Open mike 23/04/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 23rd, 2023 - 49 comments
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49 comments on “Open mike 23/04/2023 ”

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  1. weka 1
    23 April 2023 at 6:04 am

    for those that missed it yesterday,

    The Standard Housekeeping

    Headsup that the Mobile version of TS has been turned off for now because it was causing too many problems. We can still use the Desktop version on a mobile device, but some people won't be able to comment from there (I can make a new comment from the Desktop version but I can’t usually reply). Sorry about that, but all posts should be able to be read now.

    If you are on a mobile device and can't comment from the Desktop version, can you please reply below with details, cheers.

  2. SPC 2
    23 April 2023 at 7:02 am

    Cleta Mitchell (the Cleta Donald Trump referenced as being in the White House with hm when he made the phone call to Georgia about finding 11,000 votes), reveals a strategy the GOP is using to contest the 2024 elections.

  3. SPC 3
    23 April 2023 at 7:11 am

    The Trumpists are upset that Alec Baldwin is not being imprisoned for his portrayal of the Donald on Saturday Night Live (apparently his portrayal of a man who can shoot someone and get away with it is too real).

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/21/lauren-boebert-says-alec-baldwins-charges-were-dropped-due-to-liberal-privilege/?sh=24ee0f547086

    https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/23/politics/donald-trump-shoot-somebody-support/index.html

  4. Mike the Lefty 4
    23 April 2023 at 8:12 am

    It seems that National's call-to-arms on their imagined "war against farmers" may not be so universally popular in the rural sect as they thought it would.

    A few farmers have spoken out that National's political posturing about ditching regulations will undo the real progress made by NZ farmers in reducing emissions, nitrates and potassium into waterways and over use of fertilisers.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/131813301/farmers-say-nationals-plan-to-reverse-government-farm-regulations-could-be-a-backward-step

    Even Federated Farmers' enthusiasm was less than overwhelming, citing the need to see more detail.

    National is so arrogant that it simply assumes that farmers will back them in anything they say.

    The "war against farmers" exists only in National's tunnel-visioned outlook and the leadership of Federated Farmers. Many others acknowledge that farming is going through tough, but necessary changes but they want to go forward rather than backward. Going forward is not generally the National Party way, they have discovered.

    National and Federated Farmers leadership – "They gave a war and nobody came….." (excerpt from the song Zor and Zam by the Monkees).

    • bwaghorn 4.1
      23 April 2023 at 10:26 am

      Thanks

    • Incognito 4.2
      23 April 2023 at 11:36 am

      Good comment.

      The narrative has to be fed continuously, to keep up the polarisation and political divide: rural NZ, the backbone of NZ’s export economy backed by National on one side and urban NZ, the backbone of the FIRE economy supported by all parties on the other side. Details are not necessary to feed the narrative. In fact, details can cloud the clear narrative message with ‘noise’ and blur the sharp line separating the two sides – PR-101 aka less is more.

      • bwaghorn 4.2.1
        23 April 2023 at 5:16 pm

        When I first discovered the standard it was a seething mass of hatred directed at farmers, the left can't pin all the devide on national.

        • Incognito 4.2.1.1
          23 April 2023 at 5:28 pm

          Haters gonna hate, regardless and irrespective.

          I agree, it is not all on National, but National does play along nicely – cui bono?

          Similarly, TS and the Left are not one and the same nor are the haters here on TS representative of the whole TS commentariat – each Author and commenter speaks entirely for him or herself unless indicated otherwise (e.g. official spokespersons using their full name, i.e., the TS ‘blue tick’).

    • SPC 4.3
      23 April 2023 at 1:16 pm

      Short version, National Party and Groundswell.

      Longer version, National Party Groundswell, Counterspin, Voices for Freedom and Don Brash et al (Massey's Cossacks with tractors, quad and motor bikes) shouting we own the water.

    • Incognito 4.4
      23 April 2023 at 1:19 pm

      Vernon Small on National’s lack of detail lacks the killer blow for Luxon as Leader of the National Party. Unless the polls show a marked uptick in popularity and support for National, the Party and its current Leader are toast in October – the ball is in Labour’s court with Budget-2023 in a few weeks and we’ll see soon enough if it ends up in National’s net.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300859849/national-is-no-friend-of-change-but-the-devil-is-in-the-detail

  5. Joe90 5
    23 April 2023 at 11:14 am

    Short thread about the recent rapid unscheduled disassembly.

    https://twitter.com/Tazerface16/status/1649512678057218050

  6. Incognito 6
    23 April 2023 at 12:24 pm

    "I find it quite difficult to translate the thoughts inside my head into words that coalesce into sentences and make sense in a way that other people will understand and express the ideas that I want to express.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018887153/jac-den-houting-why-everything-you-know-about-autism-is-wrong

    Hear! Hear!

  7. weka 7
    23 April 2023 at 12:46 pm

    oh dear god, not a like button (I'm sure this is not intentional).

