Hey drumpfkopf, what happened to all the press conferences you told us Trump did? Is he running scared of questions like how his foundation is a scam to funnel other people’s money into things that benefit him?
Hey Andre, help yourself to a long walk off a fucking short pier.
First TV debate is up in a week.
I wonder if Trump will bring up the former president of the Haitian senate saying that the Clintons tried to bribe him after the massive earthquake there.
Gawd you really are a fuckwit, drumpfkopf. The likes of InfoWars really aren’t reliable sources.
“The Clinton Foundation spends between 80-90 percent on program services, which experts say is the standard in the industry to define charitable works. It spends the majority of its money directly on projects rather than through third-party grants.”
So Saudi and Russian business interests as well as US banksters spend tens of millions on the Clinton Foundation and almost all of it goes to charitable good deeds? Bullshit.
The Observer summarises key points
1) Selling access to the Clinton State Dept (“pay for play.”)
2) Accepting sketchy foreign donations from abusive nations.
3) Helping major donors with US gov help.
Could it possibly be because Republicans want to play dirty tricks? “The request for a review came from 64 House Republicans led by Tennessee Representative Marsha Blackburn, who have tasked the IRS, FBI, and Federal Trade Commission with examining the dealings of the Foundation.
“
How typical of them.
Andre your ‘attachment’ is either causing you to bend ever farther, or you are not well versed at analysing information..
Should Clinton become POTUS will you take some responsibility for the results and outcomes of her presidency?
By overtly putting yourself out there, you are taking on ownership of future problems…you realise that as a voter committed to ensuring a Clinton ‘victory’ this is what you are doing right?
According to Charity Watch The Clinton foundation spends $2 for every $100 it raises and spends 88% of its budget on its stated programme – it has an A rating as a charity. By comparison Amnesty International has an A- It spends $14 to raise $100 and spends 80% of its budget on its stated programme.
And
The Donald J. Trump Foundation is not eligible to be rated by CharityWatch because it is structured as a private foundation. CharityWatch primarily rates public charities, as well as some social welfare and veterans organizations that broadly solicit the public for donations.
The governing board of the Trump Foundation consists of Trump family members and an employee of The Trump Organization (Trump’s for-profit business conglomerate) that control the Foundation’s grant-making activities, as is typical for private foundations. This differs from public charities whose operations usually are directed by independent boards with no or few related parities.
I think you are being a little too disparaging in your comment here CV.
The private company that runs Dunedin’s public transport (Go Bus/Ngai Tahu) are importing overseas workers to drive their buses? According to a letter in the ODT yesterday anyway.
From an article earlier in the year “NZ Bus paid $20.97 an hour to union drivers in Wellington, going up to $21.25 at the end of the year, he said. But Go Bus paid about $16.02 in Dunedin, and up to $18 in Auckland. ”
That is good. We’re still going to have to seriously decrease flying from our present high use though. There’s no way that enough bio-fuels can be grown to support it.
Bio-Fuels are a terrible idea. We already destroy enough land for farming so we don’t need to start clear-cutting forests to fuel our various devices too.
Yeah bio-ethanol from corn or sugar and bio-diesel from oil-seeds are really crap ideas. But bio-fuels from sources like algae, agricultural and forestry waste have much less of a downside. Given that I doubt we will make the cultural changes necessary to give up global long-haul aviation, and there’s no technology in sight that could substitute for the energy density of liquid fuels required for long-haul aviation, this looks like a reasonable step forward.
Spot on Andre, bio fuels from forestry wood waste etc will be able to start replacing fossil fuels in the near future (within the next 10 years).
Producing bio oil is an easy enough exercise via pyrolysis. The trick is to upgrade the bio oil to have similar properties as fossil fuel, while making the process commercially viable.
Lanza Tech has recently announced progress via there process for bio fuels. And I know of a bunch of other companies making very good progress as well.
It’s possible to grow the organisms that would be the basis for the bio-fuels in the ocean. So it doesn’t use land it also helps pull CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Electric and/or hydrogen could feasibly take over for shorter flights – maybe up to 1500km. So bio-fuels would then allow some long-haul aviation even in a zero-fossil future.
Will never happen CV, so we must look for better alternatives to fuel the planes.
There are no such alternatives in the foreseeable future and thus air travel must be curtailed. This is real economics and so you don’t actually get a say in it.
“There are no such alternatives in the foreseeable future and thus air travel must be curtailed”
Draco is your comment above based on any particular observation or experience? For example are you involved in the R&D of bio-oil for use as a transport fuel (land, sea, air)?
My work allows me close access to alternative / green fuels…and I can confirm that bio-oil for use as a fuel oil (to replace medium and heavy fossil fuel oil) is doable right now.
As for a transport fuel, bio-oil can be upgraded now as well. However the problem is its uneconomical to do so, but will not be for too much longer as the technology is refined.
The recent AirNZ / Virgin Aust RFI for jet bio-fuel attracted a lot of interest. And will enable a bio-fuel industry to proceed in Australasia, underpinned by the volumes required by the above airlines.
My work allows me close access to alternative / green fuels…and I can confirm that bio-oil for use as a fuel oil (to replace medium and heavy fossil fuel oil) is doable right now.
Yes, I’m quite aware that it’s available now. The problem, that I’ve read a couple of articles on over the years, is the inability to scale it up to support the present demand.
“up to 1500km”
That is very consoling. I shall be grateful for that information when we come down in the Tasman when only two thirds of the way from Wellington to Sydney.
“Unpublished field trials by pesticide manufacturers show their products cause serious harm to honeybees at high levels, leading to calls from senior scientists for the companies to end the secrecy which cloaks much of their research.”
Massey is doing a study on the kids in Motueka re the effects of pesticides. Many of the young kids at school were asked to be part of the study.
I feel sorry for the islanders working the orchards, it’s not very OSH friendly for them. They should be part of the study as well.
Save the bees, grow as many bee loving plants as you can, most bee friendly plants are flowers, the end result is a beautiful garden, who would not want that ?
Well, it’s not actually that hard to have your own hives if you’ve got a garden and you get fantastic, fresh honey.
It does require maintaining standards of course but that’s normal for anything really (The abnormality and that which causes so much pain in society is the RWNJs demand that we don’t have any standards).
All research needs to be done by public companies and available to the public to ensure that such secrecy as this doesn’t cause us harm as recent history proves that it does.
Marlborough Council to investigate the “Whale Blubber” leak. All whom were present at the meeting that was ‘leaked’ to fat boy were asked to sign a declaration stating that they did not leak details of the meeting.
“But two councillors, Jessica Bagge and Jamie Arbuckle, have refused to sign statutory declarations issued to all councillors as part of an ongoing Marlborough District Council investigation.”
You can’t claim that you were not responsible for the leak then refuse to sign a declaration confirming it… makes you look guilty as sin. JS
If fairness – he is trying to improve his blog. There are generally more insults and horrid things said on the standard in the comments these days than there is on his blog.
Thats not supporting what his blog used to be like – but giving credit for what is happening now.
Care to address the topic? Whaleoil publishing leaked & private information? 2 wrongs don’t make a right? SO no more ‘those emails were stolen’ whines from the feral blogger? Pfft, doubt it.
Care to address the topic? Nicky Hager publishing leaked & private information? 2 wrongs don’t make a right? SO no more ‘those emails were stolen’ whines from the feral blogger? Pfft, doubt it.
The Marlborough District Council leak was from a whistle blower (a Councilor or employee). I would of thought our left leaning friends here would of been horrified that the Council is now conducting a witch hunt for said whistle blower.
Considering the frequency with with which you and other RWNJ trolls utter offensive and ill-founded personal abuse of Little I see no reason not to shame personifications of corruption, greed and sloth like the Whale and Gerry Brownlee.
Your interest is not sincere – when you are assiduous in disciplining your fellow trolls for abuse we may reconsider.
Care to give any example of where I have ever given put any personal abuse against Little?
I actively try never to do it to anyone (may have had a slip here and there – but in general – I try to be polite to people on here). Not that I get the same back mind.
You have to do a little better than that – you made an attack on a local over fatshaming – show us your sincerity by pointing out where you did the same to a fellow concern troll – or where you condemned the Whale directly for any of his many grossly offensive slurs – that on the dead west coast boy for example. Otherwise you’re just special pleading.
I have been consistant in pointing out the name calling on this blog. I didnt make an attack – if you consider what I wrote one – then you must be feeling very sensitive.
I have commented on this several times – from women being called a bitch – to references to peoples weight, and also raising issue with comments like a poster telling people to go hang themselves.
I also shared a story of a family member who was self harming and threatening suicide because of bulling (both physical and online). As I said then, and I will again now – I hope that others do not have to go thru the heartbreak, stress and fear of the damage that this causes.
TRP mod commented agreeing and that they are trying to improve this – without damaging robust debate.
So – I can back up my sincerity by being consistent.
Here is a challenge to you – why dont you be part of a solution and try stopping abuse when you see it instead of being and enabler and calling out people who actually try.
And as far as the reference to weight …. agreed not such a good idea.
HOWEVER, perhaps one of the reasons is that such a reference often goes hand in hand with laziness. Not unloik JFK’s language mangler machine. Diction is lazy, language is based on learned spin and slogans dreamed up by spin meisters, – lazy mind – ideologically driven, absent of critical thought.
Smart flabby arsed attitude.
Oh you HATER Matty! How very dare you!
She’d probably have just been better to use the blubber’s own spin and call him out for what he is:
FERAL ((especially of an animal) in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication.)
Slater has picked on me before, published a photo of me on his blog when I requested that he did not. His trolls slammed me for it and as i defended my actions of a single woman protest against Key in Nelson, on his blog in an intelligent and factual manner I was bullied and then blocked.
There is a big difference between debating political views and bullying, and WE ALL know what Slater does best and it sure isn’t debating. My description of him is factual.
Have a dead cat, I’m more interested and what is going on at the Marlborough Council chambers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuJzSTNDUGI Aww you hurt his feelings Cinny, good on you for making a stand & put yourself out there, a very brave thing to do within NZ current political climate.
Fat Cambo loves the cut and thrust of personal abuse, well, one side of it anyway. Maybe he looks up from stamping head to have a wee sweaty cry about the mean boys and girls, but I doubt it.
Colin King exMP, is a contender for Mayoralty in Blenheim.
He is an “acquaintance” of one Mr Lusk, a “friend” of Cameron Slater who earlier this year was in Blenheim to “assist” aspiring candidates.
Cameron Slater’s use of the leaked recording seemed aimed at damaging the top Mayoral candidate Mr Leggett.
Mr King’s daughter is a Councillor I believe. I think her name is Jessica Bagge who refused to sign the statutory declaration to absolve her of being the leaker.
I’ve met Grant Robertson a few times.
Does that make me a closet commie or something similar?
Does that mean people shouldn’t talk to me because I might pass on their deepest, darkest secrets to the Opposition?
alwyn, when you spoke to Grant Robertson a few months ago at a seminar on how to go about running local political campaigns targeted at ‘sympathetic’ candidates, did you talk about opposing in-house meetings? And then, having talked about these meetings, lo and behold did a release of a recording of a in-house, public-excluded meeting happen, months later at the time voting papers were distributed?
I believe what you are talking about- meeting, having a chat- is very different, and an attempt to minimise what is a very serious breach of councillor ethics and trust, and having huge consequences for mayor, council, staff and the public.
“alwyn, when you spoke to Grant Robertson a few months ago at a seminar on how to go about running local political campaigns targeted at ‘sympathetic’ candidates”.
That really is news to me. He can’t have invited me because I haven’t heard of that activity of his before.Should you have told me that Grant ran such a seminar? Sounds terrible to me and I am surprised that you allowed such a damaging story about Grant’s activities to leak.
Ianmac, Colin King’s daughter is Cr Laressa Shenfield. Jessica Bagge is a retiring (that is, she is leaving Council!) councillor with a long-term feud with the outgoing mayor.
She refused on principle. Both councillors who refused to sign the declaration, Jamie Arbuckle and Jessica Bagge, have denied sending the tape to Cameron Slater.
What is noticeable, though, is by refusing to sign the declaration, they don’t have to answer the second part which addresses whether they know who did the leak.
