No. He would like to see that investment shift from gobbling up existing homes ( some of which sit empty or have 1 student offspring in it) into new homes to create a more energised new home build market.
The Govt is also legislating against foreign ownership?
But in doing so (creating a more energised new home build market) it will be adding upward pressure, thus squeezing local buyers out. With the displacement resulting in the ripple effect.
Merely shifting demand and not ceasing it won’t prevent offshore investors gobbling up our land and homes. Albeit new ones.
Especially with limited tradesman to build more homes. If all this did was increase the numebr of homes being built great. i can’t see that happening and the price to build a new home will go up.
Allowing this upward pressure is a big mistake that will come back to haunt Labour.
It will clash with Kiwibuild.
I’d suggest they look at a form of tax as a disincentive to substantially slow this form of investment. It’s not the type of offshore investment we require.
Failing to get business leadership to harness common purpose for this country has the capacity to cripple this administration as it nearly did for the first term of Clark.
Seeing I don’t want a Depression or a Revolution, I think engaging with business
and not scaring the horses makes sense. They have a part to ply in our economy. / sarc
The breathless, sycophantic hagiography of Moir and Jenna Lynch on Newshub yesterday is sickening. They come across as National Party PR flunkies not journalists. I am not surprised but it emphasises yet again how poorly we are served by the MSM.
O’Sullivan’s piece on the other hand was worth reading.
You do wonder whether it’s a case of bias, but rather ignorance, laziness, bias and incompetence.
These people have been picked because they are cheap ad they get little journalistic training. They are obsessed with their own egos. They are in the entertainment business not news business.
They stand for nothing.
And more propaganda to be found in the Herald by Trevett.
55% of the voters in this country did not vote for the National Party.
About 70% of the adult population did not vote for the National Party.
Yet over 75% or more of the opinion pieces advocate for the right wing.
Stuart Nash has been the best MP for Napier since the 156-year-old electorate was red for all but 17 years since the first Labour MP was elected in 1922.
The only bad Labour MP Napier ever had was Russell Fairbrother who he shocked us all when he closed our Historic iconic Napier hospital and that cost labour the 2008 election.
Thank God we have re-secured Napier again as a labour strong hold.
James you have a long history of bad mouthing any other party except National, and on those grounds i have this comment here as a bad mouthing of Stuart Nash “figuratively” speaking.
We look forward to any statement from you that favours the current Government in future.
We do need to give the Labour coalition Governement a fair go, and a chance to succeed as we will all benefit from this.
To quote james;
“Shortly after, Labour MP Stuart Nash walked in trying to sell some bloody story about cops.
He looked shocked, almost offended at my face.”
“He would indulge in sexual touching while working on the set (Top of the Pops or Jim’ll Fix It) and, on at least one occasion, he was actually on camera.
“Savile would seize the opportunity for sexual contact even in public places such as corridors, staircases and canteens.”
….the honours committee advised then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher against recommending Savile for a knighthood because of public warning signs about the presenter, even if the BBC failed to see them. ….
“GROPERS” is presented by GroperWatch, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
More gropers. Collect the series!…
No.1 George Herbert Walker Bush; No. 2 Bill O’Reilly; No. 3 Al Franken; No. 4 Robin Brooke; No. 5 Lester Beck; No. 6 Arnold Schwarzenegger; No. 7 Joe Biden; No. 8 Rolf Harris; No. 9 Harold Bloom
Heh. While I really wish the Clintons would just go away and enjoy their millions away from the spotlight and we never hear from them again, I gotta admit this article makes some good points about the upsides of Hillary for 2020.
Fuckwits made up so much about her health last election, I’m amazed she’s still alive. She’d be the oldest president taking office if she won (record currently held by Trump). Put those two together, every time she clears her throat the fuckwits will be diagnosing terminal lung cancer.
Another Saturday, another confused story from John Roughan in the Herald. Seriously, does John “no will use the bus way” Roughan have a fucking clue?
I THINK his bewildering article, which starts with a sweeping anachronistic generalisation, makes an unsubstantiated assertion, creates a straw man based on a flat out wrong assumption of the past before making another tiresome declaration of the superiority of the market model is actually an inchoate attempt to address the issue of where we direct our tertiarty funding. But who knows with Roughan, the guy is a 1980s dinosaur with but a fleeting connection to the dynamics of New Zealand in 2017.
Seriously, why does the Herald cling to these old, out of touch op-ed writers? Surely they could find a young woman to write opinion pieces, or maybe an Asian bloke under 40? And surely they’d be more bracing and up to date in their views than have retreads who recycle the same predictable rubbish?
Just for the record, NZ Universities were always free, or practically free, before the government abandoned it’s core role in tertiary education. when Victoria College was established in 1899, its founding Act stated that the highest fee charged to students by the college was not to exceed the lowest fee set at any other college in New Zealand. Up until 1911, the fee set by Victoria was one and a half guineas (32 shillings, just over one and a half pounds), which was then doubled in 1912. This was when the an unskilled labourer earned on average 140 pounds a year. Based on the minimum wage that would make 1912 university fees about $1500 in todays money. Is Roughan really trying to claim the university funding system that existed before 1990s produced academically inferior universities? Because all the evidence points to the complete opposite.
Aging ideological halfwits like Roughan like to harrumph from their supposed rarified heights about the fake news and the like – but it is their obsession with ideology and their need to force every fact and every interpretation in that ideological lens, that laid the groudwork for todays fake news world.
Fuck off and retire Roughan. You’re a handbrake on the countries future.
You must be an extremely wealthy person.
Any one who can say, apparently with a straight face, that
“NZ Universities were always free, or practically free”
and follow it, a couple of lines later, that
“that would make 1912 university fees about $1500 in todays money”
is clearly a great deal better off than I am.
Are you seriously proposing the $1500 is a mere bagatelle and really not worth anything at all? Are you so rich that you consider $1500 indistinguishable from “free”?
I believe it was after WWII that tertiary education did become free. The time of the NZ,s and the West’s greatest growth and development. And then neo-liberalism got implemented around the world and things have downhill for them since.
