Is today the day the door opens on CV’s cage? Should we have a pool for how long from when he emerges until he earns another ban? I give it five hours.
Was he rabidly weird or offering different points of view than those being conformed to by the majority? And getting angry and combative to those disagreeing with him, and sneering at him? There is an inability to allow free speech if it disagrees with the ‘in-group’ who Know All. He steps outside the circle.
Yes, calling Infowars a reliable news source and praising Hitler for “making Germany great” and lying directly to and about moderators (against site rules) is “stepping outside the circle” if you want to put it that way.
CV spends too much time reading https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/ in search of “deeper truth”. Not healthy, I think he’s lost perspective. He’s not “left” any more that’s for sure.
Ok ropata
Just wondered, he seemed to change during the time he was here.
And I think that he did lose perspective. Shame. It is important to step aside a cool the brain. Too much thinking and input from one-line drives you mad IMO.
I agree with Karen – free speech is like a free lunch, and really there isn’t one. There is a limit that cannot, should not be tolerated. But where the limit is has to be thought about.
People being awkward and demanding that another point of view should be considered by the entrenched and the prejudiced, can raise hate against that sort of free speech.
People mocking the good efforts of sincere people – there needs to be a limit. Repetition is tiresome after the fourth/fifth time?
I agree that free speech comes at a cost: eternal vigilance.
Moral and legal boundaries are fuzzy and subjective human constructs, not absolute Laws of Nature.
Once you start to limit free speech because of perceived or anticipated risk or because of mockery or tiresome remarks or because of general dislike and disagreement you start to erode the fundamental basic principle of freedom and choice. But there’s more to it; it is an immensely complex issue:
Only in the freedom of our speaking with one another does the world, as that about which we speak, emerge in its objectivity and visibility from all sides.
Indeed, what would be the point of writing something online if it had no intended consequence? I always try and keep in mind the silent readers (‘lurkers’) of TS.
What people say in your dining room is up to you. If you don’t like them, they don’t get invited to dinner.
That’s all that happened here – he was entertaining and interesting, but became an obnoxious jerk, and then went well off the deep end into being nothing more than a crudely offensive liar. Invitation:revoked.
Disagree to a point. There are a few people I socialise with because I really like them but their political views I utterly disagree with. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? That’s people and human relationships for you 😉
I find that there’s enormous leeway here on TS on what people can say, which is as it should be IMO; a reflection of how we like society to be perhaps? That said, there are clear rules here and if these get repeatedly violated then this has obvious consequences. However, this is not an argument against free speech, rather the opposite IMHO.
I most certainly don’t like everything that appears here on TS but I would not want any of that content be blocked or banned solely for that reason – nobody would know anyway and taken to extreme, everything would be blocked because there’s always one that disagrees. In fact, I’d like to read more counter-arguments and proper debate here between mature people; the day I’d agree with everything that gets written here on TS is the day I’d leave this site because life is too short to be constantly nodding in agreement with essentially and effectively myself …
I hope I explained this well enough; as I said, it is a hugely complex issue.
On the personal level, yeah, you like those folks. But people we don’t like, we don’t socialise with.
With regards to the wider “free speech” issue, whether legally some things should be banned, of course things like incitement to violence should be banned.
And frankly, I think nazis/neonazis/tikitorchists come under that level. When someone gets to the degree that they’re yelling, in the bible-belt US, “the Jews will not replace us”, that’s a contagious paranoia that can only lead to violence.
I guess I wasn’t clear enough, my bad. I like “those folks” enough to socialise with them but I vehemently dislike their political and racist views. Somehow, I can look/move past their ‘objectionable’ views because it doesn’t fully describe or define them, if that makes any sense.
Yes, there have to be boundaries but these are almost always very fuzzy and open to interpretation and dependent on context, etc. It never is black & white, thankfully or unfortunately …
Inciting violence crosses a line. Making threats crosses a line. But somebody with extreme views is allowed to speak as long as he/she doesn’t cross certain lines. Similarly, unless somebody poses a definite risk (…) to the community (or State) there’s nothing that can and should be done to silence this person (or lock them up). The real question is not so much where to draw the line but how to avoid or prevent the line from being crossed by when it is already too late. Free speech might actually help although it can be a double-edged sword …
@ McFlock
Yes I agree – and when someone takes over the discussion – shouts everyone else down – turns everything to what they think, and dominates to the exclusion of everyone else. Is that “freedom of speech” tolerable? Particularly if they are merely parroting memes from propaganda sites?
I am friends and have amiable relationships with the occasional tory, but not nazis. They’re jerks. Because nazi. Not just because their views are different to mine, but mostly because the nature of nazi beliefs means that they want someone with my beliefs (i.e. not nazi) to die. Because that’s what nazis do: make non-nazis die.
As for fuzzy boundaries, that’s what courts are for. When in doubt, charge them and let the courts sort it out.
People left the site last year because of what was going on. So for me it’s not an issue of free speech. Everyone in NZ is free to say what they like up to the limits of the law around things like inciting race hatred or violence. But they don’t all have equal access to publishing.
On TS it’s an issue of supporting robust debate for the widest range of people possible within the aims of the site (the labour movement).
When you have people being anti-social from their racism, sexism etc, it’s not a problem of their views but their behaviour.
My friendships can be quite complex, I admit; I’m a complex person myself.
The courts are there to determine whether legal boundaries have been crossed. The BSA deals with other kinds of complaints, etc. Who decides when/where moral/ethical boundaries have been crossed? It depends on the realm and nature of the transgression or alleged violation of the rules. But generally speaking, morality is less well covered than legal boundaries by the Law and for good reasons I think …
It may be better to distinguish between the freedom of speech here on TS and the fundamental right that is freedom of speech for every citizen in a democracy such as ours; there’s much overlap/similarity, of course, but they are not one and the same thing.
I feel it is beyond my ‘remit’ as occasional Guest Poster to do a post in this but I’m tempted; it is obviously a contentious issue, as this thread and a very recent exchange in OM have shown, and potentially risky as it might ‘test’ the boundaries of TS rules …
You’re definitely safer doing it as a post than as comments. I’m a lot more willing to give more time and latitude to the former than I do to the latter.
The reason is obvious. We usually have something between 25-60 posts a week and about 12 of those are routine ones, OpenMike etc. But we can have 1500-8000 comments in week, and that is after I automatically chop a thousand or so of comments with prefilters for robots. (I have been promising some stats on that for a while without having the time to pull them off).
Anyway, the amount of time spent reading comments is several orders of magnitude larger for moderators, and that is even without the time required to respond to issues. So we skim comments and apply some pretty coarse routines.
Basically the way I run it after a decade on this site (and more on older systems) is that if I have to slow down to actually read a comment, then you are already guilty of something. It could be intelligence or lie or liability or trolling or stupidity or just a good laugh. The next pass is essentially a question of if I think it adds to the site dialogue or not. And then I start looking at exactly what was said and sometimes the context.
CV’s problem (since this discussion started about him) was in the latter stages he was making the virtually every discussions he was involved in to be about him and not about much else, it was highly repetitive, and spread across posts. The same had happened in the backend previously with his senseless war with TRP. It didn’t add anything to the site, but caused a lot more work and purposeless aggravation to moderation and authors. So he progressively got the chop from author down to a ban.
That was an extreme example because of the descent from author to banned. But it is essentially the same as every other person who gets a ban. We like robust debate, which is why you see a pretty deliberate policy to try not to ban on ideological grounds. But senseless, boring and above repeated stupidity just makes work for us both directly with things like legal liability and because we have to wind up cleaning up the flamewar messes.
The basic rule about “free speech” here is to do it without substantively increasing the workload of the volunteer moderators for with valueless waffle or having to stop too much to check the comments. In short, we expect you and all other commenters to self-moderate.
If people absolutely have to have a say that is going to cause issue here, then it pays to signal that you are aware that is what you are doing to the moderators. Then consider that the net is wide and we don’t constrain your “free speech” at one of the many other sites that you can have your say on. We just constrain it where we have to do the work for you.
It’s only drawbacks seem to be that we’re not always clear when we’re talking about the personal realm (in which I include privately-funded blogs as much as dinner guests), the legal realm, or the moral realm.
I also think we’re on pretty much the same page regarding how the law should treat freedom of speech and where the line is, but we may disagree on whether certain cases (nazis) meet that line.
I also think there might be a discussion as to whether there’s a point that one’s opinions or behaviour does in fact define them. From my perspective, an amiable and gregarious raconteur who happens to be a nazi is just a more dangerous kind of nazi, rather than just being pleasant company with alternative views to mine.
Yes, it has been a very good discussion so far, which I really appreciate, thank you.
Many arguments are based on or start off as misunderstandings, talking passed each other, and then descend from there as it were. Once you’re down the rabbit hole in a communication or relationship – pretty similar things IMO – it is very hard to find your way back and crawl out of it. If you do manage you’re covered in ‘soil’ and feel ‘dirty’, at least, I do.
You’re saying that a ‘pleasant’ Nazi still is a Nazi. This is true, to a point, because they are so many things, all in one person. There’s a difference between being a Nazi, behaving or acting like a Nazi, and crossing a legal boundary (i.e. committing a punishable offence) IMO. I guess your argument is that it is only a matter of time before they will cross such a line. This is where I beg to differ and give them the benefit of the doubt. I do agree that many, but not all, can do horrible things under certain circumstances, but this is by no means unique to Nazis; Hannah Arendt held this view too.
Nazis have an ideology of sorts, but many racists or sexists, for example, do not. That’s an important difference in how we deal with people and their views that we don’t agree with or intensely dislike and outright reject. Many simply parrot their parents or peers …
Free speech and raising awareness is the best way to be vigilant and possibly even to transcend extreme views. Once you stop/block communication evil will run its course, no matter what is its ‘name’ …
But then discussing with evil as if it’s a reasonable argument lends evil a legitimacy that it should be denied.
Nobody is perfect in their outlook, but as soon as people start saying Hitler was nice to his dog or put equally irrelevant praise upon him, they’re trying to minimise the entire holocaust. Or if they’re parading in the streets using the old slogans, they’re supporting the holocaust.
Let me be completely clear: Nazis shouldn’t be shunned, banned, mocked, and so on because they are at the top of a slippery slope and might break the law. All of those things should be done to them because spreading those opinions as a rational point of view necessitates murder. Every single time solitary nazis feel empowered to gather and express their views as if they are a legitimate part of society, people end up dying before society is forced to crack down on them again.
A pleasant nazi is a dangerous nazi because they make nazis seem pleasant, acceptable, even entertaining. They legitimise being a nazi. But as soon as one is a nazi, one isn’t a number of things, one is a nazi with a number of characteristics.
There’s no such thing as a moderate nazi. There’s just a nazi who hasn’t killed anyone yet.
Thank you for the clarification and I will keep it in mind if/when I write such a post; I’d like to think I’m quite good at self-moderation; not so good at self-medication 😉
I think TS is a wonderful forum with shed loads of freedom and moderated as well as is humanly possible.
All this talk of Nazis… John Maynard Keynes. I’m going to assume you’d have been fairly open to sitting down for a beer with him. Nice chap. Some interesting stuff to say on economics.
The same John Maynard Keynes who was director of the Eugenics Society from 1937 to 1944.
Eugenics. The widespread and popular belief that pre-dated the Nazis, that justified forced sterilization in many states in the US and an idea that the Nazis merely exploited, didn’t conceive.
Fascism – Mussolini’s Italy. Where Roosevelt turned to in order to figure out how to lay in the social provisions of the ‘New Deal’.
USSR – the idea that an elite could order a society ‘just so’ for the betterment of humankind….Not fascism?
Methinks you lack nuance. Or maybe it’s that you’d position yourself betwixt and between those supposedly extreme poles of left and right, in some civilised or “safe” space, But then what wind-blown seeds does that ground inevitably contain?
You put your finger on it with the USSR: as you put it, initially designed to bring about the betterment of human kind. So, not nazis, even if it was an authoritarian dictatorship that killed millions of people.
Upon consideration, I’m not sure I’d put nazis on the continuum between left and right, let alone the extreme end.
In the case of nazis, we should all lack nuance. Even the fascists were originally better than the nazis, although they jumped on board so fuck them, too.
Had the term “fascism” been around in 1919, it would have been applied to the Bolsheviks.
Mussolini (just like the Bolsheviks) insisted his order was for the betterment of humankind. The difference was that he teased the monolithic Bolshevik model a tad to give more agency and legitimacy to things other than “the party” – the state.
Roosevelt wasn’t a fascist (to be a Nazi one would have had to have been German and living in Germany), but he was very accommodating of fascism and, like I say,relied on fascists to show him how to implement social programmes.
And Keynes wasn’t a Nazi either. Like I say. He was a proponent of eugenics.
If the fascists and bolsheviks were interchangable, the fascists would have been called bolsheviks because the bolsheviks came first.
So Roosevelt looked at fascist social programmes and keynes was a eugenics supporter. That makes neither of them nazis. Did roosevelt only look at fascist social programmes? Did the fascists invent the concept? I bet no. Does one have to be a nazi to be a eugenicist? Again, no. Does one even need to be a eugenicist to be a nazi? I doubt many could even spell the word.
I think that Hannah makes something sound clear and noble that is debatable and moulded. Do kiwiblog points get clearer and more visible as their denizens partake in that echo chamber?
I like your point about fuzzy and subjective human constructs.
But the things you mention and I noted can destroy an attempt at thoughtful discussion on the blog. People can’t be distracted from focussing on the various important points by mockery et al and still be able to get an overview of strengths and weaknesses of whatever they set out to consider.
Not all of us have clarity of thought and/or writing (communicating) especially when dealing with complex topics. Sometimes mockery is a bad/failed attempt at humour or sarcasm; it’s not always necessarily intended to distract. But I take your point that there are people who like to deliberately derail debate. I can ignore these but others may not be able; banning bad behaviour on TS is not the same as banning free speech as Lynn has just explained very well @ 9.44 pm.
Edit: for me clarity often comes through writing …
Free societies have plenty of sanctions against toxic speech – a common example is shouting ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theatre when there is no fire, slander, false advertising, criminal conspiracy and so on.
Any ideal can be subject to reductio ad absurdum and absolute liberalism that gives free reign to those who seek to destroy it is untenable.
CV sought to actively disrupt discourse with misogynistic, racist, antisemitic and racist abuse and outright lies and deliberate misinformation.
A perfectly liberal forum is not possible, and in the interests of a maximally liberal discourse, restrictions on those who seek ultimately to destroy it are reasonable and justified.
Another thread warns of the coming digital war and whether or not you believe that Russia interfered in the US presidential election, you know that trolling can be systematic and targeted.
On an aside, people talk about Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Margaret Atwood as being the dark prophets of our age, I’m thinking that the one who really got it was William S. Burroughs with his writing about viral information, feedback and Nova Mobs.
Yes, I agree with all that. The Devil is in the detail, as they say.
The only possible way to protect freedom against those who seek to limit it is to give them as much freedom as possible, without prejudice. That’s the paradox.
There seems to be some apprehension about CV returning here. It might never happen and if it does a ‘welcoming guard’ might be poised to pounce … Regardless of whether I like the guy or not, whether I like his views or not, he’s done ‘his time’ and should be given a fair chance IMHO. I can only speak for myself and fully accept that other people don’t share my views on free speech in general or CV in particular. In any case, it’s not about winning an argument, it’s about exploring the tension between opposing views.
Incognito
But where and how is the freedom allowed, pursued? People can’t come in and take over this blog with prattle. How could we ever get to discuss anything and be able to see trends and exchange information that a few people could add to their info and make discoveries on important subjects.
To me it’s not necessarily winning an argument, it is seeing other points of view which after consideration, would need to be put aside, until a clearer picture of the situation would be seen. I myself question whether I should be spending time exploring tensions between opposing views. Ultimately I might not give a fig for someone’s view unless I know enough about their expertise and ability to sift information. It’s getting useful information and putting it all together so that a possible scenario can emerge that’s best.
But hearing others points and then asking them questions, and receiving understandable answers back, enables a hypothesis to be developed. It’s groping your way to a real possibility, rather than having sweeping, confident opinions dumped take it or leave it.
What a load of old rubbish I am talking probably anyone would say.
Your comment made perfect sense to me, thank you, although I had to read it twice 😉
Ultimately I might not give a fig for someone’s view unless I know enough about their expertise and ability to sift information.
This is where I differ in opinion; it is the quality of the argument that counts for me and how it is supported by verifiable facts and reasoning. For example, you don’t know anything about my area(s) of expertise yet I am an expert. I do try to let my words do all the talking without having to rely on my known & public credentials. FYI, my credentials would be no help for what I write about anyway.
The learning is done and new insights are being attained between opposing views, not at the extreme ends; this is the nature and pursuit of debate IMO.
Incognito at 11.10 23/10
Actually what I meant about knowing the person, I meant what I can gain as to reliability and honesty from reading their comments, as much as what they actually share about their persona. I respect yours and not only because you occasionally agree with me!
There are others here that I think highly of, and I may never know just who they are or meet them. But their minds are great, and their intellect sparks and their integrity seems good, and if they have some humour and sometimes self-deprecate, I think they are all right!
Free speech always comes with consequences. Telling lies about people is slander and you can be sued for that. You can also be discredited and shunned by others and on a blog banned. It would be very unhealthy if people could say whatever they liked with no consequences. Screaming out fire in a crowded movie theatre when there is no fire should also have consequences.
I do not disagree the slightest. I was not referring to crossing lines but rather to the large grey area, the ‘dark zone’ or ‘desert of discontent’ that you have to transverse before you cross an imaginary line/boundary, a ‘point of no return’.
I found CV intelligent and interesting – didn’t agree with everything but at least someone was thinking and contributing outside the groupthink that can take hold here. Granted I missed the controversy being discussed above by the sound of it.
With that context, it’s quite plausible that if the US had followed a different socio-cultural development the current interpretation of the Second Amendment would focus entirely on the starting bit ” A well-regulated militia…” and there would be no individual right to bear arms at all.
True Andre – but then John Wayne would have been out of a job.. and Roy Rogers.. and the Lone Ranger…. Then where would we get the silver bullet to solve all the world’s problems?…
Here it is, readers of The Standard, our raison d’etre! Chris Trotter describes the driving need for us all to do what we can to support the new Government against the forces of darkness, as exemplified by Richard Prebble, here on this blog and out in the wider world – cool bananas!
“And not only Peters’ protection will be needed. Every progressive New Zealander who understands the magnitude of the fight which Peters’, Ardern’s and Shaw’s decision to pursue “real change” has made inevitable, must be prepared to come to the aid of the three parties – Labour, NZ First and the Greens – which have committed themselves to fulfilling the hopes and dreams of the 50.4 percent of the New Zealand electorate who voted for them.”
Out of the post-election turmoil, let’s hope we can build a better society and government.
Yesterday saw the despair of the WiPeds – those poor souls afflicted with Winston Peters Demonisation Syndrome; and of the JASPs – those other souls in awestruck fear of Jacinda Ardern’s Supernatural Powers.
For the majority of us Pipeds, now is the time to work really hard for the humanisation, and democratisation of politics, economics, and social policy.
Your a regional councillor Robert and I have a lot of time for your enthusiastic support of all things green and I have heard you talk on your bush tucker and your Eden in the south.
The forces of darkness have been working overtime in Canterbury this weekend ,targetting a regional councillor like yourself. I may have missed it because I have been fishing but how can we stop hate crimes like this ?
New Zealand’s new prime minister calls capitalism a ‘blatant failure’
‘If you have hundreds of thousands of children living in homes without enough to survive, that’s a blatant failure. What else could you describe it as?’
Ms Ardern said: “When you have a market economy, it all comes down to whether or not you acknowledge where the market has failed and where intervention is required. Has it failed our people in recent times? Yes.
“How can you claim you’ve been successful when you have growth roughly three per cent, but you’ve got the worst homelessness in the developed world?”
Capitalism a blatant failure.
On Radionz this am Colin Peacock has had two interesting speakers both giving their take on capitalism and its future moves. I’m really enthused about Paul
Mason’s ideas which provide a framework for the future that mirrors things said on this blog when looking to the future, UBI moves etc.
politics
The future of the labour force
From Labour Day, 8:40 am today
Economics journalist Paul Mason says globalisation has created a whole new class of working people and the world is on the verge of a post-capitalism where work is being reinvented.
politics
Bringing capitalism back from the brink
From Labour Day, 8:10 am today
The face of British business, former UK Minister for Trade – Lord Digby Jones, explains how business and capitalism needs to be fixed to benefit everyone.
