News reports appearing for some months past since January 2018 , have indicated thinking of the US trade with rest of the world , more so with China. A news report which appeared on 20 January , 2018 , had said : -“ It seems that the US erred in supporting China’s entry into the WTO on terms that have proven to be ineffective in securing China’s embrace of an open , market-oriented trade regime”. Later , on 24 February , 2018 , news reports from the US had also said : “ While ties have improved but China is killing US on trade”. These perceptions in the US these days has culminated into announcement of Donald Trump on 22 March , 2018 , imposing tariff on about US 50 billion dollars in Chinese imports to retaliate against the alleged theft of American intellectual property.
These happenings on the eve and during mid- March 2018 , look to be corresponding to one of predictions of this Vedic astrology writer on 11 October 2017 in article – “ Astrological probable alerts for the United States in 2018” – published last year in monthly Webzine of Wisdom Magazine from US at wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/4647/ on 1 December 2017. The related text in the said article reads as :- “ Near mid- March to 30 April 2018. US economy looks to be presenting a happy picture while some kind of hidden or behind the scene areas of substantial concern may remain. PAST ERRORS OR SLIPS ARE LIKELY TO IMPACT TRADING OR COMMERCIAL ASPECTS IN SOME WAY”.
Thus , it can be said that the alert prediction of this writer substantially prior on 11 October , 2017 , has been confirmed precisely and closely accurate during beginning of 2018 , more so 22 March , 2018.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Sarkozy receives money from Libya and its corruption. Nats receive money from Chinese interests , ex National MPs have ties and postings to Chinese interests and we are the least corrupt nation on earth.
Howzat work?
Because the corruption index is a self indicating survey. Essentially is seems to be based on how people ‘feel’ their corruption levels are. Clearly our MSM never reports a thing because the royals, car crashes and kitten stories are more important news, so most people are not even aware what is going on.
Because behind Chinese business is Chinese government.
In case it needs spelling out, having ties to a foreign government while in power is considered corruption in most countries.
Yes I agree with having business ties with a foreign government while in power is a little shady to put it lightly but Draco said “after” politics, not while in politics
From whence came the business ties such that on finishing as an MP, someone goes straight to work for a Chinese company?
What about Collins the minister for Oravida?
A Chinese spy National MP?
You actually wilfully have to shut your eyes and block your ears not to see an issue.
I’m not talking about the Chinese government. You said ex-MP’s should have jobs like “Teachers, police, rest home workers, builders, restaraunt workers, fruit pickers, dairy farm workers.” so I am asking you if Russell Norman’s post at Greenpeace was acceptable to you given what you stated.
My word you are hard work, I’m going to give the benefit if the doubt that it’s not intentional:
I’m fine with Russel Norman joining Greenpeace thanks for asking.
Brownlee was a woodwork teacher. Now he’s the ‘architect’ of Chch. Maybe we would all have been better off, if he had stuck to teaching woodwork and why there is a shortage.
In his yoof, i suspect brownlee mught have smoked a few too many of those dovetail joints, and given himself a permanent case of the munchies.
You’re lucky you never had to catch one of those aircraft we used to call ‘pencil planes’ with him.
Brownlee has always needed some serious rebalanxing
voluntary fire fighters, we have a shortage of them especially in places where we also have rampant housing insecurity.
voluntary ambulance driver, we have a shortage of them, again especially in places where we also have rampant housing insecurity.
cafe managers, i hear we have such a shortage that we must import them from elsewhere.
fruit picker, also a severe shortage here according to the businesses.
Surely there are more then enough jobs out there in our Rock Star Economy.
Oh, that was a myth you say? Just like the housing crisis is a myth? Just like the wading in a river is a myth?
Maybe they should try to file for an unemployment benefit? 🙂
I agree in some circumstances but not all.
John Key went to ANZ but then again he spent his entire life outside of politics as a banker so not surprising he went back into it. Russell Norman went to Greenpeace but he has a track record of being very involved in Environmental Issues so again not surprising.
There is a difference between “leaving politics and picking up where you left off” and “becoming a lobbyist” which can be very shady indeed.
What are MP’s supposed to do when they leave? Never work again? Stay in politics for life?
John Key went to ANZ but then again he spent his entire life outside of politics as a banker so not surprising he went back into it.
You do know that hes was a member of the board of the NY Reserve right? And that’s more of a political position than an expert position?
There is a difference between “leaving politics and picking up where you left off” and “becoming a lobbyist” which can be very shady indeed.
Depends upon where you left off and where you went back. If both have connection to politics then we can honestly say that it’s just going back to what they were doing?
What are MP’s supposed to do when they leave? Never work again? Stay in politics for life?
Many do stay in politics for life. Many could go into a public service role like Russel Norman.
What we don’t want is them going into high paid, high power private sector roles that are pretty much designed around their political careers.
EDIT: BTW, is there really two JohnSelways or do you just keep changing email addresses?
Sure but there is a difference between “going into the private sector” and “becoming a lobbyist” (for example).
I mean – Key spent most of life as a banker and left politics when he was quite young so became a banker again. Norman is heavily involved in environmental issues so went to Greenpeace. They gotta do something and generally end up doing what they did before becoming MP’s
What are MP’s supposed to do when they leave politics? Never work again? Stay MP’s for life?
We need to print some just to repair our rotting infrastructure now as we cant afford to borrow any more from overseas at 8% plus from a communist country anyway.
Else we will become another Greece that is owned by EU oligarchs now.
I think all private money in politics is a bad idea. From right and the left.
Just look at cluster-fucks like Citizens United in the States or, actually, just the states in general. You can pretty much buy your own congressman and write the laws for them
What do you think about Parliamentary Services funding an Auckland office for Labour (headed up by Matt McCarten), when that was most likely used for campaigning? Private contributions are made to most, if not all parties in NZ. Long may that be the case.
In the event that Simon Lusk is telling the truth, and National MPs are ‘trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career’, it makes sense to at least limit their criminal behaviour to corruption rather than full-blown treason.
Do you have any actual evidence for that, or are you suddenly a convert of Lusk? Mind you, Clark is alleged to have traded her time as PM for a lucrative job with the UN.
In the event that Simon Lusk is telling the truth, and National MPs are ‘trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career’, it makes sense to at least limit their criminal behaviour to corruption rather than full-blown treason.
Just to see if you can actually stay on topic, Ad Nauseam.
Using your time as an MP to cultivate business links is one thing (I.e – becoming an MP with the sole purpose of landing a highly paid private sector job) but leaving politics and taking a job because it’s in your area of expertise is another (I.e Russell Norman or John Key).
The former is pretty shady, the latter is just being a private citizen again
Well there seems to be a hoo ha over the Russian links in the USA and their President. Nope not following that one, we have enough issues in NZ but most people just ignore them. Not sure an ex Chinese (or Russian) agent would be welcome in the Republican Party like they are in the National party where the MSM says ‘kittens anyone’?
They can’t vote. That’s How we have a say. If they can’t vote, they have no say. If people are stupid enough to be influenced by their money, then they get the government they deserve-of either stripe.
I know you will deny that but it does and we need to stop that influence. And it’s not the voters who are influenced but the politicians – and that is corruption.
In other words, foreign money in politics is corruption.
But why should a US citizen be prevented from contributing to a NZ political party any more than a NZ political party can steal from the public to fund, eg a pledge card.
Because they’re not a NZ citizen, don’t live here and don’t vote here and thus have no right to have a say in our governance.
How do you know they don’t live here? They could be a NZ resident. They may have invested in NZ. You have no idea. Even so, who cares? Why shouldn’t they be able to support a NZ based political movement simply because they aren’t citizens?
In the middle of the night in a bout of insomnia I came across two posts on yesterday’s Open Mike with three very interesting links to articles well worth reading IMO. They had attracted only one comment, so I thought I would repost them here in the hopes others might see them and check them out. I will post them separately as they cover completely different subjects.
Very interesting comparing the general wailing and gnashing of molars in Granny by Mike Hosking and Matthew Hooton and then whoosh – a wee gem by ex Nat MP for Whanganui, Chester Borrows headed ‘Politicians bailed Air N Z out – the airline can’t now complain about Shane Jones’. It’s worth a read. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12018271
Actually Draco, I was simply pointing out the fact that Mike Hosking and Matthew Hooton (both National fanbois extraordinaire) were venting forth in their Herald slots about how bad it is for Shane Jones to be as much as commenting on where Air New Zealand operates domestically and that the airline should only be beholden to its shareholders and the end of year balance sheet with no concern for regional NZ. It was a surprise to me to see Chester Borrow’s column which pretty much agreed with Shane Jones – Chester was until last year the National MP for Whanganui which made it all a bit weird. I suppose it was Granny’s way of trying to look balanced. I have flown some of the secondary routes several years ago in what I called 18 seater flying sardine tins which were OK, but not terribly comfortable – at least we could see the pilots at work!! Bit of a come down from the Boeing 737s on the main routes. It’s interesting to see that the Mayors of the towns and cities concerned are more than happy with Shane’s support. Bring back the DC3s I tells ya.
I download the podcasts from the Wings over New Zealand Forum site and I will have to say Dave Homeward has at an outstanding job interviewing some extraordinarily women and gentleman of NZ Aviation History over the years. They worth downloading and like listening to the per WW2, through the War especially the Pacific stuff as I had a great uncle up in the solly’s with 3 NZ Div and post war stuff the Ag Pilots, The Fred Ladd’s and Bryan Cox who I believe this NZ’s remaining Air Ace from WW2 who flew in the Pacific.
Reading the Richard Waugh books on West Coast Airways, pre and post war early Airlines. One of course must not forget NAC and what they did to regional NZ from post WW2 until 1978.
A blog site call 3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com is worth having a look.
My father used to own a Tiger Moth and I not only got many a flight in one but I was allowed to fly it myself once and did a few aerobatics with one of NZ’s best stunt pilots. It was great fun
What a wonderful thread this has ended up being! I am so pleased you put up the link, Jilly Bee. Fox Moths, Tiger Moths, Biplanes, Harvards – those were the days! And Spitfires – I am with you JS. Blimey and Biggles indeed!
Back to ground, I was initially surprised by Burrows, but then when I remembered his background, it did not surprise me. He has been known to do similar surprising declarations of his views before.
Sorry Draco T Bastard, your question is a very good and serious one but I have been told off by adam today for putting up two essays – again – in response to assertions by him. Kill ’em by boring them to death, says I.
And I assure you I can write an essay on the role of national airlines – more like a book. But I am also bound by certain confidentiality agreements that went with my public service employment. So, I must be an observer only on discussion on your question. (Everyone sighs a sigh of relief!)
Yep, JohnSelway, a flight in a Tiger Moth would be OK for me, though at my age I probably need a wee crane to get me in and out of the cockpit! Also I’d also love to have a ride in a Spitfire (complete with loop the loop and a victory roll). I’m of the age where the Battle of Brittain is still a moment in history for me, we have the DVD of the film in our archives which needs to be dragged out again on a rainy afternoon. I live close to the Waharoa Airfield and we see a great variety of flying machines flying overhead at times, including the odd TMs. We recently had a massive four-engine transporter military style behemoth fly overhead recently and return half an hour later having landed at Waharoa! I came to the conclusion it was a promotion flight by either an Embraer or a Lockheed Martin aircraft to replace the Hercules fleet. Absolutely no publicity about what was happening – which made it a bit scary.
