Some people would be happy that if Kaikoura loses its tourist industry and if the town were to disappear.
Remember, our PM, forgot Pike River once the media’s lenses had moved on.
Nice that a corporate who struggled to find the money for the victims of Christchurch has enough money to plaster their logo all over the New Zealand rugby team’s jersey.
They have sold their soul to big corporations.
Geoff Miller and Mark Blackham suggest in an NBR article:
Mr Key is our own populist politician. Like Trump, he is wealthy and not a career politician.
Mr Key’s inherent anti-political nature frequently motivates him to behave in ways which we would not previously have expected from a prime minister.
In some cases, such as in the ponytail affair, MrKey has gone too far and ended up apologising for his actions. But generally, his non-conventional style and willingness to make fun of himself have helped him to stay astonishingly popular – despite being eight years into the top job.
When Mr Key leaves, his populist touch will go with him, exposing the public to a parliament awash with careerist politicians who play it safe, deal in slogans and spin and have no way to forge a genuine bond with voters as Key has done.
The question for many of New Zealand’s MPs ahead of the 2017 election is whether they will heed the lessons of 2016’s Brexit and Trump political earthquakes.
If politicians dish up election campaigns that keep to the stale and uninspiring establishment recipe, they will guarantee and intensify voter backlash.
Key’s departure may well leave New Zealand exposed to a voters’ revolt.
But there’s no sign yet of anyone not stale and uninspiring who could attract the protest votes.
A third of New Zealand’s MPs have only ever worked inside the government system. Another third built no real career before they tried to get into Parliament.
That’s alarming.
For most current MPs, the secret to being elected is attending a well-regarded secondary school, going to university and joining a political party on campus and finding a job in the public sector or as a political party staffer. After making the necessary connections with the right people inside the parties, the final step simply requires a little behind the scenes manoeuvring to secure a place on a party list or safe seat and make it into Parliament.
By failing to forge careers unrelated to politics, the current crop of MPs largely lacks genuine insight into the lives of New Zealanders who live outside the Wellington political establishment.
Who will emerge to lead the fight for us versus them?
Can our party and MMP systems allow someone fresh to have a chance?
Oab – you seem to have difficulty replying on the subject and just going for the attempted insult – should you not like the views of the person commenting.
I know it’s difficult for you – but having reasoned discussion is interesting and beneficial.
I read it in The Guardian but couldn’t find it anyplace in NZ, not even on the Greens website! (It might be there someplace, but it was not headlined.)
I have no idea how MPs with the integrity of Julie Anne and Marama would inspire the type of abusing, lying and smearing that you’re well known for here. I doubt they would want to be associated with any of it.
Correction: technically it’s more astro-turf than flame-bait but hey.
[I didn’t read PGs comment. Instead, and as a little ‘thought experiment, I read your comments to see if I could glean what PG’s comment might have been about. I got nothing. Seems that over a one and a half hour period you contributed nothing but snipes and a waste of space to Open Mike this morning. Up your game. Or, if all you want to do is spend time attacking people and making no comment relating to what they’ve said and offering no contribution to any debate/conversation on the substance of what they’ve said, then find yourself some “smash” message board somewhere else. If you think the topic they’ve raised or the argument they’re making isn’t worth your time, then that’s fine. Ignore it. Stop assuming people will find value in a stream of vacuous, space hogging commentary. ] – Bill
Charismatic.
Or policy-focussed and leaves clear legacy of good change.
Which?
The worst possible combination is highly charismatic and no policy.
Which is what we have.
The NBR and Fran O’Sullivan in the NZHerald have long chastised Key for having massive stores of political capital, great charisma, and yet zero coherence or policy drive or in fact doing anything of note.
Even deep into a third term, he has no agenda, no structure, no delivery, not a single item he can say would be confidently remembered in three years’ time.
By that measure Key is the laziest PM we have had since Holyoake’s last term as PM. That’s longer than my lifetime.
Key had to get out of bed for the earthquakes, but on any other measure of executive or legislative action, Key has achieved very little at all. (A few Treaty settlements that Crown Law were delivering anyway? – woo hooo.)
Far better to have a couple of terms with someone boring leading the country who actually gets something done. Give me low charisma with effective bold policy any day.
Far better to have a couple of terms with someone boring leading the country who actually gets something done. Give me low charisma with effective bold policy any day.d
I agree wholeheartedly with the above Ad. In fact this might form a pointed slogan at the next election egging on people of intelligence to examine what is leading them to vote National, and jerk themselves back to the wise people they purport to be.
Still picking that Gareth Morgan is going to attempt to break through all that smash by positioning the Opportunities Party around evidence based policy that doesn’t bend to the supposed needs of ‘muddle’ NZ. (He’s already indicated that)
Also picking that if he does launch an actual political party, then our glorious establishment stenographers will run hard against him – cat killer, just another Trump, not a ‘real’ politician etc.
Whether NZ’s in the position for that to lead to an almighty voter backlash is debatable. But it could happen. And I’m thinking that if I had the choice between a Winston Peters or a Gareth Morgan holding the balance of power, I’d know which one I’d prefer.
I’m thinking he might pick up swing voters that aren’t committed NZF voters but usually end up with NZF by default. Fresh air comes to mind.
I’m not sure about whether he can hold the balance of power in the traditional sense, as he’s ruled out being in coalition. But voting on a case by case basis, that could be very interesting not least if it shakes people out of the duopoly. I hope that doesn’t come at the expense of a centre/left govt.
I’m just gana go out on a limb and predict on magic mic that Morgan will get 5%. If you’re a former ward of CYFs/WINZ/Inland revenue/police/Defence member looking to cut paper work Gareth will look really appealing, he’s got new philosophies and a track record to back it up. He also hasn’t made a mistake which is rear. Magic mic predicts T.O.Ps gets well over 5%
“The most powerful way to oppose him, but it was never really done seriously, was to try and understand what his voters want and try to address the need of his voters. No jokes, stop shouting, stop crying, stop saying: ‘It is a horror and disaster’; try and seriously understand what his voters want, and the left was never really successful in doing that,
Advice on opposing Berlusconi………. or Trump or Winston Peters or John Key or Paula Bennett and their immitators.
The Standard’s writers could take this on board.
Labour could take this on board too. They do not have the ear of the majority of lower paid workers, contractors and small business people.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a penchant from the large liberal section of society to simply mock and/or dismiss and/or demonise those who aren’t on board with themselves.
It’s been going on for years and probably won’t stop any time soon. Which is fine. They’re only marking themselves as increasingly irrelevant these days.
Is there a source for Italy Calling’s quote? I’d like to be able to read it in context, However, it doesn’t seem to me that being grimly focused on the nuances on policy detail was the key to success for Trump, Berlusconi, or Key.
Rather, it was the ability to give the folks a show that swung the deal. This is a problem for reality focused politicians, as that this kind of bullshitting can’t really be learnt (or at least; not to the level of expertise to those who have been doing it all their life). Is the role of a leader to entertain the punters for votes, or is it to develop policy to benefit the country? Trying to do both will reduce accomplishment in either.
I’d contend that; as realists can’t contend with the bullshit artists on their own playground, they should concentrate on demonstrating their integrity. Take Sanders for instance; his campaign wasn’t soaked in scandal because their was no muck to rake. He couldn’t even be derided as a socialist, because he was in your face with it.
Looking at the numbers of voters, it looks to me like turnout is a big part of this election’s story. Trump won just a few hundred thousand votes more than Romney, Hillary was several million votes short of Obama. Hillary simply didn’t enthuse people to go out and vote for her. Take me for example, I’m as close to being a Hillary supporter as anyone here on TS and I’m well aware that most of the negative talking points about her are bullshit smears. But I still couldn’t muster real enthusiasm for her, more like half-hearted attempts to debunk the bullshit.
So while I agree Bernie’s integrity was a clear point of difference, I question whether Bernie would have mustered enough extra voter enthusiasm to have made the difference. If we look at the primary results in the states that mattered, Bernie lost Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, roughly equal in Nevada, Michigan, Iowa, and only won Wisconsin convincingly.
I can’t think of any credible Dems that could go against Trump on showmanship for 2020. So integrity will be a good point of difference to have.
The crucial part is … try to address the need of his voters…, as opposed to turning on those who his voters, in their exasperation, would like to see punished or deprived. Capitalism has always been good at divide-and-rule, neoliberal capitalism has been outstandingly good at it, and it is important to avoid all suggestion of it.
But that’s looking for a homogeneous response from a broad range of actors and political opponents. And it’s also assuming that the demagogue’s voters want something that can be expressed by anything other than flashing lights and generic, barely-focused anger.
Policy promises might alleviate some support from those that understand and are inclined towards them. But a demagogue’s base support is around personal charisma to a fanatic few. They act as the anchor and recruiters for additional supporters. A rational but complex policy platform can never compete with an irrational and vague appeal to broad discontent. And even an opposing attempt at demagoguery is on the back foot as long as it keeps itself tied to rationality and reality.
So what do a party/opposition do? Weather the storm and take it on the chin until it blows itself out, or decide that post-truth is in, lie and bullshit as much as the other guy, and hope that we can return the dialogue to rationality after we lie our way into power? Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle.
Well perhaps TS can now have a NZ Matters Now Open post where it is only NZ-based comments can be put so those who want to think about NZ first can do so.
I am sick of USA stuff dominating the discourse on every media and we have enough troubles to face some of us want to think about our reality. This would mean that if the USA is mentioned it would be in reference to how NZ is faring or being affected by them, or indeed from any other country.
I woke up this morning to a beautiful day feeling happy and positive. You know, the old tra la la feeling. Well! That didn’t last long. Hearing that Ferguson was going to be interviewing Andrew Little about National’s’ tax cuts I thought (stupidly as it happens) that it would be worth a listen as it is totally disingenuous of the Nats to even put cuts out there at the moment. The interrogation followed her usual m.o when it comes to all thing Labour. No comment that I heard from her about the possibility of tax cuts being positive or negative but an absolute rude bad mannered, undisciplined attack on A.L about what was Labour going to offer at election time to put money into peoples’ pockets (Key has already acknowledged that TCs will not advantage low income earners).I am picking that this deviation into WHAT WILL LABOUR DO!! wouldn’t have been on Andrews radar so he would have been totally unprepared. And she made no attempt to listen to his answers. To top it all off I heard on the car radio Toxic Susie gleefully, with beautiful enunciation read out two extremely negative letters from listeners stating that Andrew Little is a poor speaker and ‘very uninspiring’ etc. Odd! TWO letters saying basically the same thing. No other letters read out that I heard. Must have missed the complimentary ones and I bet there were some. Sounds like a jackup! These readers obviously haven’t heard Key speak. This is person who can’t open his mouth properly to speak, can’t use whole sentences that make any sense, mostly uses one syllable words and everything he does say is open to interpretation. Go figure. Bluddy annoyed! Phew, that feels better. Unfortunately this is just the beginning. sigh.
