment, but would really like the views of the likes of Geddis or Edgeler on this. Perhaps Mickey Savage could throw some light on this.
NZ Femme said yesterday that money raised in such auctions gets collated, and that total amount is declared not the individual amounts. Presumaby then Labour wouldn’t have a record of the individuals. If this is true, then Labour needs to explain that (given the MSM don’t seem capable of doing their job properly).
Nice info veuto. At last someone dealing with facts.
From what you say it is now simple: under the law as then in place there would be no record of Liu’s Labour party donation in Liu’s name. Presumably there is similarly no record of Liu’s National party donations for the same reason.
The only story here is that Williamson, in intervening for Liu, ignored the separation of powers, a fundamental tenet of democracy, and so was justifiably sacked.
Why can’t Labour simply say the above and nothing else?
Agreed. May I add Woodhouse meeting Liu in a hotel room to discuss immigration issues is still a much bigger story than the MSM have led the public to believe.
Q: When did a Minister last visit your home to hear your policy views?
+111
the one coming out of this looking the worst is mike williams..
..boag said today that williams said last fri that he had no knowledge of liu..or the (alleged)large donation..
..yet the evidence from geddis shows there was..
..what sort of party president has such a large donation come in..
..and doesn’t instantly insist on knowing who it is..and to become buddies..in the hope of getting more..?
..isn’t that party-president 101 stuff..?
Mike Williams has said that money raised in auctions is collated and the gross sum is recorded rather than individual items. And he said that in handling the raising of millions of dollars over the years from hundreds of different donors no one would stand out.
The evidence does not show that Liu donated a large sum of money. Liu’s name does not occur on any of the official Parliamentary records.
Check the record. All the parties had donations from Trusts and lawyers and the names of the donors remain anonymous. As with National at the time.
http://www.elections.org.nz/parties-candidates/registered-political-parties-0/party-donations/party-donations-year/1996-2007
“..And he said that in handling the raising of millions of dollars over the years from hundreds of different donors no one would stand out..”
that’s right..’cos labour has $150,000 doors coming out their ears..eh..?
“..and the names of the donors remain anonymous..”
..on the official records..maybe..
..but of course those donors want the pollies to know they have given..
..they are buying influence/access..
..and that is worth nothing..if those who need to know..don’t know..
..but anyway..you should ask mike williams how all of that nudge-nudge/wink-wink stuff worked..
..he was who all of that went/was done thru..
..’tis the role of the bagman…
Actually a bagman collects dirty money. As with your other claims lately there’s no proof that money donated to Labour has been obtained through forgery, bribery or thievery.
In fact there’s no proof that Mike Williams has ever accepted a donation of money that’s been illegally transferred or utilized for unscrupulous endeavours.
You really do need to get a grip on reality there phillip ure and stop defaming somebody without a shred of evidence for doing so. Otherwise you’ll simply end up looking like a fool!
williams has described himself as labours’ bagman during that time..
..it does not infer illegality..
..it is just the person who does all the fundraising/carries the money around..in bags..
..hence..bagman..mm-kay..?
“..a person who solicits money or subscriptions for a political party..”
..you really are just lowest-orifice-plucking..aren’t you…?
..you silly canine..
Care to provide a link showing that Mike William’s describes himself as a bagman phillip ure? I can only find a references to Owen Glen saying:
But that’s pretty much it. Do you think Owen Glen was referring to Williams as carrying bags of money? I don’t think so. Don’t try to weasel out of your defamatory statements by claiming words have different meanings. That’s about as pathetic as it gets.
no..i think glenn was referring to williams being..’a person who solicits money or subscriptions for a political party’..
..you feckin’ idjit..!
..take yr bullshit..
..and stick it where the sun don’t shine..
..eh..?
“.. by claiming words have different meanings..”
..that’s funny..!
..’cos’.newsflash for ya..
..they do..eh..?
..lot’s of them.. ‘have different meanings’..eh..?
..hadn’t ya heard..?
..are you drunk..?
..yr thinking is slurred..
It’s funny how you respond when challenged phillip ure with baseless ad hominems…spitting and cursing that I must be drunk or stoned because I dared to question your “wisdom” lol. Is that because your low self-esteem cannot accept the fact that you’re wrong?
Do you actually have a link for William’s referring to himself as a bagman phillip ure, or was that just another brain fart?
I think you might be getting bagman confused with moneybags. Bagman has a very specific meaning that you shouldn’t misconstrue. It means somebody who accepts dirty money. There is no other meaning to that word. Unless you’re trying to say that Mike Williams accepts dirty money it might be best to use a different word.
Phil, your memory is faulty; it was Owen Glenn who referred to Williams as a bagman (and a liar) during the Winston Peters donation row. Mind you, Mike Williams does have an excellent sense of humour, so perhaps you might be able to find some instance of him joking along those lines, but I’d be very surprised.
Bagman is a derogatory term with a long history, and these days it actually is often used in a political context. Pretty sure it comes from the racing industry, where illegal bookies never carried cash themselves, but had a stooge nearby. I’ve heard it used in Aussie politics many times, but it’s not something someone would normally refer to themselves as, as its clearly an insult.
Indeed, its implausible.
However, Geddis does say:
“Labour has an “optics problem”. It has to explain how as a party it managed to completely forget that this guy was splashing around tens-of-thousands of dollars at its fundraisers a mere 7 years ago.”
I have no trust left in the Labour Party as a competent organisation. It seems like it just wanders blindly from one trainwreck to another in the last year. I don’t know if that’s Cunliffe’s fault, but it hasn’t really improved much since he’s taken over.
Seven years is a long time now. I frequently deal with govt departments and large private companies who have no institutional memory lasting that long. As far as I can tell this is due to high turnover of staff and the demise of public service careers or people not longer working for one business for a long time. Probably also something to do with restructuring and the attempt to undermine existing structures within organisations. I have no idea what’s happened with Labour, but if it’s true that donations at auctions are recorded in total not individually, then I can easily believe that there is no-one around who can explain these donations. And if the rules of the day allowed such recording of auction donations, then I don’t see what the issue is now.
Myself, I have no trust left in the MSM. Bryce Edwards should be ashamed of himself. I know this isn’t new, but this election is being manipulated by the MSM as much as NACT and Crosby Textor and there’s something different about it. Maybe just the blatancy. If something doesn’t change bloody soon this is the end of our democracy.
Its already gone. No one from the 20 yrs upwards is really interested unless its an App on their phone and the older genereation just want to be left alone and able to survive. Two large demographics that are on the margins and hence have no democratic voice. Maori are getting more and more tribal and the immigrants wish they had choosen Australia. Here is another section of society that will either vote for their elder or not at all. So roughly 60% of the population are not engaged because no one is really inteersted in them and their ideas and thoughts. National is a party of the minority wealthy and they will be voting, mark my words. So status quo remains, everyybody has an aha experience and things will just slowly deteriete further. No guts no glory. Many comments I read here are more concerned with party internal issues then the wider picture that affects the generation that should be the one leading in the future. It all looks more and more like Mad Max to me.
Ha ha ha. Today Colin Craig is going to CHOOSE the electorate he wants to stand in. How sick is this. Key is going to have his work cut out for him with this little charade. He’s going to end up a laughing stock.
craig is keys’ last desperate card to play..
..if the polls continue to show maori party/dunne gone..act on direct life-support..
..’muzza’ mccully will have a sudden change of heart..
..and will shuffle off to a well-paid sinecure of his choosing..
..and it’ll be:..’colin craig..!..come on down..!’..
..and that is when the moon-landing/chem-trails/earth only 10,000 yrs old questions will start to flow..
..and there cd well be many chuckles to be had from that..
..it will be interesting-times..
Be careful.
This might be the last year evolution will be in the curriculum, Associate Education Minister Craig will wipe it out at the election.
i still think the best us of his skills..
..wd be giving him his own royal commission..(call it the craig-commission..?..)
..so he can once and for all find out the truth about those alleged moon-landings..
..and:..chem-trails..!..what is that all about..?..
..and he can seek out the evidence/proof that the earth is indeed..only 10,000 yrs old..
.giving him anything else wd be a bit of a worry..
..is there a minister of street-signs..?
..that cd be a safe perch for him..
Millsy
OMG I never thought of that.
The (unconvicted) crim. Banks as associate Minister of Education with his attempts to privatise our tax payer funded schools was bad enough.but Craig!?
Who took Mr Liu’s $150,000? How many laws were broken? Will the defense be
a It wasn’t Cunliffe
b It was years ago
c Just a National smear
d Just a NZH smear
e Yeah , but what about X,Y and Z that National did
f All of the above!
