the trouble with neoliberalism is that eventually you run out of the people's sufference and have to ether have to back off, or turn to the extremist politics of repression and division, exploiting sectarianism and fascist tendencies to force your neo-liberal vision on society.
Instead of giving his full backing to the violent insurrectionists and pardoning them, and then calling on the armed forces to not oppose them. As he could have done. (polls of military personal showed many military people supported them.) Trump backed down and retreated to his Mar-a-Lago golf resort.
Every neo-liberal leader faces a choice, turn to violence or retreat. Trump tried a little bit of both. But not every neo-liberal leader faced with this choice has backed down.
How Bashar al-Assad Became So Hated
The Western-educated ophthalmologist was never intended to be the Assad brother in charge. Did his inept policies contribute to the civil war?
When he assumed power, the lifestyle the West still occupied Assad's mind — In his inaugural speech he emphasized that it was time to begin modernizing Syria. But to modernize Syria and remake it in the "image" he desired, he needed to adopt neo-liberal and capitalist policies,…..
The gradual increase of neo-liberal policies and privatization exaggerated the inequality between the poor and the rich, which was especially felt in middle-class areas, and mid-sized and large cities. While a small portion of the crony capitalists and loyalists to Assad were able to benefit from these policies, the vast majority of the population was disenfranchised…..
Did Bashar's idealistic vision of creating a "Switzerland" Syria — but still consolidating power at the top — play a role in the uprising? Did his vast and sudden economic and neo-liberal reforms, which in the end only benefited his gilded circle, have an impact on the current civil war?
Perhaps the combination of all of these factors led to the rampant rebellion and mistrust of the people that Bashar had been chosen to lead.
I’m facing the death penalty here,” a trembling Protasevich reportedly told a fellow passenger from the plane before he was led away by Belarusian police. The mass unrest charges against him carry a sentence of up to 15 years. His current whereabouts are unknown.
From the link you pasted above.
Morales had breakfast with the Austrian President and then resumed his journey.
You will remember Macro, that the target wasn't Morales, he was just collateral damage, the target was Snowden, for his exposure of secret, mass surveillance by the NSA.
Who knows what would have happened to Snowden if he'd been on that plane.
The US is not known for it's tolerance of dissidents and whistleblowers
You will remember Macro, that the target wasn't Morales, he was just collateral damage, the target was Snowden, for his exposure of secret, mass surveillance by the NSA.
Yes I am well aware of that fact. But that was not the framing put on the "what about-ism" by aom. Furthermore, Morales plane was not escorted away from its flight plan by fighter jets, endangering the lives of innocent people. Morale's aircraft was obliged to land in Austria because the other European counties had at that time refused to allow the aircraft to overfly their countries. It was suspected that Morale (who had openly opined to allowing Snowden to asylum in his country) had Snowden on board. This would have created an international incident between the US and the EU for allowing a fugitive from the US to escape by overflying their countries. Once the fact that Snowden was not on board was ascertained, other European countries also apologised and allowed the plane to overfly their territories.
The US is not known for it's tolerance of dissidents and whistleblowers
That may be true but it is important to note that Snowden whilst we may applaud the actions of Snowden for revealing the abhorrent nature of the US PRISM surviellence programme, under US law he committed an offence, and does not have the defence of being a "whistleblower".
Snowden has been indicted in the United States on charges under the 1917 Espionage Act, including theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person. If found guilty, he faces 30 years in jail and additional fines.
Given the broad nature of the 1917 Act, a public interest or whistleblower defence would not be permissible; the judge would only have to prove that the information had been stolen and shared. Other whistleblower laws would also provide no defence, and the American government is free to add on more charges at will.
…whilst we may applaud the actions of Snowden for revealing the abhorrent nature of the US PRISM surviellence [sic] programme, under US law he committed an offence,
The substantive illegality and offence in this shameful matter was committed by the U.S. government.
and does not have the defence of being a "whistleblower".
That is exactly what he is. He blew the whistle on an enormous and illegal U.S. government operation of spying on its own citizens.
The substantive illegality and offence in this shameful matter was committed by the U.S. government.
I'm not arguing that!
The fact of the matter is however that The US has the power to prosecute breaches of their Espionage Act (which Snowden's taking of files and giving it to others not entitled to that information clearly was), even if it was done with a highly moral intention. And I, having previously signed the Official Secrets Act of NZ, could expect to be similarly prosecuted were I to have taken, or copied, secret information to which I was privy, and published that. Snowden knew what to expect – that is why he went to Hong Kong and then subsequently to Russia. We must respect him for that, and his bravery. It does not reduce the fact that he broke a law and the US Govt has the right to pursue that offence.
Austrian officials boarded the aircraft and ascertained that everyone on board had Bolivian passports. The aircraft was grounded overnight and in the morning, Austrian president Heinz Fischer popped by for breakfast, presumably with an apology.
Well, well, well, the dogs are on their hind legs yapping over a blogger:….
Where were they in 2013 …
….or don't heads of state matter?
Hi aom, since your comment about 'yapping dogs up on their hind legs' was followed by a link from the Guardian.
I guess that you are suggesting the Guardian's objectivity is questionable and that the Guardian ignored the grounding of Morales' aircraft, that the Guardian cherry pick their journalist investigations and reports to favour the West over Russia.
I did a quick google search, which brought up two Guardian articles published at the time, highly critical of the grounding of Morales aircraft by the Western powers.
Au contraire Jenny, just the first report on the matter that attracted my attention. The issue was clearly highlighted by fransesca with the comment prior to yours.
That said, the Guardian can be disappointing with the bias often it displays.
Fair cop Jenny – old guys who are half attentive when wandering down blind alleys deserve to be mugged.
I hadn't realised until reviewing the comments, that you seem to have assumed the target of the original remark was the Guardian. Not so!
From the report, there is a veritable array of 'yapping dogs' including the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee who joined counterparts from the US, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Surprisingly, Biden hasn’t jumped to the forefront with grand gestures.
It also seems Tom Tugendhat had forgotten about Assange when he said, “If aircraft can be forced to the ground … in order to punish the political opponents of tyrants, then journalists here in the UK, politicians anywhere in Europe will find it harder to speak out.” Of course, grounding aircraft is just one of many strategies but not as extreme as taking out a duly elected Government then having the Met move in to do the dirty work.
On the other count, I note on reflection that you specifically referred to the 3W's of reporting. The generalisation was more influenced by Guardian 'Opinion' contributions in which neutrality and objectivity should not be an expectation and don't necessarily reflect the editorial policies of the publication.
