As hundreds of Palestinian civilians are being killed by Israel every day, and the survivors are being herded into smaller and smaller pockets, Germany Intervenes to support Israel's actions at the World Court.
Will Judge Nolte defy his country's support for Israel?
The 17 judges of the World Court are due to release their decision on, whether or not the World Court will grant South Africa's application for an interim order for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
South Africa sought their application for an interim order for a ceasefire from the world court, on the grounds that Israel is conducting war crimes in Gaza that amount to genocide. The crime of genocide is decided both by evidence of "intent" and by the evidence of acts that "destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group."
The burden of proof for the World Court to issue an interim order for a ceasefire is much lesser than that for a full hearing of the court. All that needs to be proved for an interim order, is that there is a "possibility" that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
The United Nations International Court of Justice, AKA The World Court, is the highest legal body in the United Nations system.. The judgements handed down by the World Court are always partly political partly judicial
For example the US Judge will vote against a ceasefire, the judge for South Africa will vote for a ceasefire, the judge for Israel will vote against a ceasefire, etc,
Some time in the future, this World Court hearing and the deliberations of its judges made in chambers, will be dramatised. This dramatisation may even be streamed on Netflix.
Like the recent Netflix dramatisation based on the transcripts of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, the manipulation and pressure on the judges by the US will be laid bare. The published dissenting opinions of the judges made in chambers against US pressure and manipulation of the court will also be laid bare.
Who will be the main protagonist of this new Netflix dramatisation?
Germany's Georg Nolte will be the one to watch.
Germany have filed a intervention with the World Court in support of Israel. The sole country to do so. Germany's intervention will not be heard in this preliminary hearing, for an interim order, and will only be heard at the full hearing, which everyone admits could be months or even years away.
I suspect that the reason the German government have lodged an intervention with the court in support of Israel is to send a message to Georg Nolte.
The message being delivered to Judge Nolte by the German state, is this – If you vote for South Africa's application for an interim order for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, you will be up against the full weight of the German state.
Based on how their countries have voted on the issue of a ceasefire in the UN General Assembly, the vote by the judges of the World Court for an interim ceasefire order will be very close, Just one judge going against the expected outcome will make a difference. Israel and the US have made it clear what the expected outcome of the World Court will be.
All politics is pressure.
Because of US political pressure on its allied governments, I expect that the judges in the World Court appointed by those governments, will not vote to issue an order for a ceasefire in Gaza and the best South Africa could expect from the judges of the World Court is a watered down interim order for Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid.
Georg Nolt's vote in chambers could change this dynamic.
Why would Judge Nolte be motivated to go against his country?
Judge Georg Nolte is a Holocaust scholar an a stickler for the letter of law in international affairs and has edited several published works on international law relating to genocide. Judge Nolte is well aware of the historical parallels of voting with the other US allied judges against South Africa's ceasefire application.
Will Judge Nolte be Germany's new August Landmesser?
We hear of 1st world countries sneeringly refer to 3rd world countries as, corrupt, brutal despotic, banana republics. Bloody hell, they're amateurs compared to what's going on here
It will get worse. Now the US has reinstalled the blockade of Yemen, that country, which has already been devastated by UK and US weaponry in the service of Saudi Arabia, will now be devastated again directly by the US. Last time even the New York Times called out the US on complicity in war crimes through supply of weapons, targeting and air to air refuelling without which the destruction would have been impossible. A child starved to death every 9 minutes. When cholera arrived, a child died every 5 mins
This all presumes that there will be some calm "day after".
That's conceit, though well intentioned.
There will be no logical transition from active conflict to some calm post-conflict reality, one where we see some clear shift in the politics, economy, and security environment for Gaza.
This is already looking a lot worse than the UN-security team buffer zones on the Egyptian border or even the Golan Heights.
No nation in their right mind would send their people to secure Gazans from Israel or Israelis from Hamas – even if both sides permitted it.
This one is really different. There's no quick withdrawal of Israel and no commitment by Hamas to stop either. It's many years away.
The only players still trying for a settlement are the UAE and the US. Every plan is being rejected both by Hamas and Israel.
Gaza looks now like a highly compressed form of Kabul: recently taken over fully and anyone looking for freedom is instead consigned to increased disintegration and despair.
Friday 26 January, 2024, 1 p.m. Central European Standard Time.
….the International Court of Justice will deliver its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel). A public sitting will take place at 1 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Joan E. Donoghue, the President of the Court, will read the Court’s Order…..
The cognitive dissonance, hypocrisy and inconsistency of ACT. The party of "property rights" ( and inherited privilege for white, wealthy people) opposing the "property rights" of Mãori.
ACT is all about "property rights" and "keeping what your ancestors have possessed, unless you are brown and colonised. That is almost their entire reason for existence.
I keep saying this, but act represent the most vial part of our culture to a tee.
The squirming out of contract, not honor ones word, and ripping off people as much as possible. This is cultural cringe stuff, which shocks people from other countries, and makes me feel very uncomfortable to come from here.
She also provides an excellent video debunking the somewhat outlandish claim that I often hear that runaway global warming will turn earth into Venus. She goes into the science of how Venus became what it is, and why that is unlikely to happen on earth.
I think the real, provable issues are serious enough, and that outlandish claims that are easily disproven simply gives ammunition to the denialists. So, I think it is important to focus on the actual problems rather than hysterical claims that I think are actually counterproductive.
NZ First are a bunch of filthy, corrupt grifters. The whole party is owned by tobacco money yet our MSM is to cozy with their place in the swamp to be bothered calling it out.
The recent review of our electoral laws was pretty damn long on making it easier for political parties – given half a chance and they'll happily have four year terms, lowered thresholds, and utterly opaque funding rules forever – but anti-corruption laws? Nah.
Kiri Allan in today's Herald gives an extraordinary and insightful interview on her time in politics and summation of how it all fell apart. Well worth reading and it's not a "premium" item.
She allegedly drove a vehicle with excess breath alcohol. She allegedly (by her own admission) drove a vehicle on a rainy evening “after a few beers” and “in quite an erratic state of mind”. She was the Minister of Justice, yet her first instinct (ahead of cooperating with police), was to ‘seek legal counsel’. Compassion? Any I might have had ended once I’d read this public display of self indulgence.
Well if she did say that, she's got a serious credibility issue.
"She was heading to somebody’s house. “I was seeking probably solace in just some people … just given the state I was in. But I made that decision to drive.”"
I've deleted my reply and will stop commenting on this. When I was 18 I lost a close relative (he was 27) to suicide. In my 20's I lost a close friend in a car accident involving a drunk driver. 15 years ago I had to tell the staff at a business I ran that a 19 year old colleague had been killed in an accident involving a drunk driver. I'm angry by what Kiri has done.
I'm less angry than I would be if she hadn't been suicidal. People who are out of their minds make very bad decisions. She has been honest about this, that it was true for her that she fucked up majorly. Maybe she needs to be saying more about how what she did impacts on others? That would be fair I think.
and fwiw, I think Anne just showed zero compassion as well.
The difference is that Kiri Allan is a public figure and we know a fair bit about her and the context around the incident. OTOH, David is an anonymous commenter on TS since 29 November last year who might even be using a pseudonym and we know next to nothing about him, or at least not until he chose to share some background info @ 7:41 pm.
Anne was dismissive about how someone might feel about having someone close to them kill themselves. That's compassionless.
If we can't have compassion for our political enemies, why should anyone including David?
And if the issue is that David is a troll, or astroturfer or just a RWNJ, then isn't it better to err on the side of caution? Otherwise why would RWNJs not display the same behaviour towards us?
