Whilst Key and Goff jibed at one another about how they were going to improve the lot of ordinary NZers last night other events were occuring that will make eithers wishes impossible. Whilst Goff clearly expressed a more cogent and less venal BAU position, BAU just wont be possible.
Those who watch the markets will have noted that despite the forced casino optomism on Wall St and the money escaping the financial meltdown that is Europe stocks have dipped below the years starting point. Worldwide governments dont have the cash to pay the interest on their bonds, default is going to be the song they sing (or sell state assets a la Key). More importantly the false “recovery” and demand over supply sees oil going back through the $100 mark, that despite consumer demand falling off badly. Indicating there is definitely a lot less able to be pumped. All up the party is well over.
For us what does it mean? Who ever wins the election is in deep do dos, and Key will answer by selling the silver and locking the chest. A vote for National is a gauranteed way to keep your tax cut, lose your job and to watch your share in NZ sold to your new masters.
More so now with the latest comments out of China suggesting that they’ll be looking after their own economy thanks very much and not bailing out the USA or Eu.
And what is going to happen when China starts “looking after its own” and then the US govt starts defaulting on its China-owned debt (this must become a popular policy there eventually): World War III?
I now prefer the term DAU (disaster as usual) instead of BAU (business as usual) to describe current economic, social and environmental arrangements, though the term BAU will undoubtedly be used for quite a while yet.
This morning must have been something of a shock to anyone who has heavily invested in DAU, what with the Dow down 2.56% (in numerical terms around what it was in 1999, and in inflation-adjusted terms down by around 70% over the decade); oil down due to the severe demand destruction that is a consequence of collapsing economies; even gold down! (something of a mystery -but then the price is clearly being manipulated): so much ‘hot money’ and nowhere for it to go as so-called investment managers alternate between chasing higher returns and safety. Asia-Pacific markets are in for a bumpy ride.
Meanwhile, everything that people need to pay for to survive in the NZ province of the global industrial catastrophe just keeps going up -rates, insurance, energy costs, food. And the fall in the Kiwi dollar will result in a surge in prices for most imported goods. Anyone who failed to heed the numerous warnings about establishing a food supply will soon be in deep trouble.
The entire system, which is predicated on fraudulent creation of money and exploitation of people and resources, hit the wall when global oil extraction hit peak over 2005 to 2008. The Earth has LESS and LESS to give but we still have maniacs in charge who demand MORE and MORE. And an uniformed populace that thinks it is entitled to more and more.
Since all political parties are offering their own versions of a ‘better, brighter future’ based on various delusions about economic growth we will witness a magnificent COLLISION WITH REALITY which will play out extremely badly for the vast majority of people over the coming year or so. As Dr Colin Cambell (co-founder of ASPO) said many years ago: If you don’t deal with reality reality will deal with you.
‘A vote for National is a gauranteed way to keep your tax cut, lose your job and to watch your share in NZ sold to your new masters.’
I agree on the ‘lose your job’ and ‘watch your share of assets sold to your new masters’ aspects but I suspect people will not keep their tax cuts: any incoming government is likely to raise taxes (either directly or indirectly) to prevent a fairly instantaneous implosion of its finances. And in doing so will cause one. In other words, orthodox economics offers no way out of the hole we are in because orthodox economics is what created the hole we are in.
A while ago you said you realised people were not listening to what you had to say and you turned your attention instead to preparing yourself. What was this preparation?
Uturn, that is a very pertinent question so a quick answer on behalf of AFKTT:
1. Quit as much debt as possible, preferably be freehold or low cost rent, kill the credit card.
2. Learn to live within your means, start substituting wants with real needs.
3. Learn to trade your skills with others for needs, learn to grow food.
In other words do what your grandparents did without thinking.
From a government viewpoint the trick is the same, pay off/ reneg on debt, balance trade accounts, balance tax versus expenditure. And most importantly make sure that the infrastructure required for the new low energy economy is owned by the state, and people trained with real life skills that can be converted into real economic output (as opposed to accounting / lawyering / speculating).
1. I got out of the big city I was living in and moved to a small one (couldn’t get to where I wanted to be due to financial constriants).
2. I established an orchard and started working on improving soil quality for other food production.
3. I installed some passive solar.
4. I cut my expenseses. I still have a car but normally only drive about 20km a week. Most of the time I cycle or walk -very unfashionable. I am in the process of disengaging from the consumer society.
Thanks, Bored and AFKTT. Apart from establising an orchard, seems we’ve arrived at the same conclusions from different approaches. My route has been a bit less organised – I followed my nose along a trail of things that either looked right or wrong when compared to the reality of the life I’d lived. I left the country to come back to the city for financial reasons. Co-incidentally my country skills – or what Bored refers to as grandparent skills – naturally recreated what they knew worked, in an urban environment.
There is a serious flaw to this existence as far as prescribing it to others goes, that I’m sure you are aware of, though. There is no way urban environments can support the density of population, without major shifts in the idea of land use and ownership. Sure urban and community gardens are a good start to get people thinking in a larger perspective, but eventually the limitations will be clear. It’s a domino effect of enlightenment for people who begin thinking and reality isn’t appeased by a few potatoes growing in a bag on the balcony. This is just one of many problems.
While I could shoot back out to the country and dig in, I plan to stick it out here a while longer and see what happens and what practical solutions emerge for the urban question. There may be none. Urban people are strange (no offence intended) or should I say their actions display a wildly different perspective to mine. While Vege World, The Aussie Butcher and the supermarket exist and while credit is being plied, few will understand that working 9-5 in an office and paying your taxes isn’t the “real world” at all. Bridging the gap is a challenge in the extreme, but then nothing is easy. Realism says there is no point, I’ll wait a while longer for a miracle. Best of luck to you both with your plans.
I’ve seen a lot of people write Kevin Moore’s views off as insanity, but having now read (all of) The Easy Way, it’s clear the statements are based on fact and the conclusions are solid.
I was disappointed that he invoked the controversy over 9/11 in support of his arguments. Not because I think the “official story” is correct – I don’t, far from it – but because in the minds of many this will automatically put Moore in the “tinfoil hat” category, and the rest of the book will be tarred with that brush.
But I do see his points, and I do agree that everything is going to turn to shit – possibly not as soon as he makes out (society does have the ability to adjust to a degree), but over time, it’s obvious that that’s how things will go. I’ve given the book to friends of mine to read, and some of them have said “yes but technology and innovation will get us out of it, don’t worry.” Let’s say they have much more faith in that than I do.
I plan to start some preparations myself, although I’m now locked into a mortgage on an asset with declining value, which makes things difficult – and makes me a slave. Thankfully that’s the only debt I have, and I have a small amount of land on which to “experiment” with growing my own veges etc. Ideally, though, I’d like to get some land out the back-end of nowhere and set myself up permanently before dropping off the grid.
So much easier said than done, though. And that’s the way “they” want it.
Would not mind the fall out shelter as a garden shed……chicken coop perhaps. Uturn makes a good point that you cant do everything, that urban life makes food independence etc impossible. Actually social capital is the best investment going forward, you cant be an island. Suppose that is why we dont just give up on politics per se, it is the macro form of social organisation to deliver our needs.
1. I got out of the big city I was living in and moved to a small one (couldn’t get to where I wanted to be due to financial constriants).
2. I established an orchard and started working on improving soil quality for other food production.
3. I installed some passive solar.
Afewknowthetruth
AFKTT it is all very commendable the measures you have taken, to protect your family’s future.
I don’t think your efforts will be enough. The collapse threatens to be so vast and all encompassing that individualistic solutions will be crushed and swept aside, along with everything else.
For the vast majority of the population, (here and overseas), who don’t have the luxury of being able to buy even the smallest viable landholding out in the country, one way or another we will not take the DAU lying down.
This may sound ominous and threatening to some, but for more than A Few of us, we have not completely given up on civil society just yet.
There is still hope for a genuine democratically decided – ‘best outcome’, for the greatest number.
I like “we have not completely given up on civil society just yet. There is still hope for a genuine democratically decided – ‘best outcome’, for the greatest number.”
What I suspect will happen is that if the current democratic institutions fail to meet muster new democratic institutions that are fit for purpose will replace them. And I cant quite see the established property based interests playing ball nicely, they are likely to be the first to eject popular democracy as too injurious to their privileges. Forceful ejection may be required. To quote Cromwell, “You have sat too long for all the good that you have done. Begone.”
Bored, afktt, U
Much the same here.
I have downsized from 17 acres to 1/4 acre and moved to a small coastal town where I no longer have to travel to do the things I enjoy. I now enjoy a much better lifestyle. Much better food, and a farmers market where I get to meet and know the people who grow the food I am unable to.
Like you I watch the machinations of DAU (I like that and shall steal it! 🙂 ) with increasing dismay as the greed of the players pushes the world towards the collapse of civilisation as it is now perceived. What the world will be like when my grandchildren are of age I shudder o think.
Moving your accounts to a NZ owned bank such as Kiwi Bank, the TSB or the Cooperative Bank is one of the few direct and painless ways to impact New Zealand’s private indebtedness. David Cunliffe has identified that $2.5 billion leaves the New Zealand economy each year in profits to Australian banks.
I had a spell with Kiwibank and found the whole process terrible (sorry). The customer service was very poor, so much so they managed to forget to pay the ASB the mortgage money for our home when we were transferring to Kiwibank.
It took several calls to the banking ombudsman to sort the issue – did the one year fixed rate and promptly went back to the original provider, who is sadly Aussie owned.
I have had an account with TSB for years – and never had any problems – even though I live well away from New Plymouth and have visited there only once in the past 40+ years. They are only a free phone call away if I need to speak to someone and everything else is done online or occassional deposit thru a Postshop.
Using Kiwibank for a business account, great service, but they seem very risk averse in their lending so I doubt I’d try to finance anything through them.
I had a spell with Kiwibank and found the whole process terrible (sorry).
When? I know when they first opened they were a… little immature I suppose would be the best description. They seem to have gotten better since my first opening of an account there.
They seem to have gotten better since my first opening of an account there
They have. I opened a business account there when they first started and it was underwhelming, but improved as time went on. A few years ago I started some personal banking with them and it’s fine – easily as good as other banks I’ve used. But yeah, Joe90 is right about being risk averse… however given the banking meltdown in the last few years that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Want to substantially reduce hypocricy in politics? Want to rid Parliament of a collection of mysoginists, liars and supposed perk busters who instead have feasted in the public trough? Want to get rid of a party that harboured in its ranks an MP who had previously stole the identity of a dead baby?
Then vote Paul Goldsmith as MP for Epsom! (Feck did I just say that?)
Why have I got an email invitation latish last night from Mediaworks to answer a survey so they “can better tailor our prizes, content and advertising mix to your preferences.”?
I am not aware of having registerd at any of their websites, and the email went to an address that I don’t use on website forums, logins etc.
Could be youtube. If you view youtube while signed into gmail their tracking system has your information and now shares it. I see that they are pushing advertising by making a viewer answer a survey question before they allow the chosen video to play. So much for the much espoused online freedom. Looks like the internet will eventually collapse under the wieght of it’s own self interest.
Youtube assigns advertising to match your location – you won’t get American ad’s if you dial in from Auckland. The questions you answer to view are collated for NZ advertisers, not Americans or anyone else. Mediaworks are just one client. Youtube knows your email address if you visit there while you are signed into your Google account/blogger or anything else Google owned. If you have forwarding enabled on your gmail, your other email addresses will be accessible. If you back up your Google password with an alternative email address or a phone number, you hand over that information. They ask you for backups for security reasons, but money gets the last word. It’s just Google walking in Facebook’s shoes, one step behind to stay legal, but still unethical.
And the major intelligence services have software consoles which extract all info from Facebook etc. These consoles are built right into the software by Facebook etc, for various gov agencies. They are not add-ons.
They like the fact that you friend people, tell them up to date info on where you’ve been, provide details of the networks of contacts you talk to, photos of places and people important to you etc.