I think you’re right to factor in the role of Simon Lusk into the affair as he is connected to both Slater and some
right-wing council candidates here who attended his seminar. Lusk is concerned to obtain control of Councils by suitable, right wing candidates.
There is another question that concerns me, as well as the poisoning effect upon trust of Council by the public, trust within Council between councillors and staff, trust
between councillors, and trust between councillors and Mayor.
That is bad enough, but what concerns me is the distinct and shadowy possibility that behind the Council shenanigans, behind Slater and Lusk, is money- money
that wants a compliant Council to allow further treatment of Marlborough as a third world style economy, complete with low wages, slave labour and extraction of primary industry resources, like wine, dairy, timber and seafood, and profits out of the region away to Auckland and overseas.
Yes, Anne, there are many stories about the LEAK. Stuff and the Marlborough Express web sites carry many stories. What I wrote above is of course conjecture, and while there are questions that need answering, the real facts are still not fully known.
Simon Lusk and his seminar can be researched in the same two web sites- who attended, who spoke, its purpose.
Another curious thing is the way in which Colin King resigned from Parliament. Was it Lusk who was involved with King out and Smith replaced in, as a sort of deal involving Mayorship?
Nah. Just kidding.
National Guard called out in continuing Charlotte, North Carolina riots sparked by another police shooting of a black man. The PD refuses to release the video footage.
Charlotte is a city with strong incomes and jobs, and often regarded as one of the best places in the US to live.
That such a city can spiral out of control is a lesson in why so many Americans think the USA is on the wrong path.
That such a city can spiral out of control is a lesson in why so many Americans think the USA is on the wrong path.
.
yeah nah
.
My uncle stood there still without blinking. “Yeah, you’re right,” he finally said. “But if Obama is still talking, that means they ain’t kill him. If they killed him, we likely to all be dead. Sound like a win to me.”
Hi joe90, other protestors/police have now been seriously harmed in the disturbances.
I don’t expect someone like you to pay attention to the mood of ordinary people on the ground, but I do expect that reality on the ground is going to give Trump a real chance of winning North Carolina.
There was an interesting article in the July 16 issue of the Economist on police interactions with black, and white people.
It was a report on a study done be an Afro-American Harvard academic Roland Fryer.
He found that black men were more likely to be subject to non-lethal use of force.
However, in an admittedly limited study, he found that black suspects were LESS likely to be shot, fatally or otherwise, than non-black ones.
The assumption that US cops casually shoot black men more readily that non-blacks does not appear to be based on evidence.
I’m sorry I cannot post a link to the article. Perhaps some one else can locate it on-line.
”However, in an admittedly limited study, he found that black suspects were LESS likely to be shot, fatally or otherwise, than non-black ones.”
Surely though if you are treating a far greater number of innocent blacks as suspects based on their total population , it could look like the % getting shot was lower.
Because as we know a black man in the wrong place will be instantly classed as a suspect.
I’m sorry I can’t post a link to the story, and I don’t think I would be very popular, or accurate, if I tried typing in the whole story.
He acknowledged that blacks were more likely to be stopped. However even allowing for this the incidence of shootings seemed to be less. It could be attributed to the fact that ALL police shootings were subjected to detailed investigations. Nevertheless the shootings were not as common as is claimed.
There will probably be a copy of the magazine in your local library if you can’t find it on-line.
Russell Normans not overly happy with Little at the moment. And given forest and bird are writing to him as well we can assume Kevin Hague isn’t going to be in a supportive position.
either way looks like little is bumbling another opportunity where the mates haven’t done the best of jobs.
Lolz the government says they will review their position and everything is peachy. The next PM says he wants to review his position and you call him out for bumbling? Dude, sharpen up.
Go check out RT’s review of the UN debate and the full reality of Kerrys claims. I think you will find that more interesting and topical. Shame the NZ media doesn’t do more ‘fact checking’
Here i find a link, it’s fascinating what RT says compared with the likes of MSM, or the Herald.
Appears to me it is still being discussed, besides I thought the Government was in control… what Little has to say on the matter.
“I do not believe that when they have a Treaty Negotiations Minister as talented as Chris Finlayson, they cannot come up with a creative solution to the issue. I simply do not accept that. But if they are so incompetent and have mishandled it so badly they are now prepared to give up on it, that sits firmly with John Key.”
There is not a cigarette paper between the positions of Labour and the Greens on this issue. The real story is that National have stuffed up. But maybe given their recent track record even that isn’t a surprise either.
Nathan Guy needs to resign over the fish-dumping scandal. Nick Smith should be sacked over the Kermadecs (and housing and….). McCully should have been sacked long ago over the Saudi sheep fiasco. Parata is a shambles in education. Bennett has been a disaster over housing (lets buy another sticking-plaster motel). Upston should resign as Minister for Women because she refuses to comment on women’s issues….and so on.
All this lot presided over by Key big-mouthing over Syria (“there will be blood on your hands”-doh!) while hypocritically refusing to raise the refugee intake to a humanitarian level.
I think they are delaying and delaying the publishing of the Auditor General’s report on McCulley’s Sheep deal, so that they can announce a trade deal with the Saudis to justify the means of getting the deal.
Norman is a denier of rights for indigenous people. And the other environmental groups show their middle class ugly denier of rights consciousness – I am disgusted by them all and I’m withdrawing my support for them.
Little and Labour could make a big positive impact with Māori if they stick to their principles – I hope they do but I suspect the pressure from their pollers and their middle class consciousness will turn them.
Marty – did you ever see any signs of Russel Norman being a “denier of rights for indigenous people” when he was Green co-leader?
Perhaps you are mistaking the mechanics of lobbying for something else.
In any case, the problem here is with the mismanagement of the issue by the Government. Sniping at the minor players seems the perfect result for strategists from the Government, using the “divide and rule” technique of diverting attention and blame.
I’m getting memory-glimpses of a Tibetan flag, some totalitarian security guards and Russel Norman, alone, exposed, standing up for some indigenous culture or other, can you remember, Marty?
yeah often they love the overseas indigenous cultures (and the political attention gained from grandstanding) and forget about the ones in the land they are living in – funny that eh. Could be that he just doesn’t need votes anymore though…
Do “they”?
That’s very unlikely, Marty and given that Russel’s friend and ex co-leader is Maori and staunch with it, it seems to me very unlikely that you are correct in your accusations.
I expect that Russel is now more free to lever wins than he was previously and is able to play a hand that will result in a win for those he represents. I expect “the environment” is high on his list, having committed so much of his time to it in recent times. Perhaps you believe he should jettison his principles? I also believe that Russel’s position on the rights of tangata whenua have not changed. Perhaps you are misreading the situation. In any case, where’s your condemnation of the real player here – Key?
He tangata uaua ia!
What about you Robert – do you think middle class greenwash is more important than upholding the rights agreed to and signed off with indigenous peoples?
No, Marty, I don’t though to be fair, I’m not sure what you mean by “middle class greenwash”, is that where someone buys a Prius rather than a Prelude? Regarding the proposed sanctuary, I think it’s festooned with fish hooks (matua, if you prefer). For starters, you might like to comment on this: Ko nga taunga ika tuuturu e paa ana ki nga taonga tuku iho ki te iwi aa rohe – are they traditional fishing grounds? I’m not saying one way or the other, only that there are fish hooks, details that need to be tested, including the global environmental questions that Russel Norman, in his new role, is honour-bound to ask. I am big on honouring treaties, Marty. I’m also aware that the projections of our shared future is shaking up world views through all cultures.
I’d say the fishhook is we are making ocean sanctuaries and still doing next to nothing about climate change. That is greenwash because how do you think those sanctuaries are going to go when temperatures rise even more. It isn’t even stopping the killing of fish in the ocean – hell even the whales still get killed and fish species hit the ecological wall every day. So what is the point of it? – makes people feel they are doing something – and that is a good reason in many respects but not if it is at the expense of indigenous rights – rights fought for with blood and sacrifice for generations, rights so often discarded as inconvenient to the abusers of those rights, rights tenaciously dug out of the colonisers as they lie, cheat and pretend care all the way dragging their feet.
This issue is about Treaty rights not sanctuaries (red herring) or the commercial catch (red herring), or whether Māori lived loved or died there (red herring). Respecting people (especially those that have been treated so, so ,so badly) is essential if you want to respect the planet, the oceans, the ecosystems and nature herself. There is no compromise on that imo.
Marty. This issue is about Key and National going ahead without consulting Maori. This quibbling about Russel is pointless. Key failed to respect Maori, failed to consult, failed to inform. He and his National mates should be the target of your ire – what are you thinking of, diverting attention from the real miscarriage of justice
by taking pot-shots at others???
Marty. My apologies to you also. I’m not wishing to shame you in any way – I like your stuff. Perhaps I was using language too strong for the moment. I like evocative words and phrases and sometimes use them too freely.
So…create ocean sanctuaries but not at the expense of indigenous communities, yes, but you know, the Japanese and the Norwegians and their whale-hunting… indigenous peoples of our Pacific islands have ceased, I believe, roasting kakapo, though it must surely have been their habit to do so in past times. That right might be enshrined in the Treaty, I don’t know, but modern times are different from those i nga wa o mua. Present day indigenous peoples must surely be willing to discuss the present situation where there is scarcity of a resource that was once plentiful. I don’t mean capitulating, I do mean discussing. Treaties, while absolute, have to flex with the times, I would like to think. In this case, I believe all fault lies with the Government for not consulting, not hearing, not offering the opportunity to debate and propose. They will though, ’cause that’s how they roll, but their sub-surface arrogance has been revealed, imho.
Robert i like, respect and admire you. I am sorry for raising the energy. This is a tough issue that confronts my values. I certainly blame the crook key and his minions and the left need to be aware of the issues from all sides too.
Marty, thanks and yes, it’s an issue with more than a little heat embedded. Despite the occasional boil-over (on all sides) debate like this is they way forward, imo and that’s what should have been had around the sanctuary or around any issue where people hold treaty rights.
Robert, I think you (like many) are missing the point.
Treaty settlements are said to be full and final. What is happening here is that a settlement made in 1992 is being overruled by this government. What this means is the Māori have to accept that Treaty settlements are only final for them, but the state can change the rules anytime it likes.
Do you think this is fair? Do you not see that this has implications for all treaty agreements? Do you realise that Māori have only recieved recompense for 2% of the worth of the land that was illegally confiscated? You are also trying to question the validity of a claim that has been settled.
I am a Green Party supporter but I was horrified by the way Russel Norman completely ignored Treaty rights in that interview on the Nation. I was relieved he is no longer the leader.
Karen – how gracious of you to inform me of my point-missing. I believe I have a good handle on treaties and the likes. In this instance, the ‘bad play’ has come from the Nats, dismissing tangata whenua. Why you want to drag others into that business, I can’t fathom.
I like democracy – and no part of it includes John Key disenfranchising me or dicks like you telling me what to do.
You are a traitor to the principles of democracy – winning dirty is all you care about – you’re a shabby beast not much better than Wayne the trougher.
Chuck – way above you again wrote ‘would of’. I have already told you that there is no such thing -“would’ve” (short for ‘would have’) please. Unless you are trying to come across as an ignorant klutz. Furthermore, the Shakespearian ‘Methinks’ which you attempt to use is one word, not two. If you can’t do it right, stop pretending that you can.
Wrong side of logic, wrong side of history, pretending to be matey while dissing destructively…
It is you who are sad. A sadly incompetent troll, who smugly employs straw man argument. You did not accurately portray SM’s attitude.
““Te Ohu Kaimoana and iwi representatives worked hard to find a compromise solution where the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary could go ahead and where Māori would not have extant rights, as agreed in the 1992 Deed of Settlement, unilaterally expropriated by the Government.”
“We considered that an offer to voluntarily shelve the use of Māori fisheries quota in the Kermadec region while maintaining extant fishing rights would achieve the same thing. While ultimately iwi quota owners would have needed to agree, we considered this was a constructive and reasonable solution to the impasse,” Mr Tuuta said.”