Although, the inflation calculator says that today’s price for that one and a half pounds would be ~$250 and not $1500.
Any one who can say, apparently with a straight face, that
“NZ Universities were always free, or practically free”
Do you not recall the bursary system?.
There are, of course, various important conditions governing such matters as eligibility and tenure; for detailed information, reference should be made to the University Bursaries Regulations 1962. The following summary will, however, serve to illustrate the general purpose and nature of the bursaries.
1 Fees Bursary: This is, in general, available to all students who hold the University Entrance qualification or the Endorsed School Certificate. The bursary is tenable for the minimum period of time in which the student, pursuing his course full time, could complete that course. It provides for the payment of full tuition fees.
2 Fees and Allowances Bursary: This is available to students who have qualified for the Higher School Certificate. In addition, students who in their first year of tenure of a fees bursary have been credited with passes in three units of an arts or science degree or their equivalent may then become entitled to the fees and allowances bursary. The bursary provides for the payment of full tuition fees and a bursary allowance increasing from £40 in the first year to £100 in the fourth or any subsequent year. It is tenable for the minimum period required for the bachelor’s course.
3 Master’s Bursary: Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree course in not more than one year in excess of the minimum period and who wish to take a master’s degree may be awarded a master’s bursary for this purpose. The bursary is awarded for one year, with provision for extension. The value is the same as for the fourth and subsequent years of the fees and allowances bursary.
The tenure of all these bursaries is dependent on the continued satisfactory progress of the student bursar, and there is provision in the regulations referred to above for suspension, reinstatement, and termination of any bursary.
No, I hadn’t forgotten them.
I was a recipient of that largesse. However Sanctuary described the Universities as having always been near free and then quoted numbers from 1912 which didn’t look anything like that.
It was a great deal easier to do such things in the 50s and 60s. Vic had about 3,000 students when I was originally there and there were probably only about 15,000 in the whole country. A lot of the courses, law for example, were part time.
This appears to be a reply to me.
Can you tell me what the relevance of 1977 is and who you are talking about when you say “We will see who is right.”.
The government needs to make sweeping reforms to the media so apologists for the 1% like Lynch, Roughan, Hosking, Moir, Garner, Soper, du Plessis Allen, etc have 1% of the airtime.
Roughan only has a job because he says what the owner of NZME want the public of NZ to hear.
He is a tool for the 1%.
The owners of NZME
‘he JMAD New Zealand media ownership report 2016 observes that New Zealand media institutions are facing major changes in ownership and management, but it is not clear what combinations will eventually emerge.
For the first time in six years, New Zealand media companies are exclusively owned by financial institutions. ’
Leaving aside Roughan’s twitterings, it’s my personal observation that during the period in the 80’s NZ Universities went through the transition from ‘virtually free’ to ‘fee paying’ they began to become less attractive places.
Specifically academic staff could no longer treat students purely on merit, but had to incorporate some awareness that their own salaries were now linked in some manner to their ‘clients’ success.
That and the disaster that was ‘continuous assessment’ which greatly diminished the social and intellectual life of the place … has placed our Universities on a path of decreasing global value.
Having actually lived and worked in Russia for a short period I rather wish the West would grow out of this pointless Russophobia. Ordinary Russians are a fine people pretty much just like the rest of us.
As with China, with Russia there are different political and philosophical variants in play that we need to be intelligent and discriminating about engaging with. But ultimately the West is far better served by working towards rapprochement than a reflexive isolation.
Ordinary Russians are fine people, as are ordinary Chinese, most ordinary Americans, ordinary Indians etc.
But the elites that hold the levers of power are different, and they operate in different ways. Best not to be naive about how cunning and malicious they can be in service of their long term interests.
So far as I can tell, they operate the same way in every country: with a very high degree of impunity. Once again, ethnicity has nothing to do with it.
Looking at the two pieces by Lynch and Moir again it is the relentless one-sidedness of them that is so obvious.
There is no attempt at a balanced assessment of these potential National Party leaders. No hint of the stench of corruption that hangs around Collins, or Bridge’s politicking with 10 (no) bridges for Northland, Coleman’s incompetence, any evidence of what Kaye has actually achieved and so on.
Personally I don’t care who they choose as obviously I’m not impressed with any of them and out of that lot whomever they choose will make the government look better.
Lynch:
He (Bridges) had an aggressive start to this Parliamentary term, turning the House upside down and showing Labour who is boss on the opening day. The symbolism of the show of force he exerted by making the Government question its numbers while trying to do a procedural election of a Speaker is that he is ready to take them on.
Yep, we get it. As Ed says, you think Simon is amazing.
He’s had a succession of good jobs and none of his ministerial portfolios have caused him any grief.
They’ve caused us some grief though. Building largely pointless motorways and not investing in ways to build a sustainable transport system that’s not so harmful to the environment and get more huge trucks off our over-stressed roading system has been a successful approach.
He had a regular head-to-head slot with Jacinda Ardern on morning television in his early days, so he’s proven he can match her.
At what? Appearing on morning TV?
And ever since then, like the Crown prosecutor he is by trade, he is building a compelling case.
Was he any good?
Just 12 months later he’s found himself on the Opposition benches and has launched a series of blistering attacks on the new Government, whether in the House, through brutally worded press releases or by baiting Ministers on social media.
Beneath the Brylcreem exterior lurks a nasty piece of work (much like Key).
Judith Collins – Remains a total threat, performing incredibly in Opposition.
Really? Oh, I get it. Judith is amazing too.
Amy Adams – The former Justice Minister has already landed some solid strikes on the new Government and has been given portfolios that will continue to hit where it hurts – particularly Workplace Relations. Her move on Paid Parental Leave was a masterstroke.
Masterstroke? Or just empty posturing and duplicitious points-scoring?
Paula Bennett – The job seemed hers a while ago, but at the moment, the desire doesn’t seem to be there. She seems happy taking a back seat after losing the Deputy Prime Minister spot.
Wonder why?
