Latest Opinium/Observer figures suggest current Labour leader is overwhelming favourite to win September contest (Poll released in last 24 hours)
If there were a Labour leadership election with the
following candidates, which, if any, would you vote for ?
Labour Voters only (Note: Labour Voters, not members)
Corbyn 54%
Smith 22%
Don’t Know 20%
Would Not Vote 4%
Approval of Corbyn’s Leadership
Labour Voters only
Approve 54%
Disapprove 24%
Unsure 22%
Meanwhile …
YouGov
Poll of Labour Party Members eligible to vote in Leadership election.
(15-18 July 2016)
Voting Intention
Imagine there was a leadership election and these were the candidates, who would you vote for ?
………….….…….TOTAL
CORBYN …………..54%
EAGLE ……………..21%
SMITH ……………..15%
UNSURE ……………9%
NOT VOTE ………..1%
Corbyn Vs Smith
CORBYN ………….. 56%
SMITH ……………… 34%
UNSURE …………… 7%
NOT VOTE ………… 3%
Corbyn Vs Eagle
CORBYN …………… 58%
EAGLE ………………. 34%
UNSURE ……………. 5%
NOT VOTE ………… 2%
If anything, Labour Voters (a far larger group, of course, than Party members) are even less taken with the PLP’s alternative to Corbyn than the Labour Membership is.
Certainly, Corbyn continues, for the most part, to Poll poorly with the British public as a whole. But the problem for the dominant Blairite-Brownite strand in the PLP is that their candidates always fare even worse. That was true of Kendall and Cooper last year (both of whom were considered considerable less “electable” than Corbyn) and it remains true of first the ambitious Brownite Eagle and now (the “Soft Left” empty suit) Smith.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Uncaring, greedy, selfish.
A woman from Freeman’s Bay.
The third wrong customer was renting skis. As she tried on her boots, she was politely asked where she was from.
“Auckland.”
“How’s the traffic?”
“We own a really big house in Freemans Bay, so we can walk everywhere, we have a Porsche Cayenne in the garage and I have a new Audi but we don’t drive them. I don’t know why anyone without money would live in Auckland, it’s just stupid. We have a big house in the city and a nice big bach on Waiheke.”
“If you can’t afford that,” she continued, “why would you live there? I laugh at people driving in to their jobs from West Auckland.”
Showing off about how rich you are to working people at the start of a long working day is a whole new level of “customer ain’t right”.
You’ll find a lot of that attitude in those suburbs, also st Mary’s bay and grey Lynn seem to be the newly monied but they don’t speak for everyone thankfully.
I meet my fair share from the north shore beachside areas, uber snotty and full of smug superiority which’s a natural fit for their Mp magpie barry.
National play these attitudes to achieve electoral outcomes, winning them 2 re-elections so far and as long as the bubble doesn’t burst may win them a 3rd.
Paul, just to relieve your angst a little, there are plenty of caring, intelligent responsible people living in Freemans Bay too – there, make you feel better?
We cannot afford it when the rich do not pay their fair share, especially wealthy immigrants taking all the houses and using all the infrastructure built by generations of NZers, and pricing half the population out of housing. We are importing inequality
Anyone making more than $250k a year is a waste of resources it would be far better to spread any profits over that all the way down the food chain.
People sitting on empty houses so they can harvest stress free capital gains is unaffordable for the country.
It’s better to ask how much do you really need ?
I make it more like $100k income per individual and we need to get rid of the rentier position altogether. As an individual it’s possible to have a reasonable living standard on ~$50k.
Once you ask how much people need then it really drops down especially once you ask what’s the best way to provide those needs. Just ask which option uses the least resources. Transport is the obvious example in that private cars use the most resources and achieve worse results than public transport.
Of course, the market system is supposed to do that but what we get from the profit drive is the exact opposite. We use more resources providing the least efficient systems and all to provide the rentiers with their unearned incomes.
At $ 100 k how would the shiny ones know they are better than the rest of us?
At $250k they still get to feel like leaders and can still live the bling life but without being able to hoard all the goodies. Of course in this alternate universe of salary caps people would choose careers more on their callings as opposed to their wallet.
“On a Plate” shows how the wealthy justify the unfair system they have set up.
Some insight from @gtiso on twitter:
Friends, I love you, but I don’t understand how you could possibly be surprised that National is so popular.
1. The people who are most hurt by their policies are so comprehensively disenfranchised that they don’t vote. (Not that I blame them.)
2. Of the balance, those that have most to lose–the propertied class–are looked after royally. The rest don’t trust the opposition enough.
Moral of the story: understand what a social base is. Above all, stop saying–I beg you–that people who vote National are dumb or “sheeple”.
But its too late now for Bernie unless Assange leaks something even bigger in the next 48 hours. We could all be in for an interesting ride.
The DNC chair has quit and will take up a special role working for Ms Clintons election campaign.
And then theres the emails showing the media being in cohorts with the Democrats – I wonder if a similar bunch of email leaks would show a media & Nats tie up here in NZ?
Maybe DWS can go back to being; “one of Clinton’s national campaign co-chairs” as she was in 2007/ 2008 (and arguably a role she has already reprised 2015/16). This does put the Sanders team in a good position to hold Clinton to any agreements she has made about recognising the reality of climate change and acting on it.
I am impressed by Sanders’ insistence on addressing the issues and not getting dragged into personal drama.
speaking to CNN on Sunday, Sanders said he found the emails “outrageous”, but said they were “not a great shock to me”.
He said: “I mean, there’s no question to my mind, no question to any objective observer’s mind, the DNC was supporting Hillary Clinton and I’m not shocked by this.”…
But the senator, who endorsed Clinton last month, declined to focus his anger towards her, saving it for Trump. Sanders said he was proud of the concessions his campaign had won from Clinton on the Democratic platform, and praised her vice-presidential pick, Tim Kaine, as “an extremely bright guy, an extremely nice guy”.
“What is most important is defeating the worst candidate for president that I have seen in my lifetime,” he said. “I can’t speak for 13 million people, but I think most of my supporters understand Trump has got to be defeated; we need to elect as many progressives as possible.”
Sanders’ supporters represent a key voting bloc for Clinton, whose support has declined in recent polling. But many of his supporters have expressed distrust of Clinton, and could elect to vote for a third-party candidate, such as the Green party’s Jill Stein.
That; “need to elect as many progressives as possible”, seems the most important focus in a lot of ways. The president is limited by congress, and is in many ways a ceremonial figure (except during times of war – a circumstance I’m sure either candidate could gleefully engineer).
” I had thought he give the Wellington mayoralty a run”.
Wash your mouth out!.
Better yet, cut your tongue out. Don’t give him ideas.
We already have a carpet-bagger from Porirua running. We don’t want another one from the Hutt getting ideas. We already have a bunch of no-hopers in the field. Foster and Ritchie for crying out loud. They make even our current hopeless mayor look (almost) bearable.
I have to say I’m really not impressed by Celia Wade Brown. Living in CHCH the only exposure I get to her is interviews on Morning Report. But she’s always unfailing boosterish for whatever it is the council is doing, just batting away the interviewer questions and repeating whatever line it was she decided put the council in the best light.
She tries to avoid providing actual informative answers to questions wherever possible.
It was clear all along how corrupt the Democratic machine is and that is why I think all you Hillary supporters should take off your blinkers and look at her track record.
Also please note that her running mate is another Wall St plant. Also note that the Koch bros have swung in behind Hillary now. If you don’t know you they are then just google them.
To answer your question, yes, she is better than the alternative. Waayyyy better. Sure, it takes a lot of unemotional research and balanced consideration to see it. But if you look at her previous record in government and keep a sense of perspective about the size of the stains, it’s pretty clear.
Sanders seem to think she is better, and this DNC scandal may ensure that Clinton will make announcements at the convention that she will later find it difficult to weasel out of:
But the senator, who endorsed Clinton last month, declined to focus his anger towards her, saving it for Trump. Sanders said he was proud of the concessions his campaign had won from Clinton on the Democratic platform, and praised her vice-presidential pick, Tim Kaine, as “an extremely bright guy, an extremely nice guy”.
“What is most important is defeating the worst candidate for president that I have seen in my lifetime,” he said. “I can’t speak for 13 million people, but I think most of my supporters understand Trump has got to be defeated; we need to elect as many progressives as possible.”
The senator will speak at the convention on Monday night… “Our campaign was about revitalizing American democracy. I want to see that incorporated into the Democratic platform.”
No offence Andre but I have had a good look at the clinton record, and it is why I made the comparison with berlusconi.
What you need to do is realise that TINA is not an option in the face of unspeakable evil.
Who is at 13% and who is at 8% in the presidential race? Any guesses? But keep falling for the dominant line you must vote for facist b because they are better than fascist A.
This is what inverted totalitarian looks like, asking you to make rational decision about irritation things.
I see that Helen Clarke has been afflicted by the Curse of Key. Ever since he has been advocating for Helen everywhere he goes it seems she has become less likely in her bid to head the UN. Key is the kiss of death. Heard him on RNZ this morning saying that it’s not looking good for her. Wonder why??
Is it a ‘policy’ in the Prime Minister’s Office that the prime minister be told only good news ? If so then whom is it ackshully running New Zealand ? If not so then Key is lying, again. Treating NZ with contempt and brazenly lying.
How will Labour overcome these unintended consequences (below) of introducing a rental housing warrant?
Rental warrants will lead to rent increases.
Moreover, rental warrants will result in less rental supply as homes that don’t meet the criteria are prevented from being tenanted. As a consequence, it will remove a number of cheaper rental homes from the market. Robbing tenants of that cheaper option. Potentially leading to more overcrowding or more tenants having to resort to living in garages or cars.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to build more suitable state homes with the competition created driving the required improvement of a number of private rentals?
Or at least hold off until housing supply has become sufficient, allowing the heat out of the market, making it more difficult for rents to be increased?
