Open mike 23/08/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 23rd, 2024 - 45 comments
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45 comments on “Open mike 23/08/2024 ”

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  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1
    23 August 2024 at 7:33 am

    Casey Costello : Nothing to see here….

    Yeah right, Case. Except (thanks to the investigations of RNZ Guyon Espiner, Mountain Tui, et al !) we see how deep you and NZFist were, and are with Big Tobacco.

    Costello brushes off revelation tobacco giant Philip Morris targeted NZ First

    Costello, who is a New Zealand First MP and associate health minister, recently cut the excise tax on heated tobacco products by 50 percent, at a potential cost of $216 million.

    Ayesha Verrall (Cmon labour !)

    Costello faced further scrutiny in the House on Thursday afternoon, following sustained questioning from Verrall, who asked if the minister stood by her statement that she had no relationship to the tobacco industry.

    Verrall added, in reference to the Taxpayers' Union, "if so, how does she explain having been chair of an organisation identified as a partner in a Philip Morris strategy document and now implementing the objectives of that document in her role as minister?"

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525918/costello-brushes-off-revelation-tobacco-giant-philip-morris-targeted-nz-first

    Leaked tobacco lobbying plan for 'political pressure' shows tobacco giant got its tax cut wish

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525810/leaked-tobacco-lobbying-plan-for-political-pressure-shows-tobacco-giant-got-its-tax-cut-wish

    Govt set aside $216m to pay for heated tobacco product tax cuts

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/523526/govt-set-aside-216m-to-pay-for-heated-tobacco-product-tax-cuts

    • Barfly 1.1
      23 August 2024 at 8:58 am

      IMO NZ First aren't lonely in Corruptionville – they are just it's sloppiest residents.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.1.1
        23 August 2024 at 3:07 pm

        Yea of course NACT1 are corrupt as. Re NZFist ? Are not so much sloppy..just arrogant as and literally couldn't give a fuck…

  2. Adrian 2
    23 August 2024 at 8:49 am

    Now if only someone with the skills and tools could follow the money to NZ1. It won’t be obvious but channelled through other donators. Corruption rules in this Cohort of Corrruptors and hopefully it will be their downfall.

  3. ianmac 3
    23 August 2024 at 10:06 am

    Geoffrey Palmer is a serious man with a serious message about the Constitutioal risk that this Government is placing on NZ Democracy. He covers a huge range of issues.

    For example he writes:

    The Fast Track Bill

    The Fast-track Approvals Bill at the time of writing is still before a select Committee, having attracted more than 27,000 submissions. The Bill constitutes a massive attack on the environmental integrity of this country and gives unprecedented power to ministers to overrule the enacted law to an extent never seen before. And the processes to accomplish it lack transparency. It is a policy that contains high risk of political corruption by way of party campaign contributions. The policy stands New Zealand’s existing constitutional arrangements on their head by elevating decision by ministerial fiats of approval rather than proper process for considering the merits of the proposals.

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/08/23/geoffrey-palmer-lurching-towards-constitutional-impropriety/?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=a37d92212f-Daily_Briefing+23.08.2024&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-a37d92212f-95522477&mc_cid=a37d92212f&mc_eid=88a3081e75

    • Karolyn_IS 3.1
      23 August 2024 at 11:30 am

      Excellent piece by Geoffrey Palmer.

      He is also very scathing on various "Measures aimed at Māori interests", which are riding rough shod over treaty obligations and involve some issues that are yet to be decided in courts. Palmer says,

      What a grotesque effort to produce retrospective legislation to damage the interests of Māori in such an unprincipled and discriminatory way.

      These measures may breach the 1688 Bill of Rights and BORA.

      When even Judith Collins (Attorney General) warned the govt about its dodgy practices it's clear the COC has moved well away from democratic practices, its checks and balances, and towards autocracy. Collins,

      has called out some of the poor constitutional behaviour and instructed her colleagues on the need to behave better. In a speech on June 13, 2024 she acknowledged that New Zealand’s unusual constitutional arrangements meant the boundaries between the three branches of government, the Executive, the Parliament and Judiciary were “fuzzy.”