The face of British business, former UK Minister for Trade – Lord Digby Jones, explains how business and capitalism needs to be fixed to benefit everyone.
The problem being that it can’t be fixed as the whole point of capitalism is private ownership of everything. Which leaves out all those that can’t own anything because of everything being owned by a few.
Poverty is caused by capitalism and it cannot be corrected because it’s how capitalism operates.
Yep the clue is in the word “capital” + “ism” == worship of money, i.e. “the business of business is business”, building massive glittering edifices of steel and glass to honour their false gods.
As in all things, it shall pass.
As opposed to “socialism” which prioritises social outcomes, i.e. people. The taonga of Aotearoa.
“He tangata, he tangata, he tangata”
A market economy would work if everyone followed the rules. The problem is those with money do not follow the rules and cheat at the market economy every chance they can. They get a National government to break the unions that help the workers get their fair share of the profit to keep wages down artificially low below real market rate. If they are not paying a fair wage to attract local workers, they get a National government to allow them to import cheap labor from outside of the country as another way to help keep the wages artificially low. Greed is the thing that always makes a market economy fail.
They must be repeated later also as some people dont wake up early as we all do.
Some dont have internet or any method other thatn radio broadcast so repeats of these true “public affairs” programs be re-presented again today on “Labour day”
The incomming new Minister of Broadcasting must take the word Steven joyce put behind RNZ (National) out of the broadcasting platform as Political parties names should not be advertised on a Public radio netwok.
Isn’t it controversial that Back Benches burnt down not once but twice I liked watching Wallies mediate on that program they put the neo libreals feet to the coals a few times and helped keep people honest I guess Key could not handle the truth getting out in to the public there is a sure trail to follow there
‘Revealed: China’s network of influence in New Zealand.
A major research paper into China’s soft-power campaign in New Zealand has detailed ………… extensive links between China and former New Zealand politicians and their families, and also highlights significant political donations.
University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady, the author of the research paper, said she was disturbed by her findings.
“This is about our democracy and about our sovereignty. Anybody who reads the report will find this troubling,” she told the Herald.
Brady said the influence campaign being waged in New Zealand would be of concern regardless of its source.
“It’d be the same if it was any country: it’s not about China, but it’s our country and our democracy where we value freedom of speech and association. It’s our right to choose our government.”
‘Budgeting services in Rotorua say hard-hit families are struggling under the weight of crippling debt.
People were juggling millions of dollars in debt with one agency working to help its clients reduce $12.6m in the year to June.
Rotorua Budget Advisory Service manager Pakanui Tuhura said to the year ended in June it had worked one on one with 564 clients that had a total debt of $12.6m. The majority was owed on mortgages, money to government departments, bank loans, finance company loans and other types of loans.
Its figures show about $4.6m was unsecured debt with $8m secured, while in the year ended in 2016 it had helped 764 clients deal with $19.4m in debt.
Mr Tuhura said unfortunately the clients it dealt with “have pretty much hit rock bottom”.’
What do you think Labour will do to stop stupid poeple from taking drugs that might contain weed killer or fly spray or other poisons that may kill them??
I’m hoping they’ll do the sensible thing and legalise drugs and tax them and sensibly regulate them so they actually contain what’s claimed and not weedkiller or flyspray or whatever else.
And don’t forget the potential TAX revenue, in the states, the tax revenue is not to sniffed at, this revenue can be used directly to support addictions.
It might do to recall that these products were legal and that they have a high incidence of addiction from users.
The stupidity started with decision to make these products legal without concern for the consequences.
Synthetic cannabis is no longer legal, but we still have to deal with the consequences of introducing this toxic product to the public without due consideration and precaution.
You should save your vitriol for Dunne, and those who considered allowing synthetic cannabis to be preferable to the conversation about decriminalising the use of the natural product.
According to 1 herald journalist the Nats will introduce a PMB on Kermadec sanctuary to “drive a wedge” in the coalition… not because a sanctuary is of itself a good idea or in the interests of NZ… but to get back in power sooner.
Not surprising in the least tracey – the strategy of poor losers who are continuing to support an ill-prepared brain-fart that Key used to big-note himself at the UN. If necessary, the coalition can use the English (Parental Leave) veto strategy while engaging in meaningful and transparent dialogue to ensure that a just, viable and legally enforceable sanctuary is established.
Right and the opposition should just sit there and do nothing, the Kermadec sanctuary was a good idea and if the Green party decide to support it then thats how MMP works
Mind you I would have thought the problems with the coalition wouldn’t have started until after they’ve become the actual government
No they should not do nothing. They should be constructive in opposition for a better NZ. A sanctuary that Nats never mentioned during an election campaign seems a strange place to start. Not that they have started anything openly yet
This, if it happens, will do a lot of good for National. It’ll embarrass Labour, it will reiterate what National were saying about NZFirst (though I think National should reach out to NZFirst personally) and will remind the population about how effective National is even when its not in power and, by default, how ineffectual the government is
Throw in the morale boost of sticking it to the government and putting the government on the back foot it can also start to signal to the Greens that maybe, in the future, the Greens don’t have to be Labours poor cousin and maybe a seat in cabinet is a possibility…
Also this is only a possibility because of what Labour was willing to do for power
The only thing the National party was effective at was doing nothing and racking up the largest debt this country has ever seen to pay for their dumfounded tax cut policy that resulted in massive deficits and took nearly a decade to correct.
A New era… or yet another DP trick. But guess we’ll have to wait another day to find out
as “New Zealand First Party refused to say whether the Kermadec proposal was alive or dead.
It said that information would have to await the release of the party’s coalition agreement with Labour on Tuesday….”
National is considering a member’s bill promoting the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary – and potentially driving a wedge between two parties in the new government in the process.
All of the afore mentioned JC when’describing’ Nick Smith.
But is Nick Smith being “malicious, spiteful, hostile, evil-minded, baleful, bitter, evil-intentioned, poisonous, venomous, evil, malign, malignant, rancorous, vicious, vindictive, revengeful, vengeful, pernicious; cruel, fierce, nasty or malevolent” ?
but when a fulla i was docking with complained about mmp and wanted it gone ,
i said it’s the only way to control political party getting out of control as we have no upper house
In these days of people losing connection with rural areas and getting more open-minded about how people relate to each other, “fulla I was docking with” might not get understood the way you meant.
But yeah, MMP makes it more likely compromise and coalition building will be needed for government. But the presence of more than one layer of government won’t prevent elected dictatorships. The only thing that’s saving the US from one right now is the turd tornado’s utter incompetence. And they have three levels of government.
I’ve seen it happen a few times. And been soundly told off when my niece and nephew asked “what’s for dinner” and I told them “Bambi’s mother”. But the sudden vegetarianism usually only lasts until the next bacon fry-up.
It was one of those tasks that convinced me that farming was all about doing automatable tasks by hand whilst sitting on the land and making enough to get get by. While looking for a good capital gain out at the end. Not my scene back in 1977 when I spent a year as a farmhand to make that decision.
I have to change my email because of Vodafone’s clear.net.nz shutting down. Someone replying to my email had it returned address unknown and Vodafone was giving till end of November I thought.
That’s why I still want to keep my landline. When you get into the hands of these flighty capitalist concerns, they are always trying to take over each other, or invent something that will take the others’ business or put them out of business. Half our time is spent on learning new stuff that replaces old stuff that worked okay.
I find it frustrating that big corproations push people to use new technologies in the way they want.
I still prefer landlines for phone and Internet. I can’t understand why so many people have switched to pay for use mobiles, when landline free local calling is still available. i rarely have my mobile switched on, have voicemail for my landline, but businesses especially try to contact me by mobile, and ignore my landline.
Sometimes I don’t switch my mobile on for days or even weeks.
I also prefer my email to come through my computer system. I distrust wifi and clouds and think landlines, and backups to external hard drives, are still more secure.
I am switching to spark, and have to wait til the connection is activated before I get a Spark email account.
I have requested vodafone to forward my mail to a gmail addy in case there is a period between vodafone and spark email accounts.
But, I think vodafone’s email was already not working well, which is why they have closed thee service down.
My vodafone emails to friend in the UK have not got to her for the last year.
gmail is not adequate for all my email – it’s clunky.
While I like many new technologies, I’m mostly selective about the ones I go for. I distrust the motives of big corporations when trying to push us in specific directions.
Vodafone’s internet service drove me back to drink (briefly). It was an unfunny version of the dead parrot sketch spread over weeks. Now I’m with Spark and I’ve found the service reliability and customer relations immensely superior.
Never use Twitter, Instagram etc. Never noticed any deficit in my life for not having them. Someone once titled a book Data Smog and that seems to suit most social media – they obscure instead of reveal and they’re toxic.
I agree, gmail has an awful interface.
Likewise, I still use a landline and I’ve never had a mobile. Christopher Nolan supposedly never uses one either. If he can handle the logistics of big budget films without one, everyday life is easy without one.
I get most of my information from books because they’ve been researched, referenced, attributed, edited, redrafted and critically reviewed.
While I have a voracious appetite for information, I take Mustrum Ridcully’s example with messages – if someone comes up to you with a message, ignore them. If they go away, it wasn’t important or they could deal with it themselves.
In the end, I think that time capsules are even superior to pigeons. Someone opens one up, finds a note and it reads, “Go away, I’m dead.”
I use my Gmail through Thunderbird. The only problem I have with that though is that it’s interface with Google Calendar is rather limited.
I get most of my information from books because they’ve been researched, referenced, attributed, edited, redrafted and critically reviewed.
Well, sometimes anyway. I doubt a book from The Heritage Foundation is any of those things as they’re designed to lead people to the wrong conclusions.
Carolyn-nth
Recently I gave my landline number, which has an answerphone, to a business and they said don’t you have a mobile. Time wasn’t important and I couldn’t see why they dismissed the landline number.
I agree about using emails. This drive to have your whole life targeted at your cellphone, so little, so portable, so slippery, so likely to need constant topping up, I can’t understand.
It seems that people are hypnotised by tech, and conformist to the extreme in all wanting to use it. Also businesses want everything these days, your address, your email, your cellphone, and landline. Stuff them, why, are they going to sell it.
Now the tech mad are talking about not having codes for door locks, and keys are out, and the latest is no plastic cards but eye reading etc. Everything is becoming too complicated, and creates barriers rather than facilitating entry and freedom.
It may be cheaper for those who use mobiles a lot, and feel a need to have a phone connection wherever they go.
For me, who rarely uses a mobile from one month to the next, it looks like the frequent users are being subsidised by those of us who use mobiles only very occasionally.
There may be a bit of that with landlines, but it’s more of a level playing field. And I prefer a landline connection for the Internet – so basically, my mobile is only for emergencies.
It may be cheaper for those who use mobiles a lot, and feel a need to have a phone connection wherever they go.
For those on a benefit WINZ requires you to have a phone. As they don’t then pay for the phone it’s only the cheapest option that works.
For me, who rarely uses a mobile from one month to the next, it looks like the frequent users are being subsidised by those of us who use mobiles only very occasionally.
Pre-pay with most telcos is $20/year.
There may be a bit of that with landlines, but it’s more of a level playing field.
The people being subsidised the most happen to be businesses. Same as retail customers subsidise them on power as well. And the subsidy is huge. When I was at TelstraClear they were actually losing money on business customers but still making a decent profit because of the residential. Meanwhile the business customer were called VIPs.
And I prefer a landline connection for the Internet – so basically, my mobile is only for emergencies.
So do I – it just doesn’t have a phone number on it. Why have a home phone when anybody who calls you is going to call on the mobile?
It is increasingly becoming the case that mobiles seldom get used for voice.
I’m a pretty typical bleeding edge user of technology, and usually shift patterns well before anyone else. I have a moderately expensive plan. It has unlimited voice. Unlimited texts. And 7.5GB of mobile data.
So my average voice this year was 20 minutes per month, and 30 txts. But I average 5.8GB of data over the last year and about 3GB the year before. If I could drop voice and txt and still have a phone number then I would do so. Easy enough to use something like signal or whatsapp.
At home I have unlimited data (mostly for The Standard) and a VOIP landline that costs $10 per month. That is only used for incoming for the elderly and the apartment door.
It has unlimited voice. Unlimited texts. And 7.5GB of mobile data.
To be honest, I’m still amazed that we’re letting the telcos screw us over with the idea of texts and voice minutes which they charge more for. It’s just data and should be charged at the same rate as data.
Did you tell Vodafone your new email address? You need to should you wish for email to be redirected to alternative email address. Voda is doing it for free. Much better than Sparks $20 per month fee if you want to keep @xtra email address when you move elsewhere.
It doesn’t cost anything to have any email sent to my old Spark address forwarded to Gmail – I just used the “push” function that’s available as part of setting up a Gmail account.
Spark does provide free email with a net connection, though.
And, I don’t like any web-based email as a reception for vodafone emails indefinitely.
Ultimately, sometimes we have always had to change ph numbers, addresses, and email addresses.We let people and organisations that matter know of the changes.
Get a gmail account, it’s free and can be accessed anywhere in the world and does’t matter who the internet provider is, it will be the same for the rest of your life.
Thanks NewsFlash
Good advice. I may just have to take it and also revise other that I have received. I am conflicted. When it comes to google I use it so much, and have an email a/c with them which had become a necessity to fit in with others I work with. But I feel that google is right beside me everything I do.
And perhaps I can have my own email a/c separate from the google one connected with my volunteer work. So I was thinking of Outlook which is Spark I think. There are only two I am told. So.. I will have to get onto it next week.
Just been over at KB quite entertaining reading the nonsense, they refer to Jacindarella as the Tooth Fairy, Mr Ed and describe her as flippertigibbert, some quite nasty little people over there at KB or should we call it Hobbitsville.
I think the Hobbits in general were just little people trying to make a life. I don’t think that applies to KW and WO – they try to dissect life, and throw away all the good bits.
So, an industry is now calling for government subsidies to survive?
You’ll note that that industry was quite happy selling all their logs offshore for premium prices when the going was good. Now that it appears to be not so good they’re calling for government assistance.
EDIT:
And. no, I wouldn’t build a high-rise building out of wood. The fire hazard would be atrocious.
The fire hazards are similar. It’s what’s in the building that’s the fire hazard rather than the structure. Steel and concrete structures have to be fire protected so the steel doesn’t loose strength in a fire long enough for everyone to get out. It’s trivial to give a big wooden structure the same protection, and the wooden structure will stand up much better from the heat.
I’m the opposite, I wouldn’t live in a steel framed house because they melt like chocolate in a fire.
Agreed. At a school I was working at, there were 2 Gymnasia (!) together side by side. One was with big Lockwood beams from the early 70s. The other was a tidy, modern steel-frame unit. One fire started by arsonists between the two buildings burnt both badly. Afterwards the Lockwood beams stood proud, badly charred, but in original shape. The steel frames of the modern building slewed in all directions, broken, twisted, and in utter disarray.
I wouldn’t live in a steel framed house because they melt like chocolate in a fire.
1. Neither would I. I’d probably use foam sandwich.
2. We’re actually talking about high-rise buildings which, as you point out, have all the necessary protections built in already. I doubt if it would be trivial to build those protections into a high-rise building made out of wood due to the wood taking up so much more room.
Foam sandwich, huh? What kind of foam core you got in mind?
Every candidate foam I’m aware of either is a fantastic fuel for fires (such as polystyrene as used in panels for coolstores etc), stuffed full of really nasty flame retardants, or really really expensive.
Well, definitely wouldn’t be using polystyrene. That stuff shouldn’t be anywhere near a building.
Haven’t really looked beyond conception yet. More of a if you can build boats out of it then you can build houses out of it and get all the insulation benefits. And, if done right, be a faster build.
And the resins and fibres in it can be sourced from hemp.
Back in the 70’s the old Forest Service built a lot of bridges, with gluelam beams. Some of them were quite big, and to a very high loading for off highway logging trucks. I’d presume they are still standing. I was involved with a couple in Lake Taupo Forest, east of Turangi.
One of the advantages of the material choice was fire performance. A wooden beam will maintain strength in a fire much better than a steel or prestressed concrete one of the same cold strength. Steel looses strength rapidly when it gets hot.
Well, well TS does it again, we come up with some really useful information to give us understanding of what’s going on politically, business-wise and technically.
Thanks Graeme that adds to the general mix of info.
Thousands rally in Malta to honour slain Panama Papers journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Murdered Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia played a leading role in exposing the role of NZ foreign trusts in international money-laundering.
On Sunday morning, all seven national newspapers had their front pages black in Caruana Galizia’s memory.
Printed in bold letters against the black backgrounds were the words:
“The pen conquers fear.”
Just before her death, Caruana Galizia had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were “crooks everywhere” in Malta.
The island nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the European Union and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe.
The journalist focused her reporting for years on investigating political corruption and scandals, and reported on Maltese mobsters and the island’s drug trafficking.
She also wrote about Maltese links to the so-called Panama Papers leaks about offshore financial havens.
_________________________________
Political commentator James Debono said that on Monday, Daphne was given the death penalty by someone who thought he was omnipotent.
It was very good that the government would do everything to catch the culprits he said, but that was not enough.
“We do not want to live in a mafia state, we do not want to be the washing machine of dictators’ and criminals’ money,” he said, “we need to show the criminals who killed Daphne that Malta has functioning institutions which we trust.
In the last years, the institutions have failed us, with the Panama scandal being hidden under the carpet.”
________________________________
Panama Papers journalist killed in Malta car bomb | Radio New Zealand News
The Maltese investigative journalist and blogger who led the investigation into the Panama Papers scandal has been killed by a car bomb.
(Includes April 2016 Radio NZ interview with Daphne Caruana Galizia)
_________________________________
So – when is former NZ Prime Minister John Key going to be investigated over the Panama Papers?
On 1 August 2017, the Chair of Transparency International Jose Ugaz stated at a meeting of over 200 people at Rutherford House, Victoria University that John Key should be investigated over the Panama Papers.
How do I know?
I was at that meeting and heard
Transparency International Chair Jose Ugaz say that John Key should be investigated over the Panama Papers, myself.
Well looks like I’m going to get Labour day off checked the weather cam in Tauranga its pisisting down and I would get a wet ass .
Now we can see all the bullshit money sloshing around in our MSM environment .
Prebble well he looks like a washed up bum and he will take anyone money and jump through any hoops I bet he is loving all the new media coverage he is getting so discount any thing he has to say as payed proper-gander.
Key well letts vote with our wallets and boycott anything he is doing in New Zealand .
As he is just setting him self up to launder all the 1% money through New Zealand and this gives him the power/ money to manipulate OUR systems to benefit him and his neo liberal M8. We don’t want him imprinting his bullshit values on US.
Kermadec Isands well my knowledge on this subject stems from my fishing days and observation of our country’s situation at the minute.
Back in the late 80’s we use to see heaps of lights out sea this was a foreign fishing fleet and they were reaping a bonanza and paying minimal money to US for there bounty.
These fishing fleets were more advanced than ours and they new more about our fishery’s than we did so in my view they were ripping US off.
Now the Kermadec are about 800 klm away So if they are made a sanctuary how are we going to protect these assets . It would cost to much to have our Navy or Air force protect these assets .
So in my view the best way to protect and preserve these assets is to have a sustainable fishing system put in place for OUR fishing fleet not a Quoter system but something more sustainable like limited horsepower and technology in that fisheries. As in the trawler industry it is horsepower that ultimately catchiest fish and this horse power could be a trader able asset in this location .This is one of the system that the fishermen wanted back in the day to preserve our fisheries .
And with OUR fishing fleet out there fishing sustainability they will protect our asset as if they see on there radar a boat that is ilegally fishing there they would call our air force and then they will be able to peruse the offender identified them and proceed with prosecution . Now please don’t get pissed off about my view as this is the only way we can protect an preserve OUR Kermadec Island assets and in the prosess we will benefit sustainable an keep foreigners from raiding them you see I did listen when I was a younger. Key wanted to make it a sanctuary and get back hands from his foreign M8 So they could keep raiding our assets Key’s no conservative who has hired him for promoting golf and they were the ones pillaging our fisheries back in the day kick Key OUT Ana Tou Kai
Now the Kermadec are about 800 klm away So if they are made a sanctuary how are we going to protect these assets . It would cost to much to have our Navy or Air force protect these assets .
I’d put a navy station up there and permanently keep some decent patrol ships there.