The email address that the survey invitation was sent to, was not one I use for online forums, facebook, twitter etc. It’s not a gmail addie either. And I haven’t logged into youtube for months. So I’m not sure what triggered it.
“Why have I got an email invitation latish last night from Mediaworks to answer a survey so they “can better tailor our prizes, content and advertising mix to your preferences.”?”
I got the same thing! I did wonder if I had signed up at one stage, but on reflection I am sure I didn’t…
Good idea, ianmac. Answered with BS selections till I got to the agree to terms and conditions page. Just a lot of question about household, job, income, credit/loyalty cards, hobbies, cars/transport, TV and Internet use…. sky, pay per viewing….
All these companies asking us to complete surveys should be more honest…. it’s not to make things better for customers so much, as ultimately being about increasing or maintaining their profits. Mediaworks is offering entering a draw for prizes for completing the survey. We should send them an invoice for helping their business.
“Just a lot of question about household, job, income, credit/loyalty cards, hobbies, cars/transport, TV and Internet use…. sky, pay per viewing….”
Interestingly, the survey assumes that you *do* in fact watch TV 3 and 4 on demand, something I have never done. I don’t watch TV3 at all, but for the news, which I have watched only twice in the past 7 weeks! It also assumes that you do want pay per view, and gives no options such as “I’d sooner crawl over broken glass”. I don’t watch American programming, although Prime is the only way to avoid it.
I will turn back on the comment auto remember of names, emails, and websites as well as the wsiwyg comment editor. These all have problems with the cache system I had to put on last night to cope with the load after the debate.
These will all move to using client side JavaScript, which has problems with a few people’s systems, but works with the majority. It doesn’t have issues with cached names and preferences for other people being sent from the server. The code was written and tested last year so I just have to extract it from subversion.
I have the next couple of days off from work so I can help with eDay stuff for several electorates. So this will be lower on the priority list than that.
If you want to avoid all of this, then register and use a login (or just use a login if you have one already). That serves up pages for each logged in user individually.
Goff’s dilemma highlighted by the debate:
– Peters says he won’t go into goverment with anyone
– Labour has to have NZF support to have any chance of leading a coalition
– Goff needs Peters to go against his word to have any chance of going into government
Another Peters post election betrayal is Goff’s only chance.
As Goff said numerous times last night, the Election has not happened yet,
Maybe we wait for the Voters to present the actual situation,
then you can have your aneurism
or you could try thinking for yourself and ignore the propoganda of manipulative politicians whose self interested actions show up the hypocrisy of every single agreement ever made under MMP.
Let us vote, then let us have MMP for once.
If it really does not deliver a better government FOR ALL NEW ZEALANDERS
then go ahead and have your manipulative agreements, your delusional bindings of confidence and supply, your saccharine soaked empty phrases that mean less than the good behaviour promises of a toddler at Christmas.
Voters have asked for MMP , let them see how it might actually work, just once.
Dump the defacto FPP and let NZ have a representative parliament that they voted for.
Dump the defacto FPP and let NZ have a representative parliament that they voted for.
Bingo.
There really shouldn’t be a “government” there should just be parliament with the whole lot voting on policy based upon the facts. Would probably need to vote in the president separate of the general election if we got that though.
I remember in the past you lamenting the ‘negative’ approach of Labour, but it seems to me that you are being very negative about Goff (and Peters) in your recent comments. Perhaps you should take your own advice and take a positive approach in getting support for UF?
When it comes down to it, it is starting to get a bit pointless to speculate about possible governments. Let’s all just wait until Saturday and see what the numbers are.
UF’s dilemma:
– Dunne has unequivocally hitched his star to Key
– Key’s a phoney and a lightweight with nothing left in the tank
– People seem to be noticing that they’ve been sold a bill of goods
Except that:
– a majority people disagree with you about Key
– National have proven to be a reliable government (mostly) through an exceptionally difficult term, and
– UF has proven to be a reliable contributior to government.
– We’ll see
– Difficult because the government has no interest in governing
– UF has proven to be a sinecure for Dunne and Ohariu has had enough of it.
Disunited No-future has never been anying other than a bunch of opportunistic clowns who are completely disconneced from reality and have nothing to offer.
‘UF has proven to be a reliable contributior to government’
Have been a reliable contributor to wrecking the next generation’s future via Disaster As Usual economics.
And that’s what UF are offering this time round, is it not?
We in the Ohariu electorate recently received a pamphlet from Peter Dunne. Unfortunately I threw it out or I’d link a picture, but it had absolutely no policy information: Just a bunch of quotes from various people and publications about how wonderful Peter Dunne is.
Pretty sure you could haul-up similar information from sympathetic sources on practically any MP you like.
Let’s not forget National are all about shrinking the public service, and the Ohariu electorate has the highest percentage of public service workers in the country. And they’re not stupid: They know a vote for Dunne is a vote for Key, and I’d bet they’re not willing to risk losing their jobs so The Hair can make a return to parliament.
Policy evidently isn’t all that important to United Future. And why would it be? UF has thrown its lot in with National whose policies are deeply unpopular. If Bill English was leader of the Nats they wouldn’t have a hope in hell at this election with the policies they have. It’s entirely reliant on Brand Key. And Peter Dunne isn’t closely enough associated with Brand Key to get the votes he needs, so he’s got to rely on bullshit quotes of positive opinion from whatever source he find.
The United Future pamphlet doesn’t fit that decription at all. It details four key policies:
– reform tax for middle income families
– a sensible super scheme with choice of age (Labour said they are considering this)
– access to all New Zealanders to our outdoors
– limit asset sales
There is no excuse to be ignorant of it, there is plenty of detail on the website, on vote.co.nz and UF policy is being detailed and compared on many media election sites. Saying there is no policy evident is blatant misrepresentation or deliberate lies.
There is more chance of United Future policy being implemented next term than Labour policy, Mana policy, NZF policy and Green policy.
We’re definitely not talking about the same pamphlet then. This particular pamphlet was clearly campaigning for the electorate seat, so it may not have gone out to all electorates.
I love how you respond to me telling me I have “no excuses” to be ignorant of UF policy, Pete, but don’t touch with a barge pole my many other comments about the hollowness of the party and their leader.
Choosing your arguments is all well and good, but what you choose to remain silent on says much more about UF and their “Fairness and Choice (as long as you’re like us and do what we want you to)” policies than the points you choose to argue.
I note, however, that UF’s flagship Income Sharing tax policy – which can be found at http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/assets/Income%20Sharing.pdf – goes into no detail whatsoever about how the scheme would be funded. If you’re going to tax (your definition of) families less, who’s picking up the tab for that?
I don’t know if you saw my question to you the other day – at number 8 in the UF list, what percentage of vote would be needed to get you into parliament?
Wrong, it’s more tax reform for the rich. Their income splitting will only benefit the rich exactly the same as the tax cuts that NAct put through. Nobody else will be better off.
a sensible super scheme with choice of age
Sensible would be one that worked and this one won’t. Neither will Labours’. You need resources to be able to maintain society and all parties are all about using up the resources ASAP so that we can have more piles of nothing money.
access to all New Zealanders to our outdoors
And what, exactly, does that mean?
I can already go outdoors, I can go to the beach and the stream. Probably can’t eat the shellfish or go swimming in the stream though as they’ve either been poisoned by industrialism/farming or over fished. Thing is, I’m sure UF is one of those parties that want to continue the destructive ways (more industrialism, farming and over fishing) that have been built up over the last few centuries and are now brining us to an anthropogenic Extinction Level Event.
limit asset sales
Rather than doing the rational thing and opposing asset sales altogether. Why would anyone want to vote for a party that is obviously insane?
DTB could not agree with you re income splitting. Lab has been at pains regarding “A fairer tax” yet how is it that IRD regard the calc of tax by the individual and welfare/benefits by family unit. So what for all those families that have made sacrifices to enable a stay at home parent (Many actively involved in NPO and child care/school help that the community and society benefit from). How is it fair on these family units? Taxed to the max.
And your concern regarding only benefiting the rich is a lazy generalisation, that if such a concerns exists can be managed by placing a limit on the amount to be split. It is not difficult to manage, just needs a little will power.
Yet in the handout Lab is campaiging for the choice (with govt financial assistance) for this same position of allowing parents to stay at home, pity the sentiment is not made regarding poor and middle class families as well. http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2011/11/labour-is-the-nasty-party-ctd-19/
Anyone else been to that OnTheFence.co.nz website? Seems to be giving an interesting bias – this from Twitter:
– John: Did that stupid on the fence thing. United Future 88%? WHAT AND MANA?. GET OUT.
– Charlotte Yee: LOL just did onthefence.co.nz I think it’s rigged my “top 3 parties” are labour, united future and mana… #really?
– Beth: I did that dumb on the fence sheep game and I got 19% United Future as my top match.
– Naly_D: according to http://onthefence.co.nz my best-suited political party is United Future (20%). Because, y’know, I’m 50.
– l•x•ndr•: @lethifolds I’ll be surprised if you don’t get told to vote for United Future lolol prove me wrong
– NICOLE C: @Naly_D I got 50% United Future …. Could it be bias ahaha
– Michael Parry: Has anyone got a result other than United Future on onthefence.co.nz ????
– Moata Tamaira @Michael_J_Parry @librarykris I got United Future too…which I found a bit odd.
– Lisa Rapley: @Naly_D I got united future too, then Labour then Mana. I just don’t even…
– Katherine Chisholm: Just played http://onthefence.co.nz. Where did United Future come from??
– Frazer Skinner: @Naly_D Who published the site? UF 97%, Labour 55%, Mana 39% Um.. no thanks
Does everyone secretly love United Future or is there something else in play here?
“National have proven to be a reliable government….”. for whom – themselves???
UF is a ‘thin- ice skating on’ party. What a strange party to choose to represent Pete G.- and even worse, by choosing them, have to support National just to get into office ( only this time hopefully not). There must be a better way to spend your life????
The Peoples Union Health clinic in Newtown, Wellington is facing closure, the DHB is going to take $300,000 of funding away from them. This is a vital service for poor people, refugees, new immigrants. Tony Ryall promised no front line cuts in Health, but of course he’s a liar like the rest of that grubby pack of plunderers.
I am getting freaked out by all the greaseballs on Teevee who think they and only they know the outcome of the election before it has been held.
especially gluon and the dunnycan.
how did New Zealand end up with these manques?
newsflash: beenit preparing legislation so all beneficiaries will be told not only how to spend their money but who to vote for.
you heard it hear first.
that graphic is hilarious. Labour drops 1/2% and loses two of their little red guys. National lose 5% yet don’t lose one of the little blue guys.
Classy stuff by the Herald ! I think not.
A few days of almost being balanced, now back on regular form.
just had a long FB debate with an ‘undecided but leaning to National’ voter who despite admitting they don’t know much about the other parties believes john key will back down on Asset Sales as people don’t want them!
If John Key wanted to back down on asset sales, he would have done it months or weeks ago before the height of the campaign now. He could have taken out a major aggravating factor to his campaign to cement his hold for the second term.
The reality is he will go the whole hog with asset sales because he is there precisely to advance that agenda to shift the assets and more wealth to his cronies, the puppet masters and himself.
The reality is he will go the whole hog with asset sales because he is there precisely to advance that agenda to shift the assets and more wealth to his cronies, the puppet masters and himself.
Yep and I’m reasonable certain that they’ll go for 100% sales as well because 49% won’t raise enough (note that Blinglish is reported to have said that they won’t raise as much as expected).
“The reality is he will go the whole hog with asset sales because he is there precisely to advance that agenda to shift the assets and more wealth to his cronies, the puppet masters and himself.”
Exactly Jim N. There can be no other reason for him to sell and risk losing his precious position(even if he eventually wants to go to Hawaii) as very few Kiwis want him to sell. He has been told to ‘asset strip’ in NZ. Wonder who he is working for , ‘cos it sure ain’t New Zealand.