Ffloyd, you are dead right about SF. She is quite a nasty piece of work – her ‘interviews’ are a disgrace. I refuse to listen to her . I can’t understand how Kim can bear to work with her. Obviously she (SF) is just what RNZ management want!
The other comment I have is that Andrew Little MUST take media lessons. He is cringeworthy in interviews, which is such a shame. We cannot excuse his lack of training in front of the media because IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Spot on Garibaldi, to say the question “wouldn’t have been on Andrews radar so he would have been totally unprepared” is just so misguided.
What politician goes into an interview criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions.
Little needs to start talking like a man on a mission…where was the passion?, where was the outrage??
If Little doesn’t throw off the shackles soon the election is going to be a rather pointless exercise for Labour. His need to appease and keep the centrists onside, to present a unified Labour Party, may well be his (and our) undoing.
“What politician goes into an interview criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions.”
As Labour have yet to fully formulated their policy, they’ve largely been doing this (criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions) for the last couple of years.
You know I keep holding off criticising Labour for that very reason…but even if they do not have actual policy they really need to have something to say when being interviewed.
Sure the average voter can nod their head and agree to statements like “End Poverty” “House for Every NZer”……but they are hardly ‘Party Message’ statements to engage the voter and the clock is ticking.
I’m sure even Bill and John could squeak out those sorts of sentiments if they really really really had to. Or maybe not.
The first question tends to be what would you do? And when you have little in the way of policy there is little you can offer voters as an alternative.
I hate that analogy; how about this one – howitzers are useless at spitting distance.
It’s less than 12 months before the election and Labour have not been educating and shaping the discussion on the ground for alternative ideas and alternative policies.
So next year it is going to be, once more, a case of which party can be the better National Party.
The answer to which is already obvious to every voter in the country.
“Andrew Little MUST take media lessons. He is cringeworthy in interviews, which is such a shame. We cannot excuse his lack of training in front of the media because IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.”
This^
Little is failing to sell the party message well. Work on improving this should have started long ago. The election is not far away, can Little up his game in time?
This morning NR, i heard that taxes were rising faster than gdp, which is odd since since the giant tax switch that raised my taxes zero and lowered wealtheir nz taxes, the more they made the bigger the drop. So i’m guessing they mean taxrevenue is rising fast than gdp. Which ahain is odd since the quality of product i buy has dropped and i having to buy better higher price milk and meat than i did, at a higher gst. So guessing here the higher tax revenue is caused by the poorer quality of the gdp growth forcing me to spend more. And so the pay day, the profit taking, tax cuts for wealthy people begins again. Poor economic outcomes meet profit taking churn…
The price of average beef mince at my supermarket seems set at $11.99 most of the time, when it’s on special. That means a considerable percentage rise on previous special price which could go down to $8.99.
Lamb shanks are now about $4 each for mostly bone. We gave them a try the other day but poor cost effectiveness. Lamb shoulder chops, used as bbq fare are specialled at $11.99, daren’t look at loin chop price.
I try to support Blackball West Coast, I think, butchery and buy their sausages which are being offered at supermarket at about $18 kilogram, up from about $15 just last year. Everything up as if it was the 1970s. Weird that.
Reminds of a British cartoon from years back. Just beside the door to the meat section was a finance desk offering fast cash if you had your house title with you for collateral.
By the time I boil out all the water or whatever it is my local Pak n save pumps into the meat I reckon my $12 a kg chicken nibbles packet is more like $17.00 a kg…crikey that’s a bit of a earthquake roll…
Chooky
Thinking about chicken – where are you Chooky? You popped up a while ago and i haven’t seen you since. Am I just looking at the wrong time?
Hope all is going well and progressively for you. Perhaps you could come on Sunday when Robert Guyton is telling us about his philosophy and his edible forest with garden? And I think he has chooks too!
Former inmate is seeking compensation from Corrections for not keeping him safe.
Apparently an inmate smashed a pool ball into the right-side temple of his head within an hour of him arriving at Mount Eden prison. Leaving him with brain damaged.
Interesting weekend with the Navy goings on and equake …. Come Monday morning a financial earthquake happens over the weekend where the NZ dollar tanks by 7 cents and not a peep? Tweeted the usual suspects, liam dann, Bernard H, ect …. nothing.
The Trump effect? US bonds at all-time high’s(since 2008).
I just thought it worthy of mentioning as this could accelerate the decline of the housing market & the cost of borrowing heads north …. impacting on all domestic economic activity?
“where you want to start your chart history from”
The original comment on the subject said
“Interesting weekend with the Navy goings on and equake “.
I found a couple of references that covered the period immediately before and immediately after the earthquake. Neither of them show the claimed effect, a 7c drop in the New Zealand dollar, at that time.
What other period would you suggest? The period I chose is the only one that is relevant to the claims being made.
A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck Fukushima Prefecture in Japan, USGS reported. A three meter tsunami wave alert was issued for Fukushima, Nippon reported.
The quake struck 67km northeast of Iwaki, a city located in the southern part of the Hamadori coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
Getting rather active lately around the Ring of Fire.
Those fuel rods still sitting up in the air?
Everything went quiet on that front after a brief spell of bullshit propaganda about how it was all ‘in hand’.
And what about those cores – two of them from memory. They been contained yet?
What about the general wash of radioactive poison seeping into the Pacific from the Fukushima plant? That been reduced or stemmed yet?
From memory when reactor 1 cascaded, melting the core, the fuel rods fused with the rubble. And clean up teams are using pucy hydraulic arms to move each rock one at a time. I don’t know why they don’t go big and use remote 1700-1800 boggers/loaders. Just need a good 1500 horse power engine with the right attachment.
The Fukushima Daini reactor 3 cooling system, which had stopped operating, has been restored.
The operator of the plant said no abnormalities have been observed.
Thinking of you Japan, may your seawall hold, may the damage be minimal, and may the nuclear plant be unscathed.
Hiyas Bill. My sister visits Japan often, has done for over twenty years, she says no one says anything about it, it’s been forgotten. Media are good at helping people forget. One does not mention the “f” word over there. She said one would never even know it had happened.
So situation is all decontamination is to be completed by 2017. Here’s a PDF with more info written by the Japanese Minister of Environment from May this year, titled ‘The Current Situation of Off-site Clean-up in Japan’ it describes the decontamination happening in the Fukushima area and surrounds.
I’m interested in the answers to your questions too
I’d take anything containg Fukushima, gov, jpn simultaneously with huge doeses of salt and sarcasm. Everything is being stored on site in plastic bags. Iv nothing against the individual workers themselves because they are brave as fuck, I’m no doctor but even I know 60% of those workers will receive premature cancers. Just that fact alone is enough for the Japanese government to want to save face and bullshit through there teeth, every year those estimates get pushed to the next year.
Thanks for all that in this thread. Bill I think, had some serious doubts about outcomes a year ago based on his study of the reports.
It is so hard to keep monitoring these events as the ineffectual though well paid politicians and CEOs of private and public entities continue to fudge their way through the problems to a point where they can retire from the race with a going-away package and be replaced, after some perhaps cosmetic, tackling of the problem, It’s the new Olympics, perhaps call it the Inorganics Relay Race where they don’t pass a baton, but a hot (perhaps radioactive) potato.
(See Pike River mine actions as sample representative of the technique.)
The last report I read about Fukushima said that it has overtaken Chernobyl in terms of scale and that all marine life in the Pacific has now been contaminated ( Northern far more than Southern), and that radiation is still leaking into the ocean.
That was about 6 weeks ago. Naturally they have been dreading another quake.
The truth will not be told to us so don’t expect them to come clean about what the effects of this new quake have been.
Something for everyone??
So why are we still having to subsidize workers crappy wages with Working For Families and accommodation Supplements??
Why are NZers carrying more debt than ever??
And why are we having to import labour from ‘third world’ countries??
Why do we have so many homeless and, just as important – people with uncertain housing and uncertain jobs??
And why on earth are hard working NZers stuck at home sitting in armchairs because they can’t get on a waiting list for a knee op.? Or, you know, going blind while they wait for an appointment??
What ‘everyone’??
“Show us the money!!”
The only true thing is ‘Labour and National’…because indeed, they are one and the same when it comes to Free Trade and its fallout for the workers.
Well done Labour and well done National…the wheels of Free Trade Neo Liberalism are coming loose around the World…now what??
It seems the fine print of these FTAs obliges us to
sell NZ sovereign territory to foreigners
let China dump third grade steel here
let companies like Oravida get around legislation intended to add value
turn NZ primary produce into cheap commodities
poison our lakes and rivers with stock effluent
Tragic moment this morning, Andrew Little with all the opportunity in the world to attack National over it’s bizarre tax cut plan, exposed himself and Labour yet again as having nothing to substantially offer the working and disenfranchised citizens of NZ, just a bunch of words, no policies, no meat, barely even a bone to gnaw on for the few deluded remaining faithful.
Still I guess when you are tied to your now totally defunct and debunked free market, third way centrist ideology, what can you do if you are a real really believer in your ideology, you do what it demands, even if it will destroy you all in the process, as the Democratic party and their MSM attack dogs in the US just spectacularly showed us all. Labour in the UK only just avoided the same fate, but only by the power of the people, telling their Labour Party centrists to fuck off in no uncertain terms have they survived, and now stronger than ever.
“A Dunedin man who caused a stir when he ran for city council is starting a political party that aims to improve funding for people with disabilities
Joshua Perry, who has cerebral palsy, was told by a fellow council candidate before the recent local body elections that he was brave for standing, because people would find it difficult to understand him.”
The link was sent by a mate….we had just got off the phone after spending half the morning phoning other mates in the disability community to facilitate a better wheelchair for one of us. Doing the job that should be done by the incompetents that the Misery of Health funds to do the job.
Joshua will get at least six more members of his party… because we in the disability community are over the shit we have to wade through.
Many more areas where all parties could have, should have done better.
Trouble is, for some of us, our disability history goes back nearly fifty years…supports have become less secure, less efficient and much less safe.
Non ACC disabled New Zealanders have fewer rights and entitlements than twenty years ago.
I feel for parents of children with disabilities struggling to get proper educational supports…but y’all might have to accept that as being the norm…way into your child’s adulthood.
It is now legislated that family are responsible for providing supports.
I think you need to tell that to Catherine Delahunty – and see what sort of response you get! She and the Greens and Labour and NZ First are all working bloody hard to get Nats to front up on this issue. I know. There was some hope last year when the Nats agreed to hold a Special sub committee on the matter – one senior Nat MP has personal experience of the matter, ( our family all submitted to the committee and my daughter in person) but the resulting Report was a complete whitewash, as per usual with this crowd. Got to have our tax cut bribe next year! So check out the minority report. The proof is there. The Greens Labour and NZ First do give a shit
“CAN’T TRUST OBAMA,” he writes as the headline, then pauses. His audience hates Obama and loves President-elect Donald Trump, and he wants to capture that disgust and cast it as a drama between good and evil. He resumes typing: “Look At Sick Thing He Just Did To STAB Trump In The Back… .”