““We considered that an offer to voluntarily shelve the use of Māori fisheries quota in the Kermadec region while maintaining extant fishing rights would achieve the same thing. While ultimately iwi quota owners would have needed to agree, we considered this was a constructive and reasonable solution to the impasse”
I am responding to your reply to me here Robert. You evidently thought I was being patronising to you. That was not my intention.
You are one of the very few people here I read. You obviously believe you understand the issues here but I see no evidence from what you have posted that you do. I was trying to help.
I apologise, Karen and I agree with the views you expressed. I’m not trying to unpick or argue whatever Russel Norman has said, I’m just saying that the issue here is the Government’s decision, conscious decision I believe, to go ahead without involving Maori. Reactions and responses from NGO’s and individuals such as Russel don’t really have much bearing on the issue, I reckon and those have to be taken in the context of whatever sector they come from. Why would Key and his band of orcs be proposing a sanctuary for fish in the first place is an interesting question, when it is counter to most everything else they do. I believe they hoped to trumpet their big fish sanctuary as evidence that they are greener than the Greens, but to get there they had to behave badly with regard Maori, and decided they could swing it nonetheless, or at least suppress it till the election passes.
Perhaps you are right, I may not understand the issue, but leopards, spots and all that. I’m not mesmerized by such ploys. I’m interested in the idea though, that iwi can’t be trusted to say, “We’ll voluntarily abstain from fishing there, so long as you don’t ban us”, and how people can’t conceive that such an agreement might work. I believe it could. It’s a cultural interface there though, so who knows…
Yes emotion is highish and my understanding of what Te Ohu Kaimoana and Iwi leaders have said is that they are quite okay with sanctuaries. I just don’t think saying, “TOKM are opposed to ocean sanctuaries PERIOD.” is 100% true, and I put a link to back up my point.
I think you have been a bit rude by saying, “…well stuff you.” and the other one you said to me yesterday – and so I have replied in kind – I have offered reciprocity/utu.
yes I play chess and yes I am being pedantic a bit on this I admit – and I still think my understanding is correct.
edit and I’ll also say I am not opposed to ocean sanctuaries in any way – hell I welcome them with open arms – I don’t eat fish because of the way we have depleted the numbers and affected species survival. I’d like ocean sanctuaries to be part of a plan to help people cope with climate change, to bring people together – however as it stands at the moment I have to call this greenwash and Treaty breaching and I cannot tolerate Treaty breaching – see my comment to Robert above (i think)
So you are being selective who you name call and abuse now Marty Mars? My post was in support of what Barfly was saying. So if you think that of me, then you must think that of Barfly as well, given that he has been responding to you in far greater detail than I.
And further, in other words only YOUR opinion is right and everyone else is wrong, while you try and selectively bully people with abuse because you can’t handle any home truths being said about the Maori party.
For Christ sakes Marty, do you hear yourself? What gives you the right to abuse me for supporting what someone else said? And you’re “happy to let me be…” What does that mean exactly? you’ll leave me alone as long as I don’t post opinions on the Maori party and don’t challenge what you post?
Leftie you are entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to reply to me anyway you like within the policy bounds of this site. I may not like or believe what you say and i may think you are not actually arguing a point, just kneejerking slogans and i might think that in my way I could counter that with some logic and compassion. I might think all of that and you know what? Who cares. It is my opinion. That’s all.
Well that was a piece of patronizing abusive swill you just wrote there Marty Mars, clearly by your own behaviour you don’t believe in people, particularly me, voicing opinions, (that are not “kneejerking slogans” btw), because they differ from your own and I have been responding “within the policy bounds of this site”. On the other hand, your pointless abuse is not painful in the least, I see it as a weakness, it’s infantile, and shows you’re struggling.
Well said. It’s amazing how some people are completely blind to that which you have pointed out, Barfly. You cannot have a “sanctuary” while maintaining extant fishing rights. They can’t have it both ways.
you are a troll – an annoyingly thick slogan spinner. You might as well be a rwnj your understanding is below average on anything I’ve ever seen you write. I’m sick of you.
What a load of sanctimonious rubbish Marty Mars. You abuse when an obvious fact is pointed out to you that you can’t handle. You have lost all reasoning and are being totally irrational.
Are you comprehension challenged ? Or can a Maori organization never be wrong because they are Maori?
If you make an agreement with another party about something, and then want to change that agreement, you need to negotiate with that other party. And if the change you want to make is really important, you need to stir yourself to figure out some way to make the other party to the agreement happy for that change to occur, even if it involves making concessions you didn’t actually want to make. Otherwise, you shouldn’t enter into agreements in the first place.
Toussaint Romain was held up as a hero by the media in the Charlotte protests. As a public defender, dressed in a shirt and tie, he got between the protestors and police and tried to stop conflict. The second half of this interview with Romain was edited out by CNN. I wonder why… https://youtu.be/J_hGdgG1JiI
Had Maurice Williamson kept his trap shut or John Key himself been able to control his impulses and keep his hands to himself, you might have a point.
/
It’s not actually an option, cobber. You gave it a shot, which is more than most ever do, so kudos to you for that. But obviously, you’ve blown it and you’ll never entrusted with any responsibility again. I imagine you’re Ok with that.
Assad , an eye surgeon, and the democratically elected leader of Syria states that the attack on his forces was no accident and US does not want to fight ISIS.
“Syrian President Bashar Assad says that US airstrikes which killed 62 Syrian government troops were “intentional” and they lasted for an hour. He added that the US “does not have the will” to join Russia in fighting terrorists in Syria…
‘Russian military contacted US twice to stop airstrikes against Syrian govt troops’
“What was a ray of hope has turned into a gaze into the abyss. The Russia-US ceasefire to end the Syrian conflict is in tatters. For many the American bombing of the Syrian military marks a process of mission creep and forced regime change.
CrossTalking with Ali Rizk, Nadim Shehadi, and Rick Sterling.”
It’s a shame Assad/Putin have run out of hospitals to bomb. They’ve been reduced to just attacking aid convoys and that only kills healthy adults, not the sick and infirm. Where’s the fun in that?
“President Bashar al-Assad meanwhile indicated he saw no quick end to the war, telling AP News it would “drag on” as long as it is part of a global conflict in which terrorists were backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN11S1C5
It’s a shame that all can’t focus on their same common enemy, ISIS
ISIS aren’t a common enemy though; they are a proxy army being financed, armed and used by western allies (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey) as well as directly by the Pentagon itself, to try and regime change Assad out of Damascus.
It’s a shame that all can’t focus on their same common enemy, ISIS
Pretty straightforward – if the Russians and their Syrian client do that, the sizable proportion of the Syrian population that wants their client dead will eventually get what they want, and if their client’s not running things the Russians’ military presence in the Mediterranean is fucked. Fighting Da’esh is a bit of a sideshow from the Russian perspective – much more important is knackering the ceasefire in such a way that they have plausible deniability.
Assad is extremely popular with the ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. The Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers are not.
Fighting Da’esh is a bit of a sideshow from the Russian perspective – much more important is knackering the ceasefire in such a way that they have plausible deniability.
More Psycho Milt bullshit.
You don’t understand the “Russian perspective” one whit.
The US has limited positive control over the extremist Islamist groups that it arms and funds to try and overthrow Assad (an effort which is thoroughly illegal in international law). These terrorist groups never respected any terms of the cease fire from day 1.
In fact, a number of those groups signed a document saying that they would not be bound by any terms of the ceasefire.
In addition, the US special forces who are training these proxy regime change fighters know full well that they are being asked to train the next generation of Jihadist terrorists, and they are not happy about it.
Assad is extremely popular with the ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. The Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers are not.
Well, he is with his own one, at least. The Kurds, not so much. And hardly anyone in Syria is keen on “Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers.”
You don’t understand the “Russian perspective” one whit.
One only achieves understanding of the Russian perspective by hoovering up endless Russian government propaganda from RT, I suppose? That might help with understanding Putin’s propaganda aims, but I’m not really interested in those.
The US has limited positive control over the extremist Islamist groups that it arms and funds to try and overthrow Assad…
Leaving aside for a moment your obsession with the US supposedly funding Da’esh, of course the US has limited positive control over participants in a civil war in a foreign country. That’s because the rebel forces aren’t clients of the US government, the way Assad is a client of the Russian government. Expecting the US government to give Syrian rebel groups orders and have them carried out would be pointless – expecting the Russian government to give Assad orders and expect them to be carried out, on the other hand, is entirely reasonable.
If Russia had any specific intent of eliminating Da’esh, that would be true. However, its actual intent is to eliminate all opponents of its Syrian client regime, so cooperating with Russia would be a terrible thing to do. In any case, aligning yourself with a mafia state is a bad idea in general, let alone in this particular instance.
Russia is keen to eliminate the 101 flavours of jihadists that the west implicitly and explicitly supports in Syria, yes, that includes the fictional “Free Syrian Army” that no one can find and also the “moderate terrorists” that the US seems to enjoy backing.
Also, do try and remember that Russia is operating in Syria at the invitation of the Damascus government, while the US, UK and France are all operating in Syria illegally.
It’s unfortunate that Hillary Clinton and the rest of the neocon set embarked on supporting yet another disastrous regime change op in Syria.
And these people still want Assad gone, even if that means that the black ISIS flag gets run up over Damascus. Which of course means, the ISIS version of Sharia law gets applied over the whole country, and women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities (including Christians) all get slaved out, head chopped or burnt alive.
The Assad government is the only shot for stable, secular rule in Syria. The Americans however would prefer chaotic, Islamic extremist rule in an imploded failed state balkanized Syria.
And behind all of this, is a contest for who gets to control the real estate for massive oil and gas pipelines through the territory.
“And these people still want Assad gone, even if that means that the black ISIS flag gets run up over Damascus. ”
It’s saying things like this that destroys the credibility of your argument, CV. Certainly Assad should be removed. preferably to the Hague, but there’s not a scrap of evidence that anyone in the west wants ISIS in control.
Just because you choose to blind yourself to the facts on the ground doesn’t mean that other people will, TRP.
The west’s allies would prefer for the Assad government to fall and for Assad to be gone tomorrow. In fact, regime change remains the first and foremost priority of the USA in Syria, and it has done for years.
That leaves no one to oppose the western supplied Daesh/ISIS forces on the ground, leaving Syria imploded just like NATO/USA left Libya.
Gotta agree here any strongman regieme change in the Middle East by the west has not gone very well. Tribal affiliation, religious intolerance, artificial countries are simply not conducive to democracy forming, maybe in a few hundred years when they have butchered themselves silly and society is s bit more secular there may be a chance To be fair Europe or the west where not much better 500 years ago
The west might also try to no longer assassinate/encourage the assassination of middle of the road secular leaders whenever these leaders spring up and try to take their countries in an independent direction. From Mossadegh to Sadat to Gadaffi.
If you could stop thinking of murderous dictators (Sadat and Gadaffi in this case) as “middle of the road, secular leaders,” it would be a good start on a move away from tinfoil-hattery.
There’s a reason that GW Bush and Tony Blair are wanted for war crimes, Psycho Milt.
Further every time the West gets rid of a middle of the road secular leader, they replace him with someone far more shit, far more radical, and usually far more radical Islamist.
Well, you can simply post the facts you reckon are so readily available. That’d really take the wind out of my sales. Until then, it’s just another example of you using hyperbole instead of your grey matter.
Well, you can simply post the facts you reckon are so readily available. That’d really take the wind out of my sails. Until then, it’s just another example of you using hyperbole instead of your grey matter.
I think CV may be making the wrong side of the argument about ISIS – not that it represents a desirable end state for Syria, but that it has value or is perceived as having value to the furtherance of US ends in Syria – mostly destabilising Assad.
Likewise the Assad’s forces offer a vehicle or a letter of marque like legitimacy to Russian skirmishing, the Turkmen offer buffer stability to Turkey, and the Kurds must look after themselves having no reliable state sponsor.
The Russians are wedded to Assad because a Syrian government the US was not supporting insurgency against would have no particular interest in becoming Putin’s client. So in principle the US should push to remove Assad through the UN and let Russia make what deals it may with his successor.
Don’t worry CV , you are correct in the above thread . The others don’t want to know the truth about the situation in Syria and the Middle East in general. The blind acceptance of the American version of everything is mind boggling.