And, no, it wouldn’t cost too much. That’s a delusion caused by having the profit motive in producing military weaponry.
that too. I’ve been keen on NZ having a polar orbit surveillance satellites for sometime now. And we just so happen to be in a good place to launch them.
People this is about the now this is about a simple acceptable solution to a problem that national will use to dived OUR new coalition government and steal there mana and national will put a lot of effort to stain and strain this new partnership. About cost don’t we already owe 100 Billion + so any simple cost effective solutions to our problems should be grabbed with both arms as this method will mean more resources for our needy and everyone in our new coalition government will have reached there goal . Kei te pai
It’s doable, but it comes down to money weather you single layered or multi layered surveillance system. The issue I have how to enforce it from illegal fishing, so we take a soft or hard nose approach? I know what I want, but it comes with big price tag as well.
About cost don’t we already owe 100 Billion + so any simple cost effective solutions to our problems should be grabbed with both arms as this method will mean more resources for our needy and everyone in our new coalition government will have reached there goal .
And that’s because we’ve all been sold a lie about the basic nature of the economy. We’ve been told that we need to borrow from offshore and that is a lie.
A country/nation never needs to borrow money as it can create the money it needs and, as long as it has resources available and the taxes are done right, it’s non-inflationary.
So the right are carrying on with the lies, and are upping the game with threats of violence.
I see the herald is back to being the poster boy for violence against working people. Now they want a coup to put the pesky people who believe in democracy in their place.
What worries me is the incitement to violence which is so casual in this piece. Yeah the bare faced lies are there, but the casual call for political violence is disturbing, and shows a shift away from democracy for exponents of neo-liberalism.
We need to have the new government investigate if George Soros money is being channelled to NZ spin doctoring and media platforms, as this article shows it is possibly occurring world wide by this very sick man George Soros.
Austria bans Soros for funding the undemining of countries democratic systems..
How many times have you posted this now? At least three that I can think of.
If your article paints a fair picture of Kurz, then the guy’s nuttier than the buffet at a squirrel convention. But one look at the home page of that outfit suggests it’s probably not a fair picture.
There you go again Andre,
Comment without substance.
Read the post!!!!
“We need to have the new government investigate if George Soros money is being channelled to NZ spin doctoring and media platforms,”
I am now sending the message to Government to investigate if Soros money is being used to fund anti Government action such as trolls?
Maybe you can relate to that better than I do as you often send anti labour messages thinly spread I see.
The article was a conspiracy-nut rant devoid of any substantiation. It had precisely zero useful information about Soros and his activities. But it did helpfully let us know Kurz is a 9/11 troofer among his other apparent delusions.
BREAKING NEWS: George Soros Indicted For Voter Machine Fraud And More
April 26, 2017 Admin
BREAKING NEWS: George Soros Indicted For Voter Machine Fraud And More
After the state of Ohio found that voting machines in more than a dozen counties had been tampered with, they tied them directly to the George Soros Corporation. It took the Federal Election Commission less than an hour to get an indictment through the US Attorney after that. In under three hours total, George Soros was photographed sitting in a courtroom waiting to be arraigned.
Soros faces charges of election tampering, wire fraud, electronics fraud and perjury — as well as several smaller charges of inciting violence and harassment — after accounting books found in his office prove he personally paid the Berkely protestors as well as the group of liberal trolls that “goated” 26 conservative Facebook pages in 2014.
If convicted, Soros could face 30 years in prison and fines up to $40 million. He also runs the risk of having his citizenship revoked and being deported to his home country of Hungary. He was released on $10 million bail.
The prosecutor said this is just the beginning of the case against Soros and that it could go right up the rungs of the democratic party, possibly all the way to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The investigation is ongoing, but he says there is plenty of evidence to try and convict Soros on the charges he already faces.
“do you apply any skepticism at all to what appears on your screen?”
Yes when the shaddy name George Soros comes up as some ‘propose’ him as a saint!!!!
But Soros is simply another elitist member of “The Bilderberg Group”
widely known as “a highly secretive organisation”
Quote; “Soros is a key globalist individual who is essentially a ”front man” for giving a humanitarian and progressive face to globalist agendas. [Note— His supposed speculative investments are often coordinated with the people who create the currency changes he is betting on in the first place, being planned at meetings such as secretive Bilderberg conferences.”
[the IP you are using is attached to multiple IDs which are on a permanent ban. Adding you in too. If you think this is a mistake, email Lynn and make your case. Thanks btw for bringing this to my attention with a troll comment on your first day back after a 6 month ban, it makes our job so much easier. – weka]
Now 31 days since @jacindaardern last tweeted. What a waste of 100,000 followers when all eyes are on you as you form a new government. #nzpol— Gwynn Compton (@gwynncompton) October 22, 2017
I agree, although there has been a bit more action on her Facebook account since the election but little in the last week. https://www.facebook.com/jacindaardern/
Jacinda seems to do all her own social media on Twitter and Facebook, so it is perhaps understandable that she has had little time particularly in the last week.
In terms of her age and tertiary qualifications in Communications, social media seem important to her and she uses Facebook brilliantly* – but she is unlikely to be able to maintain these by herself in future. So I am hopeful she sees it as a priority to get help with this asap as it would be a shame to waste the vast number of followers she has on both Twitter and Facebook.
* Her two little ‘at home’ videos on the evening of the election (23 Sept) and the next day after the BBQ are well managed little ‘glimpses into life in the Ardern/Gayford household’.
But Paddles Ardern-Gayford now has a new Twitter account (“(Independent cat – not affurliated with the Labour Pawty”) with over 245 tweets in just two days!
veutoviper
Why not tweet Jacinda and suggest having a helper with her tweets to her. I thought that twitter was supposed to be good for getting personal thoughts to the individual more directly.
LOL, I am not actually signed up to Twitter! I am strictly a ‘voyeur’ when it comes to Twitter and have no desire to join as it can be a very toxic environment.
However, it is an excellent early information system to things happening before they hit the news. A quirk of the Twitter system is that if you don’t actually belong, you can read most Twitter accounts without following that account except where the account is fully protected – and you cannot also be blocked.
I have other direct communications channels to certain Labour (and other) MPs etc so will raise maintaining Jacinda’s social media accounts and providing help with them, but suspect it will be me telling much more social media qualified people ‘how to suck eggs’ so to speak!
In the meantime Paddles the cat’s Twitter account is getting a great worldwide following and is a lot of fun.
One other thing that got my scepticism going was that piece on news hub about vandalism down south on those dairy farms for one what would some intelligent people who are pro our environment gain from doing that stupid shit well nothing but bad publicity
against there cause come on these people are not stupid.
Whom is part of that story and could not hold a strait face to the camera well he is no other than Derek Crombie chief executive of the central plains water irrigation scheme.
So I say there is a conflict of interest going on there a smear campaign against OUR green movement. Where is all the proof one Tyre with a hole drilled in it a shot of a 10.000 ltr milk tank well that’s no proof in my view. these farmers are not coming up with this shit by them selves someone else is driving this deceit I have a good idea whom it is and I say that this threat to OUR new coalition Government should be taken as a threat to OUR national security and these people be found and prosecuted to stop this propergander and a pro advising campaign like no other all around our world put heaps of effort and resorces into it Like Bill Gates whom just had a ordinary operating sustems but he used advertising win the world over to his prouduct and this will guarantee our governments success to run Tautoko OUR fledgling Coalition Government Kia Kaha
And Bill Gates has more soft power than many countrys now and other power. This advertising campaign will benefit our exporters to so lets do this We have to win the world over to our ideals to win in the long game of things 100 + years
And the day to launch this campaign is the day that Winston crowns our new Queen prime opportunity to make a lasting impression of our new positive coalition government to the World. I’m making a donation to the Labour party now .
Please take this opportunity seriously as opportunity knocks but once and this is a great opportunity cement our new coalition government into power for a decade.
Did you hear how Trump was nice to Jacaranda and New Zealand .
That’s because we have a loud voice in most of the country’s in our world a voice that can influence people to see there reality and join the cause for mother earth and equality He should be nice to everyone .Lett’s start this promotional campain for our coalition Government and show the rest of the world there reality Ka pai
When one is sailing a Waka one does not shift the load to fast as this could cause the Waka to sink. I.E If wages are lifted to fast this will justifies some neo libral employers to say the sky is falling on there head and sack some staff and this will help the neo libral cause and one will have to check that the cargo in not rotten before they can make promises to dish it out Kapai.
Labour have already signalled that this is just the first step. Remember, too, that they’re also promising a move to the living wage for state sector employees, an end to the 90 Days’ Bill (no more “fire at will”, bringing in a “referee” service), honouring the equal pay recommendations of the recent working group, instituting Fair Pay Agreements for workers in exploitative industries… I’m not saying that we shouldn’t aim for a bigger shift over time, but let’s celebrate the good stuff, too!
I agree that a staggered approach is important to avoid sinking employers, but National have put minimum wage up every year since they were in office, generally 50c/hr, so IMO Labour have to put it up enough to significantly improve upon that.
And if everyone makes a donation for this positive advertising campaign to Tautoko our new coalition Government we will have our fair and equal society influencing the rest of the world to to change to a fair and equal WORLD this is what we need to do as this is the way our world works ka pai
Seeing as Labour won’t increase core benefit rates and the Greens were unable to secure it as a win, is there any possibility of beneficiaries getting a little extra over Christmas and long weekends? Giving them more fiscal scope to get together with their family and friends.
I agree with both of those points. That said, the review will ensure people actually get paid their full entitlements which will go a long way to get more money into people’s hands. Also, while I don’t think the review encompasses the actual rates specifically, it covers:
The welfare system will be overhauled. Specific promises include ensuring access to entitlements, removing “excessive sanctions” and reviewing Working for Families “so that everyone has a standard of living and income that enables them to live in dignity”.
While ensuring people receive their full entitlements is important and will help some (a number are already receiving their full entitlements) we must keep in mind full entitlements have largely been insufficient since the Ruth Richardson cuts.
As for improving Working for Families, it does nothing for families who’s children are no longer young and for those that don’t have dependents.
Whose, not who’s. Who’s means either who is or who has.
Chairman, you have been trying so earnestly to appear genuinely left-wing, but here you are concern trolling again, casting gloom over policies, and urging towards policies you secretly hope will alienate the public.
I just want other, new readers to be aware of you.
Of course, I may be wrong, and I am sure you will protest…
I’m merely shining the light of reality over policy. If that casts them in a gloomy way, it’s because in reality, they are.
If you are unhappy with that, blame the ones who created it, not the ones who highlight the flaws.
I advocate my own policy suggestions that I believe are required, thus will help. Moreover, are likely to muster support.
When it comes to you speculating on my positioning, you’ve always been wrong. And as I’ve told you (and a number of others) it’s not about me. So if you want to keep banging on about me, you can do it from the sideline.
Gloom is a matter of perspective. We’re just walking out of a dark cave of tory government, and you’re the dude looking at the sky and complaining it’s a little bit cloudy.
Most normal people are still blinking and trying to adjust to the new light level and warmth.
There’s been a few posts made since the give a little extra post (at 29) was made, therefore I sincerely hope it’s a case of the post not being noticed rather than an indication of the lack of support.
I noticed just now but first time I’ve looked at OM today so that’s my excuse 🙂
There’s been a “Christmas bonus” for beneficiaries in the UK forever, as far as I know it was still happening a couple of years ago despite the horrendous situation they’re in; I will check with my friend there tomorrow to see if she still gets it.
Of course one should be given here. Ethically and morally an increase for cost of living is more justified but we’re not naive enough to think that will happen. It hasn’t for 25 years, why change the habit of a generation now?
“There’s been a Christmas bonus for beneficiaries in the UK forever”
Interesting, I was unaware of that.
Unfortunately, Labour won’t commit to increasing core benefit rates, therefore a Christmas bonus would be better than nothing. And I thank you for your support.
I was surprised the Greens couldn’t even secure that (a Christmas bonus) from Labour, but at least they’re happy with their 3 MPs (outside of cabinet).
To be fair, perhaps they (the Greens) didn’t even consider it. Therefore, it could be something they could consider and help advocate for now?
It would be like getting Scrooge to have a change of heart at Christmas to get some extra for the bennies. And it should be only for the under 65s.
The poor things they do need it very badly some of them and while us oldies could do with more we tend to do better and get better treatment.
Jacinda comes across as very caring, but this would certainly put her to the test. If she knocks this back as well (Labour refused to increase core benefit rates) then she would be a “Scrooge”.
To be fair, the extra payment should be across the board.
The Government would get a lot of it back in tax as it is spent throughout the economy. And businesses would get a surge in demand.
Which would help appease a number on the right, giving it support from both sides, making it less of a political risk.
If enough of us here support and join in this cause, do you think we (through our combined blogging power and this site) could influence the new Government into paying out an Xmas bonus by this Christmas?
Why would businesses hosting online material take a long time to take down offensive or vicious material? A. Because their income and usefulness as a medium for others to interact with is affected by clicks and if there is a controversy, they will get more of those. A deviant system that feeds on others’ dramas and distress more than on the lesser results from good, happy events and news.
This happened to someone very tech savvy and now as a way of hopefully preventing it, there is a site to go to.
Likes there already something like ‘ethical investing’ by which people can demand their investment (e.g. pension/superannuation) not be invested in something they consider unethical (e.g. weapons industry). Similar pressure can and should be applied to advertisers who place their ads on ‘dubious’ or contentious websites. These advertisers should never be able to use the argument (excuse) that they didn’t know because they were only looking at a spreadsheet containing numbers of clicks and dollars earned, for example.
Good link GWS we need to come up with some innovative Ideas to clean that shit up I would not be a happy Grandfather if anyone does that to my grandchildren keep up the good work Zoe Quinn Ka pai
I see that the voice of the ‘Road freight Transport’ industry is now all over the media groaning about the shortage of “truck drivers”
I have heard this said by the road transport Forum Ken Shirey and his associated shills have said this, from memory at least four times this year!!!!
Perhaps Ken Shirley needs to read the incomming Government ‘policies on land transport’ as even Heather du plessis alllen said it right in the NZH yesterday that the new labour lead government is hell bent on moving a lot more freight back to rail well good on them!!!!
So then our roads are again much safer and cheaper to maintain and our CO2 emission targets will be reached with no more penalties to us all.
I say that is a win win win for us all – as we dont need more imported cowboy truck drivers that would be just cheap labour for the trucking industry sorry.
Here is the article for Ken Shirley’s information.
NZ HERALD SAYS THIS; The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up
our highway network are numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are
obsessed with getting freight off our roads and back on the railways.
NZ Herald.
NEW ZEALAND
Heather du Plessis-Allan: Winners and losers of the new Government
22 Oct, 2017 5:00am
Jacinda Ardern will be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister but who
really won when New Zealand First decided to back Labour.
By:
Heather du Plessis Allan
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a columnist for the Herald on Sunday
Change is coming. Big change. That much Winston Peters has told us.
Exactly what that means we won’t know until the new government reveals
its coalition policy deals in the next few days. But still, we have
enough hints and clues to already declare some winners and losers.
WINNERS
Anyone with a car
The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up our highway network are
numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are obsessed with getting
freight off our roads and back on the railways.
Yes she is Ed but the ‘meat is sweeter closer to the bone”
As Heather’s article cuts across national ‘ideology ‘ of using road transport for everything in NZ did not feature in Du plessis allen’s article, so it is useful to us on the rail side.
Finlay Macdonald
‘Wait till he hears about the penis tax.’
Chris Mugford
‘maybe you and Mike Hoskings can carpool to save costs’
Ian Grant
‘Or move to New York and live in trump tower where you won’t have any complaints’
DaveMac
‘That’s fine, we had several years of getting our heads round stupid statements from f..kwits like you most mornings, & as for slow batting..’
Bronwyn Cross
‘Rich, entitled, white men whining about the cost of coffee get what they deserve. ‘
William Mason
‘if tht’s all you’ve gt 2 moan abt the new govt then u shud spend time helping ppl @ the city mission buttercup’
Yes Mark’s a tosser lol.
Many thanks for the Big man that Tautoko me that while I was band for 9 days he comes from the same city that I have decided to build my Maunga in Rotorua you been playing good M8 and yes they are still giving me the underarm bowl .
I like the way you Tautoko OUR youth Kia kaha Big man.
National would have upped the price of his morning latte during their term in power more than anything Labour will do. Remember when National promised no tax increases and increased GST claiming it was not a tax increase. That would have rocketed the cost of his morning latte quite a bit. Labour should consider increasing PAYE a bit and lowering GST to reverse the tax swap National did. Most of those in the middle class will notice little difference and it will only really affect those on higher incomes and lower incomes by increasing lower incomes spending power and fractionally lowing those on higher incomes a bit.
The lower cost of morning lattes would surely help them out anyway.
I used to visit his blog site fairly regularly. Brian used to be the foil to Boag on RNZ’s “The Panel,” but recently has appeared to be confused as to where he stood on the political spectrum. http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz. He hasn’t, to date, posted a comment on the new left of centre government.
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Initially it was reported that in an aerial bombardment that took place on August 30th seven children were massacred; the figure then went up to eight and then on November 11th Noticias Uno reported that, according to people from the community in close proximity to the ...
Next year is an election year, and Labour needs money to fund its campaign. So naturally, they're selling access:Labour is charging wealthy business figures $1500-a-head to lunch with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at its annual conference later this month. [...] On the weekend beginning November 29th, around 800 delegates will ...
Yesterday the government announced its changes to tenancy laws, including an end to no-cause evictions, limits on rent increases, and anonyminity for tenants who defend their rights against bad landlords (sadly necessary because landlords are scum who maintain blacklists of "uppity" tenants). They're all good moves, and have resulted in ...
In 2003 New Zealand sent a Provincial Reconstruction Team to Afghanistan to support America's doomed war there. While there, they conducted regular weapons practice on local firing ranges, littering the landscape with unexploded ammunition. These ranges weren't secure - they're on land used by locals for animal herding - so ...
Green MP Gareth Hughes has announced he will retire at the election. Its understandable - he's been there ten years, and wants to actually see his children grow up rather than miss it while drowning in the toxic parliamentary sewer. But his departure is also a huge loss for the ...
Words and images by Jacqui GibsonGone are Auckland Museum’s days of doing science using a museum-centric academic approach, after Māori land rights holders Ngāti Kuri gave the museum an ultimatum.Tom Trnski holding a fossilised whale tooth from the Far North.Aussie-born Head of Natural Sciences at Auckland Museum ...
MediaWorks announced in October 2019 that it intended to sell off its struggling television business and cancel or cut back on several popular local programmes, including New Zealand Today, Married at First SightNew Zealand and 7 Days. Its radio and outdoor advertising arms are currently performing well, but MediaWorks’ ...
Westminster voting intention:CON: 44% (+3)LAB: 28% (-1)LDEM: 14% (-1)BREX: 6% (-)via @OpiniumResearch, surveyed this weekChgs. w/ 08 Nov— Britain Elects (@britainelects) 16 November 2019 This, of course, doesn't look good. Labour have been chucking big, headline grabbing policies left, right and centre ... Well, maybe not right. Left, left ...
Some readers may remember that I mentioned last year that I was applying for NZ citizenship. I filled out the paperwork and had my original citizenship interview in February. Everything went well until they discovered that, because I had spent five months in the US in 2017, I had not ...
by Deirdre O’Neill It is becoming quite acceptable for certain sections of the left to declare that people like me – women who are ‘gender critical’ – should not be allowed in leftist or anarchist spaces. Leaving aside the arrogance and implicit authoritarianism of this claim, its lack of critical ...
There is an article in The Conversation, written by Jeremy P. Shapiro (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University), about what he sees as the psychologically-based underpinnings of three main matters that seem to vex people all around the planet. The article is titled “The Thinking ...
. . Blogger Martyn Bradbury has won his case against unreasonable search and surveillance against the NZ Police; and subsequent Police attempts to produce evidence in secrecy, in a closed Court. His case highlights a disturbing growing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand for State power to be used against ...
The Committee of Disobedient Women has intercepted an email from Dr Emma Eejut, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Massey University to the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Jan Thomas. Dear Jan, Thank you for your courageous move. I think 10 pages of blether** should tie any of the students game enough to try holding ...
That's the only response to the findings of the Ombudsman's investigation into LGOIMA practices at the Christchurch City Council:My investigation identified serious concerns about the Council’s leadership and culture, and its commitment to openness and transparency. In particular, Council staff raised concerns with me about various methods employed by some ...