Ten minutes and nearly 200 words later, he is done with a story that is all opinion, innuendo and rumor.
We see a lot of this sort of shit in NZ as well from well known bloggers known to be full of rancid fat.
Duterte is doing what the people of the Phillipines elected him in to do. Amongst other things, to put an end to the infection of narco-politics and narco-corruption in their country.
Public officials at every level of the Filipino government have been compromised by drug money and drug bribes.
If drug dealers in the Philippines resist arrest, attack or shoot at law enforcement officers, then yes, Duterte has said in multiple interviews that he prefers that those criminals end up dead rather than his public servants.
CV, Yes he is very popular with his local population, but he is nothing more than a glorified murderer in my eyes.
“Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected President of the Philippines, in May, more than three thousand people have been killed in a vicious drug war.
When a reporter asked about his health, he replied, “How is your wife’s vagina? Is it smelly? Or not smelly? Give me a report.”
Duterte does not, as he has put it, “give a shit” about human rights, which he sees as a Western obsession that keeps the Philippines from taking the action necessary to clean up the country.”
No doubt Duterte is not handling things in a way that is acceptable to our civilised liberal western eyes and ears.
However, most of this media noise falls within the usual western demonization programme of any foreign leader who is no longer a team player against Russia and China.
Use all the moralising pejoratives and anti-China/anti-Russia smears that you want, but Duterte is doing the job that he was elected for, cleaning up the drug gangs and drug dealers in his country like he did for Davao city.
These drug dealing criminals have the choice to surrender themselves to the authorities and to the judicial process without a fight of course, unfortunately the Filipino death penalty for drug trafficking probably makes that less likely.
Sorry, did you object to the policy description or merely it’s coincidental association with the foreign policy pivot?
These drug dealing criminals have the choice to surrender themselves to the authorities and to the judicial process without a fight of course,
funny how thousands of suspects suddenly decided to commit suicide by cop only after Duterte was elected. The alternative, of course, being that many of them were not actually given that choice.
Go get your Filipino citizenship and vote him out then. Or maybe we should help regime change the Philippines and extraordinary rendition him to the Hague?
Even if I did, I’d be relying on him to pay more respect to electoral law than he does to criminal law. You can’t pick and choose which bits of a constitution to respect and still claim to be anything other than a thuggish overlord.
I love these self-righteous western moral proclamations, keep them coming, it’s really winning the world over.
Meanwhile, Duterte regularly reminds home crowds that the Americans killed 200,000 Filipino civilians when the US airforce firebombed Manila in order to attack the Japanese.
You’re sort of a reverse-Voltaire: you sit here and enjoy a nice middle class lifestyle and freedom of speech, and a fair chance that if the cops think you’ve done something wrong then you’ll have your day in court to defend yourself – and you’ll use those freedoms to actively support the extrajudicial murder of others.
America’s bad, m’kay? But so is duterte. What makes you think he’ll stop at supposed drug dealers?
Duterte is cleaning up the narco-politics and narco-corruption of the Philippines exactly like he said he would if elected by the people. He was, and he is.
He may have been elected on the back of some ‘tough on drugs’ ticket (I don’t know), but what you’re excusing is parallel with some NZ Party promising to eradicate poverty….and then sanctioning extra-judicial killings (murder).
And McFlock. Can you please stop doing a running interaction and inadvertently encouraging this , well…I dunno what to call it. It’s fucking sad and apparently running across issue after issue. I know or suspect there’s an element of entertainment involved from your perspective. But yeah…
Yeah. People doing things in a variety of different ways – that’s cultural diversity and a whole lot of other stuff which, I think my anarchist leanings give me a far better appreciation of than, if say, I was some dyed in the wool western liberal.
Your arguments have nothing whatsoever to do with an appreciation of, or support for diversity though. To put it simply or bluntly, you’ve lazily embraced ‘vile’. That’s all your ‘take’ amounts to.
(And don’t come back with some shit about life being valued differently in the Philippines and how that makes the murder of someones wife, husband, son, mother, father, daughter, brother or sister okay, or somehow lesser, to ‘non-western’ eyes.)
Sometimes embracing diversity involves a bit more than appreciating foreign takeaway food.
Sometimes it means not judging other peoples behaviours, values, standards or sovereignty through superior self righteous anglo-US colonial eyes.
To put it simply or bluntly, you’ve lazily embraced ‘vile’.
Bluntly put, there isn’t a politician in the Beehive smart enough to have shit show of surviving a month trying to run the Philippines.
So yes, we can pontificate, Duterte is morally vile, and I am morally vile for not playing the outrage condemnation game against him, etc.
But he carries the burden of constitutional sovereignty on his shoulders, and as far as I can see, he is doing his best to sort out some dire situations facing his country and facing his people.
”Sometimes embracing diversity involves a bit more than appreciating foreign takeaway food.”
”Sometimes it means not judging other peoples behaviours, values, standards or sovereignty through superior self righteous anglo-US colonial eyes.”
I have seen some vile comments from CV, but this might be the worst.
No wonder CV sneers at concern over fake news on the other thread – CV has rejected the concept of universal values.
He’s not critiquing Western hypocrisy, he’s actively sneering at the very idea of aspiring to universal human rights.
Trump’s campaign promise of going after the innocent family members of suspected terrorists is a dramatic removal of that thin veil – an escalation that coincides withhis promise of a US/Russian detente…
Not really CV, i think some people are just not into murder, or killing or executions. Everyone is different. Apparently his son had a drug problem and he’s been on the drug dealer killing rampage ever since.
Nothing to do with Russia or China, in fact aren’t they all in a bit of a pip re the south china sea?
But your confusing the entire homicide rate with the rate of killings by police, and perhaps you’d like to cherry-pick the worst region in the philippines to compare with the worst city in the U.
CV
One of my relations lived in the Philippines and sent me a photo of the drug agent in the location he was in, she was just ordinary looking and unworried at ‘being captured’ by the camera. It’s such a difficult country to survive in, no public health services where he was, it is very hard to make a living, seems corrupt and the people went for a strong leader with charisma, like Marcos. Wasn’t one politician. who had gone into exile and been invited back as welcome, shot as he came out of the plane?
The Pres had better watch his own back as the criminal bosses won’t be happy at having their businesses smashed.
Did NZ give a shit about Indonesia and Suharto sanctioning the indiscriminate killing of (at least) hundreds of thousands of ‘undesirables’ by gangs of thugs? No.
As an aside. The recent (2012) documentary “Act of Killing” provides a chilling as fuck picture of Indonesia and is well worth hunting down.
Will NZ give a shit about Duterte embarking on the same path? No.
The only reason the western media cares about Duterte today is that he’s broken ranks with the Anglo-US imperialists. Consequently his days are numbered and the media beat of regime change is under way.
Had you being any attention whatsoever you’d realise that the western media doesn’t care about the situation in the Philippines at all…not beyond bullshit OMG! headlines.
Extra judicial murder is just murder, even if it is authorised by some nutjob strongman. Anyone who allows free reigh to death squads is an international criminal.
Funny how that one appointment makes all your argument about trump look rather weak C.V.
Which argument?
Can you be specific?
That was a corporate pick, through and through. A shrill for the 1%. How you feeling buddy, feel like you just got lied to?
I believe I know why he picked Pompeo. It will be the same reason that he might pick Gen Mattis for SecDef. However I certainly don’t like Pompeo’s attitude towards Edward Snowden.
I have already written a note to his transition team mentioning Edward Snowden.
That your boy trump was just as bad a h.r.c? That your boy trump is indeed, just another tool for the corporate elect?
Wow, you have really misunderstood what this Trump Administration is trying to do.
I have already written a note to his transition team mentioning Edward Snowden.
Could you use a /sarc tag sometimes?
It’s difficult to tell whether you’re taking the piss or have simply disappeared up your own arse into a fantasy land where Trump’s transition team give a shit about your opinions.
Is that all you got, a “poor me” argument, come on CV you can do better than than. Did you actually watch what you put up? For once I agree with marty mars boring, irrelevant to what I said, and nothing of note.
You are now spinning and avoiding questions like the trolls on this sight.
As for trump trying to do, he is doing for the 1% exactly what they want, get a grip mate, he ant no savior. Corporate elects say jump, and trumpy boy says ‘how high master’.
Toady, is a toady, is a toady.
But more importantly, you use to be critical and think things through, not a groupie for the 1%. What happened to that CV?
How about you don’t be so mean to cv eh adam? who do you think you are berating him like that, insulting him with bad language and so on… just kidding – eye for an eye and all that 🙂
Hi Adam, sorry that you are so blinded by hate. A pity.
You say that I have lost my analysis skills yet you throw around silly labels, insults, and childish ad homs.
Why do you think your questions are so important? You cannot see the brilliant political strategies that the nascent Trump administration is now structuring and playing out. You are looking in the wrong direction, making poor biased assumptions that Trump is some kind of “toady” (to whom? The billionaire class? Vladimir Putin?).
But if Trump succeeds the Republican Party will absorb the bulk of both African American and Latino working class voters, who will join the white working class voters they took from right under the nose of the Democrats.
My bet: like NZ Labour, the US Democratic Party will now structurally and culturally prove itself unable to change and renew.
who do you think you are berating him like that, insulting him with bad language and so on… just kidding – eye for an eye and all that
Marty Mars – huh? I have not used any bad language to insult adam with. I have received plenty of nasty lefty bullyshaming from people like you though.
Blinded by hate, so funny. You in the realm of desperation there mate.
As is you call that trump was brilliant, I agree with bill on that – you are in lala land on that one. h.r.c was the worst person the democrat’s could have put up, and it was proven to be correct. She made the lesser of two evils look about as evil as it got. As per you call on the black and latino vote. The black vote collapsed, and the republicans have made sure of that – Oh wait they also leaders in excluding people from voting, and that list is dominated by black Americans. Wow so you are saying the racist policies of the republicans in brilliant, dude I think you need to do some soul searching.
My original point still stands, that trumps appointment to the director of the CIA is a corporate shrill, and a fan boy for the corporate elects, and all your deflections and spin don’t stop that fact.
Sorry your so full of hate and projecting it on others CV. My comments are nothing different from were I have stood all along, you however have fallen for a demagogy, which is a shame, I thought you were one person who thought for yourself.
According to Stuff “It’s a reaffirmation of the party’s 2014 election promise, with an expansion to provide community housing providers with low-interest loans to build more homes.”. I would be very interested to know if that’s an accurate assessment.