You would have thought the lies about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in 2003 would have wised up some of the left.
But no…..still blind acceptance of the western establishment’s propaganda.
You bump into this lack of critical thinking at its most visceral when you question the official propaganda about 9/11.
We’re not too far way from the start of the cyclone/hurricane season. This semi- tropical “muck” could be the fore-runner to an active season which might see NZ hit a few times this summer.
Yes, I have a reputation for being a bundle of joy.
500 prisoners up for early release after Department of Corrections’ mistake
“Around 500 prisoners will have their release dates brought forward because of the Supreme Court ruling on the Department of Correction’s mistaken interpretation of the Parole Act.”
“The court ruled on Thursday that the department had miscalculated parole and release dates, meaning some prisoners had spent more time in custody than the department had taken into account.”
“The court didn’t rule on compensation, but it’s an issue that’s going to come up”
I notice, Leftie, that you read and commented on the response just before mine on this topic.
I find it hard to believe that you didn’t even seem to have noticed what I said.
What is the problem? Does it upset you that the department seem to have followed the interpretation of the law that the highest court that had considered the matter seemed to believe was the right one?
Are you really as stupid, or biased, as the Green and Labour spokesmen are? Should the Department have said something like “The Court of Appeal may tell us that the law means X but we think they are wrong”.
If so, they might have appealed to you but I am sure the legal fraternity would have been up in arms.
Why do you still think that the Department is at fault? Why aren’t you yelling at the Court of Appeal?
I realise that David Clendon and Kelvin Davis, as well as TVNZ and RNZ are on your side but do you really want to be on the side of the Green and Labour Party idiots rather than on the side of accuracy?
Come on, admit that the Department was following the best interpretation of the law that was available to them.
The “mistake” the Department made was, apparently, to believe that the distinguished jurists on the Court of Appeal actually knew what the law meant.
As far as I have understood it the Department have been using the same method since 2003. It is the method that follows a ruling by the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court, now the final stage for appeals, has now ruled that the law doesn’t mean that at all. In effect that is saying that the Court of Appeal simply didn’t know what they were doing.
None of the 500 people you are talking about would appear to be eligible for any compensation at all. They are people who are in prison now and will still be in prison even if the release date is brought forward. You can be forgiven though. Espiner on Morning Report didn’t seem to understand that either. 500 rather than 21 seemed much sexier to him I guess.
An example of one of these 500 would be someone who was first charged, and remanded in custody, in January 2015. Further investigation led to additional charges in March 2015 and more still in April 2015. They went to trial and were sentenced to 14 years without parole.
This would give them a release date according to Wednesday’s interpretation of the law of April 2029. Now it will be January 2029. Just what “compensation” do you think they are due?
The people who may be eligible are the 21 people, currently in prison, whose time should have been up before today and the unknown number who have already been released after serving a longer time than they should have.
Disclaimer. I am not a lawyer and everything I am saying could be total rubbish.
Perhaps a real lawyer could comment?
On the other hand perhaps we should expect all the Judges on the Court of Appeal to resign? Their senior brethren (and sisteren) clearly think they are incompetent.
I do not see that there is any compensation due to any current prisoner whose release date on the “correct” basis is not affected by the miscalculation, but I would expect that if the basis for calculation has been consistent since 2003 that there will be quite a number of now released prisoners who were not released until after the correct date. Yet again we are looking at a situation where reasonable compensation is being determined not on the basis of any principals or agreed assessment criteria, but determined by politicians who will not be consistent over time, and may be swayed by non-relevant issues (such as polling and focus groups). If we really have a justice system, it should be handled by them – and not by a minister attempting to change the law.
Naw, that was just software glitches in her body-double android. She’s all better now that she had her motherboard replaced and tuned in during her few days off.
Trump Jr warned against poison Skittles (Syrians).In 1939 Germans were warned 1 poison (Jewish) mushroom would make the whole bowl lethal. pic.twitter.com/WFHWgX5nJB— Cornelia (@PaladinCornelia) September 22, 2016
[We] wanted to see what level of support the comments would get if we took some famous pieces of Nazi propaganda and changed the word ‘Jew’ with ‘migrant’.
BBC article on the US election, comparing Hillary and Trump to various world leaders, has to use two heads for Trump on several of the images, to represent his varying statements: http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37423550
“A shallow trench running the width of the closed state highway at Rangiriri marks the start of a restoration project 152 years in the making.
Spades were handed out to New Zealand Transport Agency staff and management to begin filling the trench – a symbolic step toward a massive restoration project to see Rangiriri Pa returned to its original state.
State Highway 1 drove a line through the pa site when it was built in the 1960s. The path of the new expressway offers a way to heal that wound. ”
How low can the Labour vote go? At 22% probably no one on the Labour List would get in. Not even Andrew Little (who has never won a seat and only got into Parliament on the specials). Trevor Mallard is standing List only, not wanting to lose Hutt South to the very popular Chris Bishop. He hopes for a high List spot. If you want to be a Labour MP in 2017-20 you have to deselect a sitting member in a safe Red Seat. Already the jockeying has begun.
Of course they will backtrack on gender balance. Remember that balance has to be on winnable seats. They could for instance have chosen a woman for Phil Goff’s seat but have not. All talk and no action unless Labour women stand up to be counted..
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A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
The calls for assassination:
So, why hasn’t the FBI put Trump into the back of a police wagon and taken him in for questioning?
A bought Presidential campaign: US$149.9M in political advertising booked between now and Election Day Nov 8
Clinton’s campaign has reserved $145.3M of advertising.
Trump’s campaign has reserved $4.4M of advertising.
Clinton has 33x more advertising scheduled than Trump. The minor candidates have a small spend as well.
Interesting that in general, the Left seems to be backing the Big Money Corporate Sponsored candidate.
On the advertising budget alone, Clinton should totally swamp Trump in November.
Hey CV.@1.2. Is this comment an attempted distraction from Trump’s thinly disguised call for someone to take out Hillary Clinton? 🙂
The Secret Service apparently did talk to Trump and the Trump campaign to clarify issues around what he said.
Remember too that the Clintons were guests at Trump’s wedding so I’m sure that the anxiety ridden liberal left misinterpreted his comments 😛
Or maybe The Joker has contracted a private security firm .. or two.. or three.. or …
He surrounds himself with his own ‘privatized mercenary force’. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/12/11-private-security-firms-guarding-donald-trump.html
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/inside-trumps-security-juggernaut-221543
And yet it is the “left” who are “anxiety ridden”. Yeah, right.
Hey drumpfkopf, what happened to all the press conferences you told us Trump did? Is he running scared of questions like how his foundation is a scam to funnel other people’s money into things that benefit him?
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-finally-asked-about-his-foundation-scandal-descends-into-complete-incoherence-1b662d8de8c7#.ibbd3ijnv
Hey Andre, help yourself to a long walk off a fucking short pier.
First TV debate is up in a week.
I wonder if Trump will bring up the former president of the Haitian senate saying that the Clintons tried to bribe him after the massive earthquake there.
Trump’s flat out lining his own pocket and laughing all the way to the bank.
I wonder if Clinton has done any more no-shows to her own $10,000 per seat fundraisers for the rich and elite of US society?
Difference is the Clinton Foundation actually does things whereas the Trump ‘Foundation’ appears to be a scam intended to enrich himself
Yes the Clinton Foundation does spend a small single digit percentage of its receipts in actual charitable type activities.
And some.
https://www.charitywatch.org/ratings-and-metrics/bill-hillary-chelsea-clinton-foundation/478
https://www.charitywatch.org/charitywatch-hot-topic/why-doesn-39-t-charitywatch-rate-the-trump-foundation-/65
Gawd you really are a fuckwit, drumpfkopf. The likes of InfoWars really aren’t reliable sources.
“The Clinton Foundation spends between 80-90 percent on program services, which experts say is the standard in the industry to define charitable works. It spends the majority of its money directly on projects rather than through third-party grants.”
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/aug/25/reince-priebus/reince-priebus-false-claim-80-clinton-foundation-c/
So Saudi and Russian business interests as well as US banksters spend tens of millions on the Clinton Foundation and almost all of it goes to charitable good deeds? Bullshit.
The Observer summarises key points
1) Selling access to the Clinton State Dept (“pay for play.”)
2) Accepting sketchy foreign donations from abusive nations.
3) Helping major donors with US gov help.
http://observer.com/2016/08/the-six-clinton-foundation-scandals-everyone-needs-to-know/
Surprise surprise, Jared’s rag bags his dad in-laws opponent.
/
Why the IRS is probing the Clinton foundation.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-31/why-irs-probing-clinton-foundation-clinton-cash-author-explains
Could it possibly be because Republicans want to play dirty tricks?
“The request for a review came from 64 House Republicans led by Tennessee Representative Marsha Blackburn, who have tasked the IRS, FBI, and Federal Trade Commission with examining the dealings of the Foundation.
“
How typical of them.
Neither is the link you have posted to, Andre
‘Program Services’
Andre your ‘attachment’ is either causing you to bend ever farther, or you are not well versed at analysing information..
Should Clinton become POTUS will you take some responsibility for the results and outcomes of her presidency?
By overtly putting yourself out there, you are taking on ownership of future problems…you realise that as a voter committed to ensuring a Clinton ‘victory’ this is what you are doing right?
Same applies to whichever ‘side’ is taken
According to Charity Watch The Clinton foundation spends $2 for every $100 it raises and spends 88% of its budget on its stated programme – it has an A rating as a charity. By comparison Amnesty International has an A- It spends $14 to raise $100 and spends 80% of its budget on its stated programme.
And
I think you are being a little too disparaging in your comment here CV.
This one’s for guess whom ?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11715022
It’s simply amazing what an obssessive home grown bitterness about the NZLP can do for a “guess whom”.
More liberal whining.
The private company that runs Dunedin’s public transport (Go Bus/Ngai Tahu) are importing overseas workers to drive their buses? According to a letter in the ODT yesterday anyway.
From an article earlier in the year “NZ Bus paid $20.97 an hour to union drivers in Wellington, going up to $21.25 at the end of the year, he said. But Go Bus paid about $16.02 in Dunedin, and up to $18 in Auckland. ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/81527792/Bus-drivers-union-threatens-industrial-action-on-a-scale-never-seen-before
Hardly a surprise as major iwi share the same values the maori party endorse in their support of the shonky regime.
They will hide behind the layers of management and corporate dribble if challenged.
I wonder if the rates paid are a function of demand for bus services? that would be a novel idea wouldn’t it
Maybe aviation has taken one small step away from fossil fuels.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/09/22/100-percent-invisible-biofuel-powers-us-navys-green-growler/
That is good. We’re still going to have to seriously decrease flying from our present high use though. There’s no way that enough bio-fuels can be grown to support it.
Bio-Fuels are a terrible idea. We already destroy enough land for farming so we don’t need to start clear-cutting forests to fuel our various devices too.
Yeah bio-ethanol from corn or sugar and bio-diesel from oil-seeds are really crap ideas. But bio-fuels from sources like algae, agricultural and forestry waste have much less of a downside. Given that I doubt we will make the cultural changes necessary to give up global long-haul aviation, and there’s no technology in sight that could substitute for the energy density of liquid fuels required for long-haul aviation, this looks like a reasonable step forward.
Spot on Andre, bio fuels from forestry wood waste etc will be able to start replacing fossil fuels in the near future (within the next 10 years).
Producing bio oil is an easy enough exercise via pyrolysis. The trick is to upgrade the bio oil to have similar properties as fossil fuel, while making the process commercially viable.
Lanza Tech has recently announced progress via there process for bio fuels. And I know of a bunch of other companies making very good progress as well.
It’s possible to grow the organisms that would be the basis for the bio-fuels in the ocean. So it doesn’t use land it also helps pull CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Electric and/or hydrogen could feasibly take over for shorter flights – maybe up to 1500km. So bio-fuels would then allow some long-haul aviation even in a zero-fossil future.
Air travel needs to be heavily curtailed. That’s all there is to it. None of these fuel alternatives will be ready in time.
“Air travel needs to be heavily curtailed”
Will never happen CV, so we must look for better alternatives to fuel the planes.
And the alternatives are closer to being ready than you think.