The generalisation was more influenced by Guardian 'Opinion' contributions…..
What 'Opinion' contributions are chosen for publication is always an editorial decision.
Accusations of being often biased of any media outlet are serious allegations to make, and need to be justified with at least one example.
Your allegation that The Guardian is 'often' 'biased' still needs to be proven.
The words 'often' and 'bias' you associate to Guardian, opinion pieces, should make it easy for you to give an example of a biased Guardian 'Opinion' contribution piece.
Even just one example of what you think is a biased Guardian 'Opinon' contribution would be good.
A Left Politics-101 by Dr Bryce Edwards that is thought-provoking and a good read. There are many bits to cherry-pick – better you read it yourself – but I cannot resist just one:
This leftwing elite approach is very compatible with a more censorious approach to politics. Whereas the traditional left has been the force in society that is most favourable to “free speech” and towards mass participation in politics, it’s now quite the opposite. Traditionally it was forces of the right and the Establishment that clamped down on political expression and activity. Historically, the left has championed the rights of the oppressed or marginalised to organise, to communicate politics, in order to win human rights and political gains. And this is why it’s somewhat surprising that increasingly the left want either the state or society to put limits on political debate and expression.
The Left of which he speaks still seeks to promote the voices of the oppressed and marginalised, the actual oppressed and marginalised, not the fake oppressed and marginalised, ie, outraged white conservatives who, for some reason, are convinced the European race is under threat.
I suspect any loss of privilege makes them and Dr Bryce feel oppressed and marginalised.
Any so called censorious approach is to ensure actual oppressed and marginalised voices are to be heard, free from the powerful elite drowning them out.
Firstly, asking a bunch of freshers the meaning of "left wing" might simply indicate the dominant messages in popular culture, rather than a genuine appraisal of the term with reference to political movements in New Zealand. But it's a handy anecdote to support one's own agenda, I guess.
Secondly, he's in part correct about "the left" ignoring economics. But that has nothing to do with "identity politics". The problem was that Keynesianism was the dominant centrist economic philosophy in many Northern,Western nations, so the economic training of young lefties atrophied a bit. Then came stagflation and the Chicago School providing a "solution" to the problem, which in NZ changed the dominant political-economic narrative.
But the rise of giving a shit about people in a non-homogeneous society "identity politics" happened alongside those developments, not one replacing the other.
Recognition of society's diversity and the power structures therein are not at the expense of recognising economic class and the power structures therein. But it might erode the status of established "left wing" personalities who prefer to ignore the realities of a diverse society.
Bryce Edwards chooses extracts from others which support his hypothesis truly examining another point of view is often touched lightly only, or framed in a disparaging manner. He has little belief in the views of Leftwing politics, and I personally lost all regard for him when he constantly held up the Herald's Armstrong as a source, seldom doing the same for Fallow, a far more balanced voice. However he is smart enough to know Jacinda will have a long tenure, and the changes being wrought cause him to be more circumspect. Just my opinion.
Incognito his othering bothers me. "Left wing elite" so if you are educated articulate and successful you can't be Left wing, because you are not sexually culturally or class challenged? "Right wing politics won the economic battle". So 1% owning 90% is an economic success? The man makes too many unsupported generalisations. IMO
Of course we do. People still talk about the 1% and capitalists. New unions are rising up to fight oppressive employers in industries established unions considered not unionisable.
But class warfare isn't the only conflict within society. We can hope an economic utopia solves all other conflicts, or we can fight those other conflicts now, as well as the economic one.
I am a retired teacher. I graduated from the then, Lincoln College in 1972 with a BagSci. My year four subjects; Microbiology, Dairy Science, Soil Science and Ecology. I have followed the unfolding disaster in Canterbury for years. It was exacerbated when John Key's government sacked the elected ECAN Councillors and put in"Commissioners."They were politically selected and commissioned to specifically consent conversion of dry land cropping and sheep farmland to dairy. It does not take a study of soil science to understand that shallow soil developed on alluvial shingle beds, will be very free draining. When you then irrigate it, add tens of thousands of cows and toss tens of thousands of tonnes of urea on top, guess what? Nitrates from cow urine and dissolved urea fertiliser get washed into the underground aquifers. I have been predicting toxic nitrate levels in shallow wells and surface waterways for any years. If dairy farming in Canterbury stopped tomorrow, it would take generations for the dissolved 'slug' of nitrates to be removed from the aquifers. Unless action is taken, places like Ashburton, Lincoln and Christchurch will all be drinking polluted water. Ashburton and Lincoln first. I hear that Fronterra obligingly, trucks water to farms with already polluted wells. This is emptied into water tanks before the milk is collected. One hand washes the other it seems and they ALL keep very quiet!
Patricia B I always read what you say. You are a 'cool' thinking head! And thanks for that thumbnail portrait of what has happened in Canterbury Nic 181. I wonder when Ashburton will wake up to its true history and feel regrets – I connect that place with blindfolded drive for personal advancement no matter what. But actually it is like a mascot for what has gone down, as they say, in Ca. They can't canter away from their toxic legacy, neither can they bury it (it just leaches away and spreads).
Question….if urea application and stocking type/rates returned to pre 2000s level how long do you estimate it would take for that nitrate loading to revert to last centuries levels?
I don’t think anyone can answer that. It is known that the flow rate of water through shingle is slow. Nitrates don’t change chemically in that environment. It is known the aquifers link with waterways. The lower Selwyn River and Lake Ellesmere show how nitrates can accumulate. To reduce the nitrate load, the farms above the aquifer need to de-stock and stop irrigating. It’s not going to happen until babies start to die unfortunately. That can be prevented by families drinking bottled water. It seems an insane solution to a greed induced problem to me!
One business opportunity begets another – it's a chance to sell water-purifiers to households with infants or women of childbearing age, or to open a private obstetrics clinic. If you conceive of society solely as a place where business occurs, it's all good.
Nitrates are very water soluble, so you can’t filter them out. Some Ion exchange resins have some success in fixing nitrate as it passes through. They are expensive and with a high nitrate load, would need fairly frequent replacement. The best option, I think, would be an old fashioned water distillation set up but they are quite large and not cheap to run. Who wants to have to distill your own drinking water and who wants you to? Frontera, Synlait and the farmers that supply them. We need another Erin Brockovitch.
"Blue baby syndrome" is a known side effect of high nitrate levels. NZ allowed levels are much higher than other countries such as the US.
Some of our rural areas are prone to high nitrate levels. The relationship to dairying is not conclusive but obviously the likelihood is that it does not help.
