Yes Muttonbird but then over at the Herald HDPA pours faint praise on the PM for her “zeitgeist capturing” charm trip to the US. According to HDPA the PM is really good at “branding” and “if she plays it right” NZ will “sell lots of products.” HDPA then goes on to say that back home “A few problematic narratives have developed. That Winston is calling the shots. That the Prime Minister doesn’t understand business basics. And, more worryingly, that she can be economical with the truth.” So just wait until Jacinda gets back eh Heather.
Here is the thing. Leeches like HDPA and her ilk have set the narrative on Jacinda Ardern, false that it is, and continue to play it for all its worth knowing that repeated often and loud enough it must garner some truth. Its a devious and obvious ploy.
If there are any high country farmers who read The Standard, watch out for eight days of solid snow and very cold air coming up, then solid south island rain. Bring all your lambs in.
“You guys stole hundreds of millions of dollars from schools and hospitals, Alwyn. By immorally avoiding tax, by hiding money in proxy companies. You stole from our children and made the sick to suffer, Alwyn.”.
The diesel soaked seagull hasn’t had the decency to apologise though.
She (he? or it?) doesn’t even know who I am but that doesn’t seem to matter. Any rubbish spouted by someone of the left seems to be OK. Just don’t describe Jacinda in terms that the Labour and Green parties routinely used about John Key.
And I suppose I should simply reply that you defraud the taxpayer in order to support an expensive life style rather than actually leave the money for other needy individuals.
Alternatively you could have got a part time job.
Generally right wingers here know they face a head wind here. If they start dishing out pointless abuse and insults they’ll be moderated pretty promptly.
At the same time I see a lot of lefties … playing off their ‘impeccable politics’ …. dishing it out with spades on and getting away with it.
I do a lot of long form comments with original content. Quite a bit of research and linking goes into them actually. In fact I comment on current items before the authors get around to doing a post on them. Y’know, I actually contribute to this site. My commenting goes in phases depending how much work I’ve got on at the time.
Your comments however are all short form trolling – every single one. And swearing and abuse is never far from the surface because you appear to trigger easily.
You’ve had several bans because of it so the form is there, and everyone recognises it. No good pretending to be an angel now, BM.
I do a lot of long form comments with original content. Quite a bit of research and linking goes into them actually. In fact I comment on current items before the authors get around to doing a post on them. Y’know, I actually contribute to this site.
Well and good. I guess you could call that putting brownie points in the bank and it makes you feel safe about the odd ‘dribbling dog’ moment.
Or as Incognito says, heard of ‘self moderation’ ?
Antoine, i am not a farmer, but I think Ads message about the weather was meant to be helpful.
I think you were trying to be funny, because it would be something if farmers read the standard to get their weather news.
I must say I often find that the standard has the news first or has stuff that is buried on other websites. I often say to my husband about news items that I read it on the standard first e g Peters telling Simon in parliament that the identity of the leaker is out. Didn’t see that anywhere else. So thanks to all the great writers here who do a better job than the overpaid msm.
Two weeks ago over 500 lambs died in the sleet in the Hawkes Bay high country.
There was plenty of detail about it on RNZ Country Life.
While it’s easy to dismiss the wee things since they’ll all be roasted at Sainsbury’s, you don’t need to kill sentient beings through neglect and long cruel suffering when there’s an answer as simple as taking the forecast seriously and bringing the flock in from the high country before it all happens.
Farmers who ignore animal welfare will see their exports go the same way as coarse wool has: near-extinct.
Those werent ‘high country’ lambs.
You seem to think farmers can ‘bring things’ in like you do with the washing on the line.
Im not connected with sheep farming but these are not vast stations in HB like the South Island and what land you have is much the same exposure all over the farm. As well it was the amount of rain that did the lambs in as the wet didnt allow them to stay warm.
Yip once the ewes are set stocked for lambing we are at the mercy of the wether. Shelter in paddocks help but if you get more than a day of wind driven rain (especially from southerly directions) there is little can be done .
As Prime Minister Ardern sets out for the US and UN, HdPA goes all-in for fangirldom, claiming Ardern already outshines both Key and Clark on the international stage:
The big question to my mind is whether New Zealand business, and MFAT and NZTE, can show that they are and will continue to get behind this kind of exceedingly popular and televisual leader.
Because so far much of New Zealand business are unable to rise to the challenge and leadership of this government.
I’m not suggesting that they will arrive en masse for this one, but the NZ business community need to wake up to the fact that there has been a change of government.
That’s where MFAT and NZTE are so vital. And of course the PM’s new business leadership group.
When an overseas visit is designed like a trade mission – such as the ongoing EU Trade Deal talks – MFAT and NZTE need to round up the business leadership and set up the parallel trade track-meets to make the most of it.
I would hope that we could sell more than lambswool baby booties out of this.
I think it might be a bit past the selling stage, creative industries are going gangbusters and tourism out of North America is buoyant to going off. Primary exports into there won’t be far behind.
This in granny this morning, along with HDPA’s thing
The film industry in Southern Lakes is very busy, after a very quiet patch that coincided with the late government, and they are tearing around looking for staff, both cast and crew. It’s partly dollar related, but there’s a political aspect to it as well, our government is seen as pretty cool. The government can probably lay claim to the lower dollar as well, it’s running policies that result in a lower dollar and benefit export industries.
The importing grumps will come around, once they see the export side take off. just like it did in 2000 after the grumps’ winter of discontent.
They definitely did come around, but it took the full-country effort towards the China FTA, and the Growth and Innovation launch, to really turn that relationship around.
We don’t have that national-scale impetus for business to engage with government. Yet.
Despite the Prime Minster’s speech last week showing coherence across government, I see the government’s approach to business as being either narrowly sectoral as per dairy and transport, or scattergun as per the Provincial Growth Fund.
I think one thing that we need is encouragement for small business making for the domestic market. The country can’t run on boom and bust cycles of film making, all on, and all off. Peter Jackson has done much to lessen that – the NZ unions didn’t look at this strategically.
Tourism is welcome until it gets like Argentinian ants.
And always the trouble of business that is going gang-busters is it gets sold to overseas interests, or is already in their hands or the major part of its shareholding. We need a central fund that will buy some businesses that are likely to be long-running and have regional importance. Cadbury is an example in Dunedin.
2018 – 3 Sept 2018
Fast forward five years and OCHO was sold to more than 3,000 small investors on the back of the announcement of the closure of the Dunedin Cadbury Factory. It was the most successful equity crowdfunding campaign in New Zealand, raising the maximum $2 million in less than two days. A broad base of community ownership, fair pay for our bean suppliers, and fair working conditions were table stakes in forming the new OCHO. https://ocho.co.nz/pages/our-story
That is a great idea greywarshark – would be good to see the government have funds so that when multinationals or who ever bails out of a manufacturer here, they can be bought by government so that people are not losing jobs like Cadbury and they have time to keep the business running until maybe the right person wants to buy it back.
Also with regards to as soon as business become successful they are sold, part of that is also pressure from banks. A friend went to get some money for a business startup and the banks was like ‘when are you planning to sell it’ – there is no concept here, of keeping businesses in NZ and growing them to actually stay here and provide well paid jobs and contribute to GDP you have to get offshore money.
We actually are a lot more successful at business in NZ than it looks, because people may start great businesses here or have leading ideas, but then eventually sell the business and so it seems like we are not successful in that area but actually there are Kiwi start up businesses that are successful throughout the world.
Xero for example is one of the larger SAS companies operating in the world.
If business do stay here, often they put in “international’ figures to run them but it does not always work out. Aka Theo Spierings had the first big loss in Fonterra’s history. What works overseas (aka supplementary feed, intensive farming, bad offshore partnerships) may not make it successful in NZ and actually start destroying value.
savenz
Yes good, rein in my bouts of negativity. Re Theo Spierings I seem to remember that when he was appointed there were mutterings about choosing someone who specialised in the commodities market, and that would be the focus. That applied either to him or the one before.
Fonterra should be trialling something all the time, putting aside an allowance for innovative products to diversify with and could be made here They would not have to be a total success but sharp eyes and brains could be suggesting things, and preparing business plans and trialling them.
@ Greywarshark, Was talking to someone who used to be pretty high up in Fonterra, but they are disgusted because the research fund already exists and Fonterra do have millions gathered each year from Farmers for research and projects, but it has become a fat cat exercise when they money is not spent wisely and those in charge of it, are not interested in actually changing anything or innovating. Even the former truck drivers are complaining about screw ups like some some glitch in where the pumps are located. Basically Fonterra management has got rid of a lot of the smarter employees and managers, and those left don’t seem to interested in running NZ in a practical innovative way.
But really Ad, I’m sure companies are working with MFAT and NZTE just like they usually do. This stuff doesn’t stop just because the Government changes. Or do you know something I don’t?
And I would welcome evidence of that.
So far, as I noted above, it’s either narrowly sectoral as per dairy and transport, or it’s scattergun as per the Provincial Growth Fund.
Business needs to figure out what this kind of government and this kind of Prime Minister can actually do for them.
You mean like in the good old days when the Business Round table would call the ( national party) politicians into its offices and they would be given daft legislation ( written by top law firms) and would be backed up with a media strategy to have commissioned background pieces in major newspapers . They even went as far as adding ‘top up payments’ to those writers allready on the media payroll.
I’ve just realised what you are saying, Ad. You think businesses should take advantage of the PM’s image to try to sell more stuff overseas. Is that it?
Matthew Hooton was saying the same thing earlier in the week. “The programme uses Ardern’s celebrity as the world’s first Prime Minister to take maternity leave to promote New Zealand through popular talk shows. Those selling New Zealand beef, milk power, wine or holidays gain far more value from Ardern appearing on The Late Show than her holding a bilateral with Turkey or even meeting Donald Trump’s trade officials.”
Jacinda is a great ambassador to NZ. She (and husband) looked incredible in those photos at Buckingham palace. Incredible symbolism of many intersecting issues as described by guardian…
“On social media in New Zealand the striking image went viral, with many people commenting that the picture captured the inversion of traditional gender roles; a female world leader wearing a powerful cloak while pregnant and representing her country.”
Hopefully rather than just selling things (John Key style) she can actually make the world and NZ a better place and have that as a goal rather than a salesperson.
The fact that business find it hard to accept the reality and correctness of the change of government is an indication of how unable they are to understand the laws of the land when they don’t seem to work in their particular favour.
This shows that they are not fit to take the crown of being the best entity to run the country which they are attempting to take from government. Leave the crown where it is! And the crown should be trying to regain what it can from the debacle.
Business can’t rise to challenges, they want a level playing field where they do not have to strain against the gravity of our situation. They want a multi laned motorway to where the money piles are, with subservient paupers waiting at the side of the road, with their own work tools and ready to be picked so they can work all day. I understand that now-dead relatives who came early to NZ used to walk 13 miles a day to work in mines on the Isle of Man. Now their not-so-great grandchildren are prepared to accommodate the same sort of worker opportunity.
We are suckers in this country, not demanding decent conditions, being made subservient to hand-held controllers of our lives, accepting it all without the spirit and the wariness to question and look where it will lead. Today is everything, style rules, change also, except it is not the change that will benefit all people, rather the opposite. Accepting and brainwashed with messages and content from popular media that fills our minds, responsive to the message that money is everything, lacking ideals and concern for others wellbeing, not having a questing and searching intelligence, we of course get the business leaders made of the same cloth.
That was an interesting read. I didn’t know that the PM who quit (key) paid thousands of $ to appear on The Late Show. How embarrassing.
“If you don’t think Ardern’s got it all over Clark and Key, just look at The Late Show. Key had to pay consultants thousands to get him on that show. Ardern paid no one. The Late Show called her.”
I think you make the mistake of treating ‘business’ as a unified organism – it isn’t. There are plenty of businesses that are thriving today, just as they have done under successive governments. We show leadership by adapting to changing government policy, both good and bad, because we recognise that living in a market economy and a democratic political structure requires us to do that to survive.
As to Jacinda, most business people I network with are largely ambivalent to her at this stage. Most of us have have concerns over some policy, but that applied to the last National government as well. But I do hope the reason people get behind her is far more meaningful than that she is ‘exceedingly popular and televisual’.
So far business are unified in their pessimism of the economy.
You will of course be aware that some parts of the economy are far more closely tied to the government than others – for example, transport, fibreoptics, water, arts including film, housing, all the social sectors including education, health. And the government is already neck deep in them.
But – as I signified mentioning MFAT and NZTA – it is the exporting businesses that are taking too long to get their head around this government. With this kind of international profile for this kind of Prime Minister, they need to figure the PM out as a major market opportunity.
“I do hope the reason business get behind her is far more meaningful than that she is ‘exceedingly popular and televisual’.” – FIFY
“So far business are unified in their pessimism of the economy. ”
Business is not ‘unified’ in that view. The majority of businesses who have responded to selective survey’s may have that view, but that does not reflect ‘all business’.
“But – as I signified mentioning MFAT and NZTA – it is the exporting businesses that are taking too long to get their head around this government.”
I don’t see any evidence of that. There is some disquiet from certain business sectors about government policy, but that is not the same as taking “too long to get their head around this government.” Business adapts to changing governments, as they should. I would also suggest that the government needs to work on improving it’s own signalling. Business thrives on consistent and well thought out policy. Cracks in coalition attitudes to policy are not helpful to that stability.
Disability/employment issues are taken more seriously in Canada than NZ sadly with using affected unemployed groups in a real show of “inclusion” when a broad range of work disability partners came together to develop a vision and strategy for the future.
We are slipping behind again here, so wake up Labour!!!!.
Disability and Work in Canada 2018 – moving forward
September 21, 2018
Disability and Work in Canada 2018 will be held in Ottawa on December 4 and 5, 2018. Participants at DWC2018, A Partnering Strategy for Moving Forward, will review a proposed national strategy to improve the level of employment of persons with disabilities. This draft strategy has been elaborated following the November 2017 Conference, when a broad range of work disability partners came together to develop a vision and strategy for the future.