There are no such alternatives in the foreseeable future and thus air travel must be curtailed. This is real economics and so you don’t actually get a say in it.
“There are no such alternatives in the foreseeable future and thus air travel must be curtailed”
Draco is your comment above based on any particular observation or experience? For example are you involved in the R&D of bio-oil for use as a transport fuel (land, sea, air)?
My work allows me close access to alternative / green fuels…and I can confirm that bio-oil for use as a fuel oil (to replace medium and heavy fossil fuel oil) is doable right now.
As for a transport fuel, bio-oil can be upgraded now as well. However the problem is its uneconomical to do so, but will not be for too much longer as the technology is refined.
The recent AirNZ / Virgin Aust RFI for jet bio-fuel attracted a lot of interest. And will enable a bio-fuel industry to proceed in Australasia, underpinned by the volumes required by the above airlines.
And its 2nd and 3rd generation bio-fuels.
Yes, I’m quite aware that it’s available now. The problem, that I’ve read a couple of articles on over the years, is the inability to scale it up to support the present demand.
Air travel is going to be heavily curtailed, one way or another, within 15 years-ish.
Cellulosic butanol is one of the best – distributes through existing fuel infrastructure and burns safely in existing engines.
“up to 1500km”
That is very consoling. I shall be grateful for that information when we come down in the Tasman when only two thirds of the way from Wellington to Sydney.
You’ve just made many commenters here very happy contemplating that possibility.
Pesticide companies’ own secret/ unpublished research found serious harm to honey bees:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/22/pesticide-manufacturers-own-tests-reveal-serious-harm-to-honeybees
“Unpublished field trials by pesticide manufacturers show their products cause serious harm to honeybees at high levels, leading to calls from senior scientists for the companies to end the secrecy which cloaks much of their research.”
Massey is doing a study on the kids in Motueka re the effects of pesticides. Many of the young kids at school were asked to be part of the study.
I feel sorry for the islanders working the orchards, it’s not very OSH friendly for them. They should be part of the study as well.
Save the bees, grow as many bee loving plants as you can, most bee friendly plants are flowers, the end result is a beautiful garden, who would not want that ?
Well, it’s not actually that hard to have your own hives if you’ve got a garden and you get fantastic, fresh honey.
It does require maintaining standards of course but that’s normal for anything really (The abnormality and that which causes so much pain in society is the RWNJs demand that we don’t have any standards).
All research needs to be done by public companies and available to the public to ensure that such secrecy as this doesn’t cause us harm as recent history proves that it does.
+1
Marlborough Council to investigate the “Whale Blubber” leak. All whom were present at the meeting that was ‘leaked’ to fat boy were asked to sign a declaration stating that they did not leak details of the meeting.
“But two councillors, Jessica Bagge and Jamie Arbuckle, have refused to sign statutory declarations issued to all councillors as part of an ongoing Marlborough District Council investigation.”
You can’t claim that you were not responsible for the leak then refuse to sign a declaration confirming it… makes you look guilty as sin. JS
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/84562873/two-marlborough-councillors-refusing-to-sign-statutory-declaration-over-whale-oil-leak-named
What’s his weight got to do with it. Think you can make comments without going on the persons weight?
Or is that only acceptable if you are insulting a man or someone with different political views?
And of course the Whale is such a scrupulous respecter of persons…
Two wrongs dont make a right.
If fairness – he is trying to improve his blog. There are generally more insults and horrid things said on the standard in the comments these days than there is on his blog.
Thats not supporting what his blog used to be like – but giving credit for what is happening now.
Care to address the topic? Whaleoil publishing leaked & private information? 2 wrongs don’t make a right? SO no more ‘those emails were stolen’ whines from the feral blogger? Pfft, doubt it.
🙂
Care to address the topic? Nicky Hager publishing leaked & private information? 2 wrongs don’t make a right? SO no more ‘those emails were stolen’ whines from the feral blogger? Pfft, doubt it.
Yes people here defend hagers use of emails out of public interest. Slater was outraged by it… then copies the behaviour.
“Care to address the topic?”
You are confused I Feel Love.
The Marlborough District Council leak was from a whistle blower (a Councilor or employee). I would of thought our left leaning friends here would of been horrified that the Council is now conducting a witch hunt for said whistle blower.
While Slater was hacked by a third party.
Considering the frequency with with which you and other RWNJ trolls utter offensive and ill-founded personal abuse of Little I see no reason not to shame personifications of corruption, greed and sloth like the Whale and Gerry Brownlee.
Your interest is not sincere – when you are assiduous in disciplining your fellow trolls for abuse we may reconsider.
Care to give any example of where I have ever given put any personal abuse against Little?
I actively try never to do it to anyone (may have had a slip here and there – but in general – I try to be polite to people on here). Not that I get the same back mind.
You have to do a little better than that – you made an attack on a local over fatshaming – show us your sincerity by pointing out where you did the same to a fellow concern troll – or where you condemned the Whale directly for any of his many grossly offensive slurs – that on the dead west coast boy for example. Otherwise you’re just special pleading.
I dont need to do anything.
I have been consistant in pointing out the name calling on this blog. I didnt make an attack – if you consider what I wrote one – then you must be feeling very sensitive.
I have commented on this several times – from women being called a bitch – to references to peoples weight, and also raising issue with comments like a poster telling people to go hang themselves.
I also shared a story of a family member who was self harming and threatening suicide because of bulling (both physical and online). As I said then, and I will again now – I hope that others do not have to go thru the heartbreak, stress and fear of the damage that this causes.
TRP mod commented agreeing and that they are trying to improve this – without damaging robust debate.
So – I can back up my sincerity by being consistent.
Here is a challenge to you – why dont you be part of a solution and try stopping abuse when you see it instead of being and enabler and calling out people who actually try.
You’re a troll – you don’t get to challenge until you demonstrate sincerity – probably when hell freezes over.
Or take a long walk off a short pier or some such, as above.
And as far as the reference to weight …. agreed not such a good idea.
HOWEVER, perhaps one of the reasons is that such a reference often goes hand in hand with laziness. Not unloik JFK’s language mangler machine. Diction is lazy, language is based on learned spin and slogans dreamed up by spin meisters, – lazy mind – ideologically driven, absent of critical thought.
Smart flabby arsed attitude.
Oh you HATER Matty! How very dare you!
She’d probably have just been better to use the blubber’s own spin and call him out for what he is:
FERAL ((especially of an animal) in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication.)
“Thats not supporting what his blog used to be like – but giving credit for what is happening now.”
i fail to see what relevance any cleaning up of comments has to do with the fact hes still running smear campaigns
talking about just the comments section while ignoring what WO actually does is a massive red herring
Slater has picked on me before, published a photo of me on his blog when I requested that he did not. His trolls slammed me for it and as i defended my actions of a single woman protest against Key in Nelson, on his blog in an intelligent and factual manner I was bullied and then blocked.
There is a big difference between debating political views and bullying, and WE ALL know what Slater does best and it sure isn’t debating. My description of him is factual.
Have a dead cat, I’m more interested and what is going on at the Marlborough Council chambers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuJzSTNDUGI Aww you hurt his feelings Cinny, good on you for making a stand & put yourself out there, a very brave thing to do within NZ current political climate.
Fat Cambo loves the cut and thrust of personal abuse, well, one side of it anyway. Maybe he looks up from stamping head to have a wee sweaty cry about the mean boys and girls, but I doubt it.
Colin King exMP, is a contender for Mayoralty in Blenheim.
He is an “acquaintance” of one Mr Lusk, a “friend” of Cameron Slater who earlier this year was in Blenheim to “assist” aspiring candidates.
Cameron Slater’s use of the leaked recording seemed aimed at damaging the top Mayoral candidate Mr Leggett.
Mr King’s daughter is a Councillor I believe. I think her name is Jessica Bagge who refused to sign the statutory declaration to absolve her of being the leaker.
Just wondering if there are connections?
I’ve met Grant Robertson a few times.
Does that make me a closet commie or something similar?
Does that mean people shouldn’t talk to me because I might pass on their deepest, darkest secrets to the Opposition?
Yes
I am truly hurt.
Puckish Rogue seems to think I am a “snitch”.
Boo Hoo.
Your refund cheque for membership in the VRWC will be in the mail
alwyn, when you spoke to Grant Robertson a few months ago at a seminar on how to go about running local political campaigns targeted at ‘sympathetic’ candidates, did you talk about opposing in-house meetings? And then, having talked about these meetings, lo and behold did a release of a recording of a in-house, public-excluded meeting happen, months later at the time voting papers were distributed?
I believe what you are talking about- meeting, having a chat- is very different, and an attempt to minimise what is a very serious breach of councillor ethics and trust, and having huge consequences for mayor, council, staff and the public.
“alwyn, when you spoke to Grant Robertson a few months ago at a seminar on how to go about running local political campaigns targeted at ‘sympathetic’ candidates”.
That really is news to me. He can’t have invited me because I haven’t heard of that activity of his before.Should you have told me that Grant ran such a seminar? Sounds terrible to me and I am surprised that you allowed such a damaging story about Grant’s activities to leak.
alwyn, I think you understand my intention that for Grant Robertson you should read Simon Lusk as the real persona of my story……………
Ianmac, Colin King’s daughter is Cr Laressa Shenfield. Jessica Bagge is a retiring (that is, she is leaving Council!) councillor with a long-term feud with the outgoing mayor.
She refused on principle. Both councillors who refused to sign the declaration, Jamie Arbuckle and Jessica Bagge, have denied sending the tape to Cameron Slater.
What is noticeable, though, is by refusing to sign the declaration, they don’t have to answer the second part which addresses whether they know who did the leak.
I think you’re right to factor in the role of Simon Lusk into the affair as he is connected to both Slater and some
right-wing council candidates here who attended his seminar. Lusk is concerned to obtain control of Councils by suitable, right wing candidates.
There is another question that concerns me, as well as the poisoning effect upon trust of Council by the public, trust within Council between councillors and staff, trust
between councillors, and trust between councillors and Mayor.
That is bad enough, but what concerns me is the distinct and shadowy possibility that behind the Council shenanigans, behind Slater and Lusk, is money- money
that wants a compliant Council to allow further treatment of Marlborough as a third world style economy, complete with low wages, slave labour and extraction of primary industry resources, like wine, dairy, timber and seafood, and profits out of the region away to Auckland and overseas.
Ty for the info, much appreciated and well said. I’ve often heard that Slater has connections in Blenheim
The plot thickens. Thank-you Ianmac and mac1. Slater lost the National Party DP contract so he’s moved into Local Bodies.
Yes mac1. Follow the money. Is the local media following the story and getting the true facts out to the public?
Yes, Anne, there are many stories about the LEAK. Stuff and the Marlborough Express web sites carry many stories. What I wrote above is of course conjecture, and while there are questions that need answering, the real facts are still not fully known.
Simon Lusk and his seminar can be researched in the same two web sites- who attended, who spoke, its purpose.
Another curious thing is the way in which Colin King resigned from Parliament. Was it Lusk who was involved with King out and Smith replaced in, as a sort of deal involving Mayorship?
Nah. Just kidding.
I think there is a connection, but one which involves egos primarily. Search for the simple answer- women, land, money, power, ambition.
Colin King’s advertising slogan for the mayoralty, “Ambitious for Marlborough”, is delightfully ambiguous.
Thanks Mac1. Jessica Bagge is not Colin King’s daughter. I withdraw and apologise Jessica.
National Guard called out in continuing Charlotte, North Carolina riots sparked by another police shooting of a black man. The PD refuses to release the video footage.
Charlotte is a city with strong incomes and jobs, and often regarded as one of the best places in the US to live.
That such a city can spiral out of control is a lesson in why so many Americans think the USA is on the wrong path.
In a nutshell this explains the popularity of trump.
Voters aren’t going to vote FOR trump as such, more voting for a change.
Whether that change occurs is another story.
.
yeah nah
.
My uncle stood there still without blinking. “Yeah, you’re right,” he finally said. “But if Obama is still talking, that means they ain’t kill him. If they killed him, we likely to all be dead. Sound like a win to me.”
http://www.thefader.com/2016/09/19/my-mississippi-pledge-kiese-laymon
http://www.kieselaymon.com/
Hi joe90, other protestors/police have now been seriously harmed in the disturbances.
