“Shane Jones’ partner, Dot Pumipi, says the MP’s greatest fear in making the decision to resign was that his phone would stop ringing and he would get withdrawal symptoms from the sudden lack of attention.”
And this question says so much about the quality of journalism in 2014 New Zealand.
“Asked whether she was to Mr Jones’ career what Yoko Ono was to John Lennon’s, she laughed and said she had told him she’d support him whatever he did.”
Oh well, if Shane isn’t challenging the supermarkets, its o.k. To shop there again.
Doesn’t matter if nothing about their practices has actually changed or not.
“She said there was a further upside to his decision: “I can go back to Countdown.””
How exactly is that narcissim, im sure that would be a natural reaction for most people leaving a high profile job, how about instead of crying on here you go read Claire Trevetts article r.e Jones and the Toxic Greens not only is it highly accurate you might actually learn something about the man you have dedicated 5 posts to this morning
What you will not hear is the evidence he possessed on the supermarkets which has vanished along with what little credibility he had with all those working class folks the jonolists allege he was looking out for.
Well played national and progressive but it’s a double edged sword especially when meddling McCully is involved.
When is Claire Trevell going move jobs to the print media she is most suited to? I.e., for the Women’s Weekly. Apologies to the Woman’s Weekly. Claire with her puff pieces really belongs with the WW, not as the Deputy Political Editor of the country major newspaper.
I think her content is entirely in keeping with the trivial propaganda sheet that the Herald has become in the past few years. It’s always been a right wing rag, but recently it has descended further into a tabloid telling tales of celebrities and sport.
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
“When your kids are swimming ……you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.”
Does that mean that the Greens now think its okay for non-profit making companies to dump toxic waste into our rivers……?
Why are the Greens so upset that some companies make profits?
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
Did you used to swim in the river when you were a kid? Why do you want to deprive kids today of what you had?
If you go to the back country the rivers are pristine. Plus most kids swim in aquatic centres and urban pools. How about some cost-benefit analysis of what you are proposing?
Srylands knows of all of this, I sense.
Comments made to be provocative in the way some kids do whose social skills have a way to go.
He craves attention.
You have no problem with cattle shit and other toxins being dumped into the rivers?
Would you advocate the nuclear power possessing countries to dump their spent nuclear wastes into their water ways? It is cheaper!
“How exactly is that narcissim, im sure that would be a natural reaction for most people leaving a high profile job, how about instead of crying on here you go read Claire Trevetts article r.e Jones and the Toxic Greens not only is it highly accurate you might actually learn something about the man you have dedicated 5 posts to this morning”
Of course Trevett didn’t even impy that the GP was toxic. She did report that the reasons Jones was leaving were because he wasn’t going to be PM or Finance Minister, and he could earn more money in another job. So yes, thank-you, I have learned something about the man – that he is self-centred and self-serving (which makes for a shitty MP).
When is Claire Trevell going move jobs to the print media she is most suited to? I.e., for the Women’s Weekly. Apologies to the Woman’s Weekly, nothing too much wrong there. Claire with her puff pieces really belongs with you, not as the Deputy Political Editor of the country major newspaper.
The right wing contributors on this site rant and rave about how the Greens will destroy NZ’s economy.
I’d be more worried by the present jokers remaining in power.
Gradually indebting the country to foreign interests.
And yet pr, BM, fisiani and others slavishly support them.
Pathetic, really.
“Government debt has reached $60 billion, having climbed $27 million a day since John Key became prime minister – and forecasts show it will rise for years to come.
Despite tax revenue being higher than expected and expenses lower in recent months, Treasury figures show net Crown debt reached the highest yet at $60,015,000,000 at the end of September.
It already equates to 28 per cent of New Zealand’s economic output, is more than $13,000 for every person in New Zealand and is forecast to climb by another $10b by 2017.
When National took control of the Beehive in 2008, debt was just over $10b.”
..it’s been so long since i’ve done/dismissed them..
..i really can’t see the point of all those bullshit capital letters/sentence-structures/paragraphs..etc..
..they seem as archaic/arcane as all those swirls/whorls from previous superseded versions of the ‘right’ way to write..why don’t you still do/bend the knee to them..?
..and despite yr last line..
..i now find my way ‘clearer’/easier to read/more flowing…..
All those ‘arcane swirls/whorls’ you are so dismissive of are an extra layer of texture and context for your readers.
You may know exactly what you intend to say phil – in your own head. But you depend on all these written symbols to convey that meaning to your readers.
By ignoring the textural conventions that most people are familiar with you make it harder for us to decode your meaning. Quite necessarily so. It’s directly analogous to someone whose verbal speech is mumbled and mangled.
After a while people get the sense that you just can’t be bothered respecting your readers enough to communicate clearly. And they just stop reading.
I write using conventional grammar and sentence structure that other people are familiar with.
I make some effort to clean it up before I hit ‘submit’ and quite frequently go back to edit out mistakes as well. I do this out of respect for other people who may chose to read me.
By contrast your ‘stream of consciousness’ style makes no such effort. It stinks of an ‘all about me’ attitude.
But if your best argument is to dismissively invite us all to ‘scroll on by’, would it then be logical to save pixels by simply deleting all your posts ?
Because when you choose to write in a lazy, disrespectful style that few people can be bothered reading, it’s the equivalent of self-censoring mumbling. Yet oddly enough censorship is one thing that gets you very agitated.
+1 Deliberately makes his communication harder to understand (as a point of vanity as far as I can tell), and then expects everyone else to make extra effort to make sense of what he is saying. Then has the gall to tell other people that they don’t know whether something is garbled or not to them. It’s all about phil.
Lolz…Phillip…understands His…Babble…every word…even the … …some obscure poet… long ago…penned a few poems…in the same lack of style…don’t you know…its Phill’s ‘art’…
Just makes it harder to follow.
As long as Phil realise that and doesn’t mind, that’s ok.
At least his comments don’t swamp this site with monotony – in the form of Pete g.
pretty much the same here, unless a meaningful phrase jumps out. Those are few and far between. Often read the people who argue with him, though, just to get a gist of what’s going on.
People who are too prosaic miss a lot that can be learned from poetry and the non literal and the non verbal and the aesthetic and the psychic and the mystical and the allusional….(helped occasionally with a little you know what)
…in other words the glasses and focus of Yang Scientism and literalism has brought about an ecological crisis…the world is too Yang and unbalanced…….in the mind and spirit…. …lol…lol ( and dont eat the little critters or you will have a bad reincarnation)
@ Phil ….
let’s pretend NuZulls a cumpinny en Jawnkey’s running it!
Please don’t ask = its probably on the agenda already!
.
There’s already a hijeckd meedya masquerading as a 4th Estate that’s too lazy to get off its arse and delve into his years as the “smoilung asessun” working in Ayezzzha!.
Most of them, whilst goan beart their daily buzzniss, couldin unna Sten the goi. They did when skeweritty garz were loinung up ta scort thin off the premizzizz
Watch and wait Phull
Their lazinusses are really going to claim integrity in Jonolustuk velyas when the shut hitsth fen. Watch em all…. even the ones fresh from Media Studies papuzz en gradjatshum hired by 3 (based on essays and Lecturers pets, that were completely and utterly plagiarised and/or written for them).
(Btw …. As a former tutor, I’m still trying to understand why a decent enough lecturer/researcher – and a hierarchy that was fairly on to it – could fail to see the bleeding obvious) – but there ya go – bay-sick-ly tik-a-box commercialoizayshun of the tertiary sektah – of which there’s a Heck Yea and a choyce-Jorrrrrse leading the charge).
[….Phil, and perhaps Rhino: watch tonights “tree Newz” – did I hear Nukki kay say something like “biggerings” relating to the Chinese ban on infant formyilla?. I think oi dud – but maybe not – it’s hard to woch the likes of Nukki sometimes. “What I would say – is ….. me mate Nafe Goi hes been skolling me and praviding me with ‘learnings’ of the subjek]
Sometimes I really wonder why the trolls keep it up – but we can rest assured they’ll be the first to squeal like stuffed pigs when it all happens (if it happens, though I’m not that confident given how long its taken thus far to realoise the Empra hes nah closthes) ….. but I reckon they’ve allowed their inflated egos to get in the way of logic.
It’s all a but like Fairfecks subbies; ‘Hubs’; destruction of that 4th as a konsquince of what’s deemed to be corporate sense; a misunderstanding of journalistic values (kind of like that new slogan “Miss Selling”); make me a star ….. you get the idea.
Anyway – this is turning into a bit of a rave.
Preps oi shid jess get Pedey Jorge to go do sim Fek Chuckin.
The con-machine sure as hell is working overtime this week though!
….. Oh – btw Phil – should I call you Phil or Phylis? Bad 12 calls you that often, and baby …. I jisss lerv BOTH yer work! :p
But, but, but, its the RockStar economy don’t you know, by the time the IMF gets in on the act there will be little left to sell off and the real fun will have begun…
b12
It’s not Rockstar..with yet another NZ company dismissing 79 workers in Dunedin it’s more of a Wagnerian economy, but who in Epsom or Helensville gives a hoot about those sawmillers down there.
Anzac Day. Red poppies everywhere. Whichever muppet decided to give a white poppy equal prominence on the banner headline above has a viewpoint that is not shared by the majority. Fair enough. Your decision. A picture is worth more than a thousand words.
[lprent: probably the difference between this who have actually served in the army like myself and the idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism. ]
I don’t think I ever met so many fervent believers in peace in civilian life as I did inside the army. Due to the range clearing philosophy at Waiouru when I did my training, I rapidly became a believer myself.
A friendly advice for you : Whatever war you support, make sure you don’t say anything against uncle Tom anymore unless you wish for a drone to hover over your head. The price of freedom, justice and fair play. Collateral damage justified by lies and spin.
Uncle Tom???, you are thinking of ”Uncle Sam” are you not, the same ”Uncle Sam” that is now dropping US troops in to places like Poland and the Ukraine in the hope? that the pro-Russian militias will find cause to harm some of them perhaps…
“old ex-soldiers tend to be somewhat more reflective and self-aware.”
This is true, am I still banned?
[lprent: Yes. I have a vague idea about doing another general amnesty while I have the time to deal with the idiots next week. However the time is being rapidly sucked up with things to do.
The trick is generally not to get banned in the first place. ]
Fisiani and his fellow right wingers go on about how they are off to the dawn parade to “remember the fallen” who died fighting tyrannical governments, but I wager that if the Chinese decided to take this country by force, they would be down by Queen Street waving their little Chinese flags as the PLA marches up the street..
… idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism.
Now, be fair. If mental midgets can’t think of Anzac Day in terms of mindless romanticism, how are they going to think of it? You can’t put a quart in a pint pot.
“probably the difference between this [those?] who have actually served in the army like myself and the idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism.”
PLUS [+] (any number) doesn’t seem to cut it! – but +1
@ Fizz – have you ever?
btw …. Probably also those in the military who’ve climbed the ladder by arse-licking, and who’re expecting dizzy heights – perhaps a serial gummint departmint CEOze appointment, or even a guv genrill appointment. Prolly Shane will arrange the next one – preferably one that can use a bit of holdtight on the partial plate when delivering the honours.
(Christ I can be a bitch I know – but these munters and their cronyism – really ARE becoming quite pathetic!)
A Harley Davidson at the Tex Payuzz xpense would probably be a damn sight cheaper for all concerned – we could get Chris Finlayson to bestow the honours too without all the ‘kerfuffle’
Personally I’D RATHER we honour the deserving – and there are quite a few. There really IS a hierarchy that lets them down though.
wew were discussing something yesterday that got lost in the old maelstrom a bit, so I’ll just cut iand pastes it over here, as I’m keen to hear your reckon.
As I noted, the data isn’t as good as we might like it, but it’s what we have, unless you have better data to share of course.
Give that, as you said:
“Fact checking isn’t a waste of time – it can help people perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
Could you have a quick look at the following statements, and see if the facts revealed by that polling data can help clear up any propaganda or ignorance regarding what people think:
1) “Labour looks out of touch with people and out of touch with reality. If they don’t turn this around very soon it could be terminal.”
2) ” The perception of the party is tending towards pathetic.”
3) “Ex Labour minister Michael Bassett may not be a party favourite but what he said on Radio New Zealand half an hour ago about Labour now are common sentiments”
Perhaps you’re trying to be too clever for me. What point are you trying to make? That any opinion expressed here should be supported by an opinion poll? I’ll try polling your opinion.
1) Do you think Labour looks in touch with people and in touch with reality?
2) Do you think there are no perceptions the party is tending towards pathetic?
3) Do you think what Michael Basset expressed are not common sentiments?
I’m not trying be clever at all Pete. Nor am I suggesting that all opinions should be supported by polling.
I am saying that the data in that reid polling contradicts your statements about what people think.
In particular, the polling shows that Key is seen as being out of touch with normal kiwis far more than the Labour leader has been, for quite some time.
For the last year, a majority in the poll has said that Key is ‘out of touch’.
The following statement is about something that we can only know from polling:
“Labour looks out of touch with people and out of touch with reality.”
It’s talking about what the electorate thinks, and the evidence we have about what the electorate thinks on that particular question doesn’t really support it.
And yet it is something pundits talk about a lot, and you repeat seemingly without thinking about whether or not you have any evidence for it.
Even when presented with the evidence we have, you can’t bring yourself to talk about it.
So,
“Fact checking isn’t a waste of time – it can help people perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
The talking point in the media by various pundits and analysts, which is repeated by you in various statements, that ‘Labour is dangerously out of touch especially in comparison to the down to earth Key led national party’, seems to be “party propaganda and ignorance” that could be assisted by a bit of fact checking, no?
The talking point in the media by various pundits and analysts, which is repeated by you in various statements, that ‘Labour is dangerously out of touch especially in comparison to the down to earth Key led national party’, seems to be “party propaganda and ignorance” that could be assisted by a bit of fact checking, no?
Do you have poll to back your “party propaganda and ignorance” claim?
I haven’t compared Labour to National on down to earthiness.
“Do you have poll to back your “party propaganda and ignorance” claim?”
That reid one is what makes it seem to be so Pete. It strongly suggests the majority of people do not think labour is out of touch. Whatever problems Labour has, it isn’t that. So people who are claiming otherwise, are wrong. This might be because of ignorance, or for propaganda reasons
This is very simple.
You made claims that labour is seen as being out of touch.
The best available data that I’m aware of suggests that isn’t the case.
Maybe you have other data that suggests it is the case, which supports your statements. If so you should share it.
