Neither Farrar nor the slithery one have any posts on last night’s debate. Could it be that they agree that Goff won handsomely but cannot bring themselves to say this?
It was that convincing a win I thought we would see a “Guyon Espinar is a member of the Labour Party” theme develop.
Phil Goff had the details and the studio craft, but after a nervous start John Key had the authority. It’s one of the things that a Prime Minister gains simply by going into work every day – and Key got the tone right to edge Goff in tonight’s debate. Not that the legacy of his night’s work won’t have ramifications.
To me Key didn’t show authority but a disdain for opposition, democratic debate and open discussion. This disdain to me is based in an authoritarian tendency (a feature of Key’s tenure in government).
So I’m curious as to what seemed very evident to me as weakness in Key, should be read as someone else s a strength? Maybe it dpends in how aware one is of body language and non-verbal communication? And Key’s was appalling in the debate. He looked like he had no patience with democratic process.
But Key kept is cool with a measured, clam performance.
Nice analogy – cold, hard, closed, slimy, lives in the darkness……
But seriously, for those who don’t already see through Key (yet), this debate won’t have changed anything imo. I don’t know how it’s even possible to penetrate the wall of lies, malicious innuendo, and misinformation that he puts up. To even seriously try in a debate like that would probably be counter-productive. I’ve never seen any politician use the strategy of telling so many lies, that meaningful discussion is impossible. It doesn’t seem like it should work. But sadly, it does, and did last night imo.
Of course you saw a convincing win. You probably think Labour can win on Saturday.
Farrar was busy on Back Benches.
The TVNZ text poll favoured Key (about 2/3). I think most people will have seen what they wanted in the debate, I doubt it will have converted many votes.
I don’t rate polls like that, I couldn’t be bothereds looking up the actual figures. I don’t know if text polls that cost have been analised, but people who respond could range from rich pricks who have money to waste to beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste.
Most voters don’t watch debates or follow politics, they vote based on hard to explain inclinations towards a party or a leader.
No you werre not
I have facebooked this comment and it is now in the process of showing the Dunedin people exactly what you really stand for.
o the power of the Internet 🙂
“to beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste.”
WTH? Bang went any remote chance of my ever voting for UF… You nasty POS… You have joined the list of people on whom I wish beneficiary status, along with the silly bitch I was arguing with yesterday on FB, the married ‘lady’ who thinks all women with children and a broken relationship should starve with their kids or work at what she called a “gas station”…
And yet National cheerleader Tacy Watkins, gives the debate to Goff…. well kinda… she first says Goff scored the “knock-out punch” when he dropped in the question about National secretely planning to cut police numbers. But in Watkins’ final line she calls it “an even match”.
PG, the Most common comment I read on the #leadersdebate & #oneness twitter feeds was you g people stating the poll was a farce cause none of them could afford or were prepared to spen the 75c to txt in. They seemed pretty clear in their belief that the poll played to the rich Nat supporters advantage.
But I keep forgetting, you like the nats are caught in that 19th century thinking…
Key’s body language was appalling. He rarely could look Goff in the eye and the dead eyes and downturned mouth when Goff was speaking was extremely defensive and closed. The hand wringing was also a sign of discomfort. Shifty and uncomfortable would how I’d describe Key.
And how many times did Key start his answers with “So, let me tell you what we’re doing” or similar? He’d learnt the script but where was the passion?
John Johannsen shamed Key on the STV lie – shame no-one picked him up on the others.
P.S. Clare Robinson’s face as JJ laid into Key was a beautiful television moment.
Yes it did seem strange to have the two commentators there only to give them a couple a minutes at the end but I guess the debate overran and they’re working within the constraints of commercial television.
Having said that, exposing Key telling porkies again and clarifying the problems with STV is far from non-sensical. More a very useful contribution to the democratic process.
They did have another go at 10:30 with a repeat of JJ indignation over Key/MMP v SM.
Don’t like the way though that JJ says that this election is really a setting up for 2014 saying that this one is lost for Labour. It ain’t over yet.
Anyone who recognised Key’s scolded petuant school boy act as “authority” has spent too much time in corporates. Those with organisational authority might behave like that, but it’s the behaviour of arrogant insecure two-faced liars and schemers. If any more proof was needed to see that Key has never intended to debate anything, last night was the grossest display. Key behaved like many people I’ve met professionally behave and that is the problem. They will see themselves and vote accordingly. This election may just be a measure of how far NZs people have become degraded.
Well said, uturn: I was astonished when I read that Key’s performance was seen as authoritative when what I mostly saw was the facial expression of the bitchy girl in one of those high school dramas. I am also interested in your suggestion that “This election may just be a measure of how far NZs people have become degraded.” Last night I watched Michael Sandel’s lecture on Rawls, which really showed up the limits of our current mode of debate. In such a small country, treating poverty & privation as something to we will get round to addressing when we can afford it rather than something immediate and compelling, is by itself evidence of degradation. Especially where it is accompanied by an enthusiastic interest in life-styles.
The real authority is John Armstrong. He saw John Key displaying gravitas! Bless my soul if I had one. Gravitas? John Key? Perhaps Armstrong writes in jest.
The idea that poverty is a concern only once we can afford it was also presented during the documentary on TV3 a few nights ago. It used 3/4 of the story to show what a mistake it is to interpret the economy as a thing which the people serve, rather than a by-product of the way people live, then promptly finished up by convincing viewers that solutions were all about saving money. Yep, seems that even when people stare the obvious in the face they have difficulty knowing what they’re looking at.
People have forgotten, and this is primarily the fault of the economists who have also forgotten, what the economy is and what it’s for. These days people see the economy as the movement of money and that it’s solely there to make a profit. Hence why the growth in GDP is seen as the be all, end all of the economy (increased movement of money), why we celebrate people who have lots of it (making a large profit), scorn those who don’t and then blame their circumstances upon them instead of questioning our socio-economic systems that actively create the poverty.
That line Steve Keen is almost right. The bit that he got wrong is that economists don’t even have a model of the economy. What they have is a hypothesis of how they think the economy works (which they may or may not understand) that they’re not changing despite all the evidence that that is not how the economy works.
Nah, I think that’s exactly what he’s getting at, he says we may progress in economics, one funeral at a time. Their Model being their Hypothesis, or more specifically in my mind, their FAITH!
Have you all noticed this “so, let me just tell you” is how all Nats start each sentence, Nikki K was very pronounced with this on Backbenchers against Jacinda. All got the same coach eh!
Nah, Nikki has just been doing personal studies of John Key’s debate performances. Probably watches them two or three times a day to get the talking points down pat.
And Farrar has been very quiet like nothing for a few days on the Herald or Stuff. From what I saw of the debate last night Phil showed John up for the nasty psycopath he is. And now his police force have ‘collected all the evidence’ including the tea tape copies now how long for these to either go missing or get corrupted some how. I hope someone has a copy or 2 hidden away for insurance
What I saw was a very slimy sneering PM who had the slogans but not the actual coal face knowledge, Goff sucker lunched him on the police numbers issue and generally showed a much better grasp…. No surprises there.
Gluon finds a backbone on some issues finally and pinned Key down but too little to late methinks, just shows he can but never bothered till now.
Wouldnt a nat greens coalition with Act gone be fascinating, no asset sales and a toned down right wing approach…..bet they wouldn’t bleat about that but bang on about Winnie.
Yep. I’m wondering about that one too Adrian. I think it is to do with… a drug investigation… a p lab… and a politician called John Banks who has been running an anti-drug campaign for years. The key word is “hypocrisy”.
So we have two police investigations we know of, where the police are being used (I assume willingly) in an effort to withhold information from the public that would do a lot of damage to the re-election chances of the National and ACT parties.
My estimation of the police has plummeted to an unprecedented level.
Fuck how disgraceful… There is going to be riots when people get hold of all the info held back from them during this election… And just now on the news – the ACT ballot papers seem to be promoting National and ACT. How fast we have become a banana republic..
The FTSE 100 has fallen for eight consecutive days, shedding £104 billion from the value of the UK’s most valuable companies, as a disastrous auction of German 10-year bonds ignites contagion fears…
Wonder how much of Shonkeys portfolio looks risky? Does he really want to win an election? Could explain the missing Mr Niceguy persona.
“John Key looking sheepish as people stare and point while he waits for is unemployment benefit interview.”
Oh how wonderful that would be! (I had mine today, for my “re-application”, and discovered that they’ve changed the rules again (within the last 3-6 months, the WINZ woman said). It’s now a 3 stage process, with a week between each stage. That would be terrible for people who were starving… Luckily, I have saved the $$ I earned during the past 6 weeks…
If John Key ended up living here, in a boarding house maybe, and I spotted him at our ‘local’.. what a glorious mental picture!
Key is worried latte loving NZ will fall
apart when he fails to get re-elected.
Russia invasion plan uncovered, sell
our assets, banks to Australians so they
aren’t captured! Its the sensible thing to do.
Govt spending needs to come down, because the
private debt problem is so huge that shrinking
government debt will have some effect. Ding-Don,
it took Key three years to run it up, and
both parties say they will drop it back in no time,
so no wonder Key was downgraded when Don
says its a government debt problem.
Shit in shit out, NZ economy fails because
the right claim to competence on the economy
is never questioned by the media.
As a rule reporters place expensive microphones when politicians give speaches, and politicians and their handlers have a duty surely to return said property. As anyone who sits down in a cafe, the cleanliness, a clear empty table is a sign of a well run establishment. So reasonably, the PM would have known microphones were there, that he would be giving further speaches ‘after the chat’, and that reasonably any left over baggage remaining on the table should have been removed by him or his staff (if they also recognized the claim of privacy). The fact that the Police have been called, chills press freedom and is unjustice in my opinion. If Key is caught on camera looking at the package then he made a decision to not have it removed, that was consent in my opinion, as he would have been all to aware of the many miriad of packages left in his path (like background recorders to help the technicians to clean up the audio shit).
John Key was interviewed by Katherine on 9 to noon Yesterday. He seldom answered questions and rambled and hummed and hawed a lot. He is supposed to be the PM and have answers ready!
Phil Goff was interviewed by Katherine on 9 to noon today. He answered every question and placed hits on Key/National. He covered a lot of ground and packed in a huge amount of information. Most has been heard before but that is the nature of interviews at this time.
Thanks for, greatly appreciated 😎
and DTB nice to hear that there is an extreme load given what is at risk in a few days time. Best that people tick from an informed base.
I’ve asked that question as well, H. Apparently there is an issue somewhere, but I assume LP is a bit busy helping score the greatest upset in NZ political history to fix it. That’s fine by me!
Here is an interview I did with US War veteran and ex banker and senior editor of Veterans today Gordon Duff thanks to Vinny Eastwood, Auckland internet radio host:
Thanks for doing this Travellerev. Bit of a coup I would say-congrats. Couldn’t hear the recording as my head phones just broke,blast, but I could see the value of your questioning from that one comment Gordon D. emailed you regarding “his tasking”, which sounds scarily ‘evil’.
So want the truth to come out about Key. I loathe lies.
An interesting thing about the weather, we just need to look out the window to see what it’s like. In contrast, we have no idea about how many people are voting on election day, and what way they are voting.
You can mention the weather but you can’t do so in relation to the election. You also cannot tweet about the election. Specifically, you can’t tweet in such a way as to look like you may be trying to influence the way anyone votes. I think blogs may be exempt but I can’t recall precisely – I suggest erring on the side of caution.
And that article is a load of bollocks. Report the weather and it’s forecast and then leave it to people to make up their own minds about when they go to the voting booth. They don’t need a weatherperson telling them.
You’re allowed to encourage people to vote, as long as it’s done in a non partisan way.
So it’s acceptable to say “all that sunny weather out there should help get people out to vote!”. But you’re not allowed to say “all that terrible rainy weather out there will be stopping people from voting”.