My response weka @ 7:20pm had nothing to do with 'lacking compassion' for someone losing a friend or relative in an accident involving a drunk driver.
On the basis of David's original comment @ 5.1, I saw a nasty put-down of someone who has been to hell and back. I saw it as a cop-out. He then comes up with a reply to me about drunk driving which I also saw as a cop-out. I called him out with my "Pffft".
He eventually relates his personal experience which he should have provided from the get-go then I would have understood where he was coming from. Still doesn't let him entirely off the hook.
Kiri has every right to tell her story, just as Golriz has done and Todd Muller before them. I felt compassion and admiration for all three of them. It takes guts to front up like they did.
Anne was dismissive about how someone might feel about having someone close to them kill themselves. That's compassionless.
That's one hell of a leap to take! Any suicidal thoughts involved were not even known to me until I saw Waghorn's comment last night. I was responding to David’s comment at 5.1 only. Check the timelines if you don't believe me.
As Incognito pointed out, he made his original statement with no context whatsoever. In his short life span here thus far, 'David' has made numerous smart-arse comments designed to inflame. Despite his subsequent explanation, which I don't dispute, I still suspect he took the opportunity to have a crack at Allan.
In future, please don't put a claim in my mouth that was never there. Thank-you.
Sorry, that should have read “Anne was dismissive about how someone might feel about having someone close to them be killed by a drunk driver. That’s compassionless”
David’s comment and your reply to that comment, from above,
David 5.1.2.1
26 January 2024 at 7:08 pm (Edit)
Have you ever lost a relative or close friend to a drunk driver, Anne?
Reply
Anne 5.1.2.1.1
26 January 2024 at 7:10 pm (Edit)
Unfortunately none of us are mind readers and when a commenter uses one word that is by definition dismissive, then people are going to read that in response to the comment it was made about. If you want to have more nuance in your commentary, maybe use more words.
I thought it was her media colleagues buttering up their last resort readers. she should never have got the job she was incapable of. She should shut up and take the punishment.
This government seems hellbent on creating dramas all over the place. Haven't got off to a good start at all. Luxon's "I used to run an airline" self belief is waning rapidly,
Luxon got through the mini-budget and 2 separate large engagements with Maori quite unscathed.
There is no organised opposition to them in Parliament.
Also with inflation coming down, unemployment still good at 3.9%, no tropical disasters to respond to, and GDP forecasts improving, they have momentum going into the May Budget 2024.
Yes I heard Willis on RadioNZ saying something like "yes we have inflation coming down but we still have more work to do" as though the drop to 4.7% happened under their watch when in reality it was under Labour's
There is always a honeymoon period for new governments….check the polls in a year’s time.
Food was still up 4.8% in the quarter which also doesn't help.
"Energy prices for Europe are expected to increase as more petroleum products and crude tankers are diverting away from the Rea Sea and Suez Canal. Longer trips for the Middle-Eastern barrels that replaced Russian flows to Europe introduce supply issues, …"
Trade from the Persian Gulf to ASEAN refineries is not impacted, nor that in North Asia (or ASEAN) areas to us. Nor that from America to us. Nor across the Atlantic
This is a specific targeting of the European West (supporting Ukraine) who switched away from Russian supply (sanctions) and their supply of energy and EV's/electronics etc from Asia.
The current GOP block of funding to Ukraine (and subsequent risk to NATO from a Trump victory) explains belligerent talk from Mdvedev of late (Ukraine belongs to Russia and they will have what they want elsewhere in Europe).
It's a, first Ukraine then Palestine, strategic allegiance after all (Russia-Iran).
Nevertheless, Container shipping remains by far the cheapest way to ship goods internationally, but prices vary widely between where you’re moving from and where you’re moving to.
The extent of the higher cost factor will be dependent on how much of our Asian trade is on ships that are/were on the Asian-Europe route – and whether they charge separate container rates within the region or not.
For mine it's a possible 1%+ issue, so I don't see the risk of a rate higher than 5% (as it is at the moment).
The difference between pre-culture war L/R politics and L/R politics now, is that now people are more committed to their partisanship than they are to the country they live in (although they may not see the difference).
For instance, in the 80s and 90s there was a strong L/R political culture in NZ, but it was more like we swung between the two, there was a strong fight between the two, but we all still got on.
Whereas now, the divides aren't as binary, and some are downright unclear. Many people operate as if the divides are still binary. And there is a strong commitment (on all sides) to positions that overrides concern for the wellbeing of people, community and country.
That last paragraph presents differently depending on the position.
The difference in the 80's/90's was that it was an economic change to a neo-liberal market order with a lot of victims (and a lot going to Oz, thus their 2001 response) – unemployment and then declining health (convergence for older workers and the super increase age 60 to 65 1990-2000).
The end of our egalitarianism(1/4 acre homeownership stock standard) is subject for lament.
Now it is more cultural and otherwise a sense of global middle class (educated, job and travel mobile) and local underclass.
The American input is faith based provider term limit welfare reform, high levels of imprisonment/parole/probation management/community policing, prosperity religion gospel where God is on the side of the middle class (and wealthier elites) and end time rapture where God is to come judge the liberals and send them all to hell – culture war fuel.
Then there is the anti-globalism of the American nativism – a reboot of their isolationism being spread on social media (sovereignty movement, anti UN etc).
Trump managed to successfully engage a massive cohort of people who regular politics had left behind. In a NZ context its like he managed to energize the whole of West and South Auckland to vote for him. Boris sorta did the same, theres a lesson for the left in there somewhere….
Against a background of great global and psychological unsteadiness, people feel they need to choose a corner the defend it like crazy – or they'll go crazy.
Logic, accomodation of new ideas, kindness toward the other corners, doesn't get a look in now.
that's how I see it too. Conservatism is a natural response to stress and perceived danger.
I think there are other things going on too. The degree of disconnect from shared reality and objective reality among some of the new political movements. Social media and the huge degree of intentional emotional/psychological manipulation being done. Both of those undermine attempts to resolve issues via as you say logic, new ideas, kindness.
I also think the climate and biodiversity crises are of such a scale that the human mind and heart aren't well equipped to understand and respond them.
true, but I had and have to work at it. The urge to respond well is built into me, but the skills in how to cope with the scale of the crisis, those I had to develop.
I am a carrier of stress and don't show any symptoms. I am also a conservative who can see light at the end of a very dark tunnel.. Ardern killed kindness by preaching it and doing the opposite. As a farmer I am welcoming climate change as it is a positive. the bank also recognises that climate change will be beneficial to our business and dropped 20 basic points of the mortgage. You guys need to get all that shit out of your heads and rejoin the modern world.
Yep in NZ its an opportunity to do new things, have run across a few mango trees doing well and fruiting outside in Auckland, Sugarcane on the marginal land in the North, Bannanas, Pineapples on a commercial scale we are actually well placed.
I'm sure that all will be clear if you read it as 20 basis points and not 20 basic points. I'm sure that that was just a typo by Ian and he meant basis.
The evil hag Ardern killed kindness and waged war on we rich white farmers who are now quite happy because we might have some mangoes, but sad because of our repressed rage that a woman built a very dark tunnel which I got stuck in. The bank gave us some basic points which we will use to grow more mangoes and stop female harridans from stepping out of the kitchen and building more tunnels.
You certainly do have some exceedingly dark thoughts about our former PM. Relax, she is no longer in the job and persisting in such ideas can't possibly be good for you.
Quite apart from the * or ** or *** divides of focus on media, for many there is a higher level of pressure in their daily lives (affording rent/mortgage – education standards/access to a functioning health system).
that's both not new, in the sense we've had those times before, and new, in the sense that now we have the accumulation of nearly 50 years of neoliberalism and it's compounded.