      She also warned that this meant it's important to follow proper processes to ensure parliamentary best practice is followed without skipping or truncating key practices: eg: not over using urgency as they have done, and respecting court processes and decisions.

    • Incognito 3.2
      23 August 2024 at 12:23 pm

      For such a polite man, this piece by Palmer is blunt and damning. It contains many stingers that I could quote here, but the real sting as at the end:

      Driving measures through the House of Representatives by excessive use of urgency demeans Parliament and damages our democratic fabric. Some of the chosen policies seem calculated to cause splits and divisions in society. What has been done is not wise. And I suggest it is not an ethical use of political power.

      • Macro 3.2.1
        23 August 2024 at 2:35 pm

        And I suggest it is not an ethical use of political power.

        That perhaps depends on your political view. The word "ethics" is derived from the greek "ethos" meaning "the set of beliefs, ideas, etc. about the social behaviours, and relationships of a person or group:"

        For the CoC group, acting in such a manner; to disrupt and create division within society, is entirely within what constitutes their "moral compass". It is a set of morals quite distinct from those who consider the promotion of the common good, rather than the further enrichment of the wealthy, to be the prime task of government.

        • Incognito 3.2.1.1
          23 August 2024 at 4:33 pm

          I’m less interested in the few who hold the reigns and more interested in the many who voted for them and of those the ones who more or less still defend ‘their team’ aka the CoC. Moral disengagement at its finest.

          • Macro 3.2.1.1.1
            23 August 2024 at 5:00 pm

            Yes that is a conundrum. One wonders at how much the folk who blindly vote for "their team" actually understand what it is "their team" is doing. An even more distinct example of this are the "maga" crowd in the US who unthinkingly laud that despot Trump, and the underlying potential for the almost complete dissolution of the Constitution with Project 2025!

  4. James Simpson 4
    23 August 2024 at 10:10 am

    I don't generally like reading, or now referring to, Hooton but he has a good article today in the Herald (paywall) that sets out how the next Labour government might look. Very very impressive line up.

    McAnulty undoubtedly presents better as a genuine Kiwi bloke than the more effete Luxon.

    Barbara Edmonds, the new finance spokesperson … is impressing in the business and finance communities, as well as the party. She has greater technical knowledge of accounting, finance and economics than Nicola Willis or almost anyone else in Parliament.

    Carmel Sepuloni, the current deputy, was a top ministerial performer, keeping the welfare system out of the headlines and not associating herself with the previous Government’s worst failures. Were she willing to stay in the job, the West Aucklander would be a perfect deputy for the provincial McAnulty.

    …Willie Jackson has earned his place on the Labour front bench and is capable of moving on from his typecast role as an advocate for Māori alone to something broader.

    Ginny Andersen has surprised in presenting as tougher on crime than her Labour predecessors and held her own against National’s popular Police Minister, Mark Mitchell.

    Manurewa’s Arena Williams, Epsom’s Camilla Belich, Nelson’s Rachel Boyack, Palmerston North’s Tangi Utikere, Christchurch’s Duncan Webb, Rangitata’s Jo Luxton and Dunedin’s Rachel Brooking and Ingrid Leary all look ministerial and are not associated with the excesses of the Ardern era.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/poll-no-excuse-for-labour-complacency-matthew-hooton/66DB6ZZSKZG2ZEBIX5PS6PT5RU/

    • Anne 4.1
      23 August 2024 at 10:40 am

      No matter how seemingly positive his stance may look when it comes to commentary about left of centre political parties, there is always a demeaning and snide remark from Hooton. It usually comes at the end and sure enough there it is:

      Manurewa’s Arena Williams, Epsom’s Camilla Belich, Nelson’s Rachel Boyack, Palmerston North’s Tangi Utikere, Christchurch’s Duncan Webb, Rangitata’s Jo Luxton and Dunedin’s Rachel Brooking and Ingrid Leary all look ministerial and are not associated with the excesses of the Ardern era.

      What excesses? If I recall correctly she was strongly criticised by all and sundry for "not doing enough”.