I don’t expect someone like you to pay attention to the mood of ordinary people on the ground, but I do expect that reality on the ground is going to give Trump a real chance of winning North Carolina.
There was an interesting article in the July 16 issue of the Economist on police interactions with black, and white people.
It was a report on a study done be an Afro-American Harvard academic Roland Fryer.
He found that black men were more likely to be subject to non-lethal use of force.
However, in an admittedly limited study, he found that black suspects were LESS likely to be shot, fatally or otherwise, than non-black ones.
The assumption that US cops casually shoot black men more readily that non-blacks does not appear to be based on evidence.
I’m sorry I cannot post a link to the article. Perhaps some one else can locate it on-line.
”However, in an admittedly limited study, he found that black suspects were LESS likely to be shot, fatally or otherwise, than non-black ones.”
Surely though if you are treating a far greater number of innocent blacks as suspects based on their total population , it could look like the % getting shot was lower.
Because as we know a black man in the wrong place will be instantly classed as a suspect.
I’m sorry I can’t post a link to the story, and I don’t think I would be very popular, or accurate, if I tried typing in the whole story.
He acknowledged that blacks were more likely to be stopped. However even allowing for this the incidence of shootings seemed to be less. It could be attributed to the fact that ALL police shootings were subjected to detailed investigations. Nevertheless the shootings were not as common as is claimed.
There will probably be a copy of the magazine in your local library if you can’t find it on-line.
The real concern is police impunity.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/31/the-counted-police-killings-2015-young-black-men
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/counted-us-police-killings
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11713393
Russell Normans not overly happy with Little at the moment. And given forest and bird are writing to him as well we can assume Kevin Hague isn’t going to be in a supportive position.
either way looks like little is bumbling another opportunity where the mates haven’t done the best of jobs.
Lolz the government says they will review their position and everything is peachy. The next PM says he wants to review his position and you call him out for bumbling? Dude, sharpen up.
Go check out RT’s review of the UN debate and the full reality of Kerrys claims. I think you will find that more interesting and topical. Shame the NZ media doesn’t do more ‘fact checking’
Here i find a link, it’s fascinating what RT says compared with the likes of MSM, or the Herald.
https://www.rt.com/news/360271-us-fact-checking-moscow/
So Greenpeace and forrest and bird etc are all wrong. Good to know.
Appears to me it is still being discussed, besides I thought the Government was in control… what Little has to say on the matter.
“I do not believe that when they have a Treaty Negotiations Minister as talented as Chris Finlayson, they cannot come up with a creative solution to the issue. I simply do not accept that. But if they are so incompetent and have mishandled it so badly they are now prepared to give up on it, that sits firmly with John Key.”
“Labour leader Little said today that at a bare minimum Labour wanted amendments to preserve the rights of iwi to contest their rights in court.”
Sensible man.
There is not a cigarette paper between the positions of Labour and the Greens on this issue. The real story is that National have stuffed up. But maybe given their recent track record even that isn’t a surprise either.
Nathan Guy needs to resign over the fish-dumping scandal. Nick Smith should be sacked over the Kermadecs (and housing and….). McCully should have been sacked long ago over the Saudi sheep fiasco. Parata is a shambles in education. Bennett has been a disaster over housing (lets buy another sticking-plaster motel). Upston should resign as Minister for Women because she refuses to comment on women’s issues….and so on.
All this lot presided over by Key big-mouthing over Syria (“there will be blood on your hands”-doh!) while hypocritically refusing to raise the refugee intake to a humanitarian level.
McCully should have been jailed over that. That was pure bloody corruption.
I think they are delaying and delaying the publishing of the Auditor General’s report on McCulley’s Sheep deal, so that they can announce a trade deal with the Saudis to justify the means of getting the deal.
ianmac – indeed.
Norman is a denier of rights for indigenous people. And the other environmental groups show their middle class ugly denier of rights consciousness – I am disgusted by them all and I’m withdrawing my support for them.
Little and Labour could make a big positive impact with Māori if they stick to their principles – I hope they do but I suspect the pressure from their pollers and their middle class consciousness will turn them.
Marty – did you ever see any signs of Russel Norman being a “denier of rights for indigenous people” when he was Green co-leader?
Perhaps you are mistaking the mechanics of lobbying for something else.
In any case, the problem here is with the mismanagement of the issue by the Government. Sniping at the minor players seems the perfect result for strategists from the Government, using the “divide and rule” technique of diverting attention and blame.
+111
I’m getting memory-glimpses of a Tibetan flag, some totalitarian security guards and Russel Norman, alone, exposed, standing up for some indigenous culture or other, can you remember, Marty?
yeah often they love the overseas indigenous cultures (and the political attention gained from grandstanding) and forget about the ones in the land they are living in – funny that eh. Could be that he just doesn’t need votes anymore though…
Do “they”?
That’s very unlikely, Marty and given that Russel’s friend and ex co-leader is Maori and staunch with it, it seems to me very unlikely that you are correct in your accusations.
I expect that Russel is now more free to lever wins than he was previously and is able to play a hand that will result in a win for those he represents. I expect “the environment” is high on his list, having committed so much of his time to it in recent times. Perhaps you believe he should jettison his principles? I also believe that Russel’s position on the rights of tangata whenua have not changed. Perhaps you are misreading the situation. In any case, where’s your condemnation of the real player here – Key?
He tangata uaua ia!
What about you Robert – do you think middle class greenwash is more important than upholding the rights agreed to and signed off with indigenous peoples?
No, Marty, I don’t though to be fair, I’m not sure what you mean by “middle class greenwash”, is that where someone buys a Prius rather than a Prelude? Regarding the proposed sanctuary, I think it’s festooned with fish hooks (matua, if you prefer). For starters, you might like to comment on this: Ko nga taunga ika tuuturu e paa ana ki nga taonga tuku iho ki te iwi aa rohe – are they traditional fishing grounds? I’m not saying one way or the other, only that there are fish hooks, details that need to be tested, including the global environmental questions that Russel Norman, in his new role, is honour-bound to ask. I am big on honouring treaties, Marty. I’m also aware that the projections of our shared future is shaking up world views through all cultures.
I’d say the fishhook is we are making ocean sanctuaries and still doing next to nothing about climate change. That is greenwash because how do you think those sanctuaries are going to go when temperatures rise even more. It isn’t even stopping the killing of fish in the ocean – hell even the whales still get killed and fish species hit the ecological wall every day. So what is the point of it? – makes people feel they are doing something – and that is a good reason in many respects but not if it is at the expense of indigenous rights – rights fought for with blood and sacrifice for generations, rights so often discarded as inconvenient to the abusers of those rights, rights tenaciously dug out of the colonisers as they lie, cheat and pretend care all the way dragging their feet.
This issue is about Treaty rights not sanctuaries (red herring) or the commercial catch (red herring), or whether Māori lived loved or died there (red herring). Respecting people (especially those that have been treated so, so ,so badly) is essential if you want to respect the planet, the oceans, the ecosystems and nature herself. There is no compromise on that imo.
Marty. This issue is about Key and National going ahead without consulting Maori. This quibbling about Russel is pointless. Key failed to respect Maori, failed to consult, failed to inform. He and his National mates should be the target of your ire – what are you thinking of, diverting attention from the real miscarriage of justice
by taking pot-shots at others???
Sure but guess what – you don’t get to tell me what my priorities should be.
Why don’t you respond to what I wrote instead of attempting to shame me.
+ 100000 Marty Mars.
Marty. My apologies to you also. I’m not wishing to shame you in any way – I like your stuff. Perhaps I was using language too strong for the moment. I like evocative words and phrases and sometimes use them too freely.
So…create ocean sanctuaries but not at the expense of indigenous communities, yes, but you know, the Japanese and the Norwegians and their whale-hunting… indigenous peoples of our Pacific islands have ceased, I believe, roasting kakapo, though it must surely have been their habit to do so in past times. That right might be enshrined in the Treaty, I don’t know, but modern times are different from those i nga wa o mua. Present day indigenous peoples must surely be willing to discuss the present situation where there is scarcity of a resource that was once plentiful. I don’t mean capitulating, I do mean discussing. Treaties, while absolute, have to flex with the times, I would like to think. In this case, I believe all fault lies with the Government for not consulting, not hearing, not offering the opportunity to debate and propose. They will though, ’cause that’s how they roll, but their sub-surface arrogance has been revealed, imho.
Robert i like, respect and admire you. I am sorry for raising the energy. This is a tough issue that confronts my values. I certainly blame the crook key and his minions and the left need to be aware of the issues from all sides too.
Marty, thanks and yes, it’s an issue with more than a little heat embedded. Despite the occasional boil-over (on all sides) debate like this is they way forward, imo and that’s what should have been had around the sanctuary or around any issue where people hold treaty rights.
Robert, I think you (like many) are missing the point.
Treaty settlements are said to be full and final. What is happening here is that a settlement made in 1992 is being overruled by this government. What this means is the Māori have to accept that Treaty settlements are only final for them, but the state can change the rules anytime it likes.
Do you think this is fair? Do you not see that this has implications for all treaty agreements? Do you realise that Māori have only recieved recompense for 2% of the worth of the land that was illegally confiscated? You are also trying to question the validity of a claim that has been settled.
I am a Green Party supporter but I was horrified by the way Russel Norman completely ignored Treaty rights in that interview on the Nation. I was relieved he is no longer the leader.
Karen – how gracious of you to inform me of my point-missing. I believe I have a good handle on treaties and the likes. In this instance, the ‘bad play’ has come from the Nats, dismissing tangata whenua. Why you want to drag others into that business, I can’t fathom.
Russell Norman getting criticised for not being left enough is something even I couldn’t have come up with 🙂
It’s a weird and unrewarding world of frustration being a lefty
You might say that, I couldn’t possibly comment 🙂
No-one ever accused the menkurt footsoldiers of the far right of an over abundance of imagination.
The left imagines it can be in power, the right make it happen
Irrespective of public interest or mandate – PR, proud supporter of forte main over representive democracy – just another RWNJ quisling.
You really don’t like democracy do you
I like democracy – and no part of it includes John Key disenfranchising me or dicks like you telling me what to do.
You are a traitor to the principles of democracy – winning dirty is all you care about – you’re a shabby beast not much better than Wayne the trougher.
LOL Stuart Munro… “I like democracy – and no part of it includes John Key disenfranchising me or dicks like you telling me what to do.”
Me thinks you only like democracy when you get your way (the Government you want).
“winning dirty is all you care about”
The number 2 go-to reason from the activist left…
1/ The voters are stupid, why don’t they see things as we do…
Or
2/ The Nat’s play dirty. Which is directly linked back to reason number 1.
Sad really.
Democracy is about government representing us.
It’s not complicated. This one doesn’t.
Chuck – way above you again wrote ‘would of’. I have already told you that there is no such thing -“would’ve” (short for ‘would have’) please. Unless you are trying to come across as an ignorant klutz. Furthermore, the Shakespearian ‘Methinks’ which you attempt to use is one word, not two. If you can’t do it right, stop pretending that you can.
Wrong side of logic, wrong side of history, pretending to be matey while dissing destructively…
It is you who are sad. A sadly incompetent troll, who smugly employs straw man argument. You did not accurately portray SM’s attitude.
by his actions and words is he known
here you go Robert – this is grizzly norman
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/panel-jenna-raeburn-mihingarangi-forbes-and-russel-norman-2016091711
+1111 on your comments Robert.
TOKM are opposed to ocean sanctuaries PERIOD.
The Maori Party are wedded to supporting TOKM’s position.
Russell Norman heads a large environmental organization that wants ocean sanctuaries.
…..and all you have is anger for those who want help protect the environment …well stuff you.
““Te Ohu Kaimoana and iwi representatives worked hard to find a compromise solution where the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary could go ahead and where Māori would not have extant rights, as agreed in the 1992 Deed of Settlement, unilaterally expropriated by the Government.”