I don't know if it's just me, but I find myself having to actively reframe my mind to stop believing that things are going to go back to normal. I don't think they are going to, but my brain is habituated to thinking they will (godzone)
Other divides that seem to be wider than 20 yrs ago- Rural/Urban and Haves/ Have-nots.
I think part of the polarisation is social media. In two ways. Someone else's pithy paragraph sums up them (othering) rendering everything black and white, no grey.
Also, and more importantly, time spent at the screen is time spent reinforcing, polishing and hardening the idea of the individual. Time not spent in others company- church, sports or cultural or interest groups, service or volunteer time. All of which bring you into meaningful contact with folk dissimilar to you.
The demise or splintering of the left was way more pronounced by the state's reaction to Covid than it was for the right.
Because the "left" is where the action is, gsays. It's not surprising that multiplication of thought occurred there; the Right abhors such divisioning (made-up word).
In any case, it wasn't the "State's" reaction to Covid – it was the Left's 🙂
Plus, I challenge your claim that the Rural had divided more from the Urban. This is not true.
Your penultimate paragraph though, I agree with, although it needs parsing 🙂
In regards to rural urban, what I am getting at is the disconnect with so many folk as to where their food comes from.
In the mid '80s I feel in love with a horticulturalists daughter. He would send his produce off to the auctions and would get a fair price for it.
Over the next few years, the rise and rise of the supermarkets meant that they would tell him when his season would start, finish and how much produce he would deliver and at what cost.
This has two effects, city folk get most of their food whims met (regardless of season or country of origin) and plenty of primary producers forced into the arms if the foreign owned banks. Therefore dancing to the banksters tune rather than their local community.
I'm fully on-board with your "supermarket-kills-growers" vibe, gsays. It is true.
I love that you "feel in love" with a horticulturalists daughter (there's a film in there 🙂 The return for growers from those supermarkets is a crime against humanity.
Yeah, only need to do the math on a $2 Broccoli head at countdown in season to figure that the people that actually do the hard bit are getting shafted.
This began before social media, with the change in employment laws and requirement to be able to work shifts and two incomes to afford rent and mortgage. This ended the concept of a common time for gathering. Basic things like not being able to be available for evening training or weekend games played their part in the beginning.
If we don't spend time with birds, trees, fish, flies, we become disconnected and start to spin out.
We are presently spinning out, as a species, imo.
Totally agree Robert. I gave a reflection on this very subject last year – too long to post here.
A summary:
If we look at the history of the theology of creation perhaps the the fault lies with the Masoretes.
The Masoretes were groups of Jewish scribe scholars who worked from around the end of the 5th through 10th centuries. Each group compiled a system of pronunciation and grammatical guides on the external form of the biblical text in an attempt to standardize the pronunciation, paragraph and verse divisions, of the Hebrew Bible for the worldwide Jewish community. Had they put a tsere (two dots) under the Resh they would have the root word yarad which means to come down or lower oneself. The original had no dots. Perhaps it is more correct to use root word yarad (to lower oneself) rather than radah (to rule over). In the original Hebrew the word starts with a Yod which is a picture of a heavenly messenger or yarad which means to lower oneself and not a Resh which means to rule over.
St. Francis of Assisi would go to the woods to worship God with the animals. It is said that the animals wild and tame would approach him. That is why you always see St. Francis of Assisi pictured with a bird on his shoulder and a wolf by his side. The story goes that a town was being attacked by a wolf and the town leaders came to St. Francis knowing his affinity for animals and asked if he could help. St. Francis went to the wolf and had a little conversation with the wolf and then reported to the town leaders that the wolf was just hungry and if they would feed him he would not attack. Thus, the town sort of adopted this wolf as a result of St. Francis’s conversation or yiredu with the wolf.
The industrial Revolution was firmly based on the assumption of humans dominion or radah over creation. And look where that has ended up.
Thanks, Macro – your sample indicates that the full reflection will have been a valuable read. I'm a big fan of St. Francis, o at least, of what I have gleaned from popular stories about him. His epiphany/metanoia interests me very much, especially where he abandoned all, including his clothes, something that's not unknown with young people nowadays experiencing overwhelm of a serious sort; the rejection of all of societies trappings 🙂
I wonder if you know "Valerian Hare" by Janosh? It's a story for children and reflects the St. Francis's tory beautifully.
It's more efficient to describe a massive decrease in both left political activism and party membership from the mid 1980s, and a parallel big decrease from even mild political participation in voting either at local or central elections.
The last big march about climate change, for example, was 2017 which is 6 years ago.
The last big Maori-focused march was the Foreshore and Seabed hikoi which was 2004.
That doesn't mean there's fewer people doing good things; it means more activists are choosing to put their energy into local trusts and charities, and only occasionally getting back into it for particular campaigns.
Seems a worthwhile view. I'm in favour of a framing based on triadic structure. Whereas the ancient microcosm/macrocosm binary ruled identity via belief/paradigm, connecting persons into large like-minded group, it makes more sense nowadays to insert mesocosm in between.
To do so, a user must use metaphysics combined with pragmatism: google only gives us ecosystemic framing via examples of usage, so be pragmatic & use their utility as basis for extending the principle. Define mesocosm as the user's group context. Since commons in the group mind produce like-mindedness in the group, idiosyncrasy works in natural complementarity with collaboration. It allows individuals to align with tam spirit when mutual benefits make that a good idea at the time.
Most folks operate unconsciously but will shift together in mesocosmic operational contexts they use via the tacit psyche (as verified by Kahneman & Tversky) which Polanyi first provided the philosphical basis for all those decades ago (Personal Knowledge). When public intellectuals realise the number 1 produces holism, 2 produces dualism, 3 relates things to each other (relativism) they'll acquire a principled basis upon which to theorise. Principles are primary components of metaphysics.
Since 1 provides common operating context to parts of the whole it creates by integrating them, the user connects the framing to their situation experientially to check the match between cerebral waffle & what actually happens. Problematic traditional categories often confuse participants: relevant or bullshit? Half the time folks are uncertain, so we ought to use the grey zone for all such uncertain states of mind. Call the grey zone the third dimension of politics between right & wrong.
No time to proof-read that so it's team spirit I was mentioning at the end of the second paragraph. The other triad relevant is voter/party/state.
The gist of where I'm coming from on politics in a state of malaise is that the conceptual reframe enables progress. Others will be unconvinced, feeling that the status quo always wins, so only the proactive will be early adopters.
Sorry about the break in the site. I disabled two plugins on the main site so that I could make them site specific. Got the dreaded white screen of death on the main site.
It left my test site running, but I couldn't get to the backend for either the multisite or the thestandard. So I couldn't turn the plugin back on.
Had to relearn wp-cli and how to activate a 'network' plugin.
Now I have to to figure out how I want that plugin to operate in the new theme. It runs the data for the other site right bar RSS pickups.
Now I have to figure out how to detach that RSS aggregator from the site. It really needs to run as a separate process like the sphinx search does. I'll look around for a linux tool.
Russia Vs. Ukraine – Now a utter cluster fuck of a meat grinder. And in both cases just means death for young men who are thrown into the front lines. If you just support one side and don't feel for those young men on both sides. I question your ability to make a moral judgement.
1. sniper shooting civilians after they talk with journalists (done to intimidate both the public and media).
2. use of drones to fire at unarmed civilians in streets makes a war crimes charge list – unless a street/area curfew was made known first (hardly likely if it was a place to gather for food aid etc).