They will build more houses. So you think renting out unsafe houses for market rates is acceptable? Come check out Dunedins renting stock, some landlords should be ashamed of themselves, but figures they think they doing the community a service, pfft.
Building new houses is needed.
Upgrading old stock is also needed.
the one does not exclude the other , unless however you have no issue with people being housed in kennels / err houses that would not be considered humane for dogs.
Hmmm, maybe we need to create a humane society for tenants.
The problem is, rental warrants will result in less rental supply as homes that don’t meet the criteria are prevented from being tenanted. Thus, will negatively impact our current insufficient supply, reducing it even further. Giving landlords more scope to further increase rents.
Therefore, introducing warrants before supply has become sufficient will result in a number having to pay more in rent, which one assumes Labour wants to avoid.
mate, please pretty please stop.
it does not result in less rental supply. IF the rentals are so fucking shocking that they would not pass a ‘feel good’ warrantj – and that is all that it is ‘ then the properties should not be rent in the fucking first place. Or at least they should not be rented for more then 50 bucks a week.
So your ‘concern’ is noted.
IF you don’t want the problem resolved then go the fuck a way and leave the place to someone who at least will give it a go.
AS for a warrant, that was shot down by National. Both Labour and the Greens would want one.
nothing, that way renatals can be rubbish dumps at market values and nothing needs to be done.
Gotta love the nothing can / should be done about anything cause its hard work. Hard work! And that ain’t the national way.
Cause nothing says cheap rental then a one room rented to a family and a garage rented for 550 a week. YEi! National Party – Brighter Future Fucking awesome brighter Future !!!!!!!
At least she used the polite version of the quotation.
I am sure a lady like Sabine would never give the version that Lyndon Johnson really used in his description of Gerald Ford.
Most unfair actually. Gerald was a much better athlete than any of the Democratic politicians of the time.
I can see a number of problems with your first solution (a rent freeze). First off, it will merely postpone a rent increase. And two years isn’t enough time to sufficiently increase housing supply.
Secondly, the delay may put landlords off. Resulting in the home coming off the market, thus further reducing rental supply, hence putting further upward pressure on rents.
Properties that fail a WOF won’t be allowed to be tenanted. Therefore, there will be no claim for an accommodation subsidy.
So have a rent freeze for 10 years. What will all these lanlords do with their wof failed houses? Get them to stand empty? So who will pay their mortgage and be their retirement saving plan? maybe all those houses will go on the market for sale, which is good as prices will go down allowing own home buyers a chance.
10 years would give us more time to increase housing supply. But as you pointed out, a number would go up for sale. Shifting the problem to home buyers, while furthering the rental shortfall. Thus, the reduction in rental supply will give those with a warrant more scope to increase rents.
How much price impact that would have on current house prices is hard to gauge (as it largely depends on how many decide to sell). You may find it will only lower the current rate of price increases, but not the high price of housing.
Additionally, as NZ’s wealth is largely tied to housing, one would have to be careful not to crash the market too hard and fast, the consequences of which could domino wide and far.
The question then becomes how palatable will voters find it?
Landlords can’t afford to have a property off the market. They need the rent. So they have to do it up and get it back in the market.
If they don’t need the rent than they can afford to do it up without winge-ing.
They can’t put rents up to high because people will have to stop renting – they’ll go home to mum and dad or couch surf with friends or double-up with relations.
~~~~~~~~~
They could have a rolling WOF regeime – do 10% of rental properties per year – chosen randomly.
Some property owners can afford not to have tenants. We have homes sitting empty because some owners see tenants as a devaluing factor.
On the other hand, some owners are indebted to their eyeballs, thus don’t have the fiscal capacity.
According to some, rents are already deemed to be high. Yet, we have reports of rental open homes being turned into auctions, with a number of prospective tenants offering to pay more to secure the premises.
A rolling WOF would merely result in similar concerns, albeit on a smaller scale.
Paying for the rental houses is chicken feed in 6 easy steps
1) Government requires houses to be warm and snug
2) Landlord gets loan from bank to comply
3) Landlord puts up rent to pay the bank
4) Tenant gets increased rent subsidy from taxpayers to maintain rental stock
5) Landlord has better house and still keeps his/her/their tax losses
6) Banks make more profit on extra loans
Everyones happy and votes for the Government so Government introduces new rental housing improvement rules
Return to 1) and repeat cycle
Only a cynic like me would think this might possibly happen 🙂
I guess Fletchers will get any contract by virtue of it being the go-to housing option for all NZ Governments for the past 90 years.
Then the Government actually need to figure out how to run a housing portfolio in a sensible manner. You know, build the houses without cost over runs, rent them for a fair price, maintain them for a fair price, and have folk at Housing Corp who treat the tenants fairly so the tenantys treat the houses fairly too.
Biggest obstacle to me is the simple issue that it is possible to enjoy alcohol without damaging yourself or becoming obnoxious or hazardous to others. Whereas smoking always damages the user and is obnoxious and damaging to anyone else exposed to it. So it’s a legitimate wowser/nanny state problem you have to overcome before you can start to talk about the health issues with alcohol, whereas with smoking the health issue starts out front and centre.
The black market for tobacco is a way smaller market than a black market for alcohol would be because it’s much easier to make alcohol than grow tobacco.
why?
You make it a law. Just as is done with weed. Anyone brewing, importing, stocking, selling/distributing the stuff should be locked up as suppliers / dealers. Any one using it, or testing positive for use should be locked up as a user.
Just like week.
the world would be a marvelous place, almost anyone will be in prison. Someone will be making money.
You’re going about it the wrong way, The Chairman.
Much easier and less blow back to go with a soft prohibition.
– No more alcohol sales in supermarkets.
– No more private sector liquor outlets (only licensed community boards).
– Alcohol to be sold between 9 am and 5:30pm only, 5 days a week.
– No delivery services.
– No outside store advertising of products (including no online advertising).
etc
The days of the six o’clock swill weren’t that great either. Personally I prefer the cultures where alcohol is something to be enjoyed in moderation (if that’s your thing) and alcohol abuse is frowned upon. France and Spain seem to do ok with it in my experience, for a single worthless anecdotal data point.
No, merely highlighting how (with the surveillance state we’re creating) things are becoming easier to enforce.
Moreover, with the proceeds of crime act (and one doesn’t have to be found guilty of any charge) it will be the Government that will end up reaping the benefits.
“The Serious Fraud Office is investigating after hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars went missing at the Ministry of Transport, ONE News has revealed.” https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/sfo-probes-missing-thousands-transport-ministry-senior-manager-stood-down
“The irregularities were discovered after an internal audit in April.
Ms Harrision was stood down and the Serious Fraud Office called in”
Yet it’s taken all this time for the media to inform the public.
of course, how else would be protecting us from the evil doers of this world. I mean, da man Trump said it, they are out to get us, they hate us for our liberties so we must get rid of them, and Guns……only Guns….and really really big Guns will safe us, from the evil doers and their guns.
have you got any thougths of your own, or you just bored with life today?
I’d reconstruct the NZ Defence Forces into a Pacific Security, Assistance and Infrastructure team.
It would be ready to project military, rescue and engineering assistance throughout the Pacific in anticipation of climate change disasters and refugee relief efforts.
There would also be an increased emphasis on coastal and homeland defence, as well as local resource protection (including Antarctica).
The organisation would not be equipped to backstop NATO or USA in wars against China, Russia or various Middle East regime change efforts.
Why is it necessary for The Chairman to end his comments with; “Thoughts?” (at least thrice in the space of an hour, and that’s just on this one thread)? Maybe he’s not just trying to divert discussion into unproductive cul de sacs (alcohol prohibition FFS!), with his slogan/ questions…
Maybe he is genuinely incapable of having thoughts of his own.
I do find it necessary to say that there is something irritating with a repetitive (possibly insincere) mannerism. And I’m not insinuating this, I’m straight out saying it.
Am I not then impelled by this definition of free speech to question your own purposes in choosing to proclaim these particular questions at this time?
An explosion in the German city of Ansbach, near Nuremberg, has killed a suspected bomber and injured 12 other people, three seriously, police say.
They said a man – “according to our current knowledge the perpetrator” – had died in the blast.
The intended target was not clear but about 2,000 people have been evacuated from a nearby open-air music festival, the Bavarian interior ministry said.
BREAKING: Bavaria's top security official says Ansbach attacker blew himself up after being turned away from music festival.— The Associated Press (@AP) July 25, 2016
Yesterday I listened to an interview on the Financial Survival Network (I think it was with Trevor Loudon) and the guest said he had yet to spot ONE Hillary supporter walking around the streets where he was/
And here is a second confirmation, this time at the DNC with LA Times reporter Matt Pierce (check out at the BERNIE! supporters out in force – they’re everywhere. Pity the whole gig is rigged and Bernie never had a chance and still doesn’t)
It is certainly ambitious to think $28 million over 4 years is anywhere remotely near the amount that would be required. I tend to agree with Nikki MacDonald and Alison Ballance’s response.
This is just the Nats hoping people will stop talking about their failures at housing and economic management. They don’t give a stuff about the environment. They just want to give some of their mates some money while pretending they are doing something worthwhile.
Maybe I’ve misunderstood you Robert, but whether or not, I look forward to discussing this matter at the celebration of a Pest Free Rakiura in 2026.
Strange blog this eh? Full of big wild creative ideas…until the Govt. of the day produces one. Then everyone is wetting themselves with fear at the thought of it!
They haven’t produced one though. Twitter is full of NZ scientists being scathing of the announcement. It’s greenwashing with I would guess some liberal doses of corporate welfare and treats for National’s mates thrown in. This from a government that’s chronically underfunded DOC and now lo and behold it’s going to fund a commercial enterprise? That’s not a big bold idea, it’s neoliberal bullshit.
Rakiura is theoretically doable because of its size and isolation, but try translating that to the mainland. The scale and the territory is hugely problematic.
Compared to addressing climate change or inequality, a pest free NZ is a simplicity. It’s perfectly do-able, and we would be idiot’s not to do this for the generations that come after us.