      Hooton is not to be trusted.

      • adam 4.1.1
        23 August 2024 at 11:03 am

        Hooton is not to be trusted.

        Totally agree.

        He got a life ban from here if I remember correctly.

        • Incognito 4.1.1.1
          23 August 2024 at 12:17 pm

          He got a life ban from here if I remember correctly.

          He’s not banned currently.

          • lprent 4.1.1.1.1
            23 August 2024 at 5:15 pm

            It wasn’t a life ban (we don’t have those). It was a permanent ban as opposed to bans with time limits..

            They get cleaned out about every 3-4 years when a moderator has time to do some weeding. That is so we can see if the people who got them are capable of learning our policies and moderator foibles. Sadly many fail multiple times.

            Hooton did have a permanent ban a while back. Essentially for trying to explain what I had really meant in a post (as I recall) probably 2015 or 2016. In effect implicitly putting his words into my mouth rather than clearly arguing his own views.

            Since the occasion was in a discussion about Cameron Slater trying to pay someone to hack my servers to find details about people writing on this site, where Cameron Slater had managed to get diversion from the police, who apparently thought that I wasn’t a victim who should have a say in that slap over the wrist – despite my making the complaint to the police.

            I only found out that Cameron Slater had been charged and gone to court after a query by a lawyer who was interested from another case that Slater was embroiled in and had been following it.

            I was rather pissed off about that, especially since I wound up flying back from a job in Italy early and on short notice to go to the court to point this stupidity out. Apparently the days that I had to spend crawling through logs to find out in anyone had broken in, didn’t constitute ‘harm’ or ‘damage’ for the police.

            Then had Hooton suggesting tat I wasn’t or shouldn’t have been upset… So I demonstrated just how upset I actually was.

      • James Simpson 4.1.2
        23 August 2024 at 11:23 am

        The right's major criticism of the Ardern government is that it spent an excessive amount with little to show.

        We generally disagree with that critique but it is what the right campaigned on and what their narrative continues to be.

        Regardless of whether you accept that narrative or not (and I don't), the point being made by Hooton is correct. None of those people were in the inner Ardern sanctum, so the right can't say it will be a return to those days.

        They are the new fresh face of Labour and will be in the next cabinet.

      • gsays 4.1.3
        23 August 2024 at 12:34 pm

        "What excesses?"

        This is excessive by anyone's standard.

        "“The problem with the Government’s response is it was really focused on boosting their wealth through increasing the housing market and by giving them lots of cash to ensure they kept employing the rest of the population,” he said.

        “The problem is, that made the wealthier even wealthier to save the economy, rather than giving the money directly to those people who needed it the most and would have used it to repay debt and spent it.”"

        https://www.1news.co.nz/2021/12/13/wealthy-nearly-1-trillion-richer-since-covid-began-hickey/

        • SPC 4.1.3.1
          23 August 2024 at 12:39 pm

          That was not Labour policy – their home building programme and end to landlord mortgage cost deductabilitity against existing property rent income (to incentivise new builds) was otherwise.

          The problem was the amount of money flowing into the financial system with QE. And interest rates staying too low for too long.

          • gsays 4.1.3.1.1
            23 August 2024 at 5:29 pm

            No disrespect, I am gonna go with Hickey on this:

            "The problem is, that made the wealthier even wealthier to save the economy, rather than giving the money directly to those people who needed it the most and would have used it to repay debt and spent it.”

      • AB 4.1.4
        23 August 2024 at 1:41 pm

        When those with influence on the right feel that 'their' government is going to be dog tucker sooner rather than later, they work on trying to shape the look and feel and direction of a future Labour government. Their goal is to have a fairly benign Labour government that does not seriously threaten their interests, and might even be persuadable into cherry-picking some radical "libertarian' ideas.

        In my opinion, that's what Hooton is doing. Why for instance is Verrall, one of Labour’s best performers, not praised? Plus Hooton really despises Luxon and can't help himself from doing so publicly.

        • James Simpson 4.1.4.1
          23 August 2024 at 2:45 pm

          Why for instance is Verrall, one of Labour’s best performers, not praised?

