A rather sobering article on the industrialisation of food production .While it has helped to end hunger and feed millions, it could very well end up killing us all through degradation of the environment and very poor nutritional qualities in the food thus produced.
Notable is the homogenisation of culture brought about by globalisation .Sorry , clunky writing …lack of sleep..
The idea of Ukrainian arms finding their way to the black market is a strongly-promoted Kremlin propaganda talking point, regularly found across Russian propaganda channels.
I notice your linked story contains no mention of Ukrainian arms, the Russian war in Ukraine, or even "Ukraine" whatsoever. So was the purpose of your comment to simply promote a Kremlin propaganda point?
Any war zone will likely leak arms, so would be better if Russia hadn't started this war. The war and its associated risks will end if Russia decides to return to its own borders.
The German Ministry of the Interior estimated in 2009 that the number of firearms in circulation, legally and illegally, could be up to 45 million.[3] Germany's National Gun Registry, introduced at the end of 2012, counted 5.5 million firearms in use, which are legally owned by 1.4 million people in the country.
Tory seats have been awarded significantly more money per person from the government’s £4bn levelling up fund than areas with similar levels of deprivation, a Guardian analysis has found.
The multibillion-dollar grants system used by MPs and federal ministers has become so politicised that Coalition-held seats around the country received more than $1.9 billion over three years while Labor electorates got just under $530 million.
A special analysis of more than 19,000 individual grants shows huge discrepancies among the nation’s 151 electorates, with a boundary line such as a road or a creek separating communities from potentially millions of dollars.
Sounds this has a similarity to the rotten boroughs of English history.
'rotten borough, depopulated election district that retains its original representation. The term was first applied by English parliamentary reformers of the early 19th century to such constituencies maintained by the crown or by an aristocratic patron to control seats in the House of Commons."
These ideas were good ten years ago, 7 years ago, 5 years ago and certainly 2.5 years ago. If the Labour party under Jacinda Arderns Leadership would have actually implemented just 'a' thing or 'two' of that list, like 'remove GST from Food', remove the relationship status out when people apply for unemployment or benefits, the removal of secondary tax on people who have more then one job to make ends meet etc etc etc- which has been discussed here many many times Labour might not have had a change in leadership and Labour as a Party would poll better then it seemingly does.
The problem for the new leadership now is that if they 'dump' three waters and the merger and promise to say remove GST from Food no one other then the party faithful who would/will vote for Labour no matter the leadership will support them.
Empty promises and bubbles of air feed no one, house no one, pays no ones bills. From we can do this, to lets keep moving, to where to now?
2.5 years of a full majority totally and absolutely squandered. And now back to 'please do this' and they will not because in the end they are ideologically not able to do so.
He was always at the right hand of Jacinda Ardern. He was part of her government. And he now can't really run from that Government and what they did not do. And that includes him.
So really if he wants to set himself up as his own person, he will have to start doing as promises are no longer believable.
He is in a very difficult position, a significant part of his caucus is hell bent on driving through everything on Jacinda's agenda and the rest want to stay in government, good luck managing that.
In your dreams! So far, the Labour Caucus has shown nothing but positivity and unified support for Hipkins. The divisive and fractious lot is looking at you, every morning.
Secondary tax has been removed with the tax codes now much more reflective of the current earning rates. That took effect a few years ago.
However, the downside is that people now working more than 1 job may potentially end up with a tax bill at the end of the year given that tax is based on the total annual earnings and tax is deducted accordingly. Under the old secondary system, most people often ended up with a refund at the end of the year, well that which wasnt first taken out by the tax intermediaries like Woohoo.
anyway, secondary tax is gone. Tax codes are “fairer”, but greater risk now of ending up with a tax bill rather than a refund.
Nothing changed there – I used to work for IRD in 2012-13, and secondary codes worked the same then as they do now right down to the brackets. The big "change" was that special tax codes were renamed tailored tax codes and pushed harder.
fair point. I might see if I can throw up a post with just the ideas in it. Some of them seem reasonable, some seem daft, mostly they seem unexplained. Also, 3 waters is really about the drains? Wut?
Tory scum were complicit in an attempt to silence Higgins and Bellingcat for their work in exposing Russian war crimes.
.
The UK government helped the boss of Russia’s murderous mercenary army to circumvent its own sanctions and launch a targeted legal attack on a British journalist, openDemocracy can reveal.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder of Wagner, a private army that the US government last week announced it would designate a “transnational criminal organisation”, allowing it to impose even tougher sanctions on the group. For years it has been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes in Ukraine and across the world in support of Putin’s regime.
Sanctions introduced in the UK and Europe in 2020 were supposed to prevent anyone from doing business with Prigozhin. He had also been sanctioned in the US in 2018.
But a vast cache of hacked emails shows that, under the leadership of Rishi Sunak, the UK Treasury issued special licences in 2021 to let the oligarch override sanctions and launch an aggressive legal campaign against a journalist in the London courts.
So the guy running the FBI's cyber-counterintelligence in New York when Russia was allegedly trying to help Trump win was taking bribes from Trump’s campaign manager's business partner.
/
A former top FBI official in New York has been arrested over his ties to a Russian oligarch, law enforcement sources told ABC News Monday.
Charles McGonigal, who was the special agent in charge of counterintelligence in the FBI's New York Field Office, is under arrest over his ties to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who has been sanctioned by the United States and criminally charged last year with violating those sanctions.
I started an ongoing twitter thread on how many NZ food growers are regenag. If you have any examples, please let me know along with the location (am trying to prove that every area of NZ now has regenag)
Damien O'Connor has been very pro active in promoting the rural area I live in in the SI as a regen agriculture region, known for its progressive ecological approach to farming and food production .