With the obsession about lies on here I thought you may be interested in another big lie – one from Phil Goff when he says that he said he knows of no other developed country that has GST on healthy food/fresh food and vegetables.
Well he must be lying becasue he’s obviously looked at the issue and missed the fact that plenty of countries tax food. Japan, one of our biggest trading partners and last time I looked a reasonably developed country, is like us in taxing food at the standard VAT rate.
Many do so at a reduced rate but they still tax it. http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/stat_vat.htm. only five countries -Australia, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom – apply a zero rate to certain food items.
If he didn’t actually know then it’s not a lie. Of course, he probably should have known and WTF is it about NZ that we constantly refer our decisions to what other countries do?
Just judging Goff by the low standard you and many other Standardistas have applied to Key. I wouldn’t go so far as saying his inability to accept he might be wrong on issues is a sign of sociopathy though.
Agreed on your latter point though. One of my big bugbears: ‘what will it do to our reputation?’ Answer: Sweet FA.
only five countries -Australia, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom – apply a zero rate to certain food items.
Your worldtaxpayers site conveniently left out several states in the USA. California does not add on sales tax on many food items that a consumer purchases at a market.
Totally correct “insider”
Just another example of Mr Goff ignoring the facts, and preferring a faulty [Towers?] sound-bite.
One has to wonder, is he fed this rubbish, or does he dream it up all on his own?
Either way, another fail.
Also a fail by MsM who seem assume their man is always right.
Certainly shades of Winstone, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good sound bite.
Good to hear Sean Plunkett take it to him this morning re Police intakes;
hopefully these false-hoods will lead the TV News at 6:00.
Another own goal by Labour.
This is proving to be an enjoyable election to-date; keep up the good work Labour.
Insider, from the debate link you quoted that Phil said… “no other developed country in the world that I know of has a GST on healthy food like that”
From your own link (pre- the NZ 15% GST rate) it appears Phil is right – other countries don’t tax healthy food “like that”… i.e. as NZ does at the standard rate of 15% GST. Japan, for example taxes food at the full rate, but that rate is only 5%. Other countries that have higher GST on food than we do tax food at less than the usual rate.
So yeah other developed countries don’t tax healthy food as NZ does, at the standard rate, unless the standard rate is less than 15%. In the context of a debate it’s pretty hard to create a lie out of that statement.
BTW I find it interesting that our ‘pure’ GST system is the only one that lists an exemption for financial services. The neo-lib agenda-pushers have a lot to answer for.
This is the type of shit that keeps us from making rational decisions about the economy:-
It’s blatantly obvious that rail is dead in the water. Billions and billions of dollars have been thrown at it over the years in this country and it’s still on he slippery slope to oblivion.
It’s a big, long, rant that’s not based in any sort of logic, goes against the facts and some people actually agree with him. Thankfully more seem to be disagreeing with him.
I posted two comments but only one got past the moderators. The one linking to this post didn’t make it.
Ok, that post is now through. It just took few hours longer.
[lprent: Depends when one of us has a look at the queue. I suspect that I’m the same as the others. Queue checking happens when we have a break in our work. ]
Wasn’t talking about The Standard but the NZH. My second comment had got through the moderators before my first one (by several hours in fact) and so I had assumed that it had been binned. My reply to my comment was to acknowledge that it had now gone through.
That’s a good ad. Not voting Labour myself, but I think many to my right (and that’s almost everyone unfortunately), would be given pause to think if they were to watch it right through.
Why did they leave this calibre advertising until the bitter end?
As I have pointed out many times, with what is on the horizon and about to hit in a matter of months (maybe weeks) whoever DOESN’T get the poisoned chalice will probably be happy.
‘The following are 17 quotes about the coming global financial collapse that will make your hair stand up….
#1 Credit Suisse’s Fixed Income Research unit: “We seem to have entered the last days of the euro as we currently know it. That doesn’t make a break-up very likely, but it does mean some extraordinary things will almost certainly need to happen – probably by mid-January – to prevent the progressive closure of all the euro zone sovereign bond markets, potentially accompanied by escalating runs on even the strongest banks.”
#2 Willem Buiter, chief economist at Citigroup: “Time is running out fast. I think we have maybe a few months — it could be weeks, it could be days — before there is a material risk of a fundamentally unnecessary default by a country like Spain or Italy which would be a financial catastrophe dragging the European banking system and North America with it.”
#3 Jim Reid of Deutsche Bank: “If you don’t think Merkel’s tone will change then our investment advice is to dig a hole in the ground and hide.”
#4 David Rosenberg, a senior economist at Gluskin Sheff in Toronto: “Lenders are finding it difficult to finance their day-to-day operations with short-term funding. This is a lot like 2008 but with more twists.”
#5 Christian Stracke, the head of credit research for Pimco: “This is just a repeat of what we saw in 2008, when everyone wanted to see toxic assets off the banks’ balance sheets”
#6 Paul Krugman of the New York Times: “At this point I’d guess soaring rates on Italian debt leading to a gigantic bank run, both because of solvency fears about Italian banks given a default and because of fear that Italy will end up leaving the euro. This then leads to emergency bank closing, and once that happens, a decision to drop the euro and install the new lira. Next stop, France.”
#7 Paul Hickey of Bespoke Investment Group: “More and more, we are hearing anecdotal comments from individual and professionals that this is the most difficult environment they have ever experienced as the market is like a fish flopping around after being taken out of the water.”
#8 Bob Janjuah of Nomura International: “Germany appears to be adamant that full political and fiscal integration over the next decade (nothing substantive will happen over the short term, in my view) is the only option, and ECB monetisation is no longer possible. I really think it is that clear and simple. And if I am wrong, and the ECB does a U-turn and agrees to unlimited monetisation, I will simply wait for the inevitable knee-jerk rally to fade before reloading my short risk positions. Even if Germany and the ECB somehow agree to unlimited monetisation I believe it will do nothing to fix the insolvency and lack of growth in the eurozone. It will just result in a major destruction of the ECB‟s balance sheet which will force an ECB recap. At that point, I think Germany and its northern partners would walk away. Markets always want short, sharp, simple solutions.”
#9 Dan Akerson, CEO of General Motors: “The ’08 recession, which was a credit bubble that manifested itself through primarily the real estate market, that was a serious stress….This is much more serious.”
#10 Francesco Garzarelli of Goldman Sachs: “Pressures on Euro area sovereign bond markets have progressively intensified and spread like a wildfire.”
#11 Jim Rogers: “In 2002 it was bad, in 2008 it was worse and 2012 or 2013 is going to be worse still – be careful”
#12 Dr. Pippa Malmgren, the President and founder of Principalis Asset Management who once worked in the White House as an adviser to President Bush: “Market forces are increasingly determining what the options are and foreclosing on options policymakers thought they had. One option which is now under discussion involves permitting a country to temporarily leave the Euro, return to its native currency, devalue, commit to returning to the Euro at a better debt to GDP ratio, a better exchange rate and a better growth trajectory and yet not sacrifice its EU membership. I would like to say for the record that this is precisely the thought process that I expected to evolve,but when I proposed this possibility back in 2009, and again in September 2010, I had a 100% response from clients and others that this was “impossible” and many felt it was “ridiculous”. They may be right but this is the current state of the discussion. The Handelsblatt in Germany has reported this conversation, but wrongly assumes that the country that will exit is Germany. I think that Germany will have to exit if the Southern European states do not. Germany’s preference is to stay in the Euro and have the others drop out. The problem has been the Germans could not convince the others to walk away. But, now, market pressures are forcing someone to leave. Germany is pushing for that someone to be Italy. They hope that this would be a one off exception, not to be repeated by any other country. Obviously, though, if Italy leaves the Euro and reverts to Lira then the markets will immediately and forcefully attack Spain, Portugal and even whatever is left of the already savaged Greeks. These countries will not be able to compete against a devalued Greece or Italy when it come to tourism or even infrastructure. But, the principal target will be France. The three largest French banks have roughly 450 billion Euros of exposure to Italian debt. So, further sovereign defaults are certainly inevitable, but that is true under any scenario. Growth and austerity will not do the trick, as ZeroHedge rightly points out. Ultimately, I will not be at all surprised to see Europe’s banking system shut for days while the losses and payments issues are worked out. People forget that the term “bank holiday” was invented in the 1930’s when the banks were shut for exactly the same reason.”
#13 Daniel Clifton, a policy strategist with Strategas Research Partners on the potential for more downgrades of U.S. debt: “We would expect further downgrades, a first downgrade from Moody’s and Fitch and possibly a second downgrade from S&P.”
#14 Warren Buffett on the problems in the eurozone: “The system as presently designed has revealed a major flaw. And that flaw won’t be corrected just by words. Europe will either have to come closer together or there will have to be some other rearrangement because this system is not working”
#15 David Kostin, equity strategist for Goldman Sachs: “The wide range of possible outcomes on both the super committee process and the unstable political economy in Europe drives our view that investors should assume the worst while hoping for the best.”
#16 Mark Mobius, the head of the emerging markets desk at Templeton Asset Management: “There is definitely going to be another financial crisis around the corner”
#17 Gerald Celente, founder of The Trends Research Institute: “The whole system is going down. Pull your money out your Fidelity account, your Scwhab accout, and your ETFs.”
Assuming the polls are not rigged, NZers will get the quality of non-leadership they ask for. And will pay the price.
[lprent: And that looks like nothing to do with the post you dumped it into. Moved to OpenMike. Don’t make a habit of this. Eventually I’ll just trash and ban. ]
I completely agree and had a similar conversation with my father only the other night. The “poisoned chalice” was exactly the conclusion we both came to. Thanks for your post, puts it all nicely (all-be-it scarily) into perspective.
Funny thing with Cassandras like AFKTT and myself is that we don’t always agree on the detail but pick the trends. Unlike yourself and your father most people are too frightened by what is coming down the track so they go into denial and ignore it. And vote to stay at the party.
This years election is a poison chalice big time, given we have a government (and a large chunk of the opposition) whose world view does not include:
1. Climate change.
2. Peak oil.
3. The great financial contagion that will make the Great Depression look like childs play.
4. The creeping corporatisation of the world that will result in a “New Order” reminiscent of a previous going by the same name.
I am going to vote BUT I suspect that within my lifetime that I will be voting for a very different set up that will replace the current (whose credibility and authority is questionable now and getting worse).
National 51.5%
Labour 27%
Greens 9%
NZ First 4.4%
Act 2.6%
Maori 2.5%
Mana 1%
Conservatives 1%
Other 1%
Probably have the Maori party a bit high.
Electorates:
Possible swing seats
Auckland Central – Nikki Kaye retains
Christchurch Central – Brendon Burns retains and higher vote than last time
Epsom – Banks takes it. Just.
Maungakiekie – Sam Paseta Lotu-Inga will take it far more easily than last time
New Plymouth – Young increases his lead from 2008
Ohariu – Dunne retains. National will take the seat in 2014
Otaki – Guy increases his lead from 2008
Palmerston North – Lees-Galloway narrowly loses his seat and likely to be out of parliament
Waimakariri – Cosgrove will lose the seat. Expect to see Labour and Cosgrove do very well in Kaiapoi but Rangiora and Christchurch suburbs turning out for National and Kate Wilkinson
Waitakere – Bennett retains
Wellington Central – Robertson increases his support from 2008 and this electorate will have highest turnout.
West-Coast Tasman – Auchinvole to just retain the seat and as I suspect O’Connor won’t contest again the seat should become more assured for National.