Nikki Kaye – Represents the future and is National’s face of Auckland. She’s also beaten Jacinda Ardern twice in Auckland Central.
One is now the PM the other an opposition MP who doesn’t seem to have achieved much.
Steven Joyce – He rose rapidly through the ranks and has done pretty much everything but.
Done pretty much everything just not very well.
Moir:
The party says it wants English in the leadership and many are still sore about how much of the vote they won and it not being enough to keep them in Government.
So they are delusional and still don’t understand MMP then. Great credentials for party that wants to govern again.
Some have taken to Opposition like a duck to water with the likes of Nikki Kaye and Judith Collins barking at everything passing by them.
Like dogs chasing cars, that’s smart.
Kaye and Bridges have been tag teaming as they create chaos for Education Minister and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins and tertiary spokesman Paul Goldsmith, almost invisible in Government, seems to be basking in his newfound Opposition freedom.
Create chaos? Really? And Goldsmith was useless as a minister but good in opposition? Yep that’s the right way round.
Both Collins and Bridges are class acts in Opposition – they’re fast on their feet and they’ve both got a bit of pitbull in them.
Class acts? Seriously, Oriveda Collins? Pitbull? Collins maybe but Bridges seems more like a yappy little terrier, one of those brainless dogs that runs along a residential front fenceline yapping at you as you walk past.
Kaye is ambitious and can dine out on the fact she beat the hugely popular Ardern in the Auckland Central seat twice.
So what? How long will this keep getting trotted out?
Coleman wouldn’t have any qualms about giving it another crack but he’s going to have to school up fast on how Opposition works.
Pity he didn’t school up on being a minister. This is the guy that ran down our health system and was pretty much a disaster as health minister.
Then there’s Amy Adams. She’s smart – don’t forget she got given just about every portfolio there was in the last government, given how competent she is.
Maybe because the others were so useless but at least she didn’t drop the ball like so many of them.
Did Lynch ask Collins orBridges to ghost write the article for her?
Trevett’s article is ghastly too. These people cannot be called journalists.
We do not have a democratic media. We have one owned by financial institutions who have a message they want the NZ public to hear. And they own some willing narcissistic puppets ( Lynch, Moir, Hosking, Garner, Roughan, du Plessis-Allan, Soper, Street, Tame) happy to peddle their lies.
I agree these people are undermining democracy Ed. I get frustratef when if you criticise someone like Hosking for some rant on TV you are told that he’s entitled to his opinion and if you don’t like it then don’t watch/listen.
That would be valid if we had a healthy media presenting balanced points of view encouraging vigorous debate. But we don’t. We have a biased media following what seems to be an orchestrated plan to present information and opinion from a very narrow perspective with very specific messages.
And when the media is owned by interests who benefit from spreading those messages then I dont know how we reform it.
Having a viable, independent public broadcasting service would be a start.
We can’t ‘reform’ the media. Constitutionalism as we know it doesn’t allow that. What we do have are more and more sources of information about the things which touch us, and the opportunity to publicly lampoon. Those aghast at “social media” are lamenting their loss of control that’s all…….there’s no morality to it. It’s money/vainglory. Poor stressed darlings.
+++
A great line-by-line audit! What if TS started a regular page like this… like BLiP’s list, it could make an archive of what already looks and quacks like an orchestrated litany.
You mean the way they refer to whites as ‘European’? But of course, clearly in your eyes, only whites are racist.
Strangely enough, we refer to them as ‘Asian’ because they inhabit the continent of Asia.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[there was nothing in CV’s comment to suggest that he believes only whites are racist. Your supposition/accusation is exactly the kind of inflammatory comment that leads to reactionary threads. If you disagree with the points someone has made, then address those points. Don’t make shit up about what they are saying. – weka]
Way in the distant past I had a go at Fran O’Sullivan in very strong terms. Well time passes and we all change:
As Luxon said, “We will all get the country — the environment, the society and the economy — we all deserve.
“Building a sustainable and better New Zealand is a cause well worth putting all our collective efforts and energy behind as business leaders working together with government and community leaders.
“Fundamentally, business needs a strong society and society needs strong business. The two are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing.”
My truck purring when I found the radiator cap loose this had caused the bearing in the water pump to wear out and the temperature to spike I put black pepper in radiator to stop the bearing leaking and when I changed the water pump I found a hose clip on the bottom of the radiator lose it was finger tight
What the______. Now you people that are doing this shit why don’t you act like real Men and stop getting contracted lies whom are exactly like Frank Gallagher from the TV show Shamles who will say anything for there next drink and hit of pee real Men would arrested me and take me to court and try and confirm Your contracted lies To the hole WORLD. O THAT’S right I’m not human in your eyes Im just a Criminal Maori Iv got a good story that will piss the gisborne man off tomorrow. Kia kaha
The NZ media is totally owned by financial institutions.
This means that people relying on the NZ corporate media have no idea of what is going on in the world of economics.
They have no idea of the elite’s plan for the next financial crisis. Media and neo-liberal Governments are conspiring against their citizens in this.
The comeback of the last eight years is artificial. A crisis of even greater proportions is imminent.
Read James Rickards, Steve Keen and other independent economists.
Ignore the Herald and other media puppets of the finance industry.
Many thanks to Ngai Tahu IWI for choseing the right person for the job to lead there IWI into there bright and prosperous future who is a Maori Lady Lisa Tumahai Ka pai. My IWI have close historical ties to them and Maori always respect OUR Lady’s this changed with colonialism. Kia Kaha
I agree that there is only one race, the human race. But you say racism isn’t about race, a statement which I would imagine many people would dismiss as cloud cuckoo land stuff. (and who could blame them)
If as you stated you agree that having a shared understanding of what racism is is important and a good starting point, then perhaps you need to stop trying to change the definition that most people understand and know in order to have a definition that better suits your own opinions on racism, which are definitely not in line with the majority of people. (In my opinion)
So are you implying when you say it’s about culture and ethnicity, that a person can be a racist about a culture (amongst other things) rather than a race ??