I think you are letting your political prejudice over-ride your better instincts.
Speaking as someone who has spent many many years working towards the protection of our natural heritage, i would welcome this step forward from anyone, regardless of trivial politics, and if any political entity want’s to up the commitment to this goal. I’m with them.
As a conservationist, I welcome this commitment, and if any political entity want’s to equal or better it, I a ready to support them with any resource I can muster. I’m all ears…
Most of your conservation dreams would come true if you got a green government. Instead I get the impression you would rather support the government that wants the reflected glory from someone elses vision. The paltry sum they’re putting up really shows that they could not give a shit about this vision.
You can assert that all you like, but you’re not actually doing anything other than faith. Don’t believe me, go read what conservation scientists are saying about it.
Of course it’s a worthy ideal. It’s just not based in reality. Plus it’s tainted by the neoliberal ideology. They could just be honest and say here’s the money, we’re putting it into this project. But to make out they will make NZ predator free in that time frame without giving us any detail is just out and out Crosby Textor rhetoric.
Your lack of vision is sad Weka, but consistent with the general tone of defeatist misery that pervades this blog.
I’m happy to say I am involved with many many scientists, conservationists, ordinary people and yes politicians who are not just entirely positive about saving our natural heritage – they are also getting off their arse and simply doing it.
The latest eradication on The Antipodes looks to have been successful. The reality is we seem to have the basic techniques pretty well sorted.
All we need is the commitment, support and determination to resolve the remaining challenges.
Yoo hoo Labour? Greens? Anyone listening out there?
Fuck off. The Greens have been promoting pest eradication for a long time.
But thanks for reminding me that you are in capable of addressing the actual issues* and are just here to slag off the left. Might fine example of positivity 🙄
*for instance, you could have instead responded to Alison Balance’s article, which doesn’t rely on ideology alone but looks at facts (like how and where we are successful and where we’re not). It’s stripped of the political context you will get here that you hate so much, but no, you can’t even bring yourself to look at that.
Could be a great way to create employment if the did a large chunk of it as ground work instead of dumping shit out of choppers.
Apart from intown itself it’s pretty rare to see or hear a possum in rural Taumarunui down from huge numbers in the past.
I haven’t seen the detail (is there any?), but the bit I heard on Checkpoint had me rolling my eyes. Think it through, do you really believe that NZ could be predator free ever, and if you do how that could happen. You’d have to control cat ownership for a start. Think that one through and get back to me 😉
Which makes me think this is just National posturing and throwing some money around to stop the drain of the conservative environment vote to the Greens. Colour me even more cynical and I’ll say there is probably some jiggery pokery going on regards funnelling tax payer money into the private sector (aka corporate welfare).
Having said that, if there is any actual detail, as opposed to feel good PR, I’d be interested to see it.
Just seen this,
Develop a scientific breakthrough capable of completely eliminating one small mammalian predator.
I’m tempted to laugh out loud. Seriously, that’s what they’re banking on? It reminds me of the episode of the West Wing where Bartlett decides he’s going cure cancer.
The islands free of predators is a good thing, and we could do a huge amount creating predator-free places in NZ using existing technology, esp fencing and trapping. But the whole of NZ predator-free? Yeah right.
Easy meat “NZ will be predator free by 2050” the Gnats claim – now I’ve heard pie-in-the-sky and jam-tomorrow – but 2050! The entire Gnat cabinet will be dead before then, (and a good thing too). I expect even a no-hoper like Bill English could produce a surplus by 2050 with a bit of luck. Well, maybe 2100.
Yep me for one .Possums were liberated here to be used as a resource and thats exactly what they are now and could continue being rather than wastfully gotten rid of by the kill em all brigade Largely im picking this money will simply be more money spent on poison which will only benefit poison manufacturers and a few operators .This fund is just a pre election lolly sucker for suckers .
in the main they feed my dogs its very good meat better than anything you could buy unless you could afford surloin or something like that for them ! .the dogs are actively involved in the capture of them also and they just live for the job .Dogs are hunters by nature and this gives them an acceptable outlet for their instincts .I pluck the possums for their fur which i sell once a year or whenever im broke which is a bit more often .Nation wide tho possum hunting is an important industry i dunno how much its worth but i know possom fur is becoming increasingly in demand .Historicly possums have provided income for poor people for a very long time and it i.m.h.o. be a damn shame if they were eliminated forever in nz .As a species mentioned in the grand sceme to eliminate so called preditors from nz by 2050 they represent the lowest hanging fruit of the group deemed to do the most damage to native birds and yet they do the least harm .possum numbers need to be managed and kept low sure but the villification by doc etc is rediculous and a wast of a bloody good resource .appologies for the spelling .
Nice one. I’ve known quite a few people that have made decent money from possuming, but I’m always interested to hear from people that are using the whole body, not just the fur. Do you feed the carcass whole to the dogs or what?
yep i gut them in the field and then just chuck one out each day The top dog will get first dibs and the others follow when hes had his full At the end of the day only the skin and tail will be left tho sometimes labrodor type dogs will come along and even eat those (much to their owners disgust )Dogs thrive on this sort of tucker and like i said before its hard to find meat of this quality on pet food shelves .
The US government has a decision to make here. If it does not come out strongly against this action by the Russian intelligence services now, then when will it? How is our election system not to be considered “critical infrastructure” that foreign governments are forbidden to interfere with, unless they wish to trigger a serious confrontation with the US? If hacking a presidential campaign and dumping its strategy on the Web is not interference and disruption of a critical institution, then what is? Should we wait until foreign operatives interfere with the primary process? Is the red line only to be drawn around hacking actual voting machines and changing the results?
New Delhi: A US-developed weapon system that strikes the atmosphere with a focussed electromagnetic beam is one of the reasons for causing global warming, the government reported on Monday.
[Moved to Open Mike as being off topic. For future reference, if you want to post links to theories about the causes of CC that sit outside the scientific consensus, don’t do it on my posts. It’s a derailment from the topic. Only warning. – weka]
UT’s comment was off topic, so it was moved, but there is nothing stopping the discussion from happening. You’re in Open Mike, One Two. Feel free to make the argument supporting the theory. I’d want to see some evidence.
Hi Weka, no worries I read your note to UT and was replying as an OM comment
That a minister of a major global nation has explicitly fingered the technology, should provide more than enough incentive for investigation by those so inclined
There is a plethora of available information around the technology itself , although the fuctional and operational purpose appears to be shrouded in uncertainty
Presently the discussion regarding technological interference with weather patterns is existing outside of mainstream ‘scientific consensus’
I expect a positional change in a near term time frame
“There is a plethora of available information around the technology itself……..”
Take note of how I’m referring to the specific technology the Indian minister article talked about….
“Presently the discussion regarding technological interference with weather patterns is existing outside of mainstream ‘scientific consensus’”
In the mainstream media there is little to no coverage regarding possible weather manipulation capability of the specific technology referred to by the Indian Minister
Neither does the article you linked to, which is a contextual as well as comprehension fail on your part
Now put the spoon and insults down and stop dribbling all over a comment which was NOT addessed to you!
See if you can resist the natural urges of your ego…
Now you’re just being ignorant. HAARP, which the sadly gullible minister is so excited about, invites graduate and post-graduate students from all over the globe to share in its research.
As such, there is a monstrous quantity of information in the scientific literature about it, which a simple GScholar search for HAARP could have told you, if you weren’t so transfixed by the spoon.
But what about that documentary you saw where the kid says “there is no spoon”, though?
Now I’m playing with your ego and your contemptuous arrogance ,as well as your inability to comprehend simple language, or even stay out of someone else’s conversation
I’ve noticed how you strut around rebutting and refuting using smart alec nuances and know it all techniques. They don’t work, but it’s insightful that you persist with the same sissy tactics over such an extended period of time
Accusation that the Indian minister is “sadly gullible”, serves only as confirmation of the callow nature that exists behind the ‘anonymous persona’
Now that I’ve called you out, stay off my comments!
At the recent RNC horror show in Cleveland, the loons walking around the streets flaunting their automatic weapons was terrifying, the dancing of unhip, embarrassed delegates was mortifying to watch, and the calibre of the speeches—Scott Baio, the beardie from Duck Dynasty, the plagiarist Melania Trump—was an indictment of the Republican Party, not to mention a dire reflection of the state to which politics has sunk in the United States.
But perhaps the most disturbing thing of all was the moral calibre—or lack of moral calibre—of the “reporters”…..
To prevent real climate disaster we have to cut carbon use in the global economy to near nothing in the next ten years.
That’s not going to happen of course.
There is a 30 year lag time between emissions going up into the atmosphere and warming from those emissions becoming measurable.
It’s due to the thermal inertia of the Earth, particularly all the water in the oceans which take a lot of time to heat up.
At the moment we have seen half the heating from the emissions we put up in the 1980s. We have hardly seen any warming from the economic growth of China yet. And we certainly haven’t seen any warming from the four billion tonnes of coal China has burnt in the last 12 months (and we won’t for years).
TL/DR we’re pretty well fucked.
[sorry CV but once we’re in “we’re fucked” comment territory, it’s going to put others off being involved in the conversation. Moved to OM – weka]
we’re fucked huh? oh well sweet i always wanted a big yank tank for a weekend car and hell why back green energy when we can just party on down with fracked oil n gas, drink today for tomorrow we may die.
I like you tend to think we’re screwed, but , we may not be and going around convincing people we’re screwed is most likely to make people give up looking for answers , there by increasing the chance of us being screwed.
I should say that there is a certain irony in asking how we are going to replace motorways, roads and bridges washed out by climate change exacerbated events.
This is hilarious. Like he really doesn’t understand he’s a leading member of a class of predators. I mean there are predators who positively model themselves on him.
If anyone asked me, I would say that dealing with the effects of climate change will become increasingly difficult and then, impossible. What we really need is a post on what we could do to become “a world leader on climate change”.**
In this post we have only been allowed to discuss within the politically safe narrow confines of actions to take to combat the (local) effects caused by climate change, but not about the more controversial and thorny matter of actions to take to combat climate change itself.
