Open mike 24/12/2019
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7:00 am, December 24th, 2019 - 65 comments
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Simeon Brown, the National Party’s poster child for hubris, consistently over-promises and under-delivers. His track record...marked by policy flip-flops and a dismissive attitude toward expert advice, reveals a politician driven by personal ambition rather than evidence. From transport to health, Brown’s focus seems fixed on protecting National's image, not addressing ...1 hour ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2025
Open access notables Recent intensified riverine CO2 emission across the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region, Mu et al., Nature Communications: Global warming causes permafrost thawing, transferring large amounts of soil carbon into rivers, which inevitably accelerates riverine CO2 release. However, temporally and spatially explicit variations of riverine CO2 emissions remain unclear, limiting the ...14 hours ago - Whatever Happened to Cactus Kate?
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After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...18 hours ago - Release: Inflation rises and families feel the squeeze
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- Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget
Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again. ...3 days ago
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- Release: Driver licensing proposal doesn’t put safety first
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- Release: Students struggling as Govt sits on hands
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- Release: More must be done to stop children going hungry
More children are going hungry and statistics showing children in material hardship continue to get worse. ...7 days ago
- Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver
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The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...7 days ago
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Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...1 week ago
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- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...1 week ago
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- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...1 week ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
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- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
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- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
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- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
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- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...2 weeks ago
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- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
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- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
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- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
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- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
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- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
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- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...3 weeks ago
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In a recent Guardian article, our prime minister answered a series of questions posed by readers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/23/jacinda-ardern-on-culture-wars-her-plan-for-2020-and-how-to-cook-snapper
More ominously, at the end of the article this cryptic note:
“Simon Bridges, the leader of the opposition, was invited to answer readers’ questions but declined.”
Now it’s not like Soimun to avoid publicity, so why didn’t he front?
There could, of course, be a simple explanation: for instance, he may be on holiday in Hawaii with his family and couldn’t be bothered.
A more likely explanation is that he was shown the questions beforehand and didn’t like them.
While Jacinda is happy to answer questions (and no doubt be accused to seeking the limelight) the right will attempt to control the narrative.
Possibly, but the most likely answer is because the right-wing pollies think The Guardian is a left-wing commie newspaper and must be avoided. I doubt Simon has ever read it.
Or his comms team advised there are no votes in it for their party, given the publication's reach.
The whole comms team is on holiday (although rust never sleeps) and Simon cannot unlock his Twitter account.
Needs help to tie his shoelaces.
The Guardian has, as far as I know, only ever done two stories on Bridges..
"New Zealand opposition leader criticised for 'alarming' stance on China"
"NZ opposition leader accused of concealing $100,000 political donation"
both by Eleanor Ainge Roy
I think not agreeing to answering questions from Guardian readers was one of the few..possibly only..smart thing Bridges has ever done.
And from the Guardian article today, Prime Minister Ardern's response to one question is a good insight into the priorities of this government:
Q. What is one thing you want to accomplish in your second term if you get re-elected in 2020? Justin Lindsay
A. We haven’t set our policy agenda for the next election yet but the plan is to continue to build on the work we have done in the first term to deliver a better New Zealand for more people.
But as finance minister, Grant Robertson, said when releasing the budget policy statement foreshadowing the direction of travel for the government, we will continue our focus on tackling the long-term challenges facing New Zealand while also investing to future proof the economy.
The Budget 2020 priorities – which would carry work over into the next term – are:
All power to you Prime Minister to achieve those goals.
You mean continual labour’s over arching policy of Roger Douglas.
After helping out distribute food packages at Christmas, it was for me so sad to see the same families struggle year after year return.
In a country like ours there will always be families in need, just not the large numbers that we continually have.
If you volunteered this Christmas you are a saint of the first order.
The failure to raise benefits at least in step with minimum wage rises – or indeed at all – amount to a social crime by this government.