‘Who took Mr Liu’s $150,000? How many laws were broken? Will the defense be’
The National Party
Probably none
Labour did it too.
Nope, the “defence” is that you can’t even get Liu’s statement correct. He claims to have given $100,000 at an auction fundraiser – most likely this was bundled with the rest of the auction bids and counted as one donation – and spent $50,000 wining and dining an MP who isn’t in Parliament any more.
There was no $150k to “take”.
And as Andrew Geddis has covered (veutoviper linked to his post above) on the face of it, no laws were broken at all.
Is Liu’s statement in the public domain yet?
Yeah right the NATS will have that scrap of paper hidden under lock n TricKey.
$50,000 wining and dining Barker. Hell of a big bill for wining and dining???
This Liu donation saga is a horrendous look for Labour. Shit needs to be sorted quickly, otherwise Labour is flushed.
If the prominence given to the ‘story’ by the Herald and Fairfax is anything to go by the public has already moved on.
Political parties accept donations, Maurice Williamson interfered in a police investigation and Judith Collins tried to cover up a massive conflict of interest. As for the $150k, let’s see Liu’s accounts for the relevant time period. They’ll be listed as charitable donations for tax purposes I expect.
If not, I suppose it’s in the same category as the undeclared $1m I gave to National.
A donation to a political party is not, as I understand it, a charitable donation and could not therefore be claimed as a tax deduction.
Good try though.
I wonder if Mr Liu still has the fabled bottle of wine?
Then why did John Key lie about a charity golf game?
Perhaps it was listed in his accounts as petty cash withdrawals. Either way it’s up to him to provide evidence. If and when he does, and it turns out the declared $150k donation is his, I expect you’ll demonstrate personal responsibility, withdraw, and apologise.
😆 and then I woke up.
What is relevant than going back to historical donations etc given/received during the past rules, would be to investigate and open all the donations given to political parties and their accounting AFTER the new electoral finance law was passed.
Certainly this donation issue needs to be revisited and all loopholes plugged.
Personally I would like all donations or fund raising of say $1,000 or more from any individual or entity to be declared, transparent and non-anonymous.
I would like clean non corrupt politics and way of life in New Zealand. If someone wants to donate to a party, they should have the integrity and courage to do it openly.
Cue law firms accepting one thousand paper transactions for one thousand dollars each then declaring the $800,000 donation as coming from one source: the law firm, and collecting a tidy fee for administering a trust fund.
When suggesting solutions, please try and avoid proposing existing loop-holes as panacea.
Most political parties have fundraising auctions. People donate things and other people bid on them. When Labour was in government the Chinese arrived at the fundraising events of prominant MPs, particularly Helen and Cabinet Ministers. They seemed to be competing with each other to show off their wealth and gain prestige from outbidding each other. Fortunately, as soon as the Government changed, they buggered off to suck up to the Nats. They will now be paying silly money to play golf with John Key.
The difference is that National declare everything, including golf with Key (that is how we know about it). That is the law.
and keys’ donation to charity..?
..that ‘charity’ turning out to be the national party..?
..’national declare everything’..?..yeah right..!..
..heard of the waitemata trust..?
The other difference is that National openly sells face time with ministers, who are in no doubt that they are meeting with wealthy campaign donors.
Regulatory changes and Ministerial involvement in private affairs are offered for sale, cf: Sky City, Maurice, Judith.
“National declare everything, including golf with Key”
Are you accusing Key of lying? He said the golf game was “for charity”.
Get your tory straight, Grumpy, or leave it to the pros (they’re working Sundays now)
Mike Williams or other high-ups would have had to have know a $100,000 donor right?
A donor who doesn’t speak English? Not as well as you might think.
Wouldn’t they want to know who it is so they can get more money later on? How many organisations anywhere wouldn’t bother to note an individual that gave them that much money?
Labour has plenty of supporters in the Chinese community who could overcome language barriers.
(I’m sceptical of the details as they stand)
The relationship between party staff and a donor is a curious one. If the donation comes with expectations, for example, the best thing staff can do is show the donor the door. They certainly don’t want them anywhere near an MP.
We know what National sells its owner/donors: face time with the PM and ministers, legal and regulatory changes, openly offered for sale. It’s brazen, and apparently the Police and SIS aren’t interested even when the Auditor General expresses concern.
Time to put a stop to it, whether or not ‘he did it too’.
Every donor in an election year giving over $1000 to a political party has to be published. Simple. Time to get anonymous money out of the system.
Sure. The Waitemata Trust donated everything. Fail. Go to the back of the class.
No Ant. The Nearly $100,000 was for a bottle of wine at a fund raiser. As with the current National fundraiser at Antoinette’s (sp?) the money raised is collated and presented as a lump sum. And back in the 2000s the rules were even slacker.
Therefore could it be argued that each person who donated money for the dinner must be named?
I don’t care so much about electoral donation laws and how they are gamed, even informally recorded, competent party administrators should notice someone dropping heaps of money so they can approach them for future donations, it’s unbelievable that an organisation wouldn’t note someone down who is currently donating large sums and who could potentially provide more large sums in the future.
All the public will see is that they have been bored shitless with Labour and their mates in the MSM raving on about Collins, Williamson et al, and now they are shown to be much, much worse. The one thing the public hate about politicians is hypocrisy.
don’t talk rubbish..grumps..
..even yr flag-bearer o’sullivan has made it clear that collins should be long-gone for what she did..
..this is historical..from clarks’ time..
..and to date..nothing to do with cunnliffe..
So even if Liu won’t sign an affidavit (thus protecting himself) he has stated an event and a date, 2007.
There must be records of this transaction somewhere. $100,000 is a chunk of change in any party’s bucket. Which means IRD will probably have a record of it from Liu’s accounts, which means Liu will have a record of it. – Who does not make note of a $100,000 political donation?
Important reality moment though, if it was a cash payment, there will be a bank record of the cash withdrawl transaction. The transaction has a date, the bank search will not be difficult…. or does Liu just have hundreds of thousands of dollars in ready cash just lying around.
If Liu’s records can show the transaction then Labour’s records should as well but if it turns out a $100,000 donation ‘got lost’ by Labour then every person involved must be promptly put on the bus. A bus that seems to be picking up passengers from both sides of town the longer it stays on the road.
Freedom, there are records-read veutoviper above.
When I wrote the above comment I was unaware of the Andrew Geddis post linked to by veutoviper http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22062014/#comment-836068
In light of this information it now appears that Labour has information to go forward on and seeing as nothing was done against the rules, National’s donations must be given the same forensic eye.
Imho, what has transpired on the Big Liu Bus highlights how our entire political funding protocols need to be made more publicly transparent. Sounding a bit like a stuck record I know but I beleive the EDRNZ is an idea worth investigating and every single person I have had personal discussion with on the concept has agreed . . once they get past the unadulturated simplicity of the concept.
freedom. My comment above might help @7.2.
“As with the current National fundraiser at Antoinette’s (sp?) the money raised is collated and presented as a lump sum. And back in the 2000s the rules were even slacker.
Therefore could it be argued that each person who donated money for the dinner must be named?”
— in that circumstance ianmac the EDRNZ receives the sum total and the event keeps a legally required log of the individual donor details for any sum over [$1000] or whatever figure is deemed the threshold for anonymous donations.
I beleive $1000 is a fair limit as the only time anonymous donations should be accepted is through bucket collections/raffles and similar low volume collections. Charging 5k a plate and having twenty people at a very private dinner suddenly be anonymous is a slap in the face for anyone being told by the abusers of the system that transparency matters. If a donor is not happy being identified supporting a party, I woud ask that party why their money should be acceptable.
Interesting freedom though are you saying that that is the system or that it should be the system? What is the EDRNZ?
Meanwhile back in 2007…
PS gone back and reread your post @9.2
“i do not have permission to edit this comment” error
I have one thing to add, the longer this teacup is allowed to overflow the more I am convinced major reform is essential. The one reform I think is imperative is that commercial entities of any sort should be banned from donating to political parties.
if Antoine’s wants to donate, then their owner can donate.
If a board reckons their company should donate then see what the workers think and see who actually wants to chip in. Otherwise the owner can use their own cash.
Having a corporate structure does not mean it is a commercial enterprise. Charities, unions and similar community groups are not commercial entities and should be allowed to donate. Lobby groups will certainly find ways to work around this but if they have a corporate structure that passes the commercial entity rule then the identity of the corporate structure is still on record.
or they all just donate lots and lots and lots of $999 donations, which come corporate reporting time, would be interesting entries to explain 🙂
Agreed freedom.