I want to go on Biggles plane ”the halifax” on a trip to the Gobi dessert.
“Biggles in the Gobi” was the best of all by Captain WE Johns books I ever read at 11yrs old in 1955. An awesome story.
Biggles (a wing commander) having hit an eagle with the Halifax and shot down a MIG fighter plane during the communist war in China.
That’s on my bucket for sure.
Here is the intro to the amazing book of “action”
Biggles is able to return, after shooting down a Mig plane, just as a final battle is taking place at the caves. He is able to rescue everybody and get them away.
Book First Published on 8th October 1953 – 160 pages
This story was first published, in seventeen weekly parts, as BIGGLES IN THE GOBI in The Eagle Volume 4, issue 17 to Volume 4 issue 33, dated 31st July 1953 to 20th November 1953
Biggles is asked by Air Commodore Raymond to travel to the middle of Asia to rescue some missionaries from Communist China. Taking Algy, Ginger and Bertie with him, plus a Chinese man by the name of Feng-tao (who speaks virtually no English), Biggles flies in an unmarked Halifax from Pakistan to the Gobi desert.
I think I’d have to go P51D – same engine sound, bubble cockpit, looks like a greyhound. The early spits’ noses were too stubby for my taste 🙂
As for passenger aircraft, is there such a thing as a quiet plane for passengers? The turboprobs especially give me a damned headache. In fact, the discomfort of air travel is one of the two things that mean I have absolutely no desire to travel – dealing with customs and immigration is the other. Especially the yanks.
I have to travel. I hate flying but travel is something the recuperates my soul.
Airports fuck me off to no end. There’s always some asshole in the queue whose luggage is too heavy. Then they hold everyone up while they open the suitcase and rearrange everything. I want to scream – “it doesn’t matter how you repack it, fuck-face, it still has the same mass!”
For me it’s the security screening with people **** assing around or some muppet guard trying explain to me Air Security btw that’s not a dig at the NZ Airport Security officers, but the Australian airports as the Kiwi ones don’t muck about.
On the Base was once station at, had a Mustang that dragged out every now and then for the flying days at the museum. It was bloody hard trying to a range brief with that cut laps around the Airfield. It was bad enough when the P40 powered Merlin pop in for a flying day or any other WW2 fighter and I must say that P40 sounds far better than Alison powered one.
If you ever return to NZ EKF then you must drop down here to Thames – birth place of Sir Keith Park “Defender of London”. A mate of mine (ex war bird pilot and wingman to Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Hayr) down the road still has his PPL – I had lost mine when I had a grumbling appendix for 2 years and by the time I had recovered life had moved on. But to cut to the chase – we went to see the Mossie up at Ardmore being rebuilt and flown again for the first time – I have a video of the flight . Awesome. They are rebuilding two more at the moment – and they will stay in the country. There is a spit and mustang in the hanger there as well.
A cousin of mine reckons he holds the record for the fastest flight from Ohakea to Wigram in a Harvard. Took off from Ohakea, and found a standing wave over the Ruahina’s , Tararua’s and Kaikora’s and effectively dove the whole way. 🙂 Have been in one of those myself flying out of Hood Airfield at Masterton. The altimeter went to 10,000 ft in about 1 minute! and that was in a Cessna 150.
There was or still going on a low level tactical Flying Ex involving C130’s from the RNZAF, RAAF and USAF Special Operations Forces so wouldn’t be surprise if it was them dropping into Waharoa Airfield.
I once had the money to fly Concorde after mate bet me to it, but I ended up buying a house instead as knew at the time they still very low hrs on them and they going stop in a hurry until….
So the bucket list now is a flight in a Lac in Canada, a spit or Me 109 over the white cliffs of Dover, landing on Glacier in NZ and flying around the Alps/ Hasst and Southland area.
If I do move back to NZ is to find the two aircraft crash site one in upper Buller/ Seddonville areas and one in the Golden Bay.
“Never fly straight and level in a combat zone for more than 30s or else you will get shot down understand!!!
As Skipper from Rabbit SQN is trying to teach a young sprog the art of finding the Hun in the sun.
Pretty much every flight is subsidised by another flight in some way. That’s how aviation works. It’s highly unlikely that the person in the seat next to you paid the same as you did.
What changed here is that New Zealand’s domestic route structure has changed. Previously, from the NAC days, the domestic routes were to serve the domestic market and economy, so had a shared Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch focus. Now the domestic routes are to serve the international routes, taking punters to and from the international hub in Auckland.
The first of Ovid’s links in that post goes to this Stuff article by the PM, Jacinda Ardern on her surprise move to personally accept the Greenpeace petition a few days ago, and her position on climate change and fossil fuel transition planning:
Our focus right now is putting in place a plan to achieve this. That will involve everyone. Industry, communities, scientists, unions and the Government all need to work together. All of our futures are at stake on this issue.
After years of dictatorial leadership it’s refreshing to see JA’s cooperative approach.
I find it fascinating that when framed as cooperation because
All of our futures are at stake on this issue.
it seems to be generally well received and welcomed although with the usual trepidation; after all, it is about change and the unknown.
On the other hand, when it is framed in terms of a delicate balance of economic, environmental, and social issues because they are all integrated into a inseparable whole, because everything (and everyone!) is connected, then it is panned as radical, out of touch, or (much) worse …
Often, it is not even the framing but the source, the messenger, i.e. the one who speaks.
Merit is not enough; persuasion (not ‘spin’) is an art that requires skills and mastery, in addition to compassion, emotional intelligence, and super-human listening, to name a few.
Well a co-operative approach yes. But to see fast change as essentially negative based on the 1980’s experience – not so much.
There was fast change under the Savage government & under Whitlam in Australia – good out comes. Where there is a reasonable consensus (don’t sign TTTP!) moving fast will give more time to settle down and less time for wealthy opposition.
I am praying very hard Jacinda holds to her word and saves us here to shut down the massive 6% annual increased truck use increase of using truck freight everywhere.
When we already now know how rail can carry the freight from 5 to eight times less fuel used to move the same freight by rail rather than road, and rail only emits only a fraction of climate change emissions.
And one more further to 3 and 4 above, Ovid’s post yesterday also provided this link to a very interesting website on transition planning in a different context – a transition towns movement. This is fascinating and well worth some time having a look!
An unreconstructed advocate of regime change after repeated failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, Bolton favors a lower threshold for the use of military force than prevailed under most Republican presidents prior to George W. Bush. He would like a more confrontational posture toward Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, following up Bush-era talk of the “Axis of Evil” with warnings about a “Moscow-Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah axis.”
[…]
We are once again seeing a GOP-controlled Washington growing government and billowing red ink and a foreign policy fed by threat inflation, whereby tough talk belies a lack of confidence in America’s ability to dominate weak foes without shooting first and asking questions later.
Now John Bolton is getting that old band Axis of Evil back together.
John Bolton: "I have said for over ten years that the declared policy of the United States of America should be the overthrow of the Mullah's regime in Tehran."Daily reminder that Bolton got us into war in Iraq. And he's proud of it. pic.twitter.com/h7xIA0ijrz— #MarchForOurLives (@KaniJJackson) March 23, 2018
John Bolton Op-Ed NYT 2015 re need to attack Iran:"Only military action like Israel’s 1981 attack on Saddam Hussein’s Osirak reactor in Iraq or its 2007 destruction of a Syrian reactor, designed and built by North Korea, can accomplish what is required." https://t.co/NouShzUx5o— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) March 23, 2018
John Bolton, WSJ, Op-Ed Feb 2018: "The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First" https://t.co/ClIGiSMyJL— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) March 23, 2018
“One way to avoid preemptive military force is to bring the regime down — frankly it’s something that China should help us with,” Bolton said on Fox News March 11. In the same segment, he recalled a joke he’s fond of telling: “How can you tell when the North Koreans are lying? When their lips are moving.”
My bold.
Bolton downplayed the significance of his past public statements in an interview with Fox News shortly after the appointment was announced, saying he would defer to the president’s judgment.
Year Right! Why was he hired?
Because he’s a Fox contributor – and Faux News is all that the chump listens too. The Doomsday clock just move a little closer to midnight.
* Yesterday Trump hired Bolton, who wants both war with Iran and pre-emptive nuke strikes
* Pentagon now says the US can use nukes in response to major cyberattacks— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) March 23, 2018
On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictment of nine Iranians for conspiring to hack and defraud American universities and businesses on behalf of the Iranian government. Rosenstein vowed harsh repercussions for the Iranian hackers, including their extradition to the United States and imprisonment if convicted.
[…]
Bolton is an apocalyptic appointment, one who endangers not only Iran but the entire world. Bolton’s bloodlust, bad temper, and blind faith in military solutions previously rendered him unhireable, but for Trump, whose most maniacal instincts will be validated, he is a gift—a like-minded sadist who, unlike Trump, knows how to effectively navigate bureaucracy.
I’m on the same wave length as Audrey Young this week. Shane Jones has succeeded in getting NZ First back up to 5%. He’s now on track to be the ‘heir apparent’ should Winston choose to step down and the end of this term.
It’s interesting seeing the tone of postings in TS and TDB, NZ first may be taking the mantle of preferred leftist party as we see time and again the greens are self absorbed idiots.
I’m not a fan of Shane jones – at all, but he succeeded where labour failed miserably in speaking for the public against corporate interest. Now the fisheries Shane.
Loved her reference to Jones as a combine harvester:
Jones is like a political combine harvester. Let loose on a controversy, he wanders all over the paddock reaping and threshing but usually producing something that is valuable.
BUT re Jones as heir apparent – sorry, nah. He has indicated on a number of occasions that he is not interested. I think he has found his niche in his role as Champion of the Regions, and would hate the constraints that being Leader of a Party brings.
I have been watching NZF closely for years and IMO the heir apparent was chosen a couple of years ago and has been groomed over that period – Fletcher Tabuteau.
Despite his young age (44/5?) he has been involved with NZF since its beginning when he was quite young, and as well as now being Deputy Leader, he is also Under Study to both Peters and Jones as Parliamentary Under Secretary for both Foreign Affairs and Regional Development. Those roles could have been split over two MPs but weren’t.
Interesting and timely given I’ve just been assisting with the TOTAL reconditioning of an actual combine harvester (every bearing on the thing, plus its very sucky motor with new barrels and eings)
I’m bloody sure a Shane is capable of adaptation/repurpose/rearrangement as any political expediency kicks in.
Now is the time for the Green Party, the only party of principle in our parliament, as far as I can see, to stand up for New Zealand.
They disagree with CPTTA and will not vote for it. But that is simply not good enough. With National’s backing the so-called free trade treaty will pass.
