Israel's propaganda narrative of rape and torture in the 'terror tunnels' of Hamas being inhuman animals that must be exterminated at all costs has taken a blow.
In what can only be described as a public relations disaster for Netanyahu and the Israeli cabinet, who claim they are determined to continue the war.
It looks like a giant party, or festival.
Hamas soldiers in uniform with their distinctive green headbands and Palestinian flag epaulets on their shoulders, overseeing the handover of hostages to the Red Cross
Joyous scenes in both Gaza and Israel at the release of 4 captured Israeli women soldiers in Israeli uniform, smiling and waving to the gathered crowds in Gaza. The scene captured on a split screen in Tel Aviv as just as joyous Israeli crowds witness the handover.
Netanyahu has made it very clear that this will be the final ceasefire, there will be no stage 2
Netanyahu had earlier said he was 'overjoyed' at the number of hostages that Israel had managed to get Hamas to agree to release in this first round of the ceasefire negotiations. Netanyahu also said that Israel will restart the war with the full support of both Biden and Trump to 'eliminate Hamas'. And do it 'stronger'.
Netanyahu says he is determined to achieve Israel's war aim to completely eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu has extended this campaign to the West Bank, with the Trump administration's support.
Netanyahu's message is clear, the remaining hostages, mostly male soldiers, that were due to be released in the stage 2 ceasefire agreement will be sacrificed to achieve Israel's war aims of eliminating Hamas. In practice, Israel's war aim can only be achieved with the extermination of the Palestinian people.
Civil society must do everything we can to prevent Israel restarting their genocide in Gaza.
On October 6th 2023 Syria was ruled by a tyrant and was a Russian client state and was a full-on conduit for armaments for terror groups from the Sinai to Yemen.
Also on October 6th 2023 Iran was a massive destabilising force right across the Arabian Peninsula and was growing in ambition and influence.
By January 2025 Hezbollah and Hamas get no arms from anyone and have been shrunken to a husk of their previous organisational strength,
Syria has a completely new ruler and the Russians have been kicked out of their port,
Iran no longer destabilises the Middle East,
Dubai is now clearly the peace broker to the region and the world,
Saudi Arabia and Jordan moved less than a muscle to help any Arab in trouble,
Lebanon has a fresh government that has positive relations with the IDF …
… and in the Israel side they have regathered their regional security after losing it on October 7th, Netanyahu has regained confidence and US Presidential patronage, Israel is getting its remaining captive soldiers back, and they are essentially taking over the West Bank with even more impunity than before.
Sure, nobody wins this filthy war. But there's no doubt the outcomes have been all beneficial to Israel and to broader Middle Eastern security.
Netanyahu has extended this campaign to the West Bank, with the Trump administration's support
Extended ….. . Gaza has been the diversion to the WB settlement and permanent occupation project (post 2000 peace talks failure, intifada and fences and Kadima disengagement phase ended) for nearly two decades. The policy began with Hamas being allowed to stand in a PA parliamentary election, winning and then being removed by the Abbas gun and in turn removing the PA gun from Gaza. No PA elections since. Weak and divided and game played ever since. This is why the Likud regime wants to keep the PA out of Gaza – block unity and legitimacy (via elections).
Elon Musk addresses German far-right rally by video link
"The German people are really an ancient nation which goes back thousands of years," he said in Saturday's address.
Barely hidden code ?….
"I even read Julius Caesar was very impressed [by] the German tribes," he said, urging the supporters to "fight, fight, fight" for their country's future.
And of course his moral and economic support for new US fascist Pres pays off. The new department of "government efficiency" has an ominous sound. Musk ever more openly channelling his burgeoning inner nazi?
Musk is a close associate of US President Donald Trump, who has appointed him to head a new department of "government efficiency" in his administration.
Like minds….
Like Trump, the AfD opposes immigration, denies climate change, rails against gender politics and has declared war on a political establishment and mainstream media it condemns as censorious.
Donald Trump fired 17 independent watchdogs at multiple government agencies on Friday, a person with knowledge of the matter said, eliminating a critical oversight component and clearing the way to replace them with loyalists.
The USA appears ever increasingly entering a new fascist dark era. I'm sure there will be opponents…but will they be able to prevent the rise of New Amerika? Im a fan of SF and particularly rate Phillip K Dick. One, among many, intrigued…..
Strange you should happen to cite that book, when I've just been watching the original trailer for the 1964 British film It Happened Here (about an alternative history in which Germany successfully invades and occupies the UK, and whose title was a nod to Lewis).
It contains the memorable line: "The appalling thing about fascism is that you've got to use fascist methods to get rid of it".