Your wriggling is giving me the impression that you are more interested in something other than fact checking to assist people to “perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
That depends on the media to a large extent. Our media has shown to be personality and sensation driven and has come across so far as pretty inept and useless fourth estate, instead of being a responsible and unbiased pillar of democracy in informing the public on policy issues.
the gap will narrow, I burst out laughing. what wishful thinking. This has eerie similarities of 2002 with the how low can you go limbo dance of political demise.
You really think that policies bribes or any dodgy offer will make a difference when the economy is booming, wages are rising, employment is ring and 1,600 a week are coming off benefits? I have a bridge to sell you.
I think it’s important to figure out the difference between opinions – ‘I think Labour looks out of touch’ – and provable statements – ‘The majority of people think Labour looks out of touch.’
Statement 1 is a little bit in-between, but statements 2 and 3 above are provable (not perfectly, because there are always questions around polling methods etc. and how we define whether a sentiment is ‘common’ could be argued, but nevertheless.)
They can’t however be proved by ‘polling’ one commenter on a blog site, and I have to say, Pete, that this kind of tactic is something I’ve seen several people call you out on. You have made statements and, although I respect that you generally comment here in a personal capacity, and not as editor of Politicheck, you aren’t showing willing to back those statements up, and are avoiding having to answer them with a silly little charade of a one-man opinion poll.
Unfortunately, Pete George has indicated in previous comments that he does not understand statistics. He does not consider them to be facts and instead believes that because one can misrepresent statistics to ‘prove’ a certain point (e.g. by cherry picking data points), then the entire field of statistics is completely arbitrary. His comments regarding the “statistical poverty line” also show that he has a poor understanding of averages (either the median or the mean) and he does not understand the effects that changes in the underlying distribution of a parameter would have on these averages.
I really have no idea how he can be qualified to be a “fact-checker”, let alone a “fact-checking editor”.
That’s a very good point, wtl. Of course it’s good for a fact-checker to be aware of the ways statistics can be misused – it’s probably a prerequisite for the job – but that level of ignorance is just embarrassing.
I’ve always thought, and I’ve seen others here comment, that a basic grounding in concepts like mean vs. median would raise the level of political debate in NZ. And I did hope when I saw Politicheck getting launched that it could be a vehicle for that kind of thing. I guess not!
Thanks Pascal. The “experts” like Bassett certainly paint a dismal picture, which is not borne out by the Reid Polls. With more exposure later this year people will be able to compare and contrast. And maybe those little comments like trucks on motorways and trailer registrations etc serve the purpose of being known by thousands who have yet to notice David or the serious life affecting policies yet to be delivered.
Thanks for the link. Have Bookmarked it.
1 Yes
2 Wrong
3 Bassett is a very nasty malicious animal
(Note Pete is away with the fairies @ 5.1?)
The link to 3News was distorted but FPP suggested one thing but MMP showed that: “Support for the National Party has dipped in the latest political opinion poll and the Greens have jumped.
The Roy Morgan poll released yesterday showed National down three points to 45.5 percent. Labour rose a point to 31.5 percent and the Greens jumped 3.5 points to 14 percent.
If a national election were held now it would be too close to call, pollster Gary Morgan said.
So what was your point Petey lad?
Not only that there is also NO mention of David Cunliffe in any of the charts. His name is nowhere to be found. So that makes it a Shearer poll. One which has me in a quandary, because Cunliffe won the Leadership in sept 2013, and these polls are supposedly up till Jan 2014.
So the question is this: Is the whole lot just reid research just making up numbers? because it just don’t make sense.
I haven’t commented so far on Shane Jones’ departure from Labour and Parliament and will not do so other than saying that after my initial shock, IMO it is the best thing he could do. He was never an easy fit in Labour. While in his first term, I thought he did well, thereafter until the leadership contest and since, he was a non-entity apart from the ‘occasional incident’. If I was in Cunliffe’s shoes, I think I would be sighing a sigh of relief that the ‘loose cannon’ is going.
On this day when we remember those who fought, and died, for our freedom and democracy, we need to also look forward to hopefully strengthen our resolve to protect these.
So, in my opinion, it is time to put Shane Jones behind us – and look forward to, and be thankful that his going means that Kelvin Davis is coming back.
I was impressed by the way that he handled the situation and media within a very short time of the announcement of Jones’ decision.
But I am even more impressed by his Facebook post setting out his first four priorities – posted yesterday. –
It is a definite must read in full, so I am not going to give a summary.
Apologies if this has already been posted (and I think it is well worth a full post), but it gave me a real surge of positivity at a time when all around seemed to be negativity.
Seeing as you said that Kelvin Davis’s Facebook page was a must read, i did, to be kind, Kelvin will be a perfect fit into middle class Labour and should represent the interests of that middle class really well,
Education, education, education, if this were to be the solution then WHAT has gone so seriously wrong with the education system in Te Tai Tokerau for so long,
Kelvin managed to have me seeing RED with His little allusion to ‘Nutters’ in His opening remarks, ‘Nutters’ have become thus for a reason and far from the snide inferences their way Davis would far better serve His electorate to avail Himself of the causes rather than poke the iron at the symptoms,
Am unimpressed, another business as usual candidate for Labour…
I wish I hadn’t read that bad12. I agree entirely with your conclusions.
He either doesn’t get it or he doesn’t want to, (and they both merge into a giant ‘I’m alright Jack,’ anyway.)
Davis wants to get to feel like one of the good guys as he props up the mythology that is destroying so many of us. Pagani must love him.
A complete denial of the structural causes of the woes faced by Maaori, denial of patriarchy in sexual and physical abuse (man-up ffs!) and airbrushing the poverty, structural inequality and racism that underpin both in the community he hopes to represent.
Nothing major needs to change, the barriers can be overcome by a bit of elbow-grease and a particular (still patriarchal) definition of a “real man”. As you were etc.
Can you be more specific as to where you see actual denial?
You might be right, but it’s also possible that as a politician in a mainstream party he talks in ways that his constituents will understand, or he is pragmatic enough to understand where he has power and where he doesn’t. It’s not like he can talk about the patriarchy or colonisation outright and still be an electable Labour MP.
I would be very surprised if he was unaware of colonisation and its impact on Māori, or unaware of the structural issues.
What do you think he meant by this?
Te Tai Tokerau has endured it’s own tragedy, but it happened over 40 years not 40 seconds. The effects on our people have been equally devastating in the long run.
“a particular (still patriarchal) definition of a “real man”. As you were etc.”
Hardly as you were. He makes a long, explicit statement to men that being a man includes respect for women and children. This is consistent with Māori kaupapa and is something I would like to see within Pākehā culture, esp politicians.
His statement about te reo is radical and one I wholeheartedly support.
His statement about te reo is radical and one I wholeheartedly support.
Apart from the word ‘radical’ we are agreed about this.
I could go into more detail but I don’t think any good would come of it. The way I see it, he fits perfectly with the current Labour Party. No challenge, no change, just more of the same. I’m sure he sincerely hopes that he can push a few more kids into ‘real person’ (middle-class) status through the power of education, which is nice I guess. But in desperate times, with the scale of need, and the crises we have breathing down our necks, the kids that don’t “make it” are bound for under the bus, and it’s brutal.
Just now the future seems unremittingly grim for more and more people and I just wonder who has to be affected for it to start mattering.
Davis does seem pretty moderate to me – but an improvement on Jones. I think if the Labor caucus shift more strongly towards founding Labour principles, Davis will most likely go with it.
…from Kelvin Davis not a word on Charter Schools and Standards testing
….this is a worry, because he comes out of a hopelessly compromised Ministry of Education…. which is following an ACT agenda …..espoused by private PR companies working on the advice of USA Charter School business ( which in orientation is right wing and religious fundamentalist)
….where is Labour’s Education policy?
…like the retirement age issue….full employment for youth …raised minimum incomes for workers……Education is an important issue for Labour .
…Labour should be for State Education and equality of opportunity …not Private education
I want to hear Kelvin Davis’s views on education ….and Labour’s policies on Education
I am sure you are and I am sure you will. There are still 5 months till the lection. Surely, would you want want Labour to announce all their important policies now so
that
(a) the media give it some publicity now rather than close to the election?
(b) the nasty Nats can go on spinning about all kinds of exaggerated faults?
(c) the notorious Nats can copy some aspects of the policies to pretend it is theirs?
(d) the voters not have them fresh in their minds just before they cast their votes?
Hey people, give the guy a break. It was a facebook posting.
His priorities are right on. Education, well that’s appropriate given he’s a teacher, he’s going to be concerned about this. His electorate. Te Reo. Violence against women and children.
Can anyone really argue with these four priorities?????
I agree with Weka, I can’t see him denying structural causes. He didn’t mention them as he needs to keep it succinct. Labour get criticized on this site, for their media stuff and not doing sound bites.
Labour haven’t released their education policy yet.
I didn’t like the nutter comments but I am not going to right the guy off for them. I am not sure who he means, maybe some of the right wing people posting on TS.
+1 It’s his first statement about his intentions as an MP. They seem appropriate to the party he is in and assume that he wants to work towards something achievable. If we want something more radical try Mana or the GP.
“Apart from the word ‘radical’ we are agreed about this.”
He’s basically saying that we should take action to make conversational reo normal in NZ. How is that not radical?
“The way I see it, he fits perfectly with the current Labour Party. No challenge, no change, just more of the same”
I don’t see Labour doing any of the things he talks about. How is it more of the same? I think what you perhaps mean is that he’s not an obvious shift left for Labour. I don’t know, I’m just going on what I read on the FB page. But I do think that we need solid, mainstream MPs in Labour, because so much of the country is mainstream in their politics.
The best criticism that’s been made is that Pagani will like him. That makes me worry.
Wow now that’s what’s needed from a Labour Politician. And yep the Nutters probably those of Fishy and Petey George to name but a couple But reading down I’ll add Bad 12 and Just saying to that list of T 🙄 s and Nutters too judging by their comments.
I decided to place this link here and not in the Anzac post from MS. It is not my intention to cause upset but to add some thoughts to ANZAC day I felt would be misunderstood in that post’s comment section. So here goes:
A word of warning to all well meaning Kiwi’s honoring their ancestors and the recent young man and women who died in wars we where dragged into by our “leaders.
Will we be doing this for people dying in more wars in the future and if so will those wars be remembered through the same patriotic glasses without a shred of criticism for those sending the brave men and women to their deaths in them?
“A word of warning to all well meaning Kiwi’s honoring their ancestors and the recent young man and women who died in wars we where dragged into by our “leaders.”
Which wars are you talking about that we were ‘dragged into by our leaders’ ?
So glad you asked. How about every war financed by and for the bankers for starters. Oh oops, that would be as far back as the Napoleonic wars and counting.
US involvement in WWI was driven by the Wall St banking fraternity who did not want to see France and England lose the war against Germany – which would have resulted in massive Wall St loan losses as France and England would never have paid back the loans that Wall St had made to them.
Yep and apart from the PTB behind the throne the Bush family made quite a bundle from Auschwitz after they helped to finance Hitler to get him into power
It’s well known that the Bush family was trading with Germany well into 1942. In fact, if the US hadn’t invented the law about war profiteering Prescott Bush would have been hung as a traitor.
I’ve no idea if this has been covered before, but…polls.
Strikes me that a majority of ‘undecideds’ are probably left bloc voters who haven’t decided which party of the left will get their vote, rather than people wavering between left and right. So on that basis, if these ‘undecideds’ aren’t factored into poll results, then of course the right wing vote will be over reported. Polls that present percentages based on only those who state preferences (adding the decideds up to a 100%) are of no more use than soggy loo paper, no…unless your looking to generate a self fulfilling prophesy?
So anyway, why is the publication of such skewed nonsense acceptable?
Good point Bill about just who the undecided are. I vacillate between Labour/Green but last time nearly considered NZF strategically.
But 20% undecided leaves the field ripe for persuasion.
I don’t even know the %age of undecideds ianmac, (is it 20% or is that just a number you threw out there?) but I’m definitely picking it’s predominantly made up of left wing voters.
One of the polls definitely said 20% undecided. An earlier one was 11%. But I can’t find the source. It seemed by my dodgy memory for a year or two back further back the undecided was about 5%.
However Paddy and others are reluctant to quote say 20% undecided, as it would mock the usefulness of the polls especially with the dodgy use of FPP seats in parliament line.
And I wonder if the Labour Green being apparently behind will spur the efforts of we mortals?
So okay…what that could suggest is that the vote for Labour is dropping as the number of undecideds rises. A pile of formerly Labour voters thinking of going with the Greens? Definitely possible. Meanwhile, the actual left vote is being under-reported by dint of the way polling results are formulated.
Strikes me that a majority of ‘undecideds’ are probably left bloc voters who haven’t decided which party of the left will get their vote, rather than people wavering between left and right.
That’s a bold claim Bill, but I don’t think it’s supported by evidence.
I’ve seen some pollster analysis that claims undecideds are about as spread as the decideds. But they are the hardest to get a preference from – they are pushed to make a decision, so a guess like your’s is just a guess.
And undecideds are less likely to decide at election time and vote so less of a factor.
So Pete, the fact (yes, it’s a fact) that there are more parties on the left competing more evenly for left votes than the fewer and more clearly delineated parties on the right, has no impact on the likely voting intentions of those polling as ‘undecided’. Seriously!?
Try applying some fcking logic sometime Pete…..actually, just any degree of thought would be an improvement for you.
You might find it illustrative to peruse ‘ts’ comments re voting intentions. Right wing votes are set. They’re voting National. (A wee few for ACT). The left wing votes on the other hand are much more fluid and constantly moving between Labour, the Greens and Mana. Just read the comments over time.
Meanwhile, a bit of a bold ( and not entirely free from stupid) claim there Petey about ‘undecideds’ being less likely to vote. Not voting and undecided as who to vote for are actually markedly different things
Well said Bill. And Pete saying,”I’ve seen some pollster analysis that claims undecideds are about as spread as the decideds.”
If undecided, that might mean ummm Undecided. It does seem more likely that so far the likely Left voter would be waiting to get a handle on just what Labour/Green would bring, whereas the writing is on the wall by the performance of the current lot.
We therefore know most of what Nats are offering, so what alternative do we have? Persuade me (but not too soon with policy as it gives Key’s monstrous huge team of researchers and PR people time to negate and undermine and pinch good policy, like parental leave for instance.)
Yes, National are shameless thieves who steal from the services for the poor and the less well off in society and help the wealthy instead, and steal Labour’s past and present social policies to steal some potentially left wing votes.