Some benefits they (NZ1) have been able to increase by using a back door. The $50 energy payment to pensioners. If the pension was adequate then there was no need for this. If it wasn’t then increase it from 65% to 68% (my figures here maybe a little out)
Don’t use housing allowance to increase landlord wealth, provide adequate state housing and so those in need are provided directly by the state.
I hope/pray that those who I continually see each year are not there next year and this is due to their situation has improved, but with it being an election year promises will not solve what many face on a day to day basis.
Restoration of benefits to 1991 levels, adjusted for inflation, to take effect on July 1, 2021, would also motivate the poor to get out and vote Labour in 2020.
The great unwashed of South Auckland saved Labour back in 2005. They need to be given a reason to save Labour next year.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/406104/safe-as-houses-new-zealand-s-first-climate-safe-house-almost-finished
will be worth seeing how this performs over the next wee while.
Wage thief penalised $680k by Employment Court claims different customs apply: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/118400906/nightmare-holiday-park-owner-refuses-to-pay-back-full-bond-to-workers
Regulator says nope:
This isn't China. You want to do business here, abide by the rules, you grasping vulture. Guan should be nailed to the wall.
You mean like Kiwi rail?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71462127/rmtu-case-against-kiwirails-use-of-chinese-workers-heads-to-era
Good to know they're FINALLY taking the problem of exploitation/modern-day slavery/trafficking a little more seriously than they once did.
Not too long ago, Stuey was telling us there were enough Labour Inspectors. The sad thing is, they let it go on so long and they now expect victims to trust them enough to report instances .
It's going to take a while for people (like the victims of exploitation) to take them seriously – but they (LI) made their bed – let 'em lay in it.
Let's see if they actually manage to extract the money out of Guan
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/118432266/no-date-fixed-for-return-of-whaktane-fishing-charter-after-whakaari–white-island-eruption
Surely two weeks is long enough to appease tangaroa and any other deities.
Let the man go back to work
There appears to be a complete disconnect between the Australian govt and "Firies".
Happy holidays.
Allāhu akbar. As-salāmu ʿalaykum.
So FPP and MMP both have issues in the way it deals with votes , would STV be a better option or is there an even better option?
What do you think the faults are with MMP?
The only real problem I see with MMP as we have implemented it would be easily fixed by reducing the threshold to 0.83% (1/120 of the vote). Which would render that abominable coat-tailing provision moot.
The main fault I see with MMP is that the party that wins the most votes doesn't always get into power which just seems to be…wrong
Just seems that while FPP puts the most popular party in power it ignores everyones elses votes which isn't good, MMP is able to ignore the most popular party which isn't good so I'm wondering if theres a fairer way
If the most popular party doesn't get into power under MMP, then more people voted against it than for it.
Yet it was Winston on 7% that decided who runs the country, that doesn't seem right either
Spot on Janice, People like Pucky just don't understand MMP. He is just a sore loser. Merry Christmas to you all.Yes that includes you Pucky.
I understand MMP well enough. I just don't think MMP is the be all and end all of voting options.
Maybe an option would be for all parties to disclose who they would go into before the election.
Winston had it both ways but how many of his voters wanted to go with Labour ie Keeping National honest and all that
But it's not like lining up before a battle (and more than one battle has had factions switch sides during the event).
A party can't commit if it doesn't know how much policy it's likely to win in a coalition. And that changes according to the electoral ratios. And as you say NZ1 can go either way, depending on what deal it gets – how could it possibly commit to a deal before an election?
I just wonder if the people that developed MMP had in mind a party of 7% deciding which coalition gets to govern
Yes they did. Coalitions have been well-known features of MMP for decades. Sometimes the largest party is just the biggest loser.
Frankly, I figured we'd be down to the largest parties only being 20-30% by now. I suspect the main reason we still have monolith parties is because the media insist on portraying it as a two-horse race rather than a team sport.
I reckon the way the split between electorate and list mps has gone to 71 – 49 has a bit to do with keeping just two parties so dominant.