The ECAN board was fired because it was dysfunctional. Years of political restructuring had resulted in Canterbury's groundwater expertise being transferred to private sector consulting companies. ECAN lost several very important hearings before Commissioners purely over the science. They did not event have a decent water plan. Eventually the Government had enough with what was a rogue organisation and sacked them.
I think you are overegging the relationship between dairy farming and nitrate levels in the Lincoln and Ashburton areas. Nitrates have always been high in those areas and dairy farming is such a recent development that its impact is uncertain. Obviously adding Urea in bulk on already prone soils is not a great idea but there are high nitrates in areas that have no history of dairy farming and none further upstream either.
Some soils seem prone to nitrate buildup and when disturbed by roading, subdivision or well drilling release nitrates into the water supply.
Natural upper level of nitrates in water is around 3 mg/l ….think we can fairly attribute levels above that to the (fairly) local activities that are ocurring around areas with considerably higher levels….stocking rates and fert application has definitely increased with the growth of irrigation in Canterbury, most of it dairy related, but I wonder if there isnt a middle ground that sees the benefit of irrigation with lower stocking rates and reduced urea application in conjuction with riparian planting.
Canterbury without irrigation has a very uncertain future in terms of production given CC.
I did a nitrate test on a shallow bore at home and got 11mg/L, after pumping for 24 hours it came down to 7. (enough to get a building consent) So, I got a deeper well drilled well into the 3rd aquifer and got 17mg/L. The welldriller said that always happens in a new bore due to ground disturbance but to pump it for a few days. It came down to 3mg/L after 4 days continuous pumping.
My property has never been historically dairy farmed and nor have any between it and the Southern Alps.
Sorry, but allowing farmers to dump whatever crap they like into our rivers for profit, leads to poisoned rivers.
That is why we need clean water regulation. I encourage you to look at Somalia, where they have no clean water law. Unsuprisngly, their rivers are bascially open sewers.
Well that's new. Some soils seem prone to nitrate buildup and when disturbed by roading, subdivision or well drilling release nitrates into the water supply.
Often in music today, the same effects will be repeated again and again. When it comes to scientific findings that have found their way into mainstream, the same thing occurs. Scientists, activists say these things for years and then have people pontificating the facts back to them, or should i say regurgitating. We know already – now do something real about it now it has penetrated into your brains.
If dairy farming in Canterbury stopped tomorrow, it would take generations for the dissolved 'slug' of nitrates to be removed from the aquifers.
Goddess preserve us…how many times and in how many ways do we need to be told?
Remember this? From 2013…and you'll recall how the messenger was shot.
'There should be a block on further dairying until farmers can prove they can reduce nitrates'
''Lincoln University has shown in theory, on a model farm, you can completely remove the threat. There's nitrate inhibitors in the feed, different plantings, sheds, the fencing of streams, a whole range of mitigation measures.
''But the problem is it isn't happening. We are just barrelling on. The gap between theory and practice is too wide. So let's demonstrate we can get it right first, get our house in order, before we allow more intensification.''
"
"It's all very well to say babies will die. It's something you can never disprove. But it gives no timeframes or indication of what the actual risk is," says Rolleston.
"For a private citizen to get up and say that would be fine, because their credibility is what it is. But for an officer of health to get up and say it is a completely different thing. They have a responsibility to be far more objective than those comments appear to be."
50 or so years ago urea top dressing was very much frowned upon because if the pasture needed additional urea the sward was lacking. Growing a certain percentage of clover was the traditional method used to increase nitrogen in the soil. Of course high clover content meant more rigorous animal husbandry in preventing bloat – more work for the farmer.
hmm I have looked but cannot seem to find an online version of the listener to link to.
Anyway in the print version they now have an "editorial" on page two and labled "editorial" and yet there is no indication whatsoever who the author is. I think this is simply wrong. In content these pieces look like they belong on whaleoil. I am wondering where they came from and looking for any snippets of info that might help figure out what is going on with them
Can you please tell us what copy of the Listener you are referring to?
The current copy, May 29, has a Editorial on page 3 about the enormous number of SUVs on our roads. I can't see anything in it to complain about.
The previous copy, May 22, had an Editorial, also on page 3, commenting on the likely effect of the rather clumsy Public sector wage freeze. Considering that it would, as announced, have condemned many teachers and nurses to pay freezes it also seems pretty non-objectionable.
In both issues page 2, as is generally the case, was the Contents page.
I don't have any earlier copies still around so I can't look any further back. However if the one you are talking about is more than 2 weeks ago what week was it, and what did the Editorial have to say that you dislike.
In any case the Listener, like any other magazine that publishes unsigned editorials, is explicitly publishing the views of the Editor, in this case Pamela Stirling. Complain to her if you don't like what is said. She may not have written it but she takes full responsibility for it.
Once describing himself as the Anti-Trump candidate, Andrew Yang joins beltway( politicians, (on both sides of the aisle), that have traditionally sided with Israel and turned a blind eye to Israel's oppression of the Palestians.
Andrew Yang's long time message to voters is that robots are going to take over, and that mass unemployment and social dislocation will be the result.
Andrew Yang has Championed and popularised the idea of a Unversal Basic Income for all US citizens.
But Proving that futurists are not neccesarily humanists, Yang's stance on immigrants and now Palestinians is far from liberal.
From being a contender to a no-show, future catastrophist Andrew Yang, stumbled in his campaign to be mayor of New York City.
Giving one sided support to the bombing of Gaza by Isael, but staying silent on Israel's oppression and violence against Palestinians that led to the conflict, and finding himself unable to explain his position when challenged on it, alienated this famously liberal city. Leading to a precipitous drop in the polls.
Jewish Americans are at a turning point with Israel
Arielle Angel
I felt alone as a Jew attending a Palestine solidarity rally in 2014. I don’t feel alone any more…..
…..More Jews speaking up against Israeli apartheid weakens that justification, leaving politicians, lobbyists and others to account for what their support is really about.
Its the Guardian… wishful thinking from a columnist….hardly news that activists dont support Israel, even in israel there is a some opposition to what they do.
The polls says hes in the lead , the Guardian doesnt count the votes so it doesnt matter what they think some others are thinking.
Found this bit of nonsense by the purported new Leader of the Opposition. It really points out the need to have an opposition to the Opposition!
"Compulsory union contracts mean teachers who go the extra mile are paid the same as those who show up just to eat their lunch."
Mr and Mrs Mac1 both have one thing to say to David Seymour having both been teachers. "Teachers who show up just to eat their lunch get eaten by their students!"
This 'eating lunch' meme is just a silly use of an overused saying to criticise unmotivated students to in turn criticise teachers. It does not help the debate, being a gross exaggeration.