          Others with more to offer include Peeni Henare, Deborah Russell and Ayesha Verrall

          Hooton is staunch write wing lobbyist. He doesn't pretend to be centrist. He writes from a right wing perspective. What ever his motivation is, don't you think he is correct? The current Labour caucus has some real talent in it.

          • AB 4.1.4.1.1
            23 August 2024 at 4:42 pm

            Ah – missed that passing mention of Verrall. I don't know any of these MPs other than what I can see publicly. So my baseline assumption is that there will always be good people In Labour based on the set of ideas they are attracted to, but how they will perform as actual politicians I cannot know until I see them do it. So I know that McAnulty and Verrall are very good, and beyond that it’s mostly hints and guesses.

            • PsyclingLeft.Always 4.1.4.1.1.1
              24 August 2024 at 8:56 am

              def think Ayesha Verrall is good. Knows her stuff and can bring it to the NACT1 creeps.

              Onya Ayesha. keep the hard questions going. !

      • Bearded Git 4.1.5
        23 August 2024 at 7:12 pm

        I was about to write exactly the same post Anne. What excesses?

        What gets to me is that Labour and Green friends of mine seem to have bought into the "Ardern never got anything done" meme.

        It is an example of repeating something often enough in the Herald and on Newstalk ZB and it will become gospel.

        What the Right really meant was that they didn't like the things Ardern got done….look at the massive list repealing most of those things when Luxon's scarey coalition came to power

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 4.1.5.1
          24 August 2024 at 8:52 am

          BG, I have found the same re some Labour/Green supporters.

          In the runup to the last election….there was a quite vocal number here on The Standard…who no matter the alternative (which most of NZ are now suffering), continually bagged and undermined Labour and Greens.

          Darien Fenton and Louis put up a good long List of Labours achievements….

          Gotta wonder, are the bagger/underminers happy ..now ?

    • Belladonna 4.2
      23 August 2024 at 11:57 am

      I agree that McAnulty seems to be the leader in waiting – although surely they can do better than Sepuloni as deputy.

      If Hipkins isn't clawing back ratings in personal popularity or (more importantly) in significant Labour polling increases in the next 4 months (before Christmas) – then surely the Labour Party are going to have to look at what they can change, in order to be electable.

      Given the current negative headlines for the Government (in a wide range of areas), it seems incredible that their polling hasn't budged over the last 2 months. We tend to get buyers remorse vote changes as we approach the first year – and we're not seeing it.
      It may be that Centrist voters aren't loving National – but not seeing anyone else as a viable alternative. Labour with the unpopular Hipkins, the Greens with their MP scandals, and TPM who are frankly scary in their rhetoric. [NB: ACT are also scary to this tranche of voters – to head off the wave of far left outrage at this comment]

      • Drowsy M. Kram 4.2.1
        23 August 2024 at 3:09 pm

        ACT are also scary to this tranche of voters [centrists]

        Why does ACT scare centrists like you?

        What could ACT do to appeal more to this slice of voters?

        • Belladonna 4.2.1.1
          24 August 2024 at 8:50 am

          No idea. Just as I have no idea what TPM could do.
          Both make their political 'mark' as extremist parties.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 4.2.1.1.1
            24 August 2024 at 10:40 am

            ACT are also scary to this tranche of voters [centrists]

            Why does ACT scare you [Belladonna], a self-declared "respectful centrist"?

            What are some specific ACT policies or actions that scare you? One would do.

      • Muttonbird 4.2.2
        23 August 2024 at 4:39 pm

        One does not need to be far left to be outraged by your comments.

    • Descendant Of Smith 4.3
      23 August 2024 at 2:45 pm

      Carmel Sepuloni, the current deputy, was a top ministerial performer, keeping the welfare system out of the headlines and not associating herself with the previous Government’s worst failures.

      Piffle. The failure to implement hardly any of the WEAG recommendations at a time of enormous public support showed she was an abject failure. The chief executive appointment another failure also resulting in MSD recommending that benefit rates not increase by the (lesser than WEAG recommendation ) amount the government wanted them to. All this pre COVID. Then the development of the two tier benefit system for largely European middle class New Zealanders at a much higher rate and with free and easy access to payments by partners.