And their ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Labour would exclude any dramatic steps to the Left, though in the context of Labour’s Policies, whatever they may be, the Greens “Residential Tenancies Bill” seems like some sort of Marxist Revolution.
“Currently, New Zealand renters with periodic tenancies can, legally,
face rent increases every six months; ”
The good old US of A.
Land of the Free.
Just note that all of this is under Obama – you know the one – the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Just another example of the bullshit democracy the rest of the world is supposed to bow down to ….or else.
When will everyone wake up to what The USA has become ?
Trump’s regime will accelerate America’s decline into greater aggressive, violent autocracy for the rest of the world to see, and, hopefully, reject.
Weka
Am I right that Open Mike does not get saved to archives (being too diverse to be categorised)?
If so could from 11 which I think was Draco which has all been about the Japanese nuclear problem, be uplifted to another dedicated post say Update from Fukushima, because this is an ongoing situation that is worsening and it would be good to have details of it and commenters be able to follow it from such a site. Don’t know if that can be done. But would be good.
I see that the latest info which has gone onto the site today says that much of the marine life in the northern hemisphere part of the Pacific has been contaminated with radioactivity. We need to keep a running record of prognosis I think.
In short, radiation from Fukushima is detectable all over the Pacific. But the levels are not much above background levels, and those background levels have been falling dramatically since the 60s when people stopped atmospheric testing of nukes. Scientists are really interested in detecting that radiation because it tells them about migration patterns of different species, not because they’re hazardous.
It’s only a small area directly around Fukushima that remains hazardous. Fish that tend to stay in one area can build up hazardous concentrations, so the fisheries nearby remain closed. But migratory fish are very unlikely to stay in the area long enough to become hazardous. Particularly in comparison to some of the other pollution hazards around Japan, such as mercury.
Hi mod
I have a few of my comments locked away in the cupboard. If you could let them out soon when you have time I appreciate, it would be appreciated.
[Dunno why your comments are regularly wind up in pending. Been noticing it for a while now.] – Bill
Just sent you a email changed password. Try logging in 🙂
You can change your profile name from the dashboard (after you login in) by clicking your old handle at the top right, Edit your profile, change the nickname, and the select that as the display name, and save at the bottom of the screen.
“… that the Americans killed 200,000 Filipino civilians when the US airforce firebombed Manila in order to attack the Japanese…”
This is bit like claiming the Allies “massacred” 68,000 French citizens in bombing during WW2. it is a twisted lie.
CV, you are a liar. You twist the truth to serve yourself, relying on other peoples lack of knowledge to lie about history and to warp the views of others. No wonder you’ve joined in rejoicing the arseholes and liars who Trump is appointing to senior positions. Truth free politics needs lies to sustain it..
First of all, the United States did not “firebomb” Manila for fun. Maybe in your Breitbart world, but not in the fact based real world. The Japanese commander in the Philippines, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, ordered Manila evacuated as indefensible. 14,000 Japanese troops not only ignored this order, but also decided to indulge in a completely brutal and unhinged massacre of the civilian population in retaliation for, well, being pissed off at losing the war. The Imperial Japanese army troops in Manila not only chose to ignore withdraw orders and to freely massacre tens and tens of thousands of the local population FOR ABSOLUTELY NO MILITARY REASON, the also chose to mount a completely pointless suicidal last stand against the Americans which they knew would be extremely costly in civilian lives – that was the point of their defense, to kill and be killed for no reason other than their ridiculous adherence to the barbarity of their military code.
The US Army killed many civilians in freeing Manila from the Japanese. But all those deaths were persuant to a clear military goal, the freeing of Manila from the Japanese, and because the Japanese deliberately chose to fight in a city for that reason.
The only people responsible for the lives lost in Manila were the soldiers of the empire of Japan, whose barbarism should NEVER be excused.
You frankly physically disgust me. You are one of a select handful of people I’d happily punch in the face.
Sanctuary you do make me laugh. Relaying history as written by Anglo-US historians as if it is the correct way of looking at the world.
Boiling down your Anglo-US-centric bullshit we get this about WWII in the Philippines:
– The evil Japanese were the cruel villains.
– The Filipinos were the poor victims.
– The Americans were the valiant and well meaning, though imperfect, rescuers.
Sorry, mate but I think the Filipino President has a very different perspective than this. Basically, if the Americans hadn’t originally based themselves and their occupation in the Philippines, neither the Japanese nor the American forces would have wrecked such havoc upon the civilian population:
somehow the fact that you don’t think you are a western middle class 10% cv is very very funny to me. And where do you get your history from – do you speak russian?
True. It has also been argued that the US invasion of the Philippines was a criminal waste of lives. The Americans had island-hopped all the way up to there, leaving irrelevant and isolated Japanese forces to rot in their wake. There was no need to take the Philippines – they could have hopped on to Iwo Jima/Okinawa without disturbing the lost Japanese forces in the Philippines.
All because of McArthur’s ego (He promised, “I will return.”) the option of bypassing the useless Philippines (in terms of approaching Japan) was discarded, and the ensuing bloodbath occurred. All because McArthur felt obliged to keep his ostentatious promise.
The Americans should have left the Japanese forces in the Philippines to sit idle and surrender along with the rest after the two atom bombs.
Who knows what the Philippinos themselves think? Including Duerte.
AFAIK most Filipinos regard the US as a great cultural friend that they closely identify with. (It can also be argued that Filipinos don’t speak English so much as they speak American).
Duterte on the other hand appears up to speed with the history of mass trauma that the USA has caused to the people of the Philippines from the late 1800s onwards.
Sanctuary
I lift one of your comments – that the killing of large numbers of people in a war was not for fun. Then I suggest that the killing or deaths of large numbers of people in what is presented as a war against drugs is not for fun either.
This is concerning, “Giant insurer IAG is considering sending New Zealand jobs overseas next year. IAG owns the State, AMI and NZI brands.
Other jobs could be lost to automation, the Australian listed company said.”
Don’t worry peoples.. Grant Robertson brilliant mind he is, has already made plans to deal with future automated services taking over from humans.
Does the outgoing government have plans for mass automation, and what it will do to our workforce? Pretty sure they haven’t, silly silly party if they haven’t, can’t find anything on the google.
Thanks Alpha (that’s Alpha Andy), Grant and the Labour Party for your Future of Work Commission, forward thinking and planning, wonderful ideas. http://www.futureofwork.nz/
Automated services won’t make your home or any of the vast array of infrastructure you rely on resistant to likely temperature increases. Bit of an elephant in the room is that one.
One of the other ones is that neither will IAG, AMI, NZI, or any other service industry predicated on a functioning, globally integrated economy.
There’s a veritable herd of the fuckers (elephants) milling all across sandy horizons, the prominent feature of which is an endless vista of arses pointing skywards.
Hey Bill did you hear about the businesses and people coming out about climate change? Good on them I say, they want the government to do more. Interestingly enough Sanford was one of the signatories.
I don’t want to have a vista of arses pointing skywards. Will vote left to prevent that kind of view. Left is best. I’m still in shock that Paula is climate change minister, makes me shake my head everytime I think about it.
It’s a stressful time in the insurance industry at the moment. A low interest rate economy affects their ability to hedge risk cost effectively, and cuts into their profits. They will be looking everywhere and anywhere to be making savings.
It is futile. Climate change is going to steamroll them into oblivion.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
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Cui bono?
Some people would be happy that if Kaikoura loses its tourist industry and if the town were to disappear.
Remember, our PM, forgot Pike River once the media’s lenses had moved on.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/73327556/kaikoura-council-unanimous-in-antioil-message
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/does-kaikoura-want-oil-drilling-2013101719
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/simon-bridges-defends-kaikoura-drilling-exploration-2013101419
Nice that a corporate who struggled to find the money for the victims of Christchurch has enough money to plaster their logo all over the New Zealand rugby team’s jersey.
They have sold their soul to big corporations.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11752045
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/69310952/Christchurch-homeowner-to-lead-IAG-class-action
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/8053446/Taking-on-the-insurance-titans
Yes agree with you Paul that is a very good point about AIG ( State Insurance) greedy pricks haven’t looked after the people and their customers
Check your facts first. The State tie-up is with IAG (an Aussie outfit)
Geoff Miller and Mark Blackham suggest in an NBR article:
Key’s departure may well leave New Zealand exposed to a voters’ revolt.
But there’s no sign yet of anyone not stale and uninspiring who could attract the protest votes.
That’s alarming.
Who will emerge to lead the fight for us versus them?
Can our party and MMP systems allow someone fresh to have a chance?
Stale, and uninspiring. Watch as Petty George makes yet amother feeble attempt to bad-mouth the Left, and simply ends up describing himself.
When your only representative in Parliament in a cross between a weathervane and a hairstyle…sob.
Why bother bad mouthing the left when you do such a fine job of bringing lefties into disrepute with your daily commentary.
Stunned silence.
Whereas the Prime Minister’s office employs Cameron Slater.
Pot, meet massive oversized kettle.
Oab – you seem to have difficulty replying on the subject and just going for the attempted insult – should you not like the views of the person commenting.
I know it’s difficult for you – but having reasoned discussion is interesting and beneficial.
Being a poor quality troll is not.
I’m inspired by Julie-Anne Genter and Marama Davidson, among others. So Petty George’s attempted smear falls at the first hurdle.
If you can think of a reason why beige flame-bait doesn’t deserve a robust response it might be the first original thought you’ve ever articulated.
Metiria’s speech in Parliament refusing to congratulate Trump was pretty inspiring.
+ 1
I read it in The Guardian but couldn’t find it anyplace in NZ, not even on the Greens website! (It might be there someplace, but it was not headlined.)
I have no idea how MPs with the integrity of Julie Anne and Marama would inspire the type of abusing, lying and smearing that you’re well known for here. I doubt they would want to be associated with any of it.
Correction: technically it’s more astro-turf than flame-bait but hey.
[I didn’t read PGs comment. Instead, and as a little ‘thought experiment, I read your comments to see if I could glean what PG’s comment might have been about. I got nothing. Seems that over a one and a half hour period you contributed nothing but snipes and a waste of space to Open Mike this morning. Up your game. Or, if all you want to do is spend time attacking people and making no comment relating to what they’ve said and offering no contribution to any debate/conversation on the substance of what they’ve said, then find yourself some “smash” message board somewhere else. If you think the topic they’ve raised or the argument they’re making isn’t worth your time, then that’s fine. Ignore it. Stop assuming people will find value in a stream of vacuous, space hogging commentary. ] – Bill
Imagine if you applied the same brand new rule to your little Unterdrumpfenfuhrer mate from Dunedin. Raise the double standard.
Hopefully not an even bigger charlatan.
Absolutely no sign of Key leaving. Not a story.
Charismatic.
Or policy-focussed and leaves clear legacy of good change.
Which?
The worst possible combination is highly charismatic and no policy.