“..Major Federal Health Official Admits to Congress That Prohibition Has Harmed Research Into Marijuana’s Benefits..”
“..There would be far more literature about cannabis’ therapeutic efficacy –
(cont..)
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/nida-directors-tells-congress-its-easier-study-heroin-or-cocaine-marijuana
I missed this yesterday (not Key’s remarks, but as I/S’s succinct response – as they rarely post on the weekends):
http://www.norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/how-can-pm-not-know-about-this.html
But are we talking about this on Open Mike? No, the topic of discussion is still predominantly the carefully orchestrated Lui story. The US secretary of state states:
And we just keep chewing over the gristle of Lui’s alleged donations.
The US governments commits us to a war in a Iraq supposedly without even asking our PM who was in Washington at the time (and attending briefings at the Pentagon)! As a Green Party member, this seems much more important to the country than blowing more oxygen onto the embers of a nonscandal.
“But are we talking about this on Open Mike? No …”
Well I did attempt to encourage discussion on this yesterday at comment 2 on Open Mike, but there were few takers.
Perhaps today?
VV
Thanks for that, it was late by the time I had a look at the site yesterday and got caught up at comment 12 (trying to educate fisiani about why rushing legislation to allow logging protected forests was not in the nation’s interest – a futile task; but perhaps educational to onlookers), and didn’t make it back to comment 2.
CV had a good point that; “Probaby we were still feeding the network full info but they were cutting back our access privileges”. Karol, Rosie & DTB were certainly onto the; “There were some vague things” line of Key’s.
Yeah the Liu story has all the appearances of a distraction away from the manoeuvring of TPTB.
Folk are discussing it in the wider world though.
The released notes are being distributed.
In NZ and in America and in Europe there are now hundreds of co-operative kiwis who want some answers. Some of these kiwis are, shall we say, a bit upset and these are not people who generally comment on blogs, but their anonymous activities are often discussed there.
freedom
I hope those anonymous types do keep on ensuring further releases of notes. Trusting that our elected representatives will exercise there duties with respect to the will of the nation seems more of a mugs game than ever these days.
This over at TDB is pretty good by Bomber’s standards (there’s been some thought gone into finding links and quotes, rather than his just posting a nice turn of phrase without further reflection). The Youtube video won’t play for me though, so I don’t know if this is entirely accurate; “Key’s concern was that if we didn’t rush into this immoral [2003 Iraq] war with America we may miss out on a free trade deal”.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/06/22/john-key-commits-nz-to-a-new-us-war-in-iraq/#sthash.nmEMMCKb.dpuf
here is a re upload of the Key video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOUJnk9ztro
(sometimes youtube does wierd stuff and vids just won’t play,
so an easy fix is to play the url in our buddy VLC -playlist- advanced open -add url –
download from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html )
What is most disturbing about Key’s expolitative vitriol is the timbre he delivers it in.
It is not that of a senior statesman discussing the true costs of the horrors of war.
It is kin to a pissed munter stumbling along with his mates egging each other into a strip club.
“it doesn’t mater that they are offerring up bodies and all the rest of it”
is one particular line that exposes the vacuous cavity that is that man’s soul.
“In the end it’s over to you” was a nice appropriation of a Key line at the end of the clip (I guess 2003 was before Parliament video online, so quite a good edit).
With us set to be aiding the drone-bombing of Iraq, this is timely information:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/06/20/when-drones-fall-from-the-sky/
I particularly like that; “We’ve never reported a loss of life”, because of course the first thing the survivors of a family who’d been killed by falling death-machine debris would do is to complain to the manufacturer and occupying army.
Haven’t tried that. My usual response to a youtube video not playing is to download it via a video capture tool in Firefox (This can’t be done in Chrome as Chrome prevents video capture tools from doing that).
It is how I normally stream Parliament TV, as PTV is windows/mac only and I use ubuntu.
‘video downloadhelper’ is the best I have seen for keeping up with youtube.
Might be the odd time where downloading is not possible as downloadhelper catches up with youtube changes but never more than a day or so.
Use Opera Runs on the Chrome engine but is way nicer to use.
Actually it is webkit. Nice rendering engine. I used it directly in Qt. Chrome uses it, safari uses a variant.
Today’ Q&A – Michelle Boag, leaves one breathless. There are a few numbers of possibilities if she denies the reason of the Iraq invasion under Bush: Nativity, Propaganda, Alzheimer’s, Loyalty blind and uncritical. Have I missed something?
Right after that an interview with Rosa Delauro, Democratic Representative USA Connecticut. How refreshing, an educated women not afraid to call a spade a spade with eloquence and tact.
She points out that the Bush administration has lied to the people of the US taking them into war with Iraq. In regards to Trade, under the Nafta agreement they have lost 800000 jobs. She points out that agriculture agreement will impact on wages in NZ with Vietnam being part of that paying 28c per hour. That means job losses.One does not have to agree with everything she said but one needs some good research and facts to counter act.
Of cause the Republicans want to push ahead as quickly as possible. John Boozman makes diplomatic good noises saying that the US people like NZ but cant figure out how to get here as it is so far away(???). He wants fair trade not free trade, sounds good but fair has had a bit of a partisan connotation if you look at past records and one wonders fair for whom?
Dairying – increased competitions will be a factor (impacting on NZ) but he hopes that will be sorted out. My thoughts: Maybe Nzlanders will get also 28c per hour?
War in Iraq: Of cause this impacts on Oil prices….
Back to Michelle Boag, little NZ – representing the ineptitude of the politician here and the difference could not be more obvious.
The tragedy is that it is these voices who will “represent” the ordinary people who have even less of a clue. Good defend NZ.
Robert Reid on Qand A was an absolute buffoon yet again. What on earth is this class warfare he keeps banging on about? His 1970’s Communist learnings are so last century. No wonder Michelle Boag was exasperated. He is not of this planet.
Robert Reid was spot on, I enjoy and appreciate the way he cuts through the crap. He makes the program worth watching. He raises the standard of debate when he is on the commenting panel. Really great to see someone of his calibre being aired on TV. Well done to Q&A for having him on the show.
reid was good today/again..eh..?
The only class warfare is that waged by Boag and co. They want to ban unions and Americanize our health care system and bring back slavery.
Do you want me to give you all my wages fisi:? Do you think they are too high. Do you think I should lose my sick leave.
It will be a cold day in hell before I give my wages and conditions up so rich pricks like you can have more.
I think Robert Reid was a bit flustered as he was trying to respond to Michelle Boag – she is an old lady whose world is only save if she believes her own propaganda. Let he go into retirement she is what you might call – past it.
Old Botox Boag showed just how mad she is by trying to justify Americas’ so called ‘war on terrorism.’ Invading Iraq then pulling out and leaving the place in disarray is so typical of how the Yanks operate. Prior to the invasion Iraq had a lot better systems like health & education than America & probably New Zealand. Where was the democracy in Husain’s hanging? Yip about the same as Bin Laden’s illegal assassination.
Cunliffe was quite right in pointing out that the focus should be on political policy, something that National are piss weak in. Susan Wood is a has been jurno quite a terrible interviewer compared to The Nations front lady. I’ve always considered her to be a bit of an air head.
Great to see Bob Reid back on Q&A countering Boags horse shit dribble.
i thought one of the more interesting comments on this comes from the two cambridge academics he consulted pre-invasion..
..they say that blairs’ mind was clearly already made up..
..and they countered the academics warning of what would happen..
(and what has come to pass..as they predicted..)
..with blairs’ simplistic-rejoinders’ to their considered-warnings being:..
“..but saddam is an evil man’…
..that’s a bit of a head-fuck..eh..?
..that relying upon such shallow/facile/simplistic thinking..iraq has been pretty much destroyed..
..and turned into a war-torn fundamentalist hell-hole..
Yes rightly pointed out Phil, and as in any war there is a fortune to be made by the captains of greed. GW Bush father and son lined the pockets of their political backers to the tune of billions through contracts like Black Ops, and reconstruction.
:).
I’m going to get shit for the following I am damn sure!!!
Juggling Sunday (with Wallace), Q+A with Suzie (Dear), and The Nation (with “for Christ’s Sake Liza shut the fuck up and let them finish answering the question”) can be a problem.
But in our MSM representations, I’ve noticed how those that are ANGRY but who profess ‘assertiveness’, male and female alike seem to end up with bloody great verticle wrinkles above their top lip. I now understand what my somewhat racist/mysogynist father once banged on about.
The top lip verticle wrinklers characterise themsleves by utterings like:
“The fact is ……”
“Oh rubbish….”