[moved to Open Mike as off topic. Jenny you know better than to tell authors here what to write. There are plenty of CC posts on The Standard that look at actions to combat CC politically. Try adding something to the debate instead of trying to derail other, legitimate conversations about CC action – weka]
“I eagerly await a post on, what can be done about that, the role of councils, government and the people in that, related to new coal mines, deep sea oil drilling, public transport, becoming a world leader issues etc.*”
Jenny
“What we really need is a post on what we could do to become “a world leader on climate change”.**
**[To quote Andrew Little]
Jenny
“There are plenty of CC posts on The Standard that look at actions to combat CC politically.”
weka
Name one, and provide a link.
[Take a week off, Jenny, for telling authors what to do. TRP]
There is, according to Anderson, still an outside chance that we can avoid crashing through two degrees.
As you know, I like Prof Anderson.
However I can do my own numbers. Take this for a spin:
You are welcome to try and falsify any or all of the following, and I will be happy to be corrected.
1) Current global warming = 1.0 deg C to 1.2 deg C
2) Current global dimming = a further 1.0 deg C (at least) warming hidden by atmospheric particulates shielding the Earth from the sun, warming which will rapidly appear within 3-4 months of stopping atmospheric pollution
3) Due to the 30-40 year thermal inertia of the system, less than 50% of warming from 1980s emissions have been realised. NB in the 1980s China was only just starting to ramp up its industrial production.
4) ~90% of the warming from the last 10 years GHG emissions have yet to be realised (including the 3 billion tonnes of coal China burnt last year, and the year before and the year before that).
5) The world is currently warming at approx 0.4 deg C per decade with a minimum of 5 decades more warming to occur if we turn off GHG emissions today.
Conservatively, that’s approx 4 deg C locked in for delivery to us in the 2060s, excluding any additional positive feedback loops kicking off, even if all GHG emissions are ended today.
As I said. Happy to be corrected on any of the above points.
[moved to Open Mike. Nothing there about mitigation or adaptation or offering solutions or anything related to the post. You can have this conversation elsewhere – weka]
Local council infrastructure and district planning needs to be designed with a 40 to 50 plus year timeframe in mind.
If there is going to be 4 deg C warming by the 2060s then that has to be a central consideration to the issues in your post.
There is no way you can assess whether “mitigation” or “adaptation” measures will be adequate without this background.
So I am disappointed you moved my comments, and I am disappointed that with your rose tinted glasses you utterly missed its importance and relevance to your post.
It would have been great if you had put those things in your comment. What I saw was you and Bill gearing up for a big maths debate out of context of the post and IMO that’s not appropriate. For reasons that I think you don’t understand.
I know you think I have rose tinted glasses, but that’s because you almost utterly fail to understand my political position on climate change action. You said elsewhere that there was an irony in a post about moving road and bridges and shit. But that’s not why I wrote the post. I didn’t write the post for you and I. I wrote the post for the people experiencing the storm, seeing the reports on Stuff, and starting to think holy shit, this is serious. I wanted them to have a way into the conversation irrespective of whether they comment here or not. If you honestly believe that scaring the bejesus out of the those people and telling them it’s too late is useful, then go ahead and do that. Just not under my posts.
I know that my moderation style on CC posts in particular is a bit out of the ordinary for ts, but if I am going to write here that’s the way it’s going to have to be. I’ve had enough people tell me they want a space that’s proactive, and I want to give that to them. It’s also what I have the energy for. That won’t happen if I don’t moderate.
My comment implicitly expected knowledge of district planning processes and local government infrastructure timeframes.
I am over giving people the soft introduction to this topic. People deserve to know what we are very probably facing in the next 20 to 30 years.
Sugar coating it so they can justify putting climate change down as their number four or five political issue to be managed alongside elective surgery waiting lists and charter schools financing no longer cuts it.
But thats just me; as authors we get to please ourselves so go for it.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
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Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
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Recent Polls of UK Labour Leadership
Latest Opinium/Observer figures suggest current Labour leader is overwhelming favourite to win September contest (Poll released in last 24 hours)
If there were a Labour leadership election with the
following candidates, which, if any, would you vote for ?
Labour Voters only (Note: Labour Voters, not members)
Corbyn 54%
Smith 22%
Don’t Know 20%
Would Not Vote 4%
Approval of Corbyn’s Leadership
Labour Voters only
Approve 54%
Disapprove 24%
Unsure 22%
Meanwhile …
YouGov
Poll of Labour Party Members eligible to vote in Leadership election.
(15-18 July 2016)
Voting Intention
Imagine there was a leadership election and these were the candidates, who would you vote for ?
………….….…….TOTAL
CORBYN …………..54%
EAGLE ……………..21%
SMITH ……………..15%
UNSURE ……………9%
NOT VOTE ………..1%
Corbyn Vs Smith
CORBYN ………….. 56%
SMITH ……………… 34%
UNSURE …………… 7%
NOT VOTE ………… 3%
Corbyn Vs Eagle
CORBYN …………… 58%
EAGLE ………………. 34%
UNSURE ……………. 5%
NOT VOTE ………… 2%
If anything, Labour Voters (a far larger group, of course, than Party members) are even less taken with the PLP’s alternative to Corbyn than the Labour Membership is.
Certainly, Corbyn continues, for the most part, to Poll poorly with the British public as a whole. But the problem for the dominant Blairite-Brownite strand in the PLP is that their candidates always fare even worse. That was true of Kendall and Cooper last year (both of whom were considered considerable less “electable” than Corbyn) and it remains true of first the ambitious Brownite Eagle and now (the “Soft Left” empty suit) Smith.
The more I read about Corbyn the more I like him…
https://off-guardian.org/2016/07/24/corbyn-has-no-mates-in-the-lobbying-business/
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Uncaring, greedy, selfish.
A woman from Freeman’s Bay.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11680550
Privilege.
Repulsive.
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate
As Draco says, we can’t afford the rich.
You’ll find a lot of that attitude in those suburbs, also st Mary’s bay and grey Lynn seem to be the newly monied but they don’t speak for everyone thankfully.
I meet my fair share from the north shore beachside areas, uber snotty and full of smug superiority which’s a natural fit for their Mp magpie barry.
National play these attitudes to achieve electoral outcomes, winning them 2 re-elections so far and as long as the bubble doesn’t burst may win them a 3rd.
Paul, just to relieve your angst a little, there are plenty of caring, intelligent responsible people living in Freemans Bay too – there, make you feel better?
Whats “Rich” ?
Earning over xxx?
Nett cash on hand of over xxxx?
Would be interested to hear who it is you think we cannot afford.
We cannot afford it when the rich do not pay their fair share, especially wealthy immigrants taking all the houses and using all the infrastructure built by generations of NZers, and pricing half the population out of housing. We are importing inequality
What is their fair share? I pay 33% on almost all my income – as do most people on decent salaries.
How do you define fair share?
Anyone making more than $250k a year is a waste of resources it would be far better to spread any profits over that all the way down the food chain.
People sitting on empty houses so they can harvest stress free capital gains is unaffordable for the country.
It’s better to ask how much do you really need ?
I make it more like $100k income per individual and we need to get rid of the rentier position altogether. As an individual it’s possible to have a reasonable living standard on ~$50k.
Once you ask how much people need then it really drops down especially once you ask what’s the best way to provide those needs. Just ask which option uses the least resources. Transport is the obvious example in that private cars use the most resources and achieve worse results than public transport.
Of course, the market system is supposed to do that but what we get from the profit drive is the exact opposite. We use more resources providing the least efficient systems and all to provide the rentiers with their unearned incomes.
At $ 100 k how would the shiny ones know they are better than the rest of us?
At $250k they still get to feel like leaders and can still live the bling life but without being able to hoard all the goodies. Of course in this alternate universe of salary caps people would choose careers more on their callings as opposed to their wallet.
The idea is to make it so that they don’t.
You my friend don’t get human nature, anyone who wants to change the world needs a deep understanding of how the hairless ape thinks.
Only a small minority think that way. So, why should we cater to the sociopathic?
“On a Plate” shows how the wealthy justify the unfair system they have set up.
Some insight from @gtiso on twitter:
https://twitter.com/gtiso/status/756049429774290944
Paul is making the point about the fast growing divide between rich and poor, more so than where people live.
Correct. That was my point.
Andrew Little becomes Stuart Little.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/82428687/labour-leader-andrew-littles-new-plymouth-billboard-defaced-by-vandals
Probably help him get some votes 🙂
Andrew may have some explaining to do to his cat when he gets home…
Quite well done, certainly raised a smile here. Snappy suit… the new standard for Labour MPs?
That wont do him any harm….. very funny and somehow apropriate
DWS and DNC. Sanders was right about the vote rigging!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/24/debbie-wasserman-schultz-resigns-dnc-chair-emails-sanders
Yes he was.
But its too late now for Bernie unless Assange leaks something even bigger in the next 48 hours. We could all be in for an interesting ride.
The DNC chair has quit and will take up a special role working for Ms Clintons election campaign.
And then theres the emails showing the media being in cohorts with the Democrats – I wonder if a similar bunch of email leaks would show a media & Nats tie up here in NZ?
Maybe DWS can go back to being; “one of Clinton’s national campaign co-chairs” as she was in 2007/ 2008 (and arguably a role she has already reprised 2015/16). This does put the Sanders team in a good position to hold Clinton to any agreements she has made about recognising the reality of climate change and acting on it.
I am impressed by Sanders’ insistence on addressing the issues and not getting dragged into personal drama.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/24/clinton-campaign-blames-russia-wikileaks-sanders-dnc-emails
That; “need to elect as many progressives as possible”, seems the most important focus in a lot of ways. The president is limited by congress, and is in many ways a ceremonial figure (except during times of war – a circumstance I’m sure either candidate could gleefully engineer).