Decreased support for National
Bay of Plenty
Rangitikei
Rodney
Increased support for National
Botany
Clutha-Southland
Coromandel
East Coast (expect this electorate to be a possible swing in 2014)
East Coast Bays
Hamilton East
Hamilton West
Hunua
Ilam
Invercargill
Kaikoura
Napier
Nelson
North Shore
Northcote
Northland
Pakuranga
Papakura
Rangitata
Rotorua
Selwyn
Tamaki
Taranaki-King Country
Taupo
Wairarapa
Waitaki
Whanganui
Whangarei
Decreased support for Labour
Dunedin North
Dunedin South
Hutt South
Mana
Manukau East
Manurewa
Mt Albert
New Lynn
Port Hills
Rimutaka – Hipkins support will plummet but will retain
Increased support for Labour
Christchurch East
Mangere (Taito Philip Field split some of the vote there in 2008)
Mt Roskill
Rongotai
Wigram and Maori electorates
Wigram – Labour to take this easily. Am disappointed National has not even tried for this seat.
Hauraki-Waikato – Mahuta increases her lead from 2008
Ikaroa-Rawhiti – Horomia retains with slight increase.
Tamaki Makaurau – Sharples wins again but the lead from 2008 is down considerably
Te Tai Hauauru – Turia takes it again with lower support and this electorate reverts back to Labour in 2014
Te Tai Tokerua – Harawira retains. Davis will be gone from parliament
Te Tai Tonga – Labour will retake this seat from Katene
Waiariki – Te Ururoa Flavell just retains this seat with what may be the smallest lead in any electorate.
“Ohariu – Dunne retains. National will take the seat in 2014”
What’s that based on? The idea that UF voters will all choose to vote National next election?
Dunne only beat Chauvel by 1,006 votes in 2008 (down from a majority of 7,702 in 2005). It’s not going to take much of a swing Labour’s way to collect the seat, especially if those who voted for Dunne previously choose to vote National instead – that would likely leave room for Chauvel to slip through.
My fingers are crossed this happens this year, though. Not in 2014. We can live without another three years of Dunne blocking meaningful law reform with regard to the War On Drugs.
“My fingers are crossed this happens this year, though. Not in 2014. We can live without another three years of Dunne blocking meaningful law reform with regard to the War On Drugs.”
Even without National at the helm and UF gone-burgers, I don’t think there’s going to be sufficient apetite in parliament to make much progress on drugs.
I think the polls are dodgy as they never count the undecided voters. And the Nats are getting quite shrill about votes being ‘crucial’ and bashing everyone in sight instead of being relaxed this week, so I expect they know something the TV poll munters don’t. And while I’m Greens all the way, some of their soft vote will go back to Aunty Labour on the day. Winston will get the pissed off grumpy git vote, there’s enough of those to get over the line. As for Maori, they’ll keep most of their seats but people see them as largely irrelevant for party vote, so 2% is about right.
Seriously, I think the maori party will do really well, people have a lot of respect for
them. Apart from Hone their party list is just extreme leftists, and I mean extreme, Skyes makes Bradford and Minto look like Bill Oreilly.
The obsequious gargoyle Farrar currently on RNZ is a travesty of ‘balance’ and more importantly an illustration of tory media swamping. As is his presence at the Herald and Stuff, fer crissakes he already has blogs and research outlets. What next a mandatory ‘free’ 24hr feed to each household?
It was not coincidence that Bomber Bradbury was expunged before the election.
Go Whangaz! The Keyster abandoned his planned rally in Whanganui this arvo because he didn’t get enough arselicking from the locals. 300 turned up to Majestic square to tell him to piss off and he took the hint.
Ha! Always good to see the fear in the opponents eyes, eh. It was a homegrown turnout apparently, some Labour supporters with hoardings, but just too many locals who might ask awkward questions about job losses for Key’s liking. So off he beetled.
I see the driver got a bollocking for having the temerity to talk to the press. Open and transparent my hairy arse.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, they’re showing us how it ought to be done. Their government is currently considering whether to join the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, the US-driven treaty designed to inflict American-style intellectual property laws (such as the hated s92A) on the rest of the world. But to do so, they require the permission of their Parliament. Which has just said that it will not even consider the matter unless all negotiation texts and advice on them are published:
Good on the Netherlands government for doing this, passing policy that hasn’t been seen, never mind vetted, by the populace is undemocratic and needs to be expunged from our political system. Now, will government/parliament do the same or will it roll over and do what the US tells them to?
russell norman just said on radio new zealand that john key asked mathew hooton if he would google how much he would get for selling the states assets.
wow!
The Smile and Wave party won’t have enough party vote to rule alone.
% of party vote mid to high 40%
The Greens and Labour combined will sit in the mid 40s%.
Labour low 30s% and Greens low teens.
Banks loses Epsom and ACT exits parliament
Dunne loses Ohariu and exits parliament
Maori Party gets 2 to 3 MPs
Mana Party gets 2 to 3 MPs.
Winston back or close to being back.
Something like perhaps:
Smile and Wave 46%
Labour 32%
Greens 12%
Winston First 4%
Maori 2%
Mana 2%
ACT 1% (won’t matter as exited from parliament)
Conservatives 1%
Something weird has happened with Epsom’s voting papers. Apparently ACT’s and National’s voting areas are more prominent. I suspect this will get a lot more attention. New Zealand’s electoral system needs to be scrupulously fair.
I do not believe it. ACT and National get the benefit of an empty line after their party vote line. Their names are clearer and easier to ascertain and the extra space suggests that they are somehow better.
Perhaps they did not want to rub shoulders with the others and insisted on having more space.
But this is appalling. The form gives them an advantage.
Easily proven if this is an anomaly review past voting papers from various electorates and see if this is consistent if it is then accept that this is merely a coincidence, and if so then file it under yet another example of poor reporting by the media, and not a media organisation looking for retribution for the tea and scone episode.
None of that explanation offered by the very sincere official explains the need for selectively spaced variances in the ballot.
I watched his explanantion half a dozen times. I am confident we all understand that the way the list is presented on the ballot has random elements and we are willing to submit to the whimsy of chaos, freely giving benefit of the doubt as to how the final order eventuated.
I am sure that is not in dispute by anyone.
Why there are physical spaces only under the two Parties in question, has not been answered.
Yes it has? The candidates are listed in alphabetical order on the right. The box for the party then goes next to the candidate standing in that seat.
If the independents running (Penny Bright and Matthew Goode) had parties they would be listed in those gaps. Every other candidate has a party hence no other gaps.
Every ballot in the country is laid out in exactly the same way.
Funny I had one today from Tim Groser. He was claiming credit for the New Lynn Train upgrade which is a bit of a hoot. David Cunliffe did all of the work on this. I hope Groser is paying for each call …
Brett, you’ve crossed to the other side! A question directed to left wing voters you have answered. Oh, Joy! Oh, Celebration! Kill the fatted calf! The prodigal has returned!
Predictions please. Someone asked me at work how best to split their votes tactically for labour, left, greens in Te tai Tonga to get the maximum impact. Any ideas?
They should give their electorate vote to the Labour candidate as the Labour candidate is in a fight with Rahui Katene for the seat. The party vote could be given to either the Greens or Labour depending which party they prefer. I don’t think it matters which of them gets given the vote.
They could vote the Mana party. With enough votes they may well bring in 1-2 other MPs beside Hone Harawira but there is a risk that Mana don’t get enough party votes for another MP and thus you could technically find the vote given to the National party. As wasted votes are given to those parties that have made it to parliament and distributed percentage wise.
Researchers say the public should be worried about how often politicians push through legislation under urgency with no good reason. (6′02″)
It was based on research conducted looking at use of urgency from FPP days to present (1987-2010). Urgency was used a lot under FPP, but declined between 1999-2008, and it was thought that MMP was a system that worked against such abuse. But since 2008 it has been used as much, if not more than FPP days.
Prof Elizabeth McLeay said that she had recommended changes to standing orders to prevent such abuses, but only some of the recommendatons are being implemented in the next term.
The 2008 election campaign had NACT billboards and politicians decrying the volume of Kiwis crossing the ditch and the likes of Espiner hammered Labour over it.
Move forward to this evening on Jim-I’m-a-close-friend-of-The-Penguin-and-the-Right-Mora. Who did he have on? None other than Farrar and what were Farrar and Mora talking about? The natural movement of people out of NZ. And then to rub salt in, Farrar was given a couple of minutes at the end of the programme to explain his, and the PM’s, preference for voting systems and dissing MMP.
The November 22-23 survey finds parties with the following Definite Voter party vote shares:
Latest horizon poll
ACT New Zealand
2.7%
Conservative Party of New Zealand
5.2%
Green Party
12.4%
Labour Party
28.6%
Mana Party
2.8%
Maori Party
1.1%
National Party
33.4%
New Zealand First Party
10.8%
United Future
0.9%
Other party
0.7%
Choose not to vote
0.0%
Don’t Know
1.3%
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Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Legislation Amendment Bill. “Every New Zealander has a stake in New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension,” says Carmel Sepuloni. “They are our most common form of social assistance – nearly 800,000 New ...
Babies in Auckland aged six months and over can receive a free vaccination and children will all have access to vaccines, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced today at Papatoetoe High School. The move comes as part of Government efforts to step up the fight against measles. ...
***Check against delivery*** Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here, and to have the honour of opening this important conference on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Let us take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have helped make today possible, including our special ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the safety of frontline officers and members of the public will be the focus of a new trial of specialist Police response teams in three of our largest urban centres. Police have this morning released details of an initiative to be trialled in Counties Manukau, ...
The Minister of Fisheries is calling for entries for a new public award to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector. “I have established the Seafood Sustainability Awards to recognise and celebrate those throughout industry, tangata whenua and communities who demonstrate outstanding dedication and innovation towards the sustainability of New Zealand’s ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter welcomes leaders in the private sector taking action on closing their gender pay gaps to ensure a fairer workplace for all New Zealanders. Ms Genter today launched a new report, Addressing the gender pay gap and driving women’s representation in senior leadership, from the Champions for ...
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...
The Government has approved funding for a new acute mental health facility for Waikato which will provide better care and support to people with mental health and addiction issues. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark announced the $100 million project to replace the aging Henry Rongomau ...
The Government is making progress on its goal to integrate te reo Māori into education by 2025, with over 500 teachers and support staff already graduating from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Kelvin Davis made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Waikanae today, for ...
Statistics Minister James Shaw has welcomed the first release of 2018 Census data. The first release of data today, 23 September, includes key data on population, regional growth, the number of homes and the size of different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Data from the 2018 Census will support the ...
Minister for Statistics James Shaw today announced a public consultation on a proposed algorithm charter for government agencies. The charter has been developed by the Government Chief Data Steward in response to growing calls for more transparency in government use of data. Computer algorithms – procedures or formulas for solving ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte co-hosted a business roundtable in Auckland this morning focused on working together to address climate change. “The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a strong agricultural history. Sustainable agribusiness and ...
The Government is taking action to build an inclusive economy where more of us receive our fair share at work and businesses can compete on great products and services, not undercutting wages and conditions, Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. Two consultations launched today seek feedback ...
The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to ...
At 1.30pm tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will join about 65 million people around the globe in ShakeOut, the world’s biggest earthquake drill. The annual drill is to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake which is to Drop, Cover, Hold, and to practise their ...
Kiwis are benefiting from higher wage growth and low inflation under the Coalition Government. Stats NZ data out today shows the rise in the cost of living remains low, as annual Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation fell to 1.5% in September from 1.7% in June. “The low inflation comes as ...
New Zealand’s economic strength and resilience has been recognised in a major update on the state of the global economy. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years as issues like the US-China trade war and Brexit take hold. ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little has today introduced a new Bill to prevent terrorism and support the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill gives the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to the High Court to impose control orders on New Zealanders who ...
A Bill that proposes targeted changes to simplify the processes for Māori land owners when engaging with the Māori Land Court has had its First Reading today. “The approach taken by the Government is to ensure that the protection of Māori land remains a priority as we seek to improve ...