Fucked if I know. Just had a conversation where the RWNJ (there really is no other description) argued that having less than 40% of the vote (National government in several FPP elections) was democratic and that MMP, where majority actually had their say, was undemocratic.
It’s the mindset of the comfortably self-satisfied “I’ve got mine, and screw the rest”.
Anything that secures an endless inflation of property, rentals, and less wealth to the lower classes.
As ugly as it sounds, the prospect that Banks will ‘defend’ the good white wealthy folk of Epsom from sex crazed unemployed polynesian drug addicts probably resonates with a significant portion of voters in that electorate. There does seem to be a a nasty racist streak running through a large chunk of the New Zealand population, one that Brash flirted with in his Hollowman ‘Iwi/Kiwi’ Orewa speech , the same one that Banks and Peters exploited with their antiAsian rants during the 90s (somewhere ’round that time anyway.)
Conversely:
allowing young men to work for finance companies or as money traders is a failure- criminality, sucking off the suffering of ordinary people, forcing thousands into unemployment, greed, psychopathic behaviour. It’s time it stopped!
I note that another socialist government in Europe has been consigned to history. The Spanish Socialist party plummeted from 169 seats to 110, their lowest ever representation whilst the conservative Popular Party went from 154 to 186 seats, giving them an absolute majority.
During the last 7 years of socialism, unemployment has reached heights greater than during any previous crisis, with the rate reaching 21.5% in October.
Spain has elected a career politician, who in a previous government failed spectacularly, with a reputation for playing favourites and has failed to articulate any clear plan to voters about how he’ll handle a faltering economy.
The prospect of seeing the PP in power again after 8 years is not a happy one. While I’m no fan of the PSOE (I think I called them ‘the very worst party in Spain’ at one point, though I can’t find a link), my suspicion is that before long many who loathe the Socialists will remember how much more they loathed the PP last time they governed.
Such reminds me of the 1990 election here. The majority were really pissed off with Labour and so National got back in power but the truth is that nobody wanted National either it’s just that there wasn’t a whole lot of choice.
The socialists were doing the austerity that the Spaniards didn’t want and the new party is going to do the same thing. They’ll try to vote them (PP) out next term but, again, they won’t actually get any choice as to what actually happens in their country.
To be honest that’s what I reckon is happening in this election. No one really wants National even many National supporters aren’t particularly happy with them they just don’t see much choice.
That’s basically why I don’t think Labour’s strategy of attacking National has been a good one. Noone is that stoked with National anyway but just attacking doesn’t automatically make you the viable alternative.
Labour released policy, costings and a vision for the future and then pointed out that National weren’t doing too well in the trust. Breaking promises, ruling for the few at the top and not addressing the problems that the GFC had caused.
I think it’s hit home for a lot of people – now just need them to vote.
Not sure anyone goes back and looks at prior days open mikes but oh well.
I agree Labour have released policy – it was even policy that many people prefered to Nationals. However they have chosen to not really focus on their own policy instead their entire campaign has been based on attacking National and its policy.
It’s a valid strategy but I can’t help thinking that had they actually done what they originally said they were going to do and keep the election about the policy (but make it about their policies not Nationals) they would have done a lot better (and I mean that whatever the outcome of the election).
Obviously its a moot argument but still I think it would’ve made it a lot more interesting.
Ivvy leaguer Italy France and Germany are going democratic socialist .Spain has always had higher unemployment than northern European countries, more corruption in southern European countries and no one pays tax .
The Ambrose court hearing is underway and the Listener’s Election blog is providing tweets from Derek Ching on what is happening if anyone is interested
Disclaimer – know I have referred to this blog several times of late – no connections at all. I am just finding it a useful site to quickly keep up to date on what is happening throughout the day. Their take on last night’s debate is also interesting and entertaining. Link is in the right had column of the above link. Wish I had found their Bingo cards before last night!
Feng Shui Master has just said celestial line-up and his divination point to increasing NZ crises and difficulties associated with astrological castings done on John Key.
An anology was also given about Key that he is like rot behind the walls at homes.
The Arab Spring hangs in balance, as protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and in other cities in Egypt battle the riot police of the ruling Egyptian military junta.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are braving tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and live ammunition in demonstrations against the ruling military council in Egypt.
Despite promising elections, (which are being continually put back), Mubarak’s generals are demanding that the military have power above any elected civilian authority. Meanwhile protesters are still being tried in military courts and torture by the military and police is still routine.
By late on 20 November there were an estimated 100,000 in Tahrir Square according to eyewitness accounts and thousands protesting in every major city in Egypt. Their demands are clear: the downfall of Marshal Tantawi and Mubarak’s generals. As of Sunday 5 people at least had been killed and around 1000 injured.
The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions issued a call on Saturday 19 November to its 1.4 million members in affiliated unions to join the protests in Tahrir.
Our brothers and sisters in Egypt inspired us all with their courage over the past ten months. Without them, would we have seen the Occupy movement? How would our own struggles against austerity and cuts look without the model of the Egyptian revolution, and the knowledge that ordinary people can change the world?
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt…..
…..the military rulers of Syria will be strengthened in their slaughter of unarmed protesters.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt…….
……. it will be major setback for the Arab Spring throughout the Middle East!
If the Arab Spring is crushed in the Middle East……
…… this will remove a major brake on the West’s move to war against Iran.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in the Middle East, major conflagration with Iran will be inevitable, as the US and Israel’s invasion plans can only succeed with the support of compliant Western backed right wing regimes retaining power in the Middle East.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt, the movement for democracy and against tyranny and war and recession, throughout the world, will suffer a major setback.
Responding to appeals from Egyptian activists, Middle East and North Africa, Solidarity in Britain is forwarding the following call for international solidarity action to the whole world. Please respond immediately.
Tahrir has inspired a wave of movements around the world. We must not let it go down to defeat!
If you are organising a protest or a picket, particularly if you can mobilise support from the trade union movement in solidarity with the call from the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions, please let the world know.
Many people interpret the times we are living in as Biblical ‘End Times’.
Irrespective of that, there is no question that the entire North Africa-Middle East region is a tinderbox awaiting a spark.
I see that the war-of-words over Iran has started again, after a period of relative quiet. An attack on Iran would almost certainly bring the global economic system to a halt in a matter of weeks if it resulted in blockage of the Straits of Hormuz.
“Many people interpret the times we are living in as Biblical ‘End Times’.”
Interestingly, a good 50% of my ESOL students (Chinese, secular and 17-20 years old) believe something similar. The topic today was sports, and when I said brightly “The next Olympics will be held in London in 2012”, a couple of them said “But the world is going to end in 2012!” I was gobsmacked. Where has this come from?
The religious channels in SKY TV when I surf through them often are on the topic of end times- earthquakes, tsunamis, “it seems that the world is crying out to be delivered.”
It is a sign of narcissism, I believe, that people believe that the end times are going to come in their life-time. It seems part of the conservative psyche.
History is littered with such false prophecy. I often imagine, when engaged in this topic, the Monty Pythonesque dialogue of disgruntled failed end-timers coming down off the mountain top muttering about their leader who got it wrong.
‘I’ve seen a lot of people write Kevin Moore’s views off as insanity, but having now read (all of) The Easy Way, it’s clear the statements are based on fact and the conclusions are solid.’
‘will automatically put Moore in the “tinfoil hat” category’
It is a lot easier for people to dimiss arguments without checking the facts than to do the necessary research and present logical arguments. We are now at the stage of witnessing people self-select for learning the hard way (or even perishing).
It will be very interesting to revue this ‘conversation’ one year from now.
Several years ago I likened the situation in most western societies to tossing a coin. At the moment it always lands with the face that shows ‘complacency and denial’ exposed. One day it will land with the obverse face exposed. That says: ‘panic’.
Some parents have been branded abusers because of the bizarre names of their children.
Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt stated his concerns in a written decision after a custody hearing in New Plymouth revealed a couple had named their child Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
He was so disturbed at the effect on the nine-year-old that he ordered her temporarily placed under court guardianship so a suitable name could be chosen.
LOL- ‘Follow Me on Twat’. Excellent work as always.
I expect RWNJ’s burst a few blood vessels watching that Child Poverty doco tonight. It was basically a giant ad for ‘Commie Pinko’ politics. Full of ads for Labour and the Greens too 🙂
When I heard Phil Goff saying how silly it was to sell the house to pay the mortgage off I thought of all the sensible people doing exactly that as they move on to better things.
It was magnificent! This is reality in NZ. I know because I see it regularly. Please wake up dear voters and vote with your heart and soul. Our chidren are our future, it’s in our hands! Congrats to the makers of this doco. Well done!
Agreed Lyn. It needs a huge rethink since the declared intent of a certain political grouping is intent on reducing housing, education and health. Wonder if that excellent doco touched many?
The doco certainly touched me Ianmac. Bryan Bruce did a phenomenal job investigating this horror and presenting it to us in such a clear manner. Our poor children and their parents, who are all to often facing a heartbreaking battle to provide for them. Thought the sights I saw tonight had been consigned to history.
What is our government up to? Can’t they manage to run a country properly? They appear to have the wrong spending priorities. Our children deserve so much more.
Post of the week from the Bog relating to the bad case of worms that seems to have infected the place..
quinnjin (12) Says:
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Yeah right farrar you tory turd. Key got his arse kicked, and it turns out the test audience was fairly picked. Your slimey liitle mate in parliament just got his arse kicked, why? cause hes full of shit. eat it up and stop mewling your pathetic excuses.
Trying to comment again, but suspect I will be dumped into ‘spam’. But on the off -chance this gets through, somebody with more knowledge of the in’s and out’s might want to post on the fact that a fuck of a lot of comments from regular contributors are going into ‘trash’. (Seems I’m the only one going down the ‘spam’ route)
Hmm, but still wondering, what’s with the umpteen comments from regular commentators in ‘trash’? Some, though not all, are duplicated as comments on the page.
Oops! Got something to say afterall. There goes the tourist industry. Thomas Cook (How big are they in the scheme of things? Certainly not ‘small fry’) in emergency talks with banks and shares down 51%.
Who would have thunk that a global depression would mean people not going on holiday? Wonder what plans the illustrious NZ minister of tourism has up his sleeve (or in his ball pocket) for the shoit that that suddenly appears to be hovering waiting for gravity assisted splash?
Ah, but the market decides how things work! So, they all try to undercut each other to get the customers, who can’t actually afford their package holidays to Spain, meanwhile the airlines have rising fuel costs and can’t afford to pay the leases on their big shiny aircraft, which are leased from very big banks.
But don’t worry, they’ll be paid out by governments, who will in turn tax the poor.
Bit late now but TV1 late news said that with the help of the Ombudsman, they have discovered that Govt had no real evidence or official advice about the predicted uptake of shares in the Asset Sale. Key has been saying that official advice shows that at least 85% of the share sales will be taken up in NZ hands. There has be no official advice other than a few oral discussions.
Key has lied – again. Could be a big story.
ian along with low share prices and no money around for kiwis to invest Aussie super fund will grab the lions share titbits after goldman sachs has gouged its price out
Powerco is the poster child for how things turn out when a public asset is flogged off.
11 years from formation through to compulsory acquisition by offshore owners.
April 1993: New Plymouth Energy (the electricity division of the New Plymouth District Council) merges with Taranaki Electricity (former Taranaki Electric Power Board) to become Taranaki Energy Limited
November 2004: It is now moving to compulsorily acquire the remaining shares and remove Powerco from the New Zealand stock exchange.
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Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...
Hon Tracey Martin, Minister for ChildrenA major increase in funding and availability of support will improve the incomes and reduce the pressure on 14,000 caregivers looking after more than 22,000 children.Children’s Minister Tracey Martin says that caregivers – all those looking after someone else’s children both in and ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has introduced a Bill to Parliament that he says will "force more transparency, integrity and respect" for the domestic wood-processing sector through the registration of log traders and practice standards. The Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill had its first reading in ...