It is a dog whistle to all those former students who had a poor experience with a teacher (and who didn't?) and who also had not learned their lessons at school about critical thinking.
And students who don't turn up to get their lunch, is there one at home for them? Does the teacher get to eat it then? Will that become part of the perks of teaching which result in a drop in wage parity for them?
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) said checking people's compliance had become a "burdensome administrative process" – and it cannot offer people any meaningful help if they cannot comply.
And even though social obligations were not being enforced, the government has not said whether or not they will be scrapped as part of its review of the sanctions regime.
Social obligations, which came into effect in 2013 under the previous National government, require parents on the benefit to have their children enrolled with a primary health organisation and ensure under-fives are up-to-date with their Well Child checks.
Funny that government expects bennies who are struggling to fill social obligations when pollies and uncivil servants don't recognise any similar obligation. Perhaps MSD can't afford Thomson and Clark's services to monitor this draconian demand. There are just too many struggling bennies to spy on.
Not recommended because of poor nutrition, disease risk and who knows what, genetic manipulation, knowledge transfer.
But luckily, we have grammatical entities like apostrophes to occupy both teachers and students, that make for clearer meaning, as I now recognise you have used in your comment- teachers'! Much more nutritious than teachers………
Employment law requires everyone to have a contract.
Teachers arent on compulsory union collective contracts at all. They can sign an individual contract if they so wish, but the terms are dictated by the employer ( they use a standard one with the same pay scales as the collective contract)
If I found someone in my living room at 3:30am in the morning I would definitely be in fear of my life. Sorry, but no sympathy from me for the would be burglar and a big well done to the home owner. The burglar's next victim may be a 90 year old lady, so this home owner may have prevented a death of an innocent person.
Here's the thing: technically the homeowner should be charged regardless. Then fire off a self-defense to the charge of assault/aggravated assault/attempted murder (depending on how seriously the homeowner fucked up the intruder).
But money and court time being what they are, prosecutions are declined based on a probability of a successful prosecution against cost and likely sentence resulting from said prosecution.
You can't shoot anyone to defend your jewellery, but you can shoot them if they look like they're about to shoot you. That's basically the venue security game right there – someone needs to be ejected unwillingly, so one calmly takes hold of them and moves them towards the exit. They try to take a swing at venue security person, so that moves from "defending property" to "defending yourself". As long as one is careful to honestly indicate in the paperwork why force levels were escalated, you're golden.
You can do as much as reasonably necessary to stop someone hurting your partner, but after they're down, restrained, or otherwise no longer a threat you're not allowed to kick them in the nuts for good measure.
As Jimmy says, any intruder in their home in the wee small hours automatically gives someone a reasonable fear for their safety.
Probably be charged with wounding with intent or some such and then accept a plea deal with reckless discharge firearm etc. All really depends on wheter hes supposed to have a gun at all
Also: jury discretion and judge's directions can be a factor. The letter of the law is one thing, but people can be a backstop in some ways. Whether they're a backstop equally for everyone is another question, but sometimes they can be reasonable.
I thought that Sir Walter Raleigh was a sort of pirate, and flashy courtier. But changed when read this synopsis of book ' THAT GREAT LUCIFER: SIR WALTER RALEIGH' by Margaret Irwin. He is just amazing and would put most of our leading people into the shade.
"No lover of history can fail to recognize in the man who cast his cape gracefully across a puddle to protect the feet of his queen, the symbol of the Elizabethan Age. For Sir Walther Raleigh was more, much more than the courtier portrayed in the painting. He was truly the Elizabethan incarnate – soldier, sailor, captain of the Queen's guard, explorer and colonizer of the New World, poet, scientist, military engineer and literary patron. In an age both cruel and romantic, the figure of Sir Walter Raleigh stands high above the contemporaries who eventually cast him down.
He it was who devised the plan that brought about the destruction of the Armada, who sailed into Cadiz harbor to grapple with Philip of Spain's war fleet and who, before he laid his head on the block, called to the headsman to let him feel the edge of the axe. Margaret Irwin was a noted authority on the Elizabethan Age. In this biography she brings all her skills as a historian and novelist in telling the story of this most remarkable Englishman."
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The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Asia Pacific Report A national Palestine advocacy group has hit back at critics of its “genocide hotline” campaign against soldiers involved in Israel’s war against Gaza, saying New Zealand should be actively following international law. The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) dismissed a “predictable lineup of apologists for Israel” for ...
ACT Party leader David Seymour said he wrote to police about the treatment of Philip Polkinghorne because it's an electorate MP's job to pass on the concerns of their constituents. ...
MEDIAWATCH:By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter By the time US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on China and Canada last Monday which could kickstart a trade war, New Zealand’s diplomats in Washington, DC, had already been deployed on another diplomatic drama. Republican Senator Ted Cruz had said on social ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says New Zealand is asking for too much oversight over its deal with China, which is expected to be penned in Beijing next week. Brown told RNZ Pacific the Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship was reciprocal. “They certainly did ...
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 Byelections occurred on Saturday in the Victorian state seats of Prahran and Werribee. The Liberals gained Prahran from the Greens by a ...
A long time ago, Brian Turner wrote a poem in which, among the mountains, as he slept on a river flat … My speechless ancestors played like mice among my dreamsand he woke to the river running over my bed of stone. I have come to know that where a ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
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Saw this very apt comment on a twitter thread:
Regretfully so true.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/25/politics/trump-environmental-rollbacks-list/index.html
the trouble with neoliberalism is that eventually you run out of the people's sufference and have to ether have to back off, or turn to the extremist politics of repression and division, exploiting sectarianism and fascist tendencies to force your neo-liberal vision on society.
Instead of giving his full backing to the violent insurrectionists and pardoning them, and then calling on the armed forces to not oppose them. As he could have done. (polls of military personal showed many military people supported them.) Trump backed down and retreated to his Mar-a-Lago golf resort.
Every neo-liberal leader faces a choice, turn to violence or retreat. Trump tried a little bit of both. But not every neo-liberal leader faced with this choice has backed down.
Well, well, well, the dogs are on their hind legs yapping over a blogger: (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/23/belarus-diverts-ryanair-plane-to-arrest-blogger-says-opposition).
Where were they in 2013 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales_grounding_incident) or don't heads of state matter?
And Morales was arrested and "disappeared"?
Isn't it a bit too soon to rewrite history? So far there doesn’t seem to be evidence that anyone has been ‘disappeared.
It took about six years 'disappear' Evo Moralis politically and look how that turned out!
From the link you pasted above.