Let me first thank all the new unionists and members in the room. There is nothing more important to improving people’s working lives than people making the decision to care, to get on board and help, to take up the reins and get involved. Congratulations to you. You bring the ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has signed a certificate exempting the activity of engine testing at Whenuapai Airbase from the Resource Management Act 1991. The Act gives the Minister of Defence the power to exempt activities for the purposes of national security. The certificate will mean the recent Environment Court ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced New Zealand will join the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action while attending APEC meetings in Chile. The objective of the 39 member Coalition is to share information and promote action to tackle climate change. It was formed in April this year, in ...
Feedback sought– Lyttelton commercial zone parking The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to remove on-site car parking requirements for new developments in the Lyttelton commercial zone. The proposal, by Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section 71 of the Greater ...
Hon Minister Poto Williams Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration MEDIA STATEMENT Tuesday 15 October 2019 Feedback sought – Hagley Oval The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal about Hagley Oval. The proposal was developed by Regenerate Christchurch ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand continues to have serious concerns for peace and stability in north-east Syria. “Recent reports that hundreds of ISIS-affiliated families have fled from a camp are deeply concerning from a humanitarian and security perspective”, Mr Peters says. “While we acknowledge Turkey’s domestic security ...
Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way. “We’re on high alert to stop BMSB arriving in NZ. The high season runs until April 30 and we’ve strengthened our measures to stop stink ...
The Government is moving swiftly to change the law to improve the welfare and pastoral care of students living in university halls of residence and other tertiary hostels. Cabinet has agreed to several changes, including creating a new mandatory Code of Practice that sets out the duty of pastoral care ...
The Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage has launched a new comprehensive trapping guide for community trappers to help them protect our native birds, plants and other wildlife, at Zealandia in Wellington today. ‘A practical guide to trapping’, has been developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and was launched during ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter welcomes PHARMAC’s move to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs). PHARMAC has today announced it will fund the full cost of Mirena and Jaydess for anyone seeking long term contraception, lifting previous restrictions on access to Mirena. “I welcome women having greater choices ...
The Government has approved the next stage of a major redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which will deliver new and improved facilities for patients. Health Minister Dr David Clark has announced details of a $300 million dollar project to build a new East Wing at the New Plymouth hospital. It ...
Extra funding will allow Rural Support Trusts to help farming families, says Minister for Rural Communities and Agriculture Damien O’Connor. “I know that rural families are worried about some of the challenges facing them, including the ongoing uncertainty created by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. “Those concerns sit alongside ongoing worries ...
Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present certificates to the 16 graduates who have completed a beekeeping course delivered by the Howard League. Let us start by acknowledging Auckland Prison’s Deputy Prison Director Tom Sherlock, and Acting Assistant Regional Commissioner of Corrections Northern Region Scott Walker - ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson leaves this weekend to attend the APEC Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile. Discussions between APEC Finance Ministers at the meeting will include the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, risks for APEC economies and sustainable development of the region. While at APEC Grant Robertson ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says for Pacific people, language can be a source of strength. It can help ground us and give us confidence. When we speak them, our languages provide us with an immediate and intimate access to our identity and our story - and ...
The Coalition Government has announced an action plan to improve the wellbeing of disabled New Zealanders by addressing inequalities in play, active recreation and sport. The initiative includes training to develop a workforce that understands the needs of children and young people with a range of impairments, advocacy for fit ...
The construction sector is being freed up to allow more homes to be built more quickly as the Government cuts through some of the red tape of the Building Act. “Every New Zealander deserves a warm, dry, safe home and old inefficiencies in the Building Act make building slow and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Senior Research Fellow in Geometallurgy/Applied Geochemistry, The University of Queensland Last month, scientists uncovered a mineral called Edscottite. Minerals are solid, naturally occurring substances that are not living, such as quartz or haematite. This new mineral was discovered after an ...
The Auckland-based collective talk origins, ambitions and making the rave accessible to everybody.Friendly Potential is an outfit that defies easy summary. They’re among the country’s most ambitious and prolific club promoters. In their almost five-years of operation, they’ve been responsible for the local debuts of electronic music icons including Detroit ...
Analysis: Two polls show support for Labour sliding, the government is accused of breaking another promise and the Greens's refusal to back a bill forces Labour to rely on National to get it through. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kiera Lindsey, University of Technology Sydney One spring morning in 1850, over 8,000 Sydneysiders marched through town to protest the resumption of transportation – the act of sending British criminals to Australia. It was the largest protest in Australia thus far, an ...
Two shareholders of failed insurance firm company CBL are leading a class action against the firm's former directors seeking compensation for financial losses. ...
Sam Brooks recaps the third episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, and wonders why some of these queens don’t know how to sew.This episode asks, and sort of answers the main question that millions of people across the world: why would you come on Drag Race and not know how to sew?!There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John M Clarke, Team Leader, Regional Projections, CSIRO Last month we lost Dr Penny Whetton – one of the world’s most respected climate scientists and a brilliant mentor to the next generation of researchers. Penny will also be remembered as a passionate ...
Ten moose were upended into the Dusky Sounds in 1910. Now, their descendants are getting their day in the sun.The climate crisis is affecting wildlife all over the country: rockhopper penguin populations are in drastic decline, tuatara eggs aren’t hatching females, and the ice walls keeping predators away from kea ...
Security footage of NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell being thrown out of a Tauranga bar looks unlikely to ever be aired - despite his leader Winston Peters promising a screening. ...
Amnesty International is concerned that Justice Minister Andrew Little's Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill could have the potential to undermine human rights in New Zealand. The Bill would give the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to ...
Expect the old campaigner Winston Peters to be at his belligerent best as he gears up for another election. He’s kept his party alive for 27 years and he shows no sign of quitting. The omens may be bleak—polls this week showed his party below the 5% threshold– but Peters ...
The National Party has agreed to take down any videos breaching the current rules around the use of parliamentary TV footage, as all parties try to reach consensus. ...
Recently the Health Promotion Agency released a report into hazardous drinking in New Zealand. The report shows that Māori who drink alcohol and live in deprived circumstances are less likely to have a harmful relationship with alcohol if they ...
Turkey-US joint-statement on military ops within Syria’s territory.The Turkish Embassy in New Zealand issued Evening Report this unabridged United States of America-Republic of Turkey joint-statement detailing what both sides agreed to regarding Turkey’s military operations within the so-called security zone within Syrian territory near Turkey’s southern border. It is ...
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash didn’t mention what winners will receive, when he proudly called for entries for a new public award “to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector”. Nor did he mention the cost to taxpayers of this initiative. Point of Order’s checks with the website where more details have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona R Martin, Senior Lecturer in Convergent and Online Media, University of Sydney One of the basic tenets of the ABC Act is independence from government. Yet once again, in contravention to that principle, the federal government is trying to push through ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Lily Holloway.modernity to globalisationwhen I get there as still life and landscape and also portraitureseeking the cacti in small pots who dot the globeslices of pie offer up the vision after the sermonexpressing emotions without coherent narrative supportbecause no artist responded to this callemploying ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi to rule out any taxpayer-funded purchase or bailout for Mediaworks’s channel Three. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “For the last few months Mediaworks ...
The Police Commissioner's announcement that squadcars of officers with automatic rifles will patrol New Zealand's streets is dangerous and unnecessary, according to the criminal justice community organisation People Against Prisons Aotearoa. The ...
News broke this morning that Mediaworks is seeking to sell off, and even contemplating closing, its TV division. What might that mean for journalism?For journalism in New Zealand, the loss of Three’s TV division is a devastating blow. It is not yet known whether any of the news properties will ...
In our defence of our coalition Government policy on climate change, we fully support Government plan to use rail funding for rail infrastructure upgrades to promote use rail infrastructure for freight around NZ. ...
The billions of tonnes of plastic in our oceans isn’t going away any time soon, but innovative companies here and abroad are working together to find silver linings to this daunting problem.Fishing boats head out to sea and set their nets. They go back to shore. They head back out, ...
An EveningReport.nz investigation by Kevin ListKiwibank services. Image by Kevin List.Evening Report looks into the separation of Kiwibank from New Zealand Post, and considers the impact on the public’s access to banking services in their communities.Kiwibank. What’s going on? Kiwibank and New Zealand Post are in the ...
Local Government New Zealand today confirmed what many local election commentators have observed; that more of the voting public cast their ballots in favour of women candidates than ever before. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington (this week we totted up the data a day early, on Wednesday, to let our books ed. ...
New Zealand's mineral manufacturing sector is expected to face some testing times, with softer prices, tighter margins and sluggish export markets. ...
Portugal has been painted by pro-cannabis legalisation groups as a model to follow. Yet just last month, the mayor of Porto contradicted his previous pro-harm reduction position and endorsed reintroducing criminal penalties for drug use in public spaces. ...
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short announced today the inclusion of six Cook Island First World War soldiers in the New Zealand and Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s official rolls of honour. ...
The latest statistics released by the Health Promotion Agency showing a dramatic fall in the numbers of cigarettes being sold in supermarkets, service stations, and liquor stores are being welcomed by the Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand (VTANZ). ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Where to from here? How NZ First will win in ...
Aotearoa Climate Emergency (ACE), a climate change network, will host a conference in Wellington on 11 November (Armistice Day) to promote holding a Citizens Assembly in 2020, as a way of breaking the current political deadlock on treating climate ...
MediaWorks’ owners have called time after years of losses from its TV division. Sources say the company will announce it is for sale – if no buyers emerge, it will close within months.Three is facing the biggest crisis in its three decade history today, as its ownership will soon announce ...
Sam Brooks reviews Amazon Prime’s Modern Love, an anthology series based on the New York Times column dedicated to ‘love in all its forms’. A first date that ends up in the emergency room. A flagging marriage that finds new energy through tennis. The founder of a dating app who doesn’t ...
If we want to grow support for New Zealand’s aid, we need to get better at partnering with the ‘unlike-minded’ as well as the ‘like-minded’, and much better at telling people what we do with the money they give, says Josie Pagani, Executive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Orsola De Marco, Astrophysicist , Macquarie University If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au.How are stars made? –Zali, age 8, Karkoo, South Australia. How are stars made? Well, stars are not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gita Mishra, Professor of Life Course Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland All women know to expect the time in life when their periods finish and they reach menopause. Many might even look forward to it. What many women don’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of Sydney Since ancient times, horse behaviour, and the bond between horses and humans, has been a source of intrigue and fascination. The horse-lore that has accumulated over the centuries is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Wallis, Lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland A move to the country is often presented in popular culture as an idyllic life, a place where you can escape the pressures of the city. It’s in television shows such ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The just-announced inquiry into Australia’s retirement income system ought to be anything but run-of-the-mill. Taking place 25 years after the introduction of compulsory superannuation, it provides an opportunity to either fix a broken system, or discard ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan McCay, Law Lecturer, University of Sydney The rise of artificial intelligence has led to widespread concern about the role of humans in the workplaces of the future. Indeed, Israeli historian, futurist and publishing sensation Yuval Noah Harari warns in his most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Saunders, Phd candidate, University of Wollongong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased people. You leave Sydney and head for holidays on the South Coast. You plan to catch a quick surf, ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Clayton Mitchell denies accusations around a night out, food insecurity on the rise, and UK PM Boris Johnson secures deal with dubious prospects.NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell has got himself in a spot of late night bother in a Tauranga ...
As the rugby world wrestles with the new reality that players can, and will, be dismissed for accidental contact with an opponent’s head it's worth pondering the fate of three All Blacks not selected for the Ireland quarterfinal. ...
A new exhibition in Raetihi offers a rare opportunity to see early, colonialism-focused works by Wellington artist Barbara Strathdee, writes Pat Baskett. ...
Italy's Ambassador to New Zealand Fabrizio Marcelli responds to Newsroom stories - and The Detail podcasts - questioning the price of imported tinned tomatoes in light of reports of slave labour in the industry in his home country. ...
A measles outbreak in Samoa suspected to be responsible for the death of a one-year-old was “inevitable”, according to an expert who thinks NZ could have prevented it. ...