Which is what we have.
The NBR and Fran O’Sullivan in the NZHerald have long chastised Key for having massive stores of political capital, great charisma, and yet zero coherence or policy drive or in fact doing anything of note.
Even deep into a third term, he has no agenda, no structure, no delivery, not a single item he can say would be confidently remembered in three years’ time.
By that measure Key is the laziest PM we have had since Holyoake’s last term as PM. That’s longer than my lifetime.
Key had to get out of bed for the earthquakes, but on any other measure of executive or legislative action, Key has achieved very little at all. (A few Treaty settlements that Crown Law were delivering anyway? – woo hooo.)
Far better to have a couple of terms with someone boring leading the country who actually gets something done. Give me low charisma with effective bold policy any day.
@Ad
I agree wholeheartedly with the above Ad. In fact this might form a pointed slogan at the next election egging on people of intelligence to examine what is leading them to vote National, and jerk themselves back to the wise people they purport to be.
Not that Labour/Greens have much choice in the matter.
Labour is Weetbix.
National is Frosties.
Greens are just OMG Kale smoothie.
Ad
That comment is very tasteless.
Ad’s a cereal commenter.
We’re all just chaffing here. Mostly corn really.
oh a big golden thumbs up to you Mr G , lmao
Still picking that Gareth Morgan is going to attempt to break through all that smash by positioning the Opportunities Party around evidence based policy that doesn’t bend to the supposed needs of ‘muddle’ NZ. (He’s already indicated that)
Also picking that if he does launch an actual political party, then our glorious establishment stenographers will run hard against him – cat killer, just another Trump, not a ‘real’ politician etc.
Whether NZ’s in the position for that to lead to an almighty voter backlash is debatable. But it could happen. And I’m thinking that if I had the choice between a Winston Peters or a Gareth Morgan holding the balance of power, I’d know which one I’d prefer.
I’m thinking he might pick up swing voters that aren’t committed NZF voters but usually end up with NZF by default. Fresh air comes to mind.
I’m not sure about whether he can hold the balance of power in the traditional sense, as he’s ruled out being in coalition. But voting on a case by case basis, that could be very interesting not least if it shakes people out of the duopoly. I hope that doesn’t come at the expense of a centre/left govt.
I’m just gana go out on a limb and predict on magic mic that Morgan will get 5%. If you’re a former ward of CYFs/WINZ/Inland revenue/police/Defence member looking to cut paper work Gareth will look really appealing, he’s got new philosophies and a track record to back it up. He also hasn’t made a mistake which is rear. Magic mic predicts T.O.Ps gets well over 5%
Trough ? Swamp ?
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/33255608/peters-vows-to-tip-over-the-trough/#page1
“The most powerful way to oppose him, but it was never really done seriously, was to try and understand what his voters want and try to address the need of his voters. No jokes, stop shouting, stop crying, stop saying: ‘It is a horror and disaster’; try and seriously understand what his voters want, and the left was never really successful in doing that,
Advice on opposing Berlusconi………. or Trump or Winston Peters or John Key or Paula Bennett and their immitators.
[if you are quoting, it’s good to provide a link or reference. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/21/if-berlusconi-is-like-trump-what-can-italy-teach-america Thanks – weka]
Yep
In other words, Bernie Sanders.
Or entertainment.
The Standard’s writers could take this on board.
Labour could take this on board too. They do not have the ear of the majority of lower paid workers, contractors and small business people.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a penchant from the large liberal section of society to simply mock and/or dismiss and/or demonise those who aren’t on board with themselves.
It’s been going on for years and probably won’t stop any time soon. Which is fine. They’re only marking themselves as increasingly irrelevant these days.
Is there a source for Italy Calling’s quote? I’d like to be able to read it in context, However, it doesn’t seem to me that being grimly focused on the nuances on policy detail was the key to success for Trump, Berlusconi, or Key.
Rather, it was the ability to give the folks a show that swung the deal. This is a problem for reality focused politicians, as that this kind of bullshitting can’t really be learnt (or at least; not to the level of expertise to those who have been doing it all their life). Is the role of a leader to entertain the punters for votes, or is it to develop policy to benefit the country? Trying to do both will reduce accomplishment in either.
I’d contend that; as realists can’t contend with the bullshit artists on their own playground, they should concentrate on demonstrating their integrity. Take Sanders for instance; his campaign wasn’t soaked in scandal because their was no muck to rake. He couldn’t even be derided as a socialist, because he was in your face with it.
Googling the quote found https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/21/if-berlusconi-is-like-trump-what-can-italy-teach-america
Looking at the numbers of voters, it looks to me like turnout is a big part of this election’s story. Trump won just a few hundred thousand votes more than Romney, Hillary was several million votes short of Obama. Hillary simply didn’t enthuse people to go out and vote for her. Take me for example, I’m as close to being a Hillary supporter as anyone here on TS and I’m well aware that most of the negative talking points about her are bullshit smears. But I still couldn’t muster real enthusiasm for her, more like half-hearted attempts to debunk the bullshit.
So while I agree Bernie’s integrity was a clear point of difference, I question whether Bernie would have mustered enough extra voter enthusiasm to have made the difference. If we look at the primary results in the states that mattered, Bernie lost Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, roughly equal in Nevada, Michigan, Iowa, and only won Wisconsin convincingly.
I can’t think of any credible Dems that could go against Trump on showmanship for 2020. So integrity will be a good point of difference to have.
The crucial part is … try to address the need of his voters…, as opposed to turning on those who his voters, in their exasperation, would like to see punished or deprived. Capitalism has always been good at divide-and-rule, neoliberal capitalism has been outstandingly good at it, and it is important to avoid all suggestion of it.
But that’s looking for a homogeneous response from a broad range of actors and political opponents. And it’s also assuming that the demagogue’s voters want something that can be expressed by anything other than flashing lights and generic, barely-focused anger.
Policy promises might alleviate some support from those that understand and are inclined towards them. But a demagogue’s base support is around personal charisma to a fanatic few. They act as the anchor and recruiters for additional supporters. A rational but complex policy platform can never compete with an irrational and vague appeal to broad discontent. And even an opposing attempt at demagoguery is on the back foot as long as it keeps itself tied to rationality and reality.
So what do a party/opposition do? Weather the storm and take it on the chin until it blows itself out, or decide that post-truth is in, lie and bullshit as much as the other guy, and hope that we can return the dialogue to rationality after we lie our way into power? Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle.
Well perhaps TS can now have a NZ Matters Now Open post where it is only NZ-based comments can be put so those who want to think about NZ first can do so.
I am sick of USA stuff dominating the discourse on every media and we have enough troubles to face some of us want to think about our reality. This would mean that if the USA is mentioned it would be in reference to how NZ is faring or being affected by them, or indeed from any other country.
I woke up this morning to a beautiful day feeling happy and positive. You know, the old tra la la feeling. Well! That didn’t last long. Hearing that Ferguson was going to be interviewing Andrew Little about National’s’ tax cuts I thought (stupidly as it happens) that it would be worth a listen as it is totally disingenuous of the Nats to even put cuts out there at the moment. The interrogation followed her usual m.o when it comes to all thing Labour. No comment that I heard from her about the possibility of tax cuts being positive or negative but an absolute rude bad mannered, undisciplined attack on A.L about what was Labour going to offer at election time to put money into peoples’ pockets (Key has already acknowledged that TCs will not advantage low income earners).I am picking that this deviation into WHAT WILL LABOUR DO!! wouldn’t have been on Andrews radar so he would have been totally unprepared. And she made no attempt to listen to his answers. To top it all off I heard on the car radio Toxic Susie gleefully, with beautiful enunciation read out two extremely negative letters from listeners stating that Andrew Little is a poor speaker and ‘very uninspiring’ etc. Odd! TWO letters saying basically the same thing. No other letters read out that I heard. Must have missed the complimentary ones and I bet there were some. Sounds like a jackup! These readers obviously haven’t heard Key speak. This is person who can’t open his mouth properly to speak, can’t use whole sentences that make any sense, mostly uses one syllable words and everything he does say is open to interpretation. Go figure. Bluddy annoyed! Phew, that feels better. Unfortunately this is just the beginning. sigh.
Ffloyd, you are dead right about SF. She is quite a nasty piece of work – her ‘interviews’ are a disgrace. I refuse to listen to her . I can’t understand how Kim can bear to work with her. Obviously she (SF) is just what RNZ management want!
The other comment I have is that Andrew Little MUST take media lessons. He is cringeworthy in interviews, which is such a shame. We cannot excuse his lack of training in front of the media because IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Spot on Garibaldi, to say the question “wouldn’t have been on Andrews radar so he would have been totally unprepared” is just so misguided.
What politician goes into an interview criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions.
Little needs to start talking like a man on a mission…where was the passion?, where was the outrage??
If Little doesn’t throw off the shackles soon the election is going to be a rather pointless exercise for Labour. His need to appease and keep the centrists onside, to present a unified Labour Party, may well be his (and our) undoing.
“What politician goes into an interview criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions.”
As Labour have yet to fully formulated their policy, they’ve largely been doing this (criticising the Government without a statement for their own future intentions) for the last couple of years.
You know I keep holding off criticising Labour for that very reason…but even if they do not have actual policy they really need to have something to say when being interviewed.
Sure the average voter can nod their head and agree to statements like “End Poverty” “House for Every NZer”……but they are hardly ‘Party Message’ statements to engage the voter and the clock is ticking.
I’m sure even Bill and John could squeak out those sorts of sentiments if they really really really had to. Or maybe not.
I’ve highlighted the problem a number of times.
It seems Labour prefers to keep their powder dry.
The first question tends to be what would you do? And when you have little in the way of policy there is little you can offer voters as an alternative.
I hate that analogy; how about this one – howitzers are useless at spitting distance.
It’s less than 12 months before the election and Labour have not been educating and shaping the discussion on the ground for alternative ideas and alternative policies.
So next year it is going to be, once more, a case of which party can be the better National Party.
The answer to which is already obvious to every voter in the country.
“Andrew Little MUST take media lessons. He is cringeworthy in interviews, which is such a shame. We cannot excuse his lack of training in front of the media because IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.”
This^
Little is failing to sell the party message well. Work on improving this should have started long ago. The election is not far away, can Little up his game in time?
The fact their policy is lacking doesn’t help.
He has been ffs, since before he was officially announced as Leader.
Hi CV. If what you say is true then he had better change his tutor.
Welcome back by the way.
This morning NR, i heard that taxes were rising faster than gdp, which is odd since since the giant tax switch that raised my taxes zero and lowered wealtheir nz taxes, the more they made the bigger the drop. So i’m guessing they mean taxrevenue is rising fast than gdp. Which ahain is odd since the quality of product i buy has dropped and i having to buy better higher price milk and meat than i did, at a higher gst. So guessing here the higher tax revenue is caused by the poorer quality of the gdp growth forcing me to spend more. And so the pay day, the profit taking, tax cuts for wealthy people begins again. Poor economic outcomes meet profit taking churn…
The price of average beef mince at my supermarket seems set at $11.99 most of the time, when it’s on special. That means a considerable percentage rise on previous special price which could go down to $8.99.