Morales had breakfast with the Austrian President and then resumed his journey.
You will remember Macro, that the target wasn't Morales, he was just collateral damage, the target was Snowden, for his exposure of secret, mass surveillance by the NSA.
Who knows what would have happened to Snowden if he'd been on that plane.
The US is not known for it's tolerance of dissidents and whistleblowers
"The US is not known for it's tolerance of dissidents and whistleblowers…"
The name Seth Rich springs to mind…..
Yes I am well aware of that fact. But that was not the framing put on the "what about-ism" by aom. Furthermore, Morales plane was not escorted away from its flight plan by fighter jets, endangering the lives of innocent people. Morale's aircraft was obliged to land in Austria because the other European counties had at that time refused to allow the aircraft to overfly their countries. It was suspected that Morale (who had openly opined to allowing Snowden to asylum in his country) had Snowden on board. This would have created an international incident between the US and the EU for allowing a fugitive from the US to escape by overflying their countries. Once the fact that Snowden was not on board was ascertained, other European countries also apologised and allowed the plane to overfly their territories.
That may be true but it is important to note that Snowden whilst we may applaud the actions of Snowden for revealing the abhorrent nature of the US PRISM surviellence programme, under US law he committed an offence, and does not have the defence of being a "whistleblower".
https://www.theregister.com/2016/09/12/edward_snowden_wikileaks_sarah_harrison/
The US is not alone in harbouring intolerance towards dissidents – the subject of this current thread springs to mind.
…whilst we may applaud the actions of Snowden for revealing the abhorrent nature of the US PRISM surviellence [sic] programme, under US law he committed an offence,
The substantive illegality and offence in this shameful matter was committed by the U.S. government.
and does not have the defence of being a "whistleblower".
That is exactly what he is. He blew the whistle on an enormous and illegal U.S. government operation of spying on its own citizens.
I'm not arguing that!
The fact of the matter is however that The US has the power to prosecute breaches of their Espionage Act (which Snowden's taking of files and giving it to others not entitled to that information clearly was), even if it was done with a highly moral intention. And I, having previously signed the Official Secrets Act of NZ, could expect to be similarly prosecuted were I to have taken, or copied, secret information to which I was privy, and published that. Snowden knew what to expect – that is why he went to Hong Kong and then subsequently to Russia. We must respect him for that, and his bravery. It does not reduce the fact that he broke a law and the US Govt has the right to pursue that offence.
Morales had breakfast with the Austrian President and then resumed his journey.
???? WTF?
Hard to decide which is more irritating in this fellow's comment: his ignorance or his complacency.
What I find irritating is commenters who spray & walk away
Why don’t you correct the record and set it straight instead of exhibiting your blokeish outrage?
Thomson, Iain (2016-09-12). "Edward Snowden's 40 days in a Russian airport – by the woman who helped him escape"
Whataboutism in defence of state sanctioned piracy. Really?
/
https://twitter.com/EgoEire/status/1396421106018529283
You say whataboutism I say hypocrisy
Pilger says it all
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/04/forcing-down-morales-plane-air-piracy
Hi aom, since your comment about 'yapping dogs up on their hind legs' was followed by a link from the Guardian.
I guess that you are suggesting the Guardian's objectivity is questionable and that the Guardian ignored the grounding of Morales' aircraft, that the Guardian cherry pick their journalist investigations and reports to favour the West over Russia.
I did a quick google search, which brought up two Guardian articles published at the time, highly critical of the grounding of Morales aircraft by the Western powers.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/04/forcing-down-morales-plane-air-piracy
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/03/edward-snowden-bolivia-plane-vienna
[some links have been removed to avoid auto-moderation]
Au contraire Jenny, just the first report on the matter that attracted my attention. The issue was clearly highlighted by fransesca with the comment prior to yours.
That said, the Guardian can be disappointing with the bias often it displays.
The first 3 Ws of good reporting; what, when, where.
'often it displays' implies that it would be very easy to find an example to prove an allegation of bias by the Guardian.
So's, hows-a-about-it, aom.
Please, if you could – just to help me out here.
Can you give us just one example that shows the Guardian 'often displays' bias.
Fair cop Jenny – old guys who are half attentive when wandering down blind alleys deserve to be mugged.
I hadn't realised until reviewing the comments, that you seem to have assumed the target of the original remark was the Guardian. Not so!
From the report, there is a veritable array of 'yapping dogs' including the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee who joined counterparts from the US, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Surprisingly, Biden hasn’t jumped to the forefront with grand gestures.
It also seems Tom Tugendhat had forgotten about Assange when he said, “If aircraft can be forced to the ground … in order to punish the political opponents of tyrants, then journalists here in the UK, politicians anywhere in Europe will find it harder to speak out.” Of course, grounding aircraft is just one of many strategies but not as extreme as taking out a duly elected Government then having the Met move in to do the dirty work.
On the other count, I note on reflection that you specifically referred to the 3W's of reporting. The generalisation was more influenced by Guardian 'Opinion' contributions in which neutrality and objectivity should not be an expectation and don't necessarily reflect the editorial policies of the publication.
What 'Opinion' contributions are chosen for publication is always an editorial decision.
Accusations of being often biased of any media outlet are serious allegations to make, and need to be justified with at least one example.
Your allegation that The Guardian is 'often' 'biased' still needs to be proven.
The words 'often' and 'bias' you associate to Guardian, opinion pieces, should make it easy for you to give an example of a biased Guardian 'Opinion' contribution piece.
Even just one example of what you think is a biased Guardian 'Opinon' contribution would be good.
Thanks Jenny
https://www.bing.com/search?q=biased+meaning&PC=PI02&FORM=PISBRL
What a lovely narrative!
So, you're supporting the actions of Belarus in this, I gather.
Glacial change from enforcing to encouraging “social obligations” to making it easy and accessible for parents on a benefit.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443215/no-beneficiaries-sanctioned-for-failing-social-obligations
A Left Politics-101 by Dr Bryce Edwards that is thought-provoking and a good read. There are many bits to cherry-pick – better you read it yourself – but I cannot resist just one:
https://democracyproject.nz/2021/05/23/bryce-edwards-the-state-of-the-political-left-in-the-age-of-outrage
It raises one question with me that some keyboard warriors may want to answer: is Dr Edwards cautiously re-nailing his colours to the mast?
He has been firmly rightwards for years now, and it biases everything he publishes.
What did you think of the article?
Agree. The discourse doesn't make sense.
The Left of which he speaks still seeks to promote the voices of the oppressed and marginalised, the actual oppressed and marginalised, not the fake oppressed and marginalised, ie, outraged white conservatives who, for some reason, are convinced the European race is under threat.