So as an example. If I was to say that I believe female genital mutilation is a barbaric practice and I think those cultures within which such a thing is practiced should be made to abolish it. Certainly it should be made clear that it is forbidden in our country regardless of how ‘multi-cultural’ we are. Any culture which permits such a thing as far as I’m concerned is backward, uncivilized and needs to evolve.
Is that a racist statement?? (No)
By the way for those here that think Canada is a beacon of progressive success. They have their ‘multi-culturalism’ enshrined in law and according to Mr Trudeau, to criticize a culture for practicing female genital mutilation would be offensive to that culture and criminal because it is part of someone’s culture, therefore is beyond reproach and somehow acceptable. This s how warped ‘progressive’ (more like regressive) thinking is becoming. Any normal, caring, human being with any common sense would say that there are things about other cultures which are simply not acceptable in our civilized, secular, modern , ‘progressive’ society and would put their own culture ahead of that which practices such things, especially when it is that other culture coming to our country.
Dislike of, criticism of, or even complete disregard of any particular culture due to unacceptable (to any normal moral person) things, that are acceptable within that culture, are perfectly legitimate positions to take should a person choose to do so and they in no way mean that person is a racist. Not standing up for what is right for fear of offending someone or hurting their feelings about their cultural barbarity’s is a cowardly position to take.
“..it can also be unconscious…” I’ve heard this nonsense floating around, what an unbelievable claim to make. If this were true then how could anyone ever even know they were a racist, let alone stop being racist?? Maybe the ‘unconscious’ thought police could manage such a thing. Racism is something that requires conscious thought, decision making and/or action. If racism could be unconscious then for all we know, you, me and every person on the planet could be racist, it could be part of our DNA and none of us would even know it about ourselves.
(yes I know that there are tests which suggest such a phenomenon, but for every test there are plenty of experts who rubbish the methodologies and claims)
Regardless of what you think should or shouldn’t happen Weka, you can’t just redefine words to suit your worldview. The way some people throw around words like racist at pretty much anyone who brings up anything about the Chinese or Asians or any ‘non-white’ foreigners is a disgrace in my opinion. It simply cheapens the word, insults those victims of real racism and diminishes the seriousness of real racism. Some of the things you cry racism at are nothing of the sort.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been accused of making a racist statement for things such as simply stating an observable fact. ‘Racist’, ‘Nazi’, ‘Facist’, etc are all terms increasingly used to try and shut down discussions and debates when unable to make rational counter arguments.
It seems many people still, no matter how much information they are given, haven’t figured out why Trump won.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
“But you say racism isn’t about race, a statement which I would imagine many people would dismiss as cloud cuckoo land stuff. (and who could blame them)”
You’re on a progressive political blog. There’s an expectation here that people get themselves up to speed on political concepts. That race doesn’t exist but racism does is neither new nor unknown. It’s a common enough idea amongst the left irrespective of whether one agrees with it or not. As I’ve said elsewhere, semantics don’t serve us very well when dealing with racism in the real world. Better to work with concept and ideas that are being used by people in their lives.
I’m not trying to change the definition of racism, I’m sharing opinion based on the various definitions of racism that exist independent of me. I’m not making this stuff up. If you are unfamiliar with it I suggest googling racism 101.
The rest of your comment is pretty far off topic especially given you are basically denying the existence of systemic racism, which is in part what the post was about. So I’m moving this one to Open Mike.
What on earth does this mean?’There’s an expectation here that people get themselves up to speed on political concepts.’-concept
ˈkɒnsɛpt/Submit
noun
plural noun: concepts
an abstract idea.
“structuralism is a difficult concept”
synonyms: idea, notion, conception, abstraction, conceptualization; More
a plan or intention.
As one grey to another, thanks for this. Very informative and helped join some dots for me. There were some very relevant echoes to our situation and it reinforced that what we’re up against is a global issue.
Thanks Grey. I get good background and reliable info here, enough to keep me informed on what is actually happening, and reciprocate. I feel we all have to be grown up birds looking for our own fodder and fly from the comforting RW nest instead of sitting there with our beaks open waiting for propaganda birds to drop in morsels they regurgitate for the dependent flock.
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The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
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“Mr Twyford said the new regulations will still allow investment in new homes and he hopes the effect will repeat the Australian experience.
“He said in Australia a ban on existing home purchases, effectively channelled $30 billion of foreign investment into new homes.
“That’s a problem that we would love to have here,” he told RNZ.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/344083/twyford-not-worried-about-chinese-real-estate-promo
So Labour’s housing Minister would love to have offshore investors adding upward pressure in our new housing sector, thus squeezing local buyers out?
No. He would like to see that investment shift from gobbling up existing homes ( some of which sit empty or have 1 student offspring in it) into new homes to create a more energised new home build market.
The Govt is also legislating against foreign ownership?
But in doing so (creating a more energised new home build market) it will be adding upward pressure, thus squeezing local buyers out. With the displacement resulting in the ripple effect.
Merely shifting demand and not ceasing it won’t prevent offshore investors gobbling up our land and homes. Albeit new ones.
I agree TC. This tinkering still doesn’t address the problem of escalating prices, or accessibility of housing.
Especially with limited tradesman to build more homes. If all this did was increase the numebr of homes being built great. i can’t see that happening and the price to build a new home will go up.
Allowing this upward pressure is a big mistake that will come back to haunt Labour.
It will clash with Kiwibuild.
I’d suggest they look at a form of tax as a disincentive to substantially slow this form of investment. It’s not the type of offshore investment we require.
A hefty tax on ghost houses would likely be effective in reducing
Homelessness
Rental costs
House price inflation
House banking
Any threat to kiwibuild
And so it begins…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/99208027/bill-english-needs-to-be-more-visible-if-hes-serious-about-staying-on-as-leader
Over by Christmas?
English gone after gossip over the Xmas barbies-he’ll be out by February/March.
Adams/Bridges my pick.