As I understand it, it was kinda envisaged the split would stay a bit closer to equal numbers of electorate and list mps, but that ball kinda got dropped and we ended up with the weird provisions that have made the situation what it is now.
I don't think Act and the Greens are helping this regard, in that its not likely Act will go with Labour and the Greens have ruled out National
@Andre: yeah, capping the House membership but increasing the electorate numbers with population was a bit of a booboo I reckon
@PR:
Act aren't a party. They should have died out ten years ago or more, but nats gift them epsom because they'd rather have supplicants than partners.
The Māori Party could have gone both ways, technically, as did United. Top and KDC seemed issues based: agree with them on one or two policies andthey'd be ok with that. So the number of non-monolith centrist parties is probably similar to the wing parties ("fringe" would imply trace-element support). ACT, cons, Alliance, Greens, maybe one or two others.
ISTR the Green line is that they would go with any party that had decent environmental policy, but sadly that doesn't include the current nats.
We're heading for a situation where a few high ranking list MPs miss out because too may plonker electorate MPs have been elected. At which point things will change.
With our population growth we should have 140 MPs anyway, or electorates go back to 60 and represent more people
I disagree, Act is a party and would,now, probably win Epsom in a proper election.
David Seymour has shown to be a capable MP (certainly more effective than most MPs) and I'm predicting a2, possibly 3 MPs for Act at the next election
But the nats haven't risked it in ages, have they.
And even if Seymour can win the electorate, that just makes Act like the last days of United: not a "party", an electorate mp pretending nationwide support.
If it weren't for National throwing the epsom campaign in the last few elections, Act would be history.
Well they don’t need to risk it so why bother but 25 years for a political party isn't bad going by a NZ political party and Seymours visibility is only going to rise next year
If it was a real party, it wouldn't be a risk.
And nobody says "they were on life support for half their life, but they had a good innings".
As you say media do like to keep NZ politics as a two horse FPP type system, maybe smaller parties have been hamstrung by that lack of media exposure and now with a new generation of voters coming through things will change
Media present it as a binary (two horse race) because they need a winner and a looser to fulfil the sales / advertising model, ie sell the soap.
ISTR the Green line is that they would go with any party that had decent environmental policy, but sadly that doesn't include the current nats.
Your recollection is correct. The Green Party is willing to work with any parties if there are gains in it for the environment or the lumpenproletariat. It's that "if" statement that tends to rule out joining a National-led coalition, rather than any inherent refusal of the Green Party to work with National.
The problem I see with "the most popular party" thing is if you've got a big monolith that's put together as a grouping of barely-holding-together factions, how do you sort out where to put the effort and priorities?
Take the current state of the National party. It looks like the religious nutter faction has the upper hand at the moment. But how many National voters really want a government headed up by religious nutters prioritising religious issues?
Whereas a coalition of parties with overlapping priorities and values have an obvious indication of what their voters think should be prioritised. A hypothetical government with say 18 Green MPs and 6 New Socialist MPs and 40 Labour MPs is going to govern very differently to one made up of 8 Green MPs, 9 WinstonFirst MPs and 46 Labour MPs.
Indeed so MMP beats FPP, does anything beat MMP?
I've been pondering bicameral, where one house is purely proportional party representation and the other is local MPs (because regional concerns matter as much as Auckland concerns).
Legislation goes through the, er, "party house", and gets ratified by the electorate house. If the electorate house rejects, kick it back to the party house and either majority larger than the total nay votes or a 2/3 majority (haven't decided which) overrules the veto and the legislation is passed.
Both houses should be roughly equal in size, with electorates being 1:10,000-20,000 eligible voters. So yeah, a lot more MPs, but if we knock down their salaries a bit (like, a premium to ditch a profession for three years is fine, but $200k?) I think it would be better.
Knocking down MPs salaries sounds pretty good to me
Your beloved might need to get a side job at the Papakura yacht club to get by.