And yet Musk is an ardent supporter of Israel .Netanyahu defends him.Does this mean it is possible for a Jew to also collaborate with those who hold Nazi sympathies?
Yes, of course it does. All ethnicities and nationalities had Nazi collaborators.
Zionism has an especially 'proud' history of Nazi collaboration.
After the March 1944 German invasion of Hungary, Kasztner, a local member of the Zionist leadership, worked directly with the Nazis.
He agreed to help maintain calm in the Hungarian Jewish community, particularly the 20,000 Jews of Kasztner’s native town of Kluj. The Nazis wanted to ensure there was no repeat of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in Poland the year prior.
The Jews of Kluj were concentrated in a ghetto prior to deportation, and were told a tale about “Kenyermeze,” a work camp in a German-occupied area where they would supposedly be sent and kept alive.
But this was a deadly lie: The trains were actually taking people to Auschwitz, the death camp in occupied Poland, where the Nazis murdered 12,000 Hungarian Jews per day.
Almost half a million Hungarian Jews were ultimately exterminated.
To ensure there was no rebellion, Kasztner’s men told the Jewish community that they would be safe. Fake postcards and letters from “Kenyermeze” were distributed or read by his group assuring the Jews in Kluj that all was well. Thinking they were being deported to labor camps, Jews in Hungary mostly did not resist.
As Ben Hecht writes in Perfidy, his 1961 book on the affair, the Jews of Kluj were guarded in their ghetto by fewer than two dozen Nazi and Hungarian guards. They could have easily overcome them and escaped to safety across the Romanian border, just three miles away, had Kasztner told them what fate he knew really awaited them.
But Kasztner had personally negotiated a deal with senior Hitler aide and Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann. Kasztner knew where the “resettlement” trains were actually headed, but remained silent.
“A success for Zionism”
In exchange for deceiving his community, the Nazis agreed to let Kasztner select a group – mostly fellow Zionists, friends and family – who would be permitted to escape Hungary on a train to Switzerland. The idea was that the elite group would join the Zionist settler-colony in Palestine.
Zionists and Nazis both agreed on the goal of removing European Jews from Europe.
Ali Abunimah, a founding editor of The Electronic Intifada and the most passionate humanist in the Palestinian cause has just been arrested one day after entering Zurich on a speaking tour
It seems expediency will always rule the day , and propaganda will cover the cracks
I'm thinking Al Qaeda,(HTS) who once again have become freedom fighters, with a mere stroke of the pen , they've been reprogrammed .How many incarnations now?
Bans against military aid to Azov lifted when convenient
Similarly Centuria, trained by the Canadian military .
The rehabilitation of the Saudi national, al Jolani, as a Syrian freedom fighter is indeed mindboggling.
Meanwhile, freedom fighters that have the weight of international law behind them (Hamas) and those that carry out actions to prevent or make more difficult the prosecution of a genocide (Ansarallah, Hezbollah), in line with the requirements of international law, are called terrorists.
Some comment that it was merely Musk gesturing..from the heart ! Whooboy. Well, ironically maybe, just not in any good way..
I have observed Musk's rise and wonder if his DOG nazi name would be Bormann?
He simultaneously was awarded cabinet rank equivalent to a Reichsministerwithout portfolio. Associates began to refer to him as the "BrownEminence", although never to his face.
it wasn’t Trump’s vision for lower corporate taxes or tariffs that dominated Thursday’s happy hour, according to the New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch.
Instead, the chatter centered on Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America,who thought he was teeing up a softball for the president but soon found himself in Trump’s crosshairs. What happened next was a public berating of one of the most powerful financiers in the world — a warning shot to the private sector, direct from Trump’s mouth: The administration won’t stand for “woke” ideology in the ranks of the federal government, and companies had better get on board, too.
"I hope you start opening your bank to conservatives, because many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business within the bank,” Trump said. “You and Jamie and everybody… What you’re doing is wrong.” Jaws hit the floor, the Times reported.
What Trump was referring to is an allegation that major lenders, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase (run by Jamie Dimon), have been “debanking” conservative and religious groups over their politics.
Top capitalists being naughty is business as usual, but
It’s a stunning shift for a Republican Party that, up until recently, embraced a laissez-faire approach to business… The “debanking” claim echoes a broader sense among some on the right who believe they are victims of a left-wing agenda that has taken root in Corporate America.
So the commies got in thro the back door, took over the board-room & are operating their elite control system to sideline conservatives. You can see why T is irritated.