There’s nothing set looking about that. Other polls have had a similar degree of variation.
You may be correct that right wing votes are set, but there’s a lot in the centre sloshing about. Most of the uncertainty and undecided is with swing voters who could go any of several ways.
Asking you a favour Pete. Please don’t respond to any of my comments in future. The reason? Disagreement and debate is fine by me and even potentially informative. But you’re comments tend to be blithering wastes of space that, while devoid of intelligence, are unfortunately and routinely pregnant with unpleasantly dead shit that serves to choke debate/discussion.
Pete. I’ve no problem with criticism. Thing is, criticism requires a modicum of intelligence. Criticism in no way comprises of the tangential or irrelevant nonsense that marks the bulk of your comments. Your nonsense (as I’ve commented above but that you appear to have been incapable of grasping first time around) is effectively dead shit that chokes up any flow of critical (or otherwise) debate and discussion.
Don’t respond to this and never again question my desire to have critical and/or intelligent debate when my core point (How often would I have to repeat this before your obstinate levels of comprehension stopped looking upwards in bewildered blankness at the point?) is that you kill the potential for critical and/or intelligent exchanges with your rubbish.
At those levels, the margin for error is 3%. Look at that jump from the low of 43 to the high of 48.5%. The first could be as high as 46%, the second as low as 45.5%.
And that’s without looking at vacillating undecideds bouncing between left and DNR.
You comprehensively failed to support your assertion that there’s a lot in the centre sloshing about. You might well just be grasping at an artifact in sampling.
I agree. I am not sure why the poll companies do not state the % of voters who are undecided. Such a poll is more accurate and meaningful.
Another point I wonder is why don’t the four or five main polling companies stagger their polls weekly, one after the other? Surely, they could come to a mutual agreement on that? What stops them from doing that?
I could be generous and suggest that polling companies are running polls better suited to the ‘either/or’ scenario of FPP elections. But having said that, even the Scottish independence polls (which is a straight binary choice) incorporate the undecideds into their results and state when they have stripped the undecideds out for the sake of % age comparisons of those who have decided which way they intend to vote.
Maybe in NZ a clearer picture would emerge if people were asked which bloc they were going to vote for alongside or instead of which party. Slight problems in designating some parties to a left or right bloc, but as long as the make up of each was consistent over time….
Last Roy Morgan Poll showed only 5% did not name a Party (Undecided?). And that was the 48% for National one. Be interesting for the next poll, away from that Princeling fellow and his celebrity wifey.
Strikes me that a majority of ‘undecideds’ are probably left bloc voters who haven’t decided which party of the left will get their vote, rather than people wavering between left and right. So on that basis, if these ‘undecideds’ aren’t factored into poll results, then of course the right wing vote will be over reported.
How can you factor ‘undecideds’ into poll results?
Gavin White of UMR claims (via research) that since 1999 polls have tended to have National and Greens too high, they are up and down on Labour, and have NZ First too low. That doesn’t fit with right being over-reported and left being under-reported.
Hmm am not that impressed with iPredict, however found this press release on ‘It’s Our Future’ website which contains an interesting analysis:
“National’s chances of leading the next government have eased from 74% to 70% over the last week, compared with 87% at the same point in the 2011 election cycle, according to the combined wisdom of the 7000 registered traders on New Zealand’s online predictions market…”
A good opening comment from Kelvin Davis in the Herald ex Northern Advocate – Mike Dinsdale.
“Mr Davis, who spent one term as a Labour list MP, said he would push several key issues when back in the House – Maori education, regional development, improving the number of people speaking te reo Maori, and “being the male in Parliament who stands up and says enough is enough over domestic violence”.
And “…after missing out by 832 votes to Hone Harawira in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate race in the 2011 election …”
Do I barrack for Hone or for Kelvin? Aye. There’s the rub. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11244080
Wait for the Labour list to come out and if Davis is high enough, electorate vote Mana. And give your party vote to the GP 😉 Win, win, win, for the left.
The Greens already have their core about 10-12% support from around the country.
I would like the Mana.Com alliance (if in action) to clear the 5% threshold.
So, it would make more sense for the left voters THERE to give the electorate vote to Hone (if Kelvin is fairly guaranteed a list position under 25th) and party vote to Mana.Com alliance (to help the 5% clearance) or Labour (to ensure more Labour Reps than other lefties) or the Greens(if you wish Greens to wield extra power over Labour) or NZF (for super gold card and things) or National (if one is silly to boost Key’s ego during his retirement troty in Hawaii) or ACT (if you love insects and the rich) or UF (if you like ex Labour party turn coats and hairdos)
Labour say they will win Napier and Christchurch Central so do you really think a hetero sensible bloke like Kelvin will be placed higher in the list than the sisterhood.
The ACT Party and other Right Wingers often claim that people are poor and/or criminal because they choose to be, through a lack of will power, and/or moral fibre.
The strangest things often cause me to ponder this assumption.
Yesterday I went to the supermarket to get some paper vacuum cleaner bags for my vacuum, they come in a slim pack of five for $11.
On approaching the check out I noticed that the bottom of the packet had a neat slit cut in it and instead of having five vacuum liner bags there were only four. The check out operator said she would not let me have the packet for less than the full $11, so I had to walk back down the aisle to get a new complete intact pack.
While I was making this long walk, it occurred to me that there must be some very house proud poor person moved to steal just one vacuum bag. Since the pack of five was hardly much bigger than one single bag, this person would have taken a greater risk of being found out by slitting open the packet and removing one liner, than just concealing the whole pack.
I wondered, was this house proud shoplifter having some sort of moral debate with themselves that it would be less of crime if they took just one bag? Did they balance this crime against the moral dilemma of leaving their house dirty?
Should the members of ACT be worried that there are house proud poor people with moral scruples driven to wandering the aisles of New Zealand’s supermarkets armed with sharp knives?
In west Auckland supermarkets, we now have to ask the checkout operator if we want to pr=urchase council rubbish bags. This is because too many were being stolen. But, waht do poor people do if they can’t affford the bags needed to dispose of their rubbish?
That’s the nature of private sector efficiency – they just price a large proportion of people out of the market so that it’s easier, and thus more profitable, to supply the service.
In Marlborough the rubbish bags are still part of rates. Each house gets 52 bags per year. And nearly all of my bag contents are disposed packaging.
(We get one knee-high bin for recyclable and my compost gets the rest.)
Having saved the $23 for a miniscule tube of zovirax a young solo parent I know arrived home and found the blister pack had been sliced open and the tube replaced with an empty one. When she returned the packaging and empty tube the supermarket accused her of trying to scam them and denied her a replacement leaving her out of pocket, wearing the two 20Km return trips and forced to suffer miserably for another week while an easily treated flare-up rampaged on.
Sometimes you gotta fight for your rights. And unfortunately that means escalating the noise level at the service desk until they take you seriously. Or finding a friend who can dress up all prim and proper so that the service desk takes you seriously.
Hint – if you want to go drug free find some high quality Vitamin E nutritional supplement capsules. When you feel the very start of a cold sore attack coming on break into the capsule and smear the vitamin E gel around the affected area of the lips. The same capsule will have enough for a few applications in a day. Keep using for a couple of days even after the symptoms go away. Usually holds off or minimises the cold sore outbreak (in my personal experience).
I use L-Lysine. That is an amino acid. 1 gr in the morning, one in the evening for a couple of days when the burning starts and you won’t even get to the blister stage. The amino acid interferes with the virus’s ability to procreate and it will go back to dormant again.
I used to carry a notebook and pen. When anything like that happened, I’d ask for a replacement and write down everything the person said. When they asked why, I’d say I had a poor memory. I usually got a replacement fairly quickly, including a front wheel, tyre, and disc brakes for a bike I’d bought, then later found a crack in the wheel.
Another option is to write up what happened and print out a few copies, then stand outside the shop handing them out. That worked once when a friend of mine had worked a week for a café, with the owner then deciding he wouldn’t pay because it was a trial. In the end, he paid for the week, and the extra hour while she stood outside his shop handing out the leaflets. We’re not as helpless as we’re taught to be.
Yes, it is petty politicking and nasty, but Cunliffe needs to be on guard as he is constantly in the gaze of the media and the right wing nasties and anti Labour spies. If Key had taken that photo, they would have give it a different favourable spin.
If Key had taken that photo, they would have give it a different favourable spin.
Yes, and if Key had been the one responding to an (urgent?) message he would not have been photographed because it would have been regarded as acceptable. Cunliffe does it and there is the usual puerile attempt to paint it as “disrespectful”.
Under duress I went to look at WO. I suppose the proNAT/ACT are bound to make something out of nothing. After all they have reason to be afraid of David. I read all the comments, (yes I know) and wondered about the endless repetitions. I suppose it is like Captions on the Standard but here it is often meant to be funny. Over there it sounds like a dirge. Is that the best that they can do?
I went too. But unlike you I gave up after 1 page of ‘comments’. Now I am off to have a bath and scrub myself clean. Shudder.. They should use WO as a punishment for prisoners.
1) It’s on whaleoil, a site run by a boy who has openly admitted that he edits video to change the meaning of things people say, and who has said at various times that truth is not important and that truth is whatever he says it is at the time.
2) No-one knows what David was doing. In one pic he seems to be taking a photo, so it’s not a huge leap to suggest that he might have been turning on a camera app rather than checking messages or tweeting or whatever terrible crime Cameron is charging him with.
3) No-one knows what was happening at the time. I’m going to take a stab and say it wasn’t during The Ode.
Is it worse than time the PM skipped out a military funeral to watch his kid play rounders, coincidentally meaning the GCSB had to get the Acting PM to sign a warrant in an attempt to keep the fact they illegally spied on someone from being exposed in court? And then when the PM got back in the country after the rounders expedition everyone ‘forgot’ to mention anything to him.
But the soldiers at least got their funeral. But not with the PM there.
Occasionally I think that he’s someone who can think at least as well as a five year old but most of the time I figure sorrylands is just a well programmed bot.
Paul
You must be forgetting that the vast majority of the shares are New Zealand owned, so the reality is
New Zealand will benefit when the left doesn’t win the election. The truth is the left is bad for business confidence and bad for employment. I guess this is just another one of your lame attempts to spin bullshit
to karol.
in some middle eastern countries there are whole apartmentblocks that hve been abandoned because no infrastructure was ever put in place to take out the trash and the inhabitants just stored it all in the spare rooms until if became to foul to tolerate anymore.
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by Don Franks Under a government claiming empathy with the fine arts, Radio New Zealand ( RNZ) is poised to cut back its classical music station, RNZ Concert. The plan is replacing it on FM radio with music “for a younger audience” as part of a new multimedia music brand. ...
More Thwaites This past week we heard disturbing news about Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier. Helping to fill in the longer term history of Thwaites' behavior and especially helpful in interpreting results of the recent drilling project and what it may say about the future of this unstable mass of ice is Revealing the ...
Inaccuracies are very common in scientific paper abstracts. Image credit:Science in the Abstract: Don’t Judge a Study by its Cover I have come to accept anti-fluoride campaigners will never stop cherry-picking research and findings ...
“The scene is set, the players met…”. And what players they are in this farce of an Election coming up in the United States this year. There is a multi-faceted anger in the broader situation the world finds itself in, in which the false promises of so-called “moderates” find themselves ...
A few years ago, a company lowballed a contract to dispose of toxic waste from the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. So, they dumped it in a disused paper mill in Mataura, then went into liquidation - effectively dumping the problem on local councils. The waste is dangerous - it releases ...
Unhappy with the demonisation of Iran in Western media, I was fortunate to have the Australian Institute of International Affairs invite me to write an alternative analysis for their on-line journal Australian Outlook. I did, and they serialised it into two parts. The essays are short, so I did not ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones was on RNZ’s Morning Report talking about the recent droughts in the Northland region and what the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is doing to alleviate its impact. The PGF recently announced a funding of $2 million for temporary water supplies to Kaikohe and Kaitaia, ...
Speaking to The Country’s Jamie Mackay, New Zealand First MP and Cabinet Minister Shane Jones talks water storage, plant-based meat imitation, and superstar Hollywood director James Cameron. While water storage may have its critics, Minister Jones defended the scheme by saying: “unless we invest and continue to invest” in this ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones is accusing northern iwi leaders of selling out Māori by voting for ideologically-driven court cases rather than practical steps to increase water supply. “I just think that iwi leaders who think that water issues are going to be solved by perpetually fighting in the ...
A dairy owner in St Kilda, Dunedin was delighted to hear that an attempted robbery of his establishment was foiled by a government-funded security system. Sean Lee was delighted at how well the anti-theft smoke system worked. When a knife-wielding man entered the store, the shop assistant immediately pressed a ...
Customs says it stopped more than three tonnes of illegal drugs coming into New Zealand last year. This includes 1,180kg of methamphetamine, 329kg of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine precursors, which could have been converted into 246kg of methamphetamine, 739kg and 6469 pills of MDMA or Ecstasy and 60kg of cocaine. Offshore, ...
Hon. Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Up to $2 million will be allocated from the Provincial Growth Fund to set up temporary water supplies in Kaikohe and Kaitaia where drought is biting hard, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Drought conditions in Northland have led to ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Law and Order New Zealand First welcomes the deployment of an Eagle Police helicopter in Christchurch in what is a step towards fulfilling its long-standing goal to increase the use of police helicopters for the front line, particularly in addressing the scourge of fleeing drivers. Christchurch leads ...
It may have been the first sitting week of 2020, but our Government is already in full-swing - managing a strong economy, investing in infrastructure, and working to break the cycle of homelessness. Read below for all that, and more... ...
In a heated debate in Parliament, National's Deputy Leader Paula Bennett claimed that “nearly 1600 patched gang members have been added” since the Coalition Government took power. To illustrate her point, she altered a chart used by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to show her government’s progress in housing to instead ...
Speech by the Rt Hon Winston Peters at Parliament’s Opening 2020 "We all need insurance" This year New Zealanders are going to have a clear choice to make That choice is between: Optimism versus pessimism; More progress versus back to the future; Investment versus divestment; Unity versus division. New Zealand ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has slammed the Board of Auckland Airport following the airport's runway closing twice within two weeks due to maintenance. Around 2,000 passengers were affected by last week’s runway closures, according to 1NEWS. Another maintenance closure on January 24 saw two international flights and three domestic flights ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Broadcasting New Zealand First supports the commissioning of a business case to assess the viability of a new public media entity. “A strong media environment is critical for a healthy democracy. New Zealand First is a strong supporter of a diverse, independent media,” New Zealand First broadcasting spokesperson ...