NZ First seems to be nakedly trying to enrich itself from public office:A powerful New Zealand First figure helped establish a forestry company that then pushed for money from two key funding streams controlled by a New Zealand First Minister. An RNZ investigation has found Brian Henry, lawyer for Winston ...
Behrouz Boochani is an award winning author and journalist. He is also a refugee, who for the past six years has been detained in Australia's offshore gulag on Manus Island, and in Papua New Guinea. But last night, with the cooperation of the WORD Christchurch festival and Amnesty International, he ...
Different Strokes: If a multicultural immigration policy imposes no obligation on immigrant communities to acknowledge and ultimately embrace their host nation’s most cherished traditions and values, then how is that nation to prevent itself from being reduced to a collection of inward-looking and self-replicating ethnic and cultural enclaves?THE COALITION GOVERNMENT’S ...
Protective Zone: Reading the rules and guidelines released by Massey University, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that its governing body considers the whole concept of free speech a disruptive threat to the orderly imparting of orthodox academic knowledge.IN TRUE ORWELLIAN fashion, Massey University has announced its commitment to ...
Farmers held a hate-march on Parliament today, complete with MAGA hats, gun-nut signs, and gendered insults. While supposedly about a grab-bag of issues - including, weirdly, mental health - it was clear that the protest was about one thing, and one thing only: climate change. And specifically, forestry "destroying" rural ...
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security released their annual report today, and I've been busy reading through it. In amongst the usual review of what they've been doing all year, there's a few interesting bits. For example, a discussion on "agency retention and disposal of information", which points out that ...
Recently more than 150 post-graduate students and young scientists presented an open letter to the Green Party via The Spinoff, encouraging them to reconsider their position on genetic modification. Their target is tackling climate change issues.[1] Can any party continue to be dismissive about genetic modification (GM) contributing to ...
by Deirdre O’Neill Under Thatcher and then Blair and continuing up until our contemporary moment, the working class has seen its culture slowly and progressively destroyed. The change from an industrial society to a service society produced a marked shift in focus from the working class as the backbone of ...
Since 2013, the Australian government has detained refugees without trial in Pacific gulags, where they are abused, tortured, and driven to suicide. The policy is not just an abuse of human rights and possible crime against humanity; it has also had a corrosive effect on the states Australia uses as ...
It seems fair to say that we currently live in a problematic political moment in world history. Democracies are in decline and dictatorships are on the rise. Primordial, sectarian and post-modern divisions have re-emerged, are on the rise or have been accentuated by political evolutions of the moment such as ...
Last month, Greenpeace head Russel Norman surrendered his speaking slot at an EPA conference to student climate activist Sorcha Carr, who told the EPA exactly what she thought of them. It was a bold move, which confronted both regulators and polluters (or, as the EPA calls them, "stakeholders") with the ...
The core principle supposedly underlying New Zealand's electoral finance regime is transparency: parties can accept large donations from rich people wanting to buy policy, but only if they tell the public they've been bought. Most parties abide by this, so we know that TOP was wholly-owned by Gareth Morgan, and ...
Today is a Member's Day, probably the second-to-last one of the year, and its a big one, with the Third Reading of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. last Member's Day it was reported back from committee, after MPs voted narrowly to make it subject to a (rules TBA) ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzThe growth of the human population over the last 70 ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...
by Don Franks In 1957, E M Forster wrote, of his greatest work: “The India described in ‘A Passage to India’ no longer exists either politically or socially. Change had begun even at the time the book was published ( 1924) and during the following quarter of a century it ...
The Referendums Framework Bill was due back from select committee today. But there's no report on it. Instead, the bill has been bounced back to the House under Standing order 29593) because the Committee didn't bother to produce one. They probably tried. But given the membership of the committee (which ...
Two years into New Zealand’s Labour-led government, the long-delayed Zero Carbon Bill became law on 7 November. Passed essentially unanimously, the lengthy public debates and political manoeuvring faded away until the final passage was even anticlimactic: Flipping through the @nzstuff@DomPost I was starting to wonder if I’d dreamt ...
Now the Zero Carbon Bill is law, what's next? Obviously, the ETS changes currently before select committee are going to be the next battleground. But we're also going to get a good idea of where we're going, and if the progress the Zero Carbon Act promises is good enough, during ...
Grant PearceThe effects of the current Australian bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland (and also again in California) are devastating and far-reaching. To date, the fires have resulted in several lives being lost and many homes and properties destroyed. Here in New Zealand, the impacts have been only ...
A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...
"I saw a newspaper picture,From the political campaignA woman was kissing a child,Who was obviously in pain.She spills with compassion,As that young child'sFace in her hands she gripsCan you imagine all that greed and avariceComing down on that child's lips?" ...
Dr Matt Boyd, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick WilsonThe Global Health Security Index which considers pandemic threats has just been published. Unfortunately, NZ scores approximately half marks (54/100), coming in 35th in the world rankings – far behind Australia. This poor result suggests that the NZ Government needs to ...
The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
The Herald reprints an Australian story on a couple of tragic deaths in Bali from drinking cocktails that had methanol in them. The story argues that methanol is likely the result of home distillation. But what the young tourists were experiencing was far from a hangover. They’d consumed a toxic cocktail ...
Last month, the police announced a trial of specialist roaming armed units, which would drive round (poor, brown) areas in armoured SUVs, armed to the teeth. When they announced the trial, they told us it was about having armed police "ready to attend major incidents at any time if needed". ...
Spain went to the polls today in the second elections this year, after the Socialists (who had come to power in a confidence vote, then gone to the polls in April) rejected the offer of a coalition with the left-wing PoDemos, and instead decided to gamble n a better outcome ...
A couple of days ago I attended (and spoke at) the University of Waikato’s “LearnFest” event. There were lots of talks and sessions on very diverse aspects of teaching, mostly at tertiary level. One was by Myra Williamson from Te Piringa Faculty of Law here at Waikato, on Contract Cheating ...
There will be a transit of Mercury – the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the Sun – taking place at sunrise in New Zealand on Tuesday, 12th November. It was by observing such an event 250 years ago that James Cook and his scientist colleagues were able ...
Since becoming the world’s first openly transexual mayor and member of parliament, Georgina Beyer has been recognised as a trailblazer for trans rights. Daphna Whitmore talks with her about where she sees the current trans movement We start out talking about legislation the government put on hold that would have ...
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ...
National Messiah? Chris Luxon identifies himself as an evangelical Christian. If he is genuine in this self-characterisation, then he will take every opportunity his public office provides to proselytise on behalf of his faith. He will also feel obliged to bear witness against beliefs and practices he believes to be ...
I'm going to make a Reckless Prediction™ that the Tories have 'topped out' in the 'poll of polls' / Britain Elects multipoll tracker at about 38%, and in the next week we will start to see Labour creep up on them.In fact, we might just be seeing the start of ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
Collision Course? In conditions of ideological white-out, the international bankers’ “Woop-Woop! Pull Up!” warning may have come too late to save global capitalism.WHAT DOES IT MEAN when international bankers are more willing to embrace radical solutions than our politicians and their electors? At both the International Monetary Fund and the ...
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a conundrum. It is a disease that was described hundreds of years ago and the bacteria that causes it (Bordetella pertussis) isolated in 1906. We have had vaccines for about 80 years but this disease is defiant in the face of human immunity. I wanted to ...
The Zero Carbon Bill has just passed its third reading, uanimously. In the end, National supported it - but we all know they'll turn around and gut it the moment they regain power. Meanwhile, I guess ACT's David Seymour didn't even bother to show up. I am on record as ...
Dr Lindsay Robertson, Dr Jerram Bateman, Professor Janet HoekMembers of the public health community hold divergent views on how access to vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products should be arranged. Some believe ENDS should be as widely available as smoked tobacco and argue for liberal ...
When the Police were trying to cover up for the National Party over Dirty Politics, they went all-in with their abuses of power. They illegally search Nicky Hager's house, violating his journalistic privilege and invading his privacy. They unlawfully acquired Hager's bank records. They did the same to left-wing blogger ...
Last month, in response to a wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the British government purported to ban their protests from the whole of London. It was a significant interference with the freedoms of expression and assembly, and another sign of the country's decline into tyranny. But now, a court ...
Last year, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security reported on significant problems with the intelligence warrant system. While they were unwilling to declare any warrant "irregular" (meaning unlawful) due to the recent law change, they were also not willing to give the system a clean bill of health. Now, they've ...
The National Party has come out in support of encouraging greater vaccination uptake. But it sure isn’t the way I’d do it. National’s suggested docking the benefits of those on benefit whose kids aren’t keeping up with their vaccinations. Some in National have suggested extending that to payments under Working ...
Feeding The Flames: It is simply not enough to demand an end to “corruption”, or “inequality”, or the overbearing influence of the authorities in Beijing. These are just “lowest common denominator” demands: the sort of slogans that pull people onto the streets. They are not a plan.WHERE’S THE PLAN? Across ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has risen to 4.2%. There are 115,000 unemployed - 11,000 fewer than when Labour took office. In that time the minimum wage has gone up by $2 an hour, which shows that the right's fears about increases causing unemployment are simply ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has called for submissions on Andrew Little's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill. Normally I encourage participation in the democratic process. I am not doing so in this case. Instead, I encourage all of you to boycott this submissions process, and to post ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzIf tiny concentrations of carbon dioxide can hold enough heat ...
Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and within it, one of the fastest sources is elite travel: billionaires flitting around the world in their private jets, spewing excessive pollution into the atmosphere just so they can avoid mixing with us dirty peasants. But in ...
That's what we face if we don't stop climate change, according to a warning from 11,000 scientists:The world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. “We declare clearly and unequivocally ...
by Phil Duncan Here’s just a few of the kind of threats issued day in and day out against gender-critical women – feminists, marxists, etc – overwhelmingly by MEN (albeit men identifying as women). “Kill all Terfs”. “Shoot a Terf today”. “All terfs deserve to be shot in the head”. ...
This is the third of the synopses of parts of the opening chapter of John Smith’s Imperialism in the 21st Century (New York, Monthly Review Press, 2016). The synopsis and commentary below is written by Phil Duncan. Unlike the humble cup of coffee and t-shirt that we looked at in ...
Tom MooreTraditionally a food source and cutting tool, freshwater mussels/kākahi are now widely valued as water filters that help clean our waterbodies and maintain ecosystem health throughout Aotearoa. The improvement they provide in water quality can make it easier for other animals to live in streams and rivers, as ...
And to think he gave all the potential goodwill away with that moronic, cult-like statement (repeated ad nauseam by many National hardliners) that Key is quite simply “the greatest PM we ever had”…Installation complete: this was nothing ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
We began the week by commemorating the New Zealand Wars and celebrating a major increase in the number of teachers. Then, we were busy supporting offenders into work and getting our rail back on track after years of underinvestment. And that's just the start! ...
In October I was sworn in as the Mayor of Lower Hutt.It’s the privilege of my life to serve Hutt people as their Mayor. There is something really special to be able to serve the community where I was raised, and where I live. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters met with Korea Racing Authority Chairperson Nak Soon Kim in Seoul today to discuss closer cooperation between the New Zealand and Korean horse racing industries. As part of the visit to the Seoul Racecourse, Mr Peters witnessed ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10 million to establish Otago as the centre of New Zealand’s creative digital industry over the next ten years, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “The initiative will bring us closer to the vision of ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)’s skills and employment programme will help young Otago people into long-term forestry careers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Ara Mahi will invest $63,000 in the 2020 school year to support eight 17 and 18 ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will support local plans to revitalise and stimulate economic development opportunities in Otago, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The four Regional Economic Development Ministers have approved an in-principle investment of $19.9 million towards the region’s ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is pleased to have received the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) report on the Coalition Government’s Mycoplasma bovis eradication efforts, which shows significant progress in the fight against the disease. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, says the report’s findings ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon David Parker, Minister for Trade and Export Growth The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing to support economic growth opportunities for Otago’s engineering and manufacturing sectors, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Export Minister David Parker announced today. Almost $20 million ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, discussed in Seoul today opportunities to work more closely in the Pacific and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Mr Peters and Minister Kang confirmed New Zealand and the ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister for Māori Development The three marae in the historic Parihaka Pa complex in Taranaki have been upgraded to high speed broadband with the support of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Connecting the ...
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...
The families of more than 416,000 students will be better off next year as their schools have signed up to the Government’s donations scheme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. The scheme will see almost $62.5 million in additional Government funding go to schools nationwide next year. “I’m really pleased ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next four weeks,” Mr Peters said. “A New Zealand Medical Assistance ...
Fa’atalofa atu, malo e lelei, Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to the Child Poverty Action Group for asking me to be here today to provide an update on some of the things that have been happening across my the social development portfolio. Can I firstly acknowledge the vast ...
***Please check against delivery*** Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to open this year’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Conference and AGM. Firstly, thank you Dr Alan Jackson, NZTR Chair for your introduction. And let us acknowledge also: The NZTR Board; Dean McKenzie, Chair ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer and more secure, Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Kris Faafoi has announced today. Both renters and landlords will benefit from the suite of practical changes to the Residential ...
A marine conservation milestone - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve - is being celebrated today at a community event in Tairāwhiti/East Coast attended by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “The creation of this marine reserve in November 1999 was a game ...
The Government is asking the food industry to step up work to tackle obesity including reducing sugar, fat and salt in their products, better information for consumers, and tighter restrictions on advertising to children. Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor have responded to a ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
Nelson’s Salisbury School is to be rebuilt, creating a modern and suitable learning environment for students at the residential special school, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The school for girls aged 8-15, in Richmond, was earmarked for closure by National until the process ...
The panel undertaking a comprehensive review of the Resource Management Act has identified the main issues to be addressed and options for reform and is calling for feedback to inform its final report. In July the Government announced the comprehensive review of the resource management system, including the RMA - ...
An important safety valve has been added to New Zealand’s criminal justice system with the third reading of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill today. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “We’ve seen how our justice system can very occasionally get things spectacularly wrong, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters welcomes the tabling of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) 2019 Annual Report in Parliament today. He says the 2019 Annual Report marks the point when New Zealand’s racing industry’s decline was arrested and a turnaround started. RITA’s 2019 Annual Report recorded an industry net profit ...
The New Zealand Government is today sending 21 firefighters to help fight the ongoing catastrophic Australian bushfires. “The fires in Australia are in some of the toughest, most challenging conditions ever,” says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “As of yesterday morning, there were 100 active bushfire-related incidents across Queensland and ...
More frontline support for schools through a new education agency, as part of a redesigned Ministry of Education More support for principals and school boards including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles New independent disputes panels for parents and students Management of school property ...
The Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system is a watershed moment in education and an opportunity to create meaningful change for ākonga Māori and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said today. “Last year through Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation, Māori teachers, parents, ākonga, whānau, hapū and iwi ...
Infrastructure Minister is welcoming the first of many updated project pipelines from the newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission today. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has released an expanded pipeline of major capital projects – another crucial step towards delivering better infrastructure outcomes. “The first iteration of the ...
Tougher gun laws designed to improve public safety through firearms prohibition orders are proposed in a new document released for public input. Police Minister Stuart Nash says firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) would give new powers to Police to ensure high-risk individuals come nowhere near firearms. “We have already prohibited the ...
Andy Coupe has been confirmed as TVNZ’s new Board Chair. “Mr Coupe has strong commercial and capital markets experience and TVNZ has benefited from his technical knowledge of business and finance, as well as his extensive governance experience,” the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi said. Andy ...
Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter today officially opened a separated pathway, following the completion of the Kaiwharawhara Stream bridge, which will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians along Hutt Road. The $6.8m Hutt Road project provides a separated path for cycling and pedestrians, the replacement of informal parking ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of career diplomat Si’alei van Toor as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Russia. “I’m pleased to appoint Ms van Toor to this position. She brings a wealth of experience to the role having previously served as Senior Trade Adviser to the ...
Almost half a million dollars in political donations appear to have been hidden inside a secret slush fund controlled by a coterie of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ trusted advisers. ...
Sources tell RNZ the Crown is considering loaning money to the council to buy the disputed land, with Fletcher seeking $40m - more than double what it paid in 2014. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch stadium funding in the spotlight, more trouble for NZ First, and medical students caught in rort.Construction hasn’t even come close to starting on the new Christchurch stadium and the money is looking shaky. Stuff’s Michael Hayward reports a business case is ...
New rental reforms aren’t about shafting landlords, they’re about requesting that those who built an industry around housing accept that with industry, comes regulation, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell. ...
Severe storm surges will get bigger around parts of the South Island and smaller around the North Island as the climate changes, two studies have now predicted. ...
Bernard Hickey visited E-Go’s electric car factory in Aachen, Germany to find how it used a 5G network to flip car-making on its head, and how it’s an example of what Industry 4.0 could look like in New Zealand. ...
Were Fonterra’s Open Gates events a shallow PR stunt, or was there something deeper going on? Alex Braae went to Mangatawhiri to find out.This feature is made possible thanks to the Spinoff Members Fund. We need your help to make journalism that matters. For more information, click here.Walking into the Fonterra ...
It was meant to ‘draw a line under the whole episode’. So how did it turn into an unmitigated PR disaster, asks former Edelman executive David Brain.The thing about the Royal Family is that everything they do is PR really. I mean in the old sense of image and spin. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne It’s hard to comprehend why someone would deliberately light a bushfire. Yet this behaviour regularly occurs in Australia and other countries. We would go a long way to preventing ...
There are 540,000 dwellings in Auckland and 580,000 households. The result is misery no matter how you try to square things through tenancy regulation. ...
The PM says she's set a very clear expectation that the clearing of firing ranges in Afghanistan will be sped up, but says it's not possible to conclude NZ is responsible for civilian deaths. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on the Australian media for its coverage of China, denouncing “the nominally pious belchings of ‘do-gooder’ journalists” who live on leaks from security agencies. Keating ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University A parasite is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species. Three main classes of parasites can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Protozoa and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Lilburn, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne You’re driving down an unfamiliar street on a clear spring evening. You’ve been invited to a friend of a friend’s party, at a house you’ve never been to before. Tracking the street numbers, you ...
Crimestoppers New Zealand launched its updated website www.crimestoppers-nz.org today. As well as catering for traditional anonymous reports the site now supports mobile users and allows files and images to be attached. The changes support people of all ...
Prince Andrew has spoken for the first time in public about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What did he say to create such a media storm, and how did he get into this mess in the first place? First thing’s first: who is Prince Andrew? Prince Andrew, Duke ...
Sam Brooks interviews the three guest curators of the New Zealand Festival of Arts: Bret McKenzie, Laurie Anderson and Lemi Ponifasio.An Oscar-winning Conchord, the world’s most beloved multimedia artist, and a world-renowned director and choreographer with an attitude. Three weeks, three unique visions of what a festival can and should ...
Plans are being put in place to increase methyl bromide monitoring following a theoretical modelling report about how the log fumigant disperses into the environment after use. ...
It’s the most beautiful time of the year! Comedian Sera Devcich joins Emily Writes to share the joy and investigate the top 10 toys your ungrateful kids will want this Christmas.It’s November which means it’s officially time for your kids to start bugging you day in and day out about ...
Proposed changes to tenancy rights are trickle down, not transformational, change says the Manawatu Tenants’ Union (MTU). There are however improvements for renters, and these efforts must be commended according to the MTU. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University “To be dead,” wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, “is to be a prey for the living.” Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 ...
The Good Citizen podcast focuses on the way good design – and good people – can change cities for the better. In this episode, Jeremy Hansen talks to architect Richard Goldie about his bold idea for a partially submerged stadium on Auckland’s waterfront, a project that’s now a finalist in ...
Former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC has published two books with Andrew Butler calling for a written, codified constitution that sets out ‘in an accessible form and a single document the fundamental rules and principles under which New Zealand is to be governed’. A road trip and consultation attracted ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Housing Luke Malpass and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government hikes claims thresholds for bad landlords, increases ...
People with intellectual disabilities and their families are struggling to access support more than ever before, as the disability sector faces a now $574 million annual funding shortfall, says IHC. ...
The Labour-led coalition may have to generate a second wave of Jacindamania if it is to win another term in the Beehive. Re-election is not an impossible dream, despite the failure of Labour to deliver what many of those who voted for it in 2017 expected. Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes ...
A corporate undertaker talks top tips for making sure you get paid, reining in rogue liquidators, and having a heart for those who’ve lost money.PwC’s John Fisk has handled high profile company failures from Pike River to Lombard Finance and the Ross Asset Management Ponzi scheme. He also chairs the ...