This summer presents a great opportunity for New Zealanders to get out into nature with bookings on Great Walks for 2020/21 set to open next week, says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Bookings for the Great Walks will open between 9 and 11 June, excluding Milford and Routeburn tracks which ...
Extra 40,000 businesses to be eligible for wage subsidy extension Small business cashflow support application period extended The Government is today announcing further support for businesses that continue to be affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, as the broader economy becomes one of the most open in the world following ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft will be purchased to replace the existing fleet, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “Last year, Cabinet selected these aircraft as the preferred option to replace the current Hercules fleet. Procurement of the Super Hercules has been ...
New public housing that will save tenants money in energy bills, and provide warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, is setting the standard for the Government’s future public housing programme, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. Dr Woods opened the new Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities complex, which has a ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is celebrating World Environment Day with an announcement of a major step towards Wairarapa Moana being recognised as an internationally significant wetland. “Wairarapa Moana is an ecosystem of 10,000 hectares of wetland and open water that provides a home for indigenous fish, birds and ...
A new-look Police graduation ceremony to take account of COVID19 health rules has marked the completion of training for 57 new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash attended this afternoon's ceremony, where officers of Recruit Wing 337 were formally sworn in at the Royal New Zealand Police College without the normal support of ...
Mobile traders and truck shops must adhere to responsible lending requirements Interest rate cap on high-cost loans Lenders prohibited from offering further credit to an applicant who has taken two high-cost loans in the past 90 days The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, has signalled an end ...
94% of firms say wage subsidy had positive impact on cashflow 62% of firms say support helped to manage non-wage costs like rent A survey of business that have received the Government’s wage subsidy show it has played a significant role in saving jobs, and freed up cash flow to ...
New legislation introduced to Parliament today will support growth and assist businesses on the road to economic recovery, said Revenue Minister Stuart Nash. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2020-21, Feasibility Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill proposes that businesses can get tax deductions for ‘feasibility expenditure’ on new investments,” said Mr ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has welcomed the first release of funds from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced as part of Budget 2020. Sport NZ has announced that $4.6 million in funding will go to the Wellington Phoenix, NZ Warriors, Super Rugby teams and the ANZ Premiership ...
An iconic New Zealand tourism attraction and the country’s 31 Regional Tourism Organisations are the first recipients of support from the $400 million Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, to help position the sector for recovery from COVID-19, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The plan includes a Strategic Tourism Assets Protection ...
The Government will legislate to ensure businesses that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 response will get help to resolve disputes over commercial rent issues, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. A temporary amendment to the Property Law Act will insert a clause in commercial leases requiring a fair ...
The Minister for Small Business says new data from Xero highlights the urgency of prompt payment practices to small and medium enterprises as we move into economic recovery. Last month Government ministers wrote to significant private enterprises and the banking industry to request they join efforts by government agencies to ...
Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...
$196 million for Crown Research Institutes $150 million for R&D loan scheme $33 million for Māori research and development opportunities $12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases $10 million to help maintain in-house capability at Callaghan Innovation New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, innovators and crown researchers will benefit from a ...
Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...
The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...
The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...
Applications have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones. “I’m delighted Te Uru Rākau is offering Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships for the third year running. These ...
The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...
The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...
Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...
Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...
A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...
A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...
Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
Wrapping everyone in a blanket of love, whakapapa and mauri for Matariki is the brave, exuberant and generous fabric art of Maungarongo Te Kawa, writes Amanda Thompson.E te AtuaNau enei rau harakeke he taongaTukuna ki a matouKia tika o matou mahiKo Papatuanuku e takoto neiTuturu WhakamauaKia tina, tinaHui eTaiki e.‘Karakia ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
One press statement from the Beehive yesterday sounded more like advertising – or a barker’s pitch – than a Government announcement. Another advised of two diplomatic appointment, one of them – has the woman who landed the post done something wrong? – to protest-troubled and politically volatile Hong Kong. And ...
It’s not often that someone graduates from university one year and becomes a senior economist commentating on national media the next. George Driver investigates the meteoric rise of the high-flying Brad Olsen.Google “senior economist Brad Olsen” and you’ll find him quoted in no fewer than 167 articles in the past ...
As public sentiment turned against Uber Eats, a new local operation emerged promising a more ethical alternative to help New Zealand’s struggling hospitality industry. But now Eat Local NZ has suspended trading after falling out with its Australian partner Mr Yum. So what happened?A dispute between local hospitality platform Eat ...
By Budi Sutrisno in Jakarta As the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the United States, sparks a global outcry, Indonesian rights advocates and young people have stepped forward to remind fellow citizens that racism has long been an issue at home as ...
Edward Cullen became a vampire to survive the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Now a new Twilight novel looms and Laura Surynt, a New Zealander living in the UK, wants to live forever too. As I lay in bed this morning watching Instagram stories, Tayi Tibble told my reluctant little Capricorn ...
Over the lockdown period, thousands of people joined a Facebook group dedicated to remembering the nightlife of inner-city Auckland. Its creator Simon Grigg explains why it touched a chord in lockdown.Within a few days of The Lost Nightlife of Inner-city Auckland Facebook page accidentally going live on May 12, we ...
Throughout Anglo colonial states there is a constant habit of defining people who aren’t white as a problem, writes Aaron Smale in this personal essay. It was a balmy summer evening in the capital and cops were standing over a young brown man. I was walking down Courtenay Place on ...
"The countdown clock ticks 2, then 1, then the prime minister raises her drink": dystopia, by Ōtautahi writer Laura Borrowdale. You stand in the centre of the room, and around you, the guests seem to swirl and blend into one. There’s a mouth, gaping and red, filled with laughter. A ...
Martin Luther King Jr said in 1963: “America has given the Black people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’." Six generations of egregious police violence later, the sentiment out of which those bad cheques were born could be shifting. In the wake of egregious police violence, ...
WATCH: In a candid interview on Sky Sport, Dame Susan Devoy talks on her concern for rising sports stars, the state of NZ squash, and the spectre of racism. Dame Susan Devoy is proudly still “a little terrier who fights for the underdog”. “I have been doing it all my life and ...
Of the huge funding boost coming for early childhood education, Playcentre has been left with just the crumbs, writes Kate Barber. Amidst all the celebration of the $430m funding boost for early childhood education (ECE) announced in this year’s budget, little attention was paid to the plight of Playcentre. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vikrant Minhas, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Although bacteria are single-celled and microscopically small, they still need energy to survive, just like us. One of the most efficient ways of acquiring energy for bacteria is through sweet, soluble carbohydrates: sugars. In fact, ...
PACIFIC PANDEMIC DIARY:By David Robie Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd’s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week. The Boston Globe’s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “Make ...
Are central bankers jealous that epidemiologists are the rock stars of the current crisis?There is talk that both the British and New Zealand central banks might institute negative interest rates as part of the policy response to the Covid shock. While Sweden’s central bank ended its five year experiment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Sarder, Senior Strategic Analyst, Monash University Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to do good. From identifying priority areas for first response after an earthquake hits, to identifying those at risk of COVID-19 within minutes, their application has proven hugely beneficial. But ...
LISTEN: This week's Extra Time podcast discusses racism in sport and the role of athletes and organisations in making a stand for good. Former Silver Fern and Black Fern Louisa Wall believes today's sports stars must have a social conscience and stand up against discrimination and divisiveness. Sport and politics, once ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Thomas, Associate professor, Flinders University We have seen ten days of protests in the United States over the death of George Floyd. While thousands of people have gathered to express their outrage peacefully, some demonstrations have been marred by vandalism and ...
40 percent of millennials have one, and an increasing number of GenXers and Baby Boomers do too. Two Cents' Worth delves into the world of side hustles. ...
Auckland writer Caroline Barron has a terrific book out today called Ripiro Beach: A Memoir of Life After Near Death. Here, she writes about the memoirs that have been a balm, a lesson, or both. Throughout my life, I’ve sought solace between the covers of books, particularly memoirs. There, I’ve learnt ...
An exclusive interview with Steve McSteverson about his traumatic and tragic ordeal this week.Many New Zealanders are struggling with the news that a children’s book not commissioned or authorised by Jacinda Ardern was advertised in a newsletter for children’s books. This horrific attack on New Zealanders whose ears are permanently ...
Air New Zealand staff are dismayed and angered at the company’s announcement to cut a further $150 million from their wage bill. On Friday, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran, made the announcement to employees, who are still ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr. Bodean Hedwards, Lecturer, Monash University This week the leaders of India and Australia reaffirmed their mutual interest in closer diplomatic and economic ties. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during their long-delayed Thursday “virtual summit”: ...
The Herald reported this morning that MediaWorks was on the verge of selling its TV assets to US TV giant Discovery – but an internal email and senior source suggest the story may have been premature.A senior MediaWorks source has emphatically denied a report in the NZ Herald that a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gery Karantzas, Associate professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University Life in lockdown has been tough on many relationships. But negotiating the transition back to “normal” as restrictions continue to lift could also be a challenge for couples. So what ...
A slight bounce in the economy is brightening the outlook as the country heads into the winter months, Radio NZ reports. Retail spending is up and NZ shares rose on Thursday for a third day running. Key indicators have led some economists to point to a faster recovery than expected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide HomeBuilder is a good idea gone bad. It is possibly the most complex and least equitable program the government could have devised to deliver construction jobs. It gives $25,000 to people who already ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Keller, Professor of Cognitive Science, Western Sydney University The coronavirus pandemic has silenced the world’s concert halls and opera theatres. Organisations specialising in live performance face an existential crisis under current restrictions on social gatherings, with up to 75% of people ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson, wearing his Sport and Recreation ministerial hat, can show he can be a big spender and draw voters’ attention to his largess each time he dispenses money from the funds under his control – or the control of an agency within his ministerial bailiwick. Yesterday he ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Scott Morrison wants to overhaul the skills workforce to ensure a better post-COVID-19 recovery. But there may not be enough people with the necessary skills to do so. And travel restrictions, which ...
As we transition out of a Covid-focused world and prepare for what comes next, New Zealand’s ICT industry is gearing towards growth.From app development helping track the Covid-19 virus to website engineering keeping businesses in touch and online, ICT knowledge has been crucial to keeping New Zealand working over the ...
Analysis: As New Zealand eases restrictions, it no longer has international precedent to look towards and must decide on its own how to reopen the economy while reducing the risk of a second wave of infections, Marc Daalder reports While most of the country eagerly awaits a likely move to ...
Ten days is too long. That from insurance claimant advocate, Ali Jones. EQC has today made contact with homeowners via email after accidentally releasing confidential details of 8000 insurance claims on May 26. Jones says although she has not received ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin Classics, $24)Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. The other day, ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. The conversation around the 2020 covid19 pandemic has been widely framed as ‘health versus the economy’. It has been quite political, with people leaning to the left emphasising ‘health’, and people leaning to the right emphasising ‘the economy’. A couple of weeks ago ...
Sam Brooks pays tribute to Alex Rider, and the new TV series that (finally) captures the spirit of the books.“What if James Bond was a teenager?”The concept for Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series is so simple but so brilliant. There’s a reason why the franchise has managed to sustain 12 ...
Analysis - The PM resists pressure to move immediately to level 1, Winston Peters' tactics play into the hands of the Opposition and the government at last works out a commercial rent solution, writes Peter Wilson. ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHAFrom Washington DC Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHA Editorial TeamFrom Washington DC The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) joins the Black Alliance for Peace[1] and other pro-democracy organizations throughout the world in calling for the United Nations to address the systemic violations of human rights by the police and ...
Being shot by police had a profound, transformational effect on Rob Mokaraka’s life in more ways than you’d expect. A new documentary, airing on Māori TV at 7.30pm on Sunday, explores the work he’s done to heal his own mind and to ensure nobody has to go through the same ...