The question here is whether this candidate will be allowed to contest Putin's re-election. Putin had said allowed candidates would be those not opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Also do me a favour and put up something which in not propaganda like the BBC on Russia. I mean I'm no fan of Putin, but even so the BBC are so beyond fucked up in this area of reporting, so lack credibility on Russia to anyone with half a brain.
Bugger off. Lets just do the great march of return. I can give you hours and hours of the IDF being low life scum.
Want to cancel the BBC?
Bloody nora, can you read? I said, on Russia the BBC has no credibility. SMD, you have no credibility on some subjects – do you need to be canceled? Next stupid question.
[
SMD, you have no credibility on some subjects – do you need to be canceled? Next stupid question.
If you ask stupid questions like that here you’re guaranteed reactions that make you think more carefully about what you wish for – Incognito]
Is the anger at those who do not emote in sync, supposed to discourage debate and welcome only affirmation? Is that not a little tribal?
As for the BBC report it was based on an interview with someone standing for President, what about it could be problematic. It’s the BBC and it is Russia?
My post had nothing to do with elections in russia – it was about a dumb f*&king war that has turned into a clusterfuck of a meat grinder, and the men at the front. You know the actual working people who are actually being thrown into this sick meat grinder. Did you even read it? Or was party politics in a dictatorship more important?
News Flash – russia is not a democracy!!!!!!!
BUT the Beeb.
I see you have no comment of the Great March of Return. Was it the assassinations you could not handle? The killing of Women and Children by the IDF? The murder of unarmed medics and journalists? What are you scared of? That the IDF you have defened is actually evil – truly moral bankrupt den of scum and villainy? I have seen the building/cars/tents blown up, lost friends, heard the heart breaks, and then seen the bodies.
The IDF are evil – the most simplest statement in 2024.
I would have thought the relevance of a Russian standing for President, on a policy of ending the war relevant as to a tiring of the loss of life, (Ukraine of the war zone the one unable to hold an election) fairly obvious.
I see you have no comment of the Great March of Return.
I mentioned something about it on the 25th – the relevance of the link in the post at 10.27pm.
It appears discourse is not always the wise option.
We encourage robust debate and we’re tolerant of dissenting views. But this site run for reasonably rational debate between dissenting viewpoints and we intend to keep it operating that way.
What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others. We are intolerant of people starting or continuing flamewars where there is little discussion or debate.
Cancelling is excluding others and suggesting or threatening this therefore draws the inevitable response of the Moderators here. In any case, you don’t have the means to cancel other commenters whom you (strongly) disagree with and/or dislike. Thus, it was a stupid question, even if it was rhetorical. And preceding it with the acronym “SMD” was particularly dim-witted.
If you cannot stick to the Policy and engage in robust & civil debate here then take your aggro somewhere else. I note that this is not the first time Mods pull you up on this behaviour.
Context – please re-read his comment about cancelling the BBC – which is stupid statement and totally at odds with what I said.
My response, as always is not angry, just forthright. So lets review – My point was a media outlet is not trustworthy on a topic, the other punter went to utter stupidity about me cancelling said media outlet. My response was to point it was like cancelling them and their Small Minded Dementia – utter stupidity. How can you read it any other way, unless your looking to read it another way.
Because
When have I ever supported cancelling here or anywhere, and offered an opinion contrary to – thinking anyone who supports such cancelling or censorship, is quite frankly, an authoritarian tool. If we are talking about not first times and such.
I get what you are saying here adam, and agree that you weren't suggesting cancellation but instead indirectly pointing out the problem with the previous comment.
But it would go a long way if you stopped casting aspersions on other commenters, and now a moderator. This is why you come across as aggro. And it makes some of your comments hard to parse.
You should be aware that often mods are reading comments in the backend list as they are published ie out of context.
January 26 India's Republic Day – and well poised to win by an innings vs England in a test match
January 26 Australia's Invasion Day – Smith fails to impersonate Warner and they collapse and look likely to trail the West Indies on the first innings by 100-200 runs.
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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 ...
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Who will be this guy?
https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/resistance-responses-collaboration/non-conformity/refusal-to-salute/
As hundreds of Palestinian civilians are being killed by Israel every day, and the survivors are being herded into smaller and smaller pockets, Germany Intervenes to support Israel's actions at the World Court.
https://www.dw.com/en/what-does-it-mean-if-a-third-party-intervenes-at-the-international-court-of-justice/a-68024168
Will Germany's Judge Nolte be the new August Landmesser?
There is strong evidence that judges sitting in the World Court favor the states that appoint them.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/430765#:~:text=The%20International%20Court%20of%20Justice%20(ICJ)%20has%20jurisdiction%20over%20disputes,the%20states%20that%20appoint%20them.
Will Judge Nolte defy his country's support for Israel?
The 17 judges of the World Court are due to release their decision on, whether or not the World Court will grant South Africa's application for an interim order for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
South Africa sought their application for an interim order for a ceasefire from the world court, on the grounds that Israel is conducting war crimes in Gaza that amount to genocide. The crime of genocide is decided both by evidence of "intent" and by the evidence of acts that "destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group."
The burden of proof for the World Court to issue an interim order for a ceasefire is much lesser than that for a full hearing of the court. All that needs to be proved for an interim order, is that there is a "possibility" that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
The United Nations International Court of Justice, AKA The World Court, is the highest legal body in the United Nations system.. The judgements handed down by the World Court are always partly political partly judicial
For example the US Judge will vote against a ceasefire, the judge for South Africa will vote for a ceasefire, the judge for Israel will vote against a ceasefire, etc,
Some time in the future, this World Court hearing and the deliberations of its judges made in chambers, will be dramatised. This dramatisation may even be streamed on Netflix.
Like the recent Netflix dramatisation based on the transcripts of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, the manipulation and pressure on the judges by the US will be laid bare. The published dissenting opinions of the judges made in chambers against US pressure and manipulation of the court will also be laid bare.
https://www.netflix.com/nz/title/80091880
Who will be the main protagonist of this new Netflix dramatisation?
Germany's Georg Nolte will be the one to watch.
Germany have filed a intervention with the World Court in support of Israel. The sole country to do so. Germany's intervention will not be heard in this preliminary hearing, for an interim order, and will only be heard at the full hearing, which everyone admits could be months or even years away.
I suspect that the reason the German government have lodged an intervention with the court in support of Israel is to send a message to Georg Nolte.
The message being delivered to Judge Nolte by the German state, is this – If you vote for South Africa's application for an interim order for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, you will be up against the full weight of the German state.
Based on how their countries have voted on the issue of a ceasefire in the UN General Assembly, the vote by the judges of the World Court for an interim ceasefire order will be very close, Just one judge going against the expected outcome will make a difference. Israel and the US have made it clear what the expected outcome of the World Court will be.
All politics is pressure.
Because of US political pressure on its allied governments, I expect that the judges in the World Court appointed by those governments, will not vote to issue an order for a ceasefire in Gaza and the best South Africa could expect from the judges of the World Court is a watered down interim order for Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid.
Georg Nolt's vote in chambers could change this dynamic.
Why would Judge Nolte be motivated to go against his country?
Judge Georg Nolte is a Holocaust scholar an a stickler for the letter of law in international affairs and has edited several published works on international law relating to genocide. Judge Nolte is well aware of the historical parallels of voting with the other US allied judges against South Africa's ceasefire application.
Will Judge Nolte be Germany's new August Landmesser?
Georg Nolte hero, or villain?
History will decide.
"An absolute tsunami of aid trucks refused entry into Gaza". Starvation of 2 million Palestinians as a weapon of war.