“There is no Alternative..”
“End of Story!!!! …”
….. and no other difference of opinion matters OR should be tolerated.
In today’s MSM offerings, check out Michelle Boag, and indeed Suzie herself, plus Pagani’s developing verticles.
It’s sad that the above are all female, because it affects male and female alike.
…. and of course I do have a neighbour that’s a Vein (aka Vain) Doctor and into all that Caci Clinic shit who (with his wife) drives around in a black Penis extension the both of them have no spatial awareness of size (whether crossing lanes, or pathetically trying to park).
I’ll delve into it further. Boag’s are especially revealing though.
Hi Tim
Pass on your findings. I have been air travelling lately and looking at my ‘fellow
travellers’ I noticed some that looked as if everything had been grim since they read fairy stories.
I am getting anxious that reading the news and political columns will result in a similar unpleasant expression on my face that will set forever. At the end of this year I don’t want to find I look like a Shar Pei dog!
I tried to edit but didn’t have permission to do so but it was as follows
EDIT: Oh and just in case you’re thinking this is an affront to the female form …. I’ll give you a generalisation about males that comes from living with a few .
Bear potted males are bloody useless aims when pissing. I’m not sure whether it’s ‘cos they can’t see their own dicks, or whether they’re just slovenly, but the yellow liquid around the base of the toilet says it all!
Of course though I expect shit thrown at me, I’d rather see intelligent discussion on non-superficial stuff, with a diversity of opinion given free reign.
(even if it is PU versus Bad12) :p
Tim
We are a wide-ranging discussion forum here. Toilets have their place, they are not to be taken lightly, and toilet humour by nature, tends to be robust. But eeeyuuh get cleaning the one you mention soon. And then have a look at Mrs Brown’s Boys on tv – there is plenty of robust humour to match. Just found it recently.
On a more positive note.
Happy New Year!
And to you.
Time to plant the garlic.
Merry Matariki!
The Octagon lantern parade last night was fabulous, it’s just a shame it was too windy for the fireworks.
It was very cool, had a great vantage point to see the whole thing from.
Apparently, not until next week.
DTB
My whanau have always treated it as pretty much synonymous with solstice, which may not be that traditional but is convenient. Anyway, in Waipounamu it’s pretty rare that you can either; see past the clouds, or endure the frosts at 5am in winter to see the stars. Especially in Otepoti/ Dunedin where I’d have to drive to Aramoana or to a Peninsula beach to have a chance of seeing the eastern horizon then.
Happy New Year everyone. I’m off for the afternoon to see if I can find a beach somewhere where I can light a fire without getting told off 🙂
The Herald’s stance on Labour’s historical donations are priceless considering how they acted when Labour reformed the laws around electoral donations making it more transparent.
ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY!
So true Ant. Herald the Hypocrisy!
Folks, confirmation that the Brass Razoo Solidarity band will be busking in Cuba Mall today between 1 – 2pm as a little fundraiser for People’s Power Ohariu. Come down and have a chat and if you have any loose change, we will gladly help lighten you of it’s load 🙂
We’ll either be near the Manners St end or on the stage south of the bucket fountain. Follow the sound!
Good luck, Rosie. I had hoped to get there, but now have friend coming with trailer to take garden rubbish to the tip – bad timing on tip trip, but beggars can’t be choosers etc etc
Hi veutoviper, nice that you had considered coming along 🙂
A friend with a trailer is a friend indeed! What a good feeling to be getting rid of all the garden rubbish – a chore at the best of times. A well deserved cuppa should be in order at the end of it.
What an understanding exchange on practicalities between Rosie and veutoviper.
I hope you have a good showing with good takings at Cuba mall Rosie, and that the wind doesn’t blow spray on you from the water sculpture – thinking of fresh Wellington winds. A trailer in the hand is worth two dozen in others’ backyards!
The hypocrisy by some of the posters at this site is astonishing.
As i have said for a very long time Labour is every bit as bad as National and David Cunliffe is at best cringeworthy.
If the left truly want change to take place in the NZ political landscape we need to strongly support real parties of the left and consign Labour to the scrap heap or a merger with their spiritual home in the National party.
Yeah, you have drunk the kool-aid, haven’t you?
Letting yourself be led by the nose by John Armstrong is a bad look, especially in light of Geddis’ contribution over at Pundit.
A singular feature of any anti-Labour story the National Party cooks up is the number of alleged lefties jumping on the bandwagon, hand-wringing, defeatist, and in the next breath they’ll tell you the Left needs unity.
Pfft.
“………..cringeworthy”
Don’t keep your head in foil, it dries out too much, as you’ve discovered..
This is cringe : “They strolled the White House South Lawn, checked out the president’s putting green, had a squiz at Obama’s back orifice and First Lady Michelle Obama’s famous veggie garden, and part of the White House the family use.” “It was cool”
tinfoilhat
‘As I have said for a very long time’ – you can say that again, and you will I am sure. Yoicks! Don’t you ever stop. Take up lawn bowls or riparian planting or something useful you can manage why don’t you.
David Cunliffe is doing a good job. Death by a thousand cuts and poisoned arrows from people such as yourself is hard to withstand and I think he is doing well. Go for it our David and don’t think of simply being against Goliath, the opposition you have from NACT is more like a male Gorgon.
+100 grey
100+ grey at 16.4
Yep, stop supporting Labour, who really are there just as much for the rich and the corporations as National, and start supporting real Left parties:
Mana
Democrats
Alliance
Internet
Greens
Your first priority should be kicking out this present National government and its coalescing partners.
Your second priority should be not to undermine the Labour party and thus damage your chance of getting rid of National.
Labour’s doing quite well undermining itself. And there’s other, actual left parties, that exist that can be voted for.
Geddis nails it. Again.
Yes saw that. Tell me. Who donated that much money? Anonymous. Might have been Mr Wang. Might have been Mr Liu. “Undisclosed Client.”
It could have been the National Party, secure in the knowledge that all they have to do is play their tune and you’ll start dancing to it.
Wouldn’t be surprised.
Except that it was not all in one go. Total $150,000 but of that $100k was for a bottle of wine.
Pretty easy to clear up. Let Liu open all his books for the last ten years to an impartial third party: I suggest the Inland Revenue Department.
The 100k for a bottle of wine, if true, did not have to be declared any more than John Key’s 50k tie. Even wretched authoritarian followers like you don’t obey the laws that haven’t been passed yet.
Capital gains tax would have had to be paid by Labour under their new policy. Pity it wasn’t in then……..
Perhaps the bottle was simply filled with urine for all you know.
You taking the piss again?
Yes, it was legal, but what about the “image” of Labour, spending much time accusing National of “crony capitalism”, of “access for cash”, of the use of “cabinet clubs” to raise cash, and exploiting such electioneering slogans and topics?
It smells of hypocrisy, and that is how the public will perceive it.
Cunliffe did not help with his trust to raise funds for his leadership campaign. He (justifiably) can still withhold names of two donors to his campaign, but it does not look good!
There has been a lot coming together, and while it is of course a smear campaign, it is opening a pandora’s box, and reveals again the past actions of Labour in fund-raising and more.
So the Nats have come with a return fire attack, and nobody talks about policy, while the media just loves such stuff, digging up “dirt”, or supposed “dirt” and “scandals”, to get more readership, viewers and listeners, justifying more advertising sales and charges.
Labour did not do their homework, and they still carry the past load of baggage, from when they were in government, and courting rich and powerful, to donate to them, same as National and ACT.
I am afraid the damage is done.
Fear certainly is the mind killer.
I have a confession. I secretly donated one trillion dollars to the Labour Party. Ok, I’m not going to sign an affidavit to that effect, but I will allow the Herald to claim I’ve said that in a statement, though I’d prefer it they didn’t actually show anyone the statement or say how they got it.
I’m not convinced Liu made such a donation. Interesting that it has now gone from $15,000 to $150,000. Just alter the comma and add a naught- easy-peasy. I guess that’s the point of TRP @ 18. 🙂
Why would someone like Liu, who is on record as having a tendency to suck up to those in power, make an anonymous donation of $150,000 through a legal firm? Surely, he would want those in power to know he had made the donation. He certainly made sure the Nats knew about his donations. Very strange.
And since Mr Liu said that he had donated equal amounts to National and to Labour where does he or his lawyers show that this was true?
It was always 150k. It’s just at the time, only 15k was confirmed.
I know you won’t take personal responsibility for your lies, so I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to draw attention to your hypocrisy as well as your dishonesty.
