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6:00 am, September 24th, 2018 - 57 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Great summary of National’s horror week last week.
Jane Bowron calls Judith Collins, “Twisted Sister”.🤣
Too kind by half.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/107266790/lighten-up-nats-and-stop-barking-at-every-passing-car
That will set off the comments section on Stuff.
Another example this morning, Bridges suggesting those wrongly evicted are ‘meth crooks’. Talk about ignoring all the facts of the issue, including their own part in it!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/367122/watch-govt-is-compensating-meth-crooks-bridges
Totally bizarre he and Twisted Sister would double down on this when the several articles in the media are all about wrongful evictions of innocent parties.
Bridges really is mana from heaven for Labour.
His snide yap yapping does him no favours.
This morning on RNZ, his argument was so full of holes and hypocrisy.
(What is the word for someone’s position that highlights their own shortcomings?)
At one point he was bemoaning the 9,000 people and families on the HNZ waiting list. Irony much!
Also surely there is a marked difference in residues from manufacturing P than those left from smoking P. Bridge to nowhere was keen to lump them in together.
I can forgive Espinor for not giving it to BTN, as there were so many inconsistencies, which one to choose?
Nailed it G, simon sure is mana from heaven for Labour.
He was a disaster on the AM Show as well. Didn’t catch him on TVNZ, but I can imagine that didn’t go well either.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/national-may-back-instant-fines-for-shoplifters.html
Here’s the link for TVNZ interview this morning, this interview was about the bogus testing.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/simon-bridges-against-compensation-tenants-proven-have-smoked-cooked-meth-in-housing-nz-home
Bridges maybe “man from heaven for Labour” BUT not good for NZ.
IMO, as a country we need a functional and alt view of the opposition to challenge the govts thinking and policies. Otherwise there is a danger of progressing down a direction that would have detrimental results for the future.
I am sure those on the political divide want strong progressive parties. One large weak party is of no value to the direction of NZ, the only blessing is that the weak party is not in govt, this time.
I wonder how long until he is rolled?
Are there any alternatives that wouldn’t get them into even more trouble?
Herodotus, I see it differently re it being a problem that National is a dog meet car opposition.
Ironically the opposition ie checks and balances is coming from the three coalition parties, eg the Greens speaking up about Iraq…….
+1. A coalition government has all the checks and balances required.
No need for National to exist at all really.
Thanks to an ineffectual labour opposition look what we got from 2011-2017. And the leadership options they gave to counteract Key 🤪. Heck given the faux paus of some within the govts. a monkey would have inflected greater damage.
Herodotus,
I disagree again! An opposition is limited in preventing damaging decisions/legislation due to an imbalance in numbers. I think Cunliffe was their best bet, but the msm ran a ruthless campaign against him (remember John Armstrong’s apology for calling for Cunliffe’s resignation)….The msm were more focused on criticizing Labour and its leaders when they were in opposition than holding Key (who they swarned over) to account.
I note today on Stuff and Radio NZ that they are finding any negative angle they can to undermine, subtlely and not so subtley Jacinda’s ability
leadership and strength.
I just wrote a post a few hours ago. I hadn’t seen your comment until now. But that was effectively what my post was on.
They don’t seem to be getting into this opposition thing, and it is nearly a year.
Mind you – Labour in 2009 were slow as well.
Jane Bowron really laid it on the line what she thinks of Judith Collins.
Duncan Garner is calling Jacinda the UN’s new “squeeze”. How childish. And of course Tova O’Brien is her usual sarcastic self. TV3 must be desperate for headlines and/or an audience.
Interesting day ahead in Washington as a result of this ‘most revealing article to date’ in “The Washington Times?
Washington Times report on Christine Blasey Ford.
Having a job as a 15yr olld girl a a very ‘ruanchy bar’ and having multiple love triangle affairs is not making her appear as a choir girl?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/20/christine-blasey-ford-remembered-dewey-beach-bar-s/
“Young Christine Blasey Ford remembered as popular figure in Dewey Beach bar scene in 1980s”
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who do you believe?
• BRETT M. KAVANAUGH
• CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD
• WASHINGTON
Ford’s conditions for testifying “growing”: Conway
Reuters
Boring USA stuff. A diversion from what politics is (should be) about. Good for the covers of women’s mags that specialise in gossip that has a sex or appearance angle which seems to be of enough interest to keep them churning out every week. Can we leave this stuff to the organ-grinders!
+100 Grey….too much emphasis on this tittle-tattle and anything to do with USA.