We have dairy farmers who have reduced stocking rates, experimenting with different pasture species..back to clover..planted up waterways, local specialist cheese making .Even a fabulous bakery growing its own grain and supplying the local market with gorgeous sourdough breads
There is a learning centre for residential permaculture courses, the local community gardens also run well attended courses on organic food production.
A few reasonable size organic market gardens., supplying local families with boxes of vegetables each week
Our local US born millionaire (every community has one) is working with scientists to develop ways of reducing methane via seaweed
One of the attendees fought back tears. “Two-thirds of these apartments are singles or studios which means bedroom commuters who are not going to be a part of this community or have any connection,” she said.
“I love this f…ing village with all my heart and I don’t want to see it change.”
[…]
A woman in the crowd said she had been used to seeing the same houses on her daily commute and didn’t want the area to change.
“Can’t they build on green land that’s 10 minutes up the motorway? I don’t understand why they’re coming to Beach Haven, we’re not an apartment community,” she said.
Crispin Robertson, who organised the meeting, was also concerned that the area wasn’t right for young singles.
“There’s no supermarket or café here for them,” he said.
Some of those "old farts" might end up in one of those singles apartments towards that later part of their lives when they can no longer maintain a 3br house on a big section, but don't want to go into a 'senior's village".
Apartments are useful to people at many stages of their lives.
Apartments in the area would lead to a ready supply of young coupled up buyers wanting the bigger house,after a few years I'd expect ,that's if they still want to live in a place full of tossers
Utter drivel spewing from Luxon's mouth. Sad to know it's likely going to win him the election. But good too, because it will wake us up to a more accurate account of what we're really up against.
That you call it drivel spewing from Luxon's mouth is a non issue. But when fools like Carmel Sepuloni start talking about racism and misogyny, then Labour has an issue. Labour has been given a reprieve of sorts with Hipkins now the PM, but there seems to have been little learnt.
All Luxon said was basically there had not been a discussion around co governance and National did not support it.
[banned until 31/12/23. You’ve been warned multiple times including yesterday when I said you were on your last warning. This isn’t the place for inflammatory vague reckons. If you want to make an argument about MPs in an election year, you have to make the actual argument as well as support it with evidence. Here you are making casual assertions that require someone to follow up and the mods are no longer willing to waste our time on this when you’ve had plenty of chances – weka]
"A Black Out is an open invitation to Black Audiences to come and experience performances with their community. The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience.
The following Black Out NAC will be the second curated play from BTW, Cheryl Foggo’s Heaven on May 5 in the Azrieli Studio. Black Out nights will be an ongoing engagement initiative, as NAC English Theatre plans to schedule more for the 2023-2024 season.
Creating evenings dedicated to Black theatregoers will allow for conversation and participation to be felt throughout the theatre and open the doors for Black-identifying audiences to experience the energy of the NAC with a shared sense of belonging and passion."
Is there nobody in such organisations pointing out the inherent racism? Or is funding linked to such promotions?
What is the racism problem they are solving here? Are Black Audience members unable to attend, or unsafe if they do? If not, why treat them like they are?
The inherent racism is:
1. Assuming that "Black Audiences" are unwilling or uncomfortable with theatre attendance because of the presence of non-black audience members,
2. That the "Black Audience" members all experience racism, and in the same way,
3. That "Black Audience" members do not have relationships outside of the "black audience" that they might want to socialise with,
4. … too demoralised to continue…
(BTW, this is not equatable to single-sex spaces. Women's spaces exist because of biological reality, and the statistical risk assessments that are there for safety, privacy and dignity.)
This is divisive, and both patronising and offensive. Segregation being excused as for all the "right reasons".
I can't see how you got to this being about solving racism, nor why you think any assumptions are being made about any of the numbered points (seriously, there's nothing in the article to suggest any of that). To me it looks much more like celebrating blackness.
A Black Out is an open invitation to Black Audiences to come and experience performances with their community. The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience.
Women's spaces aren't solely about safety, privacy and dignity. Some women come together because of women's culture as a positive force. Lesbians used to have lesbian only spaces because they wanted to be with other lesbians. I've been in lot of different kinds of women's groups because there is a different energy and kaupapa that arises when women get together without men. This is a big part of why many women don't want trans identified males in their spaces, because it changes how groups function.
There's nothing wrong with segregation when people are doing it by choice, in this case Black people. And it doesn't harm non-black people to not go to the Black Out, any more than it harms trans women to not go to a women's conscious raising group. Or Pākehā not to be on the committee running a Marae.
Black people have the right to come together on their own terms and celebrate or engage with their culture as they choose. You say it is divisive, patronising and offensive, but you haven't explained this other than saying you believe it's all about racism even though they're not talking about racism. But even that doesn't explain the offense.
I understand you don't see it. Even as you excuse it.
That's a non-sequitur to the quote that precedes it, so I don't know what your point is or what you are referring to.
I'm not conflating women's spaces with black spaces, I'm saying that many groups of people can gather on their own terms without it being a bad thing, including women and black people.
You haven't explained how it's a bad thing for black people to have their own space, nor why it's ok for women but not black people. I did explain that women gather on their own for cultural reasons (women's culture), but you haven't offered any response to that, just told me what to not argue.
Weka, as you are aware, the single-space provisions for women that women are trying to protect are those where boundaries have been created – due to the biological realities of a female body. ie. sport, prison estates, toilets, hospital wards, changing facilities etc.
On top of that is collective groups of people – not government funded – who gather together because of shared interests, and do so on the basis of those interests. Lesbians – no longer are able to do so in Australia – and should be able to create those safe spaces for themselves, but this differs in that it is a group of people with shared interests coming together for themselves. Not a national theatre – funded by all.