I suspect any loss of privilege makes them and Dr Bryce feel oppressed and marginalised.
Any so called censorious approach is to ensure actual oppressed and marginalised voices are to be heard, free from the powerful elite drowning them out.
meh.
Firstly, asking a bunch of freshers the meaning of "left wing" might simply indicate the dominant messages in popular culture, rather than a genuine appraisal of the term with reference to political movements in New Zealand. But it's a handy anecdote to support one's own agenda, I guess.
Secondly, he's in part correct about "the left" ignoring economics. But that has nothing to do with "identity politics". The problem was that Keynesianism was the dominant centrist economic philosophy in many Northern,Western nations, so the economic training of young lefties atrophied a bit. Then came stagflation and the Chicago School providing a "solution" to the problem, which in NZ changed the dominant political-economic narrative.
But the rise of
giving a shit about people in a non-homogeneous society"identity politics" happened alongside those developments, not one replacing the other.Recognition of society's diversity and the power structures therein are not at the expense of recognising economic class and the power structures therein. But it might erode the status of established "left wing" personalities who prefer to ignore the realities of a diverse society.
I read it and started writing something but then realised it wasn't worth my time.
It's a shame VUW has put its name to such bullshit.
Bryce Edwards chooses extracts from others which support his hypothesis truly examining another point of view is often touched lightly only, or framed in a disparaging manner. He has little belief in the views of Leftwing politics, and I personally lost all regard for him when he constantly held up the Herald's Armstrong as a source, seldom doing the same for Fallow, a far more balanced voice. However he is smart enough to know Jacinda will have a long tenure, and the changes being wrought cause him to be more circumspect. Just my opinion.
Thanks for sharing your opinion on Dr Edwards.
Do we still have class struggle or even class war? If not, are we missing or overlooking something crucial?
Incognito his othering bothers me. "Left wing elite" so if you are educated articulate and successful you can't be Left wing, because you are not sexually culturally or class challenged? "Right wing politics won the economic battle". So 1% owning 90% is an economic success? The man makes too many unsupported generalisations. IMO
Of course we do. People still talk about the 1% and capitalists. New unions are rising up to fight oppressive employers in industries established unions considered not unionisable.
But class warfare isn't the only conflict within society. We can hope an economic utopia solves all other conflicts, or we can fight those other conflicts now, as well as the economic one.
I am a retired teacher. I graduated from the then, Lincoln College in 1972 with a BagSci. My year four subjects; Microbiology, Dairy Science, Soil Science and Ecology. I have followed the unfolding disaster in Canterbury for years. It was exacerbated when John Key's government sacked the elected ECAN Councillors and put in"Commissioners."They were politically selected and commissioned to specifically consent conversion of dry land cropping and sheep farmland to dairy. It does not take a study of soil science to understand that shallow soil developed on alluvial shingle beds, will be very free draining. When you then irrigate it, add tens of thousands of cows and toss tens of thousands of tonnes of urea on top, guess what? Nitrates from cow urine and dissolved urea fertiliser get washed into the underground aquifers. I have been predicting toxic nitrate levels in shallow wells and surface waterways for any years. If dairy farming in Canterbury stopped tomorrow, it would take generations for the dissolved 'slug' of nitrates to be removed from the aquifers. Unless action is taken, places like Ashburton, Lincoln and Christchurch will all be drinking polluted water. Ashburton and Lincoln first. I hear that Fronterra obligingly, trucks water to farms with already polluted wells. This is emptied into water tanks before the milk is collected. One hand washes the other it seems and they ALL keep very quiet!
Nic 181, you would have been gutted watching all that unfold.
Patricia B I always read what you say. You are a 'cool' thinking head! And thanks for that thumbnail portrait of what has happened in Canterbury Nic 181. I wonder when Ashburton will wake up to its true history and feel regrets – I connect that place with blindfolded drive for personal advancement no matter what. But actually it is like a mascot for what has gone down, as they say, in Ca. They can't canter away from their toxic legacy, neither can they bury it (it just leaches away and spreads).
Question….if urea application and stocking type/rates returned to pre 2000s level how long do you estimate it would take for that nitrate loading to revert to last centuries levels?
I don’t think anyone can answer that. It is known that the flow rate of water through shingle is slow. Nitrates don’t change chemically in that environment. It is known the aquifers link with waterways. The lower Selwyn River and Lake Ellesmere show how nitrates can accumulate. To reduce the nitrate load, the farms above the aquifer need to de-stock and stop irrigating. It’s not going to happen until babies start to die unfortunately. That can be prevented by families drinking bottled water. It seems an insane solution to a greed induced problem to me!
One business opportunity begets another – it's a chance to sell water-purifiers to households with infants or women of childbearing age, or to open a private obstetrics clinic. If you conceive of society solely as a place where business occurs, it's all good.
Nitrates are very water soluble, so you can’t filter them out. Some Ion exchange resins have some success in fixing nitrate as it passes through. They are expensive and with a high nitrate load, would need fairly frequent replacement. The best option, I think, would be an old fashioned water distillation set up but they are quite large and not cheap to run. Who wants to have to distill your own drinking water and who wants you to? Frontera, Synlait and the farmers that supply them. We need another Erin Brockovitch.
Reverse osmosis works.
We don't have Erin Brockovitch but we have you. And Mike Joy.
If you keep talking, if the rest of us keep repeating what you say, perhaps something will change.
The situation is absolutely bloody outrageous
You may find this interesting, it was on the radio this morning.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018796680/study-finds-strong-link-between-nitrate-levels-and-premature-births
Reinstating the ECAN board would appear to be a simple step the government could take.
"Blue baby syndrome" is a known side effect of high nitrate levels. NZ allowed levels are much higher than other countries such as the US.
Some of our rural areas are prone to high nitrate levels. The relationship to dairying is not conclusive but obviously the likelihood is that it does not help.
The ECAN board was fired because it was dysfunctional. Years of political restructuring had resulted in Canterbury's groundwater expertise being transferred to private sector consulting companies. ECAN lost several very important hearings before Commissioners purely over the science. They did not event have a decent water plan. Eventually the Government had enough with what was a rogue organisation and sacked them.
I think you are overegging the relationship between dairy farming and nitrate levels in the Lincoln and Ashburton areas. Nitrates have always been high in those areas and dairy farming is such a recent development that its impact is uncertain. Obviously adding Urea in bulk on already prone soils is not a great idea but there are high nitrates in areas that have no history of dairy farming and none further upstream either.