Pounamou and technology industries in the West Coast region are set to receive more than $2 million in Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding. This was announced by the Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau during Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika. He said $800,000 would be given to Development West ...
Clayton Mitchell MP, New Zealand First spokesperson for Labour and Industrial Relations Unemployment and wage growth numbers released by Stats NZ today demonstrate a labour market in good shape with unemployment falling to 4.0%, the underutilisation rate falling to an 11 year low, and wage growth at a 10-year high ...
Hon. Ron Mark, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence Ron Mark, welcomes the official opening of Te Rau Aroha, a new museum at Waitangi Treaty Grounds as part of our Coalition Agreement. “It is a great honour to be part of an effective Government ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime MinisterGood morning,Let us start with important acknowledgements.First, this special day, in remembrance of the 28th Maori Battalion, is also to honour all those men and women who have risked their lives in the service of our country.Second, special guest Robert ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand will look to build on its relationship with the United Kingdom and recommit to the European Union, after the country officially left the continental union recently. The Minister said New Zealand already cooperates closely with Britain on defence and security issues and has ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs The Government has agreed with Air New Zealand to charter an aircraft to assist New Zealanders leaving Wuhan, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. The aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to ...
Tougher penalties for gun crime are a step closer with the passage of firearms reform legislation through another stage in Parliament. The Arms Legislation Bill has tonight passed its Second Reading. “The changes have one objective - to prevent firearms falling into the wrong hands,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. ...
Introduction Mr Speaker We all know why we are here today. It has been a long journey. The journey did not actually begin on 15 March 2019. It began on 30 June 1997. Almost 23 years ago, Justice Sir Thomas Thorp told us what was wrong with our firearms legislation. ...
The Government’s work to put trades and vocational education back on the agenda took another major step forward today with the passing of the Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Bill, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is a watershed day for trades and vocational education. These law changes formalise ...
Speeding up the return of Christchurch regeneration activities to local leadership is behind the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today by Minister Megan Woods. “As we approach nine years since the February 2011 earthquake in Canterbury, and with the transition to local leadership well underway, the time ...
Hundreds of New Zealanders and international visitors will be able to get back out into nature with the Milford Track partially reopening next week, after extensive assessments and repairs, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The popular Great Walk has been closed since 3 February after an extreme ...
Up to 110 new EV chargers nationwide in cities and regions 50 electric vehicles for ride-sharing The Government is helping deliver more infrastructure and options for low emissions transport through new projects, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. Tauranga, Nelson, Levin, New Plymouth and Oamaru are just some ...
New Zealanders are increasingly better off under this Government as wages rise and families have more disposable income, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ reported today that average household disposable incomes after housing costs rose 4.9% in 2019. This was the highest rise in four years and came as ...
All New Zealanders need to have their voices heard at work to ensure we have an inclusive and productive economy. Today we introduce a Bill to do this for workers in the New Zealand screen industry, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “The Screen Industry Workers Bill will ...
The Government has announced further help for the Southland and Otago regions to speed up recovery efforts from the floods. “I’ve approved Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG), making $500,000 available to help with the clean-up in Fiordland, Southland, and the Clutha district in Otago,” Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
Following the announcement that more than 340 schools will be funded to run events promoting vocational education, the Government has announced it will fund a further 257 events to be run by employers and industry. “These industry-run events will allow more than 30,000 students to connect with more than 2,000 ...
Today the Government is making progress on a fairer and more secure rental market for renters and landlords with the introduction of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill in Parliament. “This Bill includes a series of reforms to improve the wellbeing of the 609,700 households that live in rented homes, and ...
A Government programme to wipe out pea weevil has achieved a world first, with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor today announcing the successful eradication of the noxious pest from Wairarapa. This means the nearly four-year ban on pea plants and pea straw was lifted today. Commercial and home gardeners can again grow ...
Southland residents hit by flooding caused by heavy rainfall can now access help finding temporary accommodation with the Government activating the Temporary Accommodation Service, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare announced today. “The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to help ...
“Is that it?” That’s Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s response to Simon Bridges’ much-hyped economic speech today. “Simon Bridges just gave the most over-hyped and under-delivered speech that I can remember during my time in politics,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s not surprising. Simon Bridges literally said on the radio this morning ...
A trial deployment of the Police Eagle helicopter in Christchurch will test whether the aircraft would make a significant difference to crime prevention and community safety. “The Bell 429 helicopter will be based in Christchurch for five weeks, from 17 February to 20 March,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. “The ...
The Government has kept up the pace of its work to promote New Zealand’s trade interests and diversify our export markets, with visits to Fiji and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. Building momentum to bring the PACER Plus trade and development agreement ...
The Coalition Government’s investment in a strong border and disrupting transnational organised crime produced record results for stopping drugs in 2019, says Minister of Customs Jenny Salesa. The illegal drugs were seized at the New Zealand border by Customs, and overseas by Customs’ international border partners before the drugs could ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off construction of a separated cycleway alongside Tamaki Drive. A two-way separated cycleway will be built along the northern side of Tamaki Drive, between the Quay Street Cycleway extension and Ngapipi Road. There will be a separate walking path alongside. Phil Twyford said giving ...
Owner-occupiers of unit and apartments living in earthquake-prone buildings will have certainty about the financial support they’ll be eligible for with the release of criteria for an upcoming assistance scheme, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. The Residential Earthquake-Prone Building Financial Assistance Scheme will help unit owners facing ...
Temporary restrictions on travel from China will remain in place as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The restrictions which prevent foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China from entering New Zealand have been extended for a further 8 days. This position ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today that Tairāwhiti rangatahi will benefit from an investment made by the Government’s He Poutama Rangatahi (HPR) scheme. The funding will go to the Tautua Village, Kauneke programme and the Matapuna Supported Employment Programme which will fund 120 rangatahi over two years. “Both programmes work ...
All parents and caregivers need to ensure that their children go to school unless they are sick, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin said today. “The school attendance results for 2019 show, across the board, a drop in the number of students going to school regularly,” the Minister says. “Apart from ...
A Deed of Settlement agreeing redress for historical Treaty claims has been signed by the Crown and Moriori at Kōpinga Marae on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Moriori have a tradition of peace that extends back over 600 years. This settlement ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today with Māori King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII officially opened the country’s newest road, the $384 million Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway. The 15km four-lane highway with side and central safety barriers takes State Highway 1 east of Huntly town, across lowlands and streams ...
The rapid uptake of life-saving new hepatitis C medicine Maviret since it was funded by PHARMAC a year ago means the elimination of the deadly disease from this country is a realistic goal, Health Minister David Clark says. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which attacks the liver, proving fatal ...
Kaupapa Māori will underpin the Government’s new plan to deal with homelessness announced by the Prime Minister in Auckland this morning. “Māori are massively overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness, so, to achieve different outcomes for Māori, we have to do things very differently,” says the Minister of Māori Development ...
1000 new transitional housing places delivered by end of year to reduce demand for emergency motel accommodation. Introduce 25% of income payment, after 7 days, for those in emergency motel accommodation to bring in line with other forms of accommodation support. Over $70m extra to programmes that prevents those at ...
Clear requirements for ensuring customers are treated fairly by banks, insurers and other financial service providers are included in new financial conduct legislation that passed its first reading today. “The recent reviews, by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and Reserve Bank of New Zealand, into the conduct of banks and ...
Applications are now open for the fifth round of the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson announced today. “I am delighted to open this year’s fund which has some $7 million available to support performing arts venues, galleries, museums and whare ...
The Minister of Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta today congratulated Associate Professor Amokura Kawharu on her appointment as the next President of the Law Commission. “Amokura Kawharu will be a standout in her new role, leading in an innovative and forward looking approach to the law reform process. She will ...
Auckland University legal academic Amokura Kawharu has been appointed as the next President of the Law Commission, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Associate Professor Kawharu will take up her new appointment on 11 May 2020. “I would like to congratulate Associate Professor Kawharu on her appointment,” Andrew ...
A programme for employers to help them engage effectively with younger employees was launched today by Minister of Employment, Willie Jackson. The Youth Ready Employer Programme contains a range of on-line templates that employers can easily access to help with employing and retaining young people in their businesses. The programme ...
Budget 2020 will be delivered on Thursday 14 May, Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “This year’s Budget will continue the Coalition Government’s focus on tackling the long-term challenges facing New Zealand while also preparing the economy for the future. “Those challenges and opportunities cannot be resolved in one budget, ...
I move, That this House place on record its appreciation and thanks for the devoted and distinguished service to New Zealand by the late Rt Hon Michael Kenneth Moore, member of the Order of New Zealand, a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, an Honorary Member of the ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has today classified the drought conditions in Northland as an adverse event for the primary sector, unlocking $80,000 in Government support. “This is recognition that the extreme and prolonged nature of this dry spell is taking its toll on our farmers and growers and additional support ...
The Minister of Police says an operation to smash a trans national drug smuggling ring today will make a significant impact on the methamphetamine trade fuelling harm in our communities. Police have announced 10 arrests and the seizure of up to five million dollars’ worth of illicit drugs after an ...
The Government’s books are in a strong position to withstand global headwinds, with the accounts in surplus and expenses close to forecast, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown accounts for the six months to December. The operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was above ...
Race courses can improve safety with this year’s second round of funding from the Racing Safety Development Fund. Minister for Racing Winston Peters has announced the second funding round of 2019/20 is open with $347,875 available for distribution. “The racing industry is integral to the economic and social fabric of ...
Hundreds of thousands of young adults will be offered measles vaccinations in a new campaign to strengthen New Zealand’s immunisation system, Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter said at its launch in Auckland today. “About 300,000 young adults aged between 15 and 29 are not fully protected against measles, and ...
The Government is committing $300,000 to fund research to update behavioural information to make sure HIV and STI prevention services are targeted appropriately in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson made the announcement at today’s Big Gay Out in Auckland. “There is much talk about ...
The Prime Minister has tried to relieve mounting pressure on China and New Zealand's bilateral relationship at a Chinese New Year Celebration at Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa Christensen, Lecturer in Criminology & Justice | Co-leader of the Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit (SVRPU), University of the Sunshine Coast This week’s ABC’s Four Corners exposed an elite Melbourne school for failing to adequately respond to the grooming of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trish Luker, Senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the names and voices of deceased people. When was the last time you signed your name? Perhaps you are more familiar with the ...
“Oranga Tamariki have remained silent on their role in this horrific situation,” a Māori leader tells Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner. A respected Hawke’s Bay kaumatua, who has been supporting the whānau whānui of a four-year-old boy being treated in hospital for brain injuries, says Oranga Tamariki needs to take responsibility ...
*Watch Melanie Reid's full interview in the video player above* Oranga Tamariki stands accused of returning a four-year-old who had been previously badly injured within a Flaxmere household to the same home, where he has since been severely injured again. It allegedly did so without full consultation with the wider whānau, some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roy Green, Emeritus Professor & UTS innovation adviser, University of Technology Sydney The only surprise about the termination of the Holden brand in Australia was that it caused such surprise. This was the final nail in an already empty coffin, given local ...
The owners of the disputed land at Ihumātao say for seven months they've halted development at the request of the Prime Minister, but that can't continue indefinitely. ...
Big Tech companies like Microsoft have raised the spectre of geo-blocking NZ if the Government proceeds with a bill for classifying streamed content. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Williamson, Research Fellow in Environmental Science, University of Tasmania As bushfires in New South Wales are finally contained, attention is turning to nature’s recovery. Green shoots are sprouting and animals are returning. But we must accept that in some cases, the ...
Are you a time-poor urban apartment-dweller who’s put composting in the too-hard basket? Read on…About half of what Aucklanders chuck in their rubbish bins is actually compostable material. That means a whopping 90,000 tonnes of Auckland households’ food waste ends up in landfill each year. Why is that a problem? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Associate Professor, Psychology, Deakin University Snapchat has announced a new feature called “Here For You” that promises to “provide proactive in-app support to Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis”. The popular youth-oriented app is the ...
Dr Bryce Edwards.A very concerning element of the current NZ First donations scandal is the role of lobbying and lobbyists close to the Government. The most recent story from RNZ’s Guyon Espiner and Kate Newton, revealed that lobbyist Doug Woolerton, who is also a trustee of the NZ First ...
“The visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing has reinforced the need to view good, affordable homes as a fundamental human right – and highlighted what needs to happen to ensure all New Zealanders are well-housed,” says Scott ...
The government has announced a ban on electricity retailers using promotions to lure back customers who’ve changed companies. Flick Electric’s Nikki Cockburn explains why this is a victory for consumers and competition. Progress on the Electricity Price Review (EPR) might be slow – especially when it comes to putting recommendations into ...
Acculturation – the cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture or a merging of cultures – is increasingly evident in this country’s public agencies. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has not escaped the process. In July 2018, soon after ...
Pacific Media Watch The Philippines top state lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the country’s key television broadcaster with “guns blazing” but he ought to be devoting more effort on governance, says Rappler co-founder and managing editor Glenda M. Gloria. Gloria, who has been announced as a keynote speaker ...
The Electricity Authority says the ban on power companies offering better deals to customers who want to switch should bring down power prices. From 21 March the authority will ban the so-called win-backs offered to customers within 180 days of leaving their original supplier. Figures show 435,000 consumers switched suppliers ...
This is a press statement from UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing at the end of her 10-day visit to New Zealand. The Government of New Zealand has recognized that the country is facing a housing crisis, said Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur ...
Fletcher Building is hopeful the Ihumātao land dispute can be resolved soon but says it cannot hold off indefinitely. Presenting the construction company's half-year results to the end of December 2019 chief executive Ross Taylor said it has been a complex situation. But the company said in a presentation that ...
The telecommunications company Spark has made a larger profit off a big boost in mobile sales, with the company's bottom line rising 9.2 percent to $167 million in the six months ended December. Revenue rose 4 percent to $1.82 billion with increased margins in the mobile, broadband and cloud divisions. ...
Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt, welcomes the release of the preliminary findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, today, and looks forward to giving her recommendations careful consideration. “Ms ...
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross, has been named today as one of the four people facing Serious Fraud Office charges in relation to two $100,000 donations made to the National Party. ...
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four men charged by the Serious Fraud Office in the National Party donations case - alongside a Chinese community leader who reportedly gave $100,000 to the party, and two others. Name suppression for Ross and his co-accused Zhang Yikun, Zheng Shijia, ...