The big shock of the results in the weekend’s local elections was the unseating of Justin Lester as Wellington mayor. We invited him to pen a sort-of-valedictory.My three years as the mayor of Wellington ended on Sunday and I will forever remain grateful for the experience.I’m also acutely aware of ...
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Braae reviews a night spent on the Intercity overnight sleeper bus getting from Wellington to Auckland.The most important thing to understand about long haul bus travel is that it’s all about getting exactly ...
Britain and the EU have agreed new terms for divorce. But with the Conservatives’ Northern Irish support party unimpressed, can the British prime minister at last put an end to the interminable shitstorm?At last, a deal! A palpable deal! A path out of the endless brain-melt!“Where there is a will, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Government sources insist shock jock Alan Jones didn’t drive Thursday’s announcement of a cash payment to drought-striken farmers about to be turfed off their household support because they’d reached the four year time limit. They ...
The proposition that global warming driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a risk that needs to be dealt with has achieved a large measure of agreement among policymakers. The proposition that it has to be dealt with right now and at great cost has no such consensus.One point ...
A bill to improve the pastoral care of students living in halls of residence has flown through its first reading in Parliament, thanks to cross-party support. ...
In this week's MediaRoom column: could MediaWorks close its TV operations altogether? And the Herald restructures its newsroom to remove a layer of management and shake up its investigative team. ...
Twenty-five young people who represent the future of the Asia-New Zealand relationship have been acknowledged as ‘ones to watch’, by the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono. ...
The taboo that surrounds immigration and our refugee qouta, are two issues rising in New Zealand that need to start being given attention to challenge the fruit loops of the far left. ...
Winston Peters has been ordered to answer questions about whether he received a letter from MSD asking him to check details of his living arrangements, three years before discovering he'd been overpaid. ...
To celebrate 10 years since the start of New Zealand’s Next Top Model, our reality TV podcast The Real Pod is going to recap it week by week. Here are 10 of the most incredible revelations from the very first episode. 1) Colin Mathura-Jeffree was an emo kidThis was the moment ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Terrorism bill Lydia Lewis and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Security expert backs new terror law proposal ...
Occupiers of the disputed land at Ihumātao have been shut out of talks with the government about finding a resolution, saying they haven’t had any direct contact with ministers in more than a month, writes RNZ‘s Te Aniwa Hurihanganu and Meriana Johnsen.The Māori King announced in September mana whenua had ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Fancourt, Adjunct Research Fellow, University of New England Feral cats are wreaking havoc on our native wildlife, eating more than a billion animals across Australia every year. But managing feral cats and reducing their impacts on our threatened species is challenging, ...
Open mike 24/11/2011 
I find this unbelievable:
On Wednesday, the government was loudly telling us that it needed to legislate to allow it to impose "control orders" - effectively a parole regime, but imposed without charge, prosecution, conviction or real evidence - on suspected terrorists because they couldn't be prosecuted for their supposed crimes. Today, it turns ...4 hours ago
Yoga gurus and cult leaders – I’ve seen a few. Two weeks ago, I unknowingly joined an alleged new-age cult at the Kāpiti coast, together with a giant kraken and some neatly dressed pensioners who would make any book club proud.They were among the two hundred people of all ages ...7 hours ago
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busy preparing for our summer paper on Science Communication. Looking for something amusing about ‘risk’ in science, I came across this neat xkcd.com cartoon about why so many people come knocking on my door (or phoning me, or emailing me) desperately wanting ...11 hours ago
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...1 day ago
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...1 day ago
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz There is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...2 days ago
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...3 days ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...3 days ago
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...7 days ago
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...1 week ago
We're rebuilding our hospitals, protecting our oceans, and taking mental health seriously. ...2 hours ago
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...2 days ago
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...5 hours ago
A new law targeting potential returning terrorists like Mark Taylor raises questions about human rights and whether the bill is being rushed. ...39 mins ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Senior Research Fellow in Geometallurgy/Applied Geochemistry, The University of Queensland Last month, scientists uncovered a mineral called Edscottite. Minerals are solid, naturally occurring substances that are not living, such as quartz or haematite. This new mineral was discovered after an ...48 mins ago
The Auckland-based collective talk origins, ambitions and making the rave accessible to everybody.Friendly Potential is an outfit that defies easy summary. They’re among the country’s most ambitious and prolific club promoters. In their almost five-years of operation, they’ve been responsible for the local debuts of electronic music icons including Detroit ...3 hours ago
Analysis: Two polls show support for Labour sliding, the government is accused of breaking another promise and the Greens's refusal to back a bill forces Labour to rely on National to get it through. ...3 hours ago
Two shareholders of failed insurance firm company CBL are leading a class action against the firm's former directors seeking compensation for financial losses. ...4 hours ago
Amnesty International is concerned that Justice Minister Andrew Little's Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill could have the potential to undermine human rights in New Zealand. The Bill would give the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to ...5 hours ago
Politicians come crawling back after the holidays to repair some 'bad optics'. James Elliott pulls no punches in his news of the week. ...8 hours ago
New Zealand's mineral manufacturing sector is expected to face some testing times, with softer prices, tighter margins and sluggish export markets. ...8 hours ago
Environmental groups are urging the government to crack down on commercial industries whose activities are harming the marine environment. ...8 hours ago
Struggling media company MediaWorks is putting its TV business Three on the sale block, after axing and scaling back shows. ...10 hours ago
As the rugby world wrestles with the new reality that players can, and will, be dismissed for accidental contact with an opponent’s head it's worth pondering the fate of three All Blacks not selected for the Ireland quarterfinal. ...14 hours ago
This week's biggest-selling NZ books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan NZ bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias. ...14 hours ago
A new exhibition in Raetihi offers a rare opportunity to see early, colonialism-focused works by Wellington artist Barbara Strathdee, writes Pat Baskett. ...14 hours ago
Italy's Ambassador to New Zealand Fabrizio Marcelli responds to Newsroom stories - and The Detail podcasts - questioning the price of imported tinned tomatoes in light of reports of slave labour in the industry in his home country. ...14 hours ago
A measles outbreak in Samoa suspected to be responsible for the death of a one-year-old was “inevitable”, according to an expert who thinks NZ could have prevented it. ...14 hours ago
Plans for Facebook’s proposed “stablecoin”, Libra, appear to be unraveling as awareness about its adverse effects grows. ...14 hours ago
Explosives were used to blast a millions-of-years-old rock overhang in a national park. ...14 hours ago
Medical issues, party leaks and a surprise resignation have taken their toll - but Winston Peters argues his party is as strong as ever. ...14 hours ago
What's different about what Donald Trump did this time to finally snap Democrats into action and launch an impeachment inquiry? ...15 hours ago
Former MediaWorks news chief and Newsroom co-editor Mark Jennings looks at who or what might save Three now it has been put on the block. ...20 hours ago
In this week's MediaRoom column: could MediaWorks close its TV operations altogether? And the Herald restructures its newsroom to remove a layer of management and shake up its investigative team. ...23 hours ago
Judith Collins is filling the blackhole that is National’s climate policy with social media posts appealing to science deniers. ...23 hours ago
Neither Farrar nor the slithery one have any posts on last night’s debate. Could it be that they agree that Goff won handsomely but cannot bring themselves to say this?
It was that convincing a win I thought we would see a “Guyon Espinar is a member of the Labour Party” theme develop.
Curiously, Tim Watkin at Pundit, gives the debate to Key.
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/final-tv-one-leaders-debate-my-first-impressions
To me Key didn’t show authority but a disdain for opposition, democratic debate and open discussion. This disdain to me is based in an authoritarian tendency (a feature of Key’s tenure in government).
So I’m curious as to what seemed very evident to me as weakness in Key, should be read as someone else s a strength? Maybe it dpends in how aware one is of body language and non-verbal communication? And Key’s was appalling in the debate. He looked like he had no patience with democratic process.
I quite liked this typo from Tim:
But Key kept is cool with a measured, clam performance.
Nice analogy – cold, hard, closed, slimy, lives in the darkness……
But seriously, for those who don’t already see through Key (yet), this debate won’t have changed anything imo. I don’t know how it’s even possible to penetrate the wall of lies, malicious innuendo, and misinformation that he puts up. To even seriously try in a debate like that would probably be counter-productive. I’ve never seen any politician use the strategy of telling so many lies, that meaningful discussion is impossible. It doesn’t seem like it should work. But sadly, it does, and did last night imo.
😆
Those people who see him as a “leader” will defend him no matter what he does.
Watkins: “It’s one of the things that a Prime Minister gains simply by going into work every day…”
lolz, since when has Key gone to work every day?
Pfft felix, he works 19 hours a day 7 days week, everyone knows that!
And does it all for free, donating all his miserly salary to a charity that he’s too modest to name!
Of course you saw a convincing win. You probably think Labour can win on Saturday.
Farrar was busy on Back Benches.
The TVNZ text poll favoured Key (about 2/3). I think most people will have seen what they wanted in the debate, I doubt it will have converted many votes.
Yes PG, that utterly scientific text poll was certainly a completely accurate representation of how NZ feels…
I don’t rate polls like that, I couldn’t be bothereds looking up the actual figures. I don’t know if text polls that cost have been analised, but people who respond could range from rich pricks who have money to waste to beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste.
Most voters don’t watch debates or follow politics, they vote based on hard to explain inclinations towards a party or a leader.
::but people who respond could range from rich pricks who have money to waste to beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste.””
Excuse me??
who the hell do you think you are?
this is why you are your stupid leader wont get back in
why dont you just give up trying and trolling and focus on getting a real job instead of this sort of crap
“…beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste…”
You mean like Double-Dipton and Summer-Holiday Hide?
…forgot to mention Warner Brothers and all the other corporate beneficiaries.
75c a text,
give up almost half a litre of milk to push the propoganda of a media company, i think not
Yep kept me quiet I got better things to but with my money like formula for my 6 month old.
ahem… Freudian slip in there somewhere Pete?
No, I was referring to two extremes.
Some rich people waste money. Some beneficiaries waste money (many don’t).
In my opinion anyone who participates in text polls is wasting their money.
As a beneficiary yourself Pete, do you consider your benefit to be “other people’s money”, or your own?
why have you added a qualifier Pete? you said ‘beneficiaries’, now its ‘some beneficiaries’
realising your ad hominem attacks are unwarranted and ignorant?
No, not that Pete… That’s not how you spell analysed…
No you werre not
I have facebooked this comment and it is now in the process of showing the Dunedin people exactly what you really stand for.
o the power of the Internet 🙂
Well, the polls probably haven’t but the people who text into them certainly have 😈
Ah, and the bene bashing comes out from the UF representative.
“Most voters don’t watch debates or follow politics, they vote based on hard to explain inclinations towards a party or a leader.”
Code words for “sensible people vote UF”, I guess.
“to beneficiaries who have other people’s money to waste.”
WTH? Bang went any remote chance of my ever voting for UF… You nasty POS… You have joined the list of people on whom I wish beneficiary status, along with the silly bitch I was arguing with yesterday on FB, the married ‘lady’ who thinks all women with children and a broken relationship should starve with their kids or work at what she called a “gas station”…
And yet National cheerleader Tacy Watkins, gives the debate to Goff…. well kinda… she first says Goff scored the “knock-out punch” when he dropped in the question about National secretely planning to cut police numbers. But in Watkins’ final line she calls it “an even match”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/campaign-trail/6023331/Goff-saves-best-till-last-in-TV-debates
National may win by a huge margin, but I just hope ACT and United Future are consigned to history…
Yes, that’s the consolation prize for this election.
Until they rebuild and start again A new party but the same old faces and backers.
PG, the Most common comment I read on the #leadersdebate & #oneness twitter feeds was you g people stating the poll was a farce cause none of them could afford or were prepared to spen the 75c to txt in. They seemed pretty clear in their belief that the poll played to the rich Nat supporters advantage.
