Open mike 24/11/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 24th, 2021 - 53 comments
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53 comments on “Open mike 24/11/2021 ”

  1. Stuart Munro 1

    Robert Reich has this to say on polarizing events like Rittenhouse:

    The Week Ahead: The big split – Robert Reich (substack.com)

  2. Adrian Thornton 2

    Some good news for Leftists….

    Venezuela ruling socialist party, allies sweep regional elections

    President Nicolas Maduro’s allies win 20 of 23 governor posts in elections that saw the return of opposition to ballot after four years.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/22/maduro-allies-win-big-in-venezuela-regional-vote

  3. millsy 3

    This site has gone to the pack, it opposed trans right, supports Jordan Peterson and now supports Kyle Rittenhouse.

    There is nothing left wing about machine gunning civil rights protestors, or returning to 1950's social norms.

    [You’re just back from premod for making assertions without back up, and now you are doing it again twice in one post. Off you pop for a week. Not even going to bother telling you to read the Policy because I don’t think you will. I also take your previous withdrawal of assertions to get out of a ban as disingenuous and a waste of moderator time. If you want this site to be better, try following the rules of robust debate instead of throwing out random FB reckons, and make some actual political arguments – weka]

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  4. Ad 4

    A really interesting jury verdict against the organisers of the Charlottesville rally in 2017. The article does a little summary of each of the charges. They clearly argued and deliberated hard on each one, which is a relief:

    Jury finds Unite the Right organizers liable for millions in damages – CNN

  5. Reality 5

    Having heard apoplectic rants from National for months about open the border, give us a date, get rid of MIQ, vaccinations, and whatever else they can drag up, it was almost comical to see Chris Bishop and the "other opposition leader" now complain at the speed of the traffic light legislation. The Government is obviously wanting this legislation enacted so people can have certainty over the holiday period which is what National/Act said they wanted.

    • dv 5.1

      Yes, its almost as if they are not sure about what they want.

      • KJT 5.1.1

        Obviously only one thing.

        Get back into power by any means possible. Especially by sabotaging the covid response.

        Judging by their poll results, their constant indescission and flip flops haven't impressed many.

  6. Ad 6

    The immediate resignation of Kiwirail Chief Executive Greg Miller is going cause a substantial internal earthquake of role reshuffles and restructures.

    KiwiRail group chief executive Greg Miller quits – NZ Herald

    Given the billions of capital works they have in the pipeline, the succession plan had better be outstanding.

    • Patricia Bremner 6.1

      It appears The Herald was part of this? Or did I misread that?

    • Shanreagh 6.2

      Just for what it is worth I have long been of the view that moving either way CEO to Board Chair or Board chair to CEO is a bad move. The skill sets are different, the climate behind the changes is often not conducive and it shows a blinkered vision for a company.

      By blinkered I mean:

      a happiness with the status quo and a lack of exploration of what may be offering in the outside world.

      a circularity in that direction promulgated by a Board including the CEO becomes the direction that the company goes in. CEOs while not on the board do have special links and relationships to/with the board and can point up misgivings around policy ethos etc. Difficult if you were previously the wolf (Chair)

      an non acceptance of what is happening outside ie if there were no suitable applicants other than the former Chair, why was this? Is the position description favoring a status quo position. This is fine if that is what the board wants ie a safe pair of hands but if that is what they got through mis-advertising then the whole position description/advertising, interviewing process needs to be looked.

      often Charis moving to CEs have no idea about the minutiae of running a big business. Very odd that exit interviews and other investigations are happening seemingly after the fact ie after problems with high turnover or unexpected staff members leaving happened.

      A strong HR focus would have seen these happen routinely, that a figure for staff turnover would be a measure of competency in the role. Many Boards get anonymised exit data in monthly or quarterly reports.

      I wouldn't be holding my breath on a competent succession plan being in place. Without a chair who is in for the long haul, as much as you can be for these types of positions, it will be very difficult.

      'Oh joy' though for any competent consultancy firm with a focus on strategic HR followed by experience in rebuilding the day to day HR practices, while keeping staff. Sounds like they may have good staff underneath who may just want to do their jobs competently and once the externals happen will be able to do this.

      https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/about-us/governance/

      https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/about-us/leadership-team/

      • Ad 6.2.1

        The Board Chair had nothing but praise for him. I don’t know him personally to judge otherwise.

        It helped a lot with the big and successful Kiwirail budget bids over the last two terms that Mr Miller got on famously with Minister Jones and his successors. That investment stability has put Kiwirail and its assets on a much stronger footing.

        They are doing OK for national freight share given that coal is decreasing and likely to continue downward.

        • Shanreagh 6.2.1.1

          Yes these are all good points. The aim would be to continue the external work while also working on the internal (organisational) dimension.

  7. Tricledrown 7

    A Dr Boros catches Covid after going to an antivax conference at the World Equestrian Centre in Florida.2 days later he and 5 other Doctors have Covid.

    Dr Boros claims at the conference he has been taking ivermectin for 18 months and that 1 of his patients was cured of covid after taking ivermectin.

    Boros-world equestrian centre-ivermectin.

    Irony personified.

  8. McFlock 8

    In other news, apologies if someone's already linked to it: people involved in organising the Charlottesville rally in 2017 have been successfully sued alongside the thug who drove his car into the crowd, killing one person.

    Fun detail for people still unclear as to the alignment of the rallyists, the jury deadlocked on two complaints made under the auspices of a federal act in 1870 enacted to suppress the original KKK.

  9. DS 9

    Hipkins clearly wants New Zealand to have a Singapore-style outbreak. MIQ is literally the only thing saving our health system from the sort of calamity you see overseas… and the Government (under pressure from the media) are messing with it.

    At this point, only a massive overseas wave over the next few months will save the New Zealand Government from its own stupidity.

  10. Ad 10

    So …

    As of today it's now 6 gunshot injuries in or around New Lynn in just over a month.

    The one this afternoon is in Glen Eden.

    Anyone going to do something useful?