“We considered that an offer to voluntarily shelve the use of Māori fisheries quota in the Kermadec region while maintaining extant fishing rights would achieve the same thing. While ultimately iwi quota owners would have needed to agree, we considered this was a constructive and reasonable solution to the impasse,” Mr Tuuta said.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1609/S00159/government-rejects-maori-compromise-to-kermadec-sanctuary.htm
so lie 1 – which is your first sentence is shown to be a lie
is there any point reading anything else you write? nah
““We considered that an offer to voluntarily shelve the use of Māori fisheries quota in the Kermadec region while maintaining extant fishing rights would achieve the same thing. While ultimately iwi quota owners would have needed to agree, we considered this was a constructive and reasonable solution to the impasse”
That’s what I would have suggested.
I am responding to your reply to me here Robert. You evidently thought I was being patronising to you. That was not my intention.
You are one of the very few people here I read. You obviously believe you understand the issues here but I see no evidence from what you have posted that you do. I was trying to help.
I apologise, Karen and I agree with the views you expressed. I’m not trying to unpick or argue whatever Russel Norman has said, I’m just saying that the issue here is the Government’s decision, conscious decision I believe, to go ahead without involving Maori. Reactions and responses from NGO’s and individuals such as Russel don’t really have much bearing on the issue, I reckon and those have to be taken in the context of whatever sector they come from. Why would Key and his band of orcs be proposing a sanctuary for fish in the first place is an interesting question, when it is counter to most everything else they do. I believe they hoped to trumpet their big fish sanctuary as evidence that they are greener than the Greens, but to get there they had to behave badly with regard Maori, and decided they could swing it nonetheless, or at least suppress it till the election passes.
Perhaps you are right, I may not understand the issue, but leopards, spots and all that. I’m not mesmerized by such ploys. I’m interested in the idea though, that iwi can’t be trusted to say, “We’ll voluntarily abstain from fishing there, so long as you don’t ban us”, and how people can’t conceive that such an agreement might work. I believe it could. It’s a cultural interface there though, so who knows…
“while maintaining extant fishing rights ”
When is a sanctuary not a sanctuary? When TOKM demand the right to fish it at any point they want.
Are you comprehension challenged ? Or can a Maori organization never be wrong because they are Maori?
“TOKM are opposed to ocean sanctuaries PERIOD.:”
That is what you said and I proved you a fibber.
Oh right so it’s a ghost sanctuary is it ?…
The one that you have when it’s not one?
Maintaining the right to fish in a “sanctuary” at any point renders the area not a sanctuary.
Perhaps you should argue to change the meaning of sanctuary.
Good points Barfly.
Just put the link up that shows your point – oh that’s right there isn’t one is there…
Marty your own posts refute your argument
Maintaining the right to fish in a “sanctuary” at any point renders the area not a sanctuary.
I understand anger and emotion but can you calm yourself and look rationally at my posts..
Sorry you are simply wrong, you call me a troll and liken me to a RWNJ, you insult my intelligence, this I believe cheapens you not me.
P.S. do you play chess by any chance?
No I have called Leftie those things not you.
Yes emotion is highish and my understanding of what Te Ohu Kaimoana and Iwi leaders have said is that they are quite okay with sanctuaries. I just don’t think saying, “TOKM are opposed to ocean sanctuaries PERIOD.” is 100% true, and I put a link to back up my point.
I think you have been a bit rude by saying, “…well stuff you.” and the other one you said to me yesterday – and so I have replied in kind – I have offered reciprocity/utu.
yes I play chess and yes I am being pedantic a bit on this I admit – and I still think my understanding is correct.
edit and I’ll also say I am not opposed to ocean sanctuaries in any way – hell I welcome them with open arms – I don’t eat fish because of the way we have depleted the numbers and affected species survival. I’d like ocean sanctuaries to be part of a plan to help people cope with climate change, to bring people together – however as it stands at the moment I have to call this greenwash and Treaty breaching and I cannot tolerate Treaty breaching – see my comment to Robert above (i think)
So you are being selective who you name call and abuse now Marty Mars? My post was in support of what Barfly was saying. So if you think that of me, then you must think that of Barfly as well, given that he has been responding to you in far greater detail than I.
And further, in other words only YOUR opinion is right and everyone else is wrong, while you try and selectively bully people with abuse because you can’t handle any home truths being said about the Maori party.
Of course I’m selective. I’m happy to let you be if you do the same, let’s call it a treaty.
For Christ sakes Marty, do you hear yourself? What gives you the right to abuse me for supporting what someone else said? And you’re “happy to let me be…” What does that mean exactly? you’ll leave me alone as long as I don’t post opinions on the Maori party and don’t challenge what you post?
Leftie you are entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to reply to me anyway you like within the policy bounds of this site. I may not like or believe what you say and i may think you are not actually arguing a point, just kneejerking slogans and i might think that in my way I could counter that with some logic and compassion. I might think all of that and you know what? Who cares. It is my opinion. That’s all.
Edit plus im sorry for causing you any pain.
Well that was a piece of patronizing abusive swill you just wrote there Marty Mars, clearly by your own behaviour you don’t believe in people, particularly me, voicing opinions, (that are not “kneejerking slogans” btw), because they differ from your own and I have been responding “within the policy bounds of this site”. On the other hand, your pointless abuse is not painful in the least, I see it as a weakness, it’s infantile, and shows you’re struggling.
Well said. It’s amazing how some people are completely blind to that which you have pointed out, Barfly. You cannot have a “sanctuary” while maintaining extant fishing rights. They can’t have it both ways.
you are a troll – an annoyingly thick slogan spinner. You might as well be a rwnj your understanding is below average on anything I’ve ever seen you write. I’m sick of you.
What a load of sanctimonious rubbish Marty Mars. You abuse when an obvious fact is pointed out to you that you can’t handle. You have lost all reasoning and are being totally irrational.
Are you comprehension challenged ? Or can a Maori organization never be wrong because they are Maori?
If you make an agreement with another party about something, and then want to change that agreement, you need to negotiate with that other party. And if the change you want to make is really important, you need to stir yourself to figure out some way to make the other party to the agreement happy for that change to occur, even if it involves making concessions you didn’t actually want to make. Otherwise, you shouldn’t enter into agreements in the first place.
Spot on Barfly +100
thankyou
Toussaint Romain was held up as a hero by the media in the Charlotte protests. As a public defender, dressed in a shirt and tie, he got between the protestors and police and tried to stop conflict. The second half of this interview with Romain was edited out by CNN. I wonder why…
https://youtu.be/J_hGdgG1JiI
Probably because he waffled on too long. TV is sound bites. But the conspiritory types look for it everywhere LOLZ.
Good old Stuart Nash – http://www.newshub.co.nz/opinion/opinion-embracing-my-bare-face-2016092212
Belittling women and raining over their self esteem because they aren’t wearing makeup.
“Shame on you Stuart Nash, I feel sorry for the women you work with on a day-to-day basis if you hold them to the same standard.”
Aww Jenna Lynch makes a priority of not wearing makeup over an important story. Dead cats everywhere.
“Shortly after, Labour MP Stuart Nash walked in trying to sell some bloody story about cops. ” as quoted from the article you posted James.
Judith is due to speak about the prisoners soon, sounds like corrections have messed up again.
Imagine the uproar if a National MP or even John Key himself had said something similar
Had Maurice Williamson kept his trap shut or John Key himself been able to control his impulses and keep his hands to himself, you might have a point.
/
You have just proved Puckish Rogue point without knowing it…
/, moran
Stuart Nash, I hear some in Labour think of him as talented leadership material.
They used to say that about you, too, CV, or so I’m told 😉
Currently, there’s only one LP member who thinks of Stuart as talented leadership material … a Mr S Nash of Napier.
+ 100% trp
Fuck no, I have better things to do than be backstabbed by fellow Labourites.
It’s not actually an option, cobber. You gave it a shot, which is more than most ever do, so kudos to you for that. But obviously, you’ve blown it and you’ll never entrusted with any responsibility again. I imagine you’re Ok with that.
Huh? Not being trusted by you backstabbing lot of careerists is a fucking badge of honour that I wear with pride.
Labour is a toxic brand.
James your phony outrage on this thread over fat shaming and the negative impact the beauty industry has on women is touching.
why phoney?
Better than being an enabler like the people on here who are happy for people to be called and treated as such.
All hail James! The greatest enabler seen on this website since Hitler, Goebbels, Stalin, and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Assad , an eye surgeon, and the democratically elected leader of Syria states that the attack on his forces was no accident and US does not want to fight ISIS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_al-Assad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asma_al-Assad
‘US airstrikes on Syrian troops were ‘intentional,’ lasted nearly 1 hour – Assad to AP’
https://www.rt.com/news/360248-assad-ap-intentional-us-airstrikes/
“Syrian President Bashar Assad says that US airstrikes which killed 62 Syrian government troops were “intentional” and they lasted for an hour. He added that the US “does not have the will” to join Russia in fighting terrorists in Syria…
‘Russian military contacted US twice to stop airstrikes against Syrian govt troops’
https://www.rt.com/news/360156-airstrike-usa-syria-russia/
‘Ceasefireless’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/360096-russia-us-ceasefire-regime/
“What was a ray of hope has turned into a gaze into the abyss. The Russia-US ceasefire to end the Syrian conflict is in tatters. For many the American bombing of the Syrian military marks a process of mission creep and forced regime change.
CrossTalking with Ali Rizk, Nadim Shehadi, and Rick Sterling.”
It’s a shame Assad/Putin have run out of hospitals to bomb. They’ve been reduced to just attacking aid convoys and that only kills healthy adults, not the sick and infirm. Where’s the fun in that?
USA are not innocent in bombing and pointing fingers at others. JS.
https://www.rt.com/news/360271-us-fact-checking-moscow/
USA have just done a huge weapons deal with the Saudi’s, profit via war, and it’s horrid.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-defense-congress-idUSKCN11R2LU
“President Bashar al-Assad meanwhile indicated he saw no quick end to the war, telling AP News it would “drag on” as long as it is part of a global conflict in which terrorists were backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN11S1C5
It’s a shame that all can’t focus on their same common enemy, ISIS
ISIS aren’t a common enemy though; they are a proxy army being financed, armed and used by western allies (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey) as well as directly by the Pentagon itself, to try and regime change Assad out of Damascus.
It’s a shame that all can’t focus on their same common enemy, ISIS
Pretty straightforward – if the Russians and their Syrian client do that, the sizable proportion of the Syrian population that wants their client dead will eventually get what they want, and if their client’s not running things the Russians’ military presence in the Mediterranean is fucked. Fighting Da’esh is a bit of a sideshow from the Russian perspective – much more important is knackering the ceasefire in such a way that they have plausible deniability.
Assad is extremely popular with the ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. The Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers are not.
More Psycho Milt bullshit.
You don’t understand the “Russian perspective” one whit.
The US has limited positive control over the extremist Islamist groups that it arms and funds to try and overthrow Assad (an effort which is thoroughly illegal in international law). These terrorist groups never respected any terms of the cease fire from day 1.
In fact, a number of those groups signed a document saying that they would not be bound by any terms of the ceasefire.
In addition, the US special forces who are training these proxy regime change fighters know full well that they are being asked to train the next generation of Jihadist terrorists, and they are not happy about it.
Assad is extremely popular with the ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. The Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers are not.
Well, he is with his own one, at least. The Kurds, not so much. And hardly anyone in Syria is keen on “Islamic fundamentalist headchoppers.”
You don’t understand the “Russian perspective” one whit.
One only achieves understanding of the Russian perspective by hoovering up endless Russian government propaganda from RT, I suppose? That might help with understanding Putin’s propaganda aims, but I’m not really interested in those.
The US has limited positive control over the extremist Islamist groups that it arms and funds to try and overthrow Assad…
Leaving aside for a moment your obsession with the US supposedly funding Da’esh, of course the US has limited positive control over participants in a civil war in a foreign country. That’s because the rebel forces aren’t clients of the US government, the way Assad is a client of the Russian government. Expecting the US government to give Syrian rebel groups orders and have them carried out would be pointless – expecting the Russian government to give Assad orders and expect them to be carried out, on the other hand, is entirely reasonable.
Also, you fail to understand how dangerous it is for the world for Russia and the US/UK to continue to confront each other in Syria.
The US/UK are both operating illegally in Syria.