Some soils seem prone to nitrate buildup and when disturbed by roading, subdivision or well drilling release nitrates into the water supply.
Natural upper level of nitrates in water is around 3 mg/l ….think we can fairly attribute levels above that to the (fairly) local activities that are ocurring around areas with considerably higher levels….stocking rates and fert application has definitely increased with the growth of irrigation in Canterbury, most of it dairy related, but I wonder if there isnt a middle ground that sees the benefit of irrigation with lower stocking rates and reduced urea application in conjuction with riparian planting.
Canterbury without irrigation has a very uncertain future in terms of production given CC.
I did a nitrate test on a shallow bore at home and got 11mg/L, after pumping for 24 hours it came down to 7. (enough to get a building consent) So, I got a deeper well drilled well into the 3rd aquifer and got 17mg/L. The welldriller said that always happens in a new bore due to ground disturbance but to pump it for a few days. It came down to 3mg/L after 4 days continuous pumping.
My property has never been historically dairy farmed and nor have any between it and the Southern Alps.
[removed text from user name]
Thanks………
Sorry, but allowing farmers to dump whatever crap they like into our rivers for profit, leads to poisoned rivers.
That is why we need clean water regulation. I encourage you to look at Somalia, where they have no clean water law. Unsuprisngly, their rivers are bascially open sewers.
I can agree with you on this. Never been to Somalia but have been to many countries with similar environmental awareness.
Just don't believe Canterbury nitrate levels in water is that good a match…..
Well that's new. Some soils seem prone to nitrate buildup and when disturbed by roading, subdivision or well drilling release nitrates into the water supply.
Often in music today, the same effects will be repeated again and again. When it comes to scientific findings that have found their way into mainstream, the same thing occurs. Scientists, activists say these things for years and then have people pontificating the facts back to them, or should i say regurgitating. We know already – now do something real about it now it has penetrated into your brains.
If dairy farming in Canterbury stopped tomorrow, it would take generations for the dissolved 'slug' of nitrates to be removed from the aquifers.
Goddess preserve us…how many times and in how many ways do we need to be told?
Remember this? From 2013…and you'll recall how the messenger was shot.
'There should be a block on further dairying until farmers can prove they can reduce nitrates'
''Lincoln University has shown in theory, on a model farm, you can completely remove the threat. There's nitrate inhibitors in the feed, different plantings, sheds, the fencing of streams, a whole range of mitigation measures.
''But the problem is it isn't happening. We are just barrelling on. The gap between theory and practice is too wide. So let's demonstrate we can get it right first, get our house in order, before we allow more intensification.''
"
"It's all very well to say babies will die. It's something you can never disprove. But it gives no timeframes or indication of what the actual risk is," says Rolleston.
"For a private citizen to get up and say that would be fine, because their credibility is what it is. But for an officer of health to get up and say it is a completely different thing. They have a responsibility to be far more objective than those comments appear to be."
SSDD
Zactly
50 or so years ago urea top dressing was very much frowned upon because if the pasture needed additional urea the sward was lacking. Growing a certain percentage of clover was the traditional method used to increase nitrogen in the soil. Of course high clover content meant more rigorous animal husbandry in preventing bloat – more work for the farmer.
anyone else want to hazard a guess on these two points
1 who pays the listener to run unsigned dishonest propaganda as "editorials"
2 who authors these hit jobs.
here is my guess
1 the taxpayers union
2 mike horseshit
Second that Margaritte.
Perhaps you could enlighten non-readers of The Listener with what you’re referring to and what is making you flip your lid?
hmm I have looked but cannot seem to find an online version of the listener to link to.
Anyway in the print version they now have an "editorial" on page two and labled "editorial" and yet there is no indication whatsoever who the author is. I think this is simply wrong. In content these pieces look like they belong on whaleoil. I am wondering where they came from and looking for any snippets of info that might help figure out what is going on with them
Media editorials are almost never attributed to a writer…. because they are seen as a collective view .
Why even care about something no one has read about something (almost) nonone cares about
Can you please tell us what copy of the Listener you are referring to?
The current copy, May 29, has a Editorial on page 3 about the enormous number of SUVs on our roads. I can't see anything in it to complain about.
The previous copy, May 22, had an Editorial, also on page 3, commenting on the likely effect of the rather clumsy Public sector wage freeze. Considering that it would, as announced, have condemned many teachers and nurses to pay freezes it also seems pretty non-objectionable.
In both issues page 2, as is generally the case, was the Contents page.
I don't have any earlier copies still around so I can't look any further back. However if the one you are talking about is more than 2 weeks ago what week was it, and what did the Editorial have to say that you dislike.
In any case the Listener, like any other magazine that publishes unsigned editorials, is explicitly publishing the views of the Editor, in this case Pamela Stirling. Complain to her if you don't like what is said. She may not have written it but she takes full responsibility for it.
So
It's owned by a private equity crowd. The board says it all.
https://www.mercurycapital.com.au/team/
Andrew Yang has his Tony Abbot moment.
Is this the last we hear of Andrew Yang?
Once describing himself as the Anti-Trump candidate, Andrew Yang joins beltway( politicians, (on both sides of the aisle), that have traditionally sided with Israel and turned a blind eye to Israel's oppression of the Palestians.
Andrew Yang's long time message to voters is that robots are going to take over, and that mass unemployment and social dislocation will be the result.
Andrew Yang has Championed and popularised the idea of a Unversal Basic Income for all US citizens.
But Proving that futurists are not neccesarily humanists, Yang's stance on immigrants and now Palestinians is far from liberal.
From being a contender to a no-show, future catastrophist Andrew Yang, stumbled in his campaign to be mayor of New York City.
Giving one sided support to the bombing of Gaza by Isael, but staying silent on Israel's oppression and violence against Palestinians that led to the conflict, and finding himself unable to explain his position when challenged on it, alienated this famously liberal city. Leading to a precipitous drop in the polls.
Easy answer to that.
The Jewish vote matters in New York City democratic primary for the Mayoral election.
Last poll shows Yang to be leading on 20% , which is all he needs
Andrew and/or his advisors must have missed the memo.
Goes someway to explain, Andrew Yang’s wordless gawping.
Its the Guardian… wishful thinking from a columnist….hardly news that activists dont support Israel, even in israel there is a some opposition to what they do.
The polls says hes in the lead , the Guardian doesnt count the votes so it doesnt matter what they think some others are thinking.
Found this bit of nonsense by the purported new Leader of the Opposition. It really points out the need to have an opposition to the Opposition!
"Compulsory union contracts mean teachers who go the extra mile are paid the same as those who show up just to eat their lunch."