Armed police represent a serious cause for concern, especially for the most vulnerable, writes the chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.The Mental Health Foundation has publicly condemned the police trial of special armed response teams patrolling three districts around New Zealand. We’re extremely worried these trials will result in ...
International crime rings are increasingly targeting New Zealanders’ bank accounts to launder proceeds from scams and fraud. Bronwyn Groot, Fraud Education Manager at the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC) is highlighting the rising incidence ...
A just-released report shows that the food industry wants to stay in a business-as-usual mode with a few minor tweaks around the edges. In response, the New Zealand Government appeared comfortable with that approach, and provided no Government plans for comprehensive ...
New Zealand consumers will be left in the dark about foods grown in Australia that have been created using gene editing techniques. On the 13 November the Australian Senator Rice put up a motion to disallow, or overturn, the recently passed Gene Technology ...
As Aotearoa plans for festive season celebrations, The Salvation Army is preparing to make its house a home to hundreds of men, women and children who have nowhere else to stay. ...
Landlords say they feel under siege with the government planning to make it tougher for them to boot out troublesome tenants; and skilled immigrants waiting for a residents visa say its unfair officials are fast tracking applications for those on salaries over $105,000. ...
Standing with the farmers, New Conservative is committed to pushing back against the lunacy of the ETS and Carbon Zero commitments by this government. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tomas Trescak, Senior Lecturer in Intelligent Systems, Western Sydney University Just a few years ago, virtual reality (VR) was being showered with very real money. The industry raised an estimated US$900 million in venture capital in 2016, but by 2018 that figure ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rowena Maguire, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology Over the past two weeks, bushfires have raged across New South Wales and Queensland. While the narrative appears focused on potential causes and political point-scoring, what’s lost ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Davis, Chair of Women’s Health, Monash University At menopause, a woman’s ovaries lose their reproductive function. Eggs are no longer released and the production of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone falls. It’s the lowered levels of oestrogen after menopause that gives ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Bolleter, Deputy Director, Australian Urban Design Research Centre, University of Western Australia Around the world, the vast majority of people are flocking to cities not to dwell in their centres but to live in the new suburbs expanding their outer limits. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Natalya Saldanha, Academic, RMIT University Like any eight-year-old, Ryan Kaji loves to play with toys. But when Ryan plays, millions watch. Since the age of four he’s been the star of his own YouTube channel. All up his videos have gained ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kieran Wong, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Indigenous voices are finally being acknowledged as important voices in Australian galleries and museums. Since 2014, I have worked as an advisor to Western Australia’s New Museum, a A$450 million project and one of ...
Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes says the pace of change in the current Government is not fast enough for his liking but that is not the reason he is quitting politics. ...
The Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business is releasing its latest report today on Culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse parties in the Courts: A Chinese case study . The Report’s author, Mai Chen, Chair of the Superdiversity ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Doubts emerge about Auckland port move, NZDF leaves death-causing material behind in Afghanistan, and laws around renting to be shaken up.Over the last week, the ramifications of moving most of the operations of Auckland’s port north to Whangarei have been ...
An ambitious new partnership between Sky Sports and more than 50 sports promises more free sport for Kiwis. Suzanne McFadden looks at how it will change the way we see female athletes ...
Catriona MacLennan helped conduct a survey of the top NZ companies to establish the ethnicity of their directors. The results were not surprising, but also far from encouraging. ...
Episode 1 in a series on the trials of injured animals as they’re rescued, rehabilitated and released back into the wild follows the rescue of a yellow-eyed penguin. ...
New Zealand Defence Force's failed to clean up properly after itself in Afghanistan - with the result that seven children have been killed and another 10 civilians injured. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Chinese embassy has lashed out at two Liberal members of parliament, Andrew Hastie and James Paterson, saying they would need to “repent and redress their mistakes” before they would be welcome in China. The ...
Tim Costley National’s new candidate in Otaki Local party members have selected Tim Costley as National’s candidate in Ōtaki for the 2020 General Election. Mr Costley is replacing retiring MP Nathan Guy, who is standing down after five terms. ...
“Compelling research out of the UK reaffirms vaping’s life-saving role. Here’s hoping our Government’s pending legislation reflects vaping’s increasingly documented health benefits for smokers,” say Ben Pryor, co-owner of the largest Kiwi-owned ...
Open Mike 23/10/2017 
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Initially it was reported that in an aerial bombardment that took place on August 30th seven children were massacred; the figure then went up to eight and then on November 11th Noticias Uno reported that, according to people from the community in close proximity to the ...2 hours ago
Next year is an election year, and Labour needs money to fund its campaign. So naturally, they're selling access:Labour is charging wealthy business figures $1500-a-head to lunch with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at its annual conference later this month. [...] On the weekend beginning November 29th, around 800 delegates will ...20 hours ago
Words and images by Jacqui Gibson Gone are Auckland Museum’s days of doing science using a museum-centric academic approach, after Māori land rights holders Ngāti Kuri gave the museum an ultimatum.
MediaWorks announced in October 2019 that it intended to sell off its struggling television business and cancel or cut back on several popular local programmes, including New Zealand Today, Married at First Sight New Zealand and 7 Days. Its radio and outdoor advertising arms are currently performing well, but MediaWorks’ ...1 day ago
Some readers may remember that I mentioned last year that I was applying for NZ citizenship. I filled out the paperwork and had my original citizenship interview in February. Everything went well until they discovered that, because I had spent five months in the US in 2017, I had not ...2 days ago
There is an article in The Conversation, written by Jeremy P. Shapiro (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University), about what he sees as the psychologically-based underpinnings of three main matters that seem to vex people all around the planet. The article is titled “The Thinking ...3 days ago
. . Blogger Martyn Bradbury has won his case against unreasonable search and surveillance against the NZ Police; and subsequent Police attempts to produce evidence in secrecy, in a closed Court. His case highlights a disturbing growing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand for State power to be used against ...3 days ago
Different Strokes: If a multicultural immigration policy imposes no obligation on immigrant communities to acknowledge and ultimately embrace their host nation’s most cherished traditions and values, then how is that nation to prevent itself from being reduced to a collection of inward-looking and self-replicating ethnic and cultural enclaves?THE COALITION GOVERNMENT’S ...4 days ago
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...6 days ago
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ... 1 week ago
And to think he gave all the potential goodwill away with that moronic, cult-like statement (repeated ad nauseam by many National hardliners) that Key is quite simply “the greatest PM we ever had”…
Installation complete: this was nothing ... 2 weeks ago
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...17 hours ago
We're setting our young people up for success, investing in education around the country. ...24 hours ago
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...15 hours ago
Almost half a million dollars in political donations appear to have been hidden inside a secret slush fund controlled by a coterie of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ trusted advisers. ...16 mins ago
Sources tell RNZ the Crown is considering loaning money to the council to buy the disputed land, with Fletcher seeking $40m - more than double what it paid in 2014. ...2 hours ago
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch stadium funding in the spotlight, more trouble for NZ First, and medical students caught in rort.Construction hasn’t even come close to starting on the new Christchurch stadium and the money is looking shaky. Stuff’s Michael Hayward reports a business case is ...2 hours ago
"To me, boxing is art. It is beautiful. It is brutal. It is violent. It is challenging. It is pure." ...3 hours ago
New rental reforms aren’t about shafting landlords, they’re about requesting that those who built an industry around housing accept that with industry, comes regulation, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell. ...3 hours ago
Severe storm surges will get bigger around parts of the South Island and smaller around the North Island as the climate changes, two studies have now predicted. ...3 hours ago
Bernard Hickey visited E-Go’s electric car factory in Aachen, Germany to find how it used a 5G network to flip car-making on its head, and how it’s an example of what Industry 4.0 could look like in New Zealand. ...3 hours ago
John McCrystal reviews a book of maps by someone called John McCrystal. ...3 hours ago
Pat Baskett asks: Are we so worried about methane and agriculture we don’t even think about carbon from vehicles? ...3 hours ago
Two investigators with a meal allowance are hoped to address nationwide inconsistencies with council RMA monitoring and enforcement. ...3 hours ago
Ashley Stanley will join LockerRoom early next year as a full-time writer on women in sport, thanks to a partnership with Sky Sport. ...3 hours ago
Out of control fires, distressed animals, sleepless nights as your suburb turns into a war zone - has our annual fireworks fun gone too far? ...4 hours ago
"Mum and Dad" landlords are likely to turn to property managers, or even exit the market ...12 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...13 hours ago
A parliamentary hearing on gun reforms was cut short when a submitter alleged he sold ammunition to the accused Christchurch gunman. ...14 hours ago
The Govt wants to crack down on exports that could be used to commit human rights abuses - but NZ universities say the proposal is "unworkable". ...14 hours ago
There are 540,000 dwellings in Auckland and 580,000 households. The result is misery no matter how you try to square things through tenancy regulation. ...15 hours ago
Internet Service Providers relied on ad hoc tools, including Google Docs, to coordinate blocking access to the Christchurch shooting video. ...15 hours ago
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is seeking feedback on its proposed energy levy-funded activities for the 2020/21 year. ...16 hours ago
Hamilton Press Club life president Steve Braunias on the next guest speaker - embattled TV3 employee Patrick Gower. ...17 hours ago
Pay TV operator Sky Television expects its revenue and earnings to fall after investing in new content, new services and sponsorship deals. ...18 hours ago
Air New Zealand has cancelled some of its international flights due to ongoing issues with its Rolls-Royce engines. ...20 hours ago
Air New Zealand has cancelled some of its international flights due to ongoing issues with its Rolls-Royce engines. ...21 hours ago
The Labour-led coalition may have to generate a second wave of Jacindamania if it is to win another term in the Beehive. Re-election is not an impossible dream, despite the failure of Labour to deliver what many of those who voted for it in 2017 expected. Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes ...21 hours ago
Landlords say they feel under siege with the government planning to make it tougher for them to boot out troublesome tenants; and skilled immigrants waiting for a residents visa say its unfair officials are fast tracking applications for those on salaries over $105,000. ...24 hours ago
Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes says the pace of change in the current Government is not fast enough for his liking but that is not the reason he is quitting politics. ...1 day ago
Labour is charging wealthy business figures $1500-a-pop to lunch with Jacinda Ardern; and NZ First-linked forestry company pushed for govt funds. ...1 day ago
An ambitious new partnership between Sky Sports and more than 50 sports promises more free sport for Kiwis. Suzanne McFadden looks at how it will change the way we see female athletes ...1 day ago
Catriona MacLennan helped conduct a survey of the top NZ companies to establish the ethnicity of their directors. The results were not surprising, but also far from encouraging. ...1 day ago
Episode 1 in a series on the trials of injured animals as they’re rescued, rehabilitated and released back into the wild follows the rescue of a yellow-eyed penguin. ...1 day ago
Steve Braunias reviews the as-told-to book of All Blacks skipper Kieran Read, and fully expects it to suck. ...1 day ago
The disastrous impact of banks selling risky financial derivatives to farmers is still being felt in rural communities more than a decade later. ...1 day ago
New Zealand Defence Force's failed to clean up properly after itself in Afghanistan - with the result that seven children have been killed and another 10 civilians injured. ...1 day ago
Is today the day the door opens on CV’s cage? Should we have a pool for how long from when he emerges until he earns another ban? I give it five hours.
If that’s Tat Loo, he’s very active on Twitter, and more rabidly weird as ever.
Was he rabidly weird or offering different points of view than those being conformed to by the majority? And getting angry and combative to those disagreeing with him, and sneering at him? There is an inability to allow free speech if it disagrees with the ‘in-group’ who Know All. He steps outside the circle.
Yes, calling Infowars a reliable news source and praising Hitler for “making Germany great” and lying directly to and about moderators (against site rules) is “stepping outside the circle” if you want to put it that way.
Dude’s gone full Suze Dawson/Daily Caller/Stefan Molyneux.
I’d prefer Dr Amp.
CV spends too much time reading https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/ in search of “deeper truth”. Not healthy, I think he’s lost perspective. He’s not “left” any more that’s for sure.
Ok ropata
Just wondered, he seemed to change during the time he was here.
And I think that he did lose perspective. Shame. It is important to step aside a cool the brain. Too much thinking and input from one-line drives you mad IMO.
I don’t support giving free speech to rabidly misogynist neo-nazis.
That’s’ quite a mouthful; do you want fries with that 😉
Seriously though, free speech is free speech. Shouldn’t we tolerate the intolerable?
Nope.
I agree with Karen – free speech is like a free lunch, and really there isn’t one. There is a limit that cannot, should not be tolerated. But where the limit is has to be thought about.
People being awkward and demanding that another point of view should be considered by the entrenched and the prejudiced, can raise hate against that sort of free speech.
People mocking the good efforts of sincere people – there needs to be a limit. Repetition is tiresome after the fourth/fifth time?
I agree that free speech comes at a cost: eternal vigilance.
Moral and legal boundaries are fuzzy and subjective human constructs, not absolute Laws of Nature.
Once you start to limit free speech because of perceived or anticipated risk or because of mockery or tiresome remarks or because of general dislike and disagreement you start to erode the fundamental basic principle of freedom and choice. But there’s more to it; it is an immensely complex issue:
Hannah Arendt
Can we agree that people may freely speak their minds but it doent mean without consequence, seen and unseen? I dunno.
Agreed.
Indeed, what would be the point of writing something online if it had no intended consequence? I always try and keep in mind the silent readers (‘lurkers’) of TS.
Whenever someone shouts ‘But I have freedom of speech!’ to justify malicious speech, remind them that they do not have freedom from consequences.
Not really.
What people say in your dining room is up to you. If you don’t like them, they don’t get invited to dinner.
That’s all that happened here – he was entertaining and interesting, but became an obnoxious jerk, and then went well off the deep end into being nothing more than a crudely offensive liar. Invitation:revoked.
Disagree to a point. There are a few people I socialise with because I really like them but their political views I utterly disagree with. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? That’s people and human relationships for you 😉
I find that there’s enormous leeway here on TS on what people can say, which is as it should be IMO; a reflection of how we like society to be perhaps? That said, there are clear rules here and if these get repeatedly violated then this has obvious consequences. However, this is not an argument against free speech, rather the opposite IMHO.
I most certainly don’t like everything that appears here on TS but I would not want any of that content be blocked or banned solely for that reason – nobody would know anyway and taken to extreme, everything would be blocked because there’s always one that disagrees. In fact, I’d like to read more counter-arguments and proper debate here between mature people; the day I’d agree with everything that gets written here on TS is the day I’d leave this site because life is too short to be constantly nodding in agreement with essentially and effectively myself …
I hope I explained this well enough; as I said, it is a hugely complex issue.
On the personal level, yeah, you like those folks. But people we don’t like, we don’t socialise with.
With regards to the wider “free speech” issue, whether legally some things should be banned, of course things like incitement to violence should be banned.
And frankly, I think nazis/neonazis/tikitorchists come under that level. When someone gets to the degree that they’re yelling, in the bible-belt US, “the Jews will not replace us”, that’s a contagious paranoia that can only lead to violence.
Hi McFlock,
Thanks for replying.
I guess I wasn’t clear enough, my bad. I like “those folks” enough to socialise with them but I vehemently dislike their political and racist views. Somehow, I can look/move past their ‘objectionable’ views because it doesn’t fully describe or define them, if that makes any sense.
Yes, there have to be boundaries but these are almost always very fuzzy and open to interpretation and dependent on context, etc. It never is black & white, thankfully or unfortunately …
Inciting violence crosses a line. Making threats crosses a line. But somebody with extreme views is allowed to speak as long as he/she doesn’t cross certain lines. Similarly, unless somebody poses a definite risk (…) to the community (or State) there’s nothing that can and should be done to silence this person (or lock them up). The real question is not so much where to draw the line but how to avoid or prevent the line from being crossed by when it is already too late. Free speech might actually help although it can be a double-edged sword …
@ McFlock
Yes I agree – and when someone takes over the discussion – shouts everyone else down – turns everything to what they think, and dominates to the exclusion of everyone else. Is that “freedom of speech” tolerable? Particularly if they are merely parroting memes from propaganda sites?
@incognito
I am friends and have amiable relationships with the occasional tory, but not nazis. They’re jerks. Because nazi. Not just because their views are different to mine, but mostly because the nature of nazi beliefs means that they want someone with my beliefs (i.e. not nazi) to die. Because that’s what nazis do: make non-nazis die.
As for fuzzy boundaries, that’s what courts are for. When in doubt, charge them and let the courts sort it out.
I thought CV banned himself when he decided TS was overrun by PC SJWs
Nope there was a ban in place for one month past the election. Essentially tomorrow. But it was set for today, so I removed a pile of bans last night.
People left the site last year because of what was going on. So for me it’s not an issue of free speech. Everyone in NZ is free to say what they like up to the limits of the law around things like inciting race hatred or violence. But they don’t all have equal access to publishing.
On TS it’s an issue of supporting robust debate for the widest range of people possible within the aims of the site (the labour movement).
When you have people being anti-social from their racism, sexism etc, it’s not a problem of their views but their behaviour.
@ McFlock,
My friendships can be quite complex, I admit; I’m a complex person myself.
The courts are there to determine whether legal boundaries have been crossed. The BSA deals with other kinds of complaints, etc. Who decides when/where moral/ethical boundaries have been crossed? It depends on the realm and nature of the transgression or alleged violation of the rules. But generally speaking, morality is less well covered than legal boundaries by the Law and for good reasons I think …
It may be better to distinguish between the freedom of speech here on TS and the fundamental right that is freedom of speech for every citizen in a democracy such as ours; there’s much overlap/similarity, of course, but they are not one and the same thing.
I feel it is beyond my ‘remit’ as occasional Guest Poster to do a post in this but I’m tempted; it is obviously a contentious issue, as this thread and a very recent exchange in OM have shown, and potentially risky as it might ‘test’ the boundaries of TS rules …
You’re definitely safer doing it as a post than as comments. I’m a lot more willing to give more time and latitude to the former than I do to the latter.
The reason is obvious. We usually have something between 25-60 posts a week and about 12 of those are routine ones, OpenMike etc. But we can have 1500-8000 comments in week, and that is after I automatically chop a thousand or so of comments with prefilters for robots. (I have been promising some stats on that for a while without having the time to pull them off).
Anyway, the amount of time spent reading comments is several orders of magnitude larger for moderators, and that is even without the time required to respond to issues. So we skim comments and apply some pretty coarse routines.
Basically the way I run it after a decade on this site (and more on older systems) is that if I have to slow down to actually read a comment, then you are already guilty of something. It could be intelligence or lie or liability or trolling or stupidity or just a good laugh. The next pass is essentially a question of if I think it adds to the site dialogue or not. And then I start looking at exactly what was said and sometimes the context.
CV’s problem (since this discussion started about him) was in the latter stages he was making the virtually every discussions he was involved in to be about him and not about much else, it was highly repetitive, and spread across posts. The same had happened in the backend previously with his senseless war with TRP. It didn’t add anything to the site, but caused a lot more work and purposeless aggravation to moderation and authors. So he progressively got the chop from author down to a ban.
That was an extreme example because of the descent from author to banned. But it is essentially the same as every other person who gets a ban. We like robust debate, which is why you see a pretty deliberate policy to try not to ban on ideological grounds. But senseless, boring and above repeated stupidity just makes work for us both directly with things like legal liability and because we have to wind up cleaning up the flamewar messes.
The basic rule about “free speech” here is to do it without substantively increasing the workload of the volunteer moderators for with valueless waffle or having to stop too much to check the comments. In short, we expect you and all other commenters to self-moderate.
If people absolutely have to have a say that is going to cause issue here, then it pays to signal that you are aware that is what you are doing to the moderators. Then consider that the net is wide and we don’t constrain your “free speech” at one of the many other sites that you can have your say on. We just constrain it where we have to do the work for you.
I reckon this discussion has gone pretty well.
It’s only drawbacks seem to be that we’re not always clear when we’re talking about the personal realm (in which I include privately-funded blogs as much as dinner guests), the legal realm, or the moral realm.
I also think we’re on pretty much the same page regarding how the law should treat freedom of speech and where the line is, but we may disagree on whether certain cases (nazis) meet that line.
I also think there might be a discussion as to whether there’s a point that one’s opinions or behaviour does in fact define them. From my perspective, an amiable and gregarious raconteur who happens to be a nazi is just a more dangerous kind of nazi, rather than just being pleasant company with alternative views to mine.