Excellent post from Fran O’Sullivan critiquing the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for not engaging hard with business:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11947706
Failing to get business leadership to harness common purpose for this country has the capacity to cripple this administration as it nearly did for the first term of Clark.
Catering to business is what’s causing the problems that we have.
Seeing I don’t want a Depression or a Revolution, I think engaging with business
and not scaring the horses makes sense. They have a part to ply in our economy. / sarc
The breathless, sycophantic hagiography of Moir and Jenna Lynch on Newshub yesterday is sickening. They come across as National Party PR flunkies not journalists. I am not surprised but it emphasises yet again how poorly we are served by the MSM.
O’Sullivan’s piece on the other hand was worth reading.
Jo Moir really does love National MPS like Collins and Bridges. Wonder if she benefits from their hard right economic philosophies?
You do wonder whether it’s a case of bias, but rather ignorance, laziness, bias and incompetence.
These people have been picked because they are cheap ad they get little journalistic training. They are obsessed with their own egos. They are in the entertainment business not news business.
They stand for nothing.
And more propaganda to be found in the Herald by Trevett.
55% of the voters in this country did not vote for the National Party.
About 70% of the adult population did not vote for the National Party.
Yet over 75% or more of the opinion pieces advocate for the right wing.
Why?
Media ownership.
We need a democratic media.
I read the Jenna lynch gush piece. A shocker. I wonder who’s pocket she is in?
She’s had it in for Labour ever since Nash asked after her health one day.
After her heath ? Trying to rewrite history there muttonbird.
Shortly after, Labour MP Stuart Nash walked in trying to sell some bloody story about cops.
He looked shocked, almost offended at my face.
“Gosh, did you have a rough night?”
James;
Showing your right wing skirt again?
Stuart Nash has been the best MP for Napier since the 156-year-old electorate was red for all but 17 years since the first Labour MP was elected in 1922.
The only bad Labour MP Napier ever had was Russell Fairbrother who he shocked us all when he closed our Historic iconic Napier hospital and that cost labour the 2008 election.
Thank God we have re-secured Napier again as a labour strong hold.
Showing you lack of reading ability’s agaim.
Mutton said he asked about her health.
He didn’t he was commenting on her appearance for not wearing makeup.
I was pointing out mutton bird was telling lies. Nothing to do with anything else.
James you have a long history of bad mouthing any other party except National, and on those grounds i have this comment here as a bad mouthing of Stuart Nash “figuratively” speaking.
We look forward to any statement from you that favours the current Government in future.
We do need to give the Labour coalition Governement a fair go, and a chance to succeed as we will all benefit from this.
To quote james;
“Shortly after, Labour MP Stuart Nash walked in trying to sell some bloody story about cops.
He looked shocked, almost offended at my face.”
“Gosh, did you have a rough night?”
You are an idiot – thats not quoting me – thats quoting the woman that Nash offended by commenting on her looks for not wearing makeup to work.
Edit and Muttonbird is an enabler – as he lies and calls it asking about her health.
Don’t want to add clicks so won’t ask for link.
What was the gist of Lynch’s propaganda?
Just found it.
She thinks Bridges is amazing.
He is hard right.
Bridges is a lying twerp, and yes Ed he is far right, so much that he is a bloody human disgrace.
next National Party leadet then?
GROPERS
No. 10: Sir Jimmy Savile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yv4Nmrwtg4
“GROPERS” is presented by GroperWatch, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
More gropers. Collect the series!…
No.1 George Herbert Walker Bush; No. 2 Bill O’Reilly; No. 3 Al Franken; No. 4 Robin Brooke; No. 5 Lester Beck; No. 6 Arnold Schwarzenegger; No. 7 Joe Biden; No. 8 Rolf Harris; No. 9 Harold Bloom
Heh. While I really wish the Clintons would just go away and enjoy their millions away from the spotlight and we never hear from them again, I gotta admit this article makes some good points about the upsides of Hillary for 2020.
https://www.salon.com/2017/11/24/heres-your-leftover-turkey-the-case-for-hillary-clinton-2020/
I very much doubt Hillary will run in 2020.
Fuckwits made up so much about her health last election, I’m amazed she’s still alive. She’d be the oldest president taking office if she won (record currently held by Trump). Put those two together, every time she clears her throat the fuckwits will be diagnosing terminal lung cancer.
Another Saturday, another confused story from John Roughan in the Herald. Seriously, does John “no will use the bus way” Roughan have a fucking clue?
I THINK his bewildering article, which starts with a sweeping anachronistic generalisation, makes an unsubstantiated assertion, creates a straw man based on a flat out wrong assumption of the past before making another tiresome declaration of the superiority of the market model is actually an inchoate attempt to address the issue of where we direct our tertiarty funding. But who knows with Roughan, the guy is a 1980s dinosaur with but a fleeting connection to the dynamics of New Zealand in 2017.
Seriously, why does the Herald cling to these old, out of touch op-ed writers? Surely they could find a young woman to write opinion pieces, or maybe an Asian bloke under 40? And surely they’d be more bracing and up to date in their views than have retreads who recycle the same predictable rubbish?
Just for the record, NZ Universities were always free, or practically free, before the government abandoned it’s core role in tertiary education. when Victoria College was established in 1899, its founding Act stated that the highest fee charged to students by the college was not to exceed the lowest fee set at any other college in New Zealand. Up until 1911, the fee set by Victoria was one and a half guineas (32 shillings, just over one and a half pounds), which was then doubled in 1912. This was when the an unskilled labourer earned on average 140 pounds a year. Based on the minimum wage that would make 1912 university fees about $1500 in todays money. Is Roughan really trying to claim the university funding system that existed before 1990s produced academically inferior universities? Because all the evidence points to the complete opposite.
Aging ideological halfwits like Roughan like to harrumph from their supposed rarified heights about the fake news and the like – but it is their obsession with ideology and their need to force every fact and every interpretation in that ideological lens, that laid the groudwork for todays fake news world.
Fuck off and retire Roughan. You’re a handbrake on the countries future.
You must be an extremely wealthy person.