Only it is not the same donation, but thanks for bringing to our attention there was another $150k donation, even though it was properly declared.
Oh sure. That explains why Liu won’t sign an affidavit.
I think the $150k you so touchingly pin your hopes on was some other punter’s $150k.
The 15k isn’t confirmed at all.
It can’t be you because you were anonymous.
so just why is new zealand politics being whipsawed by first a german and now a chinese.
wait till a martian gets here!
dimebag russell
Try to keep the comments straightforward and cut the creeping xenophobia, it doesn’t aid intelligent political discussion. I thought that is what you were aiming at – showing us your intelligence and incisive, crisp comment.
I am back and catching up with the news.
David Cunliffe was excellent, coming across very much as a strong and articulate leader with integrity:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Interview-Labour-leader-David-Cunliffe/tabid/1356/articleID/349586/Default.aspx
Yes, David has galvinised my support. I am making a donation to his campaign 🙂
I thought David Cunliffe was great on Q&A his morning. Feel very encouraged, especially as Key has gifted the Labour Party a major point of difference with his toadying up to Uncle Sam.
Yes, David Cunliffe is very good this morning as can be seen at:
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/no-evidence-donations-david-cunliffe-video-6009562
Trial by dirt and mud, set up by Nuts with obliging media.
And David emerges in champion form!
David as Prime Minister from September 2014!!!
This panel discussion on that interview is worth watching too. Watch what Robert Reid has to say, especially at the end!
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/no-evidence-donations-david-cunliffe-video-6009562
I also found the TPP discussion enlightening too.
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/panel-discuss-tpp-video-6009565
You can also find other Q and A video clips from today here:
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/ta-tvnz-index-group-2556429
Your first link should be this one?
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/panel-discuss-david-cunliffe-interview-video-6009560
The link with the last digit 2 is the panel discussion, and the link with the last digit 0 is the Cunliffe interview.
Thanks for pointing out the other links that I have checked out.
Sorry, it is the other way around .. the numbers assigned to the links do not reflect chronological order!
Funny watching that, it’s like journalists still haven’t got that the membership, affiliates, and caucus decide on the Labour leadership, Cunliffe’s only “gone” after the election if it’s the democratic will of the party.
The great political lesson of 2014:
“Beware of Chinamen bearing gifts”!
Why? What has Labour done that you think is so wrong?
Oh that’s right, Maurice Williamson interfered in a police investigation, Liu looks dirty by association with Williamson, and Labour look dirty because The New Zealand Herald says they do.
wyndham
Don’t be so bloody offensive with the implication that that sort of comment is one that we should accept.
greywarbler.
If you choose to see anything offensive in my (possibly poor) attempt at humour, then that is exactly what you will see. Nothing offensive was intended.
I’ll lay odds that all the political parties will in future be extremely careful about any financial dealings with Chinese businessmen.
Don’t be such a sensitive wee sausage!
wyndham
Don’t be such a fool. Of course we have to be careful in our dealings with wealthy powerful nations, USA, Germany, UK, indonesia, Brazil, India, China etc and none of those is entirely trustworthy. France sent bombers employed by their government and blew up a ship in our docks, they dropped nuclear bombs in our part of the world, the USA is planning to conscript our forces for their alternative army to the UN.
We have to be alert about financial and other problems from all nations, and not get caught up in prejudicial language and stereotypes. There is great trouble for us ahead as we try and keep our heads above a tide of global hegemony of wealth swamping us from wherever.
Don’t be an insensitive saveloy, aim for a higher cuisine and judicious gourmet language. Following the behaviour and language of tunnel-visioned politicians, was it Collins talking about sausages, would confirm you as a fool.
From No Right Turn:
…..Naturally, there’s no mention of a $100,000 donation in Labour’s 2007 party donation return. But there’s a reason for this: our electoral law at the time did not count over-valued purchases as “donations”. So, you could pay $100,000 for a $20 bottle of wine as a backhanded way of slipping a party or a candidate some cash in exchange for a favour, and they would not have to report it in any way to the public. Things have changed since then: In December 2007 Labour passed the Electoral Finance Act……”
Another piece of sanity? I like the bit about: (I guess there’s an alternative explanation that those pundits and insiders are total goldfish with no memory, or ignoring inconvenient facts because they have axes to grind, which is believable. The political scientists OTOH have no excuse because they actively debated the law at the time).
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/
So, then I assume Labour would have declared the funds received as income for the purpose of GST if it in fact was the proceed of sales?
I take it you mean this post.
Another morning, another lot of opinions on our dire straits with poverty in NZ. (They have been playing Mark Knoppfler? – isn’t that cute, or trite?)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
I am listening to Wallace Chapman Professor Dr Jonathan Boston and of course the only person who knows anything about beneficiaries, Lindsay Mitchell. Dr Boston is so dry he must be cracked. Add water and he would leak all over. He is in agreement with a rise for super entrance to 67. That is how we will balance the needs of older and younger. Boston has co-written Child Poverty in NZ.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/10181859/Lift-super-age-to-beat-child-poverty
Also he finds ways to advocate against raising the minimum wage.
Then Wallace reads an email pointing out the money wasted on gambling etc and Mitchell has spoken about budget advice.
Why not Susan St John as academic and objective commentator on child poverty instead of neo-lib obssessed right winger Mitchell?
For the benefit of Radio NZ and Wallace Chapman’s team including Jeremy Rose, here is a link to Wikipedia about the Child Poverty Action Group who I consider are well informed about the problems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Poverty_Action_Group_(Aotearoa_New_Zealand)
“Why not Susan St John as academic and objective commentator on child poverty instead of neo-lib obsessed right winger Mitchell?”
Perhaps because she has extreme views, and we know what she will say before she even opens her mouth. “Tax rich pricks more and increase the size of welfare checks.” Or words to that effect.
And what’s wrong with that?
Do you really want people to be living on the streets.
When we had a top tax rate of 66% we had the highest living standards in the world. I people wanted a house, they got one. If people want health care, they got it.
It is greedy people like you who charge high rents from houses, high dividends from power companies, and leave people in poverty.
S Rylands doesn’t want too many people living on the streets, because they’d smell and he’d have to step on them physically as well as by proxy. On the other hand they are a great weapon in the Tory arsenal: “you’re lucky to have a job”.
It’s all about striking the right balance.
I was complaining about the poor advice and opinion that I was hearing on Radionz about child poverty. Drylands from Oz, the land of dry, reinforces my point so well.
What the RWs want is to keep repeating their mantras which they know won’t work to solve whatever problem is being discussed, but they fill the time and space, and their talk appears as honest attempts to consider and search for better outcomes.
But no, the discourse just maintains the status quo system which is moulded to suit them, or vice versa for profitable, pragmatic reasons. That is why Drylands can say that Susan St John ‘has extreme views’ – she is outside the accepted discourse.
And nothing is said or done that would make a real difference – no opinion of note is encouraged or acted on which would differ from the mantra, unless it is in a half-hearted way as a pilot. That then will have a period of implementation and then be dropped even if it has good results, or it will go forward but have the guts cut out from it with further but inadequate funding and short time frames. This enables, finally, the RW to say ‘We tried, but it didn’t work’ with hand-wringing Uriah Heep-like.
The talk needs to get to the heart of the matter, and allow for the perceived faults of those having difficulties, which requires a heart, empathy and understanding, not found commonly in the common sense opinions and actions of RWs.
There is no money to fix child poverty – so they say
There is no money to fix youth unemployment – so they say
There is no money to keep Super at 65 – so they say
Yes NZ households have $120B in bank deposits
There is another $200B in managed funds
In May one Auckland real estate company alone sold 1109 Auckland houses for a combined value of $779.6M – that’s in ONE MONTH
Well it looks to me like there’s plenty of money sloshing around the system, its just that we don’t care enough about child poverty, youth unemployment or Super to find the few billion dollars needed a year to sort it all out.
^
This deserves a post on its own.
More discussion and debate on the points being raised would be great.
CV Those figures are I am sure coming from you, correct. Where do the unbelievers find them? What link in the stats or tables to get them?
I have just been visiting in the north of the NI and there is money available for lots of things up there. But I was in Northland and some young guys skating along the main route stepped out into the path of my relative’s car and spat at her. Not a good feeling, especially as coping with that in traffic could have resulted in an injury, which would have added injury to insult and I mean for all parties involved.
The bad feelings build as the unemployment, the underemployment, the poverty goes on. And I hear there is the constant experience of employers of useless, rude, careless, and virtually unemployable young people.