Human rights watchdog TAPOL has condemned the demand by Indonesian prosecutors seeking 17 and five years imprisonment for West Papuan activists Buchtar Tabuni and Irwanus Uropmabin. On June 2, the Jayapura District Prosecutor’s Office issued 33 pages containing charges against the defendant Irwanus Uropmabin. In the document, the Public Prosecutor ...
The arrival of Dan Carter is far from the first time the ever-struggling Auckland team has hoped to turn around its fortunes with a star signing, writes Jamie Wall.New Zealand rugby Twitter is a generally desolate place, especially lately given that there’s been nothing to talk about ever since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity US President Donald Trump delivered an address this week in which he threatened military action on the nation. Then he walked to the nearby St John’s Episcopal Church ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Why do we burp? We sometimes also burp before meals, why does this happen? — Ahaana, age 7 That is a really interesting question, Ahaana! There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland After years of litigation, Australia’s highest court will today make a major decision on the fate of the controversial proposed expansion to the New Acland Coal mine in Queensland. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Williams, Associate Professor in Urban Ecology and Urban Horticulture, University of Melbourne Tomorrow is the first World Green Roof Day. Cities around the world will celebrate the well-documented environmental, economic and social benefits of green roofs. New ground-level green spaces are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Robodebt isn’t the only measure the government should consider withdrawing. Late last Friday, after a long press conference from the prime minister which avoided any mention of the topic, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Harvard University’s Alberto Alesina died suddenly of a heart attack on May 23. He was 63. His long-time colleague and friend Larry Summers wrote that before him, “there was no academic field of political economy. Today, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University What keeps democracies together? As America burns, Brazilians die and Europe braces for another wave of the coronavirus, the question assumes an alarming immediacy. If the answer is complicated in one way, it is ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Millions of dollars divvied up by Sport NZ, MSD’s problem with wrongly denied payments grows, and internal coalition battles emerge in time for election.It’s Friday, and there hasn’t been a lot of it recently, so we’re going to start with ...
The Government picks Waitomo caves as 'strategic tourism asset' and grants $4m to Tourism Holdings, boosting shares another 7.8 percent. Facebook staff and alumni revolt over Zuckerberg's inaction on Trump ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan NZ bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias.NON-FICTION 1 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55) 2 Stop Surviving Start Fighting by Jazz Thornton (Penguin Random House, $38) 3 So Delish! by Simone Anderson ...
Anomalies in the policy for superannuitants with overseas pensions are an indictment on the justice process in New Zealand, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale Along with many others, the Retirement Policy and Research Centre has worked assiduously for more than a decade to alert the public, policy-makers ...
A new study indicates native plants, despite their tendency to grow more slowly than exotic species like Pinus Radiata, are better at storing carbon in the soil for longer periods of time. ...
Systemic white violence against black Americans is alive and well, and it's white violence that sustains white supremacy Current scenes from the United States are both familiar and shocking. George Floyd’s life being brutally snuffed out by Minneapolis police, followed by peaceful protests of Floyd’s murder as well as legitimate ...
The US isn't the only country with a broken criminal justice system that works to criminalise and destroy the lives of black and brown families. Dylan Asafo puts forward two ways NZ could lead in dismantling systems of white supremacy. If you were to imagine a society without racial oppression, ...
The British Tribe Next Door attracted over 60 complaints of racist themes from viewers when it first aired in the UK. Now TVNZ is streaming it on its OnDemand service attracting concerns from members of Aotearoa’s African community and a letter from race relations commissioner Meng Foon.When The British Tribe ...
When approached by The Spinoff Jeanette Wilson denied having told participants in an online session that the product ‘lined the lungs’, despite clear evidence to the contrary.The Covid-19 crisis has sparked misinformation in every corner of the world. In New Zealand, a “psychic healer” whose fixations read like a conspiracy ...
The union movement launched a push earlier this week to double the legal minimum of sick leave from five days a year to 10. Is a change likely?What’s all this then?In light of the recent global pandemic putting the focus on health in the workplace, unions have called for changes ...
An African American pastor from George Floyd's community gives The Detail a special insight into what's happening there - and gives us hope for the future. “Nobody in America wants to be a racist.” David Hill is a pastor in the Third Ward neighbourhood of Houston where George Floyd grew ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When Ken Wyatt, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, last week effectively pronounced dead the prospect of a referendum on indigenous recognition being put to the people this parliamentary term, the demise of his hoped-for timetable ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government will significantly strengthen its scrutiny of foreign investment to protect sensitive national security technology and information and further ring fence the nation’s critical infrastructure. It will insert a new “national security test” ...
Open mike 22/11/2011 
The 60 Years of New Zealand Television celebrations, such as they were, seemed to rely heavily on the classics: here we go again with Lynn of Tawa, A Week of It and the Country Calendar spoofs. Wonderful highlights of our televisual past, to be sure, but after hearing Paul Holmes’ ...2 hours ago
The Two Americas Collide: You gotta love the Americans marching for George Floyd and the fragile promises of the US Constitution. But, you also gotta keep your eye on the pale rider in the White House, and understand that behind him Hell follows.THE FRAGILITY of democracy’s promise is becoming clearer ...9 hours ago
Oliver Twist, famously asked for ‘more’. He did not challenge the system of workhouses – Dickens did – nor the authority of Beadle Bumble. He was only nine. I am often struck how critics of the current income maintenance system are like Oliver Twist. They ask for more, but they ...22 hours ago
New Zealand’s history as a sheep-farming nation means the command “Get in behind!” has long had a particular resonance — but not usually for journalists. However, in late March, as panic over the coronavirus pandemic surged around the world, Dr Gavin Ellis — former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald — ...23 hours ago
When the New Zealand Police started using Armed Response Teams - gangs of heavily-armed police cruising Māori-Pacifica neighbourhoods in juiced-up gun-trucks - they told us it was a "trial". But it turns out that those armed police - who were mainly doing traffic stops and bail checks, rather than the ...1 day ago
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The Trump administration, after less than one full first term, has every likelihood of being adjudged the most anti-climate, anti-science, and anti-environment executive branch in U.S. history. With numerous high-level Trump nominees having cut their teeth as lobbyists with major polluting industries, the administration ...1 day ago
Another study comparing effect in children from nonendemic areas (Dagang) and endemic fluorosis area (Jinghai) about 80km apart in the Tianjin area of China. Hardly sampling the same population. Anti-fluoride campaigners still use studies from ... 2 days ago
George Thomson, Nick Wilson, Richard Edwards This blog discusses the passing of the Smoke-free Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Act last week. We briefly review some lessons from this legislation’s long journey and explore future smokefree possibilities in Aotearoa / New Zealand. A law ...2 days ago
Bernard Hickey is one of New Zealand’s leading financial journalists. His latest article, published by Newsroom, lays bare the cruel treatment of hundreds of thousands of workers stranded since the lockdown. Our Prime Minister is lauded overseas for her compassion, but her Cabinet is refusing to properly support tens of ...3 days ago
For a good part of my adult life I have studied civil-military relations. I have studied authoritarian and democratic variants, and I have studied them across countries and regions. I have also worked in and with several US security agencies and have lectured on the theme at a number of ...3 days ago
by The Spark “The system is broken”—the words of a young black man in Minneapolis watching flames destroy a police precinct demonstrators had torched. Broken? Yes, it is! What else could you say about a system whose police for nine minutes casually knelt on a black man’s neck, watching until ...4 days ago
Minneapolis Police StationIf you’ve been keeping an eye on recent events in the United States, you’ll likely understand why there’s so much anger on the streets at the moment. Not only did police officers murder another black man; it is patently obvious that authorities initially attempted to cover up George ...4 days ago
Like the rest of the world, I have been aghast at what I have seen of, and read and heard about, what is happening currently in the United States. It seems incredible that a once great country should be suffering the worst effects and the highest number of deaths worldwide ...5 days ago
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Whilst Key and Goff jibed at one another about how they were going to improve the lot of ordinary NZers last night other events were occuring that will make eithers wishes impossible. Whilst Goff clearly expressed a more cogent and less venal BAU position, BAU just wont be possible.
Those who watch the markets will have noted that despite the forced casino optomism on Wall St and the money escaping the financial meltdown that is Europe stocks have dipped below the years starting point. Worldwide governments dont have the cash to pay the interest on their bonds, default is going to be the song they sing (or sell state assets a la Key). More importantly the false “recovery” and demand over supply sees oil going back through the $100 mark, that despite consumer demand falling off badly. Indicating there is definitely a lot less able to be pumped. All up the party is well over.
For us what does it mean? Who ever wins the election is in deep do dos, and Key will answer by selling the silver and locking the chest. A vote for National is a gauranteed way to keep your tax cut, lose your job and to watch your share in NZ sold to your new masters.
More so now with the latest comments out of China suggesting that they’ll be looking after their own economy thanks very much and not bailing out the USA or Eu.
But how is China going to have an economy without Western markets for their niknaks – isn’t global capitalism a big loop?
Uke and HS both got it right, its a big inter related loop. When one counttry gets a cold the contagion follows.
And what is going to happen when China starts “looking after its own” and then the US govt starts defaulting on its China-owned debt (this must become a popular policy there eventually): World War III?
Bored.
Absolutely right!
I now prefer the term DAU (disaster as usual) instead of BAU (business as usual) to describe current economic, social and environmental arrangements, though the term BAU will undoubtedly be used for quite a while yet.
This morning must have been something of a shock to anyone who has heavily invested in DAU, what with the Dow down 2.56% (in numerical terms around what it was in 1999, and in inflation-adjusted terms down by around 70% over the decade); oil down due to the severe demand destruction that is a consequence of collapsing economies; even gold down! (something of a mystery -but then the price is clearly being manipulated): so much ‘hot money’ and nowhere for it to go as so-called investment managers alternate between chasing higher returns and safety. Asia-Pacific markets are in for a bumpy ride.
Meanwhile, everything that people need to pay for to survive in the NZ province of the global industrial catastrophe just keeps going up -rates, insurance, energy costs, food. And the fall in the Kiwi dollar will result in a surge in prices for most imported goods. Anyone who failed to heed the numerous warnings about establishing a food supply will soon be in deep trouble.
The entire system, which is predicated on fraudulent creation of money and exploitation of people and resources, hit the wall when global oil extraction hit peak over 2005 to 2008. The Earth has LESS and LESS to give but we still have maniacs in charge who demand MORE and MORE. And an uniformed populace that thinks it is entitled to more and more.
Since all political parties are offering their own versions of a ‘better, brighter future’ based on various delusions about economic growth we will witness a magnificent COLLISION WITH REALITY which will play out extremely badly for the vast majority of people over the coming year or so. As Dr Colin Cambell (co-founder of ASPO) said many years ago: If you don’t deal with reality reality will deal with you.
‘A vote for National is a gauranteed way to keep your tax cut, lose your job and to watch your share in NZ sold to your new masters.’
I agree on the ‘lose your job’ and ‘watch your share of assets sold to your new masters’ aspects but I suspect people will not keep their tax cuts: any incoming government is likely to raise taxes (either directly or indirectly) to prevent a fairly instantaneous implosion of its finances. And in doing so will cause one. In other words, orthodox economics offers no way out of the hole we are in because orthodox economics is what created the hole we are in.
A while ago you said you realised people were not listening to what you had to say and you turned your attention instead to preparing yourself. What was this preparation?
Uturn, that is a very pertinent question so a quick answer on behalf of AFKTT:
1. Quit as much debt as possible, preferably be freehold or low cost rent, kill the credit card.
2. Learn to live within your means, start substituting wants with real needs.
3. Learn to trade your skills with others for needs, learn to grow food.
In other words do what your grandparents did without thinking.
From a government viewpoint the trick is the same, pay off/ reneg on debt, balance trade accounts, balance tax versus expenditure. And most importantly make sure that the infrastructure required for the new low energy economy is owned by the state, and people trained with real life skills that can be converted into real economic output (as opposed to accounting / lawyering / speculating).
U.
1. I got out of the big city I was living in and moved to a small one (couldn’t get to where I wanted to be due to financial constriants).