Almost a third of middle-aged New Zealanders have tried methamphetamine at least once, according to a new University of Otago, Christchurch study looking at the link between using the drug and violence in the general population. The study found those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Lecturer Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong Why don’t burns bleed? – from the year three and four students at Islington Public School in NSW Hello year three and four students – thanks for your excellent question! To ...
The report details an unannounced follow-up inspection, the first in a new phase of inspections of all 18 New Zealand prisons by the Office of the Inspectorate. This follows the first phase of inspections, where all prisons were inspected in a process ...
Netflix’s new release Horse Girl promised a quirky indie dramedy from its trailer. In reality, it’s a nightmarish time-warped look into the mind of a mental illness sufferer, writes Alice Webb-Liddall.There was a horse girl in every primary school classroom. The one with ballet flats and low ponytails and books ...
You may not be punching strangers’ seats, but there’s plenty of other behaviour that is guaranteed to make your fellow passengers seethe with rage. Here’s how to travel by plane without making people hate you.You’ve probably seen the video: a woman leans back in her reclined seat as a man ...
Earmarked for big things since she left high school, the ‘Nothing to Regret’ singer has been dealing with the weight of expectations for a while now. With her debut EP just released, she’s OK with where she’s at.Given the circumstances, Robinson is surprisingly relaxed. It’s early afternoon on a swelteringly ...
By Meriba Tulo in Port Moresby Over the past month, the Autonomous Bougainville Government has made known its intention to put forward several proposed amendments to the Bougainville House of Representatives. These amendments include a provision to allow for a president to serve for more than two terms – ...
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are concerned that unborn babies will lose their existing tenuous legal rights if Parliament passes the Abortion Legislation Bill in the form proposed by a select committee. And unborn babies with a fetal disability ...
Younger voters are being encouraged to take time now to make sure they are enrolled and ready to vote in this year’s election and referendums. The Electoral Commission’s enrolment teams will be at orientation events at universities, polytechnics and wānanga ...
FIRST Union’s Real Work Real Jobs campaign is expanding its focus to include ‘gig economy’ workers like Uber drivers and dependent contractors, with the public release of the union’s submission on the Government’s Better Protections for Contractors ...
Linda Burgess climbs the eternal staircase at the Opera House in Wellington to watch the virtuoso actor. At the interval her legs are aching. But in the second half, magic happens.There’s one person wearing a face mask, just the one, and it turns his face into a disposable nappy with ...
National Party leader Simon Bridges says the Serious Fraud Office investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation adds weight to calls for Winston Peters to be stood down. ...
Tutors at Northtec have begun strike action this week, action that will be disruptive for the institution and students. “Tutors never want to affect their students in negative ways, but they want their employer to show respect and put a decent pay ...
Dairy prices have fallen again in the latest global dairy auction, as the coronavirus outbreak takes its toll on trade. The average price at the overnight auction fell by almost 3 percent to $US3176 a tonne. Following a 4.7 percent fall at the previous auction two weeks ago, it was ...
Motorists are now able to offset their carbon emissions when they fuel up at Z Energy stations. A new feature in the Z app called Carbon Count will show drivers the carbon impact of each fill, then give them the option to offset that. There will be a per-fill option ...
Growth in bank sector profits stalled last year after years of seemingly unstoppable development. Business advisory firm KPMG's annual sector report showed the industry's collective profits fell just under 1 percent to $5.7 billion, with a growth in lending, while margins were squeezed slightly, costs rose markedly, and bad debts ...
After years of swearword-emblazoned book covers, are readers all out of fucks to give about bad language?Since Adam Mansbuch’s 2011 bestseller, Go the Fuck to Sleep, book titles have been swearing profusely to grab audience attention. The author followed up on the winning formula with You Have to Fucking Eat ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will keep his Ministerial portfolios as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigates the New Zealand First Foundation. ...
Here's how the Government could force you to sell your house for state housing; and impact of drought, coronavirus could lead to recession - economist. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentNZ First donations scandal Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Jacinda Ardern right to let Winston Peters’ keep his head over donations ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners is calling on Police Minister Stuart Nash to front up and explain, after releasing new figures showing that since 2011, Police employees have been caught 244 times for unauthorised use of confidential and sensitive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute Young Australians are abandoning private health insurance in droves. And the overall decline in the percentage of the population with private coverage is continuing. New data for the three months to the end of 2019, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, University of Melbourne As the brutal reality of climate change dawned this summer, you may have asked yourself a hard question: am I well-prepared to live in a warmer world? There are many ways we can ready ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eva Plaganyi, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Currents are strong around the Torres Strait Islands, lying between Australia’s northern-most tip and Papua New Guinea. When the tidal conditions are right and the waters relatively still, though, up to 230 islanders – a sizeable ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Fahey, PhD Candidate, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University General Motors has announced the Holden brand will be “retired” in 2021. This week’s announcement has been a long time coming. The Holden brand has been in a state of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra An “unholy coalition” is attacking the planned increase in the superannuation guarantee, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says in his latest “vision statement”, pledging to resist any attempt to stop the legislated rise to 12% going ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University China’s ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, let the cat out of the bag this week when he lambasted Canberra over its decision to exclude Huawei from the build-out of Australia’s 5G network. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The idea that we should decentralise our population has come up many times in Australia. Recently, the National Farmers’ Federation president pushed the notion, calling for a shift to the regions. And ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fresh developments around in the political donations saga, the Chinese ambassador speaks out, and some troubling poll numbers for advocates of cannabis law reform.The Serious Fraud Office is formally investigating the operations of the NZ First Foundation. The confirmation came in ...
ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias interviews Dr Gwendoline Smith about how terrible it is to think too much.Certainly I overthink things, in the sense that I worry and fret and angst, but not in the sense that I actually think very deeply or intelligently. It’s more ...
A major report by the Auditor-General on how New Zealand's drinking, storm and waste waters are managed finds a conflicting, disorganised and stagnant system ill-prepared for climate change. Dileepa Fonseka reports. ...
Overworked and stressed teachers, overcrowded classrooms and substandard nutrition have ECE at crisis point. ECE teacher Susan Bates explains why everyone should care. If you want to know what NZ society might look like in the future, look into the eyes of the young children in your neighbourhood. Ask yourself ...
The pressures on the state budget of a rapidly ageing population must be acknowledged, and treated holistically and with nuance, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale The latest three-yearly 2019 Retirement Incomes Review takes a refreshingly holistic view of retirement policy and is welcomed by the Retirement Policy and ...
Manchester City and the Houston Astros are latest inductees into the sports hall of shame. Dirty, rotten cheats. Calculated, cynical, premeditated, habitual, recidivist, despicable cheats. Committed cheats. Add Manchester City and the Houston Astros to a gallery of shame occupied for all eternity by Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, ...
The 10-year-old girl from Tawa who cherished a cricket bat signed by her 2000 World Cup heroes, now wants to spur a new crop of cricketers through her own swashbuckling deeds. In a recent column looking ahead to the T20 World Cup starting in Australia this week, Sophie Devine wrote that she “hoped to inspire ...
Transforming diseases into foes and therapies into battles isn’t the best way to face contagion. Annemarie Jutel asks: When did panic and catastrophe help anyone organise anything? Public anxiety and nations’ responses to coronavirus (COVID-19) have been shaped by the hyperbolic metaphors surrounding its discussion. Even the usually sedate and measured ...
The dreaded pea weevil is no more in the Wairarapa, after a successful eradication effort. So why does this matter? OK, what on earth is a pea weevil?It’s a type of leaf beetle, so not actually a weevil after all, but the name is the name. Basically it gets into pea ...
Controversial Australian philosopher Peter Singer is coming to New Zealand in June. While he believes in reducing suffering for all humans and animals, his views on disability have sparked widespread alarm and condemnation.Utilitarian and moral philosopher Peter Singer is best known by many for the parable of the drowning child, ...
Sharon Brettkelly gets a rare look at the internal workings of Immigration New Zealand - and we look at what's holding up visa applications. Immigration New Zealand's Henderson office is like any other, with rows of workers at their computers. But in this workplace the lives of tens of thousands ...
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Open mike 25/04/2014 
Open mike is your post.
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Wow. Jones’ partner tells it!
Narcissism.
“Shane Jones’ partner, Dot Pumipi, says the MP’s greatest fear in making the decision to resign was that his phone would stop ringing and he would get withdrawal symptoms from the sudden lack of attention.”
And this question says so much about the quality of journalism in 2014 New Zealand.
“Asked whether she was to Mr Jones’ career what Yoko Ono was to John Lennon’s, she laughed and said she had told him she’d support him whatever he did.”
Jones isn’t nearly as interesting as he thinks he is.
Oh well, if Shane isn’t challenging the supermarkets, its o.k. To shop there again.
Doesn’t matter if nothing about their practices has actually changed or not.
“She said there was a further upside to his decision: “I can go back to Countdown.””
How exactly is that narcissim, im sure that would be a natural reaction for most people leaving a high profile job, how about instead of crying on here you go read Claire Trevetts article r.e Jones and the Toxic Greens not only is it highly accurate you might actually learn something about the man you have dedicated 5 posts to this morning
Still waiting to hear what Jones had hoped to achieve for the working and unemployed classes – or even for a better NZ generally.
What you will not hear is the evidence he possessed on the supermarkets which has vanished along with what little credibility he had with all those working class folks the jonolists allege he was looking out for.
Well played national and progressive but it’s a double edged sword especially when meddling McCully is involved.
Greatest fear..the lack of attention.
That’s narcissism
When is Claire Trevell going move jobs to the print media she is most suited to? I.e., for the Women’s Weekly. Apologies to the Woman’s Weekly. Claire with her puff pieces really belongs with the WW, not as the Deputy Political Editor of the country major newspaper.
I think her content is entirely in keeping with the trivial propaganda sheet that the Herald has become in the past few years. It’s always been a right wing rag, but recently it has descended further into a tabloid telling tales of celebrities and sport.
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
“When your kids are swimming ……you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.”
Does that mean that the Greens now think its okay for non-profit making companies to dump toxic waste into our rivers……?
Why are the Greens so upset that some companies make profits?
These companies make private profits for a few, while pushing the costs of their dirty business on to the local community.
So you are happy with that situation, but many including the Greens are not.
The only think toxic is the waste that will be kept out of our rivers when the Greens get into power.
When your kids are swimming in that nice clean river and breathing clean air, you will have the Greens to thank. They will introduce regulation that stop profit making companies from dumping toxic waste into our rivers and making us all sick.
Did you used to swim in the river when you were a kid? Why do you want to deprive kids today of what you had?
Where is your decency?
If you go to the back country the rivers are pristine. Plus most kids swim in aquatic centres and urban pools. How about some cost-benefit analysis of what you are proposing?
Im sure the good people of West Virginia would see the fact that they have to boil their drinking water as a big cost.
CBA?
“100% pure”: $15bn per year
When you hit that in costs of not putting shit in our rivers, get back to us.
Srylands knows of all of this, I sense.
Comments made to be provocative in the way some kids do whose social skills have a way to go.
He craves attention.
@ srylands
….how do you factor in the costs to tourism and our overseas branding of ‘NZ Pure’….people like you don’t factor them in…but overseas visitors notice
….many down stream rivers I swam in as a child are a trickle and a contaminated trickle compared with what they once were
You have no problem with cattle shit and other toxins being dumped into the rivers?
Would you advocate the nuclear power possessing countries to dump their spent nuclear wastes into their water ways? It is cheaper!
“How exactly is that narcissim, im sure that would be a natural reaction for most people leaving a high profile job, how about instead of crying on here you go read Claire Trevetts article r.e Jones and the Toxic Greens not only is it highly accurate you might actually learn something about the man you have dedicated 5 posts to this morning”
Of course Trevett didn’t even impy that the GP was toxic. She did report that the reasons Jones was leaving were because he wasn’t going to be PM or Finance Minister, and he could earn more money in another job. So yes, thank-you, I have learned something about the man – that he is self-centred and self-serving (which makes for a shitty MP).
I thought he was married with 9 kids? Partner? confused.
Did have – separated.
Google.co.nz
7 Kids, separated, new partner…
Calling Pete George, fact check required in aisle 9..
[RL: Deleted. Sneering, sexist, homophobic and plain wrong. Too far.]
Is that the most mature point you are capable of?
You need to return to the sandpit, young lad.
Shane Who???, a regular Kiwi bloke, Ha ha ha that just shows us all that if you are not a fool you easily are, fooled that is…
Great article from Glucina
When is Claire Trevell going move jobs to the print media she is most suited to? I.e., for the Women’s Weekly. Apologies to the Woman’s Weekly, nothing too much wrong there. Claire with her puff pieces really belongs with you, not as the Deputy Political Editor of the country major newspaper.
Claire Triffid is nothing but a gossip columnist. Forty years ago the Herald wouldn’t have considered running such rubbish stories.
Says about the editorial team at the Herald…
The right wing contributors on this site rant and rave about how the Greens will destroy NZ’s economy.
I’d be more worried by the present jokers remaining in power.
Gradually indebting the country to foreign interests.
And yet pr, BM, fisiani and others slavishly support them.
Pathetic, really.
“Government debt has reached $60 billion, having climbed $27 million a day since John Key became prime minister – and forecasts show it will rise for years to come.
Despite tax revenue being higher than expected and expenses lower in recent months, Treasury figures show net Crown debt reached the highest yet at $60,015,000,000 at the end of September.
It already equates to 28 per cent of New Zealand’s economic output, is more than $13,000 for every person in New Zealand and is forecast to climb by another $10b by 2017.
When National took control of the Beehive in 2008, debt was just over $10b.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9380846/Public-debt-climbs-by-27m-a-day
let’s pretend nz is a company/corporation..
..and john key is running it..
..now..when key yook over control of the company..
..the extenal debt held by the company was $10 billion..
..under keys’ stewardship of the company..
..that external debt has blown out to $60 billion..
..now..if you were one of the owners/shareholders of this company called nz that is under the aegis/care of key..
..around about now..wouldn’t you be going:
..’w.t.f are doing..?..mr key..?…why have you run up such a horrendous level of debt..?
..you have been telling us that you had to have a firesale of the assets held by the company/country..
..because you ‘didn’t want to run to the foreign bankers..like labour/the greens want to do..’
..wasn’t that the story you have been spinning us..?
..so/but not only have you sold off our energy-assets at firesale pieces..(to raise in total some $5 billion..?)
..all the time you were saying/preaching this…you increased our debts to those foreign banks you were telling scary stories about..