Well Antoine that is really interesting. The fact that ‘consumer confidence is down’ appears in a “business” article in the grandmere of journalism says absolutely zilch. Both of these ethereal and purely perceptual concepts are nothing more than what people think, and we don’t have to stretch very far to understand that those little bubbles bear no relation to the financial and consumer facts.
Business (lack of) confidence is at least a partly co-ordinated and orchestrated campaign to denigrate this government and its people-oriented approach to trade, employment, housing, pay, etc, etc. Is it any wonder that the sheeple of the consumer society will ‘baa’ in chorus.
It never ceases to amaze that this ‘business confidence’ nonsense has any traction at all. In the round it’s a device for the stroking of the righty-rich by the righty-rich……the Hosking-Hand.
There is a school-of-fish metaphor for business and particularly the financials’ behaviour in the stock exchanges of the world. Business must understand the market and what trends are showing. They are competing all the time and don’t have time to think about being people and the planet etc. They have to watch each other and keep up, the giants may only be on top for one or two years then be eclipsed and be grateful to be bought out in the next two years – remember some competition is good, but too much can kill ya.
Oh well still more school of fish turns and flights.
Of course I am behind, everything is to be done by microchips.
In the year 2525…
Visage
Original Zager and Evans
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7VqsONNvIs The overriding theme, of a world doomed by its passive acquiescence to and overdependence on its own overdone technologies, struck a resonant chord in millions of people around the world in the late 1960s.[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Year_2525
This was their only hit. But so good they couldn’t top it.
People were noticing truths in the 1960’s, then what?
Oh, I think we all are behind but don’t realise how far behind we are. I’ve been thinking about doing a post on this.
The Government is currently undertaking a cross-government algorithm review but with the role of CTO in tatters and Clare Curran being demoted I suspect this is on the slow-burner. When the stocktake is done it will already be behind the eight ball.
Incognito
I keep finding that people are losing services and made to rely on their cellphone information which is a couple of removes from speaking face to face. Technology is a good servant, but I don’t want it being ‘sold’ to me as a good master. Which is being done already without me being asked my wishes.
Young people are being left out of their social group unless they check on Facebook for instance. Predictive help is useful but it is getting that it is an opt out situation instead of opt in. We need to be decision makers before that option too is removed. It is a similar situation to that when computers were first getting established. Whatever came out of the computer was right and true, whether you looked someone in the eye and advised it was not. People had their identities denied and were cut out of society because the computer had removed their name.
Following her resignation, MacGregor had filed an invoice for $47,000 for work she’d done during the election campaign, from which she expected Craig to deduct two $10,000 advances, and a loan of $18,990. The interest rate on the loan was zero for the first six months, then 4 per cent for the next next months.
After she lodged the sexual harassment claim, Craig increased the interest rate to 29 per cent.
In the settlement agreement, MacGregor withdrew her claim, and over the next two days the pair’s lawyers exchanged letters which saw MacGregor paid $16,000 and have the loan wiped. At the time, it was all covered by confidentiality, meaning that should have been the end of it.
But as we all now know, it wasn’t.
Colin Craig’s first breach of the gagging order which both parties had agreed upon, came in that now notorious interview in a sauna, with TV3’s David Farrier.
Craig then went on to breach the agreement further, repeatedly, in a series of media conferences and interviews.
Rachel MacGregor sat back and watched in horror.
And it still wasn’t over.
Because then came court cases – two of them, both defamation trials – after some details of MacGregor’s time working for Craig were published by a blogger.
She was merely a witness, roped in. But she needed legal advice, of course. And now her four-year navigation of the legal system has left her with a lawyers’ bill of $80,000 – a bill which is about to be multiplied many times, because yet again, Rachel MacGregor finds herself in court: this time being sued by Colin Craig for defamation, and she responding with a counterclaim, also of defamation.
MacGregor feels she has no choice but to defend herself. But she can’t afford it.
“I don’t have any assets”, she says. “I am just absolutely nowhere near as wealthy as Colin Craig. There’s no way I could even dream of paying for this case myself. I guess it’s sort of chalk and cheese, if you like, my financial position, and my opponent’s.”
Why was she ‘talking about’ the inside information from her job with Conservatives onto her ‘friend Jordan Williams’ and from him onto Whaleoil for publication on his blog ?
I get she has been used by Jordan Williams but what on earth made her take up a media minder role for a party leader during an election campaign. She clearly had zero
previous experience in politics
“… what on earth made her take up a media minder role for a party leader during an election campaign. She clearly had zero previous experience in politics”
Really? Do you ever check anything before making such statements judging people?
Rachel has a Bachelor of Communication (BCS) – Mass Comm, PR, Branding, TV, Radio, Web Dev, Advertising, Creative – from Auckland University of Technology.
Before becoming Press Secretary for the Conservative Party in August 2011, she also worked for TVNZ for almost six years as follows according to her Linked In profile:
TVNZ – 5 years 8 months
Line Up Producer, Good Morning. TVNZ January 2010 – July 2010 = 7 months
News and Current Affairs Producer TVNZ October 2005 – 2010 = 5 years
Assignments and Foreign Co-ordinator TVNZ December 2004 – July 2005 = 8 months
I would have thought that her work experience with TVNZ, especially the five years as a News and Current Affairs Producer, would have given her some, maybe even considerable experience in relation to politics – as opposed to your judgement that she had zero experience.
Just taking ‘padded profiles’ from linkedin doesnt give much useful information.
Most of the details from thats linkedin overlap, so it can be broken down to one line :
News and Current Affairs Producer TVNZ October 2005 – 2010 = 5 years
Where is the connection with politics you talk about ?You do realise TVNZ has a whole crew of on air political journalists, McGregor wasnt one of them.
oh yes but she did these http://tvnz.co.nz/content/2216530/2591759.html
She travels to Scotland for a promo piece
‘Rachel MacGregor travelled to Edinburgh and uncovered some normally hidden Scottish secrets. Breakfast would like to thank ‘Visit Scotland’ for their help with making this story.
or this one
‘Hollie Smith
Reporter Rachel Macgregor spoke to singer Hollie Smith, famous for her extraordinary vocals on Don McGlashan’s Bathe in the River.’
‘NZ Music Awards
Reporter Rachel Macgregor joined Breakfast to talk about the New Zealand Music Awards. For the winners click HERE
FIFA under 17 Woman’s World Cup
Rachel MacGregor at North Harbour Stadium ahead of the opening night of the FIFA under 17 Woman’s World Cup.
Comparing kits
Reporter Rachel MacGregor spoke to War Veteran Theo Thomas and Lt Jeremy Seed who is currently serving in the New Zealand Army. The pair compared their kits, and looked at the army equipment of the past and present.
Chic Entertaining
Reporter Rachel MacGregor got a lesson in chic entertaining from the food editor of Dish magazine, Claire Aldous. http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1756437/2591759.html
Im sure she was very capable for the ‘soft news’ type storys that can be found on TVNZ web site, that I have shown above, and thats not a selection just the google items in order ( No need to go back over the 5 yrs or so)
So I stick by my comment she has zero experience in the political journalism field. Your statements clearly havent been checked for factual basis
For goodness sake the woman was clearly way out of her depth . Her current job doing communications with the Property Council seems a far better fit and I wish her well.
“Where is the connection with politics you talk about ?You do realise TVNZ has a whole crew of on air political journalists, McGregor wasnt one of them.”
Of course she was not one of the “whole crew of on air political journalists”. She was a “News and Current Affairs Producer” – not an on air Presenter.
Producers usually work behind the scenes, not on camera, or on air in the case of radio. Some Producers occasionally do on camera items as MacGregor obviously did from time to time from the list you gave above.
Similarly, for example, Alex Perrottet, Producer of Morning Report on RNZ National is currently fronting – ie presenting on air – Checkpoint on RNZ National between John Campbell’s departure a week ago and Lisa Owen taking over in a few weeks’ time.
You also say “So I stick by my comment she has zero experience in the political journalism field.” … “For goodness sake the woman was clearly way out of her depth.”
So she had five years experience as a “News and Current Affairs Producer” – on top of her across the board Communications training at and her BComms qualification from AUT.
Since when were “Politics’ not part of “News and Current Affairs”?
Of course, she had exposure to and experience in political journalism as part of her role as a News and Current Affairs Producer for over five years. Presumably the Conservative Party thought so too as they (or rather CC) hired her as their Press Secretary.
And where is your factual proof of your statement that “For goodness sake the woman was clearly out of her depth” ?
Your statement is worded quite clearly as a judgment not an opinion. What are your qualifications to make that judgment?
Where are the political stories stories you talk about. Please don’t make claims without checking their validity. Like I said seems to a capable general news and soft stories producer.
I’ll make all the judgements I like based on real information, however I won’t be judging her on what she wears from day to day like you did for Bennett.
Quote;
“the Security Intelligence Service have carried out a search for listening devices at the University of Canterbury office of the professor revealed to be a possible target of Chinese espionage.”
Adam, Jian Yang was never in Cabinet or part of the Executive.
He was not a Minister, an Associate Minister or a Parliamentary Under Secretary. He was a Parliamentary Private Secretary (on Ethnic Affairs) for 10 months in 2017 which is only a fancy name for an adviser to a Minister on a particular subject but holds no extra salary or any other form of recognition under section 2.52 of the NZ Cabinet Manual*.
* The Wikipedia entry on PPS is incorrect in respect of PPS under the NZ system. While they are part of the executive in the UK and paid etc, they are not in NZ.
EDIT – I now see that Incognito has also raised the above in their first point.
You said ” Well this sort of thing will happen when the national party had Chinese spies sitting at the cabinet table.”
You then said “So Jian Yang rings no bells then.” implying that it was Jian Yang that you were referring to as “sitting at the cabinet table”.
I said that Jian Yang was never a member of Cabinet and therefore would not be “sitting at the cabinet table” as you said.
I did not say that he saw no Cabinet papers; nor did I say that he had no access to Cabinet papers. I don’t know whether he did or did not – and nor do you.
So your response was because I said cabinet table instead of caucus – if I’d said cacus what would you have said?
But getting back to the issue, begs the questions of why were the 5 eyes upset at the national government? Why did Canada throw a wobbly over issues of security and threaten NZ? From that I’m have an educated guess that Jian Yang had some access, don’t you think – and I agree I can’t 100% know – but the fact our allies got very upset says somthing.
Funny how this been swept under the carpet in NZ. It’s like people are too frightened to even talk about it.
Of all the stupid comments I’ve ever read of yours marty mars that takes the cake.
It’s a foreign government using a spy. The fact he was good enough at his job to reach the upper reaches of the last government, is a complement to him and his training.
As for best guesses, you have done it enough, so that was a bit rich.
Well adam, my comments re Cabinet would not have applied if you had said Caucus as Cabinet consisted of only some members of Caucus. I perhaps should have asked whether you meant Caucus.
However, your comment then gets on to a semi-related but different subject where I actually think we may actually share concerns. At the risk of being accused again of being xenophobic (which I am not), I have had considerable concerns since finding out about Yang’s background and I understand the concerns of some other governments such as Canada. And thus I hope that he has not seen things like Cabinet papers.
However, I also believe that good tabs will have been and will continue to be kept on him and his activities – and not just by our NZ intelligence community (SIS and GCSB) but by others also present in NZ. I tend to have more confidence in the latter than the former … I am going to leave it at that (based on experience rather than facts or links) and will not be commenting further.
————————————-
Unrelated … I saw PB was not in the House again today – third sitting day in a row as also not there last Weds or Thurs. AA is keeping the Deputy Seat warm – and did an audition speech this afternoon. Not sure whether it was for the Leader or Deputy role. Must not mention what she was wearing … but I did like Winston’s tie today. Don’t remember that one before, must be new. Some of his ties are decades old, but very good quality.
It might seem like family dysfunction or a very bad case of sibling rivalry.
Six of nine brothers and sisters of Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent in the midterm elections in videos on Friday, in what one of them said was nothing short of a moral imperative.
The siblings were alarmed at what they saw as the congressman’s increasingly extremist views on immigration, health care and white supremacists, one of them, David Gosar, said on Saturday.
“I’m just hoping either in this election cycle or next, the people get the idea that he’s just not fit for that office and he needs to be removed,” he said.
My siblings who chose to film ads against me are all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump. These disgruntled Hillary suppporters are related by blood to me but like leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family. Stalin would be proud. #Az04#MAGA2018— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) September 22, 2018
From the Ukraine to Syria around the world fascism is again on the march.
Michael Moore’s new movie documents the rise of Donald Trump and compares the US to 1930s Germany and the rise of fascism.
Moore says his new movie “is not about Trump, it is about us”.
As the sex scandals and the illegal pay offs to cover them up, and the FBI Russian investigation into Russian links to Donald Trump’s election campaign rumble on to their inevitable nadir. Despite all the twitterings from the Liberal Left in the US about impeaching Donald Trump on the strength of all this, or at least turning his administration into a Lame Duck by winning a Democratic Majority in the mid-terms.
Despite all the legalisms and resort to constitutionality by his opponents, Donald Trump knows that he is unstoppable.
At any legalistic constraints or moves against his administration, by the Democrats, President Trump can call out his millions of supporters. Hell, they will probably react violently in that event, even if he doesn’t call them out.
The targets of Trump’s supporters, Black Lives Matter, Immigrants, Muslims, will fight back to defend themselves.
The resulting unrest will be all the excuse Trump will need to call a state of emergency and suspend the constitution.
In his latest movie Michael Moore says, no matter what he does, or what is thrown at him, Trump has made himself “unimpeachable”.
The reaction from the Right to Moore’s movie is, “this is war”. Pretty much making Moore’s point for him.