Also, bombing of hospitals now not even claiming the presence of Hamas. Ethnic cleansing at its most brutal
We hear of 1st world countries sneeringly refer to 3rd world countries as, corrupt, brutal despotic, banana republics. Bloody hell, they're amateurs compared to what's going on here
It will get worse. Now the US has reinstalled the blockade of Yemen, that country, which has already been devastated by UK and US weaponry in the service of Saudi Arabia, will now be devastated again directly by the US. Last time even the New York Times called out the US on complicity in war crimes through supply of weapons, targeting and air to air refuelling without which the destruction would have been impossible. A child starved to death every 9 minutes. When cholera arrived, a child died every 5 mins
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/31/opinion/columnists/yemen-famine-cholera.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Yemen
No comment links are frowned upon at the Standard I think. If you have an opinion state it.
Of themselves as a starter, not links relevant to a topic at hand.
Your reference for where the US reinstalled a blockade of Yemen?
And it was not the USA who established the last one.
This all presumes that there will be some calm "day after".
That's conceit, though well intentioned.
There will be no logical transition from active conflict to some calm post-conflict reality, one where we see some clear shift in the politics, economy, and security environment for Gaza.
This is already looking a lot worse than the UN-security team buffer zones on the Egyptian border or even the Golan Heights.
No nation in their right mind would send their people to secure Gazans from Israel or Israelis from Hamas – even if both sides permitted it.
This one is really different. There's no quick withdrawal of Israel and no commitment by Hamas to stop either. It's many years away.
The only players still trying for a settlement are the UAE and the US. Every plan is being rejected both by Hamas and Israel.
Gaza looks now like a highly compressed form of Kabul: recently taken over fully and anyone looking for freedom is instead consigned to increased disintegration and despair.
'
Crunch time:
Friday 26 January, 2024, 1 p.m. Central European Standard Time.
The reading of the Court's order can be followed live in New Zealand at 1 a.m.
Saturday 27 January, 2024, on the Court’s website and on UN Web TV.
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1u/k1uwq4cxuv
The cognitive dissonance, hypocrisy and inconsistency of ACT. The party of "property rights" ( and inherited privilege for white, wealthy people) opposing the "property rights" of Mãori.
Link please
https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/11/15/anne-salmond-why-acts-treaty-referendum-is-disrespectful-and-arrogant/
ACT is all about "property rights" and "keeping what your ancestors have possessed, unless you are brown and colonised. That is almost their entire reason for existence.
I keep saying this, but act represent the most vial part of our culture to a tee.
The squirming out of contract, not honor ones word, and ripping off people as much as possible. This is cultural cringe stuff, which shocks people from other countries, and makes me feel very uncomfortable to come from here.
Here is an excellent video by Sabien Hossenfeilder explaining the key science that proves that modern climate change is caused by humans. An excellent video to give to skeptics or climate change deniers you may know.
She also provides an excellent video debunking the somewhat outlandish claim that I often hear that runaway global warming will turn earth into Venus. She goes into the science of how Venus became what it is, and why that is unlikely to happen on earth.
I think the real, provable issues are serious enough, and that outlandish claims that are easily disproven simply gives ammunition to the denialists. So, I think it is important to focus on the actual problems rather than hysterical claims that I think are actually counterproductive.
Jesus Christ, how corrupt do you have to be in NZ politics before the media call you out as corrupt?
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350158370/tobacco-lobbyist-guest-ministers-swearing-ceremony
NZ First are a bunch of filthy, corrupt grifters. The whole party is owned by tobacco money yet our MSM is to cozy with their place in the swamp to be bothered calling it out.
The recent review of our electoral laws was pretty damn long on making it easier for political parties – given half a chance and they'll happily have four year terms, lowered thresholds, and utterly opaque funding rules forever – but anti-corruption laws? Nah.
Kiri Allan in today's Herald gives an extraordinary and insightful interview on her time in politics and summation of how it all fell apart. Well worth reading and it's not a "premium" item.
Yes it’s a brilliant PR piece, perfectly timed for her upcoming book release.
Zero compassion, right there.
Perfect timing by the court too in setting the trial date today. Obviously, this is all too much of a coincidence
She allegedly drove a vehicle with excess breath alcohol. She allegedly (by her own admission) drove a vehicle on a rainy evening “after a few beers” and “in quite an erratic state of mind”. She was the Minister of Justice, yet her first instinct (ahead of cooperating with police), was to ‘seek legal counsel’. Compassion? Any I might have had ended once I’d read this public display of self indulgence.
Sorry, forgot link
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kiri-allan-on-her-night-of-shame-i-made-a-series-of-decisions-you-regret-them-for-a-lifetime/RVVIP22ZVVC5HD4T3Y2BOOAUMA/
that was what RG meant by zero compassion, right there.
The bit of an interview I caught today on 1 news at lunch had her say she was on her way to kill her self, but yip you crow all you want little cock.
Well if she did say that, she's got a serious credibility issue.
"She was heading to somebody’s house. “I was seeking probably solace in just some people … just given the state I was in. But I made that decision to drive.”"
Kiri Allan on her night of shame: ‘I made a series of decisions. You regret them for a lifetime’ (newstalkzb.co.nz) "
how is being honest about being actively suicidal a credibility issue?
I've deleted my reply and will stop commenting on this. When I was 18 I lost a close relative (he was 27) to suicide. In my 20's I lost a close friend in a car accident involving a drunk driver. 15 years ago I had to tell the staff at a business I ran that a 19 year old colleague had been killed in an accident involving a drunk driver. I'm angry by what Kiri has done.
I'm less angry than I would be if she hadn't been suicidal. People who are out of their minds make very bad decisions. She has been honest about this, that it was true for her that she fucked up majorly. Maybe she needs to be saying more about how what she did impacts on others? That would be fair I think.
David @ 5.1
You piece of common shit!
Have you ever lost a relative or close friend to a drunk driver, Anne?
Pffft!
Have you ever lost a relative or close friend to suicide, David?
Yes. On both counts.
so we're back to zero compassion.
and fwiw, I think Anne just showed zero compassion as well.
You're right, Weka, I can't show compassion for Kiri. I know I should be able to (genuinely), but not after reading Claire Trevett's piece.
The difference is that Kiri Allan is a public figure and we know a fair bit about her and the context around the incident. OTOH, David is an anonymous commenter on TS since 29 November last year who might even be using a pseudonym and we know next to nothing about him, or at least not until he chose to share some background info @ 7:41 pm.
David’s first comment in this thread @ 5.1 (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-01-2024/#comment-1986817) was insensitive enough to provoke a (negative) response.
He claims he “can’t” show compassion because of a piece written by someone else, which to me suggests a possible underlying bias towards Kiri Allan.
the comparison was between David and Anne 😉
Anne was dismissive about how someone might feel about having someone close to them kill themselves. That's compassionless.
If we can't have compassion for our political enemies, why should anyone including David?
And if the issue is that David is a troll, or astroturfer or just a RWNJ, then isn't it better to err on the side of caution? Otherwise why would RWNJs not display the same behaviour towards us?
On and on it goes.
My response weka @ 7:20pm had nothing to do with 'lacking compassion' for someone losing a friend or relative in an accident involving a drunk driver.
On the basis of David's original comment @ 5.1, I saw a nasty put-down of someone who has been to hell and back. I saw it as a cop-out. He then comes up with a reply to me about drunk driving which I also saw as a cop-out. I called him out with my "Pffft".
He eventually relates his personal experience which he should have provided from the get-go then I would have understood where he was coming from. Still doesn't let him entirely off the hook.