But (relying on reports) climate change is not mentioned once in the entire 5000 page document! And the ISDS provisions still allow overseas corporations to sue NZ government if any climate change legislation gets in the way of their profits.
If this is indeed so, it is not enough for the Green to vote against CPTTA. That will achieve nothing, except ensure their right to say ‘I told you so!’ sometime in the future.
No, they must DEMAND a climate change assessment of the CPTTA and threaten to withdraw Confidence and Supply if this doesn’t happen.
The ‘troughers’ in Labour and NZ First will be appalled by the prospect of another election and a possible National victory (as so would I) but it is great leverage.
The Greens, a party of principle, MUST act in the interests of all the people in this country.
Labour and NZF have already said they are supporting the CPTPPA. In government keeping ones word is supposed to mean something. People and other nations rely on it.
So there is nothing the Greens can do (other than terminating the government) that can stop NZ ratifying the CPTPPA. And if they did terminate the government a new National/Act government would be the likely outcome
Against the wishes of the majority of voters the braindead Gnats have locked us into a remarkably bad deal – at the same time reducing faith in the democratic process – a win for the forces of infamy!
“All too late.” – what’s in it for Wayne, I wonder?
Would keeping one’s word extend to pre-election ‘promises’?
If (and it’s a big IF) NZ is still a sovereign country, then the Government is free to act at anytime in the evolving ‘balanced best interests’ of all citizens. Signing the CPATPP serves the interests of very few NZers.
The EU seems to have dodged their own TTIP bullet, at least for now, but corporates, like rust, never sleep.
The agreement has been criticized and opposed by some unions, charities, NGOs and environmentalists, particularly in Europe.
The Independent describes common criticisms of TTIP as “reducing the regulatory barriers to trade for big business, things like food safety law, environmental legislation, banking regulations and the sovereign powers of individual nations”, or more critically as an “assault on European and US societies by transnational corporations”.
The Guardian noted the criticism of TTIP’s “undemocratic nature of the closed-door talks”, “influence of powerful lobbyists”, TTIP’s potential ability to “undermine the democratic authority of local government”, and described it as “the most controversial trade deal the EU has ever negotiated”.
Our note to Government today on the sixth anniversary of the washout that closed Gisborne rail.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, and all Government Agencies since 2001.
Public COMMUNITY letter; : 6th Anniversary of Gisborne rail washout 24th March 2012.
24th March 2018; – On this day the sixth anniversary of the rail washout that closed Gisborne rail link to the rest of NZ.
Dear rail stakeholders,
Please review these past considerations of NZ Rail for your re-consideration to re-open the Gisborne rail link to the rest of NZ.
We should curtail trucking as now it is harming the environment and use * General Manager of NZ Rail Trevor Haywood’s plan to use rail for “social benefit” again. 1971.
Read below, History of rail.
In 1971, the Government commissioned United States consultancy firm Wilbur Smith & Associates to look at Railways. It also recommended that road transport meet the “resource costs” incurred and social costs such as accidents, pollution and the loss of utility caused by heavy vehicles.
We must use these considerations also when restoring Gisborne’s rail freight again.
Our justification is;
As we say it is justified that rail services must resume, because Gisborne is the most isolated community of its size in NZ without a rail service; – ministers please note.
Hi Cleangreen (9) … have you by any chance contacted Shane Jones about restoring rail to your region?
As you know, Jonesy is on a roll at the moment with regional air transport, which is proving very popular. Could well be a good time to contact him and tell him your case re Gisborne rail, while he’s fired up championing regional transport.
Good for you Cleangreen for keeping this issue out there. All the best in getting a positive outcome.
I have sent 10 emails to all senior Labour NZ First and green party ministers including Shane and Winston.
Once was Tim; – is absolutely correct they have had so many emails from us they are having trouble handling them since they were jammed with thousands of emails from national at the beginning of the parliament so national have caused a “email road block” we were told by the MP’s PA’s.
But we every second day now call the parliamentary office requesting for those appropriate ministers to come to HB/Gisborne to discuss the rail issue with all our community groups now before they make final decisions here.
As we all are representative as the most affected amongst the regions without rail and roads now “gridlocked with trucks” it is ruining our narrow windy roads and makes driving very dangerous now so rail is needed seriously now more than ever.
Please heed our community call to return our gisborne rail as you did other regions as our regions are now booming and truck traffic is raising annually at a staggering 6% a year. This is unsustainable for our environment and our futures..
Remember the dire warnings about state abuse of collected meta-data.
Well, Silicon Valley’s tech billionaires have been hard at it.
Downloaded my facebook data as a ZIP fileSomehow it has my entire call history with my partner's mum pic.twitter.com/CIRUguf4vD— Dylan McKay (@dylanmckaynz) March 21, 2018
metadata about every text message I've ever received or sentspoiler: I don't use messenger for SMS pic.twitter.com/ehWXhpnrrV— Dylan McKay (@dylanmckaynz) March 21, 2018
Facebook’s mounting image problems hit a whole other orbit on Friday.
Tech icon Elon Musk appeared to delete the official Facebook pages for two of his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, Inc.
Musk’s moves come days after a whistleblower revealed that a data analysis firm tied to President Donald Trump’s campaign had harvested data off Facebook, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking government investigations.
Fuck yea!!!!
We might actually get to real, rather than virtual community where humans interact in real time. A place (oops…. I mean ‘space’) where humans interact in real time and between one another. Sometimes, like the most exotic of animal, their lives depend on it (going forward, to coin a phrase, ez a meta a fek, ekshully)
A couple of days ago I made a comment on the “Russian to Judgment” post, pointing to an article on globalresearch.ca which reported that Russian Army chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, claimed to have received reliable information that the US was planning an attack on Damascus, and which seemed to be connected to the Salisbury incident. A more recent article on voltairenet claims that this was in fact a plot concocted by the British government in collusion with Rex Tillerson, but without the knowledge of either Donald Trump or the Pentagon, and which seems to be the reason for Tillerson’s sacking.
voltairenet.org/article200232.html
The plan seems to have been for the British to fabricate a nerve gas attack on Skripal blaming it on the Russians, and then follow it up with a nerve gas attack in Ghouta, blaming that one on Assad. Gerasimov apparently contacted his American counterpart, General Dunford, with the information. From there it went to General Mattis, and then to Trump. CIA director Pompeio confirmed that the report was authentic. Tillerson was immediately recalled.
So… not only are we to believe that the Skripal attack was a false flag, but the Brits are to have been running black labs in Ghouta.
This is fatuous nonsense of the highest degree. May simply wouldn’t dare – one leaker anywhere in the chain and her government would fall and her career would end.
Russia and Assad have been dropping gas for years – if we look at other areas of British deployment they do not correlate with the use of gas. So what’s so special about Syria? Not the Brits.
“if we look at other areas of British deployment they do not correlate with the use of gas.”
Sure, but nerve gas didn’t really seem to be a thing in recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars that the Brits have been involved with. It’s has only cropped up since Syria was accused of using it on its own people and a basis to invade was formed.
May simply wouldn’t dare – one leaker anywhere in the chain and her government would fall and her career would end.”
Do you remember our very own “get some guts” moment, and how many times our public has been told bare faced lies. But she wouldn’t? You only need a couple of people at the top to form a lie and everyone else follows in behind, its not that hard.
For all that they currently have a pretty useless set of self-serving assholes in power, British democracy has greater institutional resilience than NZ – members regularly cross the floor and a frankly rotten piece of shit like Carter could never have been speaker.
You may point to Blair with some justice, but even at peak arrogance he never dabbled in chemical weapons – neither the public nor the press would have approved. He sought a mandate for the Iraq war, in large part to dilute his own culpability, but he would not have entered Iraq except as a ‘very close ally’ of George Bush.
It’s true that there is a certain amount of institutional fatigue in the armed forces at present, and some of them would quite like an option that simply made the enemy go away. May would never be so adventurous however – she’s only PM because Cameron quit, and that flakiness carries all the way through the command chain. Supposing you were a mid level organic chemist – would you travel to Ghouta to run black labs for May? You can bet she’d shaft you without a thought if things became sticky. May Breaks Bad would make a splendid sitcom, but Syria simply isn’t important enough to England to justify such extraordinary risks, even were she an espiophile like John Key.
And, one ought to limit one’s dependency on the Russian propaganda chain as a news source. It’s not produced for our benefit. RT’s days appear to be numbered, and Global Research seems set to take its place. I tolerated them when they limited their advocacy to telling the inconvenient parts of essentially truthful narratives – but now they are vehicles for barefaced lies – propaganda that only the hysterical could entertain for a moment.
Yes.
I’ve read similar. I can’t find the link atm. There is one common interest, and that the person charged with testing the so called evidence from Syria, and his involvement with nerve agent propaganda.
Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Nikki Haley et al are such a source of hilarity. Tragic as it is.
So the headlines in the WP, NYT, Grudian and independent over coming days (if not about facebook and whatever else) – celebrating peoples’ liberation and the defeat of terrorists? Or accusing Syria of crimes against humanity for guaranteeing terrorists and their families safe passage?
Well. Thinking Aleppo and so thinking the latter.
And again I’m going to point out that the so-called “Free Syrian Army” that western governments have openly backed, promoted and funded, is killing people from multiple ethnic and religious backgrounds in Rojava – Rojava where neither the Syrian government nor the Syrian Arab Army have any presence.
And as I can not reply to the lies spouted by Stuart Munroe in his reference to the alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun on April 4th 2017, on the Russian to Judgement page, again I will quote the OPCW report
“The FFM’s mandate is to determine whether chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons have been used in Syria; it does not include identifying who is responsible for alleged attacks. An advance team for the FFM was deployed within 24 hours of being alerted to the incident. For security reasons, the FFM was unable to visit Khan Shaykhun. The rapid deployment to a neighbouring country, however, enabled the team to attend autopsies, collect bio-medical samples from casualties and fatalities, interview witnesses and receive environmental samples. ”
The report explicitly states that FFM was unable to visit the site.
But without any challenge to the veracity of the samples, accepted them without question.
Samples supplied by ….well we aren’t told that, but considering the area was too dangerous for the OPCW mission to enter we can only deduce that they were supplied by the mercenary NATO Saudi, US funded terrorist headchoppers.
And what? You read the comment from Exkiwiforces that undermines that narrative so you decided to start the whole bullshit up somewhere that comment isn’t current? Did you think people would forget what ExKF said and give you the benefit of the doubt?
You’re suspiciously selective in which generals you believe and which ones you don’t. Lift your game.
I placed my comment here because “Russian to Judgment” was no longer on the front page. I thought no one would see my comment if I placed it on that posting.
I guess followers of this website can read our respective omments and make up their own minds. I won’t be commenting further unless I come across new information.
Besides that, my tablet’s battery needs recharging.
I hadn’t been aware of exkiwiforces comment, so thanks for the pointer.
The comment you linked to was a direct response to me pointing out that the canister containing the chemicals at Khan Sheikhoun had ruptured inwards, not outwards as happens with missiles, mortars etc.