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/82433937/labour-mp-trevor-mallard-vacates-hutt-south-electorate-to-apply-for-speaker-position
Is this Labours revenge for the current speaker?
It’s good news though. Now Labour just has to put him at 83 on the list.
I think he knew he was going to lose the seat so he’s trying for the better job although I had thought he give the Wellington mayoralty a run
” I had thought he give the Wellington mayoralty a run”.
Wash your mouth out!.
Better yet, cut your tongue out. Don’t give him ideas.
We already have a carpet-bagger from Porirua running. We don’t want another one from the Hutt getting ideas. We already have a bunch of no-hopers in the field. Foster and Ritchie for crying out loud. They make even our current hopeless mayor look (almost) bearable.
I have to say I’m really not impressed by Celia Wade Brown. Living in CHCH the only exposure I get to her is interviews on Morning Report. But she’s always unfailing boosterish for whatever it is the council is doing, just batting away the interviewer questions and repeating whatever line it was she decided put the council in the best light.
She tries to avoid providing actual informative answers to questions wherever possible.
Frustrating.
She is a politician! What else do you expect?
I don’t find most politicians frustrating. So that’s not my expectation.
It was clear all along how corrupt the Democratic machine is and that is why I think all you Hillary supporters should take off your blinkers and look at her track record.
Also please note that her running mate is another Wall St plant. Also note that the Koch bros have swung in behind Hillary now. If you don’t know you they are then just google them.
And Michael Bloomberg is about to endorse her as well. And yet she is still waaaay better than the alternative.
I’d rather have Hillary appoint 2-3 members of the supreme court, than Trump (or his successor).
Rather have Hillary than any Republican let alone Trump.
https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughTrumpSpam/comments/4teoxl/a_final_response_to_the_tell_me_why_trump_is_a/?st=iqzmksud&sh=4b7cf77d
But is she?
The fact I can even ask that questions, makes a mockery of the lesser than two evils argument.
I’m not seeing much difference if you want to be honest about it. trump is more like mussolini and clinton is more like berlusconi.
Or let me put it this way,
Two rotten apples, the one slightly less rotten is better how? It’s not, both will make you sick if you eat them.
That Clinton is more like Berlusconi comment gave me a horrible mental image I will never unsee.
To answer your question, yes, she is better than the alternative. Waayyyy better. Sure, it takes a lot of unemotional research and balanced consideration to see it. But if you look at her previous record in government and keep a sense of perspective about the size of the stains, it’s pretty clear.
Sanders seem to think she is better, and this DNC scandal may ensure that Clinton will make announcements at the convention that she will later find it difficult to weasel out of:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/24/clinton-campaign-blames-russia-wikileaks-sanders-dnc-emails
[this is pretty much a contraction of what I said at greater length at 5.1.1 above]
No offence Andre but I have had a good look at the clinton record, and it is why I made the comparison with berlusconi.
What you need to do is realise that TINA is not an option in the face of unspeakable evil.
Who is at 13% and who is at 8% in the presidential race? Any guesses? But keep falling for the dominant line you must vote for facist b because they are better than fascist A.
This is what inverted totalitarian looks like, asking you to make rational decision about irritation things.
Re the olympic village story
Herald
Rio Olympics: Australia boycott ‘uninhabitable’ athletes’ village
Stuff
Rio Olympics athletes’ village deemed uninhabitable two weeks before opening ceremony video
ODT
Kiwis happy, Aussies boycott Games village
Weird
I see that Helen Clarke has been afflicted by the Curse of Key. Ever since he has been advocating for Helen everywhere he goes it seems she has become less likely in her bid to head the UN. Key is the kiss of death. Heard him on RNZ this morning saying that it’s not looking good for her. Wonder why??
Because the leader of the UN is informally chosen on a rotational basis and the former eastern bloc believe its their turn?
Figueres is the best candidate anyway.
Is it a ‘policy’ in the Prime Minister’s Office that the prime minister be told only good news ? If so then whom is it ackshully running New Zealand ? If not so then Key is lying, again. Treating NZ with contempt and brazenly lying.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11680537
Implausible denial of knowledge
Either
A. A fool not to be trusted
B. A liar
C. Both of the above
My poll shows 98% chose C, 2% B and 15% A. Margin of error + – 45%
Looks about as valid as a Roy Morgan!
I love it how the Roy Morgan is just not liked on here any more. Must be all those years of rogue polls.
McCully has had Zika and now Smith drinks paint thinner. That explains it all.
Especially when they won’t reveal how he got Zika, dirty old man.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/video-hillary-clinton-a-threat-to-all-humanity-world-war-iii-is-on-the-table/5537686
How will Labour overcome these unintended consequences (below) of introducing a rental housing warrant?
Rental warrants will lead to rent increases.
Moreover, rental warrants will result in less rental supply as homes that don’t meet the criteria are prevented from being tenanted. As a consequence, it will remove a number of cheaper rental homes from the market. Robbing tenants of that cheaper option. Potentially leading to more overcrowding or more tenants having to resort to living in garages or cars.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to build more suitable state homes with the competition created driving the required improvement of a number of private rentals?
Or at least hold off until housing supply has become sufficient, allowing the heat out of the market, making it more difficult for rents to be increased?
Thoughts?
They will build more houses. So you think renting out unsafe houses for market rates is acceptable? Come check out Dunedins renting stock, some landlords should be ashamed of themselves, but figures they think they doing the community a service, pfft.
We know Labour plan to build more homes. But shouldn’t they at least hold off on the warrants until they achieve that goal?
no. we can walk and chew gum.
Building new houses is needed.
Upgrading old stock is also needed.
the one does not exclude the other , unless however you have no issue with people being housed in kennels / err houses that would not be considered humane for dogs.
Hmmm, maybe we need to create a humane society for tenants.
The problem is, rental warrants will result in less rental supply as homes that don’t meet the criteria are prevented from being tenanted. Thus, will negatively impact our current insufficient supply, reducing it even further. Giving landlords more scope to further increase rents.
Therefore, introducing warrants before supply has become sufficient will result in a number having to pay more in rent, which one assumes Labour wants to avoid.
mate, please pretty please stop.
it does not result in less rental supply. IF the rentals are so fucking shocking that they would not pass a ‘feel good’ warrantj – and that is all that it is ‘ then the properties should not be rent in the fucking first place. Or at least they should not be rented for more then 50 bucks a week.
So your ‘concern’ is noted.
IF you don’t want the problem resolved then go the fuck a way and leave the place to someone who at least will give it a go.
AS for a warrant, that was shot down by National. Both Labour and the Greens would want one.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/69168659/english-wont-adopt-labours-extreme-housing-warrant-of-fitness
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/69307464/phil-goff-rental-homes-need-a-warrant-of-fitness-to-keep-kids-healthy
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/51HansD_20150318_00000032/healthy-homes-guarantee-bill-first-reading
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/fairer-society/housing
Unfortunately, it will result in less rental supply. And you’ve put nothing up to refute it.
Moreover, improving the quality of a home will give landlords more scope to increase rents. Especially in regions with high demand.
I want the problem solved and even highlighted how above.
What I don’t want is a solution that will merely create or exacerbate our current problem (high rents, overcrowding, etc).
yes, i can see what needs to be done.
nothing, that way renatals can be rubbish dumps at market values and nothing needs to be done.
Gotta love the nothing can / should be done about anything cause its hard work. Hard work! And that ain’t the national way.
Cause nothing says cheap rental then a one room rented to a family and a garage rented for 550 a week. YEi! National Party – Brighter Future Fucking awesome brighter Future !!!!!!!
Doing nothing is not a solution. Nor is it what I highlighted above.
Unfortunately, it seems you don’t have one that addresses the concerns.
Lets hope Labour can do better when the same concerns are put to them.
What’s with all the f bombs ? Hardly gives legitimacy to your points
Evidence please. I like the optimism though.
At least she used the polite version of the quotation.
I am sure a lady like Sabine would never give the version that Lyndon Johnson really used in his description of Gerald Ford.
Most unfair actually. Gerald was a much better athlete than any of the Democratic politicians of the time.
“Rental warrants will lead to rent increases.”
Two possible ways of preventing this outcome.
1. A rent freeze (of about 2 years after compliance) on properties that fail a WOF.
2. Properties that fail a WOF cannot attract an Accommodation Subsidy…(and landlords with multiple unwarrantable properties face criminal charges)
I can see a number of problems with your first solution (a rent freeze). First off, it will merely postpone a rent increase. And two years isn’t enough time to sufficiently increase housing supply.
Secondly, the delay may put landlords off. Resulting in the home coming off the market, thus further reducing rental supply, hence putting further upward pressure on rents.
Properties that fail a WOF won’t be allowed to be tenanted. Therefore, there will be no claim for an accommodation subsidy.
So have a rent freeze for 10 years. What will all these lanlords do with their wof failed houses? Get them to stand empty? So who will pay their mortgage and be their retirement saving plan? maybe all those houses will go on the market for sale, which is good as prices will go down allowing own home buyers a chance.
10 years would give us more time to increase housing supply. But as you pointed out, a number would go up for sale. Shifting the problem to home buyers, while furthering the rental shortfall. Thus, the reduction in rental supply will give those with a warrant more scope to increase rents.
How much price impact that would have on current house prices is hard to gauge (as it largely depends on how many decide to sell). You may find it will only lower the current rate of price increases, but not the high price of housing.
Additionally, as NZ’s wealth is largely tied to housing, one would have to be careful not to crash the market too hard and fast, the consequences of which could domino wide and far.
The question then becomes how palatable will voters find it?
Landlords can’t afford to have a property off the market. They need the rent. So they have to do it up and get it back in the market.
If they don’t need the rent than they can afford to do it up without winge-ing.
They can’t put rents up to high because people will have to stop renting – they’ll go home to mum and dad or couch surf with friends or double-up with relations.
~~~~~~~~~
They could have a rolling WOF regeime – do 10% of rental properties per year – chosen randomly.