Thanks Bearded – did you follow the discussion over reply from certain person at RNZ? (Radionz not Railways NZ – just to make a point about confusing acronym use.) We get USA because that is what people are interested in.
Eventually I suppose we won’t worry about having informative radio bringing us the what the world is doing and thinking,, we will just sit and contemplate the fluff in our navels. I think the reply was to a query to Radionz instigated by cleangreen and apologise if it was actually you, being one of the questioning commenters I read regularly.
There have been many fake storys about Ms Ford .
That was one of them. You should be ashamed at peddling the right wing lies CG!
Ashamed .
Clearly she was from an upper class background, expensive private schools and post grad university education leading to PhD, and a published academic record at a private California University specializing in psychology
hardly the sort of person who was a wild child …at 15 !
Dukeofurl
So you want to ban other press articles, that you dont ideologically agree with????
That is communism’ is it not?
Supression of other views?
I keep an open mind not a closed one.
However- thanks for your views.
Suppression of other views ?
Clearly You havent heard of fake news then and the willing dupes who spread it.
Funny how often its women who becames the victims of biggest lies
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/us/politics/christine-blasey-ford-kavanaughs-fact-check.html
That was a few days ago , no doubt they have multiplied since then
Why dont you grow up CG and find views from credible sources who talk to real people with real names and real jobs that involved crimes like this
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/18/a-former-sex-crimes-prosecutor-analyzed-fords-allegations-against-kavanaugh-heres-her-take/
Im not going to dignify that GOP rag the Washinton Times ( not the post) by reading it . But I bet its full of ‘people say’ ….. and ‘sources tell us’…
That is its made up.
Dukeofurl
We are all allowed our own views, and you seem to prefer to not accept that.
Why not accept the point – all news isn’t equal and you’ve been pushing synthetic shit mate not natural truth. Sure it gets you high but it kills you in the end – eventually brain turns to mush.
+100
How are women supposed to come forward and give testimony when all they will get is media-wide shaming?
They did the same to Anita Hill.
Shame on all who attack the victims of sexual crime, and shame on all who abet these attacks by repeating their stories.
Sure he’ll still be confirmed because the Republicans have the numbers, but there is still no justice for women.
Regardless of whether he did it or not, he will deny it till the bitter end.
Media outlets love high profile sexual scandals, so they will be milking it for all it’s worth, every angle they can get out of it. Click bait gold for them.
Meanwhile, as much as one tries to forget ones rapist(s)/sexual assaulter(s), one never ever forgets who they are, no matter how long ago it happened.
I know ad, soon they’ll be demeaning and attempting to degrade her by calling her a sparkle pony or some other sexist rubbish eh
None of that is relevant to her allegation.
I believe Ford.
@muttonbird and @saveNZ:
Have you been following Dileepa Fonseka’s series on Stuff?
Occasionally there’s some good work with the likes of Penfold et al.
Da Nile used to be a river in Africa.
Finally INZ and the Labour Inspectorate are owning (bit by bit) of what a complete fuckup policy and its implementation and enforcement has been over the past decade.
Of course much of the problem was of the Munstry of BIE’s own making (encouraging all and sundry to become immigration ‘advisors’) so that there is now a raft of completem charlatans operating – not properly investigated or monitored by another of MBIE’s entities – the IAA.
Shame they did not take the likes of McClymont, and even Delamere and Malcolm more seriously, OR what people such as a couple of Unions and Worker’s Associations were saying.
There is now one almighty mess to clean up – all of which COULD have been avoided.
I-LG is aware, but the corrections appear to be made in baby steps
We’ve been talking about it for a while now, haven’t we.
Immigration mismanagement.
It was always difficult to accept Joyce’s insistence that we only took skilled migrants in order to fill the gaps in our labour force. This would have been fine if it wasn’t such a lie.
It’s clear now there was no management of immigration both direct and through the back-door via student visa extensions. The gutting of the regulatory body was a deliberate ideological decision to soften the ground as a pathway to suppressed wages and high house price growth, both of which gave National voters what they wanted, gains in business profit at the expense of workers, and untaxed income via capital gain.
On the ground it was impossible to reconcile the sheer numbers of young migrants from South Asia (bless them) with any kind of robust and quality international education sector, and of any kind of care in the oversight of their entry here. It was a free-for-all.
I hope more and more comes out on this damaging mismanagement not only of the people but to New Zealand’s young and vulnerable.