The Vagina Monologues is an example. I don't recall it being advertised only to women, but the audience self-selected, and was mainly older women to whom it appealed.
(I'm more critical of this type of accommodation, because I consider the same unthinking actions taking place here. The creation of a Māori perspective and experience that pays no heed to reality or diversity.)
to put it another way, I'm asking you to explain your thinking more. eg, I can't see how you got to the Black Out being about solving racism. Can you please explain that?
What do you consider a good reason to divide an audience by race at a National theatre?
Whatever your answer is, it relates to a created idea of a "Black audience".
This created idea of assumed interests, needs, experiences, aspirations, achievements, social and familial connections is a mirage. People are much more diverse,
Put on more plays written from the wider perspectives of society, and welcome everyone in.
I think the Black Americans (in this case) can decide for themselves what works for them (in the same way women can). There is nothing in the article that even hints that all Black people would be served by this or want it, or that they somehow wouldn't want to also attend theatre of other kinds. Nothing.
Put on more plays written from the wider perspectives of society, and welcome everyone in.
what are wider perspectives of society? Don't we already have this?
Looking at the original text, the argument of exclusion depends on the word 'dedicated' , which is not the same as 'exclusive' or ‘only-for’. It could mean 'focussed', for example. It could mean striving for a safe place where difficult topics can be discussed without generating a twitter storm. The pudding is in the eating – who is let in the door. Who turns up determined to cause a fuss.
Chris Trotter was interviewed (I forget what I was listening too). And he was talking about the divisiveness of cogovernance, Hepuapua etc.
He then told a story about WW11 and a Navy boat birthing in South Africa. White sailors were told they could go ashore. Maori not. So none of the white sailors went ashore. One of my relatives (Pakeha) was on that boat. I was so proud of him. This is what unity is. Not these divisive race policies, largely born out of CRT
Do you mean that Black people, or Māori, should never have their own spaces? Because that's what it sounds like you just said. If Black Out theatre is wrong, is it wrong to have Marae? Or the Māori caucus in the Labour Party. Or the Māori seats in the general election.
Black people having their own theatre sometimes don't preclude also working or being in solidarity with people of euro descent.
A marae that didn't include my non-Māori partner on that basis, would be one I would also be critical of. Definitely wouldn't attend or support it.
Eventually, the time for the Māori caucas, and the Māori seats in the General election will be gone. Those spaces – even now – are not representative of the diverse view of Māori or of how a Māori world view is effectively accommodated in our governance. Many Māori have the same criticism of their "representatives" as non-Māori do of theirs. But those criticisms are ignored – because it is easy to accommodate the views expressed by the members of the Māori caucus, or the Māori Party, rather than canvas the views of all Māori.
Maori in NZ have their orgs and spaces. And black people in the US have their orgs, spaces and businesses, some even are billionaires. So that is not the question and that is not what i am commenting on.
Segregating people by sex is not quite the same as segregating people by color. We all have one of two sexes. A black woman is a woman first and foremost, even though that i have seen it stated that if black females are women so are the males who think that they are women. . But that is a logic that is somewhat racist.
I would totally segregate certain spaces by sex, as no female has ever impregnated a fellow female, nor are the myriads of issues with rape among female, or common assault or or or. The ethnicity or skin color of women does not come into play with that.
Black theatre has always existed. As has black music, black fashion, black food etc etc etc. In fact black art was/is hugely influential in modern art that came out of the white culture in the US/Europe. It was segregated before, but then came the 60 and that changed somewhat and i would argue we are able to have this discussion today because people actually lived, worked, and went to theatres together rather then in our own little gated communities governed by race.
I am conflicted about that easy passing segregation such as that. I would be equally conflicted if some white people would decide to have a white theatre production/venue – for white people only for the same reasons. Would we be able to discuss the need of young white people to just be among themselves and to share a sense of belonging and passion? Or would we call it racism? Racial Bias? etc?
And in the US there are many other times where they have these 'black people only' events on campus and public schools. I don't think it is good. I can understand the attraction, and the immediate benefits, but what if this is just a start and we suddenly find us again in a time where we go into our own gated by color of our skin communities being afraid of the other.
I am conflicted about that. I am not about segregation of the sexes. I have more in common with a female from Africa then i have in common with a white bloke from Europe/NZ.
Plenty of Māori or Black women will say they are Māori or Black first, before their femaleness.
Black Out isn't equivalent to us all living in our own segregated communities. It's an event, not a politically imposed segregation backed up by the forces of the state.
Regarding white people having their own spaces, two things. One is that white people belong to the dominant culture and often get their own spaces or things by default. But beyond that, sure, why not? Where it can be done in a non racist way.The problem we face is that we probably don’t know how to do that in a non-racist way.
Here's an example though. Why is it ok for women to have women's spaces that aren't about safety, privacy and dignity, but men aren't allowed the same? eg men's clubs. It's because as the power holder in society men used men's clubs to organise society and retain their power advantage. The only way to change that was to force them to admit women. But there's nothing inherently wrong with men wanting to spend time with men, hence men's sheds, men's groups and so on.
Segregation in the US up until the 50s and 60s was wrong because it was based in a system that deemed people of African descent to be inferior and have less rights than white people. The Black Out theatre isn't a reverse image of that, it's something different entirely, it's a cultural celebration or expression that comes about by choice.
As i said, I am just uncomfortable with self segregation what that is. And in the end, every tiny little bit of self segregation will and can eventually lead to the building of Ghettos. I am still of the mind that racism can only be defeated by sharing. Sharing culture, food, music, theatre, literature etc etc etc. Once we close the gate on those that may be interested we no longer serve the public. We serve a small lobby. And that always leads to isolation.