  8. Incognito 8
    23 April 2023 at 1:03 pm

    After a bit of a rocky start it turned into yet another robust and captivating interview with Eleanor Catton. It must be the person being interviewed because I cannot remember ever coming away from a piece on her thinking ‘meh’.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/300855789/eleanor-catton-on-guilty-pleasures-being-a-slow-writer-and-whether-nz-is-still-home

  10. weka3 10
    23 April 2023 at 1:34 pm

    Test

  11. Anker 11
    23 April 2023 at 2:16 pm

    https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/good-luck-against-a-powerful-and

    “Those who knew him well can expound on his friendship, wisdom, and poise. My acquaintance with him was about as fleeting as it was possible to get and yet I feel all those qualities manifested in the single email I received from him. A couple of years ago, Stella O’Malley and I wrote a letter defending JK Rowling from the death and rape threats sent to her by trans rights activists. I thought it would be an easy and safe way for comedians to stand up against the rising authoritarianism of the hysterical, misogynist Left. But hardly a single comedian of my acquaintance signed it.

    Barry signed it, though. And he sent me this”
    (click on the link to read what Humphries wrote).

    A tribute to the late great Barry Humphries from another comedy Great Graham Lineham (Father Ted fame).
    As well as being hilarious as Dame Edna, Humphries also stood up to the trans rights activitists. For his troubles he was cancelled from the Melbourne Comedy Festival, an event he established.

    Unfortunately I don’t seem to be able to copy the message he sent to Graham

    • Molly 11.1
      23 April 2023 at 5:29 pm

      Here's the image:

      • RedLogix 11.1.1
        23 April 2023 at 6:28 pm

        Yes – the sole merit of reaching a certain age is that you realise the bastards have already done their worst, and yet here you are still alive and kicking.

    • Incognito 12.1
      23 April 2023 at 5:29 pm

      Winston Peters retiring from politics?

      • Ngungukai 12.1.1
        23 April 2023 at 7:38 pm

        True where do we find that information ?

        • Incognito 12.1.1.1
          23 April 2023 at 7:54 pm

          For answers to your questions, I’d start at the top and with the most recent, e.g., the press release by Kieran McAnulty on 13 April:

          https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/major-shakeup-will-see-affordable-water-reforms-led-and-delivered-regionally

          Then click on the Related Documents in the top RH corner.

          This should give you enough fodder to start doing some advanced searching using Google, for example.

          Keep in mind that many things have not been set in stone yet aka subject-to-change, and anything can happen in Election Year.

          HTH

          • Incognito 12.1.1.1.1
            23 April 2023 at 8:13 pm

            Oops, clearly wrong thread in wrong Post. The dangers of reading & replying in the back-end.

            Apologies.

        • pat 12.1.1.2
          23 April 2023 at 8:03 pm

          "Nothing highlights the extent to which new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has reversed Jacinda Ardern-era policy like the incredible turnaround in migration numbers.

          After months of concern that Labour’s tough immigration rules were squeezing the economy, the policy has been relaxed to the point that, suddenly, migration is smashing records."

          Click on Molly's link …

          https://archive.ph/JHxEH

    • Belladonna 12.3
      23 April 2023 at 6:27 pm

      About immigration numbers being up (pros and cons)

      The net migration gain of 11,700 in February this year was the second highest for any month ever, (behind February 2020 which had a net migration gain of 14,600 … and was completely distorted by the onset of Covid-19), according to the latest Stats NZ data.

      ….

      These big arrival numbers ought to silence some of the concerns business groups have had about government immigration policy.

      ….

      In fact, according to the OECD, New Zealand is currently the most desirable destination for highly educated migrant workers

      New Zealand tops the list for “high-educated workers”. We come in fifth for attracting entrepreneurs and fare less well (15th) for attracting start-up founders.

      Still, it’s a heartening reminder that New Zealand still has plenty of power to attract immigrants.

      High migration is of course a double-edged sword.

      We’re going to have to move fast to ensure we don’t strike the same kind of infrastructure and housing issues we had back in the middle of the last decade.

      You can run high immigration to boost economic performance but you can’t ignore the costs involved in having a large population.

    • pat 12.4
      23 April 2023 at 6:52 pm

      If anyone thought our infrastructure was inadequately provided/ maintained before you aint seen nothing yet….sadly our leaders (irrespective of party) only recognise one lever.

  13. Belladonna 13
    23 April 2023 at 6:32 pm

    A plea from teachers to stop using education as a political football.

    “You can tinker with our curriculum all you like,” Brewerton said. “But the big difference will come when you invest in our teachers.”

    Brewerton said teaching conditions should focus on teaching and learning, and doing the best for young people in the classroom.

    “If you ensured that there were social wraparound services that dealt with all the other issues that walk into our schools every day – that would be money better spent than rewriting the curriculum,” he said.

    ….

    “If I ever made a challenge to both major parties it would be, ‘can’t you just put your heads together?’

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300858235/exhausted-teachers-tired-of-being-political-footballs-as-election-looms

    I suspect that this plea will be more than one 'bridge too far' in our adversarial political environment.

  14. weka 14
    23 April 2023 at 7:34 pm

    Anyone want to have a go at explaining deductive reasoning as distinct from induction, in lay person terms, with examples?