Exkiwiforces comment doesn’t actually address that point (of how the casing of a delivered munition shows obvious signs of having being imploded – ie, punctured by an external explosive force)
Nothing in exkiwiforces comment (not the one you link to anyway) has anything to do with the narrative mikesh has linked to above.
In my opinion, ExKF’s knowledgeable comment undermines Gerasimov’s propaganda. Not to mention the various massive holes in it already identified by McFlock and Stuart Munro.
So…I get that you’ve been following whatever is being reported about what Gerasimov’s saying more closely than I have.
What has he said about the chemical delivery system at Khan Sheikhoun (which was all exkiwiforces comment was about) and how does whatever Gerasimov say about that marry up to any claims about eastern Ghouta and whatever allegations being made about expected chemical attacks there?
He didn’t say anything about the chemical delivery system at Khan Sheikhoun. What he did do though is tell stories about the UK and its allies readiness to use chemical weapons as false flag attacks.
ExKF’s said “the chemical weapon system had delay action fuse to off after the raid to off after the raid catching everyone in the open as it went off thence the small impact carter”.
Mikesh was using his truther beliefs about Khan Sheikhoun to support Gerasimov’s dubious credibility. ExKF undermined those beliefs.
Actually, Stuart was using Khan Sheikhoun to undermine Gerasimov’s claims. I attempted to refute his rebuttals relying on my own less than perfect memory. The event occurred a long time ago. However I’ve since remembered that, at the time, the Russians claimed to have bombed a warehouse which they believed contained weapons, not knowing that the weapons were in fact chemical weapons. Whatever. I don’t think that Khan Sheikhoun is particularly relevant to the present discussion.
Gerasimov’s claims have since been confirmed by CIA chief, Pompaeo, and they seem to have been the reason for Tillerson’s sacking.
You need to decide which bullshit story to tell – “A young woman associated with the rebels said that the gas was released as a result of a cock-up by the rebel forces” or “Russia bombed a warehouse”.
Gerasimov’s claims have since been confirmed by CIA chief, Pompaeo[sic].
[Citation needed]
Quote Pompeo (spelling his name correctly may help you) directly, please, and use a reputable source if you can.
The source of my information that Pompeo hasn’t said something? Are you on drugs? I don’t have any photos of your pet goat either, in case you were wondering.
No it isn’t. The non availability of a citable source doesn’t prove the truth or falsity of an alleged “fact”. However, if that “fact” is coherent with other known facts, it’s reasonable to believe it, with or without a citation.
Both of you strayed from any political exchange hours ago. How’s about you both call it a day before things degenerate any further and one or the other of you step over a line?
At the moment you’re both just filling up space with lots of nothing.
Not quite – Gerasimov’s claims are not based on evidence beyond his claim of “information”, thus they do not need to be rebutted.
If you could have produced something to substantiate his allegations you might have had a credible argument – but you asserted the presence of some female informant that you could not (or chose not to) produce.
I’ve been banned before now for not providing sources – I don’t see why you should be exempt from that requirement.
The High Court judgement was in response to a request to take more blood samples from the comatose Skripals (there’s no-one with authority to give such permission, given the Skripals certainly can’t).
The evidence presented was thus:
17….
i)
CC: Porton Down Chemical and Biological Analyst
Blood samples from Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal were analysed and the findings indicated exposure to a nerve agent or related compound. The samples
tested positive for the presence of a Novichok class nerve agent or closely related agent.
So “closely related agent” somewhat widens the possibility of where the nerve agent actually came from.
Any other conclusion from such evidence can probably be in the realms of fantasy.
These Tories do seem to have some fantastical ideas, but whether they actually would lead to them being put into practice is another matter.
This article from 2005, outlines a fantasy scenario floated as a promo for Strategic Communication Laboratories (SLC). They demonstrated how they could produce some psy-ops propaganda, and pass it off as real.
[SLC with strong Conservative Party connections, later spawned Cambridge Analytica.]
SLC’s propaganda scenario works to contain a small pox outbreak in London. SLC showed they could fabricate a fictitious scenario that would be put out to the media and online, to stop Londoners venturing outdoors.
Rather than alert the public to the smallpox threat, the company sets up a high-tech “ops center” to convince the public that an accident at a chemical plant threatens London. As the fictitious toxic cloud approaches the city, TV news outlets are provided graphic visuals charting the path of the invisible toxins. Londoners stay indoors, glued to the telly, convinced that even a short walk into the streets could be fatal.
Why anyone would bother with such an elaborate subterfuge is beyond me.
Russian Army chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, has received reliable information that the US working with the saucer people are planning an attack on Damascus, connected to the Salisbury incident. In fact the plan was concocted by the British government in collusion with Rex Tillerson, utilising the Black Helicopters to carry it out.
And if you believe that, then you probably also believe globalresearch.ca claim that the Tens of millions of protesters throughout the Arab World protesting the totalitarian regimes of Ben Ali, Mubarak and Assad were working for the CIA.
Asked why she has decided to speak out, Kaiser flares: “Why should we make excuses for these people? Why? I’m so tired of making excuses for old white men. Fucking hell.”
Brittany left CA a couple of weeks ago – I’m pretty sure I read she left due to an employment dispute. So she may have an ax to grind.
Well I suppose it’s pretty easy to identify what scares old white English and American men and motivates them to vote … loss of power and authority over how society is organised and in whose interest. Using their vote to freeze the nation back in time (nostalgic remembering) to how society was when they were young – thus heightened fear of change. Thus Brexit or Trump’s American first or we go isolationist.
Since it seems we are to be bombarded with Lavrov’s witless speculations about false flag attacks, it might pertinent to look at the modern event that popularized them for this generation.
Restricted By YouTube, Gun Enthusiasts Are Taking Their Videos To Pornhub
[…]
Starting next month, YouTube will ban videos that offer instructions on how to make firearms and accessories such as silencers and bump stocks. It will prohibit content in which firearms and accessories are sold, both directly and through other websites. Videos on how to install firearms modifications will also be barred.
[…]
InRangeTV, which has some 144,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel, has chosen to publish videos on an adult website called Pornhub, Bloomberg reported. A search on the site yields five videos currently uploaded by InRangeTV. Visitors can watch a video where hosts compare a Glock 19 and a Hudson H9, just as it appears on YouTube.
Nation this sexual harassment and bullying of Lady’s in our legal profession is unacceptable this day and age. This behaviour will stop Alot of Lady’s from entering this profession we need Lady’s in our legal professions to give that industry a more humane approach to the LAW OF THE LAND many thanks Lisa for having the courage to have this conversation on live TV3
KIA KAHA KA KITE ANO P.S It is a bad culture
Nation I’m a big fan of TED TALKs to that was a good interview on Education there is a lot of talented mokos missed by the education system at the minute.
Many thanks to all the the mokos around the World who are protesting the lack of good gun laws in America and because of this phenomenon alot of people are dieing. Kia kaha mokos Ka kite ano
Nation I totally agree with Liya opinions on the ttp11 and the unknown implications on the Internet and social media and your other people about the big Internet companies being almost God like in influence and power Ka pai Ka kite ano
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“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 to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
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 ...
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 ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
News reports appearing for some months past since January 2018 , have indicated thinking of the US trade with rest of the world , more so with China. A news report which appeared on 20 January , 2018 , had said : -“ It seems that the US erred in supporting China’s entry into the WTO on terms that have proven to be ineffective in securing China’s embrace of an open , market-oriented trade regime”. Later , on 24 February , 2018 , news reports from the US had also said : “ While ties have improved but China is killing US on trade”. These perceptions in the US these days has culminated into announcement of Donald Trump on 22 March , 2018 , imposing tariff on about US 50 billion dollars in Chinese imports to retaliate against the alleged theft of American intellectual property.
These happenings on the eve and during mid- March 2018 , look to be corresponding to one of predictions of this Vedic astrology writer on 11 October 2017 in article – “ Astrological probable alerts for the United States in 2018” – published last year in monthly Webzine of Wisdom Magazine from US at wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/4647/ on 1 December 2017. The related text in the said article reads as :- “ Near mid- March to 30 April 2018. US economy looks to be presenting a happy picture while some kind of hidden or behind the scene areas of substantial concern may remain. PAST ERRORS OR SLIPS ARE LIKELY TO IMPACT TRADING OR COMMERCIAL ASPECTS IN SOME WAY”.
Thus , it can be said that the alert prediction of this writer substantially prior on 11 October , 2017 , has been confirmed precisely and closely accurate during beginning of 2018 , more so 22 March , 2018.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Sarkozy receives money from Libya and its corruption. Nats receive money from Chinese interests , ex National MPs have ties and postings to Chinese interests and we are the least corrupt nation on earth.
Howzat work?
Because the corruption index is a self indicating survey. Essentially is seems to be based on how people ‘feel’ their corruption levels are. Clearly our MSM never reports a thing because the royals, car crashes and kitten stories are more important news, so most people are not even aware what is going on.
Why do you assume all Chinese business people are corrupt?
You sound like a racist.
Actually, the implication was that the National Party were corrupt because they take foreign money.
All foreign money needs to be removed from NZ politics and that includes the cushy positions after politics.
Why can’t people take whatever job they are offered after their political career?
Because behind Chinese business is Chinese government.
In case it needs spelling out, having ties to a foreign government while in power is considered corruption in most countries.
Yes I agree with having business ties with a foreign government while in power is a little shady to put it lightly but Draco said “after” politics, not while in politics
From whence came the business ties such that on finishing as an MP, someone goes straight to work for a Chinese company?
What about Collins the minister for Oravida?
A Chinese spy National MP?
You actually wilfully have to shut your eyes and block your ears not to see an issue.
Well what jobs are ex-MP’s allowed to take then?
Teachers, police, rest home workers, builders, restaraunt workers, fruit pickers, dairy farm workers.
There is a shortage.
So Russell Norman shouldn’t have been allowed to be the Director of Greenpeace NZ?
I wasn’t aware Greenpeace had ties to the Chinese government.
Citation needed.
I’m not talking about the Chinese government. You said ex-MP’s should have jobs like “Teachers, police, rest home workers, builders, restaraunt workers, fruit pickers, dairy farm workers.” so I am asking you if Russell Norman’s post at Greenpeace was acceptable to you given what you stated.
My word you are hard work, I’m going to give the benefit if the doubt that it’s not intentional:
I’m fine with Russel Norman joining Greenpeace thanks for asking.
Given I wasn’t actually addressing you from the start I’m not surprised you are having difficulty.
I was wondering what Draco thought politicians should be doing after politics given he seems to have an issue with it
You asked me about Russel Norman. But yes off you go to shadow Draco around the internet some more, it’s been real
Will do, cheers
Brownlee was a woodwork teacher. Now he’s the ‘architect’ of Chch. Maybe we would all have been better off, if he had stuck to teaching woodwork and why there is a shortage.
In his yoof, i suspect brownlee mught have smoked a few too many of those dovetail joints, and given himself a permanent case of the munchies.
You’re lucky you never had to catch one of those aircraft we used to call ‘pencil planes’ with him.