Any one who can say, apparently with a straight face, that
“NZ Universities were always free, or practically free”
and follow it, a couple of lines later, that
“that would make 1912 university fees about $1500 in todays money”
is clearly a great deal better off than I am.
Are you seriously proposing the $1500 is a mere bagatelle and really not worth anything at all? Are you so rich that you consider $1500 indistinguishable from “free”?
I believe it was after WWII that tertiary education did become free. The time of the NZ,s and the West’s greatest growth and development. And then neo-liberalism got implemented around the world and things have downhill for them since.
Although, the inflation calculator says that today’s price for that one and a half pounds would be ~$250 and not $1500.
Do you not recall the bursary system?.
There are, of course, various important conditions governing such matters as eligibility and tenure; for detailed information, reference should be made to the University Bursaries Regulations 1962. The following summary will, however, serve to illustrate the general purpose and nature of the bursaries.
1 Fees Bursary: This is, in general, available to all students who hold the University Entrance qualification or the Endorsed School Certificate. The bursary is tenable for the minimum period of time in which the student, pursuing his course full time, could complete that course. It provides for the payment of full tuition fees.
2 Fees and Allowances Bursary: This is available to students who have qualified for the Higher School Certificate. In addition, students who in their first year of tenure of a fees bursary have been credited with passes in three units of an arts or science degree or their equivalent may then become entitled to the fees and allowances bursary. The bursary provides for the payment of full tuition fees and a bursary allowance increasing from £40 in the first year to £100 in the fourth or any subsequent year. It is tenable for the minimum period required for the bachelor’s course.
3 Master’s Bursary: Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree course in not more than one year in excess of the minimum period and who wish to take a master’s degree may be awarded a master’s bursary for this purpose. The bursary is awarded for one year, with provision for extension. The value is the same as for the fourth and subsequent years of the fees and allowances bursary.
The tenure of all these bursaries is dependent on the continued satisfactory progress of the student bursar, and there is provision in the regulations referred to above for suspension, reinstatement, and termination of any bursary.
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:WNJsj67B9asJ:https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/education-special-aspects-scholarships-and-bursaries+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz&client=firefox-b
No, I hadn’t forgotten them.
I was a recipient of that largesse. However Sanctuary described the Universities as having always been near free and then quoted numbers from 1912 which didn’t look anything like that.
It was a great deal easier to do such things in the 50s and 60s. Vic had about 3,000 students when I was originally there and there were probably only about 15,000 in the whole country. A lot of the courses, law for example, were part time.
Because you didnt need to go to uni to get a job back then. Most white collar jobs and vocational situations had cadetships and inhouse training.
I would say that the destruction of entry level white collar jobs in this country is one of the greatest economic tragedies of the past 30 years.
I have asked Vic Uni for a schedule of all fees and charges from 1977 under the OIA. We will see who is right.
This appears to be a reply to me.
Can you tell me what the relevance of 1977 is and who you are talking about when you say “We will see who is right.”.
The government needs to make sweeping reforms to the media so apologists for the 1% like Lynch, Roughan, Hosking, Moir, Garner, Soper, du Plessis Allen, etc have 1% of the airtime.
Roughan only has a job because he says what the owner of NZME want the public of NZ to hear.
He is a tool for the 1%.
The owners of NZME
‘he JMAD New Zealand media ownership report 2016 observes that New Zealand media institutions are facing major changes in ownership and management, but it is not clear what combinations will eventually emerge.
For the first time in six years, New Zealand media companies are exclusively owned by financial institutions. ’
http://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/study-areas/communications/research/journalism,-media-and-democracy-research-centre/journalists-and-projects/new-zealand-media-ownership-report
Leaving aside Roughan’s twitterings, it’s my personal observation that during the period in the 80’s NZ Universities went through the transition from ‘virtually free’ to ‘fee paying’ they began to become less attractive places.
Specifically academic staff could no longer treat students purely on merit, but had to incorporate some awareness that their own salaries were now linked in some manner to their ‘clients’ success.
That and the disaster that was ‘continuous assessment’ which greatly diminished the social and intellectual life of the place … has placed our Universities on a path of decreasing global value.
PEEOTUS and the Kremlin: the start of a beautiful friendship.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842
Having actually lived and worked in Russia for a short period I rather wish the West would grow out of this pointless Russophobia. Ordinary Russians are a fine people pretty much just like the rest of us.
As with China, with Russia there are different political and philosophical variants in play that we need to be intelligent and discriminating about engaging with. But ultimately the West is far better served by working towards rapprochement than a reflexive isolation.
Ordinary Russians are fine people, as are ordinary Chinese, most ordinary Americans, ordinary Indians etc.
But the elites that hold the levers of power are different, and they operate in different ways. Best not to be naive about how cunning and malicious they can be in service of their long term interests.
+1
So far as I can tell, they operate the same way in every country: with a very high degree of impunity. Once again, ethnicity has nothing to do with it.
Looking at the two pieces by Lynch and Moir again it is the relentless one-sidedness of them that is so obvious.
There is no attempt at a balanced assessment of these potential National Party leaders. No hint of the stench of corruption that hangs around Collins, or Bridge’s politicking with 10 (no) bridges for Northland, Coleman’s incompetence, any evidence of what Kaye has actually achieved and so on.
Personally I don’t care who they choose as obviously I’m not impressed with any of them and out of that lot whomever they choose will make the government look better.
Lynch:
He (Bridges) had an aggressive start to this Parliamentary term, turning the House upside down and showing Labour who is boss on the opening day. The symbolism of the show of force he exerted by making the Government question its numbers while trying to do a procedural election of a Speaker is that he is ready to take them on.
Yep, we get it. As Ed says, you think Simon is amazing.
He’s had a succession of good jobs and none of his ministerial portfolios have caused him any grief.
They’ve caused us some grief though. Building largely pointless motorways and not investing in ways to build a sustainable transport system that’s not so harmful to the environment and get more huge trucks off our over-stressed roading system has been a successful approach.
He had a regular head-to-head slot with Jacinda Ardern on morning television in his early days, so he’s proven he can match her.