As for men having hospitals wards for males- totally for it, having prison cells for males – totally for it, having sports just for males – absolutely, having old folks home just for males, ditto, showers in swimming pools – yes, swimming hours just for men, why yes, Mensheds sponsored by government to help isolated males find a community and help with mental health, bring it, And you know what, they all have that already, and i doubt that they are scared of the 1.55 m female with a beard who needs to take a piss in the mens as otherwise their self identiy does not give some decent boost of euphoria.
I never was needy when it comes to private clubs of males, i always thought that the females should create their own places, but alas, the few that were created at least for the working class women – are now legally forced to admit males irrespective of the males ethnicity or color and in many cases are run by male. A certain womens club in the Green Party of Scotland comes to mind.
The issue with academic feminists is that they never know when it is enough.
Working class women that actually live in cramped places and have to share scarce resources i.e. toilets with males know what places they NEED segregated for their safety. And that is segregation by sex, not be creed, race, ethnicity.
Dignity and respect well that is a nice to have, but not a need to have purely in risk assesment, and they also accept that males need these spaces. This is not a me me me. Well not for the working class women who now have to share these few sex segregated spaces they achieved to gain over the last 200 years with any males who wonders in, consent be damned.
And i would like to point out that we do force gay males to accept Mangina in their spaces too, consent be damned, all in the name of inclusivity.
But maybe inclusivity is something that females have to give to males, and gay male and females have to give to some spicy pornified heterosexuals. And consent be damned.
No imported Truss-economy, no fighting US culture wars.
Let’s do us. Let’s solve Kiwi problems. Let’s be good friends. Very very good friends.
Let’s keep it simple. Let’s keep it fair. Do a good job and get to live a good life. Houses for living in. Cities for living in. A country for living in. Keep it clean, tidy Kiwis! A country to make a living in.
Though I like down home NZ focussed 'stuff aka perhaps known as oldfashioned! (Sorry retro sounds better)
No imported Truss-economy, no fighting US culture wars.
I wouldn't have this in or any reference to overseas anything. We are not fortress NZ but we are going along in our boat/waka, sailing it the way we want to
yeh I guess Let’s solve Kiwi problems addresses that enough. (But plenty of the issues we’ve had have been the importation of sovereign citizen/etc/etc framing of issues that shouldn’t be framed that way in NZ. You have to wonder why Hawaii is popular- promises broken again and again and again. And the idea of wokeness. What a useless and harmful term. )
Probably need to cut the very very good friends but too then- it’s a reference to Colin Powell and Helen Clark in the way aback says, but also goes well with showing pictures of us as a multicultural society and not afraid of being one.
Still- Let’s do us as a message is a rejection of importing unnecessary things…reflexive and theatrical lying in politics, violence in politics, anti-intellectualism to the point of discarding the scientific method for populism and water muddying, attacking the system not the policy, attacking public servants and particularly election volunteers…
Then that has to be reframed as the positives of our values which aren’t those things.
Let’s Do Us is everyone is essential. Fair reward for your work. Supporting our communities, our libraries, our swimming pools (Len Brown move there ), our coaches and volunteers, our clubs, our theatres and our artists. Supporting our outdoors. Supporting our farmers. Support equality of opportunity for our students and young jobseekers.
Typical RW response, ridicule & repeal anything remotely positive and resist & reject anything remotely progressive. You guys are just a bunch of laughs.
Now, now don’t be jealous at all this excitement for Labour!
though tbh I don’t know what gets your jollies, but you do you if that gets you as far along as a black and white Warehouse catalogue. It takes all sorts and who are we to judge…
As long as it isn’t next to a mug that says spread your legs I think it’s probably fine.
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On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
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A rather sobering article on the industrialisation of food production .While it has helped to end hunger and feed millions, it could very well end up killing us all through degradation of the environment and very poor nutritional qualities in the food thus produced.
Notable is the homogenisation of culture brought about by globalisation .Sorry , clunky writing …lack of sleep..
The article is worth reading
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/23/endangered-foods-why-our-diet-is-narrower-than-ever-and-these-seven-foods-urgently-need-saving
The washing machine thieves hit a new low.
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Russian occupiers have taken away all the equipment from Skadovsk Central Hospital in Kherson Oblast.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russians-loot-hospital-skadovsk-140602238.html
Kind of stuff that may become more prevalent and more dangerous with truckloads of weapons available ex Ukraine available on the black market
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/five-charged-over-second-far-right-plot-to-overthrow-german-government
The idea of Ukrainian arms finding their way to the black market is a strongly-promoted Kremlin propaganda talking point, regularly found across Russian propaganda channels.
I notice your linked story contains no mention of Ukrainian arms, the Russian war in Ukraine, or even "Ukraine" whatsoever. So was the purpose of your comment to simply promote a Kremlin propaganda point?
Any war zone will likely leak arms, so would be better if Russia hadn't started this war. The war and its associated risks will end if Russia decides to return to its own borders.
There is evidence the Russian's are supporting their story by pretending to sell Ukrainian arms via fake sellers, while actual evidence is that so far Ukrainian weapons are not making their way to the black market.
Ukraine was the Eastern European mecca for illegal arms sales long before 2022
https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sierraleone/context.html
And the US has adnitted to the difficulties of tracking and auditing in a war zone
https://www.cato.org/commentary/state-dept-plan-track-weapons-ukraine-should-be-starting-point
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/02/ukraine-weapons-end-up-criminal-hands-says-interpol-chief-jurgen-stock
Valid points.