Mr and Mrs Mac1 both have one thing to say to David Seymour having both been teachers. "Teachers who show up just to eat their lunch get eaten by their students!"
This 'eating lunch' meme is just a silly use of an overused saying to criticise unmotivated students to in turn criticise teachers. It does not help the debate, being a gross exaggeration.
It is a dog whistle to all those former students who had a poor experience with a teacher (and who didn't?) and who also had not learned their lessons at school about critical thinking.
It is also a dig at the provided lunch IMO
Teachers turn up to eat their students' lunch? It gets worse……
And students who don't turn up to get their lunch, is there one at home for them? Does the teacher get to eat it then? Will that become part of the perks of teaching which result in a drop in wage parity for them?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443215/no-beneficiaries-sanctioned-for-failing-social-obligations
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) said checking people's compliance had become a "burdensome administrative process" – and it cannot offer people any meaningful help if they cannot comply.
And even though social obligations were not being enforced, the government has not said whether or not they will be scrapped as part of its review of the sanctions regime.
Social obligations, which came into effect in 2013 under the previous National government, require parents on the benefit to have their children enrolled with a primary health organisation and ensure under-fives are up-to-date with their Well Child checks.
Funny that government expects bennies who are struggling to fill social obligations when pollies and uncivil servants don't recognise any similar obligation. Perhaps MSD can't afford Thomson and Clark's services to monitor this draconian demand. There are just too many struggling bennies to spy on.
"And students who don't turn up to get their lunch, is there one at home for them?"
A good school-provided lunch is another reason for turning up; it's also a way of a government providing targeted help to needy children.
Of course, good nutrition goes beyond the boundaries of family income when comfortable families still eat poor quality food.
I cannot help but notice that your comment helps to spread a divisive message; David Seymour will be grateful for your moral support
Students with no lunch eat their teachers' ?
Not recommended because of poor nutrition, disease risk and who knows what, genetic manipulation, knowledge transfer.
But luckily, we have grammatical entities like apostrophes to occupy both teachers and students, that make for clearer meaning, as I now recognise you have used in your comment- teachers'! Much more nutritious than teachers………
Employment law requires everyone to have a contract.
Teachers arent on compulsory union collective contracts at all. They can sign an individual contract if they so wish, but the terms are dictated by the employer ( they use a standard one with the same pay scales as the collective contract)
Is this the last we hear of Andrew Yang?
Let's hope so.
Seems like a this burglar got more than he bargained for and a bit of swift justice.
Would-be burglar seriously injured after being confronted by homeowner | Stuff.co.nz
If you break in to someone's house at 3:30am in the morning, what do you expect. Hopefully this is a lesson learnt and he will not do it again.
Unfortunately the home owner does not have that right, and could be charged unless "in fear of his life".
If I found someone in my living room at 3:30am in the morning I would definitely be in fear of my life. Sorry, but no sympathy from me for the would be burglar and a big well done to the home owner. The burglar's next victim may be a 90 year old lady, so this home owner may have prevented a death of an innocent person.
True Jimmy, my comment was about current law.
Here's the thing: technically the homeowner should be charged regardless. Then fire off a self-defense to the charge of assault/aggravated assault/attempted murder (depending on how seriously the homeowner fucked up the intruder).
But money and court time being what they are, prosecutions are declined based on a probability of a successful prosecution against cost and likely sentence resulting from said prosecution.
Current NZ law is pretty reasonable: you can use reasonable force to defend property as long as you don't strike or do bodily harm to the person.
You can use reasonable (according to your belief about the circumstances) force to defend yourself or another person.
You can't shoot anyone to defend your jewellery, but you can shoot them if they look like they're about to shoot you. That's basically the venue security game right there – someone needs to be ejected unwillingly, so one calmly takes hold of them and moves them towards the exit. They try to take a swing at venue security person, so that moves from "defending property" to "defending yourself". As long as one is careful to honestly indicate in the paperwork why force levels were escalated, you're golden.
You can do as much as reasonably necessary to stop someone hurting your partner, but after they're down, restrained, or otherwise no longer a threat you're not allowed to kick them in the nuts for good measure.
As Jimmy says, any intruder in their home in the wee small hours automatically gives someone a reasonable fear for their safety.
Probably be charged with wounding with intent or some such and then accept a plea deal with reckless discharge firearm etc. All really depends on wheter hes supposed to have a gun at all
Many ifs in any specific situation.
Also: jury discretion and judge's directions can be a factor. The letter of the law is one thing, but people can be a backstop in some ways. Whether they're a backstop equally for everyone is another question, but sometimes they can be reasonable.
The story I saw seems to relieve him of having to explain that. It wasn't his.
"It is understood he was shot during an altercation with the owner of the property, who had confronted him as he tried to leave in a vehicle." Then
"Police will allege the man had broken into the home and had brought the gun with him."
It isn't actually clear who was holding the weapon at the time.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/125227606/suspected-burglar-shot-during-confrontation-with-homeowner
Obscene wealth reported as Corbyn supporters want him reinstated as a Labour MP.
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2021/05/21/coronavirus-created-more-rich-list-billionaires-than-ever/
I thought that Sir Walter Raleigh was a sort of pirate, and flashy courtier. But changed when read this synopsis of book ' THAT GREAT LUCIFER: SIR WALTER RALEIGH' by Margaret Irwin. He is just amazing and would put most of our leading people into the shade.
"No lover of history can fail to recognize in the man who cast his cape gracefully across a puddle to protect the feet of his queen, the symbol of the Elizabethan Age. For Sir Walther Raleigh was more, much more than the courtier portrayed in the painting. He was truly the Elizabethan incarnate – soldier, sailor, captain of the Queen's guard, explorer and colonizer of the New World, poet, scientist, military engineer and literary patron. In an age both cruel and romantic, the figure of Sir Walter Raleigh stands high above the contemporaries who eventually cast him down.
He it was who devised the plan that brought about the destruction of the Armada, who sailed into Cadiz harbor to grapple with Philip of Spain's war fleet and who, before he laid his head on the block, called to the headsman to let him feel the edge of the axe. Margaret Irwin was a noted authority on the Elizabethan Age. In this biography she brings all her skills as a historian and novelist in telling the story of this most remarkable Englishman."
https://www.trademe.co.nz/books/nonfiction/history/britain/listing-3100169316
End of past history – Guy Fawkes etc. I am so pleased with The Warehouse making this responsible move.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2105/S00403/the-warehouse-calls-time-on-sale-of-fireworks.htm
Yes good on them. About time. Countdown stopped in 2019.