At least Trump has it correct – the US should be fully cooperating with Russia to eliminate ISIS, not getting in Russia’s way.
If Russia had any specific intent of eliminating Da’esh, that would be true. However, its actual intent is to eliminate all opponents of its Syrian client regime, so cooperating with Russia would be a terrible thing to do. In any case, aligning yourself with a mafia state is a bad idea in general, let alone in this particular instance.
Russia is keen to eliminate the 101 flavours of jihadists that the west implicitly and explicitly supports in Syria, yes, that includes the fictional “Free Syrian Army” that no one can find and also the “moderate terrorists” that the US seems to enjoy backing.
Also, do try and remember that Russia is operating in Syria at the invitation of the Damascus government, while the US, UK and France are all operating in Syria illegally.
Hi TRP,
It’s unfortunate that Hillary Clinton and the rest of the neocon set embarked on supporting yet another disastrous regime change op in Syria.
And these people still want Assad gone, even if that means that the black ISIS flag gets run up over Damascus. Which of course means, the ISIS version of Sharia law gets applied over the whole country, and women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities (including Christians) all get slaved out, head chopped or burnt alive.
The Assad government is the only shot for stable, secular rule in Syria. The Americans however would prefer chaotic, Islamic extremist rule in an imploded failed state balkanized Syria.
And behind all of this, is a contest for who gets to control the real estate for massive oil and gas pipelines through the territory.
“And these people still want Assad gone, even if that means that the black ISIS flag gets run up over Damascus. ”
It’s saying things like this that destroys the credibility of your argument, CV. Certainly Assad should be removed. preferably to the Hague, but there’s not a scrap of evidence that anyone in the west wants ISIS in control.
Just because you choose to blind yourself to the facts on the ground doesn’t mean that other people will, TRP.
The west’s allies would prefer for the Assad government to fall and for Assad to be gone tomorrow. In fact, regime change remains the first and foremost priority of the USA in Syria, and it has done for years.
That leaves no one to oppose the western supplied Daesh/ISIS forces on the ground, leaving Syria imploded just like NATO/USA left Libya.
Facts, huh? Show me the facts, CV. Put up a credible cite of western leaders saying they would prefer ISIS to Assad.
Call bullshit on your cheap transparent rhetorical tactic TRP.
Western leaders want the Assad government gone ASAP which de facto means that the western ally backed Islamists will take over the country.
End of.
Gotta agree here any strongman regieme change in the Middle East by the west has not gone very well. Tribal affiliation, religious intolerance, artificial countries are simply not conducive to democracy forming, maybe in a few hundred years when they have butchered themselves silly and society is s bit more secular there may be a chance To be fair Europe or the west where not much better 500 years ago
The west might also try to no longer assassinate/encourage the assassination of middle of the road secular leaders whenever these leaders spring up and try to take their countries in an independent direction. From Mossadegh to Sadat to Gadaffi.
If you could stop thinking of murderous dictators (Sadat and Gadaffi in this case) as “middle of the road, secular leaders,” it would be a good start on a move away from tinfoil-hattery.
There’s a reason that GW Bush and Tony Blair are wanted for war crimes, Psycho Milt.
Further every time the West gets rid of a middle of the road secular leader, they replace him with someone far more shit, far more radical, and usually far more radical Islamist.
Which leads us to our current situation.
So you have nothing, CV? And facts are now a cheap rhetorical device? Fascinating!
Hi TRP, I guess you imagine that no one else can see what you are doing with your silly rhetorical tricks.
Bottom line is that the West wants to see a failed Islamist state in Syria, just like they have accomplished in Libya.
Well, you can simply post the facts you reckon are so readily available. That’d really take the wind out of my sales. Until then, it’s just another example of you using hyperbole instead of your grey matter.
Well, you can simply post the facts you reckon are so readily available. That’d really take the wind out of my sails. Until then, it’s just another example of you using hyperbole instead of your grey matter.
+100 CV for all your comments here
Chur Chooky!
I think CV may be making the wrong side of the argument about ISIS – not that it represents a desirable end state for Syria, but that it has value or is perceived as having value to the furtherance of US ends in Syria – mostly destabilising Assad.
Likewise the Assad’s forces offer a vehicle or a letter of marque like legitimacy to Russian skirmishing, the Turkmen offer buffer stability to Turkey, and the Kurds must look after themselves having no reliable state sponsor.
The Russians are wedded to Assad because a Syrian government the US was not supporting insurgency against would have no particular interest in becoming Putin’s client. So in principle the US should push to remove Assad through the UN and let Russia make what deals it may with his successor.
Don’t worry CV , you are correct in the above thread . The others don’t want to know the truth about the situation in Syria and the Middle East in general. The blind acceptance of the American version of everything is mind boggling.
Chur, Garibaldi
You would have thought the lies about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in 2003 would have wised up some of the left.
But no…..still blind acceptance of the western establishment’s propaganda.
You bump into this lack of critical thinking at its most visceral when you question the official propaganda about 9/11.
Malcolm Evans is a rare media questioner.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-22-at-10.28.20-am.png
“And the answer is not Russian hackers!”
Great cartoon.
Anyone seen the 10 day forecast?
Post-tropical wash in early spring. What muck.
http://www.metvuw.co.nz/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=nz&noofdays=10
We’re not too far way from the start of the cyclone/hurricane season. This semi- tropical “muck” could be the fore-runner to an active season which might see NZ hit a few times this summer.
Yes, I have a reputation for being a bundle of joy.
500 prisoners up for early release after Department of Corrections’ mistake
“Around 500 prisoners will have their release dates brought forward because of the Supreme Court ruling on the Department of Correction’s mistaken interpretation of the Parole Act.”
“The court ruled on Thursday that the department had miscalculated parole and release dates, meaning some prisoners had spent more time in custody than the department had taken into account.”
“The court didn’t rule on compensation, but it’s an issue that’s going to come up”
<a href="https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/32705867/500-prisoners-up-for-early-release-after-department-of-corrections-mistake/#page1
collins says national will change the law if needed ,to avoid compensation
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11715509
How true to form, isn’t that what this National government always do B Waghorn?
I notice, Leftie, that you read and commented on the response just before mine on this topic.
I find it hard to believe that you didn’t even seem to have noticed what I said.
What is the problem? Does it upset you that the department seem to have followed the interpretation of the law that the highest court that had considered the matter seemed to believe was the right one?
Are you really as stupid, or biased, as the Green and Labour spokesmen are? Should the Department have said something like “The Court of Appeal may tell us that the law means X but we think they are wrong”.
If so, they might have appealed to you but I am sure the legal fraternity would have been up in arms.
Why do you still think that the Department is at fault? Why aren’t you yelling at the Court of Appeal?
I realise that David Clendon and Kelvin Davis, as well as TVNZ and RNZ are on your side but do you really want to be on the side of the Green and Labour Party idiots rather than on the side of accuracy?
Come on, admit that the Department was following the best interpretation of the law that was available to them.
The “mistake” the Department made was, apparently, to believe that the distinguished jurists on the Court of Appeal actually knew what the law meant.
As far as I have understood it the Department have been using the same method since 2003. It is the method that follows a ruling by the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court, now the final stage for appeals, has now ruled that the law doesn’t mean that at all. In effect that is saying that the Court of Appeal simply didn’t know what they were doing.
None of the 500 people you are talking about would appear to be eligible for any compensation at all. They are people who are in prison now and will still be in prison even if the release date is brought forward. You can be forgiven though. Espiner on Morning Report didn’t seem to understand that either. 500 rather than 21 seemed much sexier to him I guess.
An example of one of these 500 would be someone who was first charged, and remanded in custody, in January 2015. Further investigation led to additional charges in March 2015 and more still in April 2015. They went to trial and were sentenced to 14 years without parole.
This would give them a release date according to Wednesday’s interpretation of the law of April 2029. Now it will be January 2029. Just what “compensation” do you think they are due?
The people who may be eligible are the 21 people, currently in prison, whose time should have been up before today and the unknown number who have already been released after serving a longer time than they should have.
Disclaimer. I am not a lawyer and everything I am saying could be total rubbish.
Perhaps a real lawyer could comment?
On the other hand perhaps we should expect all the Judges on the Court of Appeal to resign? Their senior brethren (and sisteren) clearly think they are incompetent.
I do not see that there is any compensation due to any current prisoner whose release date on the “correct” basis is not affected by the miscalculation, but I would expect that if the basis for calculation has been consistent since 2003 that there will be quite a number of now released prisoners who were not released until after the correct date. Yet again we are looking at a situation where reasonable compensation is being determined not on the basis of any principals or agreed assessment criteria, but determined by politicians who will not be consistent over time, and may be swayed by non-relevant issues (such as polling and focus groups). If we really have a justice system, it should be handled by them – and not by a minister attempting to change the law.
Trump and his record of racism:
https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughTrumpSpam/comments/4r2yxs/a_final_response_to_the_tell_me_why_trump_is/
Among many, many points:
80% of Trump’s supporters claim to have no problem with racist comments.
And to save time:
“Buuuuut Kiiiiilary has lycanthropy and Dutch Elm Disease!”
Naw, that was just software glitches in her body-double android. She’s all better now that she had her motherboard replaced and tuned in during her few days off.
You mean the body double for the lizard that wears the human disguise?
Oh, it’s been confirmed she’s one of the shapeshifting lizards? Last I heard they were investigating rumours she’s actually Chthulhu.
That’s what they want you to think!
Clinton is likely chronically ill and the evidence suggests that both her core campaign team and her secret service detail all know it.
Look out for many days off the campaign trail between now and Nov 8.
Oh dear.
https://twitter.com/PaladinCornelia/status/778801494292213761
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OI5FrHTjixwJ:vho.org/aaargh/fran/livres10/PoisonMush.pdf+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz&client=firefox-b
On the same theme:
“What happens when you comment on Daily Mail articles with actual Nazi propaganda”
https://www.indy100.com/article/what-happens-when-you-comment-on-daily-mail-articles-with-actual-nazi-propaganda–Zy4ccsnBEx
[We] wanted to see what level of support the comments would get if we took some famous pieces of Nazi propaganda and changed the word ‘Jew’ with ‘migrant’.
Here’s what happened
Good news.
https://twitter.com/tomfowlerbug/status/778065973572173824
I’ll never be able to eat an orange Skittle ever again. Never.
BBC article on the US election, comparing Hillary and Trump to various world leaders, has to use two heads for Trump on several of the images, to represent his varying statements: http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37423550
Awesome
“A shallow trench running the width of the closed state highway at Rangiriri marks the start of a restoration project 152 years in the making.
Spades were handed out to New Zealand Transport Agency staff and management to begin filling the trench – a symbolic step toward a massive restoration project to see Rangiriri Pa returned to its original state.
State Highway 1 drove a line through the pa site when it was built in the 1960s. The path of the new expressway offers a way to heal that wound. ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/84594488/rangiriri-pa-site-cleaved-by-state-highway-to-be-restored-to-its-original-state
The heart was cleaved and now joined, the healing can begin in earnest. Good result and shows what we can all do when we work in partnership.
Good stuff Marty.
Scott Hamilton on Rangiriri.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=Rangiriri+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Freadingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=gK7kV6PEO6vr8Ae_7LKgCQ
How low can the Labour vote go? At 22% probably no one on the Labour List would get in. Not even Andrew Little (who has never won a seat and only got into Parliament on the specials). Trevor Mallard is standing List only, not wanting to lose Hutt South to the very popular Chris Bishop. He hopes for a high List spot. If you want to be a Labour MP in 2017-20 you have to deselect a sitting member in a safe Red Seat. Already the jockeying has begun.
remember we have to add gender balance in for 2017 also http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/84243686/Poor-polls-sensitive-issue-as-Labour-MPs-brace-for-gender-balanced-list
Or will labour backtrack on this?
Of course they will backtrack on gender balance. Remember that balance has to be on winnable seats. They could for instance have chosen a woman for Phil Goff’s seat but have not. All talk and no action unless Labour women stand up to be counted..
Trolling.
For all those who sneeringly dismiss libertarianism on the grounds that it’s never been tried: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/libertarian-herman-mashaba-elected-mayor-of-johannesburg/article31942363/