I'm sure the minister for oravida affairs has plenty of little kick backs coming in.
Just dances for tips.
Why should geography get a veto over other dimensions of representation?
Because otherwise the government only serves the interests of the largest population concentrations.
And it's not a full veto – it's just a requirement that if the regions oppose it, the party house needs to look at it again.
What is so important about 'the regions' as opposed to other groupings like 'young people' or low-paid workers?
Well the pressure is slowly mounting on ScoMo, especially after his run in with a little old lady manning the kitchen for the local firies yesterday and the various State Governments to give relief to us volunteers firies in particular to the poor buggers down, but is there is bugger all in it atm for those not the public service or us veterans who have to jump through the hoops IRT DVA. Anyway it’s a small step in the right direction.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-24/firefighters-public-service-leave/11825416
young girl today told me she and her mum went to NZ for a week of holiday to get out of Sidney.
Had not seen a blue sky for weeks and had a really bad, very throaty cough. Girl : Everyone is coughing, the air is really bad, that is why we came here so we had some clean air to breathe.
to those that believe we can adjust to this, no we can't.
Merry Christmas. Travel safely so that the volunteer fire fighters don't have to scrape bodies of the road. Be careful with the bbq so that they don't have to try and save the house. Don't do stupid shit so that they don't have to look for a cut hand in the grass. (all these things happened today)
Take your time, you will get there. Rejoice that you have shelter, food, blue skys and still some decent air to breathe. Eat, laugh be merry. Don't abuse the alcohol or drugs.
Yeah, its been a day today.
Sure has, mine started at 1400hrs and will finish at 0600hrs tomorrow and then I have to face a family breakfast followed by family lunch
Red Bull for the win!
It was always the 0700 sign-in that nuked me when I was on rotating rosters. Night shift I could handle easily. But 16hrs is hard no matter when it's done.
Being completely honest its the overtime and the day in leiu I'm doing it for, not the sense of duty
So Christmas miracle time
I switched over to 2degrees from Spark for my broadband because of extremely hideous service (wasn't like that when I was there!) and I didn't get the modem (because 15 bucks is 15 bucks) so the switch over happens yesterday and try as I might I can't get the damn information needed to get the modem working (excuse the technical jargon)
I ring up the help desk and funnily enough still no joy (because I was using the modem Spark had provided) so I bite the bullet and order the modem and was told it would take up to 5 working days and given the time of the year I was resigned to getting the modem next Monday (a week without the internet!)
When lo and behold this morning, yes this very morning, a courier dropped off the modem from 2degrees and Christmas, and the internet was saved…sure not a very Christmassy miracle but a miracle nevertheless
Happy for your win, Mr Rogue.
Its the little things that count
And there I was wondering where TF tRump got his windmills kill birds/destroy the environment claptrap.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1208916201205833728
“Windmills, which are so widespread in many European countries seem to be an environmentally friendly kind (of energy), but in fact they kill birds,” Putin told a conference of his United Russia party in the Far East.
“Vibration there is such that worms come out of the ground, not to mention moles. This is a real environmental problem,” he said, adding that solar energy was the only alternative source that was entirely harmless.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-wind-idUSTRE6B52SV20101206
"You know we have a world, right?" Uh, yes, I had noticed that. Goddam staffers dropping acid into his cuppa tea again, eh?
Putin the environmentalist. Will he allow an ngo to form, to speak on behalf of the homeless worms & moles? In little old Aotearoa, there's only homeless people to worry about (as yet). Homeless creatures may be the next big thing…
Cannot be unseen.
https://twitter.com/AlphaSkar/status/1208855044373782530
Bad news: 2020 will be worse than 2019.
Good news: 2020 will be better than 2021.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all at The Standard, both posters and lurkers.
Who thinks Ad needs his own blog?
United we stand.
Divided we recline on a comfortable chaise.
"Who thinks Ad needs his own blog?"
Ad is one of a few honest lefties on this blog