Are you as concerned about the flood of weapons from Russia currently entering Ukraine – often in the hands of poorly-paid conscripts?
Yes, I think all war zones leak weapons, and attract criminal elements
Another reason to avoid war if there are opportunities to do so
Northing but further trouble down the line and destruction of life comes from war
Germany is still awash with WWII firearms carefully put away in case they are needed and more modern ex-Eastern Block firearms after unification.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_control_in_Germany
Source: https://www.badische-zeitung.de/deutschland-1/45-millionen-waffen-sind-im-umlauf–12577725.html
The German Ministry of the Interior estimated in 2009 that the number of firearms in circulation, legally and illegally, could be up to 45 million.[3] Germany's National Gun Registry, introduced at the end of 2012, counted 5.5 million firearms in use, which are legally owned by 1.4 million people in the country.
Under tories everywhere fiddle everything.
.
Tory seats have been awarded significantly more money per person from the government’s £4bn levelling up fund than areas with similar levels of deprivation, a Guardian analysis has found.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/19/tory-seats-gain-more-4bn-levelling-up-fund-finds-analysis
The multibillion-dollar grants system used by MPs and federal ministers has become so politicised that Coalition-held seats around the country received more than $1.9 billion over three years while Labor electorates got just under $530 million.
A special analysis of more than 19,000 individual grants shows huge discrepancies among the nation’s 151 electorates, with a boundary line such as a road or a creek separating communities from potentially millions of dollars.
https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2021/electorates-government-grants/
Sounds this has a similarity to the rotten boroughs of English history.
'rotten borough, depopulated election district that retains its original representation. The term was first applied by English parliamentary reformers of the early 19th century to such constituencies maintained by the crown or by an aristocratic patron to control seats in the House of Commons."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/rotten-borough
Well done the Guardian. I heard these figures reported on the BBC the other day (BBC 5 Live radio).
The BBC political reporter entirely ignored the significance. Terrible bias.
I know I'm guilty of moaning about Bomber at TDB's writing style, but when he's lucid, he can make a lot of sense.
If you skip the ranty intro, these ideas seem pretty good:
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/01/24/how-chippy-wins-2023-election/
These ideas were good ten years ago, 7 years ago, 5 years ago and certainly 2.5 years ago. If the Labour party under Jacinda Arderns Leadership would have actually implemented just 'a' thing or 'two' of that list, like 'remove GST from Food', remove the relationship status out when people apply for unemployment or benefits, the removal of secondary tax on people who have more then one job to make ends meet etc etc etc- which has been discussed here many many times Labour might not have had a change in leadership and Labour as a Party would poll better then it seemingly does.
The problem for the new leadership now is that if they 'dump' three waters and the merger and promise to say remove GST from Food no one other then the party faithful who would/will vote for Labour no matter the leadership will support them.
Empty promises and bubbles of air feed no one, house no one, pays no ones bills. From we can do this, to lets keep moving, to where to now?
2.5 years of a full majority totally and absolutely squandered. And now back to 'please do this' and they will not because in the end they are ideologically not able to do so.
Chippy is between a rock and a hard place.
He is there on his own choosing.
He was always at the right hand of Jacinda Ardern. He was part of her government. And he now can't really run from that Government and what they did not do. And that includes him.
So really if he wants to set himself up as his own person, he will have to start doing as promises are no longer believable.
He is in a very difficult position, a significant part of his caucus is hell bent on driving through everything on Jacinda's agenda and the rest want to stay in government, good luck managing that.
In your dreams! So far, the Labour Caucus has shown nothing but positivity and unified support for Hipkins. The divisive and fractious lot is looking at you, every morning.
Secondary tax has been removed with the tax codes now much more reflective of the current earning rates. That took effect a few years ago.
However, the downside is that people now working more than 1 job may potentially end up with a tax bill at the end of the year given that tax is based on the total annual earnings and tax is deducted accordingly. Under the old secondary system, most people often ended up with a refund at the end of the year, well that which wasnt first taken out by the tax intermediaries like Woohoo.
anyway, secondary tax is gone. Tax codes are “fairer”, but greater risk now of ending up with a tax bill rather than a refund.
Nothing changed there – I used to work for IRD in 2012-13, and secondary codes worked the same then as they do now right down to the brackets. The big "change" was that special tax codes were renamed tailored tax codes and pushed harder.
T'is funny cause IRD says that:
If you have more than one source of income you use a secondary tax code for your other income.27/09/2021
Tax codes for individuals – Inland Revenue
Can you link to where it says that secondary tax is gone?
What's the evidence for this?
I'm not sure either, maybe just Bomber's reckonz. I'd skim past the rant and go straight to the ideas.
fair point. I might see if I can throw up a post with just the ideas in it. Some of them seem reasonable, some seem daft, mostly they seem unexplained. Also, 3 waters is really about the drains? Wut?
An FTT hits poor as well as rich. A Wealth Tax or a Land Tax would be better.
Smashing the supermarket duopoly is pretty damn hard in a small country like NZ where Aldi and Lidl have no intention of coming here.
Tory scum were complicit in an attempt to silence Higgins and Bellingcat for their work in exposing Russian war crimes.
.
The UK government helped the boss of Russia’s murderous mercenary army to circumvent its own sanctions and launch a targeted legal attack on a British journalist, openDemocracy can reveal.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder of Wagner, a private army that the US government last week announced it would designate a “transnational criminal organisation”, allowing it to impose even tougher sanctions on the group. For years it has been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes in Ukraine and across the world in support of Putin’s regime.
Sanctions introduced in the UK and Europe in 2020 were supposed to prevent anyone from doing business with Prigozhin. He had also been sanctioned in the US in 2018.