Yes, it has been a very good discussion so far, which I really appreciate, thank you.
Many arguments are based on or start off as misunderstandings, talking passed each other, and then descend from there as it were. Once you’re down the rabbit hole in a communication or relationship – pretty similar things IMO – it is very hard to find your way back and crawl out of it. If you do manage you’re covered in ‘soil’ and feel ‘dirty’, at least, I do.
You’re saying that a ‘pleasant’ Nazi still is a Nazi. This is true, to a point, because they are so many things, all in one person. There’s a difference between being a Nazi, behaving or acting like a Nazi, and crossing a legal boundary (i.e. committing a punishable offence) IMO. I guess your argument is that it is only a matter of time before they will cross such a line. This is where I beg to differ and give them the benefit of the doubt. I do agree that many, but not all, can do horrible things under certain circumstances, but this is by no means unique to Nazis; Hannah Arendt held this view too.
Nazis have an ideology of sorts, but many racists or sexists, for example, do not. That’s an important difference in how we deal with people and their views that we don’t agree with or intensely dislike and outright reject. Many simply parrot their parents or peers …
Free speech and raising awareness is the best way to be vigilant and possibly even to transcend extreme views. Once you stop/block communication evil will run its course, no matter what is its ‘name’ …
But then discussing with evil as if it’s a reasonable argument lends evil a legitimacy that it should be denied.
Nobody is perfect in their outlook, but as soon as people start saying Hitler was nice to his dog or put equally irrelevant praise upon him, they’re trying to minimise the entire holocaust. Or if they’re parading in the streets using the old slogans, they’re supporting the holocaust.
Let me be completely clear: Nazis shouldn’t be shunned, banned, mocked, and so on because they are at the top of a slippery slope and might break the law. All of those things should be done to them because spreading those opinions as a rational point of view necessitates murder. Every single time solitary nazis feel empowered to gather and express their views as if they are a legitimate part of society, people end up dying before society is forced to crack down on them again.
A pleasant nazi is a dangerous nazi because they make nazis seem pleasant, acceptable, even entertaining. They legitimise being a nazi. But as soon as one is a nazi, one isn’t a number of things, one is a nazi with a number of characteristics.
There’s no such thing as a moderate nazi. There’s just a nazi who hasn’t killed anyone yet.
To paraphrase Indiana Jones: “Nazis. I hate ’em”.
@ Lynn,
Thank you for the clarification and I will keep it in mind if/when I write such a post; I’d like to think I’m quite good at self-moderation; not so good at self-medication 😉
I think TS is a wonderful forum with shed loads of freedom and moderated as well as is humanly possible.
@ McFlock,
My apologies, but I’ve run out of time to reply; maybe tomorrow but another long day ahead.
Many thanks for the discussion.
@ McFlock.
All this talk of Nazis… John Maynard Keynes. I’m going to assume you’d have been fairly open to sitting down for a beer with him. Nice chap. Some interesting stuff to say on economics.
The same John Maynard Keynes who was director of the Eugenics Society from 1937 to 1944.
Eugenics. The widespread and popular belief that pre-dated the Nazis, that justified forced sterilization in many states in the US and an idea that the Nazis merely exploited, didn’t conceive.
Fascism – Mussolini’s Italy. Where Roosevelt turned to in order to figure out how to lay in the social provisions of the ‘New Deal’.
USSR – the idea that an elite could order a society ‘just so’ for the betterment of humankind….Not fascism?
Methinks you lack nuance. Or maybe it’s that you’d position yourself betwixt and between those supposedly extreme poles of left and right, in some civilised or “safe” space, But then what wind-blown seeds does that ground inevitably contain?
@bill
Was Keynes a nazi? No?
Was Rooseveldt a nazi? No?
You put your finger on it with the USSR: as you put it, initially designed to bring about the betterment of human kind. So, not nazis, even if it was an authoritarian dictatorship that killed millions of people.
Upon consideration, I’m not sure I’d put nazis on the continuum between left and right, let alone the extreme end.
In the case of nazis, we should all lack nuance. Even the fascists were originally better than the nazis, although they jumped on board so fuck them, too.
McFlock.
Had the term “fascism” been around in 1919, it would have been applied to the Bolsheviks.
Mussolini (just like the Bolsheviks) insisted his order was for the betterment of humankind. The difference was that he teased the monolithic Bolshevik model a tad to give more agency and legitimacy to things other than “the party” – the state.
Roosevelt wasn’t a fascist (to be a Nazi one would have had to have been German and living in Germany), but he was very accommodating of fascism and, like I say,relied on fascists to show him how to implement social programmes.
And Keynes wasn’t a Nazi either. Like I say. He was a proponent of eugenics.
If the fascists and bolsheviks were interchangable, the fascists would have been called bolsheviks because the bolsheviks came first.
So Roosevelt looked at fascist social programmes and keynes was a eugenics supporter. That makes neither of them nazis. Did roosevelt only look at fascist social programmes? Did the fascists invent the concept? I bet no. Does one have to be a nazi to be a eugenicist? Again, no. Does one even need to be a eugenicist to be a nazi? I doubt many could even spell the word.
I think that Hannah makes something sound clear and noble that is debatable and moulded. Do kiwiblog points get clearer and more visible as their denizens partake in that echo chamber?
I like your point about fuzzy and subjective human constructs.
But the things you mention and I noted can destroy an attempt at thoughtful discussion on the blog. People can’t be distracted from focussing on the various important points by mockery et al and still be able to get an overview of strengths and weaknesses of whatever they set out to consider.
Not all of us have clarity of thought and/or writing (communicating) especially when dealing with complex topics. Sometimes mockery is a bad/failed attempt at humour or sarcasm; it’s not always necessarily intended to distract. But I take your point that there are people who like to deliberately derail debate. I can ignore these but others may not be able; banning bad behaviour on TS is not the same as banning free speech as Lynn has just explained very well @ 9.44 pm.
Edit: for me clarity often comes through writing …
You have it right Karen.
Speech which incites killing, racism, bigitory, and sexism or bullying or out right lies needs moderating.
Add to the list if you like.
I do believe in free speech, but with responsibility.
Let’s us discuss not destroy.
We should tolerate it. But we don’t have to give it a platform and megaphone. Nor should we insulate it from consequences.
Agreed, but it is a paradox that cannot be solved as such, only debated over and over again.
Indeed, it is a paradox. Explained by Karl Popper here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance
Free societies have plenty of sanctions against toxic speech – a common example is shouting ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theatre when there is no fire, slander, false advertising, criminal conspiracy and so on.
Any ideal can be subject to reductio ad absurdum and absolute liberalism that gives free reign to those who seek to destroy it is untenable.
CV sought to actively disrupt discourse with misogynistic, racist, antisemitic and racist abuse and outright lies and deliberate misinformation.
A perfectly liberal forum is not possible, and in the interests of a maximally liberal discourse, restrictions on those who seek ultimately to destroy it are reasonable and justified.
Another thread warns of the coming digital war and whether or not you believe that Russia interfered in the US presidential election, you know that trolling can be systematic and targeted.
On an aside, people talk about Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Margaret Atwood as being the dark prophets of our age, I’m thinking that the one who really got it was William S. Burroughs with his writing about viral information, feedback and Nova Mobs.
Yes, I agree with all that. The Devil is in the detail, as they say.
The only possible way to protect freedom against those who seek to limit it is to give them as much freedom as possible, without prejudice. That’s the paradox.
There seems to be some apprehension about CV returning here. It might never happen and if it does a ‘welcoming guard’ might be poised to pounce … Regardless of whether I like the guy or not, whether I like his views or not, he’s done ‘his time’ and should be given a fair chance IMHO. I can only speak for myself and fully accept that other people don’t share my views on free speech in general or CV in particular. In any case, it’s not about winning an argument, it’s about exploring the tension between opposing views.
Incognito
But where and how is the freedom allowed, pursued? People can’t come in and take over this blog with prattle. How could we ever get to discuss anything and be able to see trends and exchange information that a few people could add to their info and make discoveries on important subjects.
To me it’s not necessarily winning an argument, it is seeing other points of view which after consideration, would need to be put aside, until a clearer picture of the situation would be seen. I myself question whether I should be spending time exploring tensions between opposing views. Ultimately I might not give a fig for someone’s view unless I know enough about their expertise and ability to sift information. It’s getting useful information and putting it all together so that a possible scenario can emerge that’s best.
But hearing others points and then asking them questions, and receiving understandable answers back, enables a hypothesis to be developed. It’s groping your way to a real possibility, rather than having sweeping, confident opinions dumped take it or leave it.
What a load of old rubbish I am talking probably anyone would say.
@ greywarshark,
Your comment made perfect sense to me, thank you, although I had to read it twice 😉
This is where I differ in opinion; it is the quality of the argument that counts for me and how it is supported by verifiable facts and reasoning. For example, you don’t know anything about my area(s) of expertise yet I am an expert. I do try to let my words do all the talking without having to rely on my known & public credentials. FYI, my credentials would be no help for what I write about anyway.
The learning is done and new insights are being attained between opposing views, not at the extreme ends; this is the nature and pursuit of debate IMO.
Incognito at 11.10 23/10
Actually what I meant about knowing the person, I meant what I can gain as to reliability and honesty from reading their comments, as much as what they actually share about their persona. I respect yours and not only because you occasionally agree with me!
There are others here that I think highly of, and I may never know just who they are or meet them. But their minds are great, and their intellect sparks and their integrity seems good, and if they have some humour and sometimes self-deprecate, I think they are all right!
Free speech always comes with consequences. Telling lies about people is slander and you can be sued for that. You can also be discredited and shunned by others and on a blog banned. It would be very unhealthy if people could say whatever they liked with no consequences. Screaming out fire in a crowded movie theatre when there is no fire should also have consequences.
I do not disagree the slightest. I was not referring to crossing lines but rather to the large grey area, the ‘dark zone’ or ‘desert of discontent’ that you have to transverse before you cross an imaginary line/boundary, a ‘point of no return’.
lprent confirms that those banned until post election have had the bans (comment blacklist) lifted.
Does that include me I wonder… should do I suppose.
EDIT: well would you look at that…
You got to 4 hours and 28 minutes. Not bad.
Next!
Nice to see the warm welcome back for CV. Judging by the level of vitriol you’re sadly missed. See you tomorrow.
I found CV intelligent and interesting – didn’t agree with everything but at least someone was thinking and contributing outside the groupthink that can take hold here. Granted I missed the controversy being discussed above by the sound of it.
A brief look at some of the gun control laws in effect at the time the Second Amendment was written and ratified.
https://www.salon.com/2017/10/22/five-types-of-gun-laws-the-founding-fathers-loved_partner/
With that context, it’s quite plausible that if the US had followed a different socio-cultural development the current interpretation of the Second Amendment would focus entirely on the starting bit ” A well-regulated militia…” and there would be no individual right to bear arms at all.
True Andre – but then John Wayne would have been out of a job.. and Roy Rogers.. and the Lone Ranger…. Then where would we get the silver bullet to solve all the world’s problems?…
/sarc
Here it is, readers of The Standard, our raison d’etre! Chris Trotter describes the driving need for us all to do what we can to support the new Government against the forces of darkness, as exemplified by Richard Prebble, here on this blog and out in the wider world – cool bananas!
“And not only Peters’ protection will be needed. Every progressive New Zealander who understands the magnitude of the fight which Peters’, Ardern’s and Shaw’s decision to pursue “real change” has made inevitable, must be prepared to come to the aid of the three parties – Labour, NZ First and the Greens – which have committed themselves to fulfilling the hopes and dreams of the 50.4 percent of the New Zealand electorate who voted for them.”
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2017/10/dark-transactions-winston-peters.html
Ah. Yes.
Out of the post-election turmoil, let’s hope we can build a better society and government.
Yesterday saw the despair of the WiPeds – those poor souls afflicted with Winston Peters Demonisation Syndrome; and of the JASPs – those other souls in awestruck fear of Jacinda Ardern’s Supernatural Powers.
For the majority of us Pipeds, now is the time to work really hard for the humanisation, and democratisation of politics, economics, and social policy.
Yay that!! 1000000%
Thanks for putting that up Robert G. I put it up on Ad’s post but haven’t received any acknowledgment of anything I have put up there. C’est la vie.
Your a regional councillor Robert and I have a lot of time for your enthusiastic support of all things green and I have heard you talk on your bush tucker and your Eden in the south.
The forces of darkness have been working overtime in Canterbury this weekend ,targetting a regional councillor like yourself. I may have missed it because I have been fishing but how can we stop hate crimes like this ?
Making news overseas.
New Zealand’s new prime minister calls capitalism a ‘blatant failure’
‘If you have hundreds of thousands of children living in homes without enough to survive, that’s a blatant failure. What else could you describe it as?’
Ms Ardern said: “When you have a market economy, it all comes down to whether or not you acknowledge where the market has failed and where intervention is required. Has it failed our people in recent times? Yes.
“How can you claim you’ve been successful when you have growth roughly three per cent, but you’ve got the worst homelessness in the developed world?”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/new-zealand-new-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-capitalism-blatant-failure-a8012656.html
Capitalism a blatant failure.
On Radionz this am Colin Peacock has had two interesting speakers both giving their take on capitalism and its future moves. I’m really enthused about Paul
Mason’s ideas which provide a framework for the future that mirrors things said on this blog when looking to the future, UBI moves etc.
politics
The future of the labour force
From Labour Day, 8:40 am today
Listen duration 25′ :01″ Add to playlist
Listen http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/labourday/audio/2018618886/the-future-of-the-labour-force
Economics journalist Paul Mason says globalisation has created a whole new class of working people and the world is on the verge of a post-capitalism where work is being reinvented.
politics
Bringing capitalism back from the brink
From Labour Day, 8:10 am today
Listen http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/labourday/audio/2018618884/bringing-capitalism-back-from-the-brink
The face of British business, former UK Minister for Trade – Lord Digby Jones, explains how business and capitalism needs to be fixed to benefit everyone.
The problem being that it can’t be fixed as the whole point of capitalism is private ownership of everything. Which leaves out all those that can’t own anything because of everything being owned by a few.
Poverty is caused by capitalism and it cannot be corrected because it’s how capitalism operates.
Yep the clue is in the word “capital” + “ism” == worship of money, i.e. “the business of business is business”, building massive glittering edifices of steel and glass to honour their false gods.
As in all things, it shall pass.
As opposed to “socialism” which prioritises social outcomes, i.e. people. The taonga of Aotearoa.
“He tangata, he tangata, he tangata”
A market economy would work if everyone followed the rules. The problem is those with money do not follow the rules and cheat at the market economy every chance they can. They get a National government to break the unions that help the workers get their fair share of the profit to keep wages down artificially low below real market rate. If they are not paying a fair wage to attract local workers, they get a National government to allow them to import cheap labor from outside of the country as another way to help keep the wages artificially low. Greed is the thing that always makes a market economy fail.
And the 1% know they are challenged to show a kinder face.
Why do I feel this is an ‘Oliver Twist’ moment, as the empty bowls are presented?
Eventually empty bowls and empty bowels enforce desperate action.
greywarshark
Thanks for posting those sites of the (RNZ National) True “Labour day” programs.
I thought Sir Digby Jones was great.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/labourday/audio/2018618884/bringing-capitalism-back-from-the-brink
They must be repeated later also as some people dont wake up early as we all do.
Some dont have internet or any method other thatn radio broadcast so repeats of these true “public affairs” programs be re-presented again today on “Labour day”
The incomming new Minister of Broadcasting must take the word Steven joyce put behind RNZ (National) out of the broadcasting platform as Political parties names should not be advertised on a Public radio netwok.
Isn’t it controversial that Back Benches burnt down not once but twice I liked watching Wallies mediate on that program they put the neo libreals feet to the coals a few times and helped keep people honest I guess Key could not handle the truth getting out in to the public there is a sure trail to follow there
cleangreen
Yes I feel that National is now a tainted word.
I have just been trawling in Radionz under search – author interview. What a mine of golden ideas and experiences.
Guillotine insurance, to borrow the phrase.
Yet another reason to carefully watch and manage China’s influence in New Zealand: deeply entrenched institutional sexism.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/22/asia/china-female-leaders/index.html
Let us not forget this.
‘Newsroom Investigation: National MP trained by Chinese spies
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/13/46657/national-mp-trained-by-chinese-spies
or this
‘Revealed: China’s network of influence in New Zealand.
A major research paper into China’s soft-power campaign in New Zealand has detailed ………… extensive links between China and former New Zealand politicians and their families, and also highlights significant political donations.
University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady, the author of the research paper, said she was disturbed by her findings.
“This is about our democracy and about our sovereignty. Anybody who reads the report will find this troubling,” she told the Herald.
Brady said the influence campaign being waged in New Zealand would be of concern regardless of its source.
“It’d be the same if it was any country: it’s not about China, but it’s our country and our democracy where we value freedom of speech and association. It’s our right to choose our government.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11924169
Hard-hit families struggle under crippling debt
‘Budgeting services in Rotorua say hard-hit families are struggling under the weight of crippling debt.
People were juggling millions of dollars in debt with one agency working to help its clients reduce $12.6m in the year to June.
Rotorua Budget Advisory Service manager Pakanui Tuhura said to the year ended in June it had worked one on one with 564 clients that had a total debt of $12.6m. The majority was owed on mortgages, money to government departments, bank loans, finance company loans and other types of loans.
Its figures show about $4.6m was unsecured debt with $8m secured, while in the year ended in 2016 it had helped 764 clients deal with $19.4m in debt.
Mr Tuhura said unfortunately the clients it dealt with “have pretty much hit rock bottom”.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11934373
At least 20 people have died after smoking synthetic cannabis, but where is the community outrage and Government action plan?
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2017/09/killer-chemicals/
100% Ed,
I too am worried about second hand smoke damages occurred byothers recieving exposure effects from this human toxicity from “synthetic cannabis”
What do you think Labour will do to stop stupid poeple from taking drugs that might contain weed killer or fly spray or other poisons that may kill them??
I’m hoping they’ll do the sensible thing and legalise drugs and tax them and sensibly regulate them so they actually contain what’s claimed and not weedkiller or flyspray or whatever else.
+111
It’s rally the only thing that’s going to work.
And don’t forget the potential TAX revenue, in the states, the tax revenue is not to sniffed at, this revenue can be used directly to support addictions.
It might do to recall that these products were legal and that they have a high incidence of addiction from users.
The stupidity started with decision to make these products legal without concern for the consequences.
Synthetic cannabis is no longer legal, but we still have to deal with the consequences of introducing this toxic product to the public without due consideration and precaution.
You should save your vitriol for Dunne, and those who considered allowing synthetic cannabis to be preferable to the conversation about decriminalising the use of the natural product.
Why would the government, which legalised this deadly cocktail, want to bring attention to it?
According to 1 herald journalist the Nats will introduce a PMB on Kermadec sanctuary to “drive a wedge” in the coalition… not because a sanctuary is of itself a good idea or in the interests of NZ… but to get back in power sooner.
The Herald is now advising the National Party on strategy.
NZ Herald is a tool of the National party.
Not surprising in the least tracey – the strategy of poor losers who are continuing to support an ill-prepared brain-fart that Key used to big-note himself at the UN. If necessary, the coalition can use the English (Parental Leave) veto strategy while engaging in meaningful and transparent dialogue to ensure that a just, viable and legally enforceable sanctuary is established.
Right and the opposition should just sit there and do nothing, the Kermadec sanctuary was a good idea and if the Green party decide to support it then thats how MMP works
Mind you I would have thought the problems with the coalition wouldn’t have started until after they’ve become the actual government
No they should not do nothing. They should be constructive in opposition for a better NZ. A sanctuary that Nats never mentioned during an election campaign seems a strange place to start. Not that they have started anything openly yet
This, if it happens, will do a lot of good for National. It’ll embarrass Labour, it will reiterate what National were saying about NZFirst (though I think National should reach out to NZFirst personally) and will remind the population about how effective National is even when its not in power and, by default, how ineffectual the government is
Throw in the morale boost of sticking it to the government and putting the government on the back foot it can also start to signal to the Greens that maybe, in the future, the Greens don’t have to be Labours poor cousin and maybe a seat in cabinet is a possibility…
Also this is only a possibility because of what Labour was willing to do for power
So back to the game playing and fuck the good of NZ. Nats bringing on lies on steroids ay. If lying doesnt get you want you want. Double down.