At what? Appearing on morning TV?
And ever since then, like the Crown prosecutor he is by trade, he is building a compelling case.
Was he any good?
Just 12 months later he’s found himself on the Opposition benches and has launched a series of blistering attacks on the new Government, whether in the House, through brutally worded press releases or by baiting Ministers on social media.
Beneath the Brylcreem exterior lurks a nasty piece of work (much like Key).
Judith Collins – Remains a total threat, performing incredibly in Opposition.
Really? Oh, I get it. Judith is amazing too.
Amy Adams – The former Justice Minister has already landed some solid strikes on the new Government and has been given portfolios that will continue to hit where it hurts – particularly Workplace Relations. Her move on Paid Parental Leave was a masterstroke.
Masterstroke? Or just empty posturing and duplicitious points-scoring?
Paula Bennett – The job seemed hers a while ago, but at the moment, the desire doesn’t seem to be there. She seems happy taking a back seat after losing the Deputy Prime Minister spot.
Wonder why?
Nikki Kaye – Represents the future and is National’s face of Auckland. She’s also beaten Jacinda Ardern twice in Auckland Central.
One is now the PM the other an opposition MP who doesn’t seem to have achieved much.
Steven Joyce – He rose rapidly through the ranks and has done pretty much everything but.
Done pretty much everything just not very well.
Moir:
The party says it wants English in the leadership and many are still sore about how much of the vote they won and it not being enough to keep them in Government.
So they are delusional and still don’t understand MMP then. Great credentials for party that wants to govern again.
Some have taken to Opposition like a duck to water with the likes of Nikki Kaye and Judith Collins barking at everything passing by them.
Like dogs chasing cars, that’s smart.
Kaye and Bridges have been tag teaming as they create chaos for Education Minister and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins and tertiary spokesman Paul Goldsmith, almost invisible in Government, seems to be basking in his newfound Opposition freedom.
Create chaos? Really? And Goldsmith was useless as a minister but good in opposition? Yep that’s the right way round.
Both Collins and Bridges are class acts in Opposition – they’re fast on their feet and they’ve both got a bit of pitbull in them.
Class acts? Seriously, Oriveda Collins? Pitbull? Collins maybe but Bridges seems more like a yappy little terrier, one of those brainless dogs that runs along a residential front fenceline yapping at you as you walk past.
Kaye is ambitious and can dine out on the fact she beat the hugely popular Ardern in the Auckland Central seat twice.
So what? How long will this keep getting trotted out?
Coleman wouldn’t have any qualms about giving it another crack but he’s going to have to school up fast on how Opposition works.
Pity he didn’t school up on being a minister. This is the guy that ran down our health system and was pretty much a disaster as health minister.
Then there’s Amy Adams. She’s smart – don’t forget she got given just about every portfolio there was in the last government, given how competent she is.
Maybe because the others were so useless but at least she didn’t drop the ball like so many of them.
She’s not an obvious leader …
Bit like English then.
Did Lynch ask Collins orBridges to ghost write the article for her?
Trevett’s article is ghastly too. These people cannot be called journalists.
We do not have a democratic media. We have one owned by financial institutions who have a message they want the NZ public to hear. And they own some willing narcissistic puppets ( Lynch, Moir, Hosking, Garner, Roughan, du Plessis-Allan, Soper, Street, Tame) happy to peddle their lies.
Reform the media.
I agree these people are undermining democracy Ed. I get frustratef when if you criticise someone like Hosking for some rant on TV you are told that he’s entitled to his opinion and if you don’t like it then don’t watch/listen.
That would be valid if we had a healthy media presenting balanced points of view encouraging vigorous debate. But we don’t. We have a biased media following what seems to be an orchestrated plan to present information and opinion from a very narrow perspective with very specific messages.
And when the media is owned by interests who benefit from spreading those messages then I dont know how we reform it.
Having a viable, independent public broadcasting service would be a start.
.
We can’t ‘reform’ the media. Constitutionalism as we know it doesn’t allow that. What we do have are more and more sources of information about the things which touch us, and the opportunity to publicly lampoon. Those aghast at “social media” are lamenting their loss of control that’s all…….there’s no morality to it. It’s money/vainglory. Poor stressed darlings.
+++
A great line-by-line audit! What if TS started a regular page like this… like BLiP’s list, it could make an archive of what already looks and quacks like an orchestrated litany.
You mean the way they refer to whites as ‘European’? But of course, clearly in your eyes, only whites are racist.
Strangely enough, we refer to them as ‘Asian’ because they inhabit the continent of Asia.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[there was nothing in CV’s comment to suggest that he believes only whites are racist. Your supposition/accusation is exactly the kind of inflammatory comment that leads to reactionary threads. If you disagree with the points someone has made, then address those points. Don’t make shit up about what they are saying. – weka]
You happy being called an Australasian? In fact, have you ever been called one once, twice, more?? Do tell.
Can you explain the circumstances where being white has resulted in your being discriminated or oppressed?
Way in the distant past I had a go at Fran O’Sullivan in very strong terms. Well time passes and we all change:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11947706
While I’m sure Luxon and I might quibble the shadings and weightings; this is a starting point the left could surely work with.
Biggest,beat up non story for years.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
My truck purring when I found the radiator cap loose this had caused the bearing in the water pump to wear out and the temperature to spike I put black pepper in radiator to stop the bearing leaking and when I changed the water pump I found a hose clip on the bottom of the radiator lose it was finger tight
What the______. Now you people that are doing this shit why don’t you act like real Men and stop getting contracted lies whom are exactly like Frank Gallagher from the TV show Shamles who will say anything for there next drink and hit of pee real Men would arrested me and take me to court and try and confirm Your contracted lies To the hole WORLD. O THAT’S right I’m not human in your eyes Im just a Criminal Maori Iv got a good story that will piss the gisborne man off tomorrow. Kia kaha
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/true-syrian-picture-may-not-be-painted-media
From October 2012
What level of deceit is exerted throughout NZ media, and indeed [name the country] using a facade of NGO’s, and other foreign funded entities…
Observing NZ media across the spectrum, it looks as though interference is close to 100%
The NZ media is totally owned by financial institutions.