2. I established an orchard and started working on improving soil quality for other food production.
3. I installed some passive solar.
4. I cut my expenseses. I still have a car but normally only drive about 20km a week. Most of the time I cycle or walk -very unfashionable. I am in the process of disengaging from the consumer society.
Anyone who has read this:
http://www.publishme.co.nz/shop/theeasyway-p-684.html
will understand exactly where we are headed and what to do.
Thanks, Bored and AFKTT. Apart from establising an orchard, seems we’ve arrived at the same conclusions from different approaches. My route has been a bit less organised – I followed my nose along a trail of things that either looked right or wrong when compared to the reality of the life I’d lived. I left the country to come back to the city for financial reasons. Co-incidentally my country skills – or what Bored refers to as grandparent skills – naturally recreated what they knew worked, in an urban environment.
There is a serious flaw to this existence as far as prescribing it to others goes, that I’m sure you are aware of, though. There is no way urban environments can support the density of population, without major shifts in the idea of land use and ownership. Sure urban and community gardens are a good start to get people thinking in a larger perspective, but eventually the limitations will be clear. It’s a domino effect of enlightenment for people who begin thinking and reality isn’t appeased by a few potatoes growing in a bag on the balcony. This is just one of many problems.
While I could shoot back out to the country and dig in, I plan to stick it out here a while longer and see what happens and what practical solutions emerge for the urban question. There may be none. Urban people are strange (no offence intended) or should I say their actions display a wildly different perspective to mine. While Vege World, The Aussie Butcher and the supermarket exist and while credit is being plied, few will understand that working 9-5 in an office and paying your taxes isn’t the “real world” at all. Bridging the gap is a challenge in the extreme, but then nothing is easy. Realism says there is no point, I’ll wait a while longer for a miracle. Best of luck to you both with your plans.
I’ve seen a lot of people write Kevin Moore’s views off as insanity, but having now read (all of) The Easy Way, it’s clear the statements are based on fact and the conclusions are solid.
I was disappointed that he invoked the controversy over 9/11 in support of his arguments. Not because I think the “official story” is correct – I don’t, far from it – but because in the minds of many this will automatically put Moore in the “tinfoil hat” category, and the rest of the book will be tarred with that brush.
But I do see his points, and I do agree that everything is going to turn to shit – possibly not as soon as he makes out (society does have the ability to adjust to a degree), but over time, it’s obvious that that’s how things will go. I’ve given the book to friends of mine to read, and some of them have said “yes but technology and innovation will get us out of it, don’t worry.” Let’s say they have much more faith in that than I do.
I plan to start some preparations myself, although I’m now locked into a mortgage on an asset with declining value, which makes things difficult – and makes me a slave. Thankfully that’s the only debt I have, and I have a small amount of land on which to “experiment” with growing my own veges etc. Ideally, though, I’d like to get some land out the back-end of nowhere and set myself up permanently before dropping off the grid.
So much easier said than done, though. And that’s the way “they” want it.
I do believe those are the first specific courses of action I’ve seen you advocate here.
They seem fairly reasonable. I was half-imagining you sitting in a fallout shelter in the wilderness.
Would not mind the fall out shelter as a garden shed……chicken coop perhaps. Uturn makes a good point that you cant do everything, that urban life makes food independence etc impossible. Actually social capital is the best investment going forward, you cant be an island. Suppose that is why we dont just give up on politics per se, it is the macro form of social organisation to deliver our needs.
Lots here.
http://blog.opensourceecology.org/
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Main_Page
AFKTT it is all very commendable the measures you have taken, to protect your family’s future.
I don’t think your efforts will be enough. The collapse threatens to be so vast and all encompassing that individualistic solutions will be crushed and swept aside, along with everything else.
For the vast majority of the population, (here and overseas), who don’t have the luxury of being able to buy even the smallest viable landholding out in the country, one way or another we will not take the DAU lying down.
This may sound ominous and threatening to some, but for more than A Few of us, we have not completely given up on civil society just yet.
There is still hope for a genuine democratically decided – ‘best outcome’, for the greatest number.
Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou, Ake! Ake! Ake!
I like “we have not completely given up on civil society just yet. There is still hope for a genuine democratically decided – ‘best outcome’, for the greatest number.”
What I suspect will happen is that if the current democratic institutions fail to meet muster new democratic institutions that are fit for purpose will replace them. And I cant quite see the established property based interests playing ball nicely, they are likely to be the first to eject popular democracy as too injurious to their privileges. Forceful ejection may be required. To quote Cromwell, “You have sat too long for all the good that you have done. Begone.”
Bored, afktt, U
Much the same here.
I have downsized from 17 acres to 1/4 acre and moved to a small coastal town where I no longer have to travel to do the things I enjoy. I now enjoy a much better lifestyle. Much better food, and a farmers market where I get to meet and know the people who grow the food I am unable to.
Like you I watch the machinations of DAU (I like that and shall steal it! 🙂 ) with increasing dismay as the greed of the players pushes the world towards the collapse of civilisation as it is now perceived. What the world will be like when my grandchildren are of age I shudder o think.
The creation of New Zealand’s Cooperative Bank – the PSIS has registered as a bank – has gone unremarked here so far.
http://www.psis.co.nz
Moving your accounts to a NZ owned bank such as Kiwi Bank, the TSB or the Cooperative Bank is one of the few direct and painless ways to impact New Zealand’s private indebtedness. David Cunliffe has identified that $2.5 billion leaves the New Zealand economy each year in profits to Australian banks.
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/tax-changes-make-sense-says-labour/1113674/
The more people who stop using foreign owned banks the better. Foreign ownership of our businesses is bad for our economy and our society.
I had a spell with Kiwibank and found the whole process terrible (sorry). The customer service was very poor, so much so they managed to forget to pay the ASB the mortgage money for our home when we were transferring to Kiwibank.
It took several calls to the banking ombudsman to sort the issue – did the one year fixed rate and promptly went back to the original provider, who is sadly Aussie owned.
I have had an account with TSB for years – and never had any problems – even though I live well away from New Plymouth and have visited there only once in the past 40+ years. They are only a free phone call away if I need to speak to someone and everything else is done online or occassional deposit thru a Postshop.
Using Kiwibank for a business account, great service, but they seem very risk averse in their lending so I doubt I’d try to finance anything through them.
When? I know when they first opened they were a… little immature I suppose would be the best description. They seem to have gotten better since my first opening of an account there.
They have. I opened a business account there when they first started and it was underwhelming, but improved as time went on. A few years ago I started some personal banking with them and it’s fine – easily as good as other banks I’ve used. But yeah, Joe90 is right about being risk averse… however given the banking meltdown in the last few years that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
To all Epsom voters.
Want to substantially reduce hypocricy in politics? Want to rid Parliament of a collection of mysoginists, liars and supposed perk busters who instead have feasted in the public trough? Want to get rid of a party that harboured in its ranks an MP who had previously stole the identity of a dead baby?
Then vote Paul Goldsmith as MP for Epsom! (Feck did I just say that?)
You may find a few like minded folk here, Mickey:
https://www.facebook.com/hipstersforgoldsmith
Why have I got an email invitation latish last night from Mediaworks to answer a survey so they “can better tailor our prizes, content and advertising mix to your preferences.”?
I am not aware of having registerd at any of their websites, and the email went to an address that I don’t use on website forums, logins etc.
Wondering the same thing, Carol.
Could be youtube. If you view youtube while signed into gmail their tracking system has your information and now shares it. I see that they are pushing advertising by making a viewer answer a survey question before they allow the chosen video to play. So much for the much espoused online freedom. Looks like the internet will eventually collapse under the wieght of it’s own self interest.
or u could use Orbit downloader to download the ackshull video u want to watch
Eh? What’s the connection between Mediaworks and Google/Youtube?
Skynet bro skynet
Youtube assigns advertising to match your location – you won’t get American ad’s if you dial in from Auckland. The questions you answer to view are collated for NZ advertisers, not Americans or anyone else. Mediaworks are just one client. Youtube knows your email address if you visit there while you are signed into your Google account/blogger or anything else Google owned. If you have forwarding enabled on your gmail, your other email addresses will be accessible. If you back up your Google password with an alternative email address or a phone number, you hand over that information. They ask you for backups for security reasons, but money gets the last word. It’s just Google walking in Facebook’s shoes, one step behind to stay legal, but still unethical.
And the major intelligence services have software consoles which extract all info from Facebook etc. These consoles are built right into the software by Facebook etc, for various gov agencies. They are not add-ons.
They like the fact that you friend people, tell them up to date info on where you’ve been, provide details of the networks of contacts you talk to, photos of places and people important to you etc.
Basically you are doing all their work for them.
Yep. Genuinely random spam is pretty rare – it isn’t cost effective.
The email address that the survey invitation was sent to, was not one I use for online forums, facebook, twitter etc. It’s not a gmail addie either. And I haven’t logged into youtube for months. So I’m not sure what triggered it.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/FB-tracks-sites-you-visit-even-after-logging-off/articleshow/10810818.cms
Seems unlikely that it would be sent from a mediaworks.co.nz email address if that were the case.
“Why have I got an email invitation latish last night from Mediaworks to answer a survey so they “can better tailor our prizes, content and advertising mix to your preferences.”?”
I got the same thing! I did wonder if I had signed up at one stage, but on reflection I am sure I didn’t…
Did you answer? Be interesting to look for “curious” questions. Go through the questions but quit before final send.
Good idea, ianmac. Answered with BS selections till I got to the agree to terms and conditions page. Just a lot of question about household, job, income, credit/loyalty cards, hobbies, cars/transport, TV and Internet use…. sky, pay per viewing….
All these companies asking us to complete surveys should be more honest…. it’s not to make things better for customers so much, as ultimately being about increasing or maintaining their profits. Mediaworks is offering entering a draw for prizes for completing the survey. We should send them an invoice for helping their business.
“Just a lot of question about household, job, income, credit/loyalty cards, hobbies, cars/transport, TV and Internet use…. sky, pay per viewing….”
Interestingly, the survey assumes that you *do* in fact watch TV 3 and 4 on demand, something I have never done. I don’t watch TV3 at all, but for the news, which I have watched only twice in the past 7 weeks! It also assumes that you do want pay per view, and gives no options such as “I’d sooner crawl over broken glass”. I don’t watch American programming, although Prime is the only way to avoid it.
I will turn back on the comment auto remember of names, emails, and websites as well as the wsiwyg comment editor. These all have problems with the cache system I had to put on last night to cope with the load after the debate.
These will all move to using client side JavaScript, which has problems with a few people’s systems, but works with the majority. It doesn’t have issues with cached names and preferences for other people being sent from the server. The code was written and tested last year so I just have to extract it from subversion.
I have the next couple of days off from work so I can help with eDay stuff for several electorates. So this will be lower on the priority list than that.
If you want to avoid all of this, then register and use a login (or just use a login if you have one already). That serves up pages for each logged in user individually.
Goff’s dilemma highlighted by the debate:
– Peters says he won’t go into goverment with anyone
– Labour has to have NZF support to have any chance of leading a coalition
– Goff needs Peters to go against his word to have any chance of going into government
Another Peters post election betrayal is Goff’s only chance.
As Goff said numerous times last night, the Election has not happened yet,
Maybe we wait for the Voters to present the actual situation,
then you can have your aneurism
Before they present the situation voters need to evaluate the likely possibilities and decide.
Labour almost certainly would need NZ First to govern, which means Peters would need to exchange his word for baubles.
or you could try thinking for yourself and ignore the propoganda of manipulative politicians whose self interested actions show up the hypocrisy of every single agreement ever made under MMP.
Let us vote, then let us have MMP for once.
If it really does not deliver a better government FOR ALL NEW ZEALANDERS
then go ahead and have your manipulative agreements, your delusional bindings of confidence and supply, your saccharine soaked empty phrases that mean less than the good behaviour promises of a toddler at Christmas.
Voters have asked for MMP , let them see how it might actually work, just once.