..from $10 billion..
..to $60 billion..
..please explain..!
Is it possible you could write without all those gaps, dots and question marks?
It would make your pints easy to grasp.
yeah.! .nah..! eh..?
..and i don’t really ‘grasp pints’ these days..eh..?..
It was just a suggestion.
I think more people would read your comments if they were clearer.
i can’t write yr way anymore..
..it’s been so long since i’ve done/dismissed them..
..i really can’t see the point of all those bullshit capital letters/sentence-structures/paragraphs..etc..
..they seem as archaic/arcane as all those swirls/whorls from previous superseded versions of the ‘right’ way to write..why don’t you still do/bend the knee to them..?
..and despite yr last line..
..i now find my way ‘clearer’/easier to read/more flowing…..
All those ‘arcane swirls/whorls’ you are so dismissive of are an extra layer of texture and context for your readers.
You may know exactly what you intend to say phil – in your own head. But you depend on all these written symbols to convey that meaning to your readers.
By ignoring the textural conventions that most people are familiar with you make it harder for us to decode your meaning. Quite necessarily so. It’s directly analogous to someone whose verbal speech is mumbled and mangled.
After a while people get the sense that you just can’t be bothered respecting your readers enough to communicate clearly. And they just stop reading.
c’mon..!..get a grip..!
..it’s not that hard to read..
..i’m not using hieroglyphics/cryptic-codes..
..yr fretting/insistances have all the tone/timbre of a first world linguistic-problem..
..and reading it isn’t compulsory..
..surely i’m just making it easier for you to know when to scroll on by..
I write using conventional grammar and sentence structure that other people are familiar with.
I make some effort to clean it up before I hit ‘submit’ and quite frequently go back to edit out mistakes as well. I do this out of respect for other people who may chose to read me.
By contrast your ‘stream of consciousness’ style makes no such effort. It stinks of an ‘all about me’ attitude.
But if your best argument is to dismissively invite us all to ‘scroll on by’, would it then be logical to save pixels by simply deleting all your posts ?
Because when you choose to write in a lazy, disrespectful style that few people can be bothered reading, it’s the equivalent of self-censoring mumbling. Yet oddly enough censorship is one thing that gets you very agitated.
Why do you do it to yourself then?
+1 Deliberately makes his communication harder to understand (as a point of vanity as far as I can tell), and then expects everyone else to make extra effort to make sense of what he is saying. Then has the gall to tell other people that they don’t know whether something is garbled or not to them. It’s all about phil.
“.. It’s all about phil…”
heh..!
chrs 4 the guffaw..!
I agree.
Phil, your style sucks dog dicks, it’s got no redeeming features, do every one a favor and write like every one else.
“..By contrast your ‘stream of consciousness’ style makes no such effort..”
i actually do ‘make such effort’..
..the pale imitations others try should make that clear..
[@Philp ure]
..Yeah?..
..How about this imitation then, ye?..
..given the increasingly proven cancer/premature-death etc.-causing properties of our main exports..
..(animal bits/bye-products..)
.(we really..as a country..are the merchants of death..eh..?..)
..hand in hand with the soon-to-be production of lab/warehouse grown meat..(with no animals/cruelties involved..in countries of consumption…)
..wouldn’t it make some sense to flog all the meat-farms off to foreigners..?
..and then to sit back and watch/wait for them to go (inevitably) broke..
..then we can buy the farms back cheap..
..and start growing real food on them..?
..(just saying..!
..it’s a plan..!..)
the alternative of course is to start switching to growing real food now..eh..?..)
..pale..ye?..
..nah..!..
i like your writing style Phil !
..i really can’t see the point of all those bullshit capital letters/sentence-structures/paragraphs..etc..
Yes – what has legibility ever done for written communication, eh? Totally overrated…
Lolz…Phillip…understands His…Babble…every word…even the … …some obscure poet… long ago…penned a few poems…in the same lack of style…don’t you know…its Phill’s ‘art’…
Just makes it harder to follow.
As long as Phil realise that and doesn’t mind, that’s ok.
At least his comments don’t swamp this site with monotony – in the form of Pete g.
yup…and us Chooks like it ….so there!…we like poetry
I just don’t bother reading it Paul
pretty much the same here, unless a meaningful phrase jumps out. Those are few and far between. Often read the people who argue with him, though, just to get a gist of what’s going on.
Ditto.
In defence of Philip Ure and his Odes
People who are too prosaic miss a lot that can be learned from poetry and the non literal and the non verbal and the aesthetic and the psychic and the mystical and the allusional….(helped occasionally with a little you know what)
…in other words the glasses and focus of Yang Scientism and literalism has brought about an ecological crisis…the world is too Yang and unbalanced…….in the mind and spirit…. …lol…lol ( and dont eat the little critters or you will have a bad reincarnation)
LOOSEN UP YOU BASTARDS and STAY COOL
If one wishes to communicate with the prosaic, one should use conventional prose…
@ Phil ….
let’s pretend NuZulls a cumpinny en Jawnkey’s running it!
Please don’t ask = its probably on the agenda already!
.
There’s already a hijeckd meedya masquerading as a 4th Estate that’s too lazy to get off its arse and delve into his years as the “smoilung asessun” working in Ayezzzha!.
Most of them, whilst goan beart their daily buzzniss, couldin unna Sten the goi. They did when skeweritty garz were loinung up ta scort thin off the premizzizz
Watch and wait Phull
Their lazinusses are really going to claim integrity in Jonolustuk velyas when the shut hitsth fen. Watch em all…. even the ones fresh from Media Studies papuzz en gradjatshum hired by 3 (based on essays and Lecturers pets, that were completely and utterly plagiarised and/or written for them).
(Btw …. As a former tutor, I’m still trying to understand why a decent enough lecturer/researcher – and a hierarchy that was fairly on to it – could fail to see the bleeding obvious) – but there ya go – bay-sick-ly tik-a-box commercialoizayshun of the tertiary sektah – of which there’s a Heck Yea and a choyce-Jorrrrrse leading the charge).
[….Phil, and perhaps Rhino: watch tonights “tree Newz” – did I hear Nukki kay say something like “biggerings” relating to the Chinese ban on infant formyilla?. I think oi dud – but maybe not – it’s hard to woch the likes of Nukki sometimes. “What I would say – is ….. me mate Nafe Goi hes been skolling me and praviding me with ‘learnings’ of the subjek]
Sometimes I really wonder why the trolls keep it up – but we can rest assured they’ll be the first to squeal like stuffed pigs when it all happens (if it happens, though I’m not that confident given how long its taken thus far to realoise the Empra hes nah closthes) ….. but I reckon they’ve allowed their inflated egos to get in the way of logic.
It’s all a but like Fairfecks subbies; ‘Hubs’; destruction of that 4th as a konsquince of what’s deemed to be corporate sense; a misunderstanding of journalistic values (kind of like that new slogan “Miss Selling”); make me a star ….. you get the idea.
Anyway – this is turning into a bit of a rave.
Preps oi shid jess get Pedey Jorge to go do sim Fek Chuckin.
The con-machine sure as hell is working overtime this week though!
….. Oh – btw Phil – should I call you Phil or Phylis? Bad 12 calls you that often, and baby …. I jisss lerv BOTH yer work! :p
But, but, but, its the RockStar economy don’t you know, by the time the IMF gets in on the act there will be little left to sell off and the real fun will have begun…
b12
It’s not Rockstar..with yet another NZ company dismissing 79 workers in Dunedin it’s more of a Wagnerian economy, but who in Epsom or Helensville gives a hoot about those sawmillers down there.
As if i do not fully understand where Rock Bottom is as far as the economy goes, ever heard of being ironic…
More “Air Guitar” economy Then Rock Star
Yea. I did get your irony ( and thought i was supporting it).
Isn’t Rockstar Games the company behind Grand Theft Auto?
Maybe that’s the society the nats are after – gated comunities for the ultra-rich, techno-Hobbesian violence for the rest.
Rock star economy for multinational investments banks.
Anzac Day. Red poppies everywhere. Whichever muppet decided to give a white poppy equal prominence on the banner headline above has a viewpoint that is not shared by the majority. Fair enough. Your decision. A picture is worth more than a thousand words.
[lprent: probably the difference between this who have actually served in the army like myself and the idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism. ]
Fish head isn’t there a war someplace you can go and volunteer to be a hero in…
This is his war, alot safer and probably better paid.
“has a viewpoint that is not shared by the majority”
This coming from an ACT supporter who thinks National is a left wing organisation.
🙄
Armchair warriors…always the most ferocious….
Oh the irony
That reminds me, really appreciate seeing the white poppy in the banner…
+1
That was rocky. I used to just put the red poppy up. One year she asked if it could be used. I looked at it and decided it was a good complement.
i like the white poppy too….as i suspect would have many a returned serviceman and airman….a white poppy for Peace is what they believed in
I don’t think I ever met so many fervent believers in peace in civilian life as I did inside the army. Due to the range clearing philosophy at Waiouru when I did my training, I rapidly became a believer myself.
A friendly advice for you : Whatever war you support, make sure you don’t say anything against uncle Tom anymore unless you wish for a drone to hover over your head. The price of freedom, justice and fair play. Collateral damage justified by lies and spin.
Uncle Tom???, you are thinking of ”Uncle Sam” are you not, the same ”Uncle Sam” that is now dropping US troops in to places like Poland and the Ukraine in the hope? that the pro-Russian militias will find cause to harm some of them perhaps…
oops, yes, Sam.
US foreign policy has created more problems than helped in world peace. Diplomacy is a far better weapon than weapons.
Ummm. I do it every year.
I suspect that my years of service in both the army and this site give me the right to do whatever I feel like.
Unlike idle munters like yourself, old ex-soldiers tend to be somewhat more reflective and self-aware.
But hey, we also provide the space for you to make a fool of yourself.
“old ex-soldiers tend to be somewhat more reflective and self-aware.”
This is true, am I still banned?
[lprent: Yes. I have a vague idea about doing another general amnesty while I have the time to deal with the idiots next week. However the time is being rapidly sucked up with things to do.
The trick is generally not to get banned in the first place. ]
Fisiani and his fellow right wingers go on about how they are off to the dawn parade to “remember the fallen” who died fighting tyrannical governments, but I wager that if the Chinese decided to take this country by force, they would be down by Queen Street waving their little Chinese flags as the PLA marches up the street..
… idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism.
Now, be fair. If mental midgets can’t think of Anzac Day in terms of mindless romanticism, how are they going to think of it? You can’t put a quart in a pint pot.
Indeed. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
“probably the difference between this [those?] who have actually served in the army like myself and the idle armchair warriors like yourself with their mindless romanticism.”
PLUS [+] (any number) doesn’t seem to cut it! – but +1
@ Fizz – have you ever?
btw …. Probably also those in the military who’ve climbed the ladder by arse-licking, and who’re expecting dizzy heights – perhaps a serial gummint departmint CEOze appointment, or even a guv genrill appointment. Prolly Shane will arrange the next one – preferably one that can use a bit of holdtight on the partial plate when delivering the honours.
(Christ I can be a bitch I know – but these munters and their cronyism – really ARE becoming quite pathetic!)
A Harley Davidson at the Tex Payuzz xpense would probably be a damn sight cheaper for all concerned – we could get Chris Finlayson to bestow the honours too without all the ‘kerfuffle’
Personally I’D RATHER we honour the deserving – and there are quite a few. There really IS a hierarchy that lets them down though.
Hi Pete,
wew were discussing something yesterday that got lost in the old maelstrom a bit, so I’ll just cut iand pastes it over here, as I’m keen to hear your reckon.
It was about these poll results:
http://www.reidresearch.co.nz/TV3+POLL+RESULTS.html
As I noted, the data isn’t as good as we might like it, but it’s what we have, unless you have better data to share of course.
Give that, as you said:
“Fact checking isn’t a waste of time – it can help people perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
Could you have a quick look at the following statements, and see if the facts revealed by that polling data can help clear up any propaganda or ignorance regarding what people think:
1) “Labour looks out of touch with people and out of touch with reality. If they don’t turn this around very soon it could be terminal.”
2) ” The perception of the party is tending towards pathetic.”
3) “Ex Labour minister Michael Bassett may not be a party favourite but what he said on Radio New Zealand half an hour ago about Labour now are common sentiments”
cheers.
Hi Pascal’s bookie
Perhaps you’re trying to be too clever for me. What point are you trying to make? That any opinion expressed here should be supported by an opinion poll? I’ll try polling your opinion.
1) Do you think Labour looks in touch with people and in touch with reality?
2) Do you think there are no perceptions the party is tending towards pathetic?
3) Do you think what Michael Basset expressed are not common sentiments?
I’m not trying be clever at all Pete. Nor am I suggesting that all opinions should be supported by polling.
I am saying that the data in that reid polling contradicts your statements about what people think.
In particular, the polling shows that Key is seen as being out of touch with normal kiwis far more than the Labour leader has been, for quite some time.
For the last year, a majority in the poll has said that Key is ‘out of touch’.
The following statement is about something that we can only know from polling:
“Labour looks out of touch with people and out of touch with reality.”
It’s talking about what the electorate thinks, and the evidence we have about what the electorate thinks on that particular question doesn’t really support it.
And yet it is something pundits talk about a lot, and you repeat seemingly without thinking about whether or not you have any evidence for it.
Even when presented with the evidence we have, you can’t bring yourself to talk about it.
So,
“Fact checking isn’t a waste of time – it can help people perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
The talking point in the media by various pundits and analysts, which is repeated by you in various statements, that ‘Labour is dangerously out of touch especially in comparison to the down to earth Key led national party’, seems to be “party propaganda and ignorance” that could be assisted by a bit of fact checking, no?
Do you have poll to back your “party propaganda and ignorance” claim?
I haven’t compared Labour to National on down to earthiness.
“Do you have poll to back your “party propaganda and ignorance” claim?”
That reid one is what makes it seem to be so Pete. It strongly suggests the majority of people do not think labour is out of touch. Whatever problems Labour has, it isn’t that. So people who are claiming otherwise, are wrong. This might be because of ignorance, or for propaganda reasons
This is very simple.
You made claims that labour is seen as being out of touch.
The best available data that I’m aware of suggests that isn’t the case.
Maybe you have other data that suggests it is the case, which supports your statements. If so you should share it.
Your wriggling is giving me the impression that you are more interested in something other than fact checking to assist people to “perceive more accurately and not get fooled by party propaganda and ignorance.”