Brownlee has always needed some serious rebalanxing
voluntary fire fighters, we have a shortage of them especially in places where we also have rampant housing insecurity.
voluntary ambulance driver, we have a shortage of them, again especially in places where we also have rampant housing insecurity.
cafe managers, i hear we have such a shortage that we must import them from elsewhere.
fruit picker, also a severe shortage here according to the businesses.
Surely there are more then enough jobs out there in our Rock Star Economy.
Oh, that was a myth you say? Just like the housing crisis is a myth? Just like the wading in a river is a myth?
Maybe they should try to file for an unemployment benefit? 🙂
“trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career”
Simon Lusk.
In other words, the National Party is adept at post-hoc bribery.
The revolving door of politics to private sector look s remarkably like corruption. Best to prevent it in the first place.
I agree in some circumstances but not all.
John Key went to ANZ but then again he spent his entire life outside of politics as a banker so not surprising he went back into it. Russell Norman went to Greenpeace but he has a track record of being very involved in Environmental Issues so again not surprising.
There is a difference between “leaving politics and picking up where you left off” and “becoming a lobbyist” which can be very shady indeed.
What are MP’s supposed to do when they leave? Never work again? Stay in politics for life?
You do know that hes was a member of the board of the NY Reserve right? And that’s more of a political position than an expert position?
Depends upon where you left off and where you went back. If both have connection to politics then we can honestly say that it’s just going back to what they were doing?
Many do stay in politics for life. Many could go into a public service role like Russel Norman.
What we don’t want is them going into high paid, high power private sector roles that are pretty much designed around their political careers.
EDIT: BTW, is there really two JohnSelways or do you just keep changing email addresses?
Sure but there is a difference between “going into the private sector” and “becoming a lobbyist” (for example).
I mean – Key spent most of life as a banker and left politics when he was quite young so became a banker again. Norman is heavily involved in environmental issues so went to Greenpeace. They gotta do something and generally end up doing what they did before becoming MP’s
What are MP’s supposed to do when they leave politics? Never work again? Stay MP’s for life?
100% Draco T Bastard.
We need to print some just to repair our rotting infrastructure now as we cant afford to borrow any more from overseas at 8% plus from a communist country anyway.
Else we will become another Greece that is owned by EU oligarchs now.
I don’t want to see that happen.
“All foreign money needs to be removed from NZ politics…”
Why? Says who? Sounds like xenophobia to me.
I think all private money in politics is a bad idea. From right and the left.
Just look at cluster-fucks like Citizens United in the States or, actually, just the states in general. You can pretty much buy your own congressman and write the laws for them
What do you think about Parliamentary Services funding an Auckland office for Labour (headed up by Matt McCarten), when that was most likely used for campaigning? Private contributions are made to most, if not all parties in NZ. Long may that be the case.
Sorry – I don’t know enough about the Matt McCarten thing you speak to make a call on it.
But too much private money in politics causes way to many conflicts of interest.
In the event that Simon Lusk is telling the truth, and National MPs are ‘trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career’, it makes sense to at least limit their criminal behaviour to corruption rather than full-blown treason.
Do you have any actual evidence for that, or are you suddenly a convert of Lusk? Mind you, Clark is alleged to have traded her time as PM for a lucrative job with the UN.
In the event that Simon Lusk is telling the truth, and National MPs are ‘trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career’, it makes sense to at least limit their criminal behaviour to corruption rather than full-blown treason.
Just to see if you can actually stay on topic, Ad Nauseam.
So you don’t have any actual evdence.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Lusk’s statement is evidence. Whether he’s a reliable witness is open to question, but at least you’re reliably witless.
A statement of Simon Lusks opinion is not evidence. But you do believe anything. And I’m not aware of Lusk ever committing benefit fraud.
Whether he’s a reliable witness is open to question, Ad Nauseam.
It kinda depends on the situation.
Using your time as an MP to cultivate business links is one thing (I.e – becoming an MP with the sole purpose of landing a highly paid private sector job) but leaving politics and taking a job because it’s in your area of expertise is another (I.e Russell Norman or John Key).
The former is pretty shady, the latter is just being a private citizen again
It depends chiefly on the extent and nature of the conflict of interest involved.
At 2.2.1.3 Babayaga
Fair enough if our “trading partners” would not have printed their own money to buy our assets.
But did they all not print any money?
China certainly did as did japan and …………………..
Well there seems to be a hoo ha over the Russian links in the USA and their President. Nope not following that one, we have enough issues in NZ but most people just ignore them. Not sure an ex Chinese (or Russian) agent would be welcome in the Republican Party like they are in the National party where the MSM says ‘kittens anyone’?
Why?
Because they’re not NZers and how we govern ourselves is not for them to have a say in.
They can’t vote. That’s How we have a say. If they can’t vote, they have no say. If people are stupid enough to be influenced by their money, then they get the government they deserve-of either stripe.
Money has influence.
I know you will deny that but it does and we need to stop that influence. And it’s not the voters who are influenced but the politicians – and that is corruption.
In other words, foreign money in politics is corruption.
Of course money has influence. But why should a US citizen be prevented from contributing to a NZ political party any more than a NZ political party can steal from the public to fund, eg a pledge card. Or an Australian Political Party ( of the same stripe) steal from the taxpayer to fund an election campaign (https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/victorians-have-a-right-to-be-outraged-at-labor-mps-misuse-of-funds-20180321-p4z5gn.html).
Because they’re not a NZ citizen, don’t live here and don’t vote here and thus have no right to have a say in our governance.
BTW: The US does ban foreign money in politics and so does pretty much every other country in the world. NZ’s one of the few doesn’t. Think the rest of the world may be on to something there?
How do you know they don’t live here? They could be a NZ resident. They may have invested in NZ. You have no idea. Even so, who cares? Why shouldn’t they be able to support a NZ based political movement simply because they aren’t citizens?
A Naki man accusing somebody else of racism.
That’s hilarious.
Why do you assume all corrupt business people are Chinese, Nastiman?
Howzat work?
100% @ Answer; – With false reporting with our “junk media” Keepcalmcarryon
In the middle of the night in a bout of insomnia I came across two posts on yesterday’s Open Mike with three very interesting links to articles well worth reading IMO. They had attracted only one comment, so I thought I would repost them here in the hopes others might see them and check them out. I will post them separately as they cover completely different subjects.
First thanks to Jilly Bee for this post and link:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-03-2018/#comment-1464943
Very interesting comparing the general wailing and gnashing of molars in Granny by Mike Hosking and Matthew Hooton and then whoosh – a wee gem by ex Nat MP for Whanganui, Chester Borrows headed ‘Politicians bailed Air N Z out – the airline can’t now complain about Shane Jones’. It’s worth a read. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12018271
So, we should be subsidising people flying out of and into Whanganui?
Actually Draco, I was simply pointing out the fact that Mike Hosking and Matthew Hooton (both National fanbois extraordinaire) were venting forth in their Herald slots about how bad it is for Shane Jones to be as much as commenting on where Air New Zealand operates domestically and that the airline should only be beholden to its shareholders and the end of year balance sheet with no concern for regional NZ. It was a surprise to me to see Chester Borrow’s column which pretty much agreed with Shane Jones – Chester was until last year the National MP for Whanganui which made it all a bit weird. I suppose it was Granny’s way of trying to look balanced. I have flown some of the secondary routes several years ago in what I called 18 seater flying sardine tins which were OK, but not terribly comfortable – at least we could see the pilots at work!! Bit of a come down from the Boeing 737s on the main routes. It’s interesting to see that the Mayors of the towns and cities concerned are more than happy with Shane’s support. Bring back the DC3s I tells ya.
Come on Jilly Bee,
Where’s your sense of adventure? I say bugger the DC3’s and I say bring the back the DH 83 Fox Moths, DH 84’s, 86’s, 89’s and 90’s passenger Biplanes.
Chocks away Biggles.
Blimey Exkiwiforces, I didn’t think of those – must say though that a flight in a biplane is on my bucket list.
They are on bucket list as well.
You should have flown with Fred Ladd as my uncle did. A real character.
I download the podcasts from the Wings over New Zealand Forum site and I will have to say Dave Homeward has at an outstanding job interviewing some extraordinarily women and gentleman of NZ Aviation History over the years. They worth downloading and like listening to the per WW2, through the War especially the Pacific stuff as I had a great uncle up in the solly’s with 3 NZ Div and post war stuff the Ag Pilots, The Fred Ladd’s and Bryan Cox who I believe this NZ’s remaining Air Ace from WW2 who flew in the Pacific.
Reading the Richard Waugh books on West Coast Airways, pre and post war early Airlines. One of course must not forget NAC and what they did to regional NZ from post WW2 until 1978.
A blog site call 3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com is worth having a look.
My father used to own a Tiger Moth and I not only got many a flight in one but I was allowed to fly it myself once and did a few aerobatics with one of NZ’s best stunt pilots. It was great fun
What a wonderful thread this has ended up being! I am so pleased you put up the link, Jilly Bee. Fox Moths, Tiger Moths, Biplanes, Harvards – those were the days! And Spitfires – I am with you JS. Blimey and Biggles indeed!
Back to ground, I was initially surprised by Burrows, but then when I remembered his background, it did not surprise me. He has been known to do similar surprising declarations of his views before.
Sorry Draco T Bastard, your question is a very good and serious one but I have been told off by adam today for putting up two essays – again – in response to assertions by him. Kill ’em by boring them to death, says I.
And I assure you I can write an essay on the role of national airlines – more like a book. But I am also bound by certain confidentiality agreements that went with my public service employment. So, I must be an observer only on discussion on your question. (Everyone sighs a sigh of relief!)
Happy Saturday night – over and out.
Around 1952 for ten shillings I had a flight in a top dressing plane in Bennydale. I’m sorry, don’t know the make, but it made me love adventures.
Golly. Why yes VV.
A bloody nice thread this is turning out to be.
It’s certainly got me piqued with a dander on its brink…eh what?
I must say I so have a fondness for Tiger Moths and Harvards.
Though I wouldn’t mind flying from Wellington to Auckland in a Spitfire
Yep, JohnSelway, a flight in a Tiger Moth would be OK for me, though at my age I probably need a wee crane to get me in and out of the cockpit! Also I’d also love to have a ride in a Spitfire (complete with loop the loop and a victory roll). I’m of the age where the Battle of Brittain is still a moment in history for me, we have the DVD of the film in our archives which needs to be dragged out again on a rainy afternoon. I live close to the Waharoa Airfield and we see a great variety of flying machines flying overhead at times, including the odd TMs. We recently had a massive four-engine transporter military style behemoth fly overhead recently and return half an hour later having landed at Waharoa! I came to the conclusion it was a promotion flight by either an Embraer or a Lockheed Martin aircraft to replace the Hercules fleet. Absolutely no publicity about what was happening – which made it a bit scary.
Spitfires are my all time favourite (all because if that film too – The Battle of Britain)
I want to go on Biggles plane ”the halifax” on a trip to the Gobi dessert.
“Biggles in the Gobi” was the best of all by Captain WE Johns books I ever read at 11yrs old in 1955. An awesome story.