But a vast cache of hacked emails shows that, under the leadership of Rishi Sunak, the UK Treasury issued special licences in 2021 to let the oligarch override sanctions and launch an aggressive legal campaign against a journalist in the London courts.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/prigozhin-government-russia-ukraine-hack-libel-slapp/
So the guy running the FBI's cyber-counterintelligence in New York when Russia was allegedly trying to help Trump win was taking bribes from Trump’s campaign manager's business partner.
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A former top FBI official in New York has been arrested over his ties to a Russian oligarch, law enforcement sources told ABC News Monday.
Charles McGonigal, who was the special agent in charge of counterintelligence in the FBI's New York Field Office, is under arrest over his ties to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who has been sanctioned by the United States and criminally charged last year with violating those sanctions.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/former-fbi-official-charles-mcgonigal-arrested-ties-russian/story?id=96609658
But her emails.
/
https://twitter.com/KaivanShroff/status/1617613877868662785
I started an ongoing twitter thread on how many NZ food growers are regenag. If you have any examples, please let me know along with the location (am trying to prove that every area of NZ now has regenag)
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1617656178988961793
Damien O'Connor has been very pro active in promoting the rural area I live in in the SI as a regen agriculture region, known for its progressive ecological approach to farming and food production .
We have dairy farmers who have reduced stocking rates, experimenting with different pasture species..back to clover..planted up waterways, local specialist cheese making .Even a fabulous bakery growing its own grain and supplying the local market with gorgeous sourdough breads
There is a learning centre for residential permaculture courses, the local community gardens also run well attended courses on organic food production.
A few reasonable size organic market gardens., supplying local families with boxes of vegetables each week
Our local US born millionaire (every community has one) is working with scientists to develop ways of reducing methane via seaweed
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/300790390/coastal-residents-plot-to-stop-apartments-railing-against-bedroom-commuters
The nimbis are revolting, with support from nationals bodies!
Nimbyest nimbys ever.
Some of those "old farts" might end up in one of those singles apartments towards that later part of their lives when they can no longer maintain a 3br house on a big section, but don't want to go into a 'senior's village".
Apartments are useful to people at many stages of their lives.
Apartments in the area would lead to a ready supply of young coupled up buyers wanting the bigger house,after a few years I'd expect ,that's if they still want to live in a place full of tossers
National bodies support intensification….the proposed development is a good example of this.
Failing to intensify will mean residences sprawling all over the landscape in a non-sustainable manner.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300790925/live-divisive-and-immature-conversation-christopher-luxon-takes-on-cogovernance-in-rtana-speech
Utter drivel spewing from Luxon's mouth. Sad to know it's likely going to win him the election. But good too, because it will wake us up to a more accurate account of what we're really up against.
That you call it drivel spewing from Luxon's mouth is a non issue. But when fools like Carmel Sepuloni start talking about racism and misogyny, then Labour has an issue. Labour has been given a reprieve of sorts with Hipkins now the PM, but there seems to have been little learnt.
All Luxon said was basically there had not been a discussion around co governance and National did not support it.
[banned until 31/12/23. You’ve been warned multiple times including yesterday when I said you were on your last warning. This isn’t the place for inflammatory vague reckons. If you want to make an argument about MPs in an election year, you have to make the actual argument as well as support it with evidence. Here you are making casual assertions that require someone to follow up and the mods are no longer willing to waste our time on this when you’ve had plenty of chances – weka]
mod note.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/130089544/bankrupt-builder-who-admitted-over-300000-in-tax-fraud-avoids-jail-by-small-margin
If it were benefit fraud the chap would've got 2 and a half years.
Nah – much more
The "progressive" solution in Canada:
1, Inaccurately identify a problem;
2. Solve by divisive means.
https://nac-cna.ca/en/stories/story/black-out-nac
Is there nobody in such organisations pointing out the inherent racism? Or is funding linked to such promotions?
which is? It's not immediately obvious what you mean
Would you argue against women's theatre and women-only audience?
Please explain the inherent racism, as again, it's not immediately obvious what you mean.
What is the racism problem they are solving here? Are Black Audience members unable to attend, or unsafe if they do? If not, why treat them like they are?
The inherent racism is:
1. Assuming that "Black Audiences" are unwilling or uncomfortable with theatre attendance because of the presence of non-black audience members,
2. That the "Black Audience" members all experience racism, and in the same way,
3. That "Black Audience" members do not have relationships outside of the "black audience" that they might want to socialise with,
4. … too demoralised to continue…
(BTW, this is not equatable to single-sex spaces. Women's spaces exist because of biological reality, and the statistical risk assessments that are there for safety, privacy and dignity.)
This is divisive, and both patronising and offensive. Segregation being excused as for all the "right reasons".
I can't see how you got to this being about solving racism, nor why you think any assumptions are being made about any of the numbered points (seriously, there's nothing in the article to suggest any of that). To me it looks much more like celebrating blackness.
Women's spaces aren't solely about safety, privacy and dignity. Some women come together because of women's culture as a positive force. Lesbians used to have lesbian only spaces because they wanted to be with other lesbians. I've been in lot of different kinds of women's groups because there is a different energy and kaupapa that arises when women get together without men. This is a big part of why many women don't want trans identified males in their spaces, because it changes how groups function.
There's nothing wrong with segregation when people are doing it by choice, in this case Black people. And it doesn't harm non-black people to not go to the Black Out, any more than it harms trans women to not go to a women's conscious raising group. Or Pākehā not to be on the committee running a Marae.