Lamb shanks are now about $4 each for mostly bone. We gave them a try the other day but poor cost effectiveness. Lamb shoulder chops, used as bbq fare are specialled at $11.99, daren’t look at loin chop price.
I try to support Blackball West Coast, I think, butchery and buy their sausages which are being offered at supermarket at about $18 kilogram, up from about $15 just last year. Everything up as if it was the 1970s. Weird that.
Reminds of a British cartoon from years back. Just beside the door to the meat section was a finance desk offering fast cash if you had your house title with you for collateral.
By the time I boil out all the water or whatever it is my local Pak n save pumps into the meat I reckon my $12 a kg chicken nibbles packet is more like $17.00 a kg…crikey that’s a bit of a earthquake roll…
I hope you keep all that liquid and turn it into soup, a bit of onion, carrot and some pasta and it would make a nutritious meal for ten!
Chooky
Thinking about chicken – where are you Chooky? You popped up a while ago and i haven’t seen you since. Am I just looking at the wrong time?
Hope all is going well and progressively for you. Perhaps you could come on Sunday when Robert Guyton is telling us about his philosophy and his edible forest with garden? And I think he has chooks too!
Former inmate is seeking compensation from Corrections for not keeping him safe.
Apparently an inmate smashed a pool ball into the right-side temple of his head within an hour of him arriving at Mount Eden prison. Leaving him with brain damaged.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/318541/investigator-questions-corrections'-story-on-prison-attack-video
Interesting weekend with the Navy goings on and equake …. Come Monday morning a financial earthquake happens over the weekend where the NZ dollar tanks by 7 cents and not a peep? Tweeted the usual suspects, liam dann, Bernard H, ect …. nothing.
The Trump effect? US bonds at all-time high’s(since 2008).
I just thought it worthy of mentioning as this could accelerate the decline of the housing market & the cost of borrowing heads north …. impacting on all domestic economic activity?
NZ dollar tanks by 7 cents against what currency?
USD but I mean it is reserve bank policy to tank the kiwi aye
I would love to see where you get these figures from to justify a claim of 7 cents..
I certainly doesn’t show up here, or any other source I know of.
http://www.exchange-rates.org/history/USD/NZD/T
or
http://www.anz.co.nz/personal/migrants-travel-foreign-exchange/fx/exchange-rate-graphs/nzd-usd/
There was a drop on the day of the earthquake but it wasn’t anywhere 7 cents.
That all depends where you want to start your chart history from.
“where you want to start your chart history from”
The original comment on the subject said
“Interesting weekend with the Navy goings on and equake “.
I found a couple of references that covered the period immediately before and immediately after the earthquake. Neither of them show the claimed effect, a 7c drop in the New Zealand dollar, at that time.
What other period would you suggest? The period I chose is the only one that is relevant to the claims being made.
You wrote that for nothing. Reserve bank policy is to devalue the kiwi
7.3 quake off Fukushima triggers tsunami warning
Getting rather active lately around the Ring of Fire.
Those fuel rods still sitting up in the air?
Everything went quiet on that front after a brief spell of bullshit propaganda about how it was all ‘in hand’.
And what about those cores – two of them from memory. They been contained yet?
What about the general wash of radioactive poison seeping into the Pacific from the Fukushima plant? That been reduced or stemmed yet?
From memory when reactor 1 cascaded, melting the core, the fuel rods fused with the rubble. And clean up teams are using pucy hydraulic arms to move each rock one at a time. I don’t know why they don’t go big and use remote 1700-1800 boggers/loaders. Just need a good 1500 horse power engine with the right attachment.
Couldn’t say. It’s not something that I’ve been keeping abreast of.
The original NHK piece is probably in Japanese, but this was on the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/nov/21/japan-earthquake-tsunami-warning-live-updates?page=with:block-58337b1de4b0da4920d6aff8#block-58337b1de4b0da4920d6aff8
[edit – updated]
Thinking of you Japan, may your seawall hold, may the damage be minimal, and may the nuclear plant be unscathed.
Hiyas Bill. My sister visits Japan often, has done for over twenty years, she says no one says anything about it, it’s been forgotten. Media are good at helping people forget. One does not mention the “f” word over there. She said one would never even know it had happened.
So situation is all decontamination is to be completed by 2017. Here’s a PDF with more info written by the Japanese Minister of Environment from May this year, titled ‘The Current Situation of Off-site Clean-up in Japan’ it describes the decontamination happening in the Fukushima area and surrounds.
I’m interested in the answers to your questions too
http://josen.env.go.jp/en/news/pdf/news_160600_01.pdf
I’d take anything containg Fukushima, gov, jpn simultaneously with huge doeses of salt and sarcasm. Everything is being stored on site in plastic bags. Iv nothing against the individual workers themselves because they are brave as fuck, I’m no doctor but even I know 60% of those workers will receive premature cancers. Just that fact alone is enough for the Japanese government to want to save face and bullshit through there teeth, every year those estimates get pushed to the next year.
nicely said Sam
Thanks for all that in this thread. Bill I think, had some serious doubts about outcomes a year ago based on his study of the reports.
It is so hard to keep monitoring these events as the ineffectual though well paid politicians and CEOs of private and public entities continue to fudge their way through the problems to a point where they can retire from the race with a going-away package and be replaced, after some perhaps cosmetic, tackling of the problem, It’s the new Olympics, perhaps call it the Inorganics Relay Race where they don’t pass a baton, but a hot (perhaps radioactive) potato.
(See Pike River mine actions as sample representative of the technique.)
The last report I read about Fukushima said that it has overtaken Chernobyl in terms of scale and that all marine life in the Pacific has now been contaminated ( Northern far more than Southern), and that radiation is still leaking into the ocean.
That was about 6 weeks ago. Naturally they have been dreading another quake.
The truth will not be told to us so don’t expect them to come clean about what the effects of this new quake have been.
I’d squeeze a wedge of lemon in my eye to give you an accurate picture of my attitude about pollies taking over blue collar work
Wow Cinny, that pdf was nothing but out and out propaganda. Really well done propaganda, but propaganda none the less.
Very pretty propaganda, with infographics and everything.
Well done Labour and well done National, something for everyone involved with to be proud of
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/86672626/talks-to-begin-on-upgrading-nzs-free-trade-agreement-with-china
Since the FTA was signed, trade had quadrupled to reach $9.2 billion
Something for everyone??
So why are we still having to subsidize workers crappy wages with Working For Families and accommodation Supplements??
Why are NZers carrying more debt than ever??
And why are we having to import labour from ‘third world’ countries??
Why do we have so many homeless and, just as important – people with uncertain housing and uncertain jobs??
And why on earth are hard working NZers stuck at home sitting in armchairs because they can’t get on a waiting list for a knee op.? Or, you know, going blind while they wait for an appointment??
What ‘everyone’??
“Show us the money!!”
The only true thing is ‘Labour and National’…because indeed, they are one and the same when it comes to Free Trade and its fallout for the workers.
Well done Labour and well done National…the wheels of Free Trade Neo Liberalism are coming loose around the World…now what??
It seems the fine print of these FTAs obliges us to
sell NZ sovereign territory to foreigners
let China dump third grade steel here
let companies like Oravida get around legislation intended to add value
turn NZ primary produce into cheap commodities
poison our lakes and rivers with stock effluent
Those last two points are entirely within our control. #changethegovt
Tragic moment this morning, Andrew Little with all the opportunity in the world to attack National over it’s bizarre tax cut plan, exposed himself and Labour yet again as having nothing to substantially offer the working and disenfranchised citizens of NZ, just a bunch of words, no policies, no meat, barely even a bone to gnaw on for the few deluded remaining faithful.
Still I guess when you are tied to your now totally defunct and debunked free market, third way centrist ideology, what can you do if you are a real really believer in your ideology, you do what it demands, even if it will destroy you all in the process, as the Democratic party and their MSM attack dogs in the US just spectacularly showed us all. Labour in the UK only just avoided the same fate, but only by the power of the people, telling their Labour Party centrists to fuck off in no uncertain terms have they survived, and now stronger than ever.
Turn Labour Left. the only sane choice.
Little needs more media training. And Labour needs more policy that will win over voters.
Give him six months!
Oh wait …
How bankers stay positive, turning bad news into lemonade, champers
or Glenfiddich!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/business/2016/10/09/6861_10102016.gif
Worthy of a post all of its own…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/318644/man-criticised-over-disability-launches-political-party
“A Dunedin man who caused a stir when he ran for city council is starting a political party that aims to improve funding for people with disabilities
Joshua Perry, who has cerebral palsy, was told by a fellow council candidate before the recent local body elections that he was brave for standing, because people would find it difficult to understand him.”
The link was sent by a mate….we had just got off the phone after spending half the morning phoning other mates in the disability community to facilitate a better wheelchair for one of us. Doing the job that should be done by the incompetents that the Misery of Health funds to do the job.
Joshua will get at least six more members of his party… because we in the disability community are over the shit we have to wade through.
And,…..no other party gives a shit.
Labour, Greens, NZFirst minority report
One aspect only….education.
Many more areas where all parties could have, should have done better.
Trouble is, for some of us, our disability history goes back nearly fifty years…supports have become less secure, less efficient and much less safe.
Non ACC disabled New Zealanders have fewer rights and entitlements than twenty years ago.
I feel for parents of children with disabilities struggling to get proper educational supports…but y’all might have to accept that as being the norm…way into your child’s adulthood.
It is now legislated that family are responsible for providing supports.
I think you need to tell that to Catherine Delahunty – and see what sort of response you get! She and the Greens and Labour and NZ First are all working bloody hard to get Nats to front up on this issue. I know. There was some hope last year when the Nats agreed to hold a Special sub committee on the matter – one senior Nat MP has personal experience of the matter, ( our family all submitted to the committee and my daughter in person) but the resulting Report was a complete whitewash, as per usual with this crowd. Got to have our tax cut bribe next year! So check out the minority report. The proof is there. The Greens Labour and NZ First do give a shit
For the ‘new yellow journalists,’ opportunity comes in clicks and bucks
We see a lot of this sort of shit in NZ as well from well known bloggers known to be full of rancid fat.
What the actual fuck is this guy doing in New Zealand??/ Who invited him??? Shame on our government.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11752735
“…A president nicknamed “The Punisher” because of a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people is in Auckland.
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Auckland this morning where he will spend one night before returning to the Philippines…”
Can’t he be arrested here and put on trial in the Hague?