Dump the defacto FPP and let NZ have a representative parliament that they voted for.
Bingo.
There really shouldn’t be a “government” there should just be parliament with the whole lot voting on policy based upon the facts. Would probably need to vote in the president separate of the general election if we got that though.
I remember in the past you lamenting the ‘negative’ approach of Labour, but it seems to me that you are being very negative about Goff (and Peters) in your recent comments. Perhaps you should take your own advice and take a positive approach in getting support for UF?
When it comes down to it, it is starting to get a bit pointless to speculate about possible governments. Let’s all just wait until Saturday and see what the numbers are.
Haha.
UF’s dilemma:
– Dunne has unequivocally hitched his star to Key
– Key’s a phoney and a lightweight with nothing left in the tank
– People seem to be noticing that they’ve been sold a bill of goods
lolz
Except that:
– a majority people disagree with you about Key
– National have proven to be a reliable government (mostly) through an exceptionally difficult term, and
– UF has proven to be a reliable contributior to government.
pfft.
– We’ll see
– Difficult because the government has no interest in governing
– UF has proven to be a sinecure for Dunne and Ohariu has had enough of it.
Unbalanced Follicles
Useless Fakehairs
Pityrosporum folliculitis?
go and peddle your bullshit somewhere else trollwhore
your endless crap today is pissing me off
PG
Disunited No-future has never been anying other than a bunch of opportunistic clowns who are completely disconneced from reality and have nothing to offer.
‘UF has proven to be a reliable contributior to government’
Have been a reliable contributor to wrecking the next generation’s future via Disaster As Usual economics.
And that’s what UF are offering this time round, is it not?
We in the Ohariu electorate recently received a pamphlet from Peter Dunne. Unfortunately I threw it out or I’d link a picture, but it had absolutely no policy information: Just a bunch of quotes from various people and publications about how wonderful Peter Dunne is.
Pretty sure you could haul-up similar information from sympathetic sources on practically any MP you like.
Let’s not forget National are all about shrinking the public service, and the Ohariu electorate has the highest percentage of public service workers in the country. And they’re not stupid: They know a vote for Dunne is a vote for Key, and I’d bet they’re not willing to risk losing their jobs so The Hair can make a return to parliament.
Policy evidently isn’t all that important to United Future. And why would it be? UF has thrown its lot in with National whose policies are deeply unpopular. If Bill English was leader of the Nats they wouldn’t have a hope in hell at this election with the policies they have. It’s entirely reliant on Brand Key. And Peter Dunne isn’t closely enough associated with Brand Key to get the votes he needs, so he’s got to rely on bullshit quotes of positive opinion from whatever source he find.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel, eh?
The United Future pamphlet doesn’t fit that decription at all. It details four key policies:
– reform tax for middle income families
– a sensible super scheme with choice of age (Labour said they are considering this)
– access to all New Zealanders to our outdoors
– limit asset sales
There is no excuse to be ignorant of it, there is plenty of detail on the website, on vote.co.nz and UF policy is being detailed and compared on many media election sites. Saying there is no policy evident is blatant misrepresentation or deliberate lies.
There is more chance of United Future policy being implemented next term than Labour policy, Mana policy, NZF policy and Green policy.
We’re definitely not talking about the same pamphlet then. This particular pamphlet was clearly campaigning for the electorate seat, so it may not have gone out to all electorates.
I love how you respond to me telling me I have “no excuses” to be ignorant of UF policy, Pete, but don’t touch with a barge pole my many other comments about the hollowness of the party and their leader.
Choosing your arguments is all well and good, but what you choose to remain silent on says much more about UF and their “Fairness and Choice (as long as you’re like us and do what we want you to)” policies than the points you choose to argue.
I note, however, that UF’s flagship Income Sharing tax policy – which can be found at http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/assets/Income%20Sharing.pdf – goes into no detail whatsoever about how the scheme would be funded. If you’re going to tax (your definition of) families less, who’s picking up the tab for that?
Key’s already ruled out more tax cuts anyway.
I don’t know who UF thinks they’re kidding with this income splitting for taxation purposes.
I don’t know if you saw my question to you the other day – at number 8 in the UF list, what percentage of vote would be needed to get you into parliament?
Wrong, it’s more tax reform for the rich. Their income splitting will only benefit the rich exactly the same as the tax cuts that NAct put through. Nobody else will be better off.
Sensible would be one that worked and this one won’t. Neither will Labours’. You need resources to be able to maintain society and all parties are all about using up the resources ASAP so that we can have more piles of
nothingmoney.And what, exactly, does that mean?
I can already go outdoors, I can go to the beach and the stream. Probably can’t eat the shellfish or go swimming in the stream though as they’ve either been poisoned by industrialism/farming or over fished. Thing is, I’m sure UF is one of those parties that want to continue the destructive ways (more industrialism, farming and over fishing) that have been built up over the last few centuries and are now brining us to an anthropogenic Extinction Level Event.
Rather than doing the rational thing and opposing asset sales altogether. Why would anyone want to vote for a party that is obviously insane?
DTB could not agree with you re income splitting. Lab has been at pains regarding “A fairer tax” yet how is it that IRD regard the calc of tax by the individual and welfare/benefits by family unit. So what for all those families that have made sacrifices to enable a stay at home parent (Many actively involved in NPO and child care/school help that the community and society benefit from). How is it fair on these family units? Taxed to the max.
And your concern regarding only benefiting the rich is a lazy generalisation, that if such a concerns exists can be managed by placing a limit on the amount to be split. It is not difficult to manage, just needs a little will power.
Yet in the handout Lab is campaiging for the choice (with govt financial assistance) for this same position of allowing parents to stay at home, pity the sentiment is not made regarding poor and middle class families as well.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2011/11/labour-is-the-nasty-party-ctd-19/
There is one word to describe United Future and – dare I say it – all of it’s supporters, and it’s… beige.
I’ve done my little bit to help Charles smash Dunne this year. Fingers crossed.
Peter dunne has been in coalition with Wiston Peters twice now
People voting with their feet record numbers leave for Australia
Anyone else been to that OnTheFence.co.nz website? Seems to be giving an interesting bias – this from Twitter:
– John: Did that stupid on the fence thing. United Future 88%? WHAT AND MANA?. GET OUT.
– Charlotte Yee: LOL just did onthefence.co.nz I think it’s rigged my “top 3 parties” are labour, united future and mana… #really?
– Beth: I did that dumb on the fence sheep game and I got 19% United Future as my top match.
– Naly_D: according to http://onthefence.co.nz my best-suited political party is United Future (20%). Because, y’know, I’m 50.
– l•x•ndr•: @lethifolds I’ll be surprised if you don’t get told to vote for United Future lolol prove me wrong
– NICOLE C: @Naly_D I got 50% United Future …. Could it be bias ahaha
– Michael Parry: Has anyone got a result other than United Future on onthefence.co.nz ????
– Moata Tamaira @Michael_J_Parry @librarykris I got United Future too…which I found a bit odd.
– Lisa Rapley: @Naly_D I got united future too, then Labour then Mana. I just don’t even…
– Katherine Chisholm: Just played http://onthefence.co.nz. Where did United Future come from??
– Frazer Skinner: @Naly_D Who published the site? UF 97%, Labour 55%, Mana 39% Um.. no thanks
Does everyone secretly love United Future or is there something else in play here?
Haha, I did it, got a bit bored so exited early.
Apparently my top 3 choices are UF at 5%, Labour and Greens at 2%.
Considering I answered almost all left-leaning on every single question…
Me too, got bored so completed less than half of the topics and scored 11% towards UF so I’d say the site is a jack up by United Follicular.
@Pete G 9.37am
“National have proven to be a reliable government….”. for whom – themselves???
UF is a ‘thin- ice skating on’ party. What a strange party to choose to represent Pete G.- and even worse, by choosing them, have to support National just to get into office ( only this time hopefully not). There must be a better way to spend your life????
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/school-faces-closure-after-funding-change-4555829
This is the school that Key used before the 2008 election…. They even made a dvd here blah blah blah
Now theyre closing it.It costs $150k a year to keep running.
85 % success rate for troubled kids
Awesome coverage last night before the leaders debate on the news but has obviously been overlooked
Im disgusted places like this will be forced to close
I have a nephew in Christchurch who attends a school like this and theyre also facing the chop
He has come so far and all the hard work will be in vain
Enough is a fuking nuff
This pissass bunch called National doint give a fuck about anyone but their tory assed schools and mates
The Peoples Union Health clinic in Newtown, Wellington is facing closure, the DHB is going to take $300,000 of funding away from them. This is a vital service for poor people, refugees, new immigrants. Tony Ryall promised no front line cuts in Health, but of course he’s a liar like the rest of that grubby pack of plunderers.
John Key:
Money, assets and resources for me and my mates … but not for you
The implosion of the US continues unabated but the elites hope to delay the day of reckoning by a year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/21/us-automatic-cuts-supercommittee-defeat
Meanwhile Spain gets into deeper trouble
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/21/mariano-rajoy-spain-debt-crisis
There really are too many crises to fit on one page these days.
One thing is for sure: as everything gets worse the blame game will escalate.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/21/gloomy-britons-blame-labour-poll
I am getting freaked out by all the greaseballs on Teevee who think they and only they know the outcome of the election before it has been held.
especially gluon and the dunnycan.
how did New Zealand end up with these manques?
It’s the result of a socio-economic system that rewards psychopathy.
Here is another one for your John Key voting mates:
http://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/six-degrees-of-separation-or-how-close-is-john-key-to-the-key-players-in-the-global-banker-take-over/
newsflash: beenit preparing legislation so all beneficiaries will be told not only how to spend their money but who to vote for.
you heard it hear first.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10765223
that graphic is hilarious. Labour drops 1/2% and loses two of their little red guys. National lose 5% yet don’t lose one of the little blue guys.
Classy stuff by the Herald ! I think not.
A few days of almost being balanced, now back on regular form.
Left-leaning voters should take that as an added incentive to step out, go to the Ballot Box and correct the tory lies perpetrated by the media.
just had a long FB debate with an ‘undecided but leaning to National’ voter who despite admitting they don’t know much about the other parties believes john key will back down on Asset Sales as people don’t want them!
How do you combat a mindset that deluded.?
If John Key wanted to back down on asset sales, he would have done it months or weeks ago before the height of the campaign now. He could have taken out a major aggravating factor to his campaign to cement his hold for the second term.
The reality is he will go the whole hog with asset sales because he is there precisely to advance that agenda to shift the assets and more wealth to his cronies, the puppet masters and himself.
Yep and I’m reasonable certain that they’ll go for 100% sales as well because 49% won’t raise enough (note that Blinglish is reported to have said that they won’t raise as much as expected).
“The reality is he will go the whole hog with asset sales because he is there precisely to advance that agenda to shift the assets and more wealth to his cronies, the puppet masters and himself.”
Exactly Jim N. There can be no other reason for him to sell and risk losing his precious position(even if he eventually wants to go to Hawaii) as very few Kiwis want him to sell. He has been told to ‘asset strip’ in NZ. Wonder who he is working for , ‘cos it sure ain’t New Zealand.
Cyanide or 1080
Fucked if I know. Just had a conversation where the RWNJ (there really is no other description) argued that having less than 40% of the vote (National government in several FPP elections) was democratic and that MMP, where majority actually had their say, was undemocratic.
It’s the mindset of the comfortably self-satisfied “I’ve got mine, and screw the rest”.
Anything that secures an endless inflation of property, rentals, and less wealth to the lower classes.
Conversely:
Christian Heritage aren’t even a registered party to contest the election. Why are they in the poll?
I note that another socialist government in Europe has been consigned to history. The Spanish Socialist party plummeted from 169 seats to 110, their lowest ever representation whilst the conservative Popular Party went from 154 to 186 seats, giving them an absolute majority.
During the last 7 years of socialism, unemployment has reached heights greater than during any previous crisis, with the rate reaching 21.5% in October.