…..while Moore finds much to celebrate in the film — the Women’s March, the West Virginia teachers union strike, New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — he’s plagued by despair. He feels America is hanging tenuously by a thread, and that Trump is one national emergency — real or artificial — away from taking authoritarian control. In scenes that what will surely only enflame his critics, Moore thoroughly considers comparisons of Trump to Hitler, including one in which he plays audio of Trump at a rally over black-and-white video of a Hitler speech….
……The Drudge Report blared in response to Moore’s Hitler comparisons for Trump: “This is war.”
– So far all the US and EU constitutional checks and balances are working as intended. They will certainly be stretched when Muller hands his charges down. But they are working just fine so far with everyone heading to jail that should be.
– Both Senate and Congress are ready to limit the Republican President. The Democrats will take Congress in the November mid-terms, and will also slim down the Republican Senate majority enough so that it too is ready to be taken in the next main election.
– The U.S. mainstream media are also doing their job being extremely noisy about the US President – as the should. A few like him, most don’t. As a result, public opinion polls show him to be very unlikely to get a second term even if he stands.
– The classic measure showing Moore is wrong: in any state heading to Fascism, Moore would have been agains the wall and shot long ago.
– The U.S. economy is doing just fine.
– For those who are not benefitting from this massive economic upswing, the grassroots Democratic revival is in full swing.
– The truly nut-job rulers in the E.U. are getting plenty of sanctions thrown at them.
We don’t all have to go full Susan Sarandon and praise Trump for reviving the Democrats. But it’s not untrue.
The political world is in an extended sweet spot; fewest wars, most literacy and wealth uplift for the poor, and least diplomatic grief, in my lifetime. Yes our global institutions are weak and old. No, we are not headed for the Man In The High Castle.
You still have the mistaken belief the economic upswing didnt start back in 2014 or so during Obamas time and carried on right through to today.
The Trump meme was that all the ‘HUGE” economic numbers before Trump were fake, but suddenly after he was elected werent fake anymore
…..– So far all the US and EU constitutional checks and balances are working as intended. They will certainly be stretched when Muller hands his charges down. But they are working just fine so far with everyone heading to jail that should be.
– Both Senate and Congress are ready to limit the Republican President. The Democrats will take Congress in the November mid-terms, and will also slim down the Republican Senate majority enough so that it too is ready to be taken in the next main election.
– The U.S. mainstream media are also doing their job being extremely noisy about the US President – as the should. A few like him, most don’t. As a result, public opinion polls show him to be very unlikely to get a second term even if he stands….
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Michael Moore: Are We Going to Be Like the “Good Germans” Who Let Hitler Rise to Power?
@11.50 minutes
….and the majority of Germans voted, Yes.
And I show that, the ballot, in the movie. And they voted Yes for this. And the front page editorial in the Jewish Weekly, of Frankfurt, Germany said OK everybody, fellow Jews, calm down, it’s OK. Yes he’s crazy. Yes his people are thugs. But you know it’s not gonna be as bad as a lot of you are thinking.
C’mon we’re Germans. This is a democracy. We are not going to be rounded up and put into ghettos, because we have a constitution……
…. No, we are not headed for the Man In The High Castle.
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Of course not. That’s ridiculous. Ad if you think that Moore is suggesting that fascism will come again with swastikas, that is not what he is saying at all.
From the Democracy Now interview with Michael Moore
@7:45 minutes
….the fascism of the 21st Century will not come with concentration camps and swastikas. It will come with a smiley face and a TV show….
Max Rashbrooke is a journalist, author and academic based in Wellington. His first book in 2013, Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, was followed by The Inequality Debate (2014) and Wealth and New Zealand (2015).
He’s just released Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action which presents a rethink of the role and potential of government.
Rashbrooke is a research associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He has twice been the recipient of the Bruce Jesson Senior Journalism Award, and was a 2015 Winston Churchill Fellow.
A bit of Slavoj Zizek the unique Slovenian philosopher and political commentator.
The first is after he had a small stroke. His brain is still as sharp as ever and he likes jokes. He plays one on himself, presenting in the now familiar cooking-show style, as the chief Chef. Afterwards he is interviewed by Alex Miller from Vice.
We now have two German ancestors of Germany, Robert Mueller and his deputy Rod Rosenstein that now are the two top senior directors of the US Department of Justice now heading an investigation of President Trump!!!!
So why do we have Germans in US running another “Neuremberg trial” deep state process on President Donald Trump??????
Deputy General director of DoJ – Rosenstein is an old German name.
Last name: Rosenstein
SDB Popularity ranking: 11539
This is a very old German surname, indeed one of the very first on record. It is what is known as “ornamental” in that whilst it translates literally as one who resided by an area (feld) of roses (rose), this may not have been so in fact. Early German surnames of the 13th century were often based upon mythical situations, in other words, if one was to have a surname, why not a nice one! There are a wide range of surnames which follow this pattern such as Rosegren (Rose branch), Rosengart (Rose garden) being just two examples of the genre. When the name is recorded in its simplest base form as “Rose”, this can imply either a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, or it can be topographical for one who did actually grow roses or lived in a rose growing area. What is certain is that the name in its localised form is found in every European country, and the recordings range from Roz or Roze in France to Rosetti in Italy, and Ruzek in Czechoslovakia,
Yesterday on OM, ankerrawshark commented at 6 * on Andrew McKenzie’s appearance as CEO of Housing NZ on the Nation and wondered why he had not been sacked. I hazarded a possible reason in reply at 6.2.
Earlier this morning I visited Public Address and thought I would post the following link to an excellent post by Russell Brown on the subject of Housing NZ and the meth situation.
Brown’s post is far more detailed and informative than anything I have seen in mainstream media and IMO really puts things into perspective. I really recommend this as a worthwhile read.
Pleased you saw it as I meant to send a message to your post yesterday to let you know about it.
I like the new name you gave me – now which one did you mean me to be?
A Belgian Tottenham Hotspurs footballer. a dentist, a cyclist, or a Senior Professional Clinician – School of Psychology? I refuse to be a Palmerston North real estate agent. LOL.
Sorry veutoviper re the name. Predictive text again. Sometimes catch it in time to edit, but think I posted and ran.
The article about NZ Housing and P labs is excellent. I realize I had a knee jerk reaction to McKenzie on the Nation…….. it’s been a total shambles and a disgrace and was obviously political. One thing I can say is the fact that tywford backs McKenzie did make me pause, which is a sign that I trust labour’s judgment. The comment at the end of the article re the role of the media in perpetuating the meth contamination hysteria is a great point. And thumbs up to the journalists who challenged it
No apologies etc needed – I enjoyed it because I then found some interesting reading that I would not otherwise have come across. So thank you.
Russell Brown has done some excellent work in the drugs area and is getting more and more into those areas. He has also done some good stuff on autism and Aspergers as he has two sons on the spectrum. Well worth reading. Most is on the Pubic Address blog.
From Capitalism vs. Freedom: The toll-road to serfdom:
This history is extensive, and readers interested in learning more of this absorbing global history should consult the sources cited here and in the notes. But a short survey should suffice to show that the core capitalist countries of Europe and the US have been archenemies of democracy, and of-freedom, except for the hegemonic freedom of elite large-scale property owners. Friedman’s thesis, that political freedom Will be advanced by his conceived freedom of the marketplace, deserves a lot less respect and remembrance than the army of the dead left behind by the greed of the powers of the world. An army extending, in the eye of the student of history, to the horizon in all directions.
This is, of course, commenting on the neo-colonialism of the West that has happened over the last few decades that has caused so much strife and poverty throughout the world and all to cater to the greed of the rich.
John Pilger: ‘Hold the front page. The reporters are missing’
By Dr David Robie / September 23, 2018
“Media Lens has shattered a silence about corporate journalism. Like Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman in Manufacturing Consent, they represent a Fifth Estate that deconstructs and demystifies the media’s power.”
“When he was US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus declared what he called “a war of perception… conducted continuously using the news media”. What really mattered was not the facts but the way the story played in the United States. The undeclared enemy was, as always, an informed and critical public at home.
Nothing has changed. In the 1970s, I met Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler’s film-maker, whose propaganda mesmerised the German public.
She told me the “messages” of her films were dependent not on “orders from above”, but on the “submissive void” of an uninformed public.
“Did that include the liberal, educated bourgeoisie?” I asked.
“Everyone,” she said. “Propaganda always wins, if you allow it.”
I think DTB’s point is not averaging everything out or choosing some examples that indicate satisfactory standards and ignoring the rest. It is shocking that we have advanced societies with all the knowledge and means to do better but those in power proceed to drain the world of its resources and the lack of opportunity for vast numbers to live satisfying lives while the elite add to their excess holdings.
and the lack of opportunity for vast numbers to live satisfying lives while the elite add to their excess holdings.
Absolutely agree; but what you’re describing is not poverty, it’s another much more serious, subtle problem called inequality. Hell I’ve been banging on about it pretty much since I first got here the first week The Standard was launched. The one thing I’m absolutely certain of is that the solution for it involves nothing like neo-Marxism.
We keep making the mistake of thinking that inequality is merely an extension of the poverty problem, and persist in framing potential solutions in purely economic terms. Demonstrably this doesn’t work.
Absolutely agree; but what you’re describing is not poverty, it’s another much more serious, subtle problem called inequality.
Whatever makes you think that there’s a difference?
An unequal society is a society that is in poverty and has poverty that’s likely to be increasing – as we see when we look at NZ over the last three decades.
The one thing I’m absolutely certain of is that the solution for it involves nothing like neo-Marxism.
And the one thing that history tells us is that the solution includes neither capitalism nor rich people.
We keep making the mistake of thinking that inequality is merely an extension of the poverty problem
It’s a structural problem that is endemic to capitalism, i.e, your ownership of rentals exacerbates it.
As I say, the problem is ownership. The problem is rich people.
No it hasn’t as it’s never been tried. Examples throughout history do show that a caring/sharing society does better than capitalism and that capitalism always destroys the society that it arises in.
Red Logix people who are experiencing poverty are not comforted by it being regarded as inequality – by whatever name if they are considerably lower resourced from wherever their source is, they experience a lesser life. And arguing about nomenclature just brings expressions of puzzlement and annoyance. ‘What are you talking about? Just gobbledegook as normal, ‘they would say.
I think call a spade a spade and don’t waste time choosing the exact synonym that might identify it better. I agree that it is not to be framed just as “potential solutions in purely economic terms. Demonstrably this doesn’t work.” And that opens the way to examining what is needed to be done, because now that the elite have managed to mess around with our achievable economic solution to a stable economy with working people, what are people going to do to achieve a decent lifestyle? It must have reward, and satisfaction, and housing and a personal life as a human and time and resources to enjoy it. Future work, or future occupation of desire rewarded for positive input to society by society. Work as we have known it is being denied us more and more. So let’s argue about that – that’s the modern conundrum.
Now pockets of real poverty exist, it gets harder all the time for people to climb out and ‘enjoy’ a better life. First their needs to be opportunities, then they may always have to have mentors, or encuragers helping them to find a niche in society and get skills to attain that. Such encouragers will help to counteract against early learnings,that are likely to lead to wanting instant gratification and addictions for mood uplifts. After a while of self-training there is likely to be a positive of say 80/20 of enjoyment and sustainability resulting.
I can’t do justice to this on a smartphone keypad. 😠
What we should be thinking about are problems caused by poverty (which is a first order problem) and those caused by inequality which have deeper sociological roots.
If we go back 2000 years would we really see that same level of poverty in the world? Sure, we’d see it around the Mediterranean but would we see it as much elsewhere? Would we see it in Australia at all?
Poverty is not the lack of money but the lack of having the means to live available and most societies throughout history shared the nations resources making sure that everyone had enough rather than letting just a few have everything while denying the majority enough.
It is capitalism that causes poverty. Always has been, always will be.
DTB
Comparing states of poverty at different ages is apples and oranges. The point is that we have had 100 years of education, have learned how political and economic systems work, about the dreadful behaviour against vulnerable people in history, and there is no excuse for a people who have not set their faces against a repeat of this. The most egregious sort of poverty is where there is wide difference from the elite to the bottom, and our bottom is getting wider.
And the interesting thing is that the observable obesity amongst so many people on lower incomes has become a sign of poverty – that they are being sold inadequate food that has had important aspects processed out of it and replaced by taste satisfying ingredients bad for health.
In our devious, manipulative present-day society, nothing is quite what it appears to be.
Comparing states of poverty at different ages is apples and oranges.
I wasn’t comparing the states of poverty – I was comparing if it existed or not.
Poverty is not the lack of all the goods and services that we have today but if some in a society have little to nothing while others are living high on the hog.
The most egregious sort of poverty is where there is wide difference from the elite to the bottom, and our bottom is getting wider.
Yes and where the society is based around sharing and caring then there is no poverty.
What you have described is inequality. We all manifestly lead far better lives than just 200 years ago. Lose the noble savage/egalitarian huntergather myth. They lived tough high risk lives, sharing poverty, disease and violence on a daily basis.
Our modern wealth has brought unprecedented life expectancy and safety to billions; but an extreme inequality at the same time. The reason for this is much more subtle than your primitive unidimensional Marxism allows for.
You are too subtle for me Red Logix. I bow before your greater, not revealed, knowledge of how inequality oppresses people into poverty when there are shining examples of people who have risen from bootboy to billionaire. I suppose it all comes back to people being responsible for making bad decisions and not trying hard enough, so their misfortunes are of their own making.
They lived tough high risk lives, sharing poverty, disease and violence on a daily basis.
They didn’t have poverty because they shared and looked after each other. This is something that many today just don’t understand.
They had to look after each other else they’d all die.
Our modern wealth has brought unprecedented life expectancy and safety to billions; but an extreme inequality at the same time.
Yes it has but the question is if that wealth would have come about without capitalism. After all, a large part of capitalism’s exploitation is getting people to do what they want to do to make someone else rich.