Duterte is doing what the people of the Phillipines elected him in to do. Amongst other things, to put an end to the infection of narco-politics and narco-corruption in their country.
Public officials at every level of the Filipino government have been compromised by drug money and drug bribes.
If drug dealers in the Philippines resist arrest, attack or shoot at law enforcement officers, then yes, Duterte has said in multiple interviews that he prefers that those criminals end up dead rather than his public servants.
CV, Yes he is very popular with his local population, but he is nothing more than a glorified murderer in my eyes.
“Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected President of the Philippines, in May, more than three thousand people have been killed in a vicious drug war.
When a reporter asked about his health, he replied, “How is your wife’s vagina? Is it smelly? Or not smelly? Give me a report.”
Duterte does not, as he has put it, “give a shit” about human rights, which he sees as a Western obsession that keeps the Philippines from taking the action necessary to clean up the country.”
Interesting article… http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/21/when-a-populist-demagogue-takes-power
One should not have to commit thousands of murders to control the drug situation in a country.
Sanctuary, i did see a picture of him and our outgoing PM at APEC.
http://dzrhnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/head11-14.jpg
No doubt Duterte is not handling things in a way that is acceptable to our civilised liberal western eyes and ears.
However, most of this media noise falls within the usual western demonization programme of any foreign leader who is no longer a team player against Russia and China.
Funny how extrajudicial murder seems to be associated with a pivot towards Russia or China.
Use all the moralising pejoratives and anti-China/anti-Russia smears that you want, but Duterte is doing the job that he was elected for, cleaning up the drug gangs and drug dealers in his country like he did for Davao city.
These drug dealing criminals have the choice to surrender themselves to the authorities and to the judicial process without a fight of course, unfortunately the Filipino death penalty for drug trafficking probably makes that less likely.
Sorry, did you object to the policy description or merely it’s coincidental association with the foreign policy pivot?
funny how thousands of suspects suddenly decided to commit suicide by cop only after Duterte was elected. The alternative, of course, being that many of them were not actually given that choice.
Go get your Filipino citizenship and vote him out then. Or maybe we should help regime change the Philippines and extraordinary rendition him to the Hague?
Even if I did, I’d be relying on him to pay more respect to electoral law than he does to criminal law. You can’t pick and choose which bits of a constitution to respect and still claim to be anything other than a thuggish overlord.
I love these self-righteous western moral proclamations, keep them coming, it’s really winning the world over.
Meanwhile, Duterte regularly reminds home crowds that the Americans killed 200,000 Filipino civilians when the US airforce firebombed Manila in order to attack the Japanese.
You’re sort of a reverse-Voltaire: you sit here and enjoy a nice middle class lifestyle and freedom of speech, and a fair chance that if the cops think you’ve done something wrong then you’ll have your day in court to defend yourself – and you’ll use those freedoms to actively support the extrajudicial murder of others.
America’s bad, m’kay? But so is duterte. What makes you think he’ll stop at supposed drug dealers?
Duterte is cleaning up the narco-politics and narco-corruption of the Philippines exactly like he said he would if elected by the people. He was, and he is.
What makes you think he’ll stop there? Are journalists safe?
Who knows, I ain’t a mind reader. He is however delivering on his promises to the electorate.
But keep up with your western colonial smears, they suit you.
Just how completely have you lost the plot CV?
He may have been elected on the back of some ‘tough on drugs’ ticket (I don’t know), but what you’re excusing is parallel with some NZ Party promising to eradicate poverty….and then sanctioning extra-judicial killings (murder).
And McFlock. Can you please stop doing a running interaction and inadvertently encouraging this , well…I dunno what to call it. It’s fucking sad and apparently running across issue after issue. I know or suspect there’s an element of entertainment involved from your perspective. But yeah…
Bill, I recognise that different places do things in different ways. It’s not a radical idea.
Yeah. People doing things in a variety of different ways – that’s cultural diversity and a whole lot of other stuff which, I think my anarchist leanings give me a far better appreciation of than, if say, I was some dyed in the wool western liberal.
Your arguments have nothing whatsoever to do with an appreciation of, or support for diversity though. To put it simply or bluntly, you’ve lazily embraced ‘vile’. That’s all your ‘take’ amounts to.
(And don’t come back with some shit about life being valued differently in the Philippines and how that makes the murder of someones wife, husband, son, mother, father, daughter, brother or sister okay, or somehow lesser, to ‘non-western’ eyes.)
Sometimes embracing diversity involves a bit more than appreciating foreign takeaway food.
Sometimes it means not judging other peoples behaviours, values, standards or sovereignty through superior self righteous anglo-US colonial eyes.
Bluntly put, there isn’t a politician in the Beehive smart enough to have shit show of surviving a month trying to run the Philippines.
So yes, we can pontificate, Duterte is morally vile, and I am morally vile for not playing the outrage condemnation game against him, etc.
But he carries the burden of constitutional sovereignty on his shoulders, and as far as I can see, he is doing his best to sort out some dire situations facing his country and facing his people.
Now that’s a vile strawman.
I think you should see someone, CV. Not an osteopath but a psychiatrist. I don’t mean to “mental-illness-shame”, but you’ve gone totally nuts.
”Sometimes embracing diversity involves a bit more than appreciating foreign takeaway food.”
”Sometimes it means not judging other peoples behaviours, values, standards or sovereignty through superior self righteous anglo-US colonial eyes.”
I have seen some vile comments from CV, but this might be the worst.
No wonder CV sneers at concern over fake news on the other thread – CV has rejected the concept of universal values.
He’s not critiquing Western hypocrisy, he’s actively sneering at the very idea of aspiring to universal human rights.
Obama’s drones were a pivot towards Russia, or China?
That was thinly disguised as war.
Trump’s campaign promise of going after the innocent family members of suspected terrorists is a dramatic removal of that thin veil – an escalation that coincides withhis promise of a US/Russian detente…
Not really CV, i think some people are just not into murder, or killing or executions. Everyone is different. Apparently his son had a drug problem and he’s been on the drug dealer killing rampage ever since.
Nothing to do with Russia or China, in fact aren’t they all in a bit of a pip re the south china sea?
https://www.rt.com/news/367729-duterte-china-sea-dispute-scarborough/
And for reference, that’s much lower than the homicide rate in Chicago.
Indeed.
But your confusing the entire homicide rate with the rate of killings by police, and perhaps you’d like to cherry-pick the worst region in the philippines to compare with the worst city in the U.
CV
One of my relations lived in the Philippines and sent me a photo of the drug agent in the location he was in, she was just ordinary looking and unworried at ‘being captured’ by the camera. It’s such a difficult country to survive in, no public health services where he was, it is very hard to make a living, seems corrupt and the people went for a strong leader with charisma, like Marcos. Wasn’t one politician. who had gone into exile and been invited back as welcome, shot as he came out of the plane?
The Pres had better watch his own back as the criminal bosses won’t be happy at having their businesses smashed.
Did NZ give a shit about Indonesia and Suharto sanctioning the indiscriminate killing of (at least) hundreds of thousands of ‘undesirables’ by gangs of thugs? No.
As an aside. The recent (2012) documentary “Act of Killing” provides a chilling as fuck picture of Indonesia and is well worth hunting down.
Will NZ give a shit about Duterte embarking on the same path? No.
NZ government seemed cosy with Ferdinand Marcos as well.
The only reason the western media cares about Duterte today is that he’s broken ranks with the Anglo-US imperialists. Consequently his days are numbered and the media beat of regime change is under way.
The poodle bites. The poodle chews it.
he is a murderer – the slippery slope starts with ‘druggies’ and ends with anyone. Everyone knows that.
Had you being any attention whatsoever you’d realise that the western media doesn’t care about the situation in the Philippines at all…not beyond bullshit OMG! headlines.
Perhaps he was here to check on his trust accounts.
Extra judicial murder is just murder, even if it is authorised by some nutjob strongman. Anyone who allows free reigh to death squads is an international criminal.
Don’t worry too much Sanctuary, pretty sure the CIA already have Duterte on their regime change short list.
No we don’t.
Really? He’s on my copy of the list: ***/0816.
Have they updated it since August?
I’m sure new CIA head Rep. Pompeo will sort it.
nah. he ain’t in the Deep State.
Meet the (soon) new head of the CIA:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Jack_Bauer.jpg
Jack will be the deputy head, drawn from the CIA’s own Clandestine Services section (it’s tradition).
Funny how that one appointment makes all your argument about trump look rather weak C.V.
That was a corporate pick, through and through. A shrill for the 1%. How you feeling buddy, feel like you just got lied to?
That your boy trump was just as bad a h.r.c? That your boy trump is indeed, just another tool for the corporate elect?
Disappointed the sellout was so soon?
Feel like you were dumped on from a great height?
I’m guessing I’m going to get to write this same type of thing for years…
Which argument?
Can you be specific?
I believe I know why he picked Pompeo. It will be the same reason that he might pick Gen Mattis for SecDef. However I certainly don’t like Pompeo’s attitude towards Edward Snowden.
I have already written a note to his transition team mentioning Edward Snowden.
Wow, you have really misunderstood what this Trump Administration is trying to do.
Listen and learn.
Could you use a /sarc tag sometimes?
It’s difficult to tell whether you’re taking the piss or have simply disappeared up your own arse into a fantasy land where Trump’s transition team give a shit about your opinions.
didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know – pretty boring video really
CBS – lol. The same CBS who did a live interview with ‘a man on the street’ who was a ex employee.
So you are a shrill for the 1% now C.V?
When did that happen?
well, pick your acceptable news source and let me know, adam.
Or maybe it’s just whatever news source is saying things that are acceptable to you on a day.
Is that all you got, a “poor me” argument, come on CV you can do better than than. Did you actually watch what you put up? For once I agree with marty mars boring, irrelevant to what I said, and nothing of note.
You are now spinning and avoiding questions like the trolls on this sight.
As for trump trying to do, he is doing for the 1% exactly what they want, get a grip mate, he ant no savior. Corporate elects say jump, and trumpy boy says ‘how high master’.
Toady, is a toady, is a toady.
But more importantly, you use to be critical and think things through, not a groupie for the 1%. What happened to that CV?
How about you don’t be so mean to cv eh adam? who do you think you are berating him like that, insulting him with bad language and so on… just kidding – eye for an eye and all that 🙂
Hi Adam, sorry that you are so blinded by hate. A pity.
You say that I have lost my analysis skills yet you throw around silly labels, insults, and childish ad homs.
Why do you think your questions are so important? You cannot see the brilliant political strategies that the nascent Trump administration is now structuring and playing out. You are looking in the wrong direction, making poor biased assumptions that Trump is some kind of “toady” (to whom? The billionaire class? Vladimir Putin?).
But if Trump succeeds the Republican Party will absorb the bulk of both African American and Latino working class voters, who will join the white working class voters they took from right under the nose of the Democrats.