Chris
The only thing the National party was effective at was doing nothing and racking up the largest debt this country has ever seen to pay for their dumfounded tax cut policy that resulted in massive deficits and took nearly a decade to correct.
So it would seem… A Dirty Nick Smith trick, concerned he has lost any legacy after 9 years of SFA. (oh there are swimmable rivers off course)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935754
(Item up on midday bulletin on RNZ just now.)
A New era… or yet another DP trick. But guess we’ll have to wait another day to find out
as “New Zealand First Party refused to say whether the Kermadec proposal was alive or dead.
It said that information would have to await the release of the party’s coalition agreement with Labour on Tuesday….”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/342141/nz-first-refuses-to-say-if-kermadec-plans-are-afloat
Tweets by thekermadecs
National is considering a member’s bill promoting the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary – and potentially driving a wedge between two parties in the new government in the process.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/342180/kermadec-member-s-bill-could-divide-new-govt
Speculation yet. But is Nick Smith being malicious, spiteful, hostile, evil-minded, baleful, bitter, evil-intentioned, poisonous, venomous, evil, malign, malignant, rancorous, vicious, vindictive, revengeful, vengeful, pernicious; cruel, fierce, nasty or malevolent ?
All of the afore mentioned JC when’describing’ Nick Smith.
But is Nick Smith being “malicious, spiteful, hostile, evil-minded, baleful, bitter, evil-intentioned, poisonous, venomous, evil, malign, malignant, rancorous, vicious, vindictive, revengeful, vengeful, pernicious; cruel, fierce, nasty or malevolent” ?
Very important series of tweets from Bronwyn Hayward (NZ Assc Prof of Politics & advocate for kids & a democratic imagination in a changing world @ Canterbury Uni)
Rather than labouriously C&P individual tweets – this to unroll and then C&P the entire thread.
https://tttthreads.com/
https://tttthreads.com/thread/922203214824472576
Cool. Thanks!
Thanks from me too! What does it do with subthreads?
I’ve had a bit of a fiddle and it looks like it ignores replies and the like.
But I did follow up on the how to video and there might be more info on the bot makers pages.
https://jerome.gangneux.net/blog/
https://twitter.com/jrmgx?lang=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFDciDurID5U496UtkqRTQ/videos
correct me if i’m wrong .
but when a fulla i was docking with complained about mmp and wanted it gone ,
i said it’s the only way to control political party getting out of control as we have no upper house
In these days of people losing connection with rural areas and getting more open-minded about how people relate to each other, “fulla I was docking with” might not get understood the way you meant.
But yeah, MMP makes it more likely compromise and coalition building will be needed for government. But the presence of more than one layer of government won’t prevent elected dictatorships. The only thing that’s saving the US from one right now is the turd tornado’s utter incompetence. And they have three levels of government.
cheers ‘ but imagine if the turd had won a fpp election in a one tier system.
as for the other just adding a bit of flavour , although was a little hesitant to mention docking (removing lambs tails ) here
Imagine what will happen when townies find out their roast required an animal to die! 😉
I’ve seen it happen a few times. And been soundly told off when my niece and nephew asked “what’s for dinner” and I told them “Bambi’s mother”. But the sudden vegetarianism usually only lasts until the next bacon fry-up.
Used to bugger my back after the 3rd day of stooping down to ring those nuts.
I enjoyed those mountain oysters . but me thinks there is more to that story
aye it does ill pick up some where near 6000 lambs this season , as i’m the new boy in the Valley i just moved to it’s back down the order for me.
(wouldn’thttp://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/animalwelfare/TAFS-2-Management-to-Avoid-Tail-Docking-Sheep-9-22-09.pdf change a thing mind.)
There was a bloke called Dr Scobie doing good work on tails but guess what , no funding for research is what happened to him i believe.
It was one of those tasks that convinced me that farming was all about doing automatable tasks by hand whilst sitting on the land and making enough to get get by. While looking for a good capital gain out at the end. Not my scene back in 1977 when I spent a year as a farmhand to make that decision.
All the more reason to keep any vernacular we have.
/facepalm
And upper house doesn’t stop a political party getting out of control – ever. Just look at the US.
I have to change my email because of Vodafone’s clear.net.nz shutting down. Someone replying to my email had it returned address unknown and Vodafone was giving till end of November I thought.
That’s why I still want to keep my landline. When you get into the hands of these flighty capitalist concerns, they are always trying to take over each other, or invent something that will take the others’ business or put them out of business. Half our time is spent on learning new stuff that replaces old stuff that worked okay.
I find it frustrating that big corproations push people to use new technologies in the way they want.
I still prefer landlines for phone and Internet. I can’t understand why so many people have switched to pay for use mobiles, when landline free local calling is still available. i rarely have my mobile switched on, have voicemail for my landline, but businesses especially try to contact me by mobile, and ignore my landline.
Sometimes I don’t switch my mobile on for days or even weeks.
I also prefer my email to come through my computer system. I distrust wifi and clouds and think landlines, and backups to external hard drives, are still more secure.
I am switching to spark, and have to wait til the connection is activated before I get a Spark email account.
I have requested vodafone to forward my mail to a gmail addy in case there is a period between vodafone and spark email accounts.
But, I think vodafone’s email was already not working well, which is why they have closed thee service down.
My vodafone emails to friend in the UK have not got to her for the last year.
gmail is not adequate for all my email – it’s clunky.
While I like many new technologies, I’m mostly selective about the ones I go for. I distrust the motives of big corporations when trying to push us in specific directions.
i have not have had a mobile phone now for nigh on 6 years. I don’t need it, i don’t want it, and i don’t want to pay for it. It offers me no service.
I have a landline, internet. If i don’t pick up the phone or answer messaging i don’t want to be contacted. It works a treat!
I am pondering letter pigeons tho, that would be a cool addition to my communication services.
Vodafone’s internet service drove me back to drink (briefly). It was an unfunny version of the dead parrot sketch spread over weeks. Now I’m with Spark and I’ve found the service reliability and customer relations immensely superior.
Never use Twitter, Instagram etc. Never noticed any deficit in my life for not having them. Someone once titled a book Data Smog and that seems to suit most social media – they obscure instead of reveal and they’re toxic.
I agree, gmail has an awful interface.
Likewise, I still use a landline and I’ve never had a mobile. Christopher Nolan supposedly never uses one either. If he can handle the logistics of big budget films without one, everyday life is easy without one.
I get most of my information from books because they’ve been researched, referenced, attributed, edited, redrafted and critically reviewed.
While I have a voracious appetite for information, I take Mustrum Ridcully’s example with messages – if someone comes up to you with a message, ignore them. If they go away, it wasn’t important or they could deal with it themselves.
In the end, I think that time capsules are even superior to pigeons. Someone opens one up, finds a note and it reads, “Go away, I’m dead.”
but but
i like pigeons. 🙂
I use my Gmail through Thunderbird. The only problem I have with that though is that it’s interface with Google Calendar is rather limited.
Well, sometimes anyway. I doubt a book from The Heritage Foundation is any of those things as they’re designed to lead people to the wrong conclusions.
Carolyn-nth
Recently I gave my landline number, which has an answerphone, to a business and they said don’t you have a mobile. Time wasn’t important and I couldn’t see why they dismissed the landline number.
I agree about using emails. This drive to have your whole life targeted at your cellphone, so little, so portable, so slippery, so likely to need constant topping up, I can’t understand.
It seems that people are hypnotised by tech, and conformist to the extreme in all wanting to use it. Also businesses want everything these days, your address, your email, your cellphone, and landline. Stuff them, why, are they going to sell it.
Now the tech mad are talking about not having codes for door locks, and keys are out, and the latest is no plastic cards but eye reading etc. Everything is becoming too complicated, and creates barriers rather than facilitating entry and freedom.
Because it’s cheaper than a landline while also being mobile.
It may be cheaper for those who use mobiles a lot, and feel a need to have a phone connection wherever they go.
For me, who rarely uses a mobile from one month to the next, it looks like the frequent users are being subsidised by those of us who use mobiles only very occasionally.
There may be a bit of that with landlines, but it’s more of a level playing field. And I prefer a landline connection for the Internet – so basically, my mobile is only for emergencies.
For those on a benefit WINZ requires you to have a phone. As they don’t then pay for the phone it’s only the cheapest option that works.
Pre-pay with most telcos is $20/year.
The people being subsidised the most happen to be businesses. Same as retail customers subsidise them on power as well. And the subsidy is huge. When I was at TelstraClear they were actually losing money on business customers but still making a decent profit because of the residential. Meanwhile the business customer were called VIPs.
So do I – it just doesn’t have a phone number on it. Why have a home phone when anybody who calls you is going to call on the mobile?
It is increasingly becoming the case that mobiles seldom get used for voice.
I’m a pretty typical bleeding edge user of technology, and usually shift patterns well before anyone else. I have a moderately expensive plan. It has unlimited voice. Unlimited texts. And 7.5GB of mobile data.
So my average voice this year was 20 minutes per month, and 30 txts. But I average 5.8GB of data over the last year and about 3GB the year before. If I could drop voice and txt and still have a phone number then I would do so. Easy enough to use something like signal or whatsapp.
At home I have unlimited data (mostly for The Standard) and a VOIP landline that costs $10 per month. That is only used for incoming for the elderly and the apartment door.
To be honest, I’m still amazed that we’re letting the telcos screw us over with the idea of texts and voice minutes which they charge more for. It’s just data and should be charged at the same rate as data.
We have had to change as well. I do not like the gmail format, but Norm does.
Each to their own.
Landlines when the power goes down, are great, as they work.
After switching to all broadband we had nothing during a power outage.
Did you tell Vodafone your new email address? You need to should you wish for email to be redirected to alternative email address. Voda is doing it for free. Much better than Sparks $20 per month fee if you want to keep @xtra email address when you move elsewhere.
Doesn’t take effect until the end of November. There shouldn’t be any interruptions to email before then.
I doubt that vodafone will offer the redirect service free forever.
Hi weka,
I just sent you a message. I hope you’ll have time to read it and possibly even post it.
Thanks Incognito, will be at my mail later on.
It doesn’t cost anything to have any email sent to my old Spark address forwarded to Gmail – I just used the “push” function that’s available as part of setting up a Gmail account.
Spark does provide free email with a net connection, though.
And, I don’t like any web-based email as a reception for vodafone emails indefinitely.
Ultimately, sometimes we have always had to change ph numbers, addresses, and email addresses.We let people and organisations that matter know of the changes.
GWS
Get a gmail account, it’s free and can be accessed anywhere in the world and does’t matter who the internet provider is, it will be the same for the rest of your life.
Thanks NewsFlash
Good advice. I may just have to take it and also revise other that I have received. I am conflicted. When it comes to google I use it so much, and have an email a/c with them which had become a necessity to fit in with others I work with. But I feel that google is right beside me everything I do.
And perhaps I can have my own email a/c separate from the google one connected with my volunteer work. So I was thinking of Outlook which is Spark I think. There are only two I am told. So.. I will have to get onto it next week.
I note in my false news that India is blaming their first ODI loss to the Black Caps on being bewitched by New Zealand’s female Prime Minster. 😉
Just been over at KB quite entertaining reading the nonsense, they refer to Jacindarella as the Tooth Fairy, Mr Ed and describe her as flippertigibbert, some quite nasty little people over there at KB or should we call it Hobbitsville.
I think the Hobbits in general were just little people trying to make a life. I don’t think that applies to KW and WO – they try to dissect life, and throw away all the good bits.
Sounds like Orcish mischief to me…
This could work well for everybody in NZ
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/342163/forestry-calls-for-wooden-public-buildings
Perhaps, if they did something about the price – dried gauged 96 x 46 H1.2 framing is around a third the price in Australia.
So, an industry is now calling for government subsidies to survive?
You’ll note that that industry was quite happy selling all their logs offshore for premium prices when the going was good. Now that it appears to be not so good they’re calling for government assistance.
EDIT:
And. no, I wouldn’t build a high-rise building out of wood. The fire hazard would be atrocious.
The fire hazards are similar. It’s what’s in the building that’s the fire hazard rather than the structure. Steel and concrete structures have to be fire protected so the steel doesn’t loose strength in a fire long enough for everyone to get out. It’s trivial to give a big wooden structure the same protection, and the wooden structure will stand up much better from the heat.
I’m the opposite, I wouldn’t live in a steel framed house because they melt like chocolate in a fire.
Agreed. At a school I was working at, there were 2 Gymnasia (!) together side by side. One was with big Lockwood beams from the early 70s. The other was a tidy, modern steel-frame unit. One fire started by arsonists between the two buildings burnt both badly. Afterwards the Lockwood beams stood proud, badly charred, but in original shape. The steel frames of the modern building slewed in all directions, broken, twisted, and in utter disarray.
1. Neither would I. I’d probably use foam sandwich.
2. We’re actually talking about high-rise buildings which, as you point out, have all the necessary protections built in already. I doubt if it would be trivial to build those protections into a high-rise building made out of wood due to the wood taking up so much more room.
Foam sandwich, huh? What kind of foam core you got in mind?
Every candidate foam I’m aware of either is a fantastic fuel for fires (such as polystyrene as used in panels for coolstores etc), stuffed full of really nasty flame retardants, or really really expensive.
Well, definitely wouldn’t be using polystyrene. That stuff shouldn’t be anywhere near a building.
Haven’t really looked beyond conception yet. More of a if you can build boats out of it then you can build houses out of it and get all the insulation benefits. And, if done right, be a faster build.
And the resins and fibres in it can be sourced from hemp.
Wood frames actually keep their strength for longer in a fire than steel.
And their insulating properties don’t spread the fire as fast as steel.
Steel rapidly loses strength when too hot, or cold.
Back in the 70’s the old Forest Service built a lot of bridges, with gluelam beams. Some of them were quite big, and to a very high loading for off highway logging trucks. I’d presume they are still standing. I was involved with a couple in Lake Taupo Forest, east of Turangi.
One of the advantages of the material choice was fire performance. A wooden beam will maintain strength in a fire much better than a steel or prestressed concrete one of the same cold strength. Steel looses strength rapidly when it gets hot.
Well, well TS does it again, we come up with some really useful information to give us understanding of what’s going on politically, business-wise and technically.
Thanks Graeme that adds to the general mix of info.
NZ WHISTLE-BLOWER ALERT!
23 October 2017
Thousands rally in Malta to honour slain Panama Papers journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Murdered Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia played a leading role in exposing the role of NZ foreign trusts in international money-laundering.
‘They won’t silence us’:
https://www.google.co.nz/amp/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4366590
On Sunday morning, all seven national newspapers had their front pages black in Caruana Galizia’s memory.
Printed in bold letters against the black backgrounds were the words:
“The pen conquers fear.”
Just before her death, Caruana Galizia had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were “crooks everywhere” in Malta.
The island nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the European Union and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe.
The journalist focused her reporting for years on investigating political corruption and scandals, and reported on Maltese mobsters and the island’s drug trafficking.
She also wrote about Maltese links to the so-called Panama Papers leaks about offshore financial havens.
_________________________________
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/81521/continous_updates__thousands_attend_demonstration_in_wake_of_daphne_caruana_galizias_murder
Political commentator James Debono said that on Monday, Daphne was given the death penalty by someone who thought he was omnipotent.
It was very good that the government would do everything to catch the culprits he said, but that was not enough.
“We do not want to live in a mafia state, we do not want to be the washing machine of dictators’ and criminals’ money,” he said, “we need to show the criminals who killed Daphne that Malta has functioning institutions which we trust.
In the last years, the institutions have failed us, with the Panama scandal being hidden under the carpet.”
________________________________
Panama Papers journalist killed in Malta car bomb | Radio New Zealand News
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/341712/panama-papers-journalist-killed-in-malta-car-bomb
The Maltese investigative journalist and blogger who led the investigation into the Panama Papers scandal has been killed by a car bomb.
(Includes April 2016 Radio NZ interview with Daphne Caruana Galizia)
_________________________________
So – when is former NZ Prime Minister John Key going to be investigated over the Panama Papers?
On 1 August 2017, the Chair of Transparency International Jose Ugaz stated at a meeting of over 200 people at Rutherford House, Victoria University that John Key should be investigated over the Panama Papers.
How do I know?
I was at that meeting and heard
Transparency International Chair Jose Ugaz say that John Key should be investigated over the Panama Papers, myself.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption whistle-blower’.
Well looks like I’m going to get Labour day off checked the weather cam in Tauranga its pisisting down and I would get a wet ass .
Now we can see all the bullshit money sloshing around in our MSM environment .
Prebble well he looks like a washed up bum and he will take anyone money and jump through any hoops I bet he is loving all the new media coverage he is getting so discount any thing he has to say as payed proper-gander.
Key well letts vote with our wallets and boycott anything he is doing in New Zealand .
As he is just setting him self up to launder all the 1% money through New Zealand and this gives him the power/ money to manipulate OUR systems to benefit him and his neo liberal M8. We don’t want him imprinting his bullshit values on US.
Kermadec Isands well my knowledge on this subject stems from my fishing days and observation of our country’s situation at the minute.
Back in the late 80’s we use to see heaps of lights out sea this was a foreign fishing fleet and they were reaping a bonanza and paying minimal money to US for there bounty.
These fishing fleets were more advanced than ours and they new more about our fishery’s than we did so in my view they were ripping US off.
Now the Kermadec are about 800 klm away So if they are made a sanctuary how are we going to protect these assets . It would cost to much to have our Navy or Air force protect these assets .
So in my view the best way to protect and preserve these assets is to have a sustainable fishing system put in place for OUR fishing fleet not a Quoter system but something more sustainable like limited horsepower and technology in that fisheries. As in the trawler industry it is horsepower that ultimately catchiest fish and this horse power could be a trader able asset in this location .This is one of the system that the fishermen wanted back in the day to preserve our fisheries .
And with OUR fishing fleet out there fishing sustainability they will protect our asset as if they see on there radar a boat that is ilegally fishing there they would call our air force and then they will be able to peruse the offender identified them and proceed with prosecution . Now please don’t get pissed off about my view as this is the only way we can protect an preserve OUR Kermadec Island assets and in the prosess we will benefit sustainable an keep foreigners from raiding them you see I did listen when I was a younger. Key wanted to make it a sanctuary and get back hands from his foreign M8 So they could keep raiding our assets Key’s no conservative who has hired him for promoting golf and they were the ones pillaging our fisheries back in the day kick Key OUT Ana Tou Kai
I’d put a navy station up there and permanently keep some decent patrol ships there.
And, no, it wouldn’t cost too much. That’s a delusion caused by having the profit motive in producing military weaponry.
There’s an easier way..
View at Medium.com
that too. I’ve been keen on NZ having a polar orbit surveillance satellites for sometime now. And we just so happen to be in a good place to launch them.
Together with: http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/what-we-do/aircraft/orion.htm
Mahia Peninsula..
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/
and : http://globalfishingwatch.org/map/
People this is about the now this is about a simple acceptable solution to a problem that national will use to dived OUR new coalition government and steal there mana and national will put a lot of effort to stain and strain this new partnership. About cost don’t we already owe 100 Billion + so any simple cost effective solutions to our problems should be grabbed with both arms as this method will mean more resources for our needy and everyone in our new coalition government will have reached there goal . Kei te pai
It’s doable, but it comes down to money weather you single layered or multi layered surveillance system. The issue I have how to enforce it from illegal fishing, so we take a soft or hard nose approach? I know what I want, but it comes with big price tag as well.
And that’s because we’ve all been sold a lie about the basic nature of the economy. We’ve been told that we need to borrow from offshore and that is a lie.
A country/nation never needs to borrow money as it can create the money it needs and, as long as it has resources available and the taxes are done right, it’s non-inflationary.
Anyone thinking that the nasty wizards in the National party bewitched the weather to make it rain on Labour Day. Spiteful people. Sarc
Several witches there too, you know..
So the right are carrying on with the lies, and are upping the game with threats of violence.
I see the herald is back to being the poster boy for violence against working people. Now they want a coup to put the pesky people who believe in democracy in their place.
What worries me is the incitement to violence which is so casual in this piece. Yeah the bare faced lies are there, but the casual call for political violence is disturbing, and shows a shift away from democracy for exponents of neo-liberalism.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935125
We need to have the new government investigate if George Soros money is being channelled to NZ spin doctoring and media platforms, as this article shows it is possibly occurring world wide by this very sick man George Soros.
Austria bans Soros for funding the undemining of countries democratic systems..
http://yournewswire.com/youngest-leader-george-soros/
How many times have you posted this now? At least three that I can think of.