The reason for this is much more subtle than your primitive unidimensional Marxism allows for.
You and the other capitalists are the ones being unidimensional as you simply insist that capitalism is the end all, be all while ignoring the damage that it does.
U.K Labour having its annual conference over the next few days. No doubt the strategy on Brexit and whether to go for a new referendum will be an important topic, but an interesting new policy proposed so far is to tax second home owners and use the proceeds to subsidise housing for homeless kids. Think it is a doubling of council tax they propose (equivalent of our rates) and only on holiday homes or houses that are not used most of the time. Seems an idea that could be used here in NZ re any second homes that lie empty.
Since March 30th, 2018:- 184 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces – 20,160 wounded- 3 medics killed, 395 medics wounded – 72 lost one or more of their limbs – 5039 shot by live bullets – 752 shot in head/neck – 421 shot in chest/back – 470 shot in stomach/pelvis— اغين الزعبي (@Augiedamous) September 23, 2018
In 1917, preceded by late 19th century Zionism precipitated by the bigotry of Christian Europe, supported by the great powers in their carve up of the Ottoman Empire, with the intention that a Jewish National Home would be founded in Palestine.
IMO, the great mistake was made in 1948 when the UN allowed the annexation of the entirety of Palestine and the world sat on their hands as Palestinian Arabs were expelled, and during subsequent Israeli land grabs.
I agree. But we are faced with a terribly different reality. You can bet your bottom dollar that the zealots will not agree to discontinue expanding into Jerusalem, let alone restore 1967 borders as demanded by UNO…
The zealots on both sides ain’t ever going to settle and the Israeli left and their Arab allies will continue to lose ground and because I’m as pessimistic AF, I reckon the outcomes on the cards are:
The forever wars continue into the next century.
A future US administration with a mandate to turn the aid tap off forces the Knesset to seek a negotiated peace.
Financial catastrophe brought about by untenable defence spending swings Israeli public opinion toward a negotiated peace as the least worst option.
You are just using the old method of scare tactics Joe,
Human instinct has shown time and time gain, that the whole world is very worried about neulear wars.
Every time the sabres rattle around the world for a nuclear war absolutely no-one embraces a war with nuclear arms, as it is realised , no-oe espapes the cloud of nuclear fallout that would envelop the world after a nuclear war as we willl all die afterwards.
Kia ora There you go Wahine can do anything so long as the road blocks that’s some old men put in there way are torn down Jacinda mania.
I bet the Auckland fuel tax would have dropped our carbon use .
The UN well we have local laws WE need international laws the UN also put out media statements that most people around the world read’s about the greedy men pillaging te Papatuanuku for money and they don’t care what happend’s to the local people and the local environment so long as the can bleed money out of the place.
Paul Simon last tour I enjoy his music ka pai.
Jamie I have read about the new way to make aluminium that will lower one of our biggest prouducer’s of carbon I think it half’s the amount of carbon input in the prosess
We could recycle more can’s and that would give us a big saving in carbon output there top up the price one gets for alloy cans to $150 a kilo .
The new young leader’s are going to change the world for the better as we don’t have the systems way of doing thing’s ingrained in our mind’s .racieset climate change human right’s animal right’s inequality these thing;s have to change .
Ka kite ano
There is still a big difference in the way indigenous Australian’s are treated compared to other cultures in Australier .
There is a inbuilt discrimination of the indigenous people of Australia this sort of behavior need’s to change all around the world I would starts at the schools educate the children about the plight that Australians have poured and still are pouring on indigenous Australian’s and this will help change the view of Australians into a more positive view of indigenous Australians .
It wont be a easy task but you will be rewarded greatly when you win it was good that the corona did the correct thing and reported the truth instead of ignoring the issue.
Link below Ka kite ano
There you go wealthy people have been using there money to distort peoples reality into beleving that the neo librails capitalist have everyone best interest at heart for century’s we know now that is just a load of crap .
There main goals are greed they are intoxicated on money and power and they don’t give a——- what get’s damaged because of there greed for more money than anyone need’s to be happy . Ana to kai Ka kite ana P.S trump is trying to bully the whole world into giving him money link below.
Deep fake video’s are a real threat to our democacy these people who are the fake it till you make it.
neo liberals capitalist have no morels that’s why one of these people have had 6 of his sibling condemn him .
We have to make sure that our election’s are fair and just for the prosperity of ALL.
Link below ka kite P.S Deep fake videos is 10 x more dangerious than cambridge analytical
Alison keep up the good work of fighting for Wahine Equality.
There is a big gapping hole in our justice systems and who do we thank for this shonky
He changed the legal aid system so only people unemployed can access the the fund to fight the injustice they face.
Aid.
collin crag is just like shonky they think that Wahine are here to serve Men especially if they are rich.
These men should not even show there shameful face in public. Link is Below Ka kite ano P.S my computer is down on thestanded site?????? Used my pH to get this up
trump deserves my wrap his administration has rolled back a 1 hundred years old law that protects migratory birds all birds will be affected by this fool
Birds are the caniry in the coal mine they have more intelligents than him they are one of a few animals that can dance to a music beat tool makers and are beautiful creatures.
All creatures should be treated like diamonds Ka kite ano link below
Looks like I have hit the nail on the head.
I say that the new Australian prime minister is a control freak like one we had in charge for 9 years in Atoearoa he has already started pulling strings behind the scenes.
The sacking of Michelle Guthrie just came out of the blue the story give one the hints of why.
I can see right through racist bigots and morrison fit like a pea in a pod with others that I have given a serve or 2 Ka kite ano link below. P.S I will say I will be serving this muppets reality up more unless he changes his tune
YEA RIGHT
Kia ora Newshub That’s awesome that we have a oil drilling ban yes we might lose some money but has anyone calculated what gains we will get from the renewable energy sources that we will replace carbon with.
I don’t think so remember the Minstery of business and innovation was set up by steven joyce.
There you go Tova he is a lose cannon trump.
Frazer high school students got some tuff love and it looks like they needed it.
In my day the smoker hid around the back of a shed not on the main entrance.
That story of Carterton school sounds like a lot of composts I smell a rat enough said.
With the person that loaded plans of how to print a gun on the net what I have to say is they used that line all the time to arrest people so that makes me sceptical why because they had no other way to incracerate him I can smell it again.
Cosby deserves to go to jail he has hurt so many Wahine and damage the reputation of many people.
Our the birds were out singing our Queen
LOL she has heaps of trees for the birds to live in Ka pai Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls it’s a Ka pai day for the multi culture sports all around Papatuanukue enough said.
What about that marathon cheat in Rotorua & Tauranga race’s
The boxing in Britain is a, – – – they will—–my culture then I will back off.
Great commentary on the net ball guys.
Ka kite ano P.S James you got that ECO got it
East Coast v Poverty Bay it was a close game
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Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacinta Humphrey, Research Fellow in Urban Ecology, RMIT University Golf courses are sometimes seen as harmful to the environment. According to the popular notion, the grass soaks up too much water, is cut too short and sprayed with dangerous chemicals. But in ...
The poll, conducted between 02 and 04 February, shows National up 2.3 points to 31.9 percent, while Labour has risen 0.4 points from last month to 31.3 percent. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina McFerran, Professor and Head of Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit; Director of Researcher Development Unit, The University of Melbourne New York Public Library Many of us take pleasure in listening to music. Music accompanies important life events and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina McFerran, Professor and Head of Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit; Director of Researcher Development Unit, The University of Melbourne New York Public Library Many of us take pleasure in listening to music. Music accompanies important life events and ...
The Cook Islands finds itself in a precarious dance — one between the promises of foreign investments and the integrity of our own sovereignty. As the country sways between partners China and Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands News asks: “Do we continue to haka with the Taniwha, our constitutional ...
A diplomatic scuffle with the Cook Islands. Plus: What went down at Waitangi. The Cook Islands prime minister, Mark Brown, has provoked the wrath of the New Zealand foreign minister with his decision to head to China to sign a new strategic deal. By failing to consult on the ...
The deputy chairperson of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Michael Connelly, said simply setting targets without "resourcing" them was a pointless exercise, as the number of patients - and their acuity - continuing to grow. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suvradip Maitra, PhD Student, Australian National University Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock Late last year, ChatGPT was used by a Victorian child protection worker to draft documents. In a glaring error, ChatGPT referred to a “doll” used for sexual purposes as an “age-appropriate toy”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niven Winchester, Professor of Economics, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Donald Trump has already made good on his threat to impose an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods, and is due to announce a 25% tariff on all steel and ...
Diplomatic tension between the Cook Islands and New Zealand is growing. Here's what it's about about, what China has to do with it, and why it matters. ...
Sick of human reality TV? Alex Casey has found a perfect solution in David Attenborough’s latest. I’m know I’m not alone when I say this: humans are bleaking me out at the moment. Turn on the news for the bleakest updates imaginable. Try to numb the pain with Married at ...
The Director of Public Health is a statutory role providing public health leadership across the Public Health Agency, within the Ministry of Health, and the National Public Health Service within Health NZ. ...
Zachary Forbes, a maths teacher from Whanganui, has started an unusual initiative on videogame streaming service Twitch. Shanti Mathias interviews him. “The people want First Samuel,” says the man who calls himself Brother Zac. Brown hair, headphones on, a wall behind him, he pauses and reflects on the comments he’s ...
Endless New Zealand politicians, including the present government, have pointed to our support for a rules-based international system, says PSNA National Chair John Minto. ...
In January, the reversals to speed limit reductions on the state highway network began. Councils have been asked to reverse all reduced speed limits since 2020 by July. A retired rural healthcare worker found something missing from the conversation – a maths equation she learned in high school. As told ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natarsha McPherson, PhD Candidate in Spatial Ecology, University of Adelaide Rob D / Shutterstock On the vast expanse of the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia, two very different creatures live side by side – but not always peacefully. One is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John White, Associate Professor in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Deakin University Fire broke out in the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) in December and raged for weeks. Then lightning strikes ignited fresh blazes late last month, which merged to form a mega-fire that’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karley Beckman, Senior Lecturer in Digital Technologies for Learning, University of Wollongong If you are a parent of a school student, you may have received a form seeking permission to use your child’s image on school social media accounts. It’s very ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C. Van Dyk, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato The day he took office for his second term, United States President Donald J. Trump unveiled his “America First” trade policy, including tariffs on imported goods from Mexico, Canada (both of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack McGrath, Lecturer in Animation, University of Newcastle Netflix The 2025 Academy Awards could shape up to be a big one for stop-motion animation. Australian director Adam Eliott’s Memoir of a Snail (2024) has raked in a nomination for Best Animated ...
Mark Brown’s trip to China risks damaging the close bond between the Cook Islands and NZ, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ‘Significant concern’ New Zealand’s tight knit relationship with the Cook Islands is at risk after the nation’s prime ...
.Advisers warned the Minister for Resources that his plans to limit industry liability for the clean-up costs of was more lenient that Australia and the UK. ...
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Andrea Vance warns Bridges and National they had better stay away from gender connotative criticism of Jacinda Ardern.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107269494/the-pms-made-mistakes-but-theyve-got-nothing-to-do-with-gender
Yes Muttonbird but then over at the Herald HDPA pours faint praise on the PM for her “zeitgeist capturing” charm trip to the US. According to HDPA the PM is really good at “branding” and “if she plays it right” NZ will “sell lots of products.” HDPA then goes on to say that back home “A few problematic narratives have developed. That Winston is calling the shots. That the Prime Minister doesn’t understand business basics. And, more worryingly, that she can be economical with the truth.” So just wait until Jacinda gets back eh Heather.
Here is the thing. Leeches like HDPA and her ilk have set the narrative on Jacinda Ardern, false that it is, and continue to play it for all its worth knowing that repeated often and loud enough it must garner some truth. Its a devious and obvious ploy.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12129221
If there are any high country farmers who read The Standard, watch out for eight days of solid snow and very cold air coming up, then solid south island rain. Bring all your lambs in.
I pity any farmer who looks to the Standard for their weather reports
A.
Both Metvuw and Windy are saying the same thing on the 8 day:
https://www.windy.com/-Rain-thunder-rain?rain,2018-09-30-18,-36.867,174.767,5
I feel sorry for right wingers who automatically rubbish anything said here just because it was said on the Standard.
Why not check the weather forecast before making a dick of yourself.
https://www.metservice.com
MS.
You miss the point. Farmers can look up the weather reports for themselves, they don’t need to come here for it
You miss the point saying that you pity someone who reads the standard for whatever reason was a calibrated insult.
MS.
One of the regular standardistas called me a “dribbling dog” yesterday so I have no sympathy
A.
That’s a pretty accurate description, tbf.
And some idiot described me as
“You guys stole hundreds of millions of dollars from schools and hospitals, Alwyn. By immorally avoiding tax, by hiding money in proxy companies. You stole from our children and made the sick to suffer, Alwyn.”.
The diesel soaked seagull hasn’t had the decency to apologise though.
She (he? or it?) doesn’t even know who I am but that doesn’t seem to matter. Any rubbish spouted by someone of the left seems to be OK. Just don’t describe Jacinda in terms that the Labour and Green parties routinely used about John Key.
You’re a right winger and defend tax avoidance practice. That’s all I need to know.
+111
And I suppose I should simply reply that you defraud the taxpayer in order to support an expensive life style rather than actually leave the money for other needy individuals.
Alternatively you could have got a part time job.
Generally right wingers here know they face a head wind here. If they start dishing out pointless abuse and insults they’ll be moderated pretty promptly.
At the same time I see a lot of lefties … playing off their ‘impeccable politics’ …. dishing it out with spades on and getting away with it.
Ugly.
You’re a moderator, why don’t you deal with it?
How sweet. You two have teamed up nicely.
It makes me laugh a bit because you are one of the most abusive and foul-mouthed characters on this board and you’ve been banned several times for it.