But I keep forgetting, you like the nats are caught in that 19th century thinking…
Key’s body language was appalling. He rarely could look Goff in the eye and the dead eyes and downturned mouth when Goff was speaking was extremely defensive and closed. The hand wringing was also a sign of discomfort. Shifty and uncomfortable would how I’d describe Key.
And how many times did Key start his answers with “So, let me tell you what we’re doing” or similar? He’d learnt the script but where was the passion?
John Johannsen shamed Key on the STV lie – shame no-one picked him up on the others.
P.S. Clare Robinson’s face as JJ laid into Key was a beautiful television moment.
The post debate discussion was nonsensical, why did they bother, a 30 second sound bite was all they could fit it.
Yes it did seem strange to have the two commentators there only to give them a couple a minutes at the end but I guess the debate overran and they’re working within the constraints of commercial television.
Having said that, exposing Key telling porkies again and clarifying the problems with STV is far from non-sensical. More a very useful contribution to the democratic process.
They did have another go at 10:30 with a repeat of JJ indignation over Key/MMP v SM.
Don’t like the way though that JJ says that this election is really a setting up for 2014 saying that this one is lost for Labour. It ain’t over yet.
Anyone who recognised Key’s scolded petuant school boy act as “authority” has spent too much time in corporates. Those with organisational authority might behave like that, but it’s the behaviour of arrogant insecure two-faced liars and schemers. If any more proof was needed to see that Key has never intended to debate anything, last night was the grossest display. Key behaved like many people I’ve met professionally behave and that is the problem. They will see themselves and vote accordingly. This election may just be a measure of how far NZs people have become degraded.
Well said, uturn: I was astonished when I read that Key’s performance was seen as authoritative when what I mostly saw was the facial expression of the bitchy girl in one of those high school dramas. I am also interested in your suggestion that “This election may just be a measure of how far NZs people have become degraded.” Last night I watched Michael Sandel’s lecture on Rawls, which really showed up the limits of our current mode of debate. In such a small country, treating poverty & privation as something to we will get round to addressing when we can afford it rather than something immediate and compelling, is by itself evidence of degradation. Especially where it is accompanied by an enthusiastic interest in life-styles.
The real authority is John Armstrong. He saw John Key displaying gravitas! Bless my soul if I had one. Gravitas? John Key? Perhaps Armstrong writes in jest.
It’s Armstrong’s term for Key’s sullen face. He has no idea what gravitas actually means.
The idea that poverty is a concern only once we can afford it was also presented during the documentary on TV3 a few nights ago. It used 3/4 of the story to show what a mistake it is to interpret the economy as a thing which the people serve, rather than a by-product of the way people live, then promptly finished up by convincing viewers that solutions were all about saving money. Yep, seems that even when people stare the obvious in the face they have difficulty knowing what they’re looking at.
People have forgotten, and this is primarily the fault of the economists who have also forgotten, what the economy is and what it’s for. These days people see the economy as the movement of money and that it’s solely there to make a profit. Hence why the growth in GDP is seen as the be all, end all of the economy (increased movement of money), why we celebrate people who have lots of it (making a large profit), scorn those who don’t and then blame their circumstances upon them instead of questioning our socio-economic systems that actively create the poverty.
And so, we continue to claim growth at the hands of our GDP obcession, and ignore the Real economy, at our peril.
I still like Steve Keen’s line best, “economists don’t understand the economy, they understand A model of the economy”
That line Steve Keen is almost right. The bit that he got wrong is that economists don’t even have a model of the economy. What they have is a hypothesis of how they think the economy works (which they may or may not understand) that they’re not changing despite all the evidence that that is not how the economy works.
Nah, I think that’s exactly what he’s getting at, he says we may progress in economics, one funeral at a time. Their Model being their Hypothesis, or more specifically in my mind, their FAITH!
Have you all noticed this “so, let me just tell you” is how all Nats start each sentence, Nikki K was very pronounced with this on Backbenchers against Jacinda. All got the same coach eh!
Nah, Nikki has just been doing personal studies of John Key’s debate performances. Probably watches them two or three times a day to get the talking points down pat.
And Farrar has been very quiet like nothing for a few days on the Herald or Stuff. From what I saw of the debate last night Phil showed John up for the nasty psycopath he is. And now his police force have ‘collected all the evidence’ including the tea tape copies now how long for these to either go missing or get corrupted some how. I hope someone has a copy or 2 hidden away for insurance
What I saw was a very slimy sneering PM who had the slogans but not the actual coal face knowledge, Goff sucker lunched him on the police numbers issue and generally showed a much better grasp…. No surprises there.
Gluon finds a backbone on some issues finally and pinned Key down but too little to late methinks, just shows he can but never bothered till now.
Wouldnt a nat greens coalition with Act gone be fascinating, no asset sales and a toned down right wing approach…..bet they wouldn’t bleat about that but bang on about Winnie.
So what’s happened to this BIG story about Banks or Brash and the meth investigation?
What big story are you talking about?
Yep. I’m wondering about that one too Adrian. I think it is to do with… a drug investigation… a p lab… and a politician called John Banks who has been running an anti-drug campaign for years. The key word is “hypocrisy”.
So we have two police investigations we know of, where the police are being used (I assume willingly) in an effort to withhold information from the public that would do a lot of damage to the re-election chances of the National and ACT parties.
My estimation of the police has plummeted to an unprecedented level.
Ahh… so that was Banks.
Seems like The Sprout was teasing about the knowledge of the story but didn’t have the details or inclination to ‘leak’ it themselves.
Fuck how disgraceful… There is going to be riots when people get hold of all the info held back from them during this election… And just now on the news – the ACT ballot papers seem to be promoting National and ACT. How fast we have become a banana republic..
From the Telegraph this morning:
The FTSE 100 has fallen for eight consecutive days, shedding £104 billion from the value of the UK’s most valuable companies, as a disastrous auction of German 10-year bonds ignites contagion fears…
Wonder how much of Shonkeys portfolio looks risky? Does he really want to win an election? Could explain the missing Mr Niceguy persona.
John Key looking sheepish as people stare and point while he waits for is unemployment benefit interview.
Priceless.
“John Key looking sheepish as people stare and point while he waits for is unemployment benefit interview.”
Oh how wonderful that would be! (I had mine today, for my “re-application”, and discovered that they’ve changed the rules again (within the last 3-6 months, the WINZ woman said). It’s now a 3 stage process, with a week between each stage. That would be terrible for people who were starving… Luckily, I have saved the $$ I earned during the past 6 weeks…
If John Key ended up living here, in a boarding house maybe, and I spotted him at our ‘local’.. what a glorious mental picture!
This is how Rounini framed it succinctly on twitter…
“EZ in recession & even core sov bond markets seized; US investment & consumption down in Oct; China bus conditions at 32mt low.Perfect Storm”
Don Brash on RNZ trying to present himself as representing the left. Hilarious
Key is worried latte loving NZ will fall
apart when he fails to get re-elected.
Russia invasion plan uncovered, sell
our assets, banks to Australians so they
aren’t captured! Its the sensible thing to do.
Govt spending needs to come down, because the
private debt problem is so huge that shrinking
government debt will have some effect. Ding-Don,
it took Key three years to run it up, and
both parties say they will drop it back in no time,
so no wonder Key was downgraded when Don
says its a government debt problem.
Shit in shit out, NZ economy fails because
the right claim to competence on the economy
is never questioned by the media.
As a rule reporters place expensive microphones when politicians give speaches, and politicians and their handlers have a duty surely to return said property. As anyone who sits down in a cafe, the cleanliness, a clear empty table is a sign of a well run establishment. So reasonably, the PM would have known microphones were there, that he would be giving further speaches ‘after the chat’, and that reasonably any left over baggage remaining on the table should have been removed by him or his staff (if they also recognized the claim of privacy). The fact that the Police have been called, chills press freedom and is unjustice in my opinion. If Key is caught on camera looking at the package then he made a decision to not have it removed, that was consent in my opinion, as he would have been all to aware of the many miriad of packages left in his path (like background recorders to help the technicians to clean up the audio shit).
John Key was interviewed by Katherine on 9 to noon Yesterday. He seldom answered questions and rambled and hummed and hawed a lot. He is supposed to be the PM and have answers ready!
Phil Goff was interviewed by Katherine on 9 to noon today. He answered every question and placed hits on Key/National. He covered a lot of ground and packed in a huge amount of information. Most has been heard before but that is the nature of interviews at this time.
How come Name and mail have to be reentered for each comment?
they said the other day if you log in, it’s all good, and it is!
Thanks for, greatly appreciated 😎
and DTB nice to hear that there is an extreme load given what is at risk in a few days time. Best that people tick from an informed base.
Lynn had to turn off a couple of features so that the server could handle the present load. That was one of them.
I’ve asked that question as well, H. Apparently there is an issue somewhere, but I assume LP is a bit busy helping score the greatest upset in NZ political history to fix it. That’s fine by me!
Here is an interview I did with US War veteran and ex banker and senior editor of Veterans today Gordon Duff thanks to Vinny Eastwood, Auckland internet radio host:
http://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/interview-with-gordon-duff-from-veterans-today-about-john-key-and-what-he-will-do-to-new-zealand-for-his-banking-mates/
Thanks for doing this Travellerev. Bit of a coup I would say-congrats. Couldn’t hear the recording as my head phones just broke,blast, but I could see the value of your questioning from that one comment Gordon D. emailed you regarding “his tasking”, which sounds scarily ‘evil’.
So want the truth to come out about Key. I loathe lies.
He lost me when he seemed to say Angela Merkel was a communist.
On Election day are you allowed to blog or post on blogs about the election? or does that break some sort of electoral law.
Pretty much no. We turn all comments off.
This is a joke right? You cant mention the weather.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6023924/Weather-off-the-radar-on-Saturday
Unfortunately not, the country has gone full retard as it often does around elections.
An interesting thing about the weather, we just need to look out the window to see what it’s like. In contrast, we have no idea about how many people are voting on election day, and what way they are voting.
You can mention the weather but you can’t do so in relation to the election. You also cannot tweet about the election. Specifically, you can’t tweet in such a way as to look like you may be trying to influence the way anyone votes. I think blogs may be exempt but I can’t recall precisely – I suggest erring on the side of caution.
And that article is a load of bollocks. Report the weather and it’s forecast and then leave it to people to make up their own minds about when they go to the voting booth. They don’t need a weatherperson telling them.
You’re allowed to encourage people to vote, as long as it’s done in a non partisan way.
So it’s acceptable to say “all that sunny weather out there should help get people out to vote!”. But you’re not allowed to say “all that terrible rainy weather out there will be stopping people from voting”.
With the obsession about lies on here I thought you may be interested in another big lie – one from Phil Goff when he says that he said he knows of no other developed country that has GST on healthy food/fresh food and vegetables.
Well he must be lying becasue he’s obviously looked at the issue and missed the fact that plenty of countries tax food. Japan, one of our biggest trading partners and last time I looked a reasonably developed country, is like us in taxing food at the standard VAT rate.
Many do so at a reduced rate but they still tax it. http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/stat_vat.htm. only five countries -Australia, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom – apply a zero rate to certain food items.
If he didn’t actually know then it’s not a lie. Of course, he probably should have known and WTF is it about NZ that we constantly refer our decisions to what other countries do?
Just judging Goff by the low standard you and many other Standardistas have applied to Key. I wouldn’t go so far as saying his inability to accept he might be wrong on issues is a sign of sociopathy though.
Agreed on your latter point though. One of my big bugbears: ‘what will it do to our reputation?’ Answer: Sweet FA.
insider writes
Your worldtaxpayers site conveniently left out several states in the USA. California does not add on sales tax on many food items that a consumer purchases at a market.
Care to retract, insider?