The fix is difficult as are all the social and infrastructure deficit messes National created while in government because you don’t want to shock the system (look what happened in 1984) but hopefully decent governance prevails and New Zealand’s international education sector once again becomes elite, and we get the skilled help we need from overseas migrants, not more ditch-diggers and dish-hands.
Ae! Will have to continue this a little later, but suffice to say meantime that ALL the warning signs were there, and you are correct – the system was working as designed and intended by its architects. The result: effectively what amounts to human trafficking because its been a really lucrative ‘industry’. It is on an industrial scale and the genuine are now often tarred with the same brush as the corrupt.
Who’d have thought eh? And over the past decade, I’ve not seen anything in Asian media warning of the pitfalls that were known to be a problem. (Could perhaps have been done as a joint venture with other countries competing for that ‘tik-a-box’ tertiary education export sector
Incidently, last time I looked, there were between 30 and 40 thousand Indians (alone) banged up in US detention cenrtres alone who’ve been subjected to the same sort of scamming that’s been going on in ‘lil ole NuZull, I can’t remember the number from other Asian countries.
“Human trafficking”.
Worryingly accurate, and appalling that Steven Joyce actively encouraged the conditions under which it flourished.
I suspect it started off to stimulate NZ out of the global financial crisis, then took on a life of it’s own, but now sadly there will be literally hundreds of thousands of scammers, traffickers or people who do not have the skills for the jobs operating in NZ and it’s just getting worse and worse…. because now people are just getting money for jam for fakes jobs, fake degrees, operating with fake qualifications etc etc… We were second in the world for no corruption – why the f would a government seek to destroy that through importing in scammers with fake jobs and fake degrees, multiplying at alarming rates???
Not sure if this guy got here under a residency type scheme or born in NZ but seems to be operating illegally for years. No wonder our construction does not last and housing NZ in Christchurch used him for 5000 houses, before coming to Auckland where the faulty and illegal construction work is widespread.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/107229367/fradulent-electrician-risked-lives-but-got-stellar-online-reviews-for-electrical-work
Shock finding: Shoddy wiring put vulnerable Housing NZ tenants at risk of dying in fire
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104856157/shock-finding-shoddy-wiring-put-vulnerable-housing-nz-tenants-at-risk-of-dying-in-fire
You have to wonder why he gets no criminal charges bought against him for fraud. Instead ‘maybe’ just a 5 year ban and not even the full $10,000 fine! Crime pays in NZ and they wonder why it’s spreading!
Time every construction worker and subcontractor had to sit a government run test before coming into NZ to demonstrate they actually have the skills and real fines are imposed on illegal work and workers and the companies that employ or contract them to do the work.
What they should do is get group action lawsuit from the scammed migrants to get back the tens of thousands they were extorted out of by all the middle men. I don’t think those that came here should be given residency, but I do think that the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
Also they need to stamp down of the marriages. No visas for marriages until the people have been married for 10 years. That way, only the legitimate ones go through.
Aged parents should not be able to get any type of residency or citizenship as there are already visa available. If the kids left them in the first place, seem quite odd that they are asking for visas for the Kiwis to now support their parents too under humanitarian grounds. Aged parents can already come to visit for 18 months why should they get super and health care on the Kiwi system?
We already have reports of ‘Granny dumping’. Migrants on $90k who get their parents in, often use them for child care, then ‘dump’ them onto the NZ public welfare systems and they access health and super straight away. After 87,000 aged parents arrived, even the Natz decided to close it, but apparently there is lobbying for Labour to reopen it????
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/315435/migrants'-parents-cost-nz-'tens-of-millions‘
@savenz 9.02 am
+100
the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
It really is a problem with dealing with immigrants and defining what is racism and what is justified concern about fairness to them, and to us, and where to draw the line.
We must be careful that we don’t get into the awful situation they have had in northern England with Pakistani young men grooming young white girls to be sex partners or full prostitutes, and taking the snide male attitude that they are bad girls anyway and don’t deserve any respect or fair treatment. There had been a closing of official eyes to much of the extremely bad behaviour of these Pakistani men whose leaders could be vocal about racism when confronted with the embarrassing behaviour of these young chaps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
Thanks OnceWasTim – I saw the ‘bad egg’ one, but just noticed a few more.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107212250/the-big-scam-how-our-immigration-system-is-being-rorted
Glad to see finally some news about cleaning up this massive problem which has poured thousands of people into NZ residency and citizenship as a scam. It’s not just that scam, theres downwards effects from scam people marrying/divorcing and getting tens of thousands in dowrys each time, aged relatives coming in, forcing other legitimate businesses out of business as the scams expand with free labour and the so called business as a front, increasing commercial rents and franchises, and the decrease in quality of the actual services that are being sold such as shocking food and poor hygiene from chefs, to hotels that are not fit to be rented out.