Biggles (a wing commander) having hit an eagle with the Halifax and shot down a MIG fighter plane during the communist war in China.
That’s on my bucket for sure.
Here is the intro to the amazing book of “action”
Biggles is able to return, after shooting down a Mig plane, just as a final battle is taking place at the caves. He is able to rescue everybody and get them away.
http://www.biggles.info/Details/46/
BIGGLES IN THE GOBI
Book First Published on 8th October 1953 – 160 pages
This story was first published, in seventeen weekly parts, as BIGGLES IN THE GOBI in The Eagle Volume 4, issue 17 to Volume 4 issue 33, dated 31st July 1953 to 20th November 1953
Biggles is asked by Air Commodore Raymond to travel to the middle of Asia to rescue some missionaries from Communist China. Taking Algy, Ginger and Bertie with him, plus a Chinese man by the name of Feng-tao (who speaks virtually no English), Biggles flies in an unmarked Halifax from Pakistan to the Gobi desert.
I think I’d have to go P51D – same engine sound, bubble cockpit, looks like a greyhound. The early spits’ noses were too stubby for my taste 🙂
As for passenger aircraft, is there such a thing as a quiet plane for passengers? The turboprobs especially give me a damned headache. In fact, the discomfort of air travel is one of the two things that mean I have absolutely no desire to travel – dealing with customs and immigration is the other. Especially the yanks.
Bring back airships, that’s what I say.
I have to travel. I hate flying but travel is something the recuperates my soul.
Airports fuck me off to no end. There’s always some asshole in the queue whose luggage is too heavy. Then they hold everyone up while they open the suitcase and rearrange everything. I want to scream – “it doesn’t matter how you repack it, fuck-face, it still has the same mass!”
I’m not good with patience…
For me it’s the security screening with people **** assing around or some muppet guard trying explain to me Air Security btw that’s not a dig at the NZ Airport Security officers, but the Australian airports as the Kiwi ones don’t muck about.
On the Base was once station at, had a Mustang that dragged out every now and then for the flying days at the museum. It was bloody hard trying to a range brief with that cut laps around the Airfield. It was bad enough when the P40 powered Merlin pop in for a flying day or any other WW2 fighter and I must say that P40 sounds far better than Alison powered one.
If you ever return to NZ EKF then you must drop down here to Thames – birth place of Sir Keith Park “Defender of London”. A mate of mine (ex war bird pilot and wingman to Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Hayr) down the road still has his PPL – I had lost mine when I had a grumbling appendix for 2 years and by the time I had recovered life had moved on. But to cut to the chase – we went to see the Mossie up at Ardmore being rebuilt and flown again for the first time – I have a video of the flight . Awesome. They are rebuilding two more at the moment – and they will stay in the country. There is a spit and mustang in the hanger there as well.
A cousin of mine reckons he holds the record for the fastest flight from Ohakea to Wigram in a Harvard. Took off from Ohakea, and found a standing wave over the Ruahina’s , Tararua’s and Kaikora’s and effectively dove the whole way. 🙂 Have been in one of those myself flying out of Hood Airfield at Masterton. The altimeter went to 10,000 ft in about 1 minute! and that was in a Cessna 150.
There was or still going on a low level tactical Flying Ex involving C130’s from the RNZAF, RAAF and USAF Special Operations Forces so wouldn’t be surprise if it was them dropping into Waharoa Airfield.
I once had the money to fly Concorde after mate bet me to it, but I ended up buying a house instead as knew at the time they still very low hrs on them and they going stop in a hurry until….
So the bucket list now is a flight in a Lac in Canada, a spit or Me 109 over the white cliffs of Dover, landing on Glacier in NZ and flying around the Alps/ Hasst and Southland area.
If I do move back to NZ is to find the two aircraft crash site one in upper Buller/ Seddonville areas and one in the Golden Bay.
“Never fly straight and level in a combat zone for more than 30s or else you will get shot down understand!!!
As Skipper from Rabbit SQN is trying to teach a young sprog the art of finding the Hun in the sun.
Or was that Sailor Malan???
Pretty much every flight is subsidised by another flight in some way. That’s how aviation works. It’s highly unlikely that the person in the seat next to you paid the same as you did.
What changed here is that New Zealand’s domestic route structure has changed. Previously, from the NAC days, the domestic routes were to serve the domestic market and economy, so had a shared Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch focus. Now the domestic routes are to serve the international routes, taking punters to and from the international hub in Auckland.
This is the downside of the amalgamation of NAC and Air New Zealand (ex TEAL) where NAC was the aggressive expanding and profitable airline and threatening Air New Zealand. NAC was also providing a comprehensive regional service to the country. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjOjN7IzYTaAhWMiLwKHaDXCB0QFgg7MAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FHistory_of_Air_New_Zealand&usg=AOvVaw1Z4NLQTCji1fCJ7P3hC0Vp
Further to add there is good book called NAC The illustrated history of New Zealand NAC 1947-1978 which talks about the charter to serve regional NZ.
As a follow-on to my comment at 3, my thanks also goes to Ovid for their post at 9 on yesterday’s OM.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-03-2018/#comment-1464828
The first of Ovid’s links in that post goes to this Stuff article by the PM, Jacinda Ardern on her surprise move to personally accept the Greenpeace petition a few days ago, and her position on climate change and fossil fuel transition planning:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/102498682/jacinda-ardern-i-lived-through-fast-economic-change-in-the-80s-we-wont-repeat-that-with-our-move-to-cleaner-energy-future
Our focus right now is putting in place a plan to achieve this. That will involve everyone. Industry, communities, scientists, unions and the Government all need to work together. All of our futures are at stake on this issue.
After years of dictatorial leadership it’s refreshing to see JA’s cooperative approach.
I find it fascinating that when framed as cooperation because
it seems to be generally well received and welcomed although with the usual trepidation; after all, it is about change and the unknown.
On the other hand, when it is framed in terms of a delicate balance of economic, environmental, and social issues because they are all integrated into a inseparable whole, because everything (and everyone!) is connected, then it is panned as radical, out of touch, or (much) worse …
Often, it is not even the framing but the source, the messenger, i.e. the one who speaks.
Merit is not enough; persuasion (not ‘spin’) is an art that requires skills and mastery, in addition to compassion, emotional intelligence, and super-human listening, to name a few.
Well a co-operative approach yes. But to see fast change as essentially negative based on the 1980’s experience – not so much.
There was fast change under the Savage government & under Whitlam in Australia – good out comes. Where there is a reasonable consensus (don’t sign TTTP!) moving fast will give more time to settle down and less time for wealthy opposition.
Thanks veutoviper,
I am praying very hard Jacinda holds to her word and saves us here to shut down the massive 6% annual increased truck use increase of using truck freight everywhere.
When we already now know how rail can carry the freight from 5 to eight times less fuel used to move the same freight by rail rather than road, and rail only emits only a fraction of climate change emissions.
http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/uploads/Publications/The%20Value%20of%20the%20Rail%20in%20New%20Zealand.pdf
And one more further to 3 and 4 above, Ovid’s post yesterday also provided this link to a very interesting website on transition planning in a different context – a transition towns movement. This is fascinating and well worth some time having a look!
https://transitionnetwork.org/
Thanks again Ovid and Jilly Bee.
Forever wars are on again.
An unreconstructed advocate of regime change after repeated failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, Bolton favors a lower threshold for the use of military force than prevailed under most Republican presidents prior to George W. Bush. He would like a more confrontational posture toward Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, following up Bush-era talk of the “Axis of Evil” with warnings about a “Moscow-Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah axis.”
[…]
We are once again seeing a GOP-controlled Washington growing government and billowing red ink and a foreign policy fed by threat inflation, whereby tough talk belies a lack of confidence in America’s ability to dominate weak foes without shooting first and asking questions later.
Now John Bolton is getting that old band Axis of Evil back together.
http://theweek.com/articles/762615/john-bolton-proof-that-trump-abandoned-best-campaign-promise
Have to agree, the swamp just got the old gang back together.
Seems that John Bolton is up to his eyeballs in Cambridge Analytica as well.
https://www.publicintegrity.org/2018/03/20/21623/john-bolton-eyed-trump-post-leads-super-pac-employed-cambridge-analytica
Prick’s determined to start another war.
And I’m sure he will get along famously with the North Koreans
My bold.
Year Right! Why was he hired?
Because he’s a Fox contributor – and Faux News is all that the chump listens too.
The Doomsday clock just move a little closer to midnight.
He promised.
Hehehe
Sounds about right.
Have you read this Joe?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/neil-young-sounds-off-on-trump-he-has-no-balls?ref=home
This is bad news all round.
Sarah Kendzior on Bolton’s pretext.
On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictment of nine Iranians for conspiring to hack and defraud American universities and businesses on behalf of the Iranian government. Rosenstein vowed harsh repercussions for the Iranian hackers, including their extradition to the United States and imprisonment if convicted.
[…]
Bolton is an apocalyptic appointment, one who endangers not only Iran but the entire world. Bolton’s bloodlust, bad temper, and blind faith in military solutions previously rendered him unhireable, but for Trump, whose most maniacal instincts will be validated, he is a gift—a like-minded sadist who, unlike Trump, knows how to effectively navigate bureaucracy.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40549085/will-the-indictment-of-iranian-hackers-prove-the-pretext-for-john-boltons-war
Until Bolton contradicts Trump on some trivial matter and the narcissist sacks him, that is.
Yeah. He has quite a record!
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-white-house-staffing/
No doubt there’s a book open on how many Scaramuccis Bolton lasts.
Scaramucci
noun
scar-mōo-cheé
A unit of time, approximately 9.5-10 days.
I go through a pack of papertowels every Scaramucci.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Scaramucci
I’m on the same wave length as Audrey Young this week. Shane Jones has succeeded in getting NZ First back up to 5%. He’s now on track to be the ‘heir apparent’ should Winston choose to step down and the end of this term.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12018819
It’s interesting seeing the tone of postings in TS and TDB, NZ first may be taking the mantle of preferred leftist party as we see time and again the greens are self absorbed idiots.
I’m not a fan of Shane jones – at all, but he succeeded where labour failed miserably in speaking for the public against corporate interest. Now the fisheries Shane.
So am I – what a great summary.
Loved her reference to Jones as a combine harvester:
Jones is like a political combine harvester. Let loose on a controversy, he wanders all over the paddock reaping and threshing but usually producing something that is valuable.
BUT re Jones as heir apparent – sorry, nah. He has indicated on a number of occasions that he is not interested. I think he has found his niche in his role as Champion of the Regions, and would hate the constraints that being Leader of a Party brings.
I have been watching NZF closely for years and IMO the heir apparent was chosen a couple of years ago and has been groomed over that period – Fletcher Tabuteau.