I very rarely abuse other posters and if I do it’s normally because someone gave me a serve.
You, on the other hand, do nothing but abuse, maybe you’re the one that should be banned?
I do a lot of long form comments with original content. Quite a bit of research and linking goes into them actually. In fact I comment on current items before the authors get around to doing a post on them. Y’know, I actually contribute to this site. My commenting goes in phases depending how much work I’ve got on at the time.
Your comments however are all short form trolling – every single one. And swearing and abuse is never far from the surface because you appear to trigger easily.
You’ve had several bans because of it so the form is there, and everyone recognises it. No good pretending to be an angel now, BM.
Heard of self-moderation?
@Muttonbird
I do a lot of long form comments with original content. Quite a bit of research and linking goes into them actually. In fact I comment on current items before the authors get around to doing a post on them. Y’know, I actually contribute to this site.
Well and good. I guess you could call that putting brownie points in the bank and it makes you feel safe about the odd ‘dribbling dog’ moment.
Or as Incognito says, heard of ‘self moderation’ ?
It’s not about sympathy but something that vaguely resembles an intelligent contribution would be nice.
And your responses in this thread seem to have confirmed that description.
Why not The Standard /
After all the other alternative is that socialist organ of creeping state control :
Metservice
Antoine, i am not a farmer, but I think Ads message about the weather was meant to be helpful.
I think you were trying to be funny, because it would be something if farmers read the standard to get their weather news.
I must say I often find that the standard has the news first or has stuff that is buried on other websites. I often say to my husband about news items that I read it on the standard first e g Peters telling Simon in parliament that the identity of the leaker is out. Didn’t see that anywhere else. So thanks to all the great writers here who do a better job than the overpaid msm.
Two weeks ago over 500 lambs died in the sleet in the Hawkes Bay high country.
There was plenty of detail about it on RNZ Country Life.
While it’s easy to dismiss the wee things since they’ll all be roasted at Sainsbury’s, you don’t need to kill sentient beings through neglect and long cruel suffering when there’s an answer as simple as taking the forecast seriously and bringing the flock in from the high country before it all happens.
Farmers who ignore animal welfare will see their exports go the same way as coarse wool has: near-extinct.
Those werent ‘high country’ lambs.
You seem to think farmers can ‘bring things’ in like you do with the washing on the line.
Im not connected with sheep farming but these are not vast stations in HB like the South Island and what land you have is much the same exposure all over the farm. As well it was the amount of rain that did the lambs in as the wet didnt allow them to stay warm.
Yip once the ewes are set stocked for lambing we are at the mercy of the wether. Shelter in paddocks help but if you get more than a day of wind driven rain (especially from southerly directions) there is little can be done .
One of the most important petitions IMHO calling for restrictions on who can bring money into existence in NZ. Pls share far and wide.
http://www.positivemoney.org.nz/Site/petition/default.aspx
/Signed
Our present monetary system ignores reality so that a few people can be rich.
Ditto
As Prime Minister Ardern sets out for the US and UN, HdPA goes all-in for fangirldom, claiming Ardern already outshines both Key and Clark on the international stage:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12129221
I agree with the potential for this.
The big question to my mind is whether New Zealand business, and MFAT and NZTE, can show that they are and will continue to get behind this kind of exceedingly popular and televisual leader.
Because so far much of New Zealand business are unable to rise to the challenge and leadership of this government.
That’s a good challenge to the New Zealand business sector. I notice you set that challenge, not HDHP.
Lets see if the NZ business community can get over themselves and use JA’s appeal to their advantage. The ball’s in their court.
I’m not suggesting that they will arrive en masse for this one, but the NZ business community need to wake up to the fact that there has been a change of government.
That’s where MFAT and NZTE are so vital. And of course the PM’s new business leadership group.
When an overseas visit is designed like a trade mission – such as the ongoing EU Trade Deal talks – MFAT and NZTE need to round up the business leadership and set up the parallel trade track-meets to make the most of it.
I would hope that we could sell more than lambswool baby booties out of this.
I think it might be a bit past the selling stage, creative industries are going gangbusters and tourism out of North America is buoyant to going off. Primary exports into there won’t be far behind.
This in granny this morning, along with HDPA’s thing
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12129215
The film industry in Southern Lakes is very busy, after a very quiet patch that coincided with the late government, and they are tearing around looking for staff, both cast and crew. It’s partly dollar related, but there’s a political aspect to it as well, our government is seen as pretty cool. The government can probably lay claim to the lower dollar as well, it’s running policies that result in a lower dollar and benefit export industries.
The importing grumps will come around, once they see the export side take off. just like it did in 2000 after the grumps’ winter of discontent.
They definitely did come around, but it took the full-country effort towards the China FTA, and the Growth and Innovation launch, to really turn that relationship around.
We don’t have that national-scale impetus for business to engage with government. Yet.
Despite the Prime Minster’s speech last week showing coherence across government, I see the government’s approach to business as being either narrowly sectoral as per dairy and transport, or scattergun as per the Provincial Growth Fund.
I think one thing that we need is encouragement for small business making for the domestic market. The country can’t run on boom and bust cycles of film making, all on, and all off. Peter Jackson has done much to lessen that – the NZ unions didn’t look at this strategically.
Tourism is welcome until it gets like Argentinian ants.
And always the trouble of business that is going gang-busters is it gets sold to overseas interests, or is already in their hands or the major part of its shareholding. We need a central fund that will buy some businesses that are likely to be long-running and have regional importance. Cadbury is an example in Dunedin.
2017 Cadbury – After 80 years in operation manufacturing is set to move to Australia. Source: 1 NEWS
(Cadbury’s Dunedin factory processes more than 30 tonnes of liquid chocolate a day and employs just under 300 fulltime staff and around 100 seasonal workers.)
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/cadbury-chocolate-factory-in-dunedin-set-close-down-next-year
2018 – 3 Sept 2018
Fast forward five years and OCHO was sold to more than 3,000 small investors on the back of the announcement of the closure of the Dunedin Cadbury Factory. It was the most successful equity crowdfunding campaign in New Zealand, raising the maximum $2 million in less than two days. A broad base of community ownership, fair pay for our bean suppliers, and fair working conditions were table stakes in forming the new OCHO.
https://ocho.co.nz/pages/our-story
The chocolate market is growing. But chocolate comes from areas with high humidity, warmth and yet shade. We could grow it in Northland, plantations of it with the right trees to provide the shade. Is anyone thinking along these lines? Thinking, thinking? And the trees could get environmental bonuses for carbon use!
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/08/the-achocalypse-what-s-at-stake-in-the-global-chocolate-crisis.html
Here is another link to Ocho chocolate and the crowdfunding story.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/02/dunedin-chocolate-factory-step-closer-after-2-million-crowdfund-campaign.html
That is a great idea greywarshark – would be good to see the government have funds so that when multinationals or who ever bails out of a manufacturer here, they can be bought by government so that people are not losing jobs like Cadbury and they have time to keep the business running until maybe the right person wants to buy it back.
Also with regards to as soon as business become successful they are sold, part of that is also pressure from banks. A friend went to get some money for a business startup and the banks was like ‘when are you planning to sell it’ – there is no concept here, of keeping businesses in NZ and growing them to actually stay here and provide well paid jobs and contribute to GDP you have to get offshore money.
We actually are a lot more successful at business in NZ than it looks, because people may start great businesses here or have leading ideas, but then eventually sell the business and so it seems like we are not successful in that area but actually there are Kiwi start up businesses that are successful throughout the world.
Xero for example is one of the larger SAS companies operating in the world.
If business do stay here, often they put in “international’ figures to run them but it does not always work out. Aka Theo Spierings had the first big loss in Fonterra’s history. What works overseas (aka supplementary feed, intensive farming, bad offshore partnerships) may not make it successful in NZ and actually start destroying value.
savenz
Yes good, rein in my bouts of negativity. Re Theo Spierings I seem to remember that when he was appointed there were mutterings about choosing someone who specialised in the commodities market, and that would be the focus. That applied either to him or the one before.
Fonterra should be trialling something all the time, putting aside an allowance for innovative products to diversify with and could be made here They would not have to be a total success but sharp eyes and brains could be suggesting things, and preparing business plans and trialling them.
@ Greywarshark, Was talking to someone who used to be pretty high up in Fonterra, but they are disgusted because the research fund already exists and Fonterra do have millions gathered each year from Farmers for research and projects, but it has become a fat cat exercise when they money is not spent wisely and those in charge of it, are not interested in actually changing anything or innovating. Even the former truck drivers are complaining about screw ups like some some glitch in where the pumps are located. Basically Fonterra management has got rid of a lot of the smarter employees and managers, and those left don’t seem to interested in running NZ in a practical innovative way.
Like Collins and Oravida
(Sorry, that was low)
But really Ad, I’m sure companies are working with MFAT and NZTE just like they usually do. This stuff doesn’t stop just because the Government changes. Or do you know something I don’t?
A.
And I would welcome evidence of that.
So far, as I noted above, it’s either narrowly sectoral as per dairy and transport, or it’s scattergun as per the Provincial Growth Fund.
Business needs to figure out what this kind of government and this kind of Prime Minister can actually do for them.
You mean like in the good old days when the Business Round table would call the ( national party) politicians into its offices and they would be given daft legislation ( written by top law firms) and would be backed up with a media strategy to have commissioned background pieces in major newspapers . They even went as far as adding ‘top up payments’ to those writers allready on the media payroll.
I’ve just realised what you are saying, Ad. You think businesses should take advantage of the PM’s image to try to sell more stuff overseas. Is that it?
A.
Matthew Hooton was saying the same thing earlier in the week.
“The programme uses Ardern’s celebrity as the world’s first Prime Minister to take maternity leave to promote New Zealand through popular talk shows. Those selling New Zealand beef, milk power, wine or holidays gain far more value from Ardern appearing on The Late Show than her holding a bilateral with Turkey or even meeting Donald Trump’s trade officials.”
Yes.
Good on you for sticking at it.
Jacinda is a great ambassador to NZ. She (and husband) looked incredible in those photos at Buckingham palace. Incredible symbolism of many intersecting issues as described by guardian…
“On social media in New Zealand the striking image went viral, with many people commenting that the picture captured the inversion of traditional gender roles; a female world leader wearing a powerful cloak while pregnant and representing her country.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/20/jacinda-ardern-maori-cloak-buckingham-palace-new-zealand
Hopefully rather than just selling things (John Key style) she can actually make the world and NZ a better place and have that as a goal rather than a salesperson.
What products do you think would go well with her brand, Ad?
A.
The fact that business find it hard to accept the reality and correctness of the change of government is an indication of how unable they are to understand the laws of the land when they don’t seem to work in their particular favour.
This shows that they are not fit to take the crown of being the best entity to run the country which they are attempting to take from government. Leave the crown where it is! And the crown should be trying to regain what it can from the debacle.
Business can’t rise to challenges, they want a level playing field where they do not have to strain against the gravity of our situation. They want a multi laned motorway to where the money piles are, with subservient paupers waiting at the side of the road, with their own work tools and ready to be picked so they can work all day. I understand that now-dead relatives who came early to NZ used to walk 13 miles a day to work in mines on the Isle of Man. Now their not-so-great grandchildren are prepared to accommodate the same sort of worker opportunity.
We are suckers in this country, not demanding decent conditions, being made subservient to hand-held controllers of our lives, accepting it all without the spirit and the wariness to question and look where it will lead. Today is everything, style rules, change also, except it is not the change that will benefit all people, rather the opposite. Accepting and brainwashed with messages and content from popular media that fills our minds, responsive to the message that money is everything, lacking ideals and concern for others wellbeing, not having a questing and searching intelligence, we of course get the business leaders made of the same cloth.
Well said.
That was an interesting read. I didn’t know that the PM who quit (key) paid thousands of $ to appear on The Late Show. How embarrassing.
“If you don’t think Ardern’s got it all over Clark and Key, just look at The Late Show. Key had to pay consultants thousands to get him on that show. Ardern paid no one. The Late Show called her.”
AND who actually paid the late show?
Key or NZ Tax payer?
The NZ tax payer. $10,000.00 via Tourism NZ for Key’s performance.
How embarrassing
Oh the irony!
Actually paying to look like a numpty in front of millions…
The Key gift that just keeps on giving.
Set a standard he did, on how not to behave as PM.
How much was Keys ‘appearance fee’ at Craig Heatlys book launch this week ?
Hi Ad
I think you make the mistake of treating ‘business’ as a unified organism – it isn’t. There are plenty of businesses that are thriving today, just as they have done under successive governments. We show leadership by adapting to changing government policy, both good and bad, because we recognise that living in a market economy and a democratic political structure requires us to do that to survive.
As to Jacinda, most business people I network with are largely ambivalent to her at this stage. Most of us have have concerns over some policy, but that applied to the last National government as well. But I do hope the reason people get behind her is far more meaningful than that she is ‘exceedingly popular and televisual’.
So far business are unified in their pessimism of the economy.
You will of course be aware that some parts of the economy are far more closely tied to the government than others – for example, transport, fibreoptics, water, arts including film, housing, all the social sectors including education, health. And the government is already neck deep in them.
But – as I signified mentioning MFAT and NZTA – it is the exporting businesses that are taking too long to get their head around this government. With this kind of international profile for this kind of Prime Minister, they need to figure the PM out as a major market opportunity.
“I do hope the reason business get behind her is far more meaningful than that she is ‘exceedingly popular and televisual’.” – FIFY
Business confidence surveys are meaningless, even the reserve bank does not use them as they know it’s not an indicator.
“So far business are unified in their pessimism of the economy. ”
Business is not ‘unified’ in that view. The majority of businesses who have responded to selective survey’s may have that view, but that does not reflect ‘all business’.
“But – as I signified mentioning MFAT and NZTA – it is the exporting businesses that are taking too long to get their head around this government.”