Black people have the right to come together on their own terms and celebrate or engage with their culture as they choose. You say it is divisive, patronising and offensive, but you haven't explained this other than saying you believe it's all about racism even though they're not talking about racism. But even that doesn't explain the offense.
"Black people have the right to come together on their own terms and celebrate or engage with their culture as they choose. "
I understand you don't see it. Even as you excuse it.
This is not the same as women's spaces. Please don't conflate the two issues.
That's a non-sequitur to the quote that precedes it, so I don't know what your point is or what you are referring to.
I'm not conflating women's spaces with black spaces, I'm saying that many groups of people can gather on their own terms without it being a bad thing, including women and black people.
You haven't explained how it's a bad thing for black people to have their own space, nor why it's ok for women but not black people. I did explain that women gather on their own for cultural reasons (women's culture), but you haven't offered any response to that, just told me what to not argue.
Weka, as you are aware, the single-space provisions for women that women are trying to protect are those where boundaries have been created – due to the biological realities of a female body. ie. sport, prison estates, toilets, hospital wards, changing facilities etc.
On top of that is collective groups of people – not government funded – who gather together because of shared interests, and do so on the basis of those interests. Lesbians – no longer are able to do so in Australia – and should be able to create those safe spaces for themselves, but this differs in that it is a group of people with shared interests coming together for themselves. Not a national theatre – funded by all.
The Vagina Monologues is an example. I don't recall it being advertised only to women, but the audience self-selected, and was mainly older women to whom it appealed.
(I'm more critical of this type of accommodation, because I consider the same unthinking actions taking place here. The creation of a Māori perspective and experience that pays no heed to reality or diversity.)
to put it another way, I'm asking you to explain your thinking more. eg, I can't see how you got to the Black Out being about solving racism. Can you please explain that?
What do you consider a good reason to divide an audience by race at a National theatre?
Whatever your answer is, it relates to a created idea of a "Black audience".
This created idea of assumed interests, needs, experiences, aspirations, achievements, social and familial connections is a mirage. People are much more diverse,
Put on more plays written from the wider perspectives of society, and welcome everyone in.
I think the Black Americans (in this case) can decide for themselves what works for them (in the same way women can). There is nothing in the article that even hints that all Black people would be served by this or want it, or that they somehow wouldn't want to also attend theatre of other kinds. Nothing.
what are wider perspectives of society? Don't we already have this?
"…what are wider perspectives of society? Don't we already have this?"
Yes.
Looking at the original text, the argument of exclusion depends on the word 'dedicated' , which is not the same as 'exclusive' or ‘only-for’. It could mean 'focussed', for example. It could mean striving for a safe place where difficult topics can be discussed without generating a twitter storm. The pudding is in the eating – who is let in the door. Who turns up determined to cause a fuss.
Chris Trotter was interviewed (I forget what I was listening too). And he was talking about the divisiveness of cogovernance, Hepuapua etc.
He then told a story about WW11 and a Navy boat birthing in South Africa. White sailors were told they could go ashore. Maori not. So none of the white sailors went ashore. One of my relatives (Pakeha) was on that boat. I was so proud of him. This is what unity is. Not these divisive race policies, largely born out of CRT
Do you mean that Black people, or Māori, should never have their own spaces? Because that's what it sounds like you just said. If Black Out theatre is wrong, is it wrong to have Marae? Or the Māori caucus in the Labour Party. Or the Māori seats in the general election.
Black people having their own theatre sometimes don't preclude also working or being in solidarity with people of euro descent.
A marae that didn't include my non-Māori partner on that basis, would be one I would also be critical of. Definitely wouldn't attend or support it.
Eventually, the time for the Māori caucas, and the Māori seats in the General election will be gone. Those spaces – even now – are not representative of the diverse view of Māori or of how a Māori world view is effectively accommodated in our governance. Many Māori have the same criticism of their "representatives" as non-Māori do of theirs. But those criticisms are ignored – because it is easy to accommodate the views expressed by the members of the Māori caucus, or the Māori Party, rather than canvas the views of all Māori.
segregation is great again!
women can female spaces but black people can't have black spaces? What about Māori, is it ok for Māori to have their own spaces and organisations?
Maori in NZ have their orgs and spaces. And black people in the US have their orgs, spaces and businesses, some even are billionaires. So that is not the question and that is not what i am commenting on.
Segregating people by sex is not quite the same as segregating people by color. We all have one of two sexes. A black woman is a woman first and foremost, even though that i have seen it stated that if black females are women so are the males who think that they are women. . But that is a logic that is somewhat racist.
I would totally segregate certain spaces by sex, as no female has ever impregnated a fellow female, nor are the myriads of issues with rape among female, or common assault or or or. The ethnicity or skin color of women does not come into play with that.
Black theatre has always existed. As has black music, black fashion, black food etc etc etc. In fact black art was/is hugely influential in modern art that came out of the white culture in the US/Europe. It was segregated before, but then came the 60 and that changed somewhat and i would argue we are able to have this discussion today because people actually lived, worked, and went to theatres together rather then in our own little gated communities governed by race.
I am conflicted about that easy passing segregation such as that. I would be equally conflicted if some white people would decide to have a white theatre production/venue – for white people only for the same reasons. Would we be able to discuss the need of young white people to just be among themselves and to share a sense of belonging and passion? Or would we call it racism? Racial Bias? etc?
And in the US there are many other times where they have these 'black people only' events on campus and public schools. I don't think it is good. I can understand the attraction, and the immediate benefits, but what if this is just a start and we suddenly find us again in a time where we go into our own gated by color of our skin communities being afraid of the other.
I am conflicted about that. I am not about segregation of the sexes. I have more in common with a female from Africa then i have in common with a white bloke from Europe/NZ.