Kiri has every right to tell her story, just as Golriz has done and Todd Muller before them. I felt compassion and admiration for all three of them. It takes guts to front up like they did.
sure, you have compassion for some people and not others.
His reply wasn't 'about drunk driving'. It was about having someone close to you who is killed by a drunk driver.
Which you were very dismissive of.
I’m sure you had your reasons. It was still a compassionless comment in a conversation about compassion.
That's one hell of a leap to take! Any suicidal thoughts involved were not even known to me until I saw Waghorn's comment last night. I was responding to David’s comment at 5.1 only. Check the timelines if you don't believe me.
As Incognito pointed out, he made his original statement with no context whatsoever. In his short life span here thus far, 'David' has made numerous smart-arse comments designed to inflame. Despite his subsequent explanation, which I don't dispute, I still suspect he took the opportunity to have a crack at Allan.
In future, please don't put a claim in my mouth that was never there. Thank-you.
Sorry, that should have read “Anne was dismissive about how someone might feel about having someone close to them be killed by a drunk driver. That’s compassionless”
David’s comment and your reply to that comment, from above,
Accept you got it wrong weka. My "Pffft" was to inform him that his response @ 7.08pm had no bearing on his original remark @ 5.1 which was:
His reply introducing the subject of drunk driving was a diversionary tactic imho. You misinterpreted my response. I will not be commenting further.
Unfortunately none of us are mind readers and when a commenter uses one word that is by definition dismissive, then people are going to read that in response to the comment it was made about. If you want to have more nuance in your commentary, maybe use more words.
I thought it was her media colleagues buttering up their last resort readers. she should never have got the job she was incapable of. She should shut up and take the punishment.
Why should she shut up about mental health?
This government seems hellbent on creating dramas all over the place. Haven't got off to a good start at all. Luxon's "I used to run an airline" self belief is waning rapidly,
And yet their popularity is rising strong.
Luxon got through the mini-budget and 2 separate large engagements with Maori quite unscathed.
There is no organised opposition to them in Parliament.
Also with inflation coming down, unemployment still good at 3.9%, no tropical disasters to respond to, and GDP forecasts improving, they have momentum going into the May Budget 2024.
Yes I heard Willis on RadioNZ saying something like "yes we have inflation coming down but we still have more work to do" as though the drop to 4.7% happened under their watch when in reality it was under Labour's
There is always a honeymoon period for new governments….check the polls in a year’s time.
Bearded Git.
The RB wanted 4% by the end of 2023 – but the 1.8% increase in the 3rd quarter stopped that.
The 4th quarter 0.5% means they have a chance of getting it to the 3% target by the end of 2024, when that 1.8% quarter is in the past.
Their problems are higher rates (water costs) and rising rents (migrant labour and maybe student inflow pressure). And higher shipping costs.
Food was still up 4.8% in the quarter which also doesn't help.
"Energy prices for Europe are expected to increase as more petroleum products and crude tankers are diverting away from the Rea Sea and Suez Canal. Longer trips for the Middle-Eastern barrels that replaced Russian flows to Europe introduce supply issues, …"
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/23/more-tankers-divert-from-red-sea-and-its-another-boost-for-us-oil.html
No sustained fuel price spike for us yet, but it's being monitored by MBIE.
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-statistics-and-modelling/energy-statistics/weekly-fuel-price-monitoring/
Inflation will be back to double figure by may, could be sooner. So I'd be careful saying how good it is now.
https://moverdb.com/container-shipping/
Trade from the Persian Gulf to ASEAN refineries is not impacted, nor that in North Asia (or ASEAN) areas to us. Nor that from America to us. Nor across the Atlantic
This is a specific targeting of the European West (supporting Ukraine) who switched away from Russian supply (sanctions) and their supply of energy and EV's/electronics etc from Asia.
The current GOP block of funding to Ukraine (and subsequent risk to NATO from a Trump victory) explains belligerent talk from Mdvedev of late (Ukraine belongs to Russia and they will have what they want elsewhere in Europe).
It's a, first Ukraine then Palestine, strategic allegiance after all (Russia-Iran).
Debate, nope it's the SPC show.
Bugger me.
It's not my problem that you thought that inflation would rise to double figures because of a shipping cost rise on a route that does not impact us.
OH dear, you missed the price of all containers went up?
You get that, I was not making any other argument – you just go on a waka of your own, all the time.
Assumptions make asses…
The world index is an average … duh.
Yeap and the average has gone up. And is still going up.
Too soon to point that out, too soon to point out we are not immune to rising averages.
You get how inflation is created right? I’m not noticing that at the moment.
Don’t play the shmuck card.
This page shows some of the regional variations.
Europe to Asia up a lot both ways
America to Asia variable dependent on direction, Asia to America up, not otherwise.
America to Europe not up either way, but down.
https://moverdb.com/container-shipping/#top%22
Minutia is the all in option with you. So no more. If I'm right in May apologies or I'll admit I'm wrong. Happy to wait and see.
The extent of the higher cost factor will be dependent on how much of our Asian trade is on ships that are/were on the Asian-Europe route – and whether they charge separate container rates within the region or not.
For mine it's a possible 1%+ issue, so I don't see the risk of a rate higher than 5% (as it is at the moment).
I want to try this concept out on Standardistas.
The difference between pre-culture war L/R politics and L/R politics now, is that now people are more committed to their partisanship than they are to the country they live in (although they may not see the difference).
For instance, in the 80s and 90s there was a strong L/R political culture in NZ, but it was more like we swung between the two, there was a strong fight between the two, but we all still got on.
Whereas now, the divides aren't as binary, and some are downright unclear. Many people operate as if the divides are still binary. And there is a strong commitment (on all sides) to positions that overrides concern for the wellbeing of people, community and country.
That last paragraph presents differently depending on the position.
What do you all think?
The difference in the 80's/90's was that it was an economic change to a neo-liberal market order with a lot of victims (and a lot going to Oz, thus their 2001 response) – unemployment and then declining health (convergence for older workers and the super increase age 60 to 65 1990-2000).
The end of our egalitarianism(1/4 acre homeownership stock standard) is subject for lament.
Now it is more cultural and otherwise a sense of global middle class (educated, job and travel mobile) and local underclass.
The American input is faith based provider term limit welfare reform, high levels of imprisonment/parole/probation management/community policing, prosperity religion gospel where God is on the side of the middle class (and wealthier elites) and end time rapture where God is to come judge the liberals and send them all to hell – culture war fuel.
Then there is the anti-globalism of the American nativism – a reboot of their isolationism being spread on social media (sovereignty movement, anti UN etc).
I was thinking about the US, particularly how the rise of Trump has empowered a politics before country culture.
It's hard to tell with the US though. Maybe it was always like that and Trump just allowed it to be more obvious.
Likewise with your second to last paragraph.
Trump managed to successfully engage a massive cohort of people who regular politics had left behind. In a NZ context its like he managed to energize the whole of West and South Auckland to vote for him. Boris sorta did the same, theres a lesson for the left in there somewhere….
Against a background of great global and psychological unsteadiness, people feel they need to choose a corner the defend it like crazy – or they'll go crazy.
Logic, accomodation of new ideas, kindness toward the other corners, doesn't get a look in now.
Imo.
that's how I see it too. Conservatism is a natural response to stress and perceived danger.
I think there are other things going on too. The degree of disconnect from shared reality and objective reality among some of the new political movements. Social media and the huge degree of intentional emotional/psychological manipulation being done. Both of those undermine attempts to resolve issues via as you say logic, new ideas, kindness.
I also think the climate and biodiversity crises are of such a scale that the human mind and heart aren't well equipped to understand and respond them.
You are correct, weka, imo.