My bet: like NZ Labour, the US Democratic Party will now structurally and culturally prove itself unable to change and renew.
Marty Mars – huh? I have not used any bad language to insult adam with. I have received plenty of nasty lefty bullyshaming from people like you though.
I was talking about adam telling me off for being rude to you. Funny how you think everything revolves around you isn’t it?
anyway adam had some pretty good points in his comment – the truth will set him free…
Blinded by hate, so funny. You in the realm of desperation there mate.
As is you call that trump was brilliant, I agree with bill on that – you are in lala land on that one. h.r.c was the worst person the democrat’s could have put up, and it was proven to be correct. She made the lesser of two evils look about as evil as it got. As per you call on the black and latino vote. The black vote collapsed, and the republicans have made sure of that – Oh wait they also leaders in excluding people from voting, and that list is dominated by black Americans. Wow so you are saying the racist policies of the republicans in brilliant, dude I think you need to do some soul searching.
My original point still stands, that trumps appointment to the director of the CIA is a corporate shrill, and a fan boy for the corporate elects, and all your deflections and spin don’t stop that fact.
Sorry your so full of hate and projecting it on others CV. My comments are nothing different from were I have stood all along, you however have fallen for a demagogy, which is a shame, I thought you were one person who thought for yourself.
FOX 10 Phoenix YouTube channel live-streaming NHK World Tsunami feed
thanking you for the link Joe
Are the Greens moving closer to the centre?
Their rehashed Home For Life policy would suggest so.
https://www.greens.org.nz/home-for-life
According to Stuff “It’s a reaffirmation of the party’s 2014 election promise, with an expansion to provide community housing providers with low-interest loans to build more homes.”. I would be very interested to know if that’s an accurate assessment.
And their ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Labour would exclude any dramatic steps to the Left, though in the context of Labour’s Policies, whatever they may be, the Greens “Residential Tenancies Bill” seems like some sort of Marxist Revolution.
“Currently, New Zealand renters with periodic tenancies can, legally,
face rent increases every six months; ”
https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/Residential%20Tenancies%20Safe%20and%20Secure%20Rentals%20Am.pdf
We’re a backwards, mean spirited little country in some very surprising ways.
Well this is getting worse. Not that it was not out of hand anyway. Police get more brutal in North Dakota,
The good old US of A.
Land of the Free.
Just note that all of this is under Obama – you know the one – the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Just another example of the bullshit democracy the rest of the world is supposed to bow down to ….or else.
When will everyone wake up to what The USA has become ?
Trump’s regime will accelerate America’s decline into greater aggressive, violent autocracy for the rest of the world to see, and, hopefully, reject.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/86717226/gabe-browns-five-keys-to-soil-health
No cultivation and next to no inputs and he’s producing more than his peers
Are Civil defence sure there is no tsunami threat to New Zealand following 7.3M Honshu Japan earthquake?
I’m sure they are monitoring the tidal swells at our Pacific neighbours on the path to NZ.
Weka
Am I right that Open Mike does not get saved to archives (being too diverse to be categorised)?
If so could from 11 which I think was Draco which has all been about the Japanese nuclear problem, be uplifted to another dedicated post say Update from Fukushima, because this is an ongoing situation that is worsening and it would be good to have details of it and commenters be able to follow it from such a site. Don’t know if that can be done. But would be good.
I see that the latest info which has gone onto the site today says that much of the marine life in the northern hemisphere part of the Pacific has been contaminated with radioactivity. We need to keep a running record of prognosis I think.
Yes please that would be super helpful
You may want to have a read of this.
http://www.beachapedia.org/Radiation_From_Fukushima
In short, radiation from Fukushima is detectable all over the Pacific. But the levels are not much above background levels, and those background levels have been falling dramatically since the 60s when people stopped atmospheric testing of nukes. Scientists are really interested in detecting that radiation because it tells them about migration patterns of different species, not because they’re hazardous.
It’s only a small area directly around Fukushima that remains hazardous. Fish that tend to stay in one area can build up hazardous concentrations, so the fisheries nearby remain closed. But migratory fish are very unlikely to stay in the area long enough to become hazardous. Particularly in comparison to some of the other pollution hazards around Japan, such as mercury.
Hi mod
I have a few of my comments locked away in the cupboard. If you could let them out soon when you have time I appreciate, it would be appreciated.
[Dunno why your comments are regularly wind up in pending. Been noticing it for a while now.] – Bill
Just sent you a email changed password. Try logging in 🙂
You can change your profile name from the dashboard (after you login in) by clicking your old handle at the top right, Edit your profile, change the nickname, and the select that as the display name, and save at the bottom of the screen.
Anyone else need their password reset?
Thank you lprent I am working on it. Decide that I need to update my browser and then follow your instructions.
Not a particular problem provided there is a moderator around 🙂
“… that the Americans killed 200,000 Filipino civilians when the US airforce firebombed Manila in order to attack the Japanese…”
This is bit like claiming the Allies “massacred” 68,000 French citizens in bombing during WW2. it is a twisted lie.
CV, you are a liar. You twist the truth to serve yourself, relying on other peoples lack of knowledge to lie about history and to warp the views of others. No wonder you’ve joined in rejoicing the arseholes and liars who Trump is appointing to senior positions. Truth free politics needs lies to sustain it..
First of all, the United States did not “firebomb” Manila for fun. Maybe in your Breitbart world, but not in the fact based real world. The Japanese commander in the Philippines, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, ordered Manila evacuated as indefensible. 14,000 Japanese troops not only ignored this order, but also decided to indulge in a completely brutal and unhinged massacre of the civilian population in retaliation for, well, being pissed off at losing the war. The Imperial Japanese army troops in Manila not only chose to ignore withdraw orders and to freely massacre tens and tens of thousands of the local population FOR ABSOLUTELY NO MILITARY REASON, the also chose to mount a completely pointless suicidal last stand against the Americans which they knew would be extremely costly in civilian lives – that was the point of their defense, to kill and be killed for no reason other than their ridiculous adherence to the barbarity of their military code.
The US Army killed many civilians in freeing Manila from the Japanese. But all those deaths were persuant to a clear military goal, the freeing of Manila from the Japanese, and because the Japanese deliberately chose to fight in a city for that reason.
The only people responsible for the lives lost in Manila were the soldiers of the empire of Japan, whose barbarism should NEVER be excused.
You frankly physically disgust me. You are one of a select handful of people I’d happily punch in the face.
I’d hold him down, but why smash a stenographer? Resist fascism at the source.
“…I’d happily punch in the face…”
Seems you have some inward reflection and analysis to do, Sanctuary
Work on it until that “select handful” no longer exists in your being…
And then continue with the personal growth…
Same message to OAB, for suggesting involvement in physical abuse and violence
Sanctuary you do make me laugh. Relaying history as written by Anglo-US historians as if it is the correct way of looking at the world.
Boiling down your Anglo-US-centric bullshit we get this about WWII in the Philippines:
– The evil Japanese were the cruel villains.
– The Filipinos were the poor victims.
– The Americans were the valiant and well meaning, though imperfect, rescuers.
Sorry, mate but I think the Filipino President has a very different perspective than this. Basically, if the Americans hadn’t originally based themselves and their occupation in the Philippines, neither the Japanese nor the American forces would have wrecked such havoc upon the civilian population:
https://youtu.be/77qewVIdo3c?t=806
somehow the fact that you don’t think you are a western middle class 10% cv is very very funny to me. And where do you get your history from – do you speak russian?
True. It has also been argued that the US invasion of the Philippines was a criminal waste of lives. The Americans had island-hopped all the way up to there, leaving irrelevant and isolated Japanese forces to rot in their wake. There was no need to take the Philippines – they could have hopped on to Iwo Jima/Okinawa without disturbing the lost Japanese forces in the Philippines.
All because of McArthur’s ego (He promised, “I will return.”) the option of bypassing the useless Philippines (in terms of approaching Japan) was discarded, and the ensuing bloodbath occurred. All because McArthur felt obliged to keep his ostentatious promise.
The Americans should have left the Japanese forces in the Philippines to sit idle and surrender along with the rest after the two atom bombs.
Who knows what the Philippinos themselves think? Including Duerte.
Thanks for a different perspective In Vino.
AFAIK most Filipinos regard the US as a great cultural friend that they closely identify with. (It can also be argued that Filipinos don’t speak English so much as they speak American).
Duterte on the other hand appears up to speed with the history of mass trauma that the USA has caused to the people of the Philippines from the late 1800s onwards.
Like the Independence betrayal after the Spanish-American war? That would figure.
Sanctuary
I lift one of your comments – that the killing of large numbers of people in a war was not for fun. Then I suggest that the killing or deaths of large numbers of people in what is presented as a war against drugs is not for fun either.
This is concerning, “Giant insurer IAG is considering sending New Zealand jobs overseas next year. IAG owns the State, AMI and NZI brands.
Other jobs could be lost to automation, the Australian listed company said.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/86725204/giant-insurer-iag-could-cull-jobs-in-new-zealand
Don’t worry peoples.. Grant Robertson brilliant mind he is, has already made plans to deal with future automated services taking over from humans.
Does the outgoing government have plans for mass automation, and what it will do to our workforce? Pretty sure they haven’t, silly silly party if they haven’t, can’t find anything on the google.
Thanks Alpha (that’s Alpha Andy), Grant and the Labour Party for your Future of Work Commission, forward thinking and planning, wonderful ideas.
http://www.futureofwork.nz/
Automated services won’t make your home or any of the vast array of infrastructure you rely on resistant to likely temperature increases. Bit of an elephant in the room is that one.
One of the other ones is that neither will IAG, AMI, NZI, or any other service industry predicated on a functioning, globally integrated economy.
There’s a veritable herd of the fuckers (elephants) milling all across sandy horizons, the prominent feature of which is an endless vista of arses pointing skywards.
Hey Bill did you hear about the businesses and people coming out about climate change? Good on them I say, they want the government to do more. Interestingly enough Sanford was one of the signatories.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/318633/open-letter-demands-climate-action-from-nz-govt
I don’t want to have a vista of arses pointing skywards. Will vote left to prevent that kind of view. Left is best. I’m still in shock that Paula is climate change minister, makes me shake my head everytime I think about it.
Sanford. Doesn’t surprise me at all… climate change is THE existential threat to their business.
It’s a stressful time in the insurance industry at the moment. A low interest rate economy affects their ability to hedge risk cost effectively, and cuts into their profits. They will be looking everywhere and anywhere to be making savings.
It is futile. Climate change is going to steamroll them into oblivion.
More like steamroll their customers into oblivion with ever increasing premiums.
Time for ‘KiwiSure’
Which New Zealand First has already pledged to deliver.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1611/S00426/paying-the-price-for-sale-of-state-insurance.htm
Are Labour still committed to setting up KiwiAssure?