California is not a country last time I looked, happy. Goff talked about countries, I listed countries, you went off on a tangent.
Totally correct “insider”
Just another example of Mr Goff ignoring the facts, and preferring a faulty [Towers?] sound-bite.
One has to wonder, is he fed this rubbish, or does he dream it up all on his own?
Either way, another fail.
Also a fail by MsM who seem assume their man is always right.
Certainly shades of Winstone, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good sound bite.
Good to hear Sean Plunkett take it to him this morning re Police intakes;
hopefully these false-hoods will lead the TV News at 6:00.
Another own goal by Labour.
This is proving to be an enjoyable election to-date; keep up the good work Labour.
Insider, from the debate link you quoted that Phil said…
“no other developed country in the world that I know of has a GST on healthy food like that”
From your own link (pre- the NZ 15% GST rate) it appears Phil is right – other countries don’t tax healthy food “like that”… i.e. as NZ does at the standard rate of 15% GST. Japan, for example taxes food at the full rate, but that rate is only 5%. Other countries that have higher GST on food than we do tax food at less than the usual rate.
So yeah other developed countries don’t tax healthy food as NZ does, at the standard rate, unless the standard rate is less than 15%. In the context of a debate it’s pretty hard to create a lie out of that statement.
BTW I find it interesting that our ‘pure’ GST system is the only one that lists an exemption for financial services. The neo-lib agenda-pushers have a lot to answer for.
if the weather is piss poor then its nationals fault.
vote labour.
This is the type of shit that keeps us from making rational decisions about the economy:-
It’s a big, long, rant that’s not based in any sort of logic, goes against the facts and some people actually agree with him. Thankfully more seem to be disagreeing with him.
I posted two comments but only one got past the moderators. The one linking to this post didn’t make it.
Ok, that post is now through. It just took few hours longer.
[lprent: Depends when one of us has a look at the queue. I suspect that I’m the same as the others. Queue checking happens when we have a break in our work. ]
Wasn’t talking about The Standard but the NZH. My second comment had got through the moderators before my first one (by several hours in fact) and so I had assumed that it had been binned. My reply to my comment was to acknowledge that it had now gone through.
This is way more helpful than anything else I’ve looked at.
Labour’s closing address. Get it on your networks, people!
Yes. Watched it VOR. Brilliant. On Facebook from lunchtime. Friday night TV.
Friendly yet full of past and future. Technically excellent production.
That’s a good ad. Not voting Labour myself, but I think many to my right (and that’s almost everyone unfortunately), would be given pause to think if they were to watch it right through.
Why did they leave this calibre advertising until the bitter end?
As I have pointed out many times, with what is on the horizon and about to hit in a matter of months (maybe weeks) whoever DOESN’T get the poisoned chalice will probably be happy.
‘The following are 17 quotes about the coming global financial collapse that will make your hair stand up….
#1 Credit Suisse’s Fixed Income Research unit: “We seem to have entered the last days of the euro as we currently know it. That doesn’t make a break-up very likely, but it does mean some extraordinary things will almost certainly need to happen – probably by mid-January – to prevent the progressive closure of all the euro zone sovereign bond markets, potentially accompanied by escalating runs on even the strongest banks.”
#2 Willem Buiter, chief economist at Citigroup: “Time is running out fast. I think we have maybe a few months — it could be weeks, it could be days — before there is a material risk of a fundamentally unnecessary default by a country like Spain or Italy which would be a financial catastrophe dragging the European banking system and North America with it.”
#3 Jim Reid of Deutsche Bank: “If you don’t think Merkel’s tone will change then our investment advice is to dig a hole in the ground and hide.”
#4 David Rosenberg, a senior economist at Gluskin Sheff in Toronto: “Lenders are finding it difficult to finance their day-to-day operations with short-term funding. This is a lot like 2008 but with more twists.”
#5 Christian Stracke, the head of credit research for Pimco: “This is just a repeat of what we saw in 2008, when everyone wanted to see toxic assets off the banks’ balance sheets”
#6 Paul Krugman of the New York Times: “At this point I’d guess soaring rates on Italian debt leading to a gigantic bank run, both because of solvency fears about Italian banks given a default and because of fear that Italy will end up leaving the euro. This then leads to emergency bank closing, and once that happens, a decision to drop the euro and install the new lira. Next stop, France.”
#7 Paul Hickey of Bespoke Investment Group: “More and more, we are hearing anecdotal comments from individual and professionals that this is the most difficult environment they have ever experienced as the market is like a fish flopping around after being taken out of the water.”
#8 Bob Janjuah of Nomura International: “Germany appears to be adamant that full political and fiscal integration over the next decade (nothing substantive will happen over the short term, in my view) is the only option, and ECB monetisation is no longer possible. I really think it is that clear and simple. And if I am wrong, and the ECB does a U-turn and agrees to unlimited monetisation, I will simply wait for the inevitable knee-jerk rally to fade before reloading my short risk positions. Even if Germany and the ECB somehow agree to unlimited monetisation I believe it will do nothing to fix the insolvency and lack of growth in the eurozone. It will just result in a major destruction of the ECB‟s balance sheet which will force an ECB recap. At that point, I think Germany and its northern partners would walk away. Markets always want short, sharp, simple solutions.”
#9 Dan Akerson, CEO of General Motors: “The ’08 recession, which was a credit bubble that manifested itself through primarily the real estate market, that was a serious stress….This is much more serious.”
#10 Francesco Garzarelli of Goldman Sachs: “Pressures on Euro area sovereign bond markets have progressively intensified and spread like a wildfire.”
#11 Jim Rogers: “In 2002 it was bad, in 2008 it was worse and 2012 or 2013 is going to be worse still – be careful”
#12 Dr. Pippa Malmgren, the President and founder of Principalis Asset Management who once worked in the White House as an adviser to President Bush: “Market forces are increasingly determining what the options are and foreclosing on options policymakers thought they had. One option which is now under discussion involves permitting a country to temporarily leave the Euro, return to its native currency, devalue, commit to returning to the Euro at a better debt to GDP ratio, a better exchange rate and a better growth trajectory and yet not sacrifice its EU membership. I would like to say for the record that this is precisely the thought process that I expected to evolve,but when I proposed this possibility back in 2009, and again in September 2010, I had a 100% response from clients and others that this was “impossible” and many felt it was “ridiculous”. They may be right but this is the current state of the discussion. The Handelsblatt in Germany has reported this conversation, but wrongly assumes that the country that will exit is Germany. I think that Germany will have to exit if the Southern European states do not. Germany’s preference is to stay in the Euro and have the others drop out. The problem has been the Germans could not convince the others to walk away. But, now, market pressures are forcing someone to leave. Germany is pushing for that someone to be Italy. They hope that this would be a one off exception, not to be repeated by any other country. Obviously, though, if Italy leaves the Euro and reverts to Lira then the markets will immediately and forcefully attack Spain, Portugal and even whatever is left of the already savaged Greeks. These countries will not be able to compete against a devalued Greece or Italy when it come to tourism or even infrastructure. But, the principal target will be France. The three largest French banks have roughly 450 billion Euros of exposure to Italian debt. So, further sovereign defaults are certainly inevitable, but that is true under any scenario. Growth and austerity will not do the trick, as ZeroHedge rightly points out. Ultimately, I will not be at all surprised to see Europe’s banking system shut for days while the losses and payments issues are worked out. People forget that the term “bank holiday” was invented in the 1930’s when the banks were shut for exactly the same reason.”
#13 Daniel Clifton, a policy strategist with Strategas Research Partners on the potential for more downgrades of U.S. debt: “We would expect further downgrades, a first downgrade from Moody’s and Fitch and possibly a second downgrade from S&P.”
#14 Warren Buffett on the problems in the eurozone: “The system as presently designed has revealed a major flaw. And that flaw won’t be corrected just by words. Europe will either have to come closer together or there will have to be some other rearrangement because this system is not working”
#15 David Kostin, equity strategist for Goldman Sachs: “The wide range of possible outcomes on both the super committee process and the unstable political economy in Europe drives our view that investors should assume the worst while hoping for the best.”
#16 Mark Mobius, the head of the emerging markets desk at Templeton Asset Management: “There is definitely going to be another financial crisis around the corner”
#17 Gerald Celente, founder of The Trends Research Institute: “The whole system is going down. Pull your money out your Fidelity account, your Scwhab accout, and your ETFs.”
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/17-quotes-about-the-coming-global-financial-collapse-that-will-make-your-hair-stand-up
Assuming the polls are not rigged, NZers will get the quality of non-leadership they ask for. And will pay the price.
[lprent: And that looks like nothing to do with the post you dumped it into. Moved to OpenMike. Don’t make a habit of this. Eventually I’ll just trash and ban. ]
I completely agree and had a similar conversation with my father only the other night. The “poisoned chalice” was exactly the conclusion we both came to. Thanks for your post, puts it all nicely (all-be-it scarily) into perspective.
Funny thing with Cassandras like AFKTT and myself is that we don’t always agree on the detail but pick the trends. Unlike yourself and your father most people are too frightened by what is coming down the track so they go into denial and ignore it. And vote to stay at the party.
This years election is a poison chalice big time, given we have a government (and a large chunk of the opposition) whose world view does not include:
1. Climate change.
2. Peak oil.
3. The great financial contagion that will make the Great Depression look like childs play.
4. The creeping corporatisation of the world that will result in a “New Order” reminiscent of a previous going by the same name.
I am going to vote BUT I suspect that within my lifetime that I will be voting for a very different set up that will replace the current (whose credibility and authority is questionable now and getting worse).
Good luck Saturday
I’m hoping for online voting with policies decided by referendum, resource use decided by vote and the total eradication of money.
Maybe the oncoming disaster is the reason that Key is so fearful and sullen?
Prediction time:
National 51.5%
Labour 27%
Greens 9%
NZ First 4.4%
Act 2.6%
Maori 2.5%
Mana 1%
Conservatives 1%
Other 1%
Probably have the Maori party a bit high.
Electorates:
Possible swing seats
Auckland Central – Nikki Kaye retains
Christchurch Central – Brendon Burns retains and higher vote than last time
Epsom – Banks takes it. Just.
Maungakiekie – Sam Paseta Lotu-Inga will take it far more easily than last time
New Plymouth – Young increases his lead from 2008
Ohariu – Dunne retains. National will take the seat in 2014
Otaki – Guy increases his lead from 2008
Palmerston North – Lees-Galloway narrowly loses his seat and likely to be out of parliament
Waimakariri – Cosgrove will lose the seat. Expect to see Labour and Cosgrove do very well in Kaiapoi but Rangiora and Christchurch suburbs turning out for National and Kate Wilkinson
Waitakere – Bennett retains
Wellington Central – Robertson increases his support from 2008 and this electorate will have highest turnout.
West-Coast Tasman – Auchinvole to just retain the seat and as I suspect O’Connor won’t contest again the seat should become more assured for National.
Decreased support for National
Bay of Plenty
Rangitikei
Rodney
Increased support for National
Botany
Clutha-Southland
Coromandel
East Coast (expect this electorate to be a possible swing in 2014)
East Coast Bays
Hamilton East
Hamilton West
Hunua
Ilam
Invercargill
Kaikoura
Napier
Nelson
North Shore
Northcote
Northland
Pakuranga
Papakura
Rangitata
Rotorua
Selwyn
Tamaki
Taranaki-King Country
Taupo
Wairarapa
Waitaki
Whanganui
Whangarei
Decreased support for Labour
Dunedin North
Dunedin South
Hutt South
Mana
Manukau East
Manurewa
Mt Albert
New Lynn
Port Hills
Rimutaka – Hipkins support will plummet but will retain
Increased support for Labour
Christchurch East
Mangere (Taito Philip Field split some of the vote there in 2008)
Mt Roskill
Rongotai
Wigram and Maori electorates
Wigram – Labour to take this easily. Am disappointed National has not even tried for this seat.