Some property owners can afford not to have tenants. We have homes sitting empty because some owners see tenants as a devaluing factor.
On the other hand, some owners are indebted to their eyeballs, thus don’t have the fiscal capacity.
According to some, rents are already deemed to be high. Yet, we have reports of rental open homes being turned into auctions, with a number of prospective tenants offering to pay more to secure the premises.
A rolling WOF would merely result in similar concerns, albeit on a smaller scale.
Paying for the rental houses is chicken feed in 6 easy steps
1) Government requires houses to be warm and snug
2) Landlord gets loan from bank to comply
3) Landlord puts up rent to pay the bank
4) Tenant gets increased rent subsidy from taxpayers to maintain rental stock
5) Landlord has better house and still keeps his/her/their tax losses
6) Banks make more profit on extra loans
Everyones happy and votes for the Government so Government introduces new rental housing improvement rules
Return to 1) and repeat cycle
Only a cynic like me would think this might possibly happen 🙂
or you could cut out the ticket clipping and (government) build and rent the houses themselves….and with less debt
A good idea.
I guess Fletchers will get any contract by virtue of it being the go-to housing option for all NZ Governments for the past 90 years.
Then the Government actually need to figure out how to run a housing portfolio in a sensible manner. You know, build the houses without cost over runs, rent them for a fair price, maintain them for a fair price, and have folk at Housing Corp who treat the tenants fairly so the tenantys treat the houses fairly too.
Probably too big of an ask.
“Probably too big of an ask.”
Judging by recent form one would have to say it is….and yet we managed it for decades…what changed?
You reckon they’re unintended?
Should NZ be looking at being alcohol free by 2025?
Thoughts?
Why?
To save lives and help prevent the overall damage it creates.
How would you do it?
Similar to smoking.
Biggest obstacle to me is the simple issue that it is possible to enjoy alcohol without damaging yourself or becoming obnoxious or hazardous to others. Whereas smoking always damages the user and is obnoxious and damaging to anyone else exposed to it. So it’s a legitimate wowser/nanny state problem you have to overcome before you can start to talk about the health issues with alcohol, whereas with smoking the health issue starts out front and centre.
Even moderate alcohol consumption puts you at heightened risk of cancer, according to a new study.
Read more: http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/health/even-moderate-drinking-can-cause-cancer—study-2016062712#ixzz4FNtOR600
Since ethanol is a neurotoxin and all round metabolic poison/anti-septic, one shouldn’t be surprised.
Alcohol is a poison. And if taken in large enough quantity (in a small time frame) can kill you.
Being drunk is merely the side effect of a small dosing.
Just what we need – rampant bootlegging & armed cops…
That (the blackmarket) doesn’t seem to bother the anti-smoking brigade.
Nor do they seem too concerned about the increase in related crime – dairies being robbed etc.
The black market for tobacco is a way smaller market than a black market for alcohol would be because it’s much easier to make alcohol than grow tobacco.
Most smokers are highly addicted. Most drinkers aren’t. Moreover, most smokers smoke daily, most drinkers don’t.
Therefore, it is unlikely the demand for black market alcohol will be as strong.
of course, we could classify it as we do with marijuana. Prison sentences and all.
Long live the prohibition and the private run prison complex. 🙂
Make it a health issue.
Impossible to enforce.
why?
You make it a law. Just as is done with weed. Anyone brewing, importing, stocking, selling/distributing the stuff should be locked up as suppliers / dealers. Any one using it, or testing positive for use should be locked up as a user.
Just like week.
the world would be a marvelous place, almost anyone will be in prison. Someone will be making money.
Where there is a will there is a way 🙂
Alcohol is very different to other drugs in that just about anyone can manufacture it.
But there is no will at all to change the current rules.
So, no will = no way.
With the growing use of cameras and the big data state we are creating, you’ll be surprised how easy things will become to enforce.
You’re going about it the wrong way, The Chairman.
Much easier and less blow back to go with a soft prohibition.
– No more alcohol sales in supermarkets.
– No more private sector liquor outlets (only licensed community boards).
– Alcohol to be sold between 9 am and 5:30pm only, 5 days a week.
– No delivery services.
– No outside store advertising of products (including no online advertising).
etc
The days of the six o’clock swill weren’t that great either. Personally I prefer the cultures where alcohol is something to be enjoyed in moderation (if that’s your thing) and alcohol abuse is frowned upon. France and Spain seem to do ok with it in my experience, for a single worthless anecdotal data point.
So you want to hand a cash cow to crooks and encourage going full surveillance.
wtf
No, merely highlighting how (with the surveillance state we’re creating) things are becoming easier to enforce.
Moreover, with the proceeds of crime act (and one doesn’t have to be found guilty of any charge) it will be the Government that will end up reaping the benefits.
“The Serious Fraud Office is investigating after hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars went missing at the Ministry of Transport, ONE News has revealed.”
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/sfo-probes-missing-thousands-transport-ministry-senior-manager-stood-down
“The irregularities were discovered after an internal audit in April.
Ms Harrision was stood down and the Serious Fraud Office called in”
Yet it’s taken all this time for the media to inform the public.
Sue Moroney writes about it on TDB.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/07/25/come-clean-simon-bridges/
Should the Government be spending up to $20 billion on New Zealand’s Defence Force over the next 15 years?
Thoughts?
of course, how else would be protecting us from the evil doers of this world. I mean, da man Trump said it, they are out to get us, they hate us for our liberties so we must get rid of them, and Guns……only Guns….and really really big Guns will safe us, from the evil doers and their guns.
have you got any thougths of your own, or you just bored with life today?
We’ve got people living in cars, but you’ve got no problem with $20 billion being spent on defence?
Do you think we may have our priorities wrong?
I’d spend $25B in defence over that same time but boy would i spend it differently
Interesting.
And what would you cut (or increase taxes on) to cover the extra expenditure?
How much would you like to see being spent on housing?
I’d reconstruct the NZ Defence Forces into a Pacific Security, Assistance and Infrastructure team.
It would be ready to project military, rescue and engineering assistance throughout the Pacific in anticipation of climate change disasters and refugee relief efforts.
There would also be an increased emphasis on coastal and homeland defence, as well as local resource protection (including Antarctica).
The organisation would not be equipped to backstop NATO or USA in wars against China, Russia or various Middle East regime change efforts.
That depends on how wisely they spend it. Going by our track record I don’t think they are capable of making the correct decisions.
Our poor track record indeed.
Why is it necessary for The Chairman to end his comments with; “Thoughts?” (at least thrice in the space of an hour, and that’s just on this one thread)? Maybe he’s not just trying to divert discussion into unproductive cul de sacs (alcohol prohibition FFS!), with his slogan/ questions…
Maybe he is genuinely incapable of having thoughts of his own.
Is it necessary to insinuate there is something wrong with me seeking your thoughts?
Moreover, in seeking your thoughts I’m helping generate discussion – not divert it.
After all, this is open mike.
I do find it necessary to say that there is something irritating with a repetitive (possibly insincere) mannerism. And I’m not insinuating this, I’m straight out saying it.
There is no insincerity. I’m merely asking questions and seeking your thoughts.
Free speech means little without the right to question.
Am I not then impelled by this definition of free speech to question your own purposes in choosing to proclaim these particular questions at this time?
They are genuine political questions and the timing has no real relevance.
How you feel about them is your prerogative.
” the timing has no real relevance.”
Indeed
You know it.
They were just a couple of questions I decided to put on open mike.
It’s an open mike political discussion thread. How is discussing defence spending unusual or off topic?
Bugger.
An explosion in the German city of Ansbach, near Nuremberg, has killed a suspected bomber and injured 12 other people, three seriously, police say.
They said a man – “according to our current knowledge the perpetrator” – had died in the blast.
The intended target was not clear but about 2,000 people have been evacuated from a nearby open-air music festival, the Bavarian interior ministry said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36880758
Apparently Little is in South Dunedin today, anyone know what he is doing specifically?
Andrew Little
@AndrewLittleMP
In South Dunedin today to talk with locals about the unique challenges facing the community @clarecurranmp @DavidClarkNZ
https://twitter.com/AndrewLittleMP/status/757360908926464000
Housing and Urban renewal.
Flushing out rogue party elements lol.
lol.
Lol
Heh
Andrew Little’s South Dunedin’s St Patrick.
Swimming lessons?
Where are all those Clinton voters?
Yesterday I listened to an interview on the Financial Survival Network (I think it was with Trevor Loudon) and the guest said he had yet to spot ONE Hillary supporter walking around the streets where he was/
And here is a second confirmation, this time at the DNC with LA Times reporter Matt Pierce (check out at the BERNIE! supporters out in force – they’re everywhere. Pity the whole gig is rigged and Bernie never had a chance and still doesn’t)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-24/meanwhile-dnc-philly
I’m telling ya these spin doctors have taken manipulation to a whole new level creating entire followings for candidates.
Goodness me. What a terrible disease this forgetting virus is. Key has had it for years and passes it on to his little helpers like McClay.
“Trade Minister Todd McClay has revealed officials have been “for months” examining reports that China could retaliate against an investigation into steel dumping and has apologised to Prime Minister John Key for not seeking more detail on the issue.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/82453210/trade-minister-admits-officials-had-known-about-china-trade-retaliation-fears-for-months
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11681006
Ok now that’s a good start and ambitious as well, is there anyone who thinks this isn’t a good idea?
It is certainly ambitious to think $28 million over 4 years is anywhere remotely near the amount that would be required. I tend to agree with Nikki MacDonald and Alison Ballance’s response.
Nikki Macdonald Retweeted Alison Ballance
Laughable. When I looked at it, conservative estimate was $25 billion. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/8461303/Can-New-Zealand-really-be-pest-free …Nikki Macdonald added,
Alison Ballance @AlisonBallance
NZ is 268,021 km². Govt putting in $28M to make NZ pest-free. Antipodes Is mice eradication almost $4M for 22 km² http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201808226/antipodes-island-mouse-eradication-successfully-completed …
This is just the Nats hoping people will stop talking about their failures at housing and economic management. They don’t give a stuff about the environment. They just want to give some of their mates some money while pretending they are doing something worthwhile.
