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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Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
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.
http://thestandard.org.nz/banks-in-his-own-words/#comment-399554
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.