In Auckland, much of the food quality has reached an all time low, while the prices for everything is sky high. Likewise stayed at a so called luxury hotel in bay of plenty (should have realised that something was wrong, they changed the name to hide the reviews) that was of a disgusting standard, including rat bait wrappers under the bed and bodged repairs everywhere, but due to time of year (around Christmas) were charging $400 for the rooms, and obviously if you were a tourist you would think that dirty, scary overpriced hotels are normal in NZ. The chain own about 5 hotels around NZ so seem to be doing well, in spite of being appalling.
As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.
Weirdly as well, is immigration NZ taking bribes themselves?
Customs have uncovered various scams and prosecuted some of their own staff, but no internal investigation to immigration NZ staff, how they failed to notice 10,000’s of strange visas in low paid jobs?
I Know someone who was trying to legitimately get a work permit for a overseas worker for a highly paid, technical job but immigration NZ were very difficult to deal with and, who knows, maybe waiting for a bribe to clear the visa?
100% agreed here fully SaveNZ.
Firstly it was a rort to make money pure ansd simple!!!!
We ourselves were running a billited home where we had offered to overseas “english students” who attended a local ‘private school’ that went broke later, and they came only to find a job here, and really not learn english, we found out after several years and gave it up as a income.
it was just a rort.
“As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.”
Indeed! Let’s be clear though that there are a few ‘lawyers’ – i.e. those that are actual ‘lawyers’ that are legit and who have been among those screaming the loudest. (McClymont for example, Aussie Malcolm maybe, and more recently Delamere – although not too long ago he seemed to be against allowing visas that didn’t tie a worker to a specific employer. He may well have changed his mind given the recent cases that have emerged).
The system as designed and implemented was a recipe for exploitation and has left many people in devastating circumstances. Bear in mind that the amount of money some have been fleeced doing shitty courses or worker imports, with associated ticket clippers along the chain is enough to build a bloody house in some places.
And many of the overstayers just want to try and recoup the money so they can get the hell out of NZ without the shame they’ll face on their return
Many of the other ‘lawyers’ are really only ‘advisors’ (NOT EXCLUSIVELY) and often with vertically integrated interests in other enterprises (a quick search of the companies register, which is also under MBIE could have raised a red flag or two).
These ‘advisors’ – often referred to as ‘advocates’ in other cultures also have a direct and indirect cosy little relationships with things like security firms.
Some even appear to spring up depending on what is the skills shortage list.
E.G. we’re short of hairdressers so I’ll open up a beauty salon, OR how about a labour hire company, Or maybe landscape gardening.
I won’t comment on the suggestion there could be cosy relationships between advisors and public servants although I’ve seen some advisors proudly announcing in promotional material how they’re superior because they used to work in the organisation.
I agree some sort of class action would be beneficial, although I’m not sure it would succeed.
What the system has become is now akin to a Green Card raffle at times with a high degree of victim blaming. As I said, the genuine can get lumped with the corrupt, genuine relationships can be seen as a sham and vice versa, and those that have shown a genuine commitment to NZ have faced a constant uphill battle.
It does look like change is on the way GRADUALLY, but now that its such an almighty mess, it’s hard to know how successful it will be
Gawd. So desperate are National they’re now trying steal the glow from Ardern.
‘I had a meeting with her, I did!’
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/simon-bridges-jacinda-ardern-working-together-on-climate-change-plan.html
Muttonbird
Deserate is the perfect word that depicts what National is; – as National is always acting irrational.
“National = irractional” – it sort of rhymes doesn’t it.
“Irrational”?
I assume you mean Bridges
That sounds very sexist
GTFO
Nice – good link thanks
Just remember, uber is the enemy.
https://libcom.org/news/no-money-no-food-london-ubereats-workers-strike-22092018
Elvis hates you!!!
Or is Anarcho-syndicalism still relevant.
https://libcom.org/blog/defense-anarcho-syndicalism-outdated-19092018
Does anyone else believe Paula Bennett used the word ‘cadence’ without the assistance of a spin meister.
Could be I ‘spose. New ummujdge, new found oidentutty (goan forwud).
If she can be taught the necessary parliamentary nods and facial mannerisms during QT, I guess anything is possible.
Transformational Paula! I wish you luck.