      By any measures all these things made poor people poorer. She was completely out of her depth – all talk and no actual action.

  5. Reality 5
    23 August 2024 at 11:38 am

    If more could have been achieved under Labour's two terms, people should not forget Covid, which put a major brake on every aspect of planning and implementation for a few years. Life simply was not and could not be normal during that time.

    To further add to that there were the terrorist shootings which shocked the whole country and had an ongoing destabilising effect for a long time. White Island tragedies and Cyclone Gabrielle – both major emergencies which had to be focussed on first. It was six years of anything but "normal" for much of that time.

    • James Simpson 5.1
      23 August 2024 at 1:59 pm

      Yes – but every government is a victim of circumstance. The previous government had the GFC, Christchurch earthquake, and Kaikoura earthquake to trip them up. It's how they deal with those circumstances which defines them.

      Everyone will, or probably has forgotten about COVID, and the terrorist attacks. If we are talking about them at the next election, then just give Lux the keys to the 9th floor for his 2nd term.

      We need to focus on the future. Not pat ourselves on the back for what has already happened.

  6. Bruce 6
    23 August 2024 at 12:01 pm

    With all the coverage lately about how we are screwed by the power companies it takes a one man blog to demonstrate the reality.

    On Wednesday, power prices in several European markets, including Germany, dipped below zero due to a surge in green electricity production.

    From No Right Turn, why is it not front page news so even the gullible can see the what is being done.

    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/

    • SPC 6.1
      23 August 2024 at 12:22 pm

      Battery storage is a game changer. It makes new generation via solar and wind reliable.

      Maybe government could work around the power companies via a new company providing battery storage to Transpower.

      • satty 6.1.1
        23 August 2024 at 2:51 pm

        There's a battery project coming up in NZ:

        Contact Energy – Glenbrook-Ohurua Battery

        Of course, the more the better. Just look at South Australia and their achievements in renewable energy combined with battery technology.

      • KJT 6.1.2
        23 August 2024 at 6:12 pm

        Like Lake Onslow?

        • Bearded Git 6.1.2.1
          23 August 2024 at 8:50 pm

          Onslow has been overtaken by technology. Queensland (of all places) generated 52% of its power from rooftop solar last week…incredible. ( I am in Queensland travelling)

          Battery technology, including for grid storage, is going ahead in leaps and bounds. Just look at what they are doing in Australia, California and ( who would have thought it?) Texas.

          What NZ should be doing is subsidising rooftop solar…in a relatively short period of time this will become a major power supply source and the water in the lakes will be able to be able to be saved in part for when it is needed. Effectively under this sce nario part of the existing hydro will replace Lake Onslow, and it's 17 billion cost will be largely saved

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 6.1.2.1.1
            24 August 2024 at 8:44 am

            What NZ should be doing is subsidising rooftop solar

            I've been saying that for years too. And from The Conversation….

            A much better option, we suggest, would be to prioritise the expansion of rooftop solar throughout New Zealand. This could not only add significantly to the overall electricity supply, but also help bring down prices.

            Based on the Australian experience, we estimate modest subsidies for the capital cost of installing solar rooftop systems would add the equivalent of 700 megawatts a year (2% of the total) to the electricity supply. This significant new supply will reduce electricity prices.

            https://theconversation.com/nzs-electricity-market-is-a-mess-rolling-out-rooftop-solar-would-change-the-game-236943

          • KJT 6.1.2.1.2
            26 August 2024 at 2:20 pm

            Individual rooftop solar is actually less efficient and more expensive than large grid scale renewable energy. It just comes from different pockets.

            There is no way that "battery", chemical battery, storage is cheaper than using excess energy to add kinetic energy to water.

            It called physics and economies of scale.

            Of course we will never have an efficient and economic energy supply, while the incentive remains for manufactured scarcity.

  7. Bruce 7
    23 August 2024 at 5:38 pm

    No wind , no sun there is always the tide.

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