Sadly, others recognise this and seek to exploit 🙂
I do think though, that the human mind is equiped to understand and respond.
Yours is.
true, but I had and have to work at it. The urge to respond well is built into me, but the skills in how to cope with the scale of the crisis, those I had to develop.
I am a carrier of stress and don't show any symptoms. I am also a conservative who can see light at the end of a very dark tunnel.. Ardern killed kindness by preaching it and doing the opposite. As a farmer I am welcoming climate change as it is a positive. the bank also recognises that climate change will be beneficial to our business and dropped 20 basic points of the mortgage. You guys need to get all that shit out of your heads and rejoin the modern world.
Yep in NZ its an opportunity to do new things, have run across a few mango trees doing well and fruiting outside in Auckland, Sugarcane on the marginal land in the North, Bannanas, Pineapples on a commercial scale we are actually well placed.
I just dropped 20 basic points trying to work out what the fuck you are on about. Explain yourself.
I'm sure that all will be clear if you read it as 20 basis points and not 20 basic points. I'm sure that that was just a typo by Ian and he meant basis.
Gee, thanks for that mate. Not the bit I didn’t understand…
It seemed very simple to follow to me.
Still, I often find it very hard to understand some of the wild conjectures made by some contributors to this blog so who am I to comment.
The evil hag Ardern killed kindness and waged war on we rich white farmers who are now quite happy because we might have some mangoes, but sad because of our repressed rage that a woman built a very dark tunnel which I got stuck in. The bank gave us some basic points which we will use to grow more mangoes and stop female harridans from stepping out of the kitchen and building more tunnels.
Listen to yourselves, idiots.
My, my.
You certainly do have some exceedingly dark thoughts about our former PM. Relax, she is no longer in the job and persisting in such ideas can't possibly be good for you.
Quite apart from the * or ** or *** divides of focus on media, for many there is a higher level of pressure in their daily lives (affording rent/mortgage – education standards/access to a functioning health system).
that's both not new, in the sense we've had those times before, and new, in the sense that now we have the accumulation of nearly 50 years of neoliberalism and it's compounded.
I don't know if it's just me, but I find myself having to actively reframe my mind to stop believing that things are going to go back to normal. I don't think they are going to, but my brain is habituated to thinking they will (godzone)
This time is like no other time. It's up to us to ride this wave.
your wave is a dunper mate.
A few thoughts.
Other divides that seem to be wider than 20 yrs ago- Rural/Urban and Haves/ Have-nots.
I think part of the polarisation is social media. In two ways. Someone else's pithy paragraph sums up them (othering) rendering everything black and white, no grey.
Also, and more importantly, time spent at the screen is time spent reinforcing, polishing and hardening the idea of the individual. Time not spent in others company- church, sports or cultural or interest groups, service or volunteer time. All of which bring you into meaningful contact with folk dissimilar to you.
The demise or splintering of the left was way more pronounced by the state's reaction to Covid than it was for the right.
Because the "left" is where the action is, gsays. It's not surprising that multiplication of thought occurred there; the Right abhors such divisioning (made-up word).
In any case, it wasn't the "State's" reaction to Covid – it was the Left's 🙂
Plus, I challenge your claim that the Rural had divided more from the Urban. This is not true.
Your penultimate paragraph though, I agree with, although it needs parsing 🙂
In regards to rural urban, what I am getting at is the disconnect with so many folk as to where their food comes from.
In the mid '80s I feel in love with a horticulturalists daughter. He would send his produce off to the auctions and would get a fair price for it.
Over the next few years, the rise and rise of the supermarkets meant that they would tell him when his season would start, finish and how much produce he would deliver and at what cost.
This has two effects, city folk get most of their food whims met (regardless of season or country of origin) and plenty of primary producers forced into the arms if the foreign owned banks. Therefore dancing to the banksters tune rather than their local community.
I'm fully on-board with your "supermarket-kills-growers" vibe, gsays. It is true.
I love that you "feel in love" with a horticulturalists daughter (there's a film in there 🙂 The return for growers from those supermarkets is a crime against humanity.
Hah, feel worked then, still does as a matter of fact.
Typing on a small screen during lunch break and fading eyesight.
Yeah, only need to do the math on a $2 Broccoli head at countdown in season to figure that the people that actually do the hard bit are getting shafted.
This began before social media, with the change in employment laws and requirement to be able to work shifts and two incomes to afford rent and mortgage. This ended the concept of a common time for gathering. Basic things like not being able to be available for evening training or weekend games played their part in the beginning.
For me, "others" means, "other-than-humans".
If we don't spend time with birds, trees, fish, flies, we become disconnected and start to spin out.
We are presently spinning out, as a species, imo.
That will be an impact on older folks who don't get out as much or as far as they did.
Totally agree Robert. I gave a reflection on this very subject last year – too long to post here.
A summary:
If we look at the history of the theology of creation perhaps the the fault lies with the Masoretes.
The Masoretes were groups of Jewish scribe scholars who worked from around the end of the 5th through 10th centuries. Each group compiled a system of pronunciation and grammatical guides on the external form of the biblical text in an attempt to standardize the pronunciation, paragraph and verse divisions, of the Hebrew Bible for the worldwide Jewish community. Had they put a tsere (two dots) under the Resh they would have the root word yarad which means to come down or lower oneself. The original had no dots. Perhaps it is more correct to use root word yarad (to lower oneself) rather than radah (to rule over). In the original Hebrew the word starts with a Yod which is a picture of a heavenly messenger or yarad which means to lower oneself and not a Resh which means to rule over.
St. Francis of Assisi would go to the woods to worship God with the animals. It is said that the animals wild and tame would approach him. That is why you always see St. Francis of Assisi pictured with a bird on his shoulder and a wolf by his side. The story goes that a town was being attacked by a wolf and the town leaders came to St. Francis knowing his affinity for animals and asked if he could help. St. Francis went to the wolf and had a little conversation with the wolf and then reported to the town leaders that the wolf was just hungry and if they would feed him he would not attack. Thus, the town sort of adopted this wolf as a result of St. Francis’s conversation or yiredu with the wolf.
The industrial Revolution was firmly based on the assumption of humans dominion or radah over creation. And look where that has ended up.
Thanks, Macro – your sample indicates that the full reflection will have been a valuable read. I'm a big fan of St. Francis, o at least, of what I have gleaned from popular stories about him. His epiphany/metanoia interests me very much, especially where he abandoned all, including his clothes, something that's not unknown with young people nowadays experiencing overwhelm of a serious sort; the rejection of all of societies trappings 🙂
I wonder if you know "Valerian Hare" by Janosh? It's a story for children and reflects the St. Francis's tory beautifully.
No I haven't Robert – now I'm intrigued.
Will see if I can find a copy.
such good points, thank-you.
Lordie Weka it's a whole post in its own.
It's more efficient to describe a massive decrease in both left political activism and party membership from the mid 1980s, and a parallel big decrease from even mild political participation in voting either at local or central elections.
The last big march about climate change, for example, was 2017 which is 6 years ago.
The last big Maori-focused march was the Foreshore and Seabed hikoi which was 2004.
That doesn't mean there's fewer people doing good things; it means more activists are choosing to put their energy into local trusts and charities, and only occasionally getting back into it for particular campaigns.
Now, why that is, is a whole book.
I know, I know, I hope to do a post. Maybe you can too. Maybe all the authors could, we run a kind of blog party.
Was the decrease in party membership a consequence of the shift to neoliberalism or was it already happening?
Seems a worthwhile view. I'm in favour of a framing based on triadic structure. Whereas the ancient microcosm/macrocosm binary ruled identity via belief/paradigm, connecting persons into large like-minded group, it makes more sense nowadays to insert mesocosm in between.