Hauraki-Waikato – Mahuta increases her lead from 2008
Ikaroa-Rawhiti – Horomia retains with slight increase.
Tamaki Makaurau – Sharples wins again but the lead from 2008 is down considerably
Te Tai Hauauru – Turia takes it again with lower support and this electorate reverts back to Labour in 2014
Te Tai Tokerua – Harawira retains. Davis will be gone from parliament
Te Tai Tonga – Labour will retake this seat from Katene
Waiariki – Te Ururoa Flavell just retains this seat with what may be the smallest lead in any electorate.
Your figures aren’t consistent gingercrush.
and?
and there’s therefore very little reason to read them. Or write them for that matter.
“Ohariu – Dunne retains. National will take the seat in 2014”
What’s that based on? The idea that UF voters will all choose to vote National next election?
Dunne only beat Chauvel by 1,006 votes in 2008 (down from a majority of 7,702 in 2005). It’s not going to take much of a swing Labour’s way to collect the seat, especially if those who voted for Dunne previously choose to vote National instead – that would likely leave room for Chauvel to slip through.
My fingers are crossed this happens this year, though. Not in 2014. We can live without another three years of Dunne blocking meaningful law reform with regard to the War On Drugs.
EDIT: Figures were wrong.
“My fingers are crossed this happens this year, though. Not in 2014. We can live without another three years of Dunne blocking meaningful law reform with regard to the War On Drugs.”
Even without National at the helm and UF gone-burgers, I don’t think there’s going to be sufficient apetite in parliament to make much progress on drugs.
National 51%
Labour 27%
Greens 9%
Maori 7%
NZfirst 3%
Act 1.5%
United 1 %
Mana .25%
Others .25%
Maori 7% and Mana 0.25%? You’re dreaming.
Meh, I’ll have a go to counter the utter bullshit above:
Nats 46%
Labour 34%
Greens 10%
Winston First 5%, just
United Future Gone
Act Gone
Conservatives 3%
Mana 2%
Maori 2%
Sookie:
Why the Maori party so low?
Because that’s what they’re polling?
Draco:
Yeash but she has Mana on the same, the Maori party will walk tasll and proud all over mana, because Mana is not really a party of Maori.
Conservatives at 3%?? We dont have that manyGlenn Becks do we??
Brett, the reason you’re confused is that everyone else is making predictions and you’re just saying what you’d like to see.
I think the polls are dodgy as they never count the undecided voters. And the Nats are getting quite shrill about votes being ‘crucial’ and bashing everyone in sight instead of being relaxed this week, so I expect they know something the TV poll munters don’t. And while I’m Greens all the way, some of their soft vote will go back to Aunty Labour on the day. Winston will get the pissed off grumpy git vote, there’s enough of those to get over the line. As for Maori, they’ll keep most of their seats but people see them as largely irrelevant for party vote, so 2% is about right.
Lanthanide:
haha. Bloody aussies.
Seriously, I think the maori party will do really well, people have a lot of respect for
them. Apart from Hone their party list is just extreme leftists, and I mean extreme, Skyes makes Bradford and Minto look like Bill Oreilly.
As a young New Zealander I think that the most important thing we can be doing this election is to vote for a zero carbon future.
Go to http://www.electwho.org.nz to find out what our politicians think about the number one issue that will affect our future.
Nga mihi nui
Lucy
The obsequious gargoyle Farrar currently on RNZ is a travesty of ‘balance’ and more importantly an illustration of tory media swamping. As is his presence at the Herald and Stuff, fer crissakes he already has blogs and research outlets. What next a mandatory ‘free’ 24hr feed to each household?
It was not coincidence that Bomber Bradbury was expunged before the election.
Go Whangaz! The Keyster abandoned his planned rally in Whanganui this arvo because he didn’t get enough arselicking from the locals. 300 turned up to Majestic square to tell him to piss off and he took the hint.
http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/key-heckled-goff-pressured-in-final-push-4568308
Excellent. ‘Megaphone man’ is obviously not on the endangered species list, unlike certain tory swine.
Ha! Always good to see the fear in the opponents eyes, eh. It was a homegrown turnout apparently, some Labour supporters with hoardings, but just too many locals who might ask awkward questions about job losses for Key’s liking. So off he beetled.
I see the driver got a bollocking for having the temerity to talk to the press. Open and transparent my hairy arse.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/campaign-trail/6029124/Keys-staff-gag-bus-driver
How it should be done
Good on the Netherlands government for doing this, passing policy that hasn’t been seen, never mind vetted, by the populace is undemocratic and needs to be expunged from our political system. Now, will government/parliament do the same or will it roll over and do what the US tells them to?
russell norman just said on radio new zealand that john key asked mathew hooton if he would google how much he would get for selling the states assets.
wow!
Just seen the news Tv1 and some old dude had a go @ Key about answering the question.and showing some respect,.
Key did a runner
Considering how many people would have been watching it
Apparently in Pram (Parapauaumu) he also copped it as well
Wanaganui – http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/key-heckled-goff-pressured-in-final-push-4568308
Key then twitted tweeted whatever–
He tweeted this afternoon that he arrived to a “warm welcome” in Bulls and Wanganui.
http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/key-heckled-goff-pressured-in-final-push-4568308
stop LYING
nothing worse than a liar Key
people have wizened up to you
good kiwi hiphop for those who have a short memory of the last forty years
dedicated to gosman 🙂
speak truth to power and you will be stronger for it
link not working.
try this one
– i know i know, always check the link after posting, sorry folks
http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/asset-sales-ombudsman-blocks-release-papers-4568271
what the hell?????
The public have a right to know
Here is my rough prediction for Saturday.
The Smile and Wave party won’t have enough party vote to rule alone.
% of party vote mid to high 40%
The Greens and Labour combined will sit in the mid 40s%.
Labour low 30s% and Greens low teens.
Banks loses Epsom and ACT exits parliament
Dunne loses Ohariu and exits parliament
Maori Party gets 2 to 3 MPs
Mana Party gets 2 to 3 MPs.
Winston back or close to being back.
Something like perhaps:
Smile and Wave 46%
Labour 32%
Greens 12%
Winston First 4%
Maori 2%
Mana 2%
ACT 1% (won’t matter as exited from parliament)
Conservatives 1%
Something weird has happened with Epsom’s voting papers. Apparently ACT’s and National’s voting areas are more prominent. I suspect this will get a lot more attention. New Zealand’s electoral system needs to be scrupulously fair.
And here it is …
http://www.3news.co.nz/Early-voter-says-forms-are-biased/tabid/367/articleID/233954/Default.aspx
I do not believe it. ACT and National get the benefit of an empty line after their party vote line. Their names are clearer and easier to ascertain and the extra space suggests that they are somehow better.
Perhaps they did not want to rub shoulders with the others and insisted on having more space.
But this is appalling. The form gives them an advantage.
What is going on?
I will calm down now. It is because of section 150 of the Electoral Act 1993. It is all Penny Bright and Matthew Goode’s fault ; )
This is beyond appaling, its utterly terrible, criminal and unjust. What in the fuck is going on??
Mea culpa Salsy. Someone hand me a tinfoil hat please …
Easily proven if this is an anomaly review past voting papers from various electorates and see if this is consistent if it is then accept that this is merely a coincidence, and if so then file it under yet another example of poor reporting by the media, and not a media organisation looking for retribution for the tea and scone episode.
None of that explanation offered by the very sincere official explains the need for selectively spaced variances in the ballot.
I watched his explanantion half a dozen times. I am confident we all understand that the way the list is presented on the ballot has random elements and we are willing to submit to the whimsy of chaos, freely giving benefit of the doubt as to how the final order eventuated.
I am sure that is not in dispute by anyone.
Why there are physical spaces only under the two Parties in question, has not been answered.
Yes it has? The candidates are listed in alphabetical order on the right. The box for the party then goes next to the candidate standing in that seat.
If the independents running (Penny Bright and Matthew Goode) had parties they would be listed in those gaps. Every other candidate has a party hence no other gaps.
Every ballot in the country is laid out in exactly the same way.
I just had a phone call from that fucker Key…automated message. Invading my privacy. Anybody know his number? I need to return the call.
I had an unexpected landline call and was afraid it was Jonkey, so I didn’t get up to answer.
Funny I had one today from Tim Groser. He was claiming credit for the New Lynn Train upgrade which is a bit of a hoot. David Cunliffe did all of the work on this. I hope Groser is paying for each call …
I got one of them this evening. Initially I thought somebody was taking the piss. Initial reaction was merely confirmed.
i heard there was also a bunch of areas called after the debate , who is paying for all this ?
Tel-tech can be pricey to run short term projects on
Is the Electoral Commission going to have a busy week ahead?
Got a Key robocall earlier this evening.
Maori party will do way better than people think, I think.
Maybe. But 7%. LOL.
A question for left-wing/Labour voters. Do you think Labour has focused too much on asset sales at the expense of Labour’s other policies?
Of course they have gingercrush, its all been about assets.
Brett, you’ve crossed to the other side! A question directed to left wing voters you have answered. Oh, Joy! Oh, Celebration! Kill the fatted calf! The prodigal has returned!
Predictions please. Someone asked me at work how best to split their votes tactically for labour, left, greens in Te tai Tonga to get the maximum impact. Any ideas?
They should give their electorate vote to the Labour candidate as the Labour candidate is in a fight with Rahui Katene for the seat. The party vote could be given to either the Greens or Labour depending which party they prefer. I don’t think it matters which of them gets given the vote.
They could vote the Mana party. With enough votes they may well bring in 1-2 other MPs beside Hone Harawira but there is a risk that Mana don’t get enough party votes for another MP and thus you could technically find the vote given to the National party. As wasted votes are given to those parties that have made it to parliament and distributed percentage wise.
There was a very good report on Checkpoint this evening about the abuse of urgency by the government.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/20111124
It was based on research conducted looking at use of urgency from FPP days to present (1987-2010). Urgency was used a lot under FPP, but declined between 1999-2008, and it was thought that MMP was a system that worked against such abuse. But since 2008 it has been used as much, if not more than FPP days.
Prof Elizabeth McLeay said that she had recommended changes to standing orders to prevent such abuses, but only some of the recommendatons are being implemented in the next term.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1111/S00137/study-shows-parliaments-urgency-provisions-often-abused.htm
The 2008 election campaign had NACT billboards and politicians decrying the volume of Kiwis crossing the ditch and the likes of Espiner hammered Labour over it.
Move forward to this evening on Jim-I’m-a-close-friend-of-The-Penguin-and-the-Right-Mora. Who did he have on? None other than Farrar and what were Farrar and Mora talking about? The natural movement of people out of NZ. And then to rub salt in, Farrar was given a couple of minutes at the end of the programme to explain his, and the PM’s, preference for voting systems and dissing MMP.
The November 22-23 survey finds parties with the following Definite Voter party vote shares:
Latest horizon poll
ACT New Zealand
2.7%
Conservative Party of New Zealand
5.2%
Green Party
12.4%
Labour Party
28.6%
Mana Party
2.8%
Maori Party
1.1%
National Party
33.4%
New Zealand First Party
10.8%
United Future
0.9%
Other party
0.7%
Choose not to vote
0.0%
Don’t Know
1.3%
The Miami Model, a frightening video detailing the paramilitary style of policing on display at Occupy sites across the globe.
Ahdaf Soueif in Cairo: ‘By early evening it was clear that this was Revolution II’
“Eat a good breakfast. Take a rucksack with a gas mask and swimming goggles. Write your name on your arm. Write your details into a message on your mobile. And go to the Square.” The tweet appeared after three of the (at least) 38 people killed in the streets of Egypt over the last three days proved impossible to identify. It was picked up by the well-respected Egyptian daily al-Shorouk and published to #Tahrirsupplies – the hashtag that collates what you can bring in to the square if you want to help.