Plenty of Māori or Black women will say they are Māori or Black first, before their femaleness.
Black Out isn't equivalent to us all living in our own segregated communities. It's an event, not a politically imposed segregation backed up by the forces of the state.
Regarding white people having their own spaces, two things. One is that white people belong to the dominant culture and often get their own spaces or things by default. But beyond that, sure, why not? Where it can be done in a non racist way.The problem we face is that we probably don’t know how to do that in a non-racist way.
Here's an example though. Why is it ok for women to have women's spaces that aren't about safety, privacy and dignity, but men aren't allowed the same? eg men's clubs. It's because as the power holder in society men used men's clubs to organise society and retain their power advantage. The only way to change that was to force them to admit women. But there's nothing inherently wrong with men wanting to spend time with men, hence men's sheds, men's groups and so on.
Segregation in the US up until the 50s and 60s was wrong because it was based in a system that deemed people of African descent to be inferior and have less rights than white people. The Black Out theatre isn't a reverse image of that, it's something different entirely, it's a cultural celebration or expression that comes about by choice.
As i said, I am just uncomfortable with self segregation what that is. And in the end, every tiny little bit of self segregation will and can eventually lead to the building of Ghettos. I am still of the mind that racism can only be defeated by sharing. Sharing culture, food, music, theatre, literature etc etc etc. Once we close the gate on those that may be interested we no longer serve the public. We serve a small lobby. And that always leads to isolation.
As for men having hospitals wards for males- totally for it, having prison cells for males – totally for it, having sports just for males – absolutely, having old folks home just for males, ditto, showers in swimming pools – yes, swimming hours just for men, why yes, Mensheds sponsored by government to help isolated males find a community and help with mental health, bring it, And you know what, they all have that already, and i doubt that they are scared of the 1.55 m female with a beard who needs to take a piss in the mens as otherwise their self identiy does not give some decent boost of euphoria.
I never was needy when it comes to private clubs of males, i always thought that the females should create their own places, but alas, the few that were created at least for the working class women – are now legally forced to admit males irrespective of the males ethnicity or color and in many cases are run by male. A certain womens club in the Green Party of Scotland comes to mind.
The issue with academic feminists is that they never know when it is enough.
Working class women that actually live in cramped places and have to share scarce resources i.e. toilets with males know what places they NEED segregated for their safety. And that is segregation by sex, not be creed, race, ethnicity.
Dignity and respect well that is a nice to have, but not a need to have purely in risk assesment, and they also accept that males need these spaces. This is not a me me me. Well not for the working class women who now have to share these few sex segregated spaces they achieved to gain over the last 200 years with any males who wonders in, consent be damned.
And i would like to point out that we do force gay males to accept Mangina in their spaces too, consent be damned, all in the name of inclusivity.
But maybe inclusivity is something that females have to give to males, and gay male and females have to give to some spicy pornified heterosexuals. And consent be damned.
Jacinda's last speech as PM will be at Rātana Pā today.
Watch: Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern speak at Rātana Pā | RNZ News
Election slogan- Let’s Do Us.
No imported Truss-economy, no fighting US culture wars.
Let’s do us. Let’s solve Kiwi problems. Let’s be good friends. Very very good friends.
Let’s keep it simple. Let’s keep it fair. Do a good job and get to live a good life. Houses for living in. Cities for living in. A country for living in. Keep it clean, tidy Kiwis! A country to make a living in.
Let’s do us.
Two ticks Labour.
I like it!
Though I like down home NZ focussed 'stuff aka perhaps known as oldfashioned! (Sorry retro sounds better)
No imported Truss-economy, no fighting US culture wars.I wouldn't have this in or any reference to overseas anything. We are not fortress NZ but we are going along in our boat/waka, sailing it the way we want to
yeh I guess Let’s solve Kiwi problems addresses that enough. (But plenty of the issues we’ve had have been the importation of sovereign citizen/etc/etc framing of issues that shouldn’t be framed that way in NZ. You have to wonder why Hawaii is popular- promises broken again and again and again. And the idea of wokeness. What a useless and harmful term. )
Probably need to cut the very very good friends but too then- it’s a reference to Colin Powell and Helen Clark in the way aback says, but also goes well with showing pictures of us as a multicultural society and not afraid of being one.
Still- Let’s do us as a message is a rejection of importing unnecessary things…reflexive and theatrical lying in politics, violence in politics, anti-intellectualism to the point of discarding the scientific method for populism and water muddying, attacking the system not the policy, attacking public servants and particularly election volunteers…
Then that has to be reframed as the positives of our values which aren’t those things.
Let’s Do Us is everyone is essential. Fair reward for your work. Supporting our communities, our libraries, our swimming pools (Len Brown move there ), our coaches and volunteers, our clubs, our theatres and our artists. Supporting our outdoors. Supporting our farmers. Support equality of opportunity for our students and young jobseekers.
slightly off the thread now…but yeh
Newsense!
Let's do this….yes
Lets Do Us, you might want to rethink that….
Typical RW response, ridicule & repeal anything remotely positive and resist & reject anything remotely progressive. You guys are just a bunch of laughs.
Really?
You might want to ask a few of your friends what springs to mind when you shout " Let's Do Us!"
My friends are older than 13.
and they're not behind the bike sheds.
Thanks for your feedback, do you think many 11 year olds will be voting in October?
We gotta cover all the demographics you understand.
Now, now don’t be jealous at all this excitement for Labour!
though tbh I don’t know what gets your jollies, but you do you if that gets you as far along as a black and white Warehouse catalogue. It takes all sorts and who are we to judge…
As long as it isn’t next to a mug that says spread your legs I think it’s probably fine.