If your article paints a fair picture of Kurz, then the guy’s nuttier than the buffet at a squirrel convention. But one look at the home page of that outfit suggests it’s probably not a fair picture.
There you go again Andre,
Comment without substance.
Read the post!!!!
“We need to have the new government investigate if George Soros money is being channelled to NZ spin doctoring and media platforms,”
I am now sending the message to Government to investigate if Soros money is being used to fund anti Government action such as trolls?
Maybe you can relate to that better than I do as you often send anti labour messages thinly spread I see.
The article was a conspiracy-nut rant devoid of any substantiation. It had precisely zero useful information about Soros and his activities. But it did helpfully let us know Kurz is a 9/11 troofer among his other apparent delusions.
You are backing George Soros????????
You are a nutter, as just see the rapsheet on this crim as you search “george soros convicted for fraud”
Wake up!!!!!
http://americannews88.com/2017/04/breaking-news-george-soros-indicted-for-voter-machine-fraud-and-more/
BREAKING NEWS: George Soros Indicted For Voter Machine Fraud And More
April 26, 2017 Admin
BREAKING NEWS: George Soros Indicted For Voter Machine Fraud And More
After the state of Ohio found that voting machines in more than a dozen counties had been tampered with, they tied them directly to the George Soros Corporation. It took the Federal Election Commission less than an hour to get an indictment through the US Attorney after that. In under three hours total, George Soros was photographed sitting in a courtroom waiting to be arraigned.
Soros faces charges of election tampering, wire fraud, electronics fraud and perjury — as well as several smaller charges of inciting violence and harassment — after accounting books found in his office prove he personally paid the Berkely protestors as well as the group of liberal trolls that “goated” 26 conservative Facebook pages in 2014.
If convicted, Soros could face 30 years in prison and fines up to $40 million. He also runs the risk of having his citizenship revoked and being deported to his home country of Hungary. He was released on $10 million bail.
The prosecutor said this is just the beginning of the case against Soros and that it could go right up the rungs of the democratic party, possibly all the way to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The investigation is ongoing, but he says there is plenty of evidence to try and convict Soros on the charges he already faces.
Jeez cleangreen, do you apply any skepticism at all to what appears on your screen?
Google soros voter machine machine fraud and a selection of nutter sites, misinformation sites, and a whole lot of debunking comes up.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=soros+voter+machine+fraud&rlz=1C1CHZL_enNZ731NZ731&ei=W0ntWYCVEIP38QWy063QBg&start=0&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=662
Google ohio soros indictment and the same happens.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=ohio+soros+indictment&rlz=1C1CHZL_enNZ731NZ731&oq=ohio+soros+indictment&aqs=chrome..69i57.15639j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Horseshoe!.
https://www.snopes.com/george-soros-controls-smartmatic-voting-machines-in-16-states/
Your “circle of derp” is closer to the mark.
Thanks Joe90 hadn’t heard that term but it fits what one observes.
“do you apply any skepticism at all to what appears on your screen?”
Yes when the shaddy name George Soros comes up as some ‘propose’ him as a saint!!!!
But Soros is simply another elitist member of “The Bilderberg Group”
widely known as “a highly secretive organisation”
Quote; “Soros is a key globalist individual who is essentially a ”front man” for giving a humanitarian and progressive face to globalist agendas. [Note— His supposed speculative investments are often coordinated with the people who create the currency changes he is betting on in the first place, being planned at meetings such as secretive Bilderberg conferences.”
http://www.newsofinterest.tv/politics/book_summaries/daisnaid/daisnaid_soros.php
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/secretsoc_20century/secretsoc_20century10.htm
Who needs CV when we have cleangreen….
[the IP you are using is attached to multiple IDs which are on a permanent ban. Adding you in too. If you think this is a mistake, email Lynn and make your case. Thanks btw for bringing this to my attention with a troll comment on your first day back after a 6 month ban, it makes our job so much easier. – weka]
Oh dear.
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/10/20/facebook-verified-russian-proxy-site-pushing-fake-news-story-attacking-george-soros/218282
This idiot says be humble….
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/kate-hakwesby-peacock-peters-should-learn-to-be-humble/
My god – talk about the pot calling the kettle black in demanding that Peters show some humility and stop acting like a peacock!
The peacock is much closer to home, Kate. (Actually that is an insult to peacocks – sorry, real peacocks.)
Coms people….this!.
I agree, although there has been a bit more action on her Facebook account since the election but little in the last week. https://www.facebook.com/jacindaardern/
Jacinda seems to do all her own social media on Twitter and Facebook, so it is perhaps understandable that she has had little time particularly in the last week.
In terms of her age and tertiary qualifications in Communications, social media seem important to her and she uses Facebook brilliantly* – but she is unlikely to be able to maintain these by herself in future. So I am hopeful she sees it as a priority to get help with this asap as it would be a shame to waste the vast number of followers she has on both Twitter and Facebook.
* Her two little ‘at home’ videos on the evening of the election (23 Sept) and the next day after the BBQ are well managed little ‘glimpses into life in the Ardern/Gayford household’.
But Paddles Ardern-Gayford now has a new Twitter account (“(Independent cat – not affurliated with the Labour Pawty”) with over 245 tweets in just two days!
https://twitter.com/FirstCatofNZ Clarke got time to kill at present? LOL.
veutoviper
Why not tweet Jacinda and suggest having a helper with her tweets to her. I thought that twitter was supposed to be good for getting personal thoughts to the individual more directly.
LOL, I am not actually signed up to Twitter! I am strictly a ‘voyeur’ when it comes to Twitter and have no desire to join as it can be a very toxic environment.
However, it is an excellent early information system to things happening before they hit the news. A quirk of the Twitter system is that if you don’t actually belong, you can read most Twitter accounts without following that account except where the account is fully protected – and you cannot also be blocked.
I have other direct communications channels to certain Labour (and other) MPs etc so will raise maintaining Jacinda’s social media accounts and providing help with them, but suspect it will be me telling much more social media qualified people ‘how to suck eggs’ so to speak!
In the meantime Paddles the cat’s Twitter account is getting a great worldwide following and is a lot of fun.
One other thing that got my scepticism going was that piece on news hub about vandalism down south on those dairy farms for one what would some intelligent people who are pro our environment gain from doing that stupid shit well nothing but bad publicity
against there cause come on these people are not stupid.
Whom is part of that story and could not hold a strait face to the camera well he is no other than Derek Crombie chief executive of the central plains water irrigation scheme.
So I say there is a conflict of interest going on there a smear campaign against OUR green movement. Where is all the proof one Tyre with a hole drilled in it a shot of a 10.000 ltr milk tank well that’s no proof in my view. these farmers are not coming up with this shit by them selves someone else is driving this deceit I have a good idea whom it is and I say that this threat to OUR new coalition Government should be taken as a threat to OUR national security and these people be found and prosecuted to stop this propergander and a pro advising campaign like no other all around our world put heaps of effort and resorces into it Like Bill Gates whom just had a ordinary operating sustems but he used advertising win the world over to his prouduct and this will guarantee our governments success to run Tautoko OUR fledgling Coalition Government Kia Kaha
And Bill Gates has more soft power than many countrys now and other power. This advertising campaign will benefit our exporters to so lets do this We have to win the world over to our ideals to win in the long game of things 100 + years
And the day to launch this campaign is the day that Winston crowns our new Queen prime opportunity to make a lasting impression of our new positive coalition government to the World. I’m making a donation to the Labour party now .
Please take this opportunity seriously as opportunity knocks but once and this is a great opportunity cement our new coalition government into power for a decade.
Did you hear how Trump was nice to Jacaranda and New Zealand .
That’s because we have a loud voice in most of the country’s in our world a voice that can influence people to see there reality and join the cause for mother earth and equality He should be nice to everyone .Lett’s start this promotional campain for our coalition Government and show the rest of the world there reality Ka pai
EcoMaori/Kiwi
Jacinda I think. Jacaranda is a large tree with purple blossom I think.
Are we happy with Labour’s minimum wage position ($16.50 an hour from 2018)?
This minimal increase will do little to meet the party’s rhetoric (a fairer NZ) and address inequality. Thus, personally I’m not impressed.
How long will it take Labour to get the minimum wage up to the living wage?
Will they get there in their first term? And if not, will they get another innings?
I’m not – they have to do a review every year anyway, so this is maybe 25c better than National would have done.
Yes. It’s a poor effort. Especially considering the rhetoric during the campaign.
It will create some voter disillusionment.
When one is sailing a Waka one does not shift the load to fast as this could cause the Waka to sink. I.E If wages are lifted to fast this will justifies some neo libral employers to say the sky is falling on there head and sack some staff and this will help the neo libral cause and one will have to check that the cargo in not rotten before they can make promises to dish it out Kapai.
IMO, in this case, failing to move fast enough will see the ship go down too.
Moreover, as wages increase, so to does consumer demand, thus the need for employers to take on more staff.
Labour have already signalled that this is just the first step. Remember, too, that they’re also promising a move to the living wage for state sector employees, an end to the 90 Days’ Bill (no more “fire at will”, bringing in a “referee” service), honouring the equal pay recommendations of the recent working group, instituting Fair Pay Agreements for workers in exploitative industries… I’m not saying that we shouldn’t aim for a bigger shift over time, but let’s celebrate the good stuff, too!
I wasn’t undermining what they have achieved, but its far too early for celebrations when there is so much more to do.
Changes that we could use to rebuild working class power in Aotearoa/NZ
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/10/20/what-i-want-from-a-labournz-firstgreen-government/
I agree that a staggered approach is important to avoid sinking employers, but National have put minimum wage up every year since they were in office, generally 50c/hr, so IMO Labour have to put it up enough to significantly improve upon that.
When in 2018?
More scaremongering from the Herald…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11935005
Tory fan girl Stacey Kirk is upset a politician calls her on her pro National bias.
Diddums.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98117407/stacey-kirk-what-its-like-to-be-on-the-receiving-end-of-a-winston-peters-tonguelashing
And if everyone makes a donation for this positive advertising campaign to Tautoko our new coalition Government we will have our fair and equal society influencing the rest of the world to to change to a fair and equal WORLD this is what we need to do as this is the way our world works ka pai
Seeing as Labour won’t increase core benefit rates and the Greens were unable to secure it as a win, is there any possibility of beneficiaries getting a little extra over Christmas and long weekends? Giving them more fiscal scope to get together with their family and friends.
Possibly. There’s meant to be a review, and at least the winter heating package means more money even if it’s not every week.
The heating package will be in one hand and out the other.
And the review made no mention of reviewing core benefit rates. It is more to do with how the system operates and how beneficiaries are treated.
Surely that’s a pretty big thing. There’s been a lot coming out about failure to inform people of their rights and a bullying culture in WINZ.
Holding a review is required.
Ensuring people are receiving their full entitlements, are treated fairly and with respect will help. But so too will more money in the hand.
I agree with both of those points. That said, the review will ensure people actually get paid their full entitlements which will go a long way to get more money into people’s hands. Also, while I don’t think the review encompasses the actual rates specifically, it covers:
The welfare system will be overhauled. Specific promises include ensuring access to entitlements, removing “excessive sanctions” and reviewing Working for Families “so that everyone has a standard of living and income that enables them to live in dignity”.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/the-greens-10-big-policy-gains.html
Certainly leaves some room there to improve the welfare system!
While ensuring people receive their full entitlements is important and will help some (a number are already receiving their full entitlements) we must keep in mind full entitlements have largely been insufficient since the Ruth Richardson cuts.
As for improving Working for Families, it does nothing for families who’s children are no longer young and for those that don’t have dependents.
So yes, plenty of room for more improvement.
Whose, not who’s. Who’s means either who is or who has.
Chairman, you have been trying so earnestly to appear genuinely left-wing, but here you are concern trolling again, casting gloom over policies, and urging towards policies you secretly hope will alienate the public.
I just want other, new readers to be aware of you.
Of course, I may be wrong, and I am sure you will protest…
I’m merely shining the light of reality over policy. If that casts them in a gloomy way, it’s because in reality, they are.
If you are unhappy with that, blame the ones who created it, not the ones who highlight the flaws.
I advocate my own policy suggestions that I believe are required, thus will help. Moreover, are likely to muster support.
When it comes to you speculating on my positioning, you’ve always been wrong. And as I’ve told you (and a number of others) it’s not about me. So if you want to keep banging on about me, you can do it from the sideline.
“Shining a light”?
Gloom is a matter of perspective. We’re just walking out of a dark cave of tory government, and you’re the dude looking at the sky and complaining it’s a little bit cloudy.
Most normal people are still blinking and trying to adjust to the new light level and warmth.
The give a little extra over Xmas campaign.
Sign in if you support the notion of the new Labour/NZ First Government giving beneficiaries a little extra over Christmas.
There’s been a few posts made since the give a little extra post (at 29) was made, therefore I sincerely hope it’s a case of the post not being noticed rather than an indication of the lack of support.
I noticed just now but first time I’ve looked at OM today so that’s my excuse 🙂
There’s been a “Christmas bonus” for beneficiaries in the UK forever, as far as I know it was still happening a couple of years ago despite the horrendous situation they’re in; I will check with my friend there tomorrow to see if she still gets it.
Of course one should be given here. Ethically and morally an increase for cost of living is more justified but we’re not naive enough to think that will happen. It hasn’t for 25 years, why change the habit of a generation now?
“There’s been a Christmas bonus for beneficiaries in the UK forever”
Interesting, I was unaware of that.
Unfortunately, Labour won’t commit to increasing core benefit rates, therefore a Christmas bonus would be better than nothing. And I thank you for your support.
I was surprised the Greens couldn’t even secure that (a Christmas bonus) from Labour, but at least they’re happy with their 3 MPs (outside of cabinet).
To be fair, perhaps they (the Greens) didn’t even consider it. Therefore, it could be something they could consider and help advocate for now?
Are you able to give a link to the relevant page? I agree with the idea but don’t know what I am meant to sign.
This is it. You’ve already signed in, thanks. Just gauging support for the notion at this stage.
I support your cause The Chairman. I’v just got to much going on at the moment to comment Kia ora
It would be like getting Scrooge to have a change of heart at Christmas to get some extra for the bennies. And it should be only for the under 65s.
The poor things they do need it very badly some of them and while us oldies could do with more we tend to do better and get better treatment.
Jacinda comes across as very caring, but this would certainly put her to the test. If she knocks this back as well (Labour refused to increase core benefit rates) then she would be a “Scrooge”.
To be fair, the extra payment should be across the board.
The Government would get a lot of it back in tax as it is spent throughout the economy. And businesses would get a surge in demand.
Which would help appease a number on the right, giving it support from both sides, making it less of a political risk.
If enough of us here support and join in this cause, do you think we (through our combined blogging power and this site) could influence the new Government into paying out an Xmas bonus by this Christmas?
There’s a challenge.
Thanks, eco Maori/kiwi.
Why would businesses hosting online material take a long time to take down offensive or vicious material? A. Because their income and usefulness as a medium for others to interact with is affected by clicks and if there is a controversy, they will get more of those. A deviant system that feeds on others’ dramas and distress more than on the lesser results from good, happy events and news.
This happened to someone very tech savvy and now as a way of hopefully preventing it, there is a site to go to.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201858368/zoe-quinn-why-are-we-calling-death-threats-trolling
A very good article, thank you.
Likes there already something like ‘ethical investing’ by which people can demand their investment (e.g. pension/superannuation) not be invested in something they consider unethical (e.g. weapons industry). Similar pressure can and should be applied to advertisers who place their ads on ‘dubious’ or contentious websites. These advertisers should never be able to use the argument (excuse) that they didn’t know because they were only looking at a spreadsheet containing numbers of clicks and dollars earned, for example.
Good link GWS we need to come up with some innovative Ideas to clean that shit up I would not be a happy Grandfather if anyone does that to my grandchildren keep up the good work Zoe Quinn Ka pai
I see that the voice of the ‘Road freight Transport’ industry is now all over the media groaning about the shortage of “truck drivers”
I have heard this said by the road transport Forum Ken Shirey and his associated shills have said this, from memory at least four times this year!!!!
Perhaps Ken Shirley needs to read the incomming Government ‘policies on land transport’ as even Heather du plessis alllen said it right in the NZH yesterday that the new labour lead government is hell bent on moving a lot more freight back to rail well good on them!!!!
So then our roads are again much safer and cheaper to maintain and our CO2 emission targets will be reached with no more penalties to us all.
I say that is a win win win for us all – as we dont need more imported cowboy truck drivers that would be just cheap labour for the trucking industry sorry.
Here is the article for Ken Shirley’s information.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1193550
NZ HERALD SAYS THIS; The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up
our highway network are numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are
obsessed with getting freight off our roads and back on the railways.
NZ Herald.
NEW ZEALAND
Heather du Plessis-Allan: Winners and losers of the new Government
22 Oct, 2017 5:00am
Jacinda Ardern will be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister but who
really won when New Zealand First decided to back Labour.
By:
Heather du Plessis Allan
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a columnist for the Herald on Sunday
Change is coming. Big change. That much Winston Peters has told us.
Exactly what that means we won’t know until the new government reveals
its coalition policy deals in the next few days. But still, we have
enough hints and clues to already declare some winners and losers.
WINNERS
Anyone with a car
The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up our highway network are
numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are obsessed with getting
freight off our roads and back on the railways.
Shirley.
Wasn’t he ACT?
Good question Ed,
I was told he was Labour once also but so was Prebble too eh, so there are gremilins inside the old Labour as we saw there.
Former Labour cabinet minister from 1984-1990. MP for Tasman, but lost to Nick Smith in 1990, then joined ACT and returned to Parliament in 1996.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Shirley
‘Obsessed’…
du Plessis is such a National tool.
Yes she is Ed but the ‘meat is sweeter closer to the bone”
As Heather’s article cuts across national ‘ideology ‘ of using road transport for everything in NZ did not feature in Du plessis allen’s article, so it is useful to us on the rail side.
Another Tory tool.
Mark Richardson
TV and radio host Mark Richardson tweeted that he is worried the new Labour Government will drive up the price of his morning latte.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11935935.
This has prompted some great responses.
Finlay Macdonald
‘Wait till he hears about the penis tax.’
Chris Mugford
‘maybe you and Mike Hoskings can carpool to save costs’
Ian Grant
‘Or move to New York and live in trump tower where you won’t have any complaints’
DaveMac
‘That’s fine, we had several years of getting our heads round stupid statements from f..kwits like you most mornings, & as for slow batting..’
Bronwyn Cross
‘Rich, entitled, white men whining about the cost of coffee get what they deserve. ‘
William Mason
‘if tht’s all you’ve gt 2 moan abt the new govt then u shud spend time helping ppl @ the city mission buttercup’
The response continues…
Finlay Macdonald
‘Wait till he hears about the penis tax.’
Rachel Stewart
Based on size, he won’t be paying much.
Finlay Macdonald
‘Each according to their ability to pay, only fair.’
Yes Mark’s a tosser lol.
Many thanks for the Big man that Tautoko me that while I was band for 9 days he comes from the same city that I have decided to build my Maunga in Rotorua you been playing good M8 and yes they are still giving me the underarm bowl .
I like the way you Tautoko OUR youth Kia kaha Big man.
National would have upped the price of his morning latte during their term in power more than anything Labour will do. Remember when National promised no tax increases and increased GST claiming it was not a tax increase. That would have rocketed the cost of his morning latte quite a bit. Labour should consider increasing PAYE a bit and lowering GST to reverse the tax swap National did. Most of those in the middle class will notice little difference and it will only really affect those on higher incomes and lower incomes by increasing lower incomes spending power and fractionally lowing those on higher incomes a bit.
The lower cost of morning lattes would surely help them out anyway.
The Union movement seemed quiet, near invisible during Campaign 17. Was that by design or devolution?
Good question Tracy,
We certainly expect the unions now show their might as National disolve into history.
Labour, imo, will not go close to evening up the imbalances generated by targetted neutering of the unions over the last 30 to 40 years.
I used to visit his blog site fairly regularly. Brian used to be the foil to Boag on RNZ’s “The Panel,” but recently has appeared to be confused as to where he stood on the political spectrum. http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz. He hasn’t, to date, posted a comment on the new left of centre government.
Most of the “left” used in the Press are disgruntled formers or 1980’s type Left.
Where, for example, are the former Green MPs invited to the panel to balance the 0.5% former ACT MPs
ACT is represented by way more than 0.5 % of the voices on the MSM
Agree