Spain has elected a career politician, who in a previous government failed spectacularly, with a reputation for playing favourites and has failed to articulate any clear plan to voters about how he’ll handle a faltering economy.
http://www.thebadrash.com/2011/11/19/spain-elections-the-view-from-the-edge-of-the-precipice/
The prospect of seeing the PP in power again after 8 years is not a happy one. While I’m no fan of the PSOE (I think I called them ‘the very worst party in Spain’ at one point, though I can’t find a link), my suspicion is that before long many who loathe the Socialists will remember how much more they loathed the PP last time they governed.
Such reminds me of the 1990 election here. The majority were really pissed off with Labour and so National got back in power but the truth is that nobody wanted National either it’s just that there wasn’t a whole lot of choice.
The socialists were doing the austerity that the Spaniards didn’t want and the new party is going to do the same thing. They’ll try to vote them (PP) out next term but, again, they won’t actually get any choice as to what actually happens in their country.
To be honest that’s what I reckon is happening in this election. No one really wants National even many National supporters aren’t particularly happy with them they just don’t see much choice.
That’s basically why I don’t think Labour’s strategy of attacking National has been a good one. Noone is that stoked with National anyway but just attacking doesn’t automatically make you the viable alternative.
Labour released policy, costings and a vision for the future and then pointed out that National weren’t doing too well in the trust. Breaking promises, ruling for the few at the top and not addressing the problems that the GFC had caused.
I think it’s hit home for a lot of people – now just need them to vote.
Not sure anyone goes back and looks at prior days open mikes but oh well.
I agree Labour have released policy – it was even policy that many people prefered to Nationals. However they have chosen to not really focus on their own policy instead their entire campaign has been based on attacking National and its policy.
It’s a valid strategy but I can’t help thinking that had they actually done what they originally said they were going to do and keep the election about the policy (but make it about their policies not Nationals) they would have done a lot better (and I mean that whatever the outcome of the election).
Obviously its a moot argument but still I think it would’ve made it a lot more interesting.
Ivvy leaguer Italy France and Germany are going democratic socialist .Spain has always had higher unemployment than northern European countries, more corruption in southern European countries and no one pays tax .
The Ambrose court hearing is underway and the Listener’s Election blog is providing tweets from Derek Ching on what is happening if anyone is interested
http://www.listener.co.nz/nz-election-2011-live/tuesday-22-november/
Wonderful cartoon at the top of the page!
Disclaimer – know I have referred to this blog several times of late – no connections at all. I am just finding it a useful site to quickly keep up to date on what is happening throughout the day. Their take on last night’s debate is also interesting and entertaining. Link is in the right had column of the above link. Wish I had found their Bingo cards before last night!
See post on this topic.
Sorry – missed that post.
Not a problem in any way! I was just trying to steer any followup comments there…
Feng Shui Master has just said celestial line-up and his divination point to increasing NZ crises and difficulties associated with astrological castings done on John Key.
An anology was also given about Key that he is like rot behind the walls at homes.
Very good analogy.
The Atlantic: What George Orwell Can Teach Us About OWS and Police Brutality.
A call for international solidarity with protests in Egypt
MENA Solidarity Network (Solidarity with workers in the Middle East)
The Arab Spring hangs in balance, as protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and in other cities in Egypt battle the riot police of the ruling Egyptian military junta.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are braving tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and live ammunition in demonstrations against the ruling military council in Egypt.
Despite promising elections, (which are being continually put back), Mubarak’s generals are demanding that the military have power above any elected civilian authority. Meanwhile protesters are still being tried in military courts and torture by the military and police is still routine.
By late on 20 November there were an estimated 100,000 in Tahrir Square according to eyewitness accounts and thousands protesting in every major city in Egypt. Their demands are clear: the downfall of Marshal Tantawi and Mubarak’s generals. As of Sunday 5 people at least had been killed and around 1000 injured.
The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions issued a call on Saturday 19 November to its 1.4 million members in affiliated unions to join the protests in Tahrir.
Our brothers and sisters in Egypt inspired us all with their courage over the past ten months. Without them, would we have seen the Occupy movement? How would our own struggles against austerity and cuts look without the model of the Egyptian revolution, and the knowledge that ordinary people can change the world?
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt…..
…..the military rulers of Syria will be strengthened in their slaughter of unarmed protesters.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt…….
……. it will be major setback for the Arab Spring throughout the Middle East!
If the Arab Spring is crushed in the Middle East……
…… this will remove a major brake on the West’s move to war against Iran.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in the Middle East, major conflagration with Iran will be inevitable, as the US and Israel’s invasion plans can only succeed with the support of compliant Western backed right wing regimes retaining power in the Middle East.
If the Arab Spring is crushed in Egypt, the movement for democracy and against tyranny and war and recession, throughout the world, will suffer a major setback.
Responding to appeals from Egyptian activists, Middle East and North Africa, Solidarity in Britain is forwarding the following call for international solidarity action to the whole world. Please respond immediately.
Tahrir has inspired a wave of movements around the world. We must not let it go down to defeat!
If you are organising a protest or a picket, particularly if you can mobilise support from the trade union movement in solidarity with the call from the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions, please let the world know.
Email menasolidarity@gmail.com.
MENA will list as many protests as they can.
Send pictures and they will publish them too.
Many people interpret the times we are living in as Biblical ‘End Times’.
Irrespective of that, there is no question that the entire North Africa-Middle East region is a tinderbox awaiting a spark.
I see that the war-of-words over Iran has started again, after a period of relative quiet. An attack on Iran would almost certainly bring the global economic system to a halt in a matter of weeks if it resulted in blockage of the Straits of Hormuz.
We need to be prepared for almost anything.
“Many people interpret the times we are living in as Biblical ‘End Times’.”
Interestingly, a good 50% of my ESOL students (Chinese, secular and 17-20 years old) believe something similar. The topic today was sports, and when I said brightly “The next Olympics will be held in London in 2012”, a couple of them said “But the world is going to end in 2012!” I was gobsmacked. Where has this come from?
The religious channels in SKY TV when I surf through them often are on the topic of end times- earthquakes, tsunamis, “it seems that the world is crying out to be delivered.”
It is a sign of narcissism, I believe, that people believe that the end times are going to come in their life-time. It seems part of the conservative psyche.
History is littered with such false prophecy. I often imagine, when engaged in this topic, the Monty Pythonesque dialogue of disgruntled failed end-timers coming down off the mountain top muttering about their leader who got it wrong.
A bit like the Nats on Sunday really…………
Ben
‘I’ve seen a lot of people write Kevin Moore’s views off as insanity, but having now read (all of) The Easy Way, it’s clear the statements are based on fact and the conclusions are solid.’
‘will automatically put Moore in the “tinfoil hat” category’
It is a lot easier for people to dimiss arguments without checking the facts than to do the necessary research and present logical arguments. We are now at the stage of witnessing people self-select for learning the hard way (or even perishing).
It will be very interesting to revue this ‘conversation’ one year from now.
Several years ago I likened the situation in most western societies to tossing a coin. At the moment it always lands with the face that shows ‘complacency and denial’ exposed. One day it will land with the obverse face exposed. That says: ‘panic’.
.
That’s for sure.
Only in America! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/video.cfm?c_id=2&gal_cid=2&gallery_id=122772
Anything they can do we can do too.
Some parents have been branded abusers because of the bizarre names of their children.
Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt stated his concerns in a written decision after a custody hearing in New Plymouth revealed a couple had named their child Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
He was so disturbed at the effect on the nine-year-old that he ordered her temporarily placed under court guardianship so a suitable name could be chosen.
More loons.
Some more PICS to do the rounds
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19473099@N05/?saved=1
LOL- ‘Follow Me on Twat’. Excellent work as always.
I expect RWNJ’s burst a few blood vessels watching that Child Poverty doco tonight. It was basically a giant ad for ‘Commie Pinko’ politics. Full of ads for Labour and the Greens too 🙂
Great work William – love theTwitter one!
When I heard Phil Goff saying how silly it was to sell the house to pay the mortgage off I thought of all the sensible people doing exactly that as they move on to better things.
Go back to your poor and woman hating hole thank you very much..
Hope the TV3 doco on Child Poverty finishing at 8:30 gets wide viewing.
It was magnificent! This is reality in NZ. I know because I see it regularly. Please wake up dear voters and vote with your heart and soul. Our chidren are our future, it’s in our hands! Congrats to the makers of this doco. Well done!
Agreed Lyn. It needs a huge rethink since the declared intent of a certain political grouping is intent on reducing housing, education and health. Wonder if that excellent doco touched many?
I live in hope.
The doco certainly touched me Ianmac. Bryan Bruce did a phenomenal job investigating this horror and presenting it to us in such a clear manner. Our poor children and their parents, who are all to often facing a heartbreaking battle to provide for them. Thought the sights I saw tonight had been consigned to history.
What is our government up to? Can’t they manage to run a country properly? They appear to have the wrong spending priorities. Our children deserve so much more.
Lol – zombie slater door knocking : )
Oops… was supposed to be reply to Williams photo stream above
Post of the week from the Bog relating to the bad case of worms that seems to have infected the place..
hahaha…too funny !!!
hhahahahaha made my day
I lasted all of 1 hour there
Aint been banned from Trademe boards yet- some of the torys there are jus plain nasty ( as in fucked up)
Loved the prog on Child Poverty in NZ tonite
honest and hard hitting
HNZ ,you should be ashamed of yourselves.
National well dont really need to say sfa.
Trademe boards huh ?
Fucked up torys eh ?
Black to the future i reckon !!!
Trying to comment again, but suspect I will be dumped into ‘spam’. But on the off -chance this gets through, somebody with more knowledge of the in’s and out’s might want to post on the fact that a fuck of a lot of comments from regular contributors are going into ‘trash’. (Seems I’m the only one going down the ‘spam’ route)
First comment in three days that ‘came up’….and just for once, I’ve nothing to say goddamnit!
Fixed the spam trigger. Have new moderators learning the ropes.
Hmm, but still wondering, what’s with the umpteen comments from regular commentators in ‘trash’? Some, though not all, are duplicated as comments on the page.
Oops! Got something to say afterall. There goes the tourist industry. Thomas Cook (How big are they in the scheme of things? Certainly not ‘small fry’) in emergency talks with banks and shares down 51%.
Who would have thunk that a global depression would mean people not going on holiday? Wonder what plans the illustrious NZ minister of tourism has up his sleeve (or in his ball pocket) for the shoit that that suddenly appears to be hovering waiting for gravity assisted splash?
sell air new zealand for fifty cents
Ah, but the market decides how things work! So, they all try to undercut each other to get the customers, who can’t actually afford their package holidays to Spain, meanwhile the airlines have rising fuel costs and can’t afford to pay the leases on their big shiny aircraft, which are leased from very big banks.
But don’t worry, they’ll be paid out by governments, who will in turn tax the poor.
Bit late now but TV1 late news said that with the help of the Ombudsman, they have discovered that Govt had no real evidence or official advice about the predicted uptake of shares in the Asset Sale. Key has been saying that official advice shows that at least 85% of the share sales will be taken up in NZ hands. There has be no official advice other than a few oral discussions.
Key has lied – again. Could be a big story.
ian along with low share prices and no money around for kiwis to invest Aussie super fund will grab the lions share titbits after goldman sachs has gouged its price out
Imperator has written about this too and given a link:
http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/ombudsman-called-in-over-asset-sales-secrets-4559548
‘Key has lied – again. Could be a big story.” I do hope so Ianmac
Powerco is the poster child for how things turn out when a public asset is flogged off.
11 years from formation through to compulsory acquisition by offshore owners.
April 1993: New Plymouth Energy (the electricity division of the New Plymouth District Council) merges with Taranaki Electricity (former Taranaki Electric Power Board) to become Taranaki Energy Limited
November 2004: It is now moving to compulsorily acquire the remaining shares and remove Powerco from the New Zealand stock exchange.