Despite his young age (44/5?) he has been involved with NZF since its beginning when he was quite young, and as well as now being Deputy Leader, he is also Under Study to both Peters and Jones as Parliamentary Under Secretary for both Foreign Affairs and Regional Development. Those roles could have been split over two MPs but weren’t.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Tabuteau
Just read this …. Veutoviper, made me think of the Wurzel’s song …
“The Combine Harvester” on utube. LOL
Interesting and timely given I’ve just been assisting with the TOTAL reconditioning of an actual combine harvester (every bearing on the thing, plus its very sucky motor with new barrels and eings)
I’m bloody sure a Shane is capable of adaptation/repurpose/rearrangement as any political expediency kicks in.
Now is the time for the Green Party, the only party of principle in our parliament, as far as I can see, to stand up for New Zealand.
They disagree with CPTTA and will not vote for it. But that is simply not good enough. With National’s backing the so-called free trade treaty will pass.
But (relying on reports) climate change is not mentioned once in the entire 5000 page document! And the ISDS provisions still allow overseas corporations to sue NZ government if any climate change legislation gets in the way of their profits.
If this is indeed so, it is not enough for the Green to vote against CPTTA. That will achieve nothing, except ensure their right to say ‘I told you so!’ sometime in the future.
No, they must DEMAND a climate change assessment of the CPTTA and threaten to withdraw Confidence and Supply if this doesn’t happen.
The ‘troughers’ in Labour and NZ First will be appalled by the prospect of another election and a possible National victory (as so would I) but it is great leverage.
The Greens, a party of principle, MUST act in the interests of all the people in this country.
The problem with that idea is that the Left would be seen as unstable and National/ACT would romp home. Is that what you want?
The alternative is little effective progress on mitigating the effects of climate change – which is worse?
But I wouldn’t see the Greens shouting this from the rooftops – merely putting pressure on Labour and NZ First behind closed doors.
Labour/NZ First could simply announce a climate change audit of CPTPPA – and that would sink the treaty once and for all.
All too late.
Labour and NZF have already said they are supporting the CPTPPA. In government keeping ones word is supposed to mean something. People and other nations rely on it.
So there is nothing the Greens can do (other than terminating the government) that can stop NZ ratifying the CPTPPA. And if they did terminate the government a new National/Act government would be the likely outcome
Or a Labour/NZF government.
And don’t you love it you vile autocrat!
Against the wishes of the majority of voters the braindead Gnats have locked us into a remarkably bad deal – at the same time reducing faith in the democratic process – a win for the forces of infamy!
But NZ pays as usual.
Why can’t the TPPA legislation go through the same CC assessment as other legislation that affects the environment?
100% correct weka; – why not indeed?
You should make that an article soon.
I don’t know enough about it (hence the question to Wayne). Drop me some links if you find anything interesting 🙂
“In government keeping ones word is supposed to mean something.”
Well I never! You mean, like no asset sales?
He means like a Sir John Key kinda keeping one’s word.
In fact EVEN his own and a number of his colleagues
“All too late.” – what’s in it for Wayne, I wonder?
Would keeping one’s word extend to pre-election ‘promises’?
If (and it’s a big IF) NZ is still a sovereign country, then the Government is free to act at anytime in the evolving ‘balanced best interests’ of all citizens. Signing the CPATPP serves the interests of very few NZers.
The EU seems to have dodged their own TTIP bullet, at least for now, but corporates, like rust, never sleep.
Our note to Government today on the sixth anniversary of the washout that closed Gisborne rail.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, and all Government Agencies since 2001.
Public COMMUNITY letter; : 6th Anniversary of Gisborne rail washout 24th March 2012.
24th March 2018; – On this day the sixth anniversary of the rail washout that closed Gisborne rail link to the rest of NZ.
Dear rail stakeholders,
Please review these past considerations of NZ Rail for your re-consideration to re-open the Gisborne rail link to the rest of NZ.
We should curtail trucking as now it is harming the environment and use * General Manager of NZ Rail Trevor Haywood’s plan to use rail for “social benefit” again. 1971.
Read below, History of rail.
In 1971, the Government commissioned United States consultancy firm Wilbur Smith & Associates to look at Railways. It also recommended that road transport meet the “resource costs” incurred and social costs such as accidents, pollution and the loss of utility caused by heavy vehicles.
We must use these considerations also when restoring Gisborne’s rail freight again.
Our justification is;
As we say it is justified that rail services must resume, because Gisborne is the most isolated community of its size in NZ without a rail service; – ministers please note.
http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/about-us/history-of-kiwirail/150yearsofrail/stories/road-transport-regulation.html
Hi Cleangreen (9) … have you by any chance contacted Shane Jones about restoring rail to your region?
As you know, Jonesy is on a roll at the moment with regional air transport, which is proving very popular. Could well be a good time to contact him and tell him your case re Gisborne rail, while he’s fired up championing regional transport.
Good for you Cleangreen for keeping this issue out there. All the best in getting a positive outcome.
Clean mught miss the question, but rest assured he, and partners have done their bestEST to contact every1/body
Yes mary-a; – thanks for the question.
I have sent 10 emails to all senior Labour NZ First and green party ministers including Shane and Winston.
Once was Tim; – is absolutely correct they have had so many emails from us they are having trouble handling them since they were jammed with thousands of emails from national at the beginning of the parliament so national have caused a “email road block” we were told by the MP’s PA’s.
But we every second day now call the parliamentary office requesting for those appropriate ministers to come to HB/Gisborne to discuss the rail issue with all our community groups now before they make final decisions here.
As we all are representative as the most affected amongst the regions without rail and roads now “gridlocked with trucks” it is ruining our narrow windy roads and makes driving very dangerous now so rail is needed seriously now more than ever.
Please heed our community call to return our gisborne rail as you did other regions as our regions are now booming and truck traffic is raising annually at a staggering 6% a year. This is unsustainable for our environment and our futures..
Remember the dire warnings about state abuse of collected meta-data.
Well, Silicon Valley’s tech billionaires have been hard at it.
https://twitter.com/dylanmckaynz/status/976368845635035138
Die, Facebook.
Facebook’s mounting image problems hit a whole other orbit on Friday.
Tech icon Elon Musk appeared to delete the official Facebook pages for two of his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, Inc.
Musk’s moves come days after a whistleblower revealed that a data analysis firm tied to President Donald Trump’s campaign had harvested data off Facebook, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking government investigations.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/spacex-founder-elon-musk-piles-facebook-s-woes-continue-n859506
#deleteFacebook
I’d love it if FB died, and something ethical and functional replaced it. Not sure how possible that is.
I read McKay’s tweets. The thing that amazes me is that people are surprised FB have been doing this.
Fuck yea!!!!
We might actually get to real, rather than virtual community where humans interact in real time. A place (oops…. I mean ‘space’) where humans interact in real time and between one another. Sometimes, like the most exotic of animal, their lives depend on it (going forward, to coin a phrase, ez a meta a fek, ekshully)
Sadly this isn’t satire….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/102559500/us-district-arms-teachers-with-rocks-in-case-of-school-shooter
If you have the time, a real story of a cab driver. The impact of deregulation and the cost on real people. Time 29 minutes long. The new Gig economy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1nkwR6ywVU&ab_channel=RTAmerica
A couple of days ago I made a comment on the “Russian to Judgment” post, pointing to an article on globalresearch.ca which reported that Russian Army chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, claimed to have received reliable information that the US was planning an attack on Damascus, and which seemed to be connected to the Salisbury incident. A more recent article on voltairenet claims that this was in fact a plot concocted by the British government in collusion with Rex Tillerson, but without the knowledge of either Donald Trump or the Pentagon, and which seems to be the reason for Tillerson’s sacking.
voltairenet.org/article200232.html
The plan seems to have been for the British to fabricate a nerve gas attack on Skripal blaming it on the Russians, and then follow it up with a nerve gas attack in Ghouta, blaming that one on Assad. Gerasimov apparently contacted his American counterpart, General Dunford, with the information. From there it went to General Mattis, and then to Trump. CIA director Pompeio confirmed that the report was authentic. Tillerson was immediately recalled.
So… not only are we to believe that the Skripal attack was a false flag, but the Brits are to have been running black labs in Ghouta.
This is fatuous nonsense of the highest degree. May simply wouldn’t dare – one leaker anywhere in the chain and her government would fall and her career would end.
Russia and Assad have been dropping gas for years – if we look at other areas of British deployment they do not correlate with the use of gas. So what’s so special about Syria? Not the Brits.
“if we look at other areas of British deployment they do not correlate with the use of gas.”
Sure, but nerve gas didn’t really seem to be a thing in recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars that the Brits have been involved with. It’s has only cropped up since Syria was accused of using it on its own people and a basis to invade was formed.
May simply wouldn’t dare – one leaker anywhere in the chain and her government would fall and her career would end.”
Do you remember our very own “get some guts” moment, and how many times our public has been told bare faced lies. But she wouldn’t? You only need a couple of people at the top to form a lie and everyone else follows in behind, its not that hard.
For all that they currently have a pretty useless set of self-serving assholes in power, British democracy has greater institutional resilience than NZ – members regularly cross the floor and a frankly rotten piece of shit like Carter could never have been speaker.
You may point to Blair with some justice, but even at peak arrogance he never dabbled in chemical weapons – neither the public nor the press would have approved. He sought a mandate for the Iraq war, in large part to dilute his own culpability, but he would not have entered Iraq except as a ‘very close ally’ of George Bush.
It’s true that there is a certain amount of institutional fatigue in the armed forces at present, and some of them would quite like an option that simply made the enemy go away. May would never be so adventurous however – she’s only PM because Cameron quit, and that flakiness carries all the way through the command chain. Supposing you were a mid level organic chemist – would you travel to Ghouta to run black labs for May? You can bet she’d shaft you without a thought if things became sticky. May Breaks Bad would make a splendid sitcom, but Syria simply isn’t important enough to England to justify such extraordinary risks, even were she an espiophile like John Key.
And, one ought to limit one’s dependency on the Russian propaganda chain as a news source. It’s not produced for our benefit. RT’s days appear to be numbered, and Global Research seems set to take its place. I tolerated them when they limited their advocacy to telling the inconvenient parts of essentially truthful narratives – but now they are vehicles for barefaced lies – propaganda that only the hysterical could entertain for a moment.
PS:I should have mentioned that the plan was to be followed up with a request that the US attack Damascus.
Yes.
I’ve read similar. I can’t find the link atm. There is one common interest, and that the person charged with testing the so called evidence from Syria, and his involvement with nerve agent propaganda.
Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Nikki Haley et al are such a source of hilarity. Tragic as it is.
An alternative link is http://www.voltairenet.org/en where the article is titled Four days t start a cold war.
Yep. Saw that too.
But there’s this happiness happening
Damascenes celebrating the liberation of #EasternGhouta from the Islamist terror groups. 23/03/2018
https://twitter.com/KevorkAlmassian/status/977231647526531072
So the headlines in the WP, NYT, Grudian and independent over coming days (if not about facebook and whatever else) – celebrating peoples’ liberation and the defeat of terrorists? Or accusing Syria of crimes against humanity for guaranteeing terrorists and their families safe passage?
Well. Thinking Aleppo and so thinking the latter.