I don’t see any evidence of that. There is some disquiet from certain business sectors about government policy, but that is not the same as taking “too long to get their head around this government.” Business adapts to changing governments, as they should. I would also suggest that the government needs to work on improving it’s own signalling. Business thrives on consistent and well thought out policy. Cracks in coalition attitudes to policy are not helpful to that stability.
Consumer confidence down, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12127981
Hey Antoine, ‘confidence’ surveys seem to be all over the place these days.
Re consumers…. spending is usually down during the winter months.
Antione yet retail sales are up 4% for the same period as last year.
This is a resentment survey.
Disability/employment issues are taken more seriously in Canada than NZ sadly with using affected unemployed groups in a real show of “inclusion” when a broad range of work disability partners came together to develop a vision and strategy for the future.
We are slipping behind again here, so wake up Labour!!!!.
https://injuredworkersonline.org/disability-and-work-in-canada-2018-moving-forward/
Quote;
Disability and Work in Canada 2018 – moving forward
September 21, 2018
Disability and Work in Canada 2018 will be held in Ottawa on December 4 and 5, 2018. Participants at DWC2018, A Partnering Strategy for Moving Forward, will review a proposed national strategy to improve the level of employment of persons with disabilities. This draft strategy has been elaborated following the November 2017 Conference, when a broad range of work disability partners came together to develop a vision and strategy for the future.
It’s a good mood IMHO if consumers concentrate on getting their mortgages down and cutting up their credit cards, and going to the mall less.
People need to create, not consume. It’s just as much a shot to the endorphins.
They need to do both.
GDP growing at annual rate of 4% last quarter….Moody’s confirms AAA rating for NZ under Jacinda…oh yes it’s all doom and gloom.
Well Antoine that is really interesting. The fact that ‘consumer confidence is down’ appears in a “business” article in the grandmere of journalism says absolutely zilch. Both of these ethereal and purely perceptual concepts are nothing more than what people think, and we don’t have to stretch very far to understand that those little bubbles bear no relation to the financial and consumer facts.
Business (lack of) confidence is at least a partly co-ordinated and orchestrated campaign to denigrate this government and its people-oriented approach to trade, employment, housing, pay, etc, etc. Is it any wonder that the sheeple of the consumer society will ‘baa’ in chorus.
It never ceases to amaze that this ‘business confidence’ nonsense has any traction at all. In the round it’s a device for the stroking of the righty-rich by the righty-rich……the Hosking-Hand.
They’ve been tools of the wealth transfer caper awhile now spraying the people from the msm outlets.
+++
There is a school-of-fish metaphor for business and particularly the financials’ behaviour in the stock exchanges of the world. Business must understand the market and what trends are showing. They are competing all the time and don’t have time to think about being people and the planet etc. They have to watch each other and keep up, the giants may only be on top for one or two years then be eclipsed and be grateful to be bought out in the next two years – remember some competition is good, but too much can kill ya.
We are just collateral damage.
I believe that much of the trading on stock-exchanges is now done by silicon chips.
https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/06/investing/wall-street-computers-program-trading/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_trading
Oh well still more school of fish turns and flights.
Of course I am behind, everything is to be done by microchips.
In the year 2525…
Visage
Original Zager and Evans
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7VqsONNvIs
The overriding theme, of a world doomed by its passive acquiescence to and overdependence on its own overdone technologies, struck a resonant chord in millions of people around the world in the late 1960s.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Year_2525
This was their only hit. But so good they couldn’t top it.
People were noticing truths in the 1960’s, then what?
Play it yourself – positive out of negative!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQNlyZXJSiA
Oh, I think we all are behind but don’t realise how far behind we are. I’ve been thinking about doing a post on this.
The Government is currently undertaking a cross-government algorithm review but with the role of CTO in tatters and Clare Curran being demoted I suspect this is on the slow-burner. When the stocktake is done it will already be behind the eight ball.
Incognito
I keep finding that people are losing services and made to rely on their cellphone information which is a couple of removes from speaking face to face. Technology is a good servant, but I don’t want it being ‘sold’ to me as a good master. Which is being done already without me being asked my wishes.
Young people are being left out of their social group unless they check on Facebook for instance. Predictive help is useful but it is getting that it is an opt out situation instead of opt in. We need to be decision makers before that option too is removed. It is a similar situation to that when computers were first getting established. Whatever came out of the computer was right and true, whether you looked someone in the eye and advised it was not. People had their identities denied and were cut out of society because the computer had removed their name.
The billionaire class is not fit to rule….
What Hosking’s says is actually fact and reflects the mood of the Nation ?
The shooting down of peaceful protestors en masse continues,
and we will continue to publicize it in spite of Israeli censors pressuring the media.
On April 22, 2018, the spineless and corrupt “administrators” of YouTube deleted this video from its website.
In memory of the dead, and to avert more Israeli killings, it has been reposted.
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/09/22/five-months-ago-in-memoriam/
Colin Craig is more nasty than weird apparently
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/09/outspoken/
Following her resignation, MacGregor had filed an invoice for $47,000 for work she’d done during the election campaign, from which she expected Craig to deduct two $10,000 advances, and a loan of $18,990. The interest rate on the loan was zero for the first six months, then 4 per cent for the next next months.
After she lodged the sexual harassment claim, Craig increased the interest rate to 29 per cent.
In the settlement agreement, MacGregor withdrew her claim, and over the next two days the pair’s lawyers exchanged letters which saw MacGregor paid $16,000 and have the loan wiped. At the time, it was all covered by confidentiality, meaning that should have been the end of it.
But as we all now know, it wasn’t.
Colin Craig’s first breach of the gagging order which both parties had agreed upon, came in that now notorious interview in a sauna, with TV3’s David Farrier.
Craig then went on to breach the agreement further, repeatedly, in a series of media conferences and interviews.
Rachel MacGregor sat back and watched in horror.
And it still wasn’t over.
Because then came court cases – two of them, both defamation trials – after some details of MacGregor’s time working for Craig were published by a blogger.
She was merely a witness, roped in. But she needed legal advice, of course. And now her four-year navigation of the legal system has left her with a lawyers’ bill of $80,000 – a bill which is about to be multiplied many times, because yet again, Rachel MacGregor finds herself in court: this time being sued by Colin Craig for defamation, and she responding with a counterclaim, also of defamation.
MacGregor feels she has no choice but to defend herself. But she can’t afford it.
“I don’t have any assets”, she says. “I am just absolutely nowhere near as wealthy as Colin Craig. There’s no way I could even dream of paying for this case myself. I guess it’s sort of chalk and cheese, if you like, my financial position, and my opponent’s.”
Why was she ‘talking about’ the inside information from her job with Conservatives onto her ‘friend Jordan Williams’ and from him onto Whaleoil for publication on his blog ?
I get she has been used by Jordan Williams but what on earth made her take up a media minder role for a party leader during an election campaign. She clearly had zero
previous experience in politics
And then the ‘ cant afford it ‘ Rachel then looks at the legal circus and decides she wants to jump in the ring
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93899563/rachel-macgregor-countersues-colin-craig-for-defamation
“… what on earth made her take up a media minder role for a party leader during an election campaign. She clearly had zero previous experience in politics”
Really? Do you ever check anything before making such statements judging people?
Rachel has a Bachelor of Communication (BCS) – Mass Comm, PR, Branding, TV, Radio, Web Dev, Advertising, Creative – from Auckland University of Technology.
Before becoming Press Secretary for the Conservative Party in August 2011, she also worked for TVNZ for almost six years as follows according to her Linked In profile:
TVNZ – 5 years 8 months
Line Up Producer, Good Morning. TVNZ January 2010 – July 2010 = 7 months
News and Current Affairs Producer TVNZ October 2005 – 2010 = 5 years
Producer / Reporter, Breakfast TVNZ 2005 – 2009 = 4 years
Assignments and Foreign Co-ordinator TVNZ December 2004 – July 2005 = 8 months
I would have thought that her work experience with TVNZ, especially the five years as a News and Current Affairs Producer, would have given her some, maybe even considerable experience in relation to politics – as opposed to your judgement that she had zero experience.
Just taking ‘padded profiles’ from linkedin doesnt give much useful information.
Most of the details from thats linkedin overlap, so it can be broken down to one line :
News and Current Affairs Producer TVNZ October 2005 – 2010 = 5 years
Where is the connection with politics you talk about ?You do realise TVNZ has a whole crew of on air political journalists, McGregor wasnt one of them.
oh yes but she did these
http://tvnz.co.nz/content/2216530/2591759.html
She travels to Scotland for a promo piece
‘Rachel MacGregor travelled to Edinburgh and uncovered some normally hidden Scottish secrets. Breakfast would like to thank ‘Visit Scotland’ for their help with making this story.
or this one
‘Hollie Smith
Reporter Rachel Macgregor spoke to singer Hollie Smith, famous for her extraordinary vocals on Don McGlashan’s Bathe in the River.’
‘NZ Music Awards
Reporter Rachel Macgregor joined Breakfast to talk about the New Zealand Music Awards. For the winners click HERE
FIFA under 17 Woman’s World Cup
Rachel MacGregor at North Harbour Stadium ahead of the opening night of the FIFA under 17 Woman’s World Cup.
Comparing kits
Reporter Rachel MacGregor spoke to War Veteran Theo Thomas and Lt Jeremy Seed who is currently serving in the New Zealand Army. The pair compared their kits, and looked at the army equipment of the past and present.
Chic Entertaining
Reporter Rachel MacGregor got a lesson in chic entertaining from the food editor of Dish magazine, Claire Aldous.
http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1756437/2591759.html
Im sure she was very capable for the ‘soft news’ type storys that can be found on TVNZ web site, that I have shown above, and thats not a selection just the google items in order ( No need to go back over the 5 yrs or so)
So I stick by my comment she has zero experience in the political journalism field. Your statements clearly havent been checked for factual basis
For goodness sake the woman was clearly way out of her depth . Her current job doing communications with the Property Council seems a far better fit and I wish her well.
“Where is the connection with politics you talk about ?You do realise TVNZ has a whole crew of on air political journalists, McGregor wasnt one of them.”
Of course she was not one of the “whole crew of on air political journalists”. She was a “News and Current Affairs Producer” – not an on air Presenter.
Producers usually work behind the scenes, not on camera, or on air in the case of radio. Some Producers occasionally do on camera items as MacGregor obviously did from time to time from the list you gave above.
Similarly, for example, Alex Perrottet, Producer of Morning Report on RNZ National is currently fronting – ie presenting on air – Checkpoint on RNZ National between John Campbell’s departure a week ago and Lisa Owen taking over in a few weeks’ time.
You also say “So I stick by my comment she has zero experience in the political journalism field.” … “For goodness sake the woman was clearly way out of her depth.”
So she had five years experience as a “News and Current Affairs Producer” – on top of her across the board Communications training at and her BComms qualification from AUT.
Since when were “Politics’ not part of “News and Current Affairs”?
Of course, she had exposure to and experience in political journalism as part of her role as a News and Current Affairs Producer for over five years. Presumably the Conservative Party thought so too as they (or rather CC) hired her as their Press Secretary.
And where is your factual proof of your statement that “For goodness sake the woman was clearly out of her depth” ?
Your statement is worded quite clearly as a judgment not an opinion. What are your qualifications to make that judgment?
Where are the political stories stories you talk about. Please don’t make claims without checking their validity. Like I said seems to a capable general news and soft stories producer.
I’ll make all the judgements I like based on real information, however I won’t be judging her on what she wears from day to day like you did for Bennett.
Colon Craig should be prosecuted for stalking and victimisation.
Another Narcissist who claims to be a god fearing Christian.
it’s official now – Chinese Government are found by SIS to be bugging our officials and messing with our Country now as an aggressor.
read this.
view-source:https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/09/23/so-our-largest-trading-partner-burgled-an-academic-to-intimidate-her-in-our-own-country-are-we-allowed-to-discuss-chinas-influence-over-us-yet/
Quote;
“the Security Intelligence Service have carried out a search for listening devices at the University of Canterbury office of the professor revealed to be a possible target of Chinese espionage.”
Well this sort of thing will happen when the national party had Chinese spies sitting at the cabinet table.
That’s an utterly rubbish comment.
+ 1 outrageous
– 1 preposterous.
So Jian Yang rings no bells then.
He has never been “sitting at the cabinet table” as you seem to allege.
He’s never been charged or convicted in NZ of spying for the Chinese.
There’s no proof (yet) that Chinese spies were somehow involved in the break in at the professor’s.
Lastly, there’s no link between these dots other than in your head.
Funnily, Canada and our other 5 eyes partners saw it very differently than you.
But hey, keep believing!!
Adam, Jian Yang was never in Cabinet or part of the Executive.
He was not a Minister, an Associate Minister or a Parliamentary Under Secretary. He was a Parliamentary Private Secretary (on Ethnic Affairs) for 10 months in 2017 which is only a fancy name for an adviser to a Minister on a particular subject but holds no extra salary or any other form of recognition under section 2.52 of the NZ Cabinet Manual*.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/parliamentary-private-secretaries-appointed-2
https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-units/cabinet-office/supporting-work-cabinet/cabinet-manual/2-ministers-crown-5
* The Wikipedia entry on PPS is incorrect in respect of PPS under the NZ system. While they are part of the executive in the UK and paid etc, they are not in NZ.
EDIT – I now see that Incognito has also raised the above in their first point.
So he saw no cabinet papers, and did he no have access? Is that what you’re saying veutoviper?
No Adam. That is not what I said.
You said ” Well this sort of thing will happen when the national party had Chinese spies sitting at the cabinet table.”
You then said “So Jian Yang rings no bells then.” implying that it was Jian Yang that you were referring to as “sitting at the cabinet table”.
I said that Jian Yang was never a member of Cabinet and therefore would not be “sitting at the cabinet table” as you said.