Btw, I’ve got a mate that’s obsessed with leopard skin. She’s thinking of a new age frock type fashion that would’nt be out of place with one or two leopard skin cushions to jooosh things up a bit on ‘the Block’
Strictly non ’50s-loik matronly.
There’d be a good earn it for ya.
Have you ever heard of a member of the arsehole class crossing the line with only one woman?
As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The claim dates to the 1983-84 academic school year, when Kavanaugh was a freshman at Yale University.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-new-allegation-of-sexual-misconduct-from-the-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaughs-college-years-deborah-ramirez
Oh look, another woman has come forward.
Hoo boy, bikie gang territory here.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dn0mJm8WsAAX2kI.jpg
Ki Ora Newshub one can not compare our renewable energy futures to Germany,s energy cost. They have a longer winter than us so there heating cost are x2 of ours. The low hanging fruit for our carbon neutral goals are efficiency gains reduceing our energy use and waste.
We have been lead down the wrong path lately like the council have inforced air laws that has pushed fire places out of heaps of house. This move has dubble our housing use and dependants on electricity low investment in Rail wasting money on coal.
Duncan you like putting your nose in smelly place??????.
We are already looking at reforms to our justice system the lock em up attertude we get from the west in not working.
I like the work smarter way to do things
A the keep it simple approach to our government system.
Got the runs Mark ECO knows why.
Jay Laga’aia ECO is a big fan te Kiwi Pacific culture wit & humour that’s the way tau toko te Mokopunas don’t panic people our Pacific culture are a caring cultures Ka pai.
There you go Paddy she’s a world leader yes the men who are with Wahine leaders have to Tau toko them raising the whano.
Well with the high school speach debate I’m guessing that the school is a low decile school the children there have different challenges to the upper class school so hopefully Alot of the parents will take the education of their children more seriously and make sure there children go to school and get a good education
Ka kite ano P.S the ECO MAORI effects
Many thanks to the good people of OUR Civil courts for making the correct moves that stop our media from merging into one company that could be controlled by the neo liberal capitalist and under mine our democract prosess Kia kaha Ka kite ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/107342494/stuff-nzme-lose-at-court-of-appeal-over-merger
This is a follow up in voicing my objection’s to the use of monsanto’s prouduct glyphosate round up I will let the story do the educating for you as I know if it’s a poision there are bad side effects to IT link is below Ka kite ano. P.S my computer is unblocked after 24 hours Kia kaha
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/24/monsanto-weedkiller-harms-bees-research-finds
We have always been told since the 1980’s that Round Up (Glysophate) was less toxic than table salt. However the product works by translocating through the plant and interrupting cell division within the plant hence the plant dies. I am wondering how extensive the independent research is on the effects of glysophate in the human body and what happens to cells within the human body exposed to glysophate ???
There have been high rates of cancer and health issues associated with users of agricultural chemicals over the previous decades, I am wondering whether there may be any links to these materials and are Government Agencies complicit in covering these issues over ???
It’s glyphosate and the Wikipedia page is not too bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate
The power full quickly put on the victims hat when they are caught out .
And our society lets these men blame the Wahine for there wrong’s that has to change.
Men have more power than wahine and most are stronger than wahine it is totally wrong for us to let men play the victim’s .
They should bow there heads in shame.
Is that the world you want your daughter’s or mokopuna’s raised in well NOT ECO MAORI .
This is another reason I back equality because I don’t want my granddaugther’s raised in a society were men think wahine are here for there use and abuse .Link is below ka kite ano.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/21/brett-kavanaugh-blame-women-anita-hill-cosby-weinstein
Ki ora Newshub Many thanks to Paddy Grower I know how the system works E hoa .
Neve is on the Papatuanuku’s stage the timing of the release of those emails look like it was intended to try and deflate Jacinda message to the world but know the whole world will still be paying attention to her .That tec guy smell’s the neo’s will not stop the new AGE.
Social worker’s deserve there pay rise its hard work dealing with big social issues .
trump is smelling———he just has not figured it out yet.
With the apple ‘s bio concerns you see negotiations work .
Condolence’s to Merv Smiths whano .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls The Argentine’s eat a lot of meat the problem I have with the meat cancer issues is they don’t use Aotearoa’s grass feed meat for there research and we know that grass feed animals do not have the cancer carcinogens that other meat has .
I remember the first time I rode a bike I skined my ankle lol Kia kaha wahine.
The big man’s a true KIWI ka pai
Mulls our M8 on the other channel his star has been shining bright lately .
Ka kite ano Kia kaha P.S some people will learn Ngati Porou culture then ——- them