And again I’m going to point out that the so-called “Free Syrian Army” that western governments have openly backed, promoted and funded, is killing people from multiple ethnic and religious backgrounds in Rojava – Rojava where neither the Syrian government nor the Syrian Arab Army have any presence.
” Thinking Aleppo and so thinking the latter.”
Past practices are an insight into future practices.
Even this doesn’t seem to embarrass the BBC
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201712291060412907-syria-documentary-fakery-bbc/
One Man’s Quest to Expose ‘Absolutely Historic’ BBC Panorama ‘Fakery’
And as I can not reply to the lies spouted by Stuart Munroe in his reference to the alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun on April 4th 2017, on the Russian to Judgement page, again I will quote the OPCW report
“The FFM’s mandate is to determine whether chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons have been used in Syria; it does not include identifying who is responsible for alleged attacks. An advance team for the FFM was deployed within 24 hours of being alerted to the incident. For security reasons, the FFM was unable to visit Khan Shaykhun. The rapid deployment to a neighbouring country, however, enabled the team to attend autopsies, collect bio-medical samples from casualties and fatalities, interview witnesses and receive environmental samples. ”
The report explicitly states that FFM was unable to visit the site.
But without any challenge to the veracity of the samples, accepted them without question.
Samples supplied by ….well we aren’t told that, but considering the area was too dangerous for the OPCW mission to enter we can only deduce that they were supplied by the mercenary NATO Saudi, US funded terrorist headchoppers.
Link please.
More details on the Khan Sheikhoun attack.
https://medium.com/dfrlab/khan-sheikhouns-digital-footprints-41125e6a1c44
In fact you shouldn’t have mentioned any of this nonsense at all.
And what? You read the comment from Exkiwiforces that undermines that narrative so you decided to start the whole bullshit up somewhere that comment isn’t current? Did you think people would forget what ExKF said and give you the benefit of the doubt?
You’re suspiciously selective in which generals you believe and which ones you don’t. Lift your game.
I placed my comment here because “Russian to Judgment” was no longer on the front page. I thought no one would see my comment if I placed it on that posting.
I guess followers of this website can read our respective omments and make up their own minds. I won’t be commenting further unless I come across new information.
Besides that, my tablet’s battery needs recharging.
You presenting some information would be a good start. Thus far all you’ve done is pass on someone else’s massively conflicted reckons.
I see Lavrov now says the entire EU is ganging up on Russia, as though the vicious thieves he works for represent “Russia”.
Pot and kettle there OAB.
I hadn’t been aware of exkiwiforces comment, so thanks for the pointer.
The comment you linked to was a direct response to me pointing out that the canister containing the chemicals at Khan Sheikhoun had ruptured inwards, not outwards as happens with missiles, mortars etc.
Exkiwiforces comment doesn’t actually address that point (of how the casing of a delivered munition shows obvious signs of having being imploded – ie, punctured by an external explosive force)
Nothing in exkiwiforces comment (not the one you link to anyway) has anything to do with the narrative mikesh has linked to above.
Maybe you linked to the wrong comment?
In my opinion, ExKF’s knowledgeable comment undermines Gerasimov’s propaganda. Not to mention the various massive holes in it already identified by McFlock and Stuart Munro.
So…I get that you’ve been following whatever is being reported about what Gerasimov’s saying more closely than I have.
What has he said about the chemical delivery system at Khan Sheikhoun (which was all exkiwiforces comment was about) and how does whatever Gerasimov say about that marry up to any claims about eastern Ghouta and whatever allegations being made about expected chemical attacks there?
He didn’t say anything about the chemical delivery system at Khan Sheikhoun. What he did do though is tell stories about the UK and its allies readiness to use chemical weapons as false flag attacks.
ExKF’s said “the chemical weapon system had delay action fuse to off after the raid to off after the raid catching everyone in the open as it went off thence the small impact carter”.
Mikesh was using his truther beliefs about Khan Sheikhoun to support Gerasimov’s dubious credibility. ExKF undermined those beliefs.
Actually, Stuart was using Khan Sheikhoun to undermine Gerasimov’s claims. I attempted to refute his rebuttals relying on my own less than perfect memory. The event occurred a long time ago. However I’ve since remembered that, at the time, the Russians claimed to have bombed a warehouse which they believed contained weapons, not knowing that the weapons were in fact chemical weapons. Whatever. I don’t think that Khan Sheikhoun is particularly relevant to the present discussion.
Gerasimov’s claims have since been confirmed by CIA chief, Pompaeo, and they seem to have been the reason for Tillerson’s sacking.
You need to decide which bullshit story to tell – “A young woman associated with the rebels said that the gas was released as a result of a cock-up by the rebel forces” or “Russia bombed a warehouse”.
Gerasimov’s claims have since been confirmed by CIA chief, Pompaeo[sic].
[Citation needed]
Quote Pompeo (spelling his name correctly may help you) directly, please, and use a reputable source if you can.
“[Citation needed]”
I have given my own source above. I doubt whether a direct quotation from Pompeo is available. However I assume Thierry has his own informants.
Pompeo hasn’t confirmed it then. What a load of bullshit!
..You don’t know that. Or if you do let us know the source of your information.
I think your real problem is that if Pompeo did confirm then it tears to shreds your’s and Stuart’s claim that Gerasimov is lying.
The source of my information that Pompeo hasn’t said something? Are you on drugs? I don’t have any photos of your pet goat either, in case you were wondering.
I agree. Simply demanding a citation is just not an argument.
It is when it’s a response to an unsupported assertion like yours.
No it isn’t. The non availability of a citable source doesn’t prove the truth or falsity of an alleged “fact”. However, if that “fact” is coherent with other known facts, it’s reasonable to believe it, with or without a citation.
All you need now is a single fact then. So far you have zero. Lots of words but.
Both of you strayed from any political exchange hours ago. How’s about you both call it a day before things degenerate any further and one or the other of you step over a line?
At the moment you’re both just filling up space with lots of nothing.
OK
Not quite – Gerasimov’s claims are not based on evidence beyond his claim of “information”, thus they do not need to be rebutted.
If you could have produced something to substantiate his allegations you might have had a credible argument – but you asserted the presence of some female informant that you could not (or chose not to) produce.
I’ve been banned before now for not providing sources – I don’t see why you should be exempt from that requirement.
That all sounds a bit over-elaborate.
However, I do think the UK Tories took the Skripal poisoning as an opportunity to beat up the Russian regime is the ultimate evil.
The evidence shows that May and Johnson constantly exaggerated the novicok connection to Russia.
In fact, a High Court Judgement from a couple of days ago (22 March) includes evidence that states there was less certainty around the novichok nerve agent being responsible for the Skripal poisoning.
The High Court judgement was in response to a request to take more blood samples from the comatose Skripals (there’s no-one with authority to give such permission, given the Skripals certainly can’t).
The evidence presented was thus:
So “closely related agent” somewhat widens the possibility of where the nerve agent actually came from.
Any other conclusion from such evidence can probably be in the realms of fantasy.
These Tories do seem to have some fantastical ideas, but whether they actually would lead to them being put into practice is another matter.
This article from 2005, outlines a fantasy scenario floated as a promo for Strategic Communication Laboratories (SLC). They demonstrated how they could produce some psy-ops propaganda, and pass it off as real.
[SLC with strong Conservative Party connections, later spawned Cambridge Analytica.]
SLC’s propaganda scenario works to contain a small pox outbreak in London. SLC showed they could fabricate a fictitious scenario that would be put out to the media and online, to stop Londoners venturing outdoors.
Why anyone would bother with such an elaborate subterfuge is beyond me.
Russian Army chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, has received reliable information that the US working with the saucer people are planning an attack on Damascus, connected to the Salisbury incident. In fact the plan was concocted by the British government in collusion with Rex Tillerson, utilising the Black Helicopters to carry it out.
And if you believe that, then you probably also believe globalresearch.ca claim that the Tens of millions of protesters throughout the Arab World protesting the totalitarian regimes of Ben Ali, Mubarak and Assad were working for the CIA.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-arab-spring-made-in-the-usa/5484950
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXVE01oOTAM
Dominion Post getting its editorials from Kiwiblog.
Just plain lazy, but also just goes to show what precious snowflakes old white men are, and how sensitive establishment privilege is to challenge.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102544535/editorial-genter-on-gender-maybe-a-little-gentler
I thought of Julie Anne Genter when I read this article this morning.
A former Cambridge Analytic exec, Brittany Kaiser, has come out and said the CA people have been lying.
Among other things, she said:
Brittany left CA a couple of weeks ago – I’m pretty sure I read she left due to an employment dispute. So she may have an ax to grind.
However, she says Cambridge Analytica people lied about not being involved in the Brexit leave campaign.
Well I suppose it’s pretty easy to identify what scares old white English and American men and motivates them to vote … loss of power and authority over how society is organised and in whose interest. Using their vote to freeze the nation back in time (nostalgic remembering) to how society was when they were young – thus heightened fear of change. Thus Brexit or Trump’s American first or we go isolationist.
Since it seems we are to be bombarded with Lavrov’s witless speculations about false flag attacks, it might pertinent to look at the modern event that popularized them for this generation.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2012/11/22/finally-we-know-about-moscow-bombings/
I’m starting to understand Trump’s admiration for Putin. Trump …wish I could get away with doing all those things Putin does. Wouldn’t it be great. 👿
I’m pretty sure their conversation went something like “Let me show you how…”
A twofer for gun humpers.
Restricted By YouTube, Gun Enthusiasts Are Taking Their Videos To Pornhub
[…]
Starting next month, YouTube will ban videos that offer instructions on how to make firearms and accessories such as silencers and bump stocks. It will prohibit content in which firearms and accessories are sold, both directly and through other websites. Videos on how to install firearms modifications will also be barred.
[…]
InRangeTV, which has some 144,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel, has chosen to publish videos on an adult website called Pornhub, Bloomberg reported. A search on the site yields five videos currently uploaded by InRangeTV. Visitors can watch a video where hosts compare a Glock 19 and a Hudson H9, just as it appears on YouTube.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/22/596161899/restricted-by-youtube-gun-enthusiasts-are-taking-their-videos-to-pornhub
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/news
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12019434
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/02/kleptocracy-tours-russia-ukraine-london
Whats wrong with this picture?
Nation this sexual harassment and bullying of Lady’s in our legal profession is unacceptable this day and age. This behaviour will stop Alot of Lady’s from entering this profession we need Lady’s in our legal professions to give that industry a more humane approach to the LAW OF THE LAND many thanks Lisa for having the courage to have this conversation on live TV3
KIA KAHA KA KITE ANO P.S It is a bad culture
Nation I’m a big fan of TED TALKs to that was a good interview on Education there is a lot of talented mokos missed by the education system at the minute.
Many thanks to all the the mokos around the World who are protesting the lack of good gun laws in America and because of this phenomenon alot of people are dieing. Kia kaha mokos Ka kite ano
Nation I totally agree with Liya opinions on the ttp11 and the unknown implications on the Internet and social media and your other people about the big Internet companies being almost God like in influence and power Ka pai Ka kite ano