I did not say that he saw no Cabinet papers; nor did I say that he had no access to Cabinet papers. I don’t know whether he did or did not – and nor do you.
So your response was because I said cabinet table instead of caucus – if I’d said cacus what would you have said?
But getting back to the issue, begs the questions of why were the 5 eyes upset at the national government? Why did Canada throw a wobbly over issues of security and threaten NZ? From that I’m have an educated guess that Jian Yang had some access, don’t you think – and I agree I can’t 100% know – but the fact our allies got very upset says somthing.
Funny how this been swept under the carpet in NZ. It’s like people are too frightened to even talk about it.
Educated guess = lol. Try facts not bigotry.
Of all the stupid comments I’ve ever read of yours marty mars that takes the cake.
It’s a foreign government using a spy. The fact he was good enough at his job to reach the upper reaches of the last government, is a complement to him and his training.
As for best guesses, you have done it enough, so that was a bit rich.
Youre not putting up any links or facts adam.
So you missed this story
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@summer-newsroom/2017/09/12/46657/newsroom-investigation-national-mp-trained-by-chinese-spies
And then this one, which was put up on standard.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/nz-labelled-soft-underbelly-of-five-eyes-spy-network-in-canadian-report.html
or this one
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/new-zealand-should-be-cut-from-five-eyes-over-china-influence-2018-5?r=US&IR=T
Can you put the quotes in where it says, “…when the national party had Chinese spies sitting at the cabinet table.” Thanks.
Your funny marty mars.
At least you didn’t get abusive.
Well adam, my comments re Cabinet would not have applied if you had said Caucus as Cabinet consisted of only some members of Caucus. I perhaps should have asked whether you meant Caucus.
However, your comment then gets on to a semi-related but different subject where I actually think we may actually share concerns. At the risk of being accused again of being xenophobic (which I am not), I have had considerable concerns since finding out about Yang’s background and I understand the concerns of some other governments such as Canada. And thus I hope that he has not seen things like Cabinet papers.
However, I also believe that good tabs will have been and will continue to be kept on him and his activities – and not just by our NZ intelligence community (SIS and GCSB) but by others also present in NZ. I tend to have more confidence in the latter than the former … I am going to leave it at that (based on experience rather than facts or links) and will not be commenting further.
There are no secrets in the National party caucus. The Chinese would discover nothing that Tova O’Brien hasn’t already broadcast.
ROFL! Made my day!
But, but – what about the other leaker?
————————————-
Unrelated … I saw PB was not in the House again today – third sitting day in a row as also not there last Weds or Thurs. AA is keeping the Deputy Seat warm – and did an audition speech this afternoon. Not sure whether it was for the Leader or Deputy role. Must not mention what she was wearing … but I did like Winston’s tie today. Don’t remember that one before, must be new. Some of his ties are decades old, but very good quality.
He’d probably say there was a handy analogy in that – if it’s good quality, it’ll do the job for 30 or 40 years even in a harsh environment. 😉
So they found listening devices did they cleany?
And were they Made in China?
Lol
Just now need to do a private security sweep of the room after the SIS were there.
They may have just replaced the Chinese ‘bugs’ with their own.
Yeah – I thought bug sweeps were more GCSB’s territory…
The Goser whanau Christmas is gonna be a blast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZD-gIYEJpk
It might seem like family dysfunction or a very bad case of sibling rivalry.
Six of nine brothers and sisters of Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent in the midterm elections in videos on Friday, in what one of them said was nothing short of a moral imperative.
The siblings were alarmed at what they saw as the congressman’s increasingly extremist views on immigration, health care and white supremacists, one of them, David Gosar, said on Saturday.
“I’m just hoping either in this election cycle or next, the people get the idea that he’s just not fit for that office and he needs to be removed,” he said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/22/us/politics/paul-gosar-arizona-family-siblings.html?partner=bloomberg
He’s not taking it well.
They gotta get through Thanksgiving first.
From the Ukraine to Syria around the world fascism is again on the march.
Michael Moore’s new movie documents the rise of Donald Trump and compares the US to 1930s Germany and the rise of fascism.
Moore says his new movie “is not about Trump, it is about us”.
As the sex scandals and the illegal pay offs to cover them up, and the FBI Russian investigation into Russian links to Donald Trump’s election campaign rumble on to their inevitable nadir. Despite all the twitterings from the Liberal Left in the US about impeaching Donald Trump on the strength of all this, or at least turning his administration into a Lame Duck by winning a Democratic Majority in the mid-terms.
Despite all the legalisms and resort to constitutionality by his opponents, Donald Trump knows that he is unstoppable.
At any legalistic constraints or moves against his administration, by the Democrats, President Trump can call out his millions of supporters. Hell, they will probably react violently in that event, even if he doesn’t call them out.
The targets of Trump’s supporters, Black Lives Matter, Immigrants, Muslims, will fight back to defend themselves.
The resulting unrest will be all the excuse Trump will need to call a state of emergency and suspend the constitution.
In his latest movie Michael Moore says, no matter what he does, or what is thrown at him, Trump has made himself “unimpeachable”.
The reaction from the Right to Moore’s movie is, “this is war”. Pretty much making Moore’s point for him.
Michael Moore turns his mind to Trump
Jake Coyle – NZ Herald, September 11, 2018
On the other hand ….
– So far all the US and EU constitutional checks and balances are working as intended. They will certainly be stretched when Muller hands his charges down. But they are working just fine so far with everyone heading to jail that should be.
– Both Senate and Congress are ready to limit the Republican President. The Democrats will take Congress in the November mid-terms, and will also slim down the Republican Senate majority enough so that it too is ready to be taken in the next main election.
– The U.S. mainstream media are also doing their job being extremely noisy about the US President – as the should. A few like him, most don’t. As a result, public opinion polls show him to be very unlikely to get a second term even if he stands.
– The classic measure showing Moore is wrong: in any state heading to Fascism, Moore would have been agains the wall and shot long ago.
– The U.S. economy is doing just fine.
– For those who are not benefitting from this massive economic upswing, the grassroots Democratic revival is in full swing.
– The truly nut-job rulers in the E.U. are getting plenty of sanctions thrown at them.
We don’t all have to go full Susan Sarandon and praise Trump for reviving the Democrats. But it’s not untrue.
The political world is in an extended sweet spot; fewest wars, most literacy and wealth uplift for the poor, and least diplomatic grief, in my lifetime. Yes our global institutions are weak and old. No, we are not headed for the Man In The High Castle.
You still have the mistaken belief the economic upswing didnt start back in 2014 or so during Obamas time and carried on right through to today.
The Trump meme was that all the ‘HUGE” economic numbers before Trump were fake, but suddenly after he was elected werent fake anymore
Figures
U.S. GDP Grew 4.6% In Second Quarter 2014 Best Trump can claim is last quarters 4%. (These are ‘annualised’ numbers , ie x4)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthasharf/2014/09/26/u-s-gdp-grew-4-6-in-second-quarter-2014-up-from-earlier-estimates/#38ceb6ff5596
Nowhere did I claim that Trump caused the economic upswing, and I’m pretty clear Obama can get most of the credit for the economic upswing in the US.
So actually, Duke, you just need to read the plain words I have written rather than impute your own meaning.
Your link below simply supports my point that the US economy on headline numbers is doing just fine.
Europe nutjobs getting sanctioned ?
Well they have passed a resolution in the toothless parliament
EU parliament votes to punish Hungary over ‘breaches’ of core values
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45498514
cant do anything more as Poland has said they will block any sanctions.
Orban along with its close allies has a good majority in the Budapest parliament.
Famous last words Ad,
Here are some more famous last words for you Ad
Michael Moore: Are We Going to Be Like the “Good Germans” Who Let Hitler Rise to Power?
@11.50 minutes
Of course not. That’s ridiculous. Ad if you think that Moore is suggesting that fascism will come again with swastikas, that is not what he is saying at all.
From the Democracy Now interview with Michael Moore
@7:45 minutes
I agree Jenny,
but don’t forget Michael Moore is ultimately trying to get bums on seats at the picture theatre. So he is being a bit of a showman.
Neither GWB nor Tony Blair and their entire administrations are in jail for their invasion of Iraq.
Of course, letting rich people off of war crimes is probably intended.
It’s how capitalism always marches. That hasn’t changed any in the last 5000 years.
For those who haven’t caught up with tax report latest and Max Rashbrooke’s report and comment.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366969/tax-report-highlights-nz-s-inequality-issues
John Shewan – conservative views for comparison.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018663426/john-shewan-system-s-not-broken-but-it-can-be-improved
Max R.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018663679/max-rashbrooke-government-for-the-public-good
Max Rashbrooke is a journalist, author and academic based in Wellington. His first book in 2013, Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, was followed by The Inequality Debate (2014) and Wealth and New Zealand (2015).
He’s just released Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action which presents a rethink of the role and potential of government.
Rashbrooke is a research associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He has twice been the recipient of the Bruce Jesson Senior Journalism Award, and was a 2015 Winston Churchill Fellow.
A bit of Slavoj Zizek the unique Slovenian philosopher and political commentator.
The first is after he had a small stroke. His brain is still as sharp as ever and he likes jokes. He plays one on himself, presenting in the now familiar cooking-show style, as the chief Chef. Afterwards he is interviewed by Alex Miller from Vice.
Call me paraniod if you will, but consider this;
I am seriously uneasy about the following here;
We now have two German ancestors of Germany, Robert Mueller and his deputy Rod Rosenstein that now are the two top senior directors of the US Department of Justice now heading an investigation of President Trump!!!!
So why do we have Germans in US running another “Neuremberg trial” deep state process on President Donald Trump??????
I say it is a bit to close for comfort.
ttps://www.ancestry.com.au/name-origin?surname=mueller&geo_a=t&geo_s=us&geo_t=au&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41019&o_lid=41019&o_sch=Web+Property
Mueller Family History
https://www.ancestry.com.au/name-origin?surname=mueller&geo_a=t&geo_s=us&geo_t=au&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41019&o_lid=41019&o_sch=Web+Property
Mueller Family History
https://www.ancestry.com.au/name-origin?surname=mueller&geo_a=t&geo_s=us&geo_t=au&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41019&o_lid=41019&o_sch=Web+Property
Mueller Family History
Mueller Name Meaning
German (Müller) occupational name for a miller, Middle High German müller, German Müller. In Germany Müller, Mueller is the most frequent of all surnames; in the U.S. it is often changed to Miller.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Similar surnames: Meller, Moeller, Muellner, Miller, Muller, Geller, Mulder, Zeller
http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Rosenstein
Deputy General director of DoJ – Rosenstein is an old German name.
Last name: Rosenstein
SDB Popularity ranking: 11539
This is a very old German surname, indeed one of the very first on record. It is what is known as “ornamental” in that whilst it translates literally as one who resided by an area (feld) of roses (rose), this may not have been so in fact. Early German surnames of the 13th century were often based upon mythical situations, in other words, if one was to have a surname, why not a nice one! There are a wide range of surnames which follow this pattern such as Rosegren (Rose branch), Rosengart (Rose garden) being just two examples of the genre. When the name is recorded in its simplest base form as “Rose”, this can imply either a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, or it can be topographical for one who did actually grow roses or lived in a rose growing area. What is certain is that the name in its localised form is found in every European country, and the recordings range from Roz or Roze in France to Rosetti in Italy, and Ruzek in Czechoslovakia,
.
You are paranoid
A.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who do you believe?
https://WWW.WASHINGTONTIMES.COM/NEWS/2018/SEP/20/CHRISTINE-BLASEY-FORD-REMEMBERED-DEWEY-BEACH-BAR-S/
• BRETT M. KAVANAUGH
• CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD
• WASHINGTON
Check out Trump’s lineage. You’ll love it.
Yesterday on OM, ankerrawshark commented at 6 * on Andrew McKenzie’s appearance as CEO of Housing NZ on the Nation and wondered why he had not been sacked. I hazarded a possible reason in reply at 6.2.
* https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22-09-2018/#comment-1527659
Earlier this morning I visited Public Address and thought I would post the following link to an excellent post by Russell Brown on the subject of Housing NZ and the meth situation.
https://publicaddress.net/hardnews/a-painful-reflection/
Brown’s post is far more detailed and informative than anything I have seen in mainstream media and IMO really puts things into perspective. I really recommend this as a worthwhile read.
Many thanks Vertongen, will read with interest
Pleased you saw it as I meant to send a message to your post yesterday to let you know about it.
I like the new name you gave me – now which one did you mean me to be?
A Belgian Tottenham Hotspurs footballer. a dentist, a cyclist, or a Senior Professional Clinician – School of Psychology? I refuse to be a Palmerston North real estate agent. LOL.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=Vertongen&rlz=1C1LDJZ_enNZ499&oq=Vertongen&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Sorry veutoviper re the name. Predictive text again. Sometimes catch it in time to edit, but think I posted and ran.
The article about NZ Housing and P labs is excellent. I realize I had a knee jerk reaction to McKenzie on the Nation…….. it’s been a total shambles and a disgrace and was obviously political. One thing I can say is the fact that tywford backs McKenzie did make me pause, which is a sign that I trust labour’s judgment. The comment at the end of the article re the role of the media in perpetuating the meth contamination hysteria is a great point. And thumbs up to the journalists who challenged it
No apologies etc needed – I enjoyed it because I then found some interesting reading that I would not otherwise have come across. So thank you.
Russell Brown has done some excellent work in the drugs area and is getting more and more into those areas. He has also done some good stuff on autism and Aspergers as he has two sons on the spectrum. Well worth reading. Most is on the Pubic Address blog.
Crikey it’s about to be all on.. standby for a snap election, don’t expect theresa may to last for much longer.
https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/theresa-may-could-call-another-snap-election-jeremy-corbyn-open-to-second-brexit-vote/news-story/1d32e0a240cd229e2ae844c78c427748
From Capitalism vs. Freedom: The toll-road to serfdom:
This is, of course, commenting on the neo-colonialism of the West that has happened over the last few decades that has caused so much strife and poverty throughout the world and all to cater to the greed of the rich.