Yet after talking to an older very experienced previously builder, and thoughtful man about his dealings with youngsters getting PEP jobs, work experience and training and how useful it was to prepare and motivate the happier youngsters, I can only shake my head in sorrow that nothing is now done like that in a nation-wide program.
This would ensure that there is a basic employment available with working for the dole, doing useful stuff that is not make-work, and with payment incentives for each successful monthly program completed so that would give opportunities to buy clothes, pay off a bike etc and make a life, while still being on the dole, but be a vital, semi-skilled person ready for a job when it became available. I was shown apparently constant newspaper advertisements from companies unable to find employees. The reasons for this difficulty was implied to be that people are too lazy, or their education is inadequate.
But there is no will to run work schemes, to integrate young people into the working community with useful skills and receiving respect from all, by despicable RWs. There is money for all sorts of things, but not for the displaced people. By this I mean those displaced by the bloody neo liberal, free market policies adopted by our government and dominant economists and financiers. It is a disgrace and the smugness and excuses of the wealthy that blame poverty and social disintegration on the victims of the shitty systems that Labour subversives introduced and NACTs happily followed is callous and determined ignorance, and has led to destruction of our society.
And so many people I meet fall into victim blaming, and denigration of the unemployed and beneficiaries. The next step is walling themselves off as in gated communities and arguments about whether charity works and whether people should be allowed to beg, or busk because the hands are out too much and it is unpleasant and a nuisance.
It would cost $280M per year to provide minimum wage jobs to 10,000 young people. Resolving many of the issues that you saw. That would be money flowing into local communities which the government would then tax back into its own coffers over time.
May Auckland house sales for Barfoot and Thompson, 1109 properties for a total of $779.6M
http://www.barfoot.co.nz/Market-reports/2014/May/Market-update.aspx
RBNZ household deposits April 2014
$128.0B
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/tables/c17/
RBNZ managed funds Mar 2014
$93.4B (sorry it was from memory and I got this figure wrong before)
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/tables/c17/
And overall money supply as tracked by the RBNZ is up $32B since April 2012 to over $240B, so the amount of money in the economy is still expanding rapidly BUT very little of it is going to where it is required for our poor and our young.
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/tables/c1/
Thanks CV
Big money going into Whangarei. Near Marsden Point refinery – big open area deemed Marsden City. ready for development. And nearby large numbers of 1970’s Oz style houses in a marina type development with special lock installed to ensure proper depth near houses for regular yachts. Auckland people are trying to sell their places high, and buy north for lower with a tidy sum left over for other purposes.
Big developments in South Auckland with water views and many two storey houses in modern style with colonnades at front door or boxy modern look all with large windows and often no front fences allowed. Lots of plantings and green areas and walkways around and they are set up for wifi or broadband or both, not quite up with it. Pretentious and expensive.
So there is much money expected with return on investment by developers and their financiers, although there is much complaining at the ‘unreasonable’ way that Council loads costs on each section.
And in comparison, funding full time minimum wage jobs for 10,000 youths costs not much money at all, especially for the societal benefit reaped.
We have never needed foreign capital. All we’ve needed is the people to do the job which includes making our natural resources available. This is why we need higher productivity and better education. It makes those people available.
Amazingly enough, it doesn’t take money to make these things available but the political will to change the system.
But SSLands, you always label views that don’t agree with yours as being extreme.
Any functioning society needs to have a cross generation agreement that the very young are nurtered until ready to go out on their own and in turn the older generation will be looked after. Even animals can do this, but perhaps there are species below that.
The plan to disrupt and distract for the next 16 weeks is well under way. Labour announce a policy and then a few hours later some Labour scandal emerges. Everyone talks about the scandal and forgets the policy. 15 more scandals to go. Thanks for the tip offs by the ABC’s.
fisiani
If you mean the traitor; Shane Jones, by “ABC’s” [sic] then perhaps, but Lui seems to be a much more likely source.
Your plan is always to disrupt and distract, I assume you’ll continue until your next ban – not just the next 16 weeks. However, I doubt you have any more knowledge of actual National Party tactical intentions than I do.
Your words have that distinctive tone of flatulance from a fizzy anus.
So this is your example of intelligent debate? Toilet humour. Are you an adult?
“…fuckwit…xenphobic (sic) turd.” S Rylands 21.6.14.
I know you won’t take personal responsibility for your hypocrisy, so I look forward to many more opportunities to rub your face it in. Cheers cobber.
Srylands
I don’t consider either you or fisiani capable of intelligent debate; but please prove me wrong. I consider my comment at 11 to be an attempt at considered discourse, the one at 25.1 was simply me taunting an idiot. Nor did I say that a toilet was necessarily involved – in his case I regard those words are a merely farting through a RWNJ Santorum of bigotry.
Your neoliberal anti-socialist bullshit on the other hand requires a shovel more than a toilet.
Wow! “Traitor” to go with “Scab”, labour are really using up the arsenal -eh?
labour? you should rectify your comment before the moderators read that.
Well SJ is a traitor, given that he supports the lowering of environment and labour market standards to enrich industrialists.
You are a traitor and a scab as well, given that you had solid working class union credentials, and then you support and vote for a party that wishes to destroy the trade union movement, and throw the workers and the most vulerable to the wolves. Do you really want people living in caravans grumpy? Do you really want NZ to go down that road?
Plus you support the continal degradation of air and water quality that will ensure that people will have crippling health effects over an ongoing period.
Some of what you say is true Millsy. I am, what you might call a reformed character. In defense, I would have to point out that my role as union branch secretary and advocate was when we had “solid working class unions”.
Labour certainly is no longer the representative of the workers, and for that matter, nor are the unions.
Translated Grumpy: Tired old hack can’t make it in the world of voluntary unionism so defects to the darkside.
Nope, after surviving dozens of restructuring a in the Douglas years finished up starting my own business, employ 15 people with offices in Christchurch and Auckland.
My dissatisfaction with the unions began and ended when they worked hand in glove with management to destroy the public sector. The Labour Party under Lange and Clark were the biggest hypocrites imaginable. I see no change.
So you go an support for and vote for policies that turn NZ into a large sweatshop economy.
You really are a scab. It is because of people like you we have families in garages.
Do you really thing banning trade unions is going to make things “better”?
“… after surviving dozens of restructuring a in the Douglas years …”
So you were bullshitting when you claimed to be a branch secretary and advocate? Good to know.
Nope, we also had jobs in the organization we worked for, union work and advocacy was voluntary and in addition to our normal job.
I just believe that left wing politics has nothing to offer NZ as they are now, in fact none of the major left parties offer much for the workers, the future has to be a high wage economy with a strong currency. I just happen to believe the best way to achieve that is with National (at present).
So how do you reconcile that with National’s labour laws? They will only slash wages, not to mention take breaks away from workers?
And do you think our health care system should be Americanised?
Assets sold off?
State housing tenants kicked out?
Surely wages will be higher if unions are allowed to flourish and not kept in their box like National wants to do?
Did your union go bust, Grumpy?
To deal with TRP first, it was one of the many Railways unions and just got absorbed by whatever took over after the workshops were closed down.
As for Millsy, I think the biggest step towards turning NZ into a sweatshop economy was done during the Douglas/Lange years. The current policy of Left to lower the currency will also have the consequence of lowering real wages.
All the other issues you list might surprise you, the answer is no to all those. You might be surprised that I am actually a bit leftie on those causes. In particular, I think it was the biggest con every to break up the publicly owned electricity system and would support re nationalizing.
The unions as they are do not do their job, prime example the education sector unions, more interested in protecting their patch than the interests of their members to maximize their income based on their ability.
No, the teaching unions want to protect the PUBLIC provision of education. Where as if National had their way, education would be privatised and run by churches and businesses. Like they were prior to 1877. They are already halfway there with charter schools. Science and technology is vital to this country if we want it to prosper, but if our children are being taught that the earth was created by waving a magic wand, then we have no hope.
And then teachers would find themselves as casual employees.
Plus we need to lower the currency to help our exporters.
I personally favour a “just right” currency myself.
Which is?
I think you are half right……wrong about currency though. If a business can only survive because it is cheap, it shouldn’t be there. To lower the exchange rate, depress wages and increase import costs just to give an inefficient business the ILLUSION of wealth is stupid.
I understand your concerns about education and if that were the result, I would agree but I just don’t buy into your fears.
I still dont see how a high currency can lead to higher wages.
It has been the case for over 100 years that collective bargaining high union membershiop with strong respect for workers to form and join unions (Peter Jackson doesnt have that respect) (doesnt have to be 100% ) and strong labour protections lead to higher wages. Which is why wages in the US, China and India are low.