Plus they have cut DOC’s budget by 11% since getting into government:
http://chewydata.com/samples/160526-Budget2016/HotTree.html#expenditure.real.2008.2576
And of course they are doing nothing about climate change which is going to have a catastrophic effect on NZ’s flora and fauna.
Spot on Karen, thanks for the links.
+1
+2, its a PR exercise.
No dont let Nat or Lab/Grn anywhere near this!
It requires ethics, common sense, and good science.
This cannot be and must never be a “free market” project
I really hope it never gets off the ground, the potential for huge damage to environment and diversity is too likely
Its just a political distraction ploy and some tax money for mates. Lets just leave it at that
Pie.
In the sky.
Maybe I’ve misunderstood you Robert, but whether or not, I look forward to discussing this matter at the celebration of a Pest Free Rakiura in 2026.
Strange blog this eh? Full of big wild creative ideas…until the Govt. of the day produces one. Then everyone is wetting themselves with fear at the thought of it!
They haven’t produced one though. Twitter is full of NZ scientists being scathing of the announcement. It’s greenwashing with I would guess some liberal doses of corporate welfare and treats for National’s mates thrown in. This from a government that’s chronically underfunded DOC and now lo and behold it’s going to fund a commercial enterprise? That’s not a big bold idea, it’s neoliberal bullshit.
Rakiura is theoretically doable because of its size and isolation, but try translating that to the mainland. The scale and the territory is hugely problematic.
With all respect Weka, you are talking bollocks.
Compared to addressing climate change or inequality, a pest free NZ is a simplicity. It’s perfectly do-able, and we would be idiot’s not to do this for the generations that come after us.
I think you are letting your political prejudice over-ride your better instincts.
Speaking as someone who has spent many many years working towards the protection of our natural heritage, i would welcome this step forward from anyone, regardless of trivial politics, and if any political entity want’s to up the commitment to this goal. I’m with them.
As a conservationist, I welcome this commitment, and if any political entity want’s to equal or better it, I a ready to support them with any resource I can muster. I’m all ears…
Most of your conservation dreams would come true if you got a green government. Instead I get the impression you would rather support the government that wants the reflected glory from someone elses vision. The paltry sum they’re putting up really shows that they could not give a shit about this vision.
yeah but they have a plan to invest that money and make some more. And then unicorns will fly out of the bums of kiwis and save all the other birds.
You can assert that all you like, but you’re not actually doing anything other than faith. Don’t believe me, go read what conservation scientists are saying about it.
Of course it’s a worthy ideal. It’s just not based in reality. Plus it’s tainted by the neoliberal ideology. They could just be honest and say here’s the money, we’re putting it into this project. But to make out they will make NZ predator free in that time frame without giving us any detail is just out and out Crosby Textor rhetoric.
Your lack of vision is sad Weka, but consistent with the general tone of defeatist misery that pervades this blog.
I’m happy to say I am involved with many many scientists, conservationists, ordinary people and yes politicians who are not just entirely positive about saving our natural heritage – they are also getting off their arse and simply doing it.
The latest eradication on The Antipodes looks to have been successful. The reality is we seem to have the basic techniques pretty well sorted.
All we need is the commitment, support and determination to resolve the remaining challenges.
Yoo hoo Labour? Greens? Anyone listening out there?
Fuck off. The Greens have been promoting pest eradication for a long time.
But thanks for reminding me that you are in capable of addressing the actual issues* and are just here to slag off the left. Might fine example of positivity 🙄
*for instance, you could have instead responded to Alison Balance’s article, which doesn’t rely on ideology alone but looks at facts (like how and where we are successful and where we’re not). It’s stripped of the political context you will get here that you hate so much, but no, you can’t even bring yourself to look at that.
A vacuous innumerate cheerleader says what?
Here you go, Allison Balance’s detailed look at the issue,
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201809596/predator-free-nz-ambitious-and-under-funded
Could be a great way to create employment if the did a large chunk of it as ground work instead of dumping shit out of choppers.
Apart from intown itself it’s pretty rare to see or hear a possum in rural Taumarunui down from huge numbers in the past.
I haven’t seen the detail (is there any?), but the bit I heard on Checkpoint had me rolling my eyes. Think it through, do you really believe that NZ could be predator free ever, and if you do how that could happen. You’d have to control cat ownership for a start. Think that one through and get back to me 😉
Which makes me think this is just National posturing and throwing some money around to stop the drain of the conservative environment vote to the Greens. Colour me even more cynical and I’ll say there is probably some jiggery pokery going on regards funnelling tax payer money into the private sector (aka corporate welfare).
Having said that, if there is any actual detail, as opposed to feel good PR, I’d be interested to see it.
Just seen this,
Develop a scientific breakthrough capable of completely eliminating one small mammalian predator.
I’m tempted to laugh out loud. Seriously, that’s what they’re banking on? It reminds me of the episode of the West Wing where Bartlett decides he’s going cure cancer.
The islands free of predators is a good thing, and we could do a huge amount creating predator-free places in NZ using existing technology, esp fencing and trapping. But the whole of NZ predator-free? Yeah right.
Bold.
Outflanked both the Greens and Labour on conservation, a policy area that has leftie supporters by the truckload. No party will oppose it.
It also gets them very close to donors as programme sponsors, who might otherwise not donate to political parties. So it’s excellent politics.
Any MP who complains about it is simply blaming themselves for having failed to convince their caucus of the same thing.
Plenty of NZ scientists complaining about it.
cool National has put those 200 votes at risk
Let’s ignore the experts in the field then. Righto, good job, that’ll help change the government.
Headline grabbing tripe to deflect from scrutiny elsewhere. This policy looks like something the Nats have had in the wank bank for some time.
No substance to it at all.
Well lets see what the Greens (and Labour) counter it with…this is classic National party strategy under Key.
Strategy which has had the opposition in tatters over the last 8 years.
They shouldn’t counter with anything because it’s cheap, crap, headline policy.
They are going to ban cats and rats, are they? Good luck with that.
“They shouldn’t counter with anything because it’s cheap, crap, headline policy.”
Then they will fall into the trap…a lazy 50k party votes for the Nats from potential Green lite (Labour collection) voters…maybe more.
Rubbish. It’s only the existing RWNJ Key voter (like yourself) who gets seduced by this sort of diversionary and insincere headline grabber.
That’s the exact response the Nat strategy team will be hoping for Muttonbird.
The existence of RWNJ’s are only in the minds of LWNJ’s 🙂
Are you admitting the government are doing this for votes and votes alone?
Curious.
Easy meat “NZ will be predator free by 2050” the Gnats claim – now I’ve heard pie-in-the-sky and jam-tomorrow – but 2050! The entire Gnat cabinet will be dead before then, (and a good thing too). I expect even a no-hoper like Bill English could produce a surplus by 2050 with a bit of luck. Well, maybe 2100.
More like policy on the hoof because they’ve had a bad focus week. Bit like the $5000 bribe to get homeless people out of Auckland.
Yep me for one .Possums were liberated here to be used as a resource and thats exactly what they are now and could continue being rather than wastfully gotten rid of by the kill em all brigade Largely im picking this money will simply be more money spent on poison which will only benefit poison manufacturers and a few operators .This fund is just a pre election lolly sucker for suckers .
what do you do with the possums?
in the main they feed my dogs its very good meat better than anything you could buy unless you could afford surloin or something like that for them ! .the dogs are actively involved in the capture of them also and they just live for the job .Dogs are hunters by nature and this gives them an acceptable outlet for their instincts .I pluck the possums for their fur which i sell once a year or whenever im broke which is a bit more often .Nation wide tho possum hunting is an important industry i dunno how much its worth but i know possom fur is becoming increasingly in demand .Historicly possums have provided income for poor people for a very long time and it i.m.h.o. be a damn shame if they were eliminated forever in nz .As a species mentioned in the grand sceme to eliminate so called preditors from nz by 2050 they represent the lowest hanging fruit of the group deemed to do the most damage to native birds and yet they do the least harm .possum numbers need to be managed and kept low sure but the villification by doc etc is rediculous and a wast of a bloody good resource .appologies for the spelling .
Nice one. I’ve known quite a few people that have made decent money from possuming, but I’m always interested to hear from people that are using the whole body, not just the fur. Do you feed the carcass whole to the dogs or what?
yep i gut them in the field and then just chuck one out each day The top dog will get first dibs and the others follow when hes had his full At the end of the day only the skin and tail will be left tho sometimes labrodor type dogs will come along and even eat those (much to their owners disgust )Dogs thrive on this sort of tucker and like i said before its hard to find meat of this quality on pet food shelves .
That’s great. I agree about the quality. Very close to a wild diet and what animals evolved with.
Oh boy…..
The US government has a decision to make here. If it does not come out strongly against this action by the Russian intelligence services now, then when will it? How is our election system not to be considered “critical infrastructure” that foreign governments are forbidden to interfere with, unless they wish to trigger a serious confrontation with the US? If hacking a presidential campaign and dumping its strategy on the Web is not interference and disruption of a critical institution, then what is? Should we wait until foreign operatives interfere with the primary process? Is the red line only to be drawn around hacking actual voting machines and changing the results?
http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/guest-editorial-the-dnc-hack-and-dump-is-what-cyberwar-looks-like/
Barack Obama used the expression, “I’ve got your back,” twice in his
presidency: first, for Israel, second, for Debra Wassermann Schultz.
As the adage says, You can judge a man by the company he keeps.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/politics/dnc-emails-sanders-clinton.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=1
Pretty sure he said something similar to the investment bankers in his first 6 months of Presidency, at the height of the GFC
You’re right, Viper! Thanks for the reminder.