Perfectly said Draco.
Look at this;
view-source:https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/09/23/john-pilger-hold-the-front-page-the-reporters-are-missing/
John Pilger: ‘Hold the front page. The reporters are missing’
By Dr David Robie / September 23, 2018
“Media Lens has shattered a silence about corporate journalism. Like Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman in Manufacturing Consent, they represent a Fifth Estate that deconstructs and demystifies the media’s power.”
Quote; https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745338118/propaganda-blitz/
“When he was US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus declared what he called “a war of perception… conducted continuously using the news media”. What really mattered was not the facts but the way the story played in the United States. The undeclared enemy was, as always, an informed and critical public at home.
Nothing has changed. In the 1970s, I met Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler’s film-maker, whose propaganda mesmerised the German public.
She told me the “messages” of her films were dependent not on “orders from above”, but on the “submissive void” of an uninformed public.
“Did that include the liberal, educated bourgeoisie?” I asked.
“Everyone,” she said. “Propaganda always wins, if you allow it.”
strife and poverty throughout the world and all to cater to the greed of the rich.
Given there is less poverty and strife in the world now than any prior point in history; your assertion is unsupportable.
I think DTB’s point is not averaging everything out or choosing some examples that indicate satisfactory standards and ignoring the rest. It is shocking that we have advanced societies with all the knowledge and means to do better but those in power proceed to drain the world of its resources and the lack of opportunity for vast numbers to live satisfying lives while the elite add to their excess holdings.
and the lack of opportunity for vast numbers to live satisfying lives while the elite add to their excess holdings.
Absolutely agree; but what you’re describing is not poverty, it’s another much more serious, subtle problem called inequality. Hell I’ve been banging on about it pretty much since I first got here the first week The Standard was launched. The one thing I’m absolutely certain of is that the solution for it involves nothing like neo-Marxism.
We keep making the mistake of thinking that inequality is merely an extension of the poverty problem, and persist in framing potential solutions in purely economic terms. Demonstrably this doesn’t work.
Whatever makes you think that there’s a difference?
An unequal society is a society that is in poverty and has poverty that’s likely to be increasing – as we see when we look at NZ over the last three decades.
And the one thing that history tells us is that the solution includes neither capitalism nor rich people.
It’s a structural problem that is endemic to capitalism, i.e, your ownership of rentals exacerbates it.
As I say, the problem is ownership. The problem is rich people.
Your neo-Marxism has been nothing but a catastrophic, humiliation wherever it has been tried. That’s what history tells us.
No it hasn’t as it’s never been tried. Examples throughout history do show that a caring/sharing society does better than capitalism and that capitalism always destroys the society that it arises in.
Red Logix people who are experiencing poverty are not comforted by it being regarded as inequality – by whatever name if they are considerably lower resourced from wherever their source is, they experience a lesser life. And arguing about nomenclature just brings expressions of puzzlement and annoyance. ‘What are you talking about? Just gobbledegook as normal, ‘they would say.
I think call a spade a spade and don’t waste time choosing the exact synonym that might identify it better. I agree that it is not to be framed just as “potential solutions in purely economic terms. Demonstrably this doesn’t work.” And that opens the way to examining what is needed to be done, because now that the elite have managed to mess around with our achievable economic solution to a stable economy with working people, what are people going to do to achieve a decent lifestyle? It must have reward, and satisfaction, and housing and a personal life as a human and time and resources to enjoy it. Future work, or future occupation of desire rewarded for positive input to society by society. Work as we have known it is being denied us more and more. So let’s argue about that – that’s the modern conundrum.
Now pockets of real poverty exist, it gets harder all the time for people to climb out and ‘enjoy’ a better life. First their needs to be opportunities, then they may always have to have mentors, or encuragers helping them to find a niche in society and get skills to attain that. Such encouragers will help to counteract against early learnings,that are likely to lead to wanting instant gratification and addictions for mood uplifts. After a while of self-training there is likely to be a positive of say 80/20 of enjoyment and sustainability resulting.
I can’t do justice to this on a smartphone keypad. 😠
What we should be thinking about are problems caused by poverty (which is a first order problem) and those caused by inequality which have deeper sociological roots.
No, we need to be thinking about the structures in society that cause poverty.
Really?
If we go back 2000 years would we really see that same level of poverty in the world? Sure, we’d see it around the Mediterranean but would we see it as much elsewhere? Would we see it in Australia at all?
Poverty is not the lack of money but the lack of having the means to live available and most societies throughout history shared the nations resources making sure that everyone had enough rather than letting just a few have everything while denying the majority enough.
It is capitalism that causes poverty. Always has been, always will be.
DTB
Comparing states of poverty at different ages is apples and oranges. The point is that we have had 100 years of education, have learned how political and economic systems work, about the dreadful behaviour against vulnerable people in history, and there is no excuse for a people who have not set their faces against a repeat of this. The most egregious sort of poverty is where there is wide difference from the elite to the bottom, and our bottom is getting wider.
And the interesting thing is that the observable obesity amongst so many people on lower incomes has become a sign of poverty – that they are being sold inadequate food that has had important aspects processed out of it and replaced by taste satisfying ingredients bad for health.
In our devious, manipulative present-day society, nothing is quite what it appears to be.
I wasn’t comparing the states of poverty – I was comparing if it existed or not.
Poverty is not the lack of all the goods and services that we have today but if some in a society have little to nothing while others are living high on the hog.
Yes and where the society is based around sharing and caring then there is no poverty.
What you have described is inequality. We all manifestly lead far better lives than just 200 years ago. Lose the noble savage/egalitarian huntergather myth. They lived tough high risk lives, sharing poverty, disease and violence on a daily basis.
Our modern wealth has brought unprecedented life expectancy and safety to billions; but an extreme inequality at the same time. The reason for this is much more subtle than your primitive unidimensional Marxism allows for.
You are too subtle for me Red Logix. I bow before your greater, not revealed, knowledge of how inequality oppresses people into poverty when there are shining examples of people who have risen from bootboy to billionaire. I suppose it all comes back to people being responsible for making bad decisions and not trying hard enough, so their misfortunes are of their own making.
Sorry for being a bit obscure on this thread. I’ll catch up in a day or two.
Cheers
They didn’t have poverty because they shared and looked after each other. This is something that many today just don’t understand.
They had to look after each other else they’d all die.
Yes it has but the question is if that wealth would have come about without capitalism. After all, a large part of capitalism’s exploitation is getting people to do what they want to do to make someone else rich.
You and the other capitalists are the ones being unidimensional as you simply insist that capitalism is the end all, be all while ignoring the damage that it does.
U.K Labour having its annual conference over the next few days. No doubt the strategy on Brexit and whether to go for a new referendum will be an important topic, but an interesting new policy proposed so far is to tax second home owners and use the proceeds to subsidise housing for homeless kids. Think it is a doubling of council tax they propose (equivalent of our rates) and only on holiday homes or houses that are not used most of the time. Seems an idea that could be used here in NZ re any second homes that lie empty.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/sep/23/second-home-tax-labour-policy-double-council-tax-homelessness
Meanwhile.
Photos: 25 Fridays of Protest in Gaza
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/09/photos-25-fridays-of-protest-in-gaza/570889/
What a mess Britain unleashed upon the world in 1947.
You should blame the rapture movement, not Britain.
BM
Who do we blame for you?
BM’s right.
Christian fundamentalists need the Jews of Israel to fulfill their end times body count fantasy so they can get themselves all Raptured TF.
In 1917, preceded by late 19th century Zionism precipitated by the bigotry of Christian Europe, supported by the great powers in their carve up of the Ottoman Empire, with the intention that a Jewish National Home would be founded in Palestine.
IMO, the great mistake was made in 1948 when the UN allowed the annexation of the entirety of Palestine and the world sat on their hands as Palestinian Arabs were expelled, and during subsequent Israeli land grabs.
I agree. But we are faced with a terribly different reality. You can bet your bottom dollar that the zealots will not agree to discontinue expanding into Jerusalem, let alone restore 1967 borders as demanded by UNO…
The zealots on both sides ain’t ever going to settle and the Israeli left and their Arab allies will continue to lose ground and because I’m as pessimistic AF, I reckon the outcomes on the cards are:
The forever wars continue into the next century.
A future US administration with a mandate to turn the aid tap off forces the Knesset to seek a negotiated peace.
Financial catastrophe brought about by untenable defence spending swings Israeli public opinion toward a negotiated peace as the least worst option.
A nuclear accident/Masada option.
Nah, Joe,
You are just using the old method of scare tactics Joe,
Human instinct has shown time and time gain, that the whole world is very worried about neulear wars.
Every time the sabres rattle around the world for a nuclear war absolutely no-one embraces a war with nuclear arms, as it is realised , no-oe espapes the cloud of nuclear fallout that would envelop the world after a nuclear war as we willl all die afterwards.
Human instinct is a strong deterent.
Kia ora There you go Wahine can do anything so long as the road blocks that’s some old men put in there way are torn down Jacinda mania.
I bet the Auckland fuel tax would have dropped our carbon use .
The UN well we have local laws WE need international laws the UN also put out media statements that most people around the world read’s about the greedy men pillaging te Papatuanuku for money and they don’t care what happend’s to the local people and the local environment so long as the can bleed money out of the place.
Paul Simon last tour I enjoy his music ka pai.
Jamie I have read about the new way to make aluminium that will lower one of our biggest prouducer’s of carbon I think it half’s the amount of carbon input in the prosess
We could recycle more can’s and that would give us a big saving in carbon output there top up the price one gets for alloy cans to $150 a kilo .
The new young leader’s are going to change the world for the better as we don’t have the systems way of doing thing’s ingrained in our mind’s .racieset climate change human right’s animal right’s inequality these thing;s have to change .
Ka kite ano
There is still a big difference in the way indigenous Australian’s are treated compared to other cultures in Australier .
There is a inbuilt discrimination of the indigenous people of Australia this sort of behavior need’s to change all around the world I would starts at the schools educate the children about the plight that Australians have poured and still are pouring on indigenous Australian’s and this will help change the view of Australians into a more positive view of indigenous Australians .
It wont be a easy task but you will be rewarded greatly when you win it was good that the corona did the correct thing and reported the truth instead of ignoring the issue.
Link below Ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/21/darwin-hospital-left-aboriginal-man-to-die-alone-and-in-agony-from-surgical-injury
There you go wealthy people have been using there money to distort peoples reality into beleving that the neo librails capitalist have everyone best interest at heart for century’s we know now that is just a load of crap .
There main goals are greed they are intoxicated on money and power and they don’t give a——- what get’s damaged because of there greed for more money than anyone need’s to be happy . Ana to kai Ka kite ana P.S trump is trying to bully the whole world into giving him money link below.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45546585
Deep fake video’s are a real threat to our democacy these people who are the fake it till you make it.
neo liberals capitalist have no morels that’s why one of these people have had 6 of his sibling condemn him .
We have to make sure that our election’s are fair and just for the prosperity of ALL.
Link below ka kite P.S Deep fake videos is 10 x more dangerious than cambridge analytical
https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/08/technology/deepfakes-countermeasures-facebook-twitter-youtube/index.html
Alison keep up the good work of fighting for Wahine Equality.
There is a big gapping hole in our justice systems and who do we thank for this shonky
He changed the legal aid system so only people unemployed can access the the fund to fight the injustice they face.
Aid.
collin crag is just like shonky they think that Wahine are here to serve Men especially if they are rich.
These men should not even show there shameful face in public. Link is Below Ka kite ano P.S my computer is down on thestanded site?????? Used my pH to get this up
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107244863/alison-mau-rachel-macgregor-case-reveals-glitch-in-our-justice-system
trump deserves my wrap his administration has rolled back a 1 hundred years old law that protects migratory birds all birds will be affected by this fool
Birds are the caniry in the coal mine they have more intelligents than him they are one of a few animals that can dance to a music beat tool makers and are beautiful creatures.
All creatures should be treated like diamonds Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/21/trump-administration-poses-new-threat-to-birds-in-allowing-incidental-killings
Looks like I have hit the nail on the head.
I say that the new Australian prime minister is a control freak like one we had in charge for 9 years in Atoearoa he has already started pulling strings behind the scenes.
The sacking of Michelle Guthrie just came out of the blue the story give one the hints of why.
I can see right through racist bigots and morrison fit like a pea in a pod with others that I have given a serve or 2 Ka kite ano link below. P.S I will say I will be serving this muppets reality up more unless he changes his tune
YEA RIGHT
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/24/michelle-guthrie-considering-legal-options-after-being-sacked-by-abc-board
Kia ora Newshub That’s awesome that we have a oil drilling ban yes we might lose some money but has anyone calculated what gains we will get from the renewable energy sources that we will replace carbon with.
I don’t think so remember the Minstery of business and innovation was set up by steven joyce.
There you go Tova he is a lose cannon trump.
Frazer high school students got some tuff love and it looks like they needed it.
In my day the smoker hid around the back of a shed not on the main entrance.
That story of Carterton school sounds like a lot of composts I smell a rat enough said.
With the person that loaded plans of how to print a gun on the net what I have to say is they used that line all the time to arrest people so that makes me sceptical why because they had no other way to incracerate him I can smell it again.
Cosby deserves to go to jail he has hurt so many Wahine and damage the reputation of many people.
Our the birds were out singing our Queen
LOL she has heaps of trees for the birds to live in Ka pai Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls it’s a Ka pai day for the multi culture sports all around Papatuanukue enough said.
What about that marathon cheat in Rotorua & Tauranga race’s
The boxing in Britain is a, – – – they will—–my culture then I will back off.
Great commentary on the net ball guys.
Ka kite ano P.S James you got that ECO got it
East Coast v Poverty Bay it was a close game