And as the Election year progresses and David and Labour policy is better known, the gap will narrow.
That depends on the media to a large extent. Our media has shown to be personality and sensation driven and has come across so far as pretty inept and useless fourth estate, instead of being a responsible and unbiased pillar of democracy in informing the public on policy issues.
the gap will narrow, I burst out laughing. what wishful thinking. This has eerie similarities of 2002 with the how low can you go limbo dance of political demise.
How do you know? There are still 5 months to go for the elections and all policies are not yet announced. Are you coming across as Ken’s ring.
You really think that policies bribes or any dodgy offer will make a difference when the economy is booming, wages are rising, employment is ring and 1,600 a week are coming off benefits? I have a bridge to sell you.
I think it’s important to figure out the difference between opinions – ‘I think Labour looks out of touch’ – and provable statements – ‘The majority of people think Labour looks out of touch.’
Statement 1 is a little bit in-between, but statements 2 and 3 above are provable (not perfectly, because there are always questions around polling methods etc. and how we define whether a sentiment is ‘common’ could be argued, but nevertheless.)
They can’t however be proved by ‘polling’ one commenter on a blog site, and I have to say, Pete, that this kind of tactic is something I’ve seen several people call you out on. You have made statements and, although I respect that you generally comment here in a personal capacity, and not as editor of Politicheck, you aren’t showing willing to back those statements up, and are avoiding having to answer them with a silly little charade of a one-man opinion poll.
PG’s inability to grasp such basic concepts does suggest that he is impaired for the job at politicheck.
Unfortunately, Pete George has indicated in previous comments that he does not understand statistics. He does not consider them to be facts and instead believes that because one can misrepresent statistics to ‘prove’ a certain point (e.g. by cherry picking data points), then the entire field of statistics is completely arbitrary. His comments regarding the “statistical poverty line” also show that he has a poor understanding of averages (either the median or the mean) and he does not understand the effects that changes in the underlying distribution of a parameter would have on these averages.
I really have no idea how he can be qualified to be a “fact-checker”, let alone a “fact-checking editor”.
That’s a very good point, wtl. Of course it’s good for a fact-checker to be aware of the ways statistics can be misused – it’s probably a prerequisite for the job – but that level of ignorance is just embarrassing.
I’ve always thought, and I’ve seen others here comment, that a basic grounding in concepts like mean vs. median would raise the level of political debate in NZ. And I did hope when I saw Politicheck getting launched that it could be a vehicle for that kind of thing. I guess not!
“(either the median or the mean)”
and then there is the mode,
a deliberately overlooked statistic when averages + wages are discussed in the same breath
Thanks Pascal. The “experts” like Bassett certainly paint a dismal picture, which is not borne out by the Reid Polls. With more exposure later this year people will be able to compare and contrast. And maybe those little comments like trucks on motorways and trailer registrations etc serve the purpose of being known by thousands who have yet to notice David or the serious life affecting policies yet to be delivered.
Thanks for the link. Have Bookmarked it.
1 Yes
2 Wrong
3 Bassett is a very nasty malicious animal
(Note Pete is away with the fairies @ 5.1?)
I don’t think RR polling is particularly good but don’t you think you should put up the most recent results (still a month out of date) ?
https://www.3news.co.nz/Politics/3NewsReidResearchPoll.aspx
Those are the results for different questions, Not Petey.
If you want to find out what people think about who is more “in touch”, you have to ask them that question.
You’re welcome.
The link to 3News was distorted but FPP suggested one thing but MMP showed that:
“Support for the National Party has dipped in the latest political opinion poll and the Greens have jumped.
The Roy Morgan poll released yesterday showed National down three points to 45.5 percent. Labour rose a point to 31.5 percent and the Greens jumped 3.5 points to 14 percent.
If a national election were held now it would be too close to call, pollster Gary Morgan said.
So what was your point Petey lad?
I looked at the TV3 Poll and I understand that its considered to be the most accurate one by those to the Left. (Do correct me if Im wrong there tho)
So is the “fact” that Cunliffe cant even get to 0% in the “preferred PM” poll of any concern to you?
Not only that there is also NO mention of David Cunliffe in any of the charts. His name is nowhere to be found. So that makes it a Shearer poll. One which has me in a quandary, because Cunliffe won the Leadership in sept 2013, and these polls are supposedly up till Jan 2014.
So the question is this: Is the whole lot just reid research just making up numbers? because it just don’t make sense.
There you go Petey. Fact check that!
I haven’t commented so far on Shane Jones’ departure from Labour and Parliament and will not do so other than saying that after my initial shock, IMO it is the best thing he could do. He was never an easy fit in Labour. While in his first term, I thought he did well, thereafter until the leadership contest and since, he was a non-entity apart from the ‘occasional incident’. If I was in Cunliffe’s shoes, I think I would be sighing a sigh of relief that the ‘loose cannon’ is going.
On this day when we remember those who fought, and died, for our freedom and democracy, we need to also look forward to hopefully strengthen our resolve to protect these.
So, in my opinion, it is time to put Shane Jones behind us – and look forward to, and be thankful that his going means that Kelvin Davis is coming back.
I was impressed by the way that he handled the situation and media within a very short time of the announcement of Jones’ decision.
But I am even more impressed by his Facebook post setting out his first four priorities – posted yesterday. –
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelvin-Davis/776784779020038?fref=nf
It is a definite must read in full, so I am not going to give a summary.
Apologies if this has already been posted (and I think it is well worth a full post), but it gave me a real surge of positivity at a time when all around seemed to be negativity.
Seeing as you said that Kelvin Davis’s Facebook page was a must read, i did, to be kind, Kelvin will be a perfect fit into middle class Labour and should represent the interests of that middle class really well,
Education, education, education, if this were to be the solution then WHAT has gone so seriously wrong with the education system in Te Tai Tokerau for so long,
Kelvin managed to have me seeing RED with His little allusion to ‘Nutters’ in His opening remarks, ‘Nutters’ have become thus for a reason and far from the snide inferences their way Davis would far better serve His electorate to avail Himself of the causes rather than poke the iron at the symptoms,
Am unimpressed, another business as usual candidate for Labour…
I wish I hadn’t read that bad12. I agree entirely with your conclusions.
He either doesn’t get it or he doesn’t want to, (and they both merge into a giant ‘I’m alright Jack,’ anyway.)
Davis wants to get to feel like one of the good guys as he props up the mythology that is destroying so many of us. Pagani must love him.
Can you explain that js? On the face of it I can’t see much wrong with his priorities.
A complete denial of the structural causes of the woes faced by Maaori, denial of patriarchy in sexual and physical abuse (man-up ffs!) and airbrushing the poverty, structural inequality and racism that underpin both in the community he hopes to represent.
Nothing major needs to change, the barriers can be overcome by a bit of elbow-grease and a particular (still patriarchal) definition of a “real man”. As you were etc.
Sounds like bollocks to me.
Can you be more specific as to where you see actual denial?
You might be right, but it’s also possible that as a politician in a mainstream party he talks in ways that his constituents will understand, or he is pragmatic enough to understand where he has power and where he doesn’t. It’s not like he can talk about the patriarchy or colonisation outright and still be an electable Labour MP.
I would be very surprised if he was unaware of colonisation and its impact on Māori, or unaware of the structural issues.
What do you think he meant by this?
Te Tai Tokerau has endured it’s own tragedy, but it happened over 40 years not 40 seconds. The effects on our people have been equally devastating in the long run.
“a particular (still patriarchal) definition of a “real man”. As you were etc.”
Hardly as you were. He makes a long, explicit statement to men that being a man includes respect for women and children. This is consistent with Māori kaupapa and is something I would like to see within Pākehā culture, esp politicians.
His statement about te reo is radical and one I wholeheartedly support.
His statement about te reo is radical and one I wholeheartedly support.
Apart from the word ‘radical’ we are agreed about this.
I could go into more detail but I don’t think any good would come of it. The way I see it, he fits perfectly with the current Labour Party. No challenge, no change, just more of the same. I’m sure he sincerely hopes that he can push a few more kids into ‘real person’ (middle-class) status through the power of education, which is nice I guess. But in desperate times, with the scale of need, and the crises we have breathing down our necks, the kids that don’t “make it” are bound for under the bus, and it’s brutal.
Just now the future seems unremittingly grim for more and more people and I just wonder who has to be affected for it to start mattering.
Davis does seem pretty moderate to me – but an improvement on Jones. I think if the Labor caucus shift more strongly towards founding Labour principles, Davis will most likely go with it.
I felt that his ‘main sincere priority aims’ are primarily geared towards his election platform to get more votes.
…from Kelvin Davis not a word on Charter Schools and Standards testing
….this is a worry, because he comes out of a hopelessly compromised Ministry of Education…. which is following an ACT agenda …..espoused by private PR companies working on the advice of USA Charter School business ( which in orientation is right wing and religious fundamentalist)
….where is Labour’s Education policy?
…like the retirement age issue….full employment for youth …raised minimum incomes for workers……Education is an important issue for Labour .
…Labour should be for State Education and equality of opportunity …not Private education
I want to hear Kelvin Davis’s views on education ….and Labour’s policies on Education
I am sure you are and I am sure you will. There are still 5 months till the lection. Surely, would you want want Labour to announce all their important policies now so
that
(a) the media give it some publicity now rather than close to the election?
(b) the nasty Nats can go on spinning about all kinds of exaggerated faults?
(c) the notorious Nats can copy some aspects of the policies to pretend it is theirs?
(d) the voters not have them fresh in their minds just before they cast their votes?
Clemgeopin….lets hope Labour is keeping its powder dry then …I hope this is the case
I hope so too!…The powder will be dry as long as disloyal incontinental turncoats like Jones don’t uncontrollably cough over it.
Hey people, give the guy a break. It was a facebook posting.
His priorities are right on. Education, well that’s appropriate given he’s a teacher, he’s going to be concerned about this. His electorate. Te Reo. Violence against women and children.
Can anyone really argue with these four priorities?????
I agree with Weka, I can’t see him denying structural causes. He didn’t mention them as he needs to keep it succinct. Labour get criticized on this site, for their media stuff and not doing sound bites.
Labour haven’t released their education policy yet.
I didn’t like the nutter comments but I am not going to right the guy off for them. I am not sure who he means, maybe some of the right wing people posting on TS.
+1 It’s his first statement about his intentions as an MP. They seem appropriate to the party he is in and assume that he wants to work towards something achievable. If we want something more radical try Mana or the GP.
“Apart from the word ‘radical’ we are agreed about this.”
He’s basically saying that we should take action to make conversational reo normal in NZ. How is that not radical?
“The way I see it, he fits perfectly with the current Labour Party. No challenge, no change, just more of the same”
I don’t see Labour doing any of the things he talks about. How is it more of the same? I think what you perhaps mean is that he’s not an obvious shift left for Labour. I don’t know, I’m just going on what I read on the FB page. But I do think that we need solid, mainstream MPs in Labour, because so much of the country is mainstream in their politics.
The best criticism that’s been made is that Pagani will like him. That makes me worry.
Wow now that’s what’s needed from a Labour Politician. And yep the Nutters probably those of Fishy and Petey George to name but a couple But reading down I’ll add Bad 12 and Just saying to that list of T 🙄 s and Nutters too judging by their comments.
I decided to place this link here and not in the Anzac post from MS. It is not my intention to cause upset but to add some thoughts to ANZAC day I felt would be misunderstood in that post’s comment section. So here goes:
A word of warning to all well meaning Kiwi’s honoring their ancestors and the recent young man and women who died in wars we where dragged into by our “leaders.
Will we be doing this for people dying in more wars in the future and if so will those wars be remembered through the same patriotic glasses without a shred of criticism for those sending the brave men and women to their deaths in them?
“A word of warning to all well meaning Kiwi’s honoring their ancestors and the recent young man and women who died in wars we where dragged into by our “leaders.”
Which wars are you talking about that we were ‘dragged into by our leaders’ ?
So glad you asked. How about every war financed by and for the bankers for starters. Oh oops, that would be as far back as the Napoleonic wars and counting.
Nuts
….monkey thinking about its next meal, I presume.
US involvement in WWI was driven by the Wall St banking fraternity who did not want to see France and England lose the war against Germany – which would have resulted in massive Wall St loan losses as France and England would never have paid back the loans that Wall St had made to them.
Yep and apart from the PTB behind the throne the Bush family made quite a bundle from Auschwitz after they helped to finance Hitler to get him into power
🙄
Oh P, that’s OK with you?
It’s well known that the Bush family was trading with Germany well into 1942. In fact, if the US hadn’t invented the law about war profiteering Prescott Bush would have been hung as a traitor.
And here is why John “We should have been in Iraq” Key can can get away with murder.
I’ve no idea if this has been covered before, but…polls.
Strikes me that a majority of ‘undecideds’ are probably left bloc voters who haven’t decided which party of the left will get their vote, rather than people wavering between left and right. So on that basis, if these ‘undecideds’ aren’t factored into poll results, then of course the right wing vote will be over reported. Polls that present percentages based on only those who state preferences (adding the decideds up to a 100%) are of no more use than soggy loo paper, no…unless your looking to generate a self fulfilling prophesy?
So anyway, why is the publication of such skewed nonsense acceptable?
Good point Bill about just who the undecided are. I vacillate between Labour/Green but last time nearly considered NZF strategically.
But 20% undecided leaves the field ripe for persuasion.
I don’t even know the %age of undecideds ianmac, (is it 20% or is that just a number you threw out there?) but I’m definitely picking it’s predominantly made up of left wing voters.
One of the polls definitely said 20% undecided. An earlier one was 11%. But I can’t find the source. It seemed by my dodgy memory for a year or two back further back the undecided was about 5%.
However Paddy and others are reluctant to quote say 20% undecided, as it would mock the usefulness of the polls especially with the dodgy use of FPP seats in parliament line.
And I wonder if the Labour Green being apparently behind will spur the efforts of we mortals?
So okay…what that could suggest is that the vote for Labour is dropping as the number of undecideds rises. A pile of formerly Labour voters thinking of going with the Greens? Definitely possible. Meanwhile, the actual left vote is being under-reported by dint of the way polling results are formulated.
Although I suspect a respectable portion of those undecided voters never quite ‘decide’ and dont make it to the booth.
That’s a bold claim Bill, but I don’t think it’s supported by evidence.
I’ve seen some pollster analysis that claims undecideds are about as spread as the decideds. But they are the hardest to get a preference from – they are pushed to make a decision, so a guess like your’s is just a guess.