Under a high currency, the wages you earn have higher purchasing power. If currency is lowered and wages stay the same, this is a decrease because purchasing power is diminished.
The goal is increased wages with a strong currency, if we are held back by businesses that can only exist because they are cheap, and low wages and currency are the means to that, then we don’t need that business.
Not too high and not too low.
It seems obviously that if the dollar is too high, then our exporters suffer and if it is too low, then we end up paying more for imported goods (though smartphones and tablets are something we can do without if needs be).
We might have to end up fixing like we used to.
or this ..
‘Float’ or peg the NZD within an undisclosed bandwidth of a central parity … but ensure close monitoring by the Reserve Bank against an undisclosed basket of currencies of major trading partners and competitors. This, in theory, allows the government to have more control over imported inflation and to ensure our exports remain competitive.
That was largely borrowed from an economy that has successfully managed their currency.
Grumpy
I’m a Green Party member, not Labour.
Have you a better term for one who; takes National MP donations for his Labour leadership campaign, and then promptly flees to a job specially created by National when this revealed in the media?
Bryce Edwards seems to be having his own brand of brain fade. Compare and contrast his opinion on the alleged Liu donation to the Labour Party in today’s Herald, with the Key $50,000 G Tie/ Wong affair. (Reposting this link from yesterday’s open mike in case people missed it)
http://liberation.typepad.com/liberation/2010/12/pansy-wongs-dubious-solicitation-of-political-funding.html
heh –
Just want to remark that if I had such large amounts of disposable cash, then $100 000 for a bottle of wine signed by Helen Clark is more than twice as desirable than a $50 000 tie. I mean, at least I could drink the wine.
I don’t know – a John Key tie could have its uses. Like for dressing a John Key voodoo doll for instance.
I like the way you think lol
So now I’m wondering if Labour will do worse in the coming election then National did in 2002 but more interestingly will Labour bleed off enough votes that the Greens party becomes the single largest left wing party in government
Interesting times indeed
Labour 30% to 34% range; strong gutsy left wing policy, unapologetic and unashamed = top end of the range, weak centrist watered down policy on minor matters = bottom of the range
Get rid of raising the retirement age = 1%-2% boost all round
30% – 34% range is a tad optimistic
You would stand around watching the last huia’s death throes would you chris73? Trying to salvage NZs valuable political infrastructure knowing it may disintegrate is not interesting, that is not the right word. Greens cannot replace Labour, it can’t be done.
I wouldn’t compare the Labour party to a bird for one thing besides I never said Labour would become extinct rather its heading for a major hiding at the election and suggesting the damage will be so bad that the Greens may become the the biggest party on the left
Labour approx 27% – 30% Greens approx 10% – 12% were Labour to shed 8% – 10% and the Greens to pick up 7% – 9% of that in the upcoming months then the election will be less about National winning and more about the Greens taking over Labour as the party of opposition
Although were this come to pass I think it would be only temporary as Labours true believers would come back to the fold after a period of time
Given the Greens are aiming at 15%, and seem unlikely to get that high given polling, your suggested outcome is delusional.
True but then a couple of weeks ago if I’d have suggested that Labour had taken over 100 grand from a chinese businessman and not declared it I’d have been called (among other things) delusional as well
I’m thinking that in light of the recent events the Greens may well be upgrading their target
Are you even aware of the false frame?
If he bought a bottle of wine it didn’t have to be declared. Just like your operator’s $50k tie.
Are you the Central Scrutinizer, here to enforce all the laws that haven’t been passed yet? Or are you simply a pedestrian, partisan ex-squaddy doing your best to imitate a parrot?
Naah its just nice to watch someone being hoist by their own petard
Which is?
That Judith Collins tried to cover up her massive conflict of interest, Maurice did his best to pervert the course of justice, Banksie is going to prison, and since you don’t want to talk about any of that let’s discuss policy? No? Because donations?
You’re as transparent as Dr. Mapp.
Its amusing watching Cunliffe be found out as incompetent over Liu when it was Labour that brought him up but it was even funnier watching Robertson talk about Gotcha politics beside Collins
Of course I’m transparent, I want National to win the election because National are good for the country, I’m less keen on Labour winning because they’d have to bring in a whole bunch of nutters with them and that’d be bad for the country
I don’t think what Collins, Williamson, Banks and Cunliffe did or didn’t do was so bad but so be it smears are done because smears work and both sides use them
Do you think theres any more to come out over this because I think theres more
Oh, I’m sure National are so desperate they’ll do anything but discuss policy, and that they have concocted more smears, but that’s to be expected, cf. Piff et al 2012.
So what? National are trying to win an election which means the ends justifies the means
Personal responsibility is your watchword, eh.
Good luck for 2017
Eat shit and die on September 20th.
🙂
😈
Greens cannot replace Labour, but can take a good chunk of voters from it. Add to it the 1+% of Internet Mana and Labour risks becoming a minor component of the opposition to Key’s next term government.
McCully standing aside for Col Craig. This is hot off the press. I mean radio.
off twitter yup
hey maybe he can get a job as Pullahs Bennett new PA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BREAKING: Colin Craig confirms he’ll contest Murray McCully’s East Coast Bays electorate. More soon on http://newstalkzb.co.nz
Latest Roy Morgan poll puts the conservatives at 1.5% and if McCully steps aside then the Conservatives could see 3% so he’d bring in 3-4 MPs with him I guess
So Key will sign up to a coalition deal with Colin Craig?
Gives him more options and will reinforce the notion that voting for the left is a waste of time so he may still only need the Maori Party and Peter Dunne
So Key and National view Colin Craig as a serious option?
I’d imagine he’d be the last cab of the rank and probably won’t be needed
I understand. But if Key needed Colin Craig to form a Government, do you think that Key would actually stoop that low and do it?
He’d be the last cab of the rank but hes still in the rank so my feeling is yes as its better for NZ otherwise it’d be Labour/Greens/IMP/WinstonFirst (maybe) and that’d be really bad for NZ
No, it wouldn’t. Your ethically challenged judgement is unreliable in this matter as in others.
He was happy to not only suck up to the criminal John Banks, but use him as the excuse for charter schools.
In any case Chris73 has already accepted that Paul Piff et al’s findings are true.
Well I don’t know who Paul Piff is and I don’t really care but if it means National wins the next election then I’m relaxed about it
Google is your friend if you’d like to read their work, but in a nutshell, they (him and et al) show that right wingers are not only stupid (cf. Hodson & Busseri) and terrified of the bogeyman (Kanai et al), their ethics are in the gutter too.
I’ll look it up after Nationals returned to power so in about three months or so
No you won’t. In fact you probably have trouble recognising how your relentless demonstration of gullibility and bad faith makes your pronouncements as reliable as tea-leaves.
I thought you were going to say as reliable as Cunliffe 🙂
Your dreaming 73, even the smile and hugging of babies from John Key won’t get the people of East Coast Bays to vote enough in numbers for the God Botherers Party. It an’t Epsom… dida dang dang dang!
How off putting to National if Key try’s this one on. One thing it says is National are worried the Left will get the vote out. And of course we will in record numbers. I am one of probably a thousand that is taking a week off work to campaign in the final week of the election. We have the numbers out on the streets this time. And don’t you wingnuts hate that aye Hooton, Shrillands and co!
🙂
Exactly Skinny. Key can count, and he can see the internal polling, and he’s shitting himself.
Same goes for all his little fuck-monkeys, chris73 et al.
Every smiley smells like fear.
Another blow to the Left, it’s all over…….http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/10916086/The-scandal-of-fiddled-global-warming-data.html
🙄
Too funny – a Heartland affiliated moran who in the past has asserted white asbestos poses no measurable risk to health and there’s no scientific evidence to support the belief that inhaling other people’s smoke causes cancer.
Entirely plausible to Grumpy though
Grumpy
Christopher Booker quoting the “Real Science” blog is your proof?
Do you also follow his lead in denying the risks of; passive smoking, BSE, and asbestos? Do you favour the conjecture of Intelligent Design, over the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
Anyway, even if true; I can see how this might this might be a blow to the Greens (though there are many reasons to safeguard our ecosphere beyond climate change – it’s just the most pressing). But the left predates this by many decades, if not centuries (depending how one defines the term).
:yawn:
Oh joy, so much hyperbole and lack of actual discussion on what was actually done to the data.
Anyhow, it’ll be the same old bullshit parade that occurred over the land-surface temperature data and corrections and weightings made to the data to avoid biases from local environmental effects (land island heat effects, elevation, etc etc), and thus not cause issues with statistical analysis tools*. Which will be confirmed as the rebuttals start rolling in to Brooker’s evidence free bullshit.