To do so, a user must use metaphysics combined with pragmatism: google only gives us ecosystemic framing via examples of usage, so be pragmatic & use their utility as basis for extending the principle. Define mesocosm as the user's group context. Since commons in the group mind produce like-mindedness in the group, idiosyncrasy works in natural complementarity with collaboration. It allows individuals to align with tam spirit when mutual benefits make that a good idea at the time.
Most folks operate unconsciously but will shift together in mesocosmic operational contexts they use via the tacit psyche (as verified by Kahneman & Tversky) which Polanyi first provided the philosphical basis for all those decades ago (Personal Knowledge). When public intellectuals realise the number 1 produces holism, 2 produces dualism, 3 relates things to each other (relativism) they'll acquire a principled basis upon which to theorise. Principles are primary components of metaphysics.
Since 1 provides common operating context to parts of the whole it creates by integrating them, the user connects the framing to their situation experientially to check the match between cerebral waffle & what actually happens. Problematic traditional categories often confuse participants: relevant or bullshit? Half the time folks are uncertain, so we ought to use the grey zone for all such uncertain states of mind. Call the grey zone the third dimension of politics between right & wrong.
No time to proof-read that so it's team spirit I was mentioning at the end of the second paragraph. The other triad relevant is voter/party/state.
The gist of where I'm coming from on politics in a state of malaise is that the conceptual reframe enables progress. Others will be unconvinced, feeling that the status quo always wins, so only the proactive will be early adopters.
Sorry about the break in the site. I disabled two plugins on the main site so that I could make them site specific. Got the dreaded white screen of death on the main site.
It left my test site running, but I couldn't get to the backend for either the multisite or the thestandard. So I couldn't turn the plugin back on.
Had to relearn wp-cli and how to activate a 'network' plugin.
Now I have to to figure out how I want that plugin to operate in the new theme. It runs the data for the other site right bar RSS pickups.
Now I have to figure out how to detach that RSS aggregator from the site. It really needs to run as a separate process like the sphinx search does. I'll look around for a linux tool.
International Left news.
Well done to the Unions in Argentina – A general strike to protest a bill which will widen the powers of their nob of a president.
Also from, the ABC – war against the far right Junta in Myanmar is going well
In this shit just got totally sick – IDF using drones to kill civilians. War crime scum, being war crime scum.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israeli-quadcopters-hi-tech-weapon-menacing-palestinian-civilians
Russia Vs. Ukraine – Now a utter cluster fuck of a meat grinder. And in both cases just means death for young men who are thrown into the front lines. If you just support one side and don't feel for those young men on both sides. I question your ability to make a moral judgement.
https://libcom.org/article/darkest-hour-dawn-assemblys-view-another-year-trench-warfare-2024
War crimes
1. sniper shooting civilians after they talk with journalists (done to intimidate both the public and media).
2. use of drones to fire at unarmed civilians in streets makes a war crimes charge list – unless a street/area curfew was made known first (hardly likely if it was a place to gather for food aid etc).
The question here is whether this candidate will be allowed to contest Putin's re-election. Putin had said allowed candidates would be those not opposed to the war in Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68095968
mansplaining war crimes, really?
Also do me a favour and put up something which in not propaganda like the BBC on Russia. I mean I'm no fan of Putin, but even so the BBC are so beyond fucked up in this area of reporting, so lack credibility on Russia to anyone with half a brain.
You described the IDF as ***. I described what actions were war crimes by those who did them. The IDF is complicit dependent on orders given.
Want to cancel the BBC?
Bugger off. Lets just do the great march of return. I can give you hours and hours of the IDF being low life scum.
Bloody nora, can you read? I said, on Russia the BBC has no credibility. SMD, you have no credibility on some subjects – do you need to be canceled? Next stupid question.
[
If you ask stupid questions like that here you’re guaranteed reactions that make you think more carefully about what you wish for – Incognito]
And you post that to someone who wrote this a day ago.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2024/#comment-1986608
Is the anger at those who do not emote in sync, supposed to discourage debate and welcome only affirmation? Is that not a little tribal?
As for the BBC report it was based on an interview with someone standing for President, what about it could be problematic. It’s the BBC and it is Russia?
My post had nothing to do with elections in russia – it was about a dumb f*&king war that has turned into a clusterfuck of a meat grinder, and the men at the front. You know the actual working people who are actually being thrown into this sick meat grinder. Did you even read it? Or was party politics in a dictatorship more important?
News Flash – russia is not a democracy!!!!!!!
BUT the Beeb.
I see you have no comment of the Great March of Return. Was it the assassinations you could not handle? The killing of Women and Children by the IDF? The murder of unarmed medics and journalists? What are you scared of? That the IDF you have defened is actually evil – truly moral bankrupt den of scum and villainy? I have seen the building/cars/tents blown up, lost friends, heard the heart breaks, and then seen the bodies.
The IDF are evil – the most simplest statement in 2024.
More anger for not emoting in sync.
I would have thought the relevance of a Russian standing for President, on a policy of ending the war relevant as to a tiring of the loss of life, (Ukraine of the war zone the one unable to hold an election) fairly obvious.
I mentioned something about it on the 25th – the relevance of the link in the post at 10.27pm.
It appears discourse is not always the wise option.
Mod note
Not even sure what you said, care to clarify?
Because out of context many things go awry.
Thank you for asking clarification.
The context is easy. I included a direct quote of your offence in the Mod note. The idea being that you’d pay attention to what you said.
Let’s start with this site’s Policy (https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/), which you should know very well by now. Right at the top:
Cancelling is excluding others and suggesting or threatening this therefore draws the inevitable response of the Moderators here. In any case, you don’t have the means to cancel other commenters whom you (strongly) disagree with and/or dislike. Thus, it was a stupid question, even if it was rhetorical. And preceding it with the acronym “SMD” was particularly dim-witted.
If you cannot stick to the Policy and engage in robust & civil debate here then take your aggro somewhere else. I note that this is not the first time Mods pull you up on this behaviour.
Context – please re-read his comment about cancelling the BBC – which is stupid statement and totally at odds with what I said.
My response, as always is not angry, just forthright. So lets review – My point was a media outlet is not trustworthy on a topic, the other punter went to utter stupidity about me cancelling said media outlet. My response was to point it was like cancelling them and their Small Minded Dementia – utter stupidity. How can you read it any other way, unless your looking to read it another way.
Because
When have I ever supported cancelling here or anywhere, and offered an opinion contrary to – thinking anyone who supports such cancelling or censorship, is quite frankly, an authoritarian tool. If we are talking about not first times and such.
So thank you for the clarification.
I get what you are saying here adam, and agree that you weren't suggesting cancellation but instead indirectly pointing out the problem with the previous comment.
But it would go a long way if you stopped casting aspersions on other commenters, and now a moderator. This is why you come across as aggro. And it makes some of your comments hard to parse.
You should be aware that often mods are reading comments in the backend list as they are published ie out of context.
Do people buy off the plans, and repent when they see the insurance premiums?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/01/wayne-brown-says-council-needs-more-control-after-1400-buildings-approved-on-flood-plains-since-deadly-floods.html
January 26 India's Republic Day – and well poised to win by an innings vs England in a test match
January 26 Australia's Invasion Day – Smith fails to impersonate Warner and they collapse and look likely to trail the West Indies on the first innings by 100-200 runs.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2024/01/australia-day-protests-erupt-nationwide-against-invasion-day-police-chase-protesters-at-parliament.html
Marvelous.
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/edition/not-again/