And undecideds are less likely to decide at election time and vote so less of a factor.
So Pete, the fact (yes, it’s a fact) that there are more parties on the left competing more evenly for left votes than the fewer and more clearly delineated parties on the right, has no impact on the likely voting intentions of those polling as ‘undecided’. Seriously!?
Try applying some fcking logic sometime Pete…..actually, just any degree of thought would be an improvement for you.
You might find it illustrative to peruse ‘ts’ comments re voting intentions. Right wing votes are set. They’re voting National. (A wee few for ACT). The left wing votes on the other hand are much more fluid and constantly moving between Labour, the Greens and Mana. Just read the comments over time.
Meanwhile, a bit of a bold ( and not entirely free from stupid) claim there Petey about ‘undecideds’ being less likely to vote. Not voting and undecided as who to vote for are actually markedly different things
Well said Bill. And Pete saying,”I’ve seen some pollster analysis that claims undecideds are about as spread as the decideds.”
If undecided, that might mean ummm Undecided. It does seem more likely that so far the likely Left voter would be waiting to get a handle on just what Labour/Green would bring, whereas the writing is on the wall by the performance of the current lot.
We therefore know most of what Nats are offering, so what alternative do we have? Persuade me (but not too soon with policy as it gives Key’s monstrous huge team of researchers and PR people time to negate and undermine and pinch good policy, like parental leave for instance.)
Yes, National are shameless thieves who steal from the services for the poor and the less well off in society and help the wealthy instead, and steal Labour’s past and present social policies to steal some potentially left wing votes.
You’re making a lot of calls there Bill, unsupported by facts.
National support has been all over the place. Take the Roy Morgan results this year:
43.5
47
48
48.5
45.5
43
48.5
There’s nothing set looking about that. Other polls have had a similar degree of variation.
You may be correct that right wing votes are set, but there’s a lot in the centre sloshing about. Most of the uncertainty and undecided is with swing voters who could go any of several ways.
Asking you a favour Pete. Please don’t respond to any of my comments in future. The reason? Disagreement and debate is fine by me and even potentially informative. But you’re comments tend to be blithering wastes of space that, while devoid of intelligence, are unfortunately and routinely pregnant with unpleasantly dead shit that serves to choke debate/discussion.
Asking you a favour Bill. If you post questionable claims be big enough to accept some criticism.
You seem to be trying to “choke debate/discussion” by your “asking a favour”.
Pete. I’ve no problem with criticism. Thing is, criticism requires a modicum of intelligence. Criticism in no way comprises of the tangential or irrelevant nonsense that marks the bulk of your comments. Your nonsense (as I’ve commented above but that you appear to have been incapable of grasping first time around) is effectively dead shit that chokes up any flow of critical (or otherwise) debate and discussion.
Don’t respond to this and never again question my desire to have critical and/or intelligent debate when my core point (How often would I have to repeat this before your obstinate levels of comprehension stopped looking upwards in bewildered blankness at the point?) is that you kill the potential for critical and/or intelligent exchanges with your rubbish.
pete, that was meaningless.
At those levels, the margin for error is 3%. Look at that jump from the low of 43 to the high of 48.5%. The first could be as high as 46%, the second as low as 45.5%.
And that’s without looking at vacillating undecideds bouncing between left and DNR.
You comprehensively failed to support your assertion that there’s a lot in the centre sloshing about. You might well just be grasping at an artifact in sampling.
I agree. I am not sure why the poll companies do not state the % of voters who are undecided. Such a poll is more accurate and meaningful.
Another point I wonder is why don’t the four or five main polling companies stagger their polls weekly, one after the other? Surely, they could come to a mutual agreement on that? What stops them from doing that?
I could be generous and suggest that polling companies are running polls better suited to the ‘either/or’ scenario of FPP elections. But having said that, even the Scottish independence polls (which is a straight binary choice) incorporate the undecideds into their results and state when they have stripped the undecideds out for the sake of % age comparisons of those who have decided which way they intend to vote.
Maybe in NZ a clearer picture would emerge if people were asked which bloc they were going to vote for alongside or instead of which party. Slight problems in designating some parties to a left or right bloc, but as long as the make up of each was consistent over time….
Last Roy Morgan Poll showed only 5% did not name a Party (Undecided?). And that was the 48% for National one. Be interesting for the next poll, away from that Princeling fellow and his celebrity wifey.
Clemgeopin
Also why don’t they mention the percent of awful respondents (like me who say.’Oh F**k off)?
Bugger the polls I say..or has that already been said?
How can you factor ‘undecideds’ into poll results?
Gavin White of UMR claims (via research) that since 1999 polls have tended to have National and Greens too high, they are up and down on Labour, and have NZ First too low. That doesn’t fit with right being over-reported and left being under-reported.
http://sayit.co.nz/blog/what-political-polls-tell-us
If there is evidence that things are different right now I’d be (genuinely) interested to see it.
Hmm am not that impressed with iPredict, however found this press release on ‘It’s Our Future’ website which contains an interesting analysis:
http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/ipredict-2014-election-update-14-labour-makes-gains/
A good opening comment from Kelvin Davis in the Herald ex Northern Advocate – Mike Dinsdale.
“Mr Davis, who spent one term as a Labour list MP, said he would push several key issues when back in the House – Maori education, regional development, improving the number of people speaking te reo Maori, and “being the male in Parliament who stands up and says enough is enough over domestic violence”.
And “…after missing out by 832 votes to Hone Harawira in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate race in the 2011 election …”
Do I barrack for Hone or for Kelvin? Aye. There’s the rub.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11244080
Davis will probably be given a high enough list placing in order to ensure Labour has a Maori MP in the far North.
It is a real dilemma for the voters there!
I wonder what is the best way to ensure both Labour and Mana pareties benefit to the maximum extent?
Wait for the Labour list to come out and if Davis is high enough, electorate vote Mana. And give your party vote to the GP 😉 Win, win, win, for the left.
The Greens already have their core about 10-12% support from around the country.
I would like the Mana.Com alliance (if in action) to clear the 5% threshold.
So, it would make more sense for the left voters THERE to give the electorate vote to Hone (if Kelvin is fairly guaranteed a list position under 25th) and party vote to Mana.Com alliance (to help the 5% clearance) or Labour (to ensure more Labour Reps than other lefties) or the Greens(if you wish Greens to wield extra power over Labour) or NZF (for super gold card and things) or National (if one is silly to boost Key’s ego during his retirement troty in Hawaii) or ACT (if you love insects and the rich) or UF (if you like ex Labour party turn coats and hairdos)
No? Why not!
….Just musing…..
“Davis will probably be given a high enough list placing in order to ensure Labour has a Maori MP in the far North.”
Let us hope so.
Labour say they will win Napier and Christchurch Central so do you really think a hetero sensible bloke like Kelvin will be placed higher in the list than the sisterhood.
I hope this is the case. I think Parliament would be better for having both of them in it.
The philosophy of poverty.
The ACT Party and other Right Wingers often claim that people are poor and/or criminal because they choose to be, through a lack of will power, and/or moral fibre.
The strangest things often cause me to ponder this assumption.
Yesterday I went to the supermarket to get some paper vacuum cleaner bags for my vacuum, they come in a slim pack of five for $11.
On approaching the check out I noticed that the bottom of the packet had a neat slit cut in it and instead of having five vacuum liner bags there were only four. The check out operator said she would not let me have the packet for less than the full $11, so I had to walk back down the aisle to get a new complete intact pack.
While I was making this long walk, it occurred to me that there must be some very house proud poor person moved to steal just one vacuum bag. Since the pack of five was hardly much bigger than one single bag, this person would have taken a greater risk of being found out by slitting open the packet and removing one liner, than just concealing the whole pack.
I wondered, was this house proud shoplifter having some sort of moral debate with themselves that it would be less of crime if they took just one bag? Did they balance this crime against the moral dilemma of leaving their house dirty?
Should the members of ACT be worried that there are house proud poor people with moral scruples driven to wandering the aisles of New Zealand’s supermarkets armed with sharp knives?
In west Auckland supermarkets, we now have to ask the checkout operator if we want to pr=urchase council rubbish bags. This is because too many were being stolen. But, waht do poor people do if they can’t affford the bags needed to dispose of their rubbish?
Society is now user pays.
If you can’t pay, sorry, you are now out of society.
That’s the nature of private sector efficiency – they just price a large proportion of people out of the market so that it’s easier, and thus more profitable, to supply the service.
In Marlborough the rubbish bags are still part of rates. Each house gets 52 bags per year. And nearly all of my bag contents are disposed packaging.
(We get one knee-high bin for recyclable and my compost gets the rest.)
And in Wellington Supermarkets including the ones serving the well off areas. In Dunedin the students were burying the rubbish in their gardens.
Having saved the $23 for a miniscule tube of zovirax a young solo parent I know arrived home and found the blister pack had been sliced open and the tube replaced with an empty one. When she returned the packaging and empty tube the supermarket accused her of trying to scam them and denied her a replacement leaving her out of pocket, wearing the two 20Km return trips and forced to suffer miserably for another week while an easily treated flare-up rampaged on.
Sometimes you gotta fight for your rights. And unfortunately that means escalating the noise level at the service desk until they take you seriously. Or finding a friend who can dress up all prim and proper so that the service desk takes you seriously.
Hint – if you want to go drug free find some high quality Vitamin E nutritional supplement capsules. When you feel the very start of a cold sore attack coming on break into the capsule and smear the vitamin E gel around the affected area of the lips. The same capsule will have enough for a few applications in a day. Keep using for a couple of days even after the symptoms go away. Usually holds off or minimises the cold sore outbreak (in my personal experience).
I use L-Lysine. That is an amino acid. 1 gr in the morning, one in the evening for a couple of days when the burning starts and you won’t even get to the blister stage. The amino acid interferes with the virus’s ability to procreate and it will go back to dormant again.
nice. better than feeding Big Pharma your money.
I used to carry a notebook and pen. When anything like that happened, I’d ask for a replacement and write down everything the person said. When they asked why, I’d say I had a poor memory. I usually got a replacement fairly quickly, including a front wheel, tyre, and disc brakes for a bike I’d bought, then later found a crack in the wheel.
Another option is to write up what happened and print out a few copies, then stand outside the shop handing them out. That worked once when a friend of mine had worked a week for a café, with the owner then deciding he wouldn’t pay because it was a trial. In the end, he paid for the week, and the extra hour while she stood outside his shop handing out the leaflets. We’re not as helpless as we’re taught to be.
What makes you think it was a customer?
Good to see David Cunliffe paying his respects on ANZAC morning.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/04/youd-expect-prime-minister/
Not the greatest look from the Leader of the Opposition – why not just not go if it bores you silly?
Put up a real link and we might take a look at it (WO spew doesn’t count as meaningful commentary on anything).
Petty modern days politicising on ANZAC Day.
My you RWNJs go low.
Sociopath.
Yes, it is petty politicking and nasty, but Cunliffe needs to be on guard as he is constantly in the gaze of the media and the right wing nasties and anti Labour spies. If Key had taken that photo, they would have give it a different favourable spin.
Yup….progressive parties must be aware of how low some in the right will go to win.
Yes, and if Key had been the one responding to an (urgent?) message he would not have been photographed because it would have been regarded as acceptable. Cunliffe does it and there is the usual puerile attempt to paint it as “disrespectful”.
It is puerile.
Reminds of some kids we had to tolerate when I was a teenager.
Still, it’s good to see how scared Cameron – and therefore the PM’s office – is of Cunliffe.
Under duress I went to look at WO. I suppose the proNAT/ACT are bound to make something out of nothing. After all they have reason to be afraid of David. I read all the comments, (yes I know) and wondered about the endless repetitions. I suppose it is like Captions on the Standard but here it is often meant to be funny. Over there it sounds like a dirge. Is that the best that they can do?
I went too. But unlike you I gave up after 1 page of ‘comments’. Now I am off to have a bath and scrub myself clean. Shudder.. They should use WO as a punishment for prisoners.
Meh Jimmie, what a boring story.
1) It’s on whaleoil, a site run by a boy who has openly admitted that he edits video to change the meaning of things people say, and who has said at various times that truth is not important and that truth is whatever he says it is at the time.
2) No-one knows what David was doing. In one pic he seems to be taking a photo, so it’s not a huge leap to suggest that he might have been turning on a camera app rather than checking messages or tweeting or whatever terrible crime Cameron is charging him with.
3) No-one knows what was happening at the time. I’m going to take a stab and say it wasn’t during The Ode.
haven’t looked.
Is it worse than time the PM skipped out a military funeral to watch his kid play rounders, coincidentally meaning the GCSB had to get the Acting PM to sign a warrant in an attempt to keep the fact they illegally spied on someone from being exposed in court? And then when the PM got back in the country after the rounders expedition everyone ‘forgot’ to mention anything to him.
But the soldiers at least got their funeral. But not with the PM there.
I’m guessing, ‘not worse’.
Nah that was ok ‘cos as Key said at the time – actual words* – his kid “makes lots of sacrifices”.
*close enough, happy to be corrected.
how much is whale boil paying jimmie to shiil his blog here?
oh I forgot.
Jimmie is just another of the fat ones aliases anyway.
nothing to see here.
How many aliases do you think he has?
Better heading.
‘Wealthy overseas interests will benefit if the left doesn’t win election.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11243535
The left will win the election. There are no right wing parties contesting it.
The Tories under Thatcher were too centrist for you
The nonsense you speak is not worth responding to, apart from a request that you don’t bother engaging. Thank you
Occasionally I think that he’s someone who can think at least as well as a five year old but most of the time I figure sorrylands is just a well programmed bot.
This idiot, like Hooton, probably thinks that he can convince us by his right wing lies and propaganda.
Paul
You must be forgetting that the vast majority of the shares are New Zealand owned, so the reality is
New Zealand will benefit when the left doesn’t win the election. The truth is the left is bad for business confidence and bad for employment. I guess this is just another one of your lame attempts to spin bullshit
The point that you don’t understand is that that that’s not a bad thing.
Whenever a rwnj says “the reality is” you can be sure you’re about to hear a description of a parallel universe.
No, “NZ” doesn’t benefit. A tiny amount of already wealthy NZers do.
+1
The nonsense you speak is not worth responding to, apart from a request that you don’t bother engaging.
to karol.
in some middle eastern countries there are whole apartmentblocks that hve been abandoned because no infrastructure was ever put in place to take out the trash and the inhabitants just stored it all in the spare rooms until if became to foul to tolerate anymore.