Also, generally if there’s issues with how data is manipulated, it comes up in ye olde journals, not the fucking telegraph of all places, a place more renowned for failing at science 101, particularly with any science that gets in the way of tory politics.
=======================================================
*short version; there’s assumptions that data need to meet in order to use a particular analysis on them, and if not meet or violated it leads to the results being biased or utterly useless, r.e. parametric vs non-parametric and fun with binomial’s, or multiple variable data sets being used for a student T-test instead of being run through an ANOVA or more suitable GLM variant.
So you think we should go on pumping filth into the air?
Do you want your grandchildren to breath clean air. Seeing as you dont want them to have sick leave, you dont want them to have clean air either.
Two issues, stick to pollution and I will support you, try to whip up hysteria on Global Warming which is being shown every day to be more of a con, and I just laugh.
not much hope for your grandkids then mate. Hope you live to a ripe old age so you can answer to them why you didn’t take climate change seriously when you had the chance.
I’m still waiting for the price of holiday homes in the Marlborough Sounds to come down, meanwhile Sumner is full of Greenies paying over the odds for waterfront properties.
McCully standing list only. No National candidate standing in East Coast Bays
WinstonFirst not getting any traction with anti-immigration talk so its really looking bad for the left
@ chris 73…you crow too soon
this will be a real boost for Winston NZF i would have thought…no one likes new immigrants bringing corruption in tow , trying to manipulate and buy our political system and politicians to their own personal material advantage
…. and then when found out ….pointing the finger at other innocent opposition political leaders and parties …aided and abetted by NACT newspaper innuendo and media bias…but no facts as yet …only slander
NZers will take a very poor view of this…. just as they did with Mayor Brown’s goings on and subsequent voting over the casino/convention centre
Sure it will, wishing something comes true doesn’t ackshully make it happen so lets just wait until the next round of polls
that is if you believe Herald polls …i don’t !
Let me guess, if every poll (including the Roy Morgan poll) shows a drop in Labour you still wouldn’t believe it
no as Bolger said “Bugger the Polls!”
….many people do not declare their hand until Election Day!
…and Winnie, as you should know, often defies the Poll predictions!
Don’t get your hopes up
Becuase people dont seem to realise that immigrants are pushing NZers out of our jobs, schools and universities, because they are putting immigrants first.
http://nzfirstparty.org.nz/join
Here fisi fisi fisi:
Maybe Winston Peters should stand in East Coast Bays too?
Not sure how good that is considering he may not support a Labour government.
How about Laila Harre?
The Labour Party President has published a statement re Mr Liu. Cannot find it yet but it does cast doubt on Mr Liu’s credibility. eg There was no fund raiser on the book auction date given by Liu.
Here it is:”Statement from Moira Coatsworth, Labour Party President, Donghua Liu reported allegations – summary of facts
22 Jun 2014
Several media organisations have reported that Donghua Liu claims he purchased a book for $15,000 at a Labour Party fundraiser in 2007. We have found no records of any such purchase. No-one has provided any documentary evidence to us that contradicts our records.
The Herald on Sunday has reported that Donghua Liu has signed a statement claiming he paid “close to $100,000” for wine at a 2007 Labour Party fundraiser. The Herald on Sunday have refused to provide us with a copy of the statement or even let us read the statement. We consider this to be a denial of natural justice.
The Herald on Sunday reports that Donghua Liu’s statement was signed on 3 May 2014, but the paper only contacted us about the statement yesterday. This delay raises serious questions.
The Herald on Sunday have, however, disclosed to us that Donghua Liu’s statement claims the fundraiser was held on 3 June 2007. We have found no record of any fundraiser held on that date.
We have had no approaches from the Electoral Commission or any regulatory agency. We have always cooperated with regulators, and will always do so when required.
We continue to call on Donghua Liu and any third parties who might have information about these allegations, including the Prime Minister, to place what they know into the public domain or to refer to the regulators."
Glad it is the Party fronting this and not David.
Yes its the smart way of doing it
It’s the only way to do it. To be fair to Cunliffe, little of the donation saga can yet be attributed to him so the Party should always have made the running on this.
Any fallout will affect the whole party of which Cunliffe is just the current leader.
Lisa Owen: After the week you’ve had, could it get any worse?
David Cunliffe: Look I actually think this hasn’t been too bad a week at all. What’s happened is that support for me within my team is absolutely rock solid and I think public support has galvanised in the face of what people can see is pretty petty politics by the current government.
The Cunliffe thinks that Labour are unsinkable but so too did many on the Titanic. I wonder if he will stop the bluster a few minutes before his concession speech or will he still be defiant and know that the specials will be a landslide.
So much easier to simply talk to one another, but for the inconvenient embodiment of “insufficient contact with out-groups” eh. The Herald will go behind a pay-wall soon and then you can haz yr very own Tea Party. That will make everything ok since all right-thinking people will flock to you.
🙂
Here fisi fisi fisi:
And I’ll keep posting this until you reply 😈
http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org/the-real-story-in-the-fairfax-polls/
Maybe everyone else has already read this but off the sidebar at the Standard there is an intriguing explanation of the Fairfax polling.
This bit was interesting:
“So, the reported support for National between November 2012 and June 2014 appears to show a 10% increase in the proportion of New Zealanders supporting the party. Yet, there are (marginally) fewer people declaring their support for National in June 2014.
ianmac
Thanks for that link – it’s much what swordfish has been saying (increasing undecided voters as election approaches) but good to see it presented graphically.
I’ve not been commenting on the polls recently as they’re not really worth the time. The thing that struck me recently is that; even though the Ipsos and Roy Morgan polls came out on the same day, with overlapping sample periods, everyone has been quoting the; Labour on 23% (I) rather than 28% (RM).
The problem I have with these polls is the very thing that Puddleglum neglects to discuss (not that I blame him – specifics of polling selection & methodology of commercial polling companies are very elusive):
Also, I think the RM results bear out my contention that their previous poll was a rogue. Sure; the Greens only gained 33% rather than the 50% I predicted, but they are back within the compass of previous results (since May 2012).
http://www.roymorgan.com/~/media/Files/Findings%20PDF/2014/June/5639-NZ-National-Voting-Intention.pdf
What’s Up With That: Building Bigger Roads Actually Makes Traffic Worse
And our present government wants to build more and bigger roads. Of course, there’s probably some profit to be made by having so many cars on the roads causing all these problems. Lets see:
The only people who’ll be worse off will be the majority of people who have to pay those profits and the deadly price of all that pollution.
dont forget there may be NACT hidden agendas here for a hugely increased population…and with this comes monster cities , multi-story buildings/accommodation, infrastructure, traffic , private toll roads/rail etc…..and much more opportunity for NACTS and cronies to make money
….but very little benefit to ordinary NZers who will have to compete for scarce resources against wealthy immigrants….housing, education , hospitals ….and a ruination of the nature/human balance …ie at a huge cost to our natural environment
Grumpy, why do you support the lowering of environmental standards so the air and water can be poisoned and how are you are going to explain to your grandchildren that it was people like to who voted for these standards to be lowered so people can make more money and that is why they cannot swim in the river or have to wear a gas mask then they go out.
While the world is fascinated with Picketty here’s the real gen on inequality.
Capitalists are hoarding because they havn’t screwed us enough to guarantee making profits from our labour.
So stagnation is the story…pending more cuts to wages and conditions and more M&As.
“And in a great new paper to be delivered to the upcoming Rethink Economics conference in London next weekend (http://www.rethinkingeconomicslondon.org/),
Michael Burke shows that this failure to invest is endemic to the major capitalist economies (The Great Stagnation as the Crisis of Investment). Burke shows that gross investment (both business and government and before depreciation) experienced the sharpest decline of all main components of GDP during the Great Recession. Such gross investment is down 5.2% in the OECD since 2008 and as a proportion of GDP it is down from 22% to 20%, reaching a new low since 1960.”
Michael Roberts Blog
http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/investing-in-finance-but-not-in-people/
‘
The time has come to out, all the parties standing in this election in league with the polluters and plutocrats
http://www.climatevoter.org.nz/?cvs=greenpeace
Jenny
Couldn’t be bothered signing on to access the details of your claim. Please specify to what degree each party is regarded as being “in league with the polluters and plutocrats”. It seems unlikely that the Greens would be equal on such a scale to ACT. But we do have to deal with the world as it is, not how we would like it to be.
Your statement sounds like a justification for nonvoting to me, which I doubt is what those who created the “climatevoter” site intended.