This means that people relying on the NZ corporate media have no idea of what is going on in the world of economics.
They have no idea of the elite’s plan for the next financial crisis. Media and neo-liberal Governments are conspiring against their citizens in this.
The comeback of the last eight years is artificial. A crisis of even greater proportions is imminent.
Read James Rickards, Steve Keen and other independent economists.
Ignore the Herald and other media puppets of the finance industry.
Become informed.
+1
Also, I don’t read any of that shit and refuse to watch TV, NZ TV that is, and do read Steve Keen.
Is this China’s Civic Creche moment?
Or is it just Fairfax media having another one?
Many thanks to Ngai Tahu IWI for choseing the right person for the job to lead there IWI into there bright and prosperous future who is a Maori Lady Lisa Tumahai Ka pai. My IWI have close historical ties to them and Maori always respect OUR Lady’s this changed with colonialism. Kia Kaha
Yet an awful lot of people prefer to ignore what they know.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/934190255753674752
I agree that there is only one race, the human race. But you say racism isn’t about race, a statement which I would imagine many people would dismiss as cloud cuckoo land stuff. (and who could blame them)
If as you stated you agree that having a shared understanding of what racism is is important and a good starting point, then perhaps you need to stop trying to change the definition that most people understand and know in order to have a definition that better suits your own opinions on racism, which are definitely not in line with the majority of people. (In my opinion)
So are you implying when you say it’s about culture and ethnicity, that a person can be a racist about a culture (amongst other things) rather than a race ??
So as an example. If I was to say that I believe female genital mutilation is a barbaric practice and I think those cultures within which such a thing is practiced should be made to abolish it. Certainly it should be made clear that it is forbidden in our country regardless of how ‘multi-cultural’ we are. Any culture which permits such a thing as far as I’m concerned is backward, uncivilized and needs to evolve.
Is that a racist statement?? (No)
By the way for those here that think Canada is a beacon of progressive success. They have their ‘multi-culturalism’ enshrined in law and according to Mr Trudeau, to criticize a culture for practicing female genital mutilation would be offensive to that culture and criminal because it is part of someone’s culture, therefore is beyond reproach and somehow acceptable. This s how warped ‘progressive’ (more like regressive) thinking is becoming. Any normal, caring, human being with any common sense would say that there are things about other cultures which are simply not acceptable in our civilized, secular, modern , ‘progressive’ society and would put their own culture ahead of that which practices such things, especially when it is that other culture coming to our country.
Dislike of, criticism of, or even complete disregard of any particular culture due to unacceptable (to any normal moral person) things, that are acceptable within that culture, are perfectly legitimate positions to take should a person choose to do so and they in no way mean that person is a racist. Not standing up for what is right for fear of offending someone or hurting their feelings about their cultural barbarity’s is a cowardly position to take.
“..it can also be unconscious…” I’ve heard this nonsense floating around, what an unbelievable claim to make. If this were true then how could anyone ever even know they were a racist, let alone stop being racist?? Maybe the ‘unconscious’ thought police could manage such a thing. Racism is something that requires conscious thought, decision making and/or action. If racism could be unconscious then for all we know, you, me and every person on the planet could be racist, it could be part of our DNA and none of us would even know it about ourselves.
(yes I know that there are tests which suggest such a phenomenon, but for every test there are plenty of experts who rubbish the methodologies and claims)
Regardless of what you think should or shouldn’t happen Weka, you can’t just redefine words to suit your worldview. The way some people throw around words like racist at pretty much anyone who brings up anything about the Chinese or Asians or any ‘non-white’ foreigners is a disgrace in my opinion. It simply cheapens the word, insults those victims of real racism and diminishes the seriousness of real racism. Some of the things you cry racism at are nothing of the sort.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been accused of making a racist statement for things such as simply stating an observable fact. ‘Racist’, ‘Nazi’, ‘Facist’, etc are all terms increasingly used to try and shut down discussions and debates when unable to make rational counter arguments.
It seems many people still, no matter how much information they are given, haven’t figured out why Trump won.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
“But you say racism isn’t about race, a statement which I would imagine many people would dismiss as cloud cuckoo land stuff. (and who could blame them)”
You’re on a progressive political blog. There’s an expectation here that people get themselves up to speed on political concepts. That race doesn’t exist but racism does is neither new nor unknown. It’s a common enough idea amongst the left irrespective of whether one agrees with it or not. As I’ve said elsewhere, semantics don’t serve us very well when dealing with racism in the real world. Better to work with concept and ideas that are being used by people in their lives.
I’m not trying to change the definition of racism, I’m sharing opinion based on the various definitions of racism that exist independent of me. I’m not making this stuff up. If you are unfamiliar with it I suggest googling racism 101.
The rest of your comment is pretty far off topic especially given you are basically denying the existence of systemic racism, which is in part what the post was about. So I’m moving this one to Open Mike.
What on earth does this mean?’There’s an expectation here that people get themselves up to speed on political concepts.’-concept
ˈkɒnsɛpt/Submit
noun
plural noun: concepts
an abstract idea.
“structuralism is a difficult concept”
synonyms: idea, notion, conception, abstraction, conceptualization; More
a plan or intention.
USA Trump etc – trying to make sense about it.
Thomas Frank – Listen Liberal
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZbzsSzu7rQ 9m44s
and
What to Make of the Age of Trump by Thomas Frank
1.32.22
As one grey to another, thanks for this. Very informative and helped join some dots for me. There were some very relevant echoes to our situation and it reinforced that what we’re up against is a global issue.
Thanks Grey. I get good background and reliable info here, enough to keep me informed on what is actually happening, and reciprocate. I feel we all have to be grown up birds looking for our own fodder and fly from the comforting RW nest instead of sitting there with our beaks open waiting for propaganda birds to drop in morsels they regurgitate for the dependent flock.