New Delhi: A US-developed weapon system that strikes the atmosphere with a focussed electromagnetic beam is one of the reasons for causing global warming, the government reported on Monday.
http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-us-developed-weapon-system-is-responsible-for-global-warming-says-government-340015
[Moved to Open Mike as being off topic. For future reference, if you want to post links to theories about the causes of CC that sit outside the scientific consensus, don’t do it on my posts. It’s a derailment from the topic. Only warning. – weka]
Good old ‘scientific consensus’ eh
Trying to understand using information subsets, is hardly ideal and its not as if weather manipulation is a recent technology or strategic objective
Comments made by the Indian Environment minister should garner front page news
Another brick from the wall
UT’s comment was off topic, so it was moved, but there is nothing stopping the discussion from happening. You’re in Open Mike, One Two. Feel free to make the argument supporting the theory. I’d want to see some evidence.
Hi Weka, no worries I read your note to UT and was replying as an OM comment
That a minister of a major global nation has explicitly fingered the technology, should provide more than enough incentive for investigation by those so inclined
There is a plethora of available information around the technology itself , although the fuctional and operational purpose appears to be shrouded in uncertainty
Presently the discussion regarding technological interference with weather patterns is existing outside of mainstream ‘scientific consensus’
I expect a positional change in a near term time frame
the discussion regarding technological interference with weather patterns is existing outside of mainstream ‘scientific consensus’
You actually believe this drivel? Cluebat: when someone approaches you with a plastic spoon full of drivel, you don’t have to eat it.
Google Scholar is full to the brim with papers such as this one:
A Combined Mitigation/Geoengineering Approach to Climate Stabilization
Now you know the facts, stop lying.
Nobody was adressing you, were they..
Yet there you are with a sniveling remark and insulting overtone
Not even the hint of a response to the ‘scary’ suggestion made by the Indian Environmental Minister
Clever Boy!
Now you know it’s a lie, I wonder if you’ll look more sceptically at the contents of the spoon, and the hand holding it.
“There is a plethora of available information around the technology itself……..”
Take note of how I’m referring to the specific technology the Indian minister article talked about….
“Presently the discussion regarding technological interference with weather patterns is existing outside of mainstream ‘scientific consensus’”
In the mainstream media there is little to no coverage regarding possible weather manipulation capability of the specific technology referred to by the Indian Minister
Neither does the article you linked to, which is a contextual as well as comprehension fail on your part
Now put the spoon and insults down and stop dribbling all over a comment which was NOT addessed to you!
See if you can resist the natural urges of your ego…
Now you’re just being ignorant. HAARP, which the sadly gullible minister is so excited about, invites graduate and post-graduate students from all over the globe to share in its research.
As such, there is a monstrous quantity of information in the scientific literature about it, which a simple GScholar search for HAARP could have told you, if you weren’t so transfixed by the spoon.
But what about that documentary you saw where the kid says “there is no spoon”, though?
Now I’m playing with your ego and your contemptuous arrogance ,as well as your inability to comprehend simple language, or even stay out of someone else’s conversation
I’ve noticed how you strut around rebutting and refuting using smart alec nuances and know it all techniques. They don’t work, but it’s insightful that you persist with the same sissy tactics over such an extended period of time
Accusation that the Indian minister is “sadly gullible”, serves only as confirmation of the callow nature that exists behind the ‘anonymous persona’
Now that I’ve called you out, stay off my comments!
Yeah, OAB, ya bastard, using facts and high-falutin’ actual knowledge to bully people. You’re so meeeeaann!!!!
“Stay off my comments”
Yap yap, little dog.
Did Ilse Koch Speak at the Republican Convention?
At the recent RNC horror show in Cleveland, the loons walking around the streets flaunting their automatic weapons was terrifying, the dancing of unhip, embarrassed delegates was mortifying to watch, and the calibre of the speeches—Scott Baio, the beardie from Duck Dynasty, the plagiarist Melania Trump—was an indictment of the Republican Party, not to mention a dire reflection of the state to which politics has sunk in the United States.
But perhaps the most disturbing thing of all was the moral calibre—or lack of moral calibre—of the “reporters”…..
https://plus.google.com/106968887180620203232/posts/hTL2o129tR3
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/07/scott-baio-rnc-speech
Don’t complain Trump now 3% ahead of Clinton in latest CNN poll.
To prevent real climate disaster we have to cut carbon use in the global economy to near nothing in the next ten years.
That’s not going to happen of course.
There is a 30 year lag time between emissions going up into the atmosphere and warming from those emissions becoming measurable.
It’s due to the thermal inertia of the Earth, particularly all the water in the oceans which take a lot of time to heat up.
At the moment we have seen half the heating from the emissions we put up in the 1980s. We have hardly seen any warming from the economic growth of China yet. And we certainly haven’t seen any warming from the four billion tonnes of coal China has burnt in the last 12 months (and we won’t for years).
TL/DR we’re pretty well fucked.
[sorry CV but once we’re in “we’re fucked” comment territory, it’s going to put others off being involved in the conversation. Moved to OM – weka]
Can you please read the update at the bottom of the post, thanks.
we’re fucked huh? oh well sweet i always wanted a big yank tank for a weekend car and hell why back green energy when we can just party on down with fracked oil n gas, drink today for tomorrow we may die.
It’s today’s primary and high school kids who are really screwed.
Old bastards like you and I are fine.
The kind of vehicle you drive is irrelevant.
I like you tend to think we’re screwed, but , we may not be and going around convincing people we’re screwed is most likely to make people give up looking for answers , there by increasing the chance of us being screwed.
nah; unless people know the full extent of the coming problem they won’t accept the full steps we need to take in the next fifteen years.
And if we only take insufficient quarter measures, we really will be screwed.
No probs Weka.
I should say that there is a certain irony in asking how we are going to replace motorways, roads and bridges washed out by climate change exacerbated events.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11681006
This is hilarious. Like he really doesn’t understand he’s a leading member of a class of predators. I mean there are predators who positively model themselves on him.
Don’t deal with the problem, deal with the effects
If anyone asked me, I would say that dealing with the effects of climate change will become increasingly difficult and then, impossible. What we really need is a post on what we could do to become “a world leader on climate change”.**
In this post we have only been allowed to discuss within the politically safe narrow confines of actions to take to combat the (local) effects caused by climate change, but not about the more controversial and thorny matter of actions to take to combat climate change itself.
I eagerly await a post on, what can be done about that, the role of councils, government and the people in that, related to new coal mines, deep sea oil drilling, public transport, becoming a world leader issues etc.*
*[my emphasis]
**[To quote Andrew Little]
[moved to Open Mike as off topic. Jenny you know better than to tell authors here what to write. There are plenty of CC posts on The Standard that look at actions to combat CC politically. Try adding something to the debate instead of trying to derail other, legitimate conversations about CC action – weka]
Name one, and provide a link.
[Take a week off, Jenny, for telling authors what to do. TRP]
As you know, I like Prof Anderson.
However I can do my own numbers. Take this for a spin:
You are welcome to try and falsify any or all of the following, and I will be happy to be corrected.
1) Current global warming = 1.0 deg C to 1.2 deg C
2) Current global dimming = a further 1.0 deg C (at least) warming hidden by atmospheric particulates shielding the Earth from the sun, warming which will rapidly appear within 3-4 months of stopping atmospheric pollution
3) Due to the 30-40 year thermal inertia of the system, less than 50% of warming from 1980s emissions have been realised. NB in the 1980s China was only just starting to ramp up its industrial production.
4) ~90% of the warming from the last 10 years GHG emissions have yet to be realised (including the 3 billion tonnes of coal China burnt last year, and the year before and the year before that).
5) The world is currently warming at approx 0.4 deg C per decade with a minimum of 5 decades more warming to occur if we turn off GHG emissions today.
Conservatively, that’s approx 4 deg C locked in for delivery to us in the 2060s, excluding any additional positive feedback loops kicking off, even if all GHG emissions are ended today.
As I said. Happy to be corrected on any of the above points.
[moved to Open Mike. Nothing there about mitigation or adaptation or offering solutions or anything related to the post. You can have this conversation elsewhere – weka]
Sorry, too late at night to figure out how much of the thread to move. Here’s the comment it was replying to,
http://thestandard.org.nz/climate-change-on-our-doorsteps-literally/#comment-1208944
Local council infrastructure and district planning needs to be designed with a 40 to 50 plus year timeframe in mind.
If there is going to be 4 deg C warming by the 2060s then that has to be a central consideration to the issues in your post.
There is no way you can assess whether “mitigation” or “adaptation” measures will be adequate without this background.
So I am disappointed you moved my comments, and I am disappointed that with your rose tinted glasses you utterly missed its importance and relevance to your post.
It would have been great if you had put those things in your comment. What I saw was you and Bill gearing up for a big maths debate out of context of the post and IMO that’s not appropriate. For reasons that I think you don’t understand.
I know you think I have rose tinted glasses, but that’s because you almost utterly fail to understand my political position on climate change action. You said elsewhere that there was an irony in a post about moving road and bridges and shit. But that’s not why I wrote the post. I didn’t write the post for you and I. I wrote the post for the people experiencing the storm, seeing the reports on Stuff, and starting to think holy shit, this is serious. I wanted them to have a way into the conversation irrespective of whether they comment here or not. If you honestly believe that scaring the bejesus out of the those people and telling them it’s too late is useful, then go ahead and do that. Just not under my posts.
I know that my moderation style on CC posts in particular is a bit out of the ordinary for ts, but if I am going to write here that’s the way it’s going to have to be. I’ve had enough people tell me they want a space that’s proactive, and I want to give that to them. It’s also what I have the energy for. That won’t happen if I don’t moderate.
My comment implicitly expected knowledge of district planning processes and local government infrastructure timeframes.
I am over giving people the soft introduction to this topic. People deserve to know what we are very probably facing in the next 20 to 30 years.
Sugar coating it so they can justify putting climate change down as their number four or five political issue to be managed alongside elective surgery waiting lists and charter schools financing no longer cuts it.
But thats just me; as authors we get to please ourselves so go for it.