Public opinion in Britain is giving their Labour govt a clear steer:
The MRP survey of almost 15,000 people by YouGov for the Best for Britain thinktank shows more people in every constituency in England, Scotland and Wales back closer arrangements with the EU rather than more transatlantic trade with Washington. MRP polls use large data samples to estimate opinion at a local level. Even in Nigel Farage’s seat of Clacton, more people think the UK is better off trading more with its neighbours on the continent than with the US under the Reform UK leader’s ally Donald Trump. The poll found that 46% of respondents said the EU should be the government’s top priority when it comes to trade, whereas less than half this number (21%) opted for the US. The poll for Best for Britain found the desire for closer EU-UK ties was even stronger among voters who switched from Conservative to Labour at the last election (57%).
To see an authoritative accountant defining reality, mad & bad, is rather entertaining. I did like him saying that most Labour MPs will vote that black is white. That makes him seem realistic. That was 6 mins in, then he made the point that T's plethora of executive orders recently signed off in the media spotlight may not get enacted easily due to the potential for 2/3 congress defectors removing Republican majority control.
That's a crucial point. But he's one of those people who conflate bad & evil, which makes him seem too simple-minded to take seriously…
He's talking to normal everyday people… not self-styled wannabe academics who like to use lengthy, contorted prose to describe anything as simple as turning on a tap.
He is a professor. Are you?
And btw, he used "Labour" as an argument because they are in government – not because they are any more prone to arguing "black is white" than the other lot. I think that is obvious. 🙄
In an interview with Breitbart following his confirmation by the US Senate on Friday, CIA director John Ratcliffe said one of his first priorities was getting his agency to make a public assessment on the pandemic's origins.
"That's a day-one thing for me," he said. "I've been on record as saying I think our intelligence, our science, and our common sense all really dictate that the origins of Covid was a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology."
Yet he seems willing to consider the possibility that his staffers will form a consensual view opposing his personal belief. Forming opinions based on circumstantial evidence is part of the basis of law court operation, but opinions always differ on truth. Science seems to have pointed to the meat market as likeliest origin. How a virus gets from the Wuhan Institute to the meat market is the missing link in the conspiracist theory: an enterprising employee telling criminal associates about the labs organic disposal system is a likely hack. Chinese govt investigators may have found who done it already.
"The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China — even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion"
"suggesting the evidence is deficient, inconclusive or contradictory."
"intelligence officials say it may never be resolved, due to a lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities."
"scientists think the most likely hypothesis is that it circulated in bats, like many coronaviruses, before infecting another species, probably racoon dogs, civet cats or bamboo rats. In turn, the infection spread to humans handling or butchering those animals at a market in Wuhan, where the first human cases appeared in late November 2019."
The pile of dead cats on the table is taking twin-towers shape and proportions. Trump is also going to release the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassination files.
But Incognito you've left off the important, to the current weirdo in the White House, ability to spawn alternative facts. Armed with 'alternative facts' I forsee we will see a brand new and more palatable modern history where even bleach is found to rid the body of Covid, not to mention the body also.
And more seriously he is intent on bullying the Danes over Greenland that has been a Danish territory since 1814?
I think all of us in NZ with Danish ancestry should rise up and free Hawaii for the Spaniards. I am sure that there will be some newly released papers somewhere that will show that the annexation of Hawaii by the US following the US/Spanish war was unjust.
It certainly shows that annexation of territory for military and economic reasons is a part of the US playbook, something I've long thought odd bearing in mind the railing and wailing of the US over itself being colonised.
After signing the order Trump asked that the sharpie he used to sign the order be given to RFK Jnr.
McKinley, imperialism and tariffs. The restoration of power and privilege, an agenda of Manifest Destiny (Polk vs Mexico) and the carpetbaggers.
GOP oligarchy central (see Joseph Wharton).
A reaction to the greater freedom
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was the first antitrust law in the United States. It was passed by Congress to protect competition and prohibit monopolies. The law is named after Senator John Sherman, who was its primary author
And here is an excellent article on why he bewilders many of us, just as many of us are bewildered by the US citizens who voted for such a crass person.
Nate White must have read a few of those speeches in the Roman Senate.
Fasces are a bundle of wooden rods and an axe that were used as a symbol of authority and power in ancient Rome. The word "fasces" comes from the Latin word fascis, which means "bundle"
Trump is popular with the real American of the GOP because he appeals to their bundle of prejudices.
A "bundle of prejudices" refers to a collection of negative, preconceived opinions or beliefs about different groups of people, often based on stereotypes and lacking substantial evidence, essentially meaning someone who holds a large number of biased attitudes towards others across various categories.
It was part of HUAC, it was part of Moral Majority, Christian Coalition and Dominionism ambition for a turning point in the USA – where they come into power and make their judgement of others.
Can anything good come out of the Galilee Street? They have no learning, but want to be a mob in judgment of others.
"A rotten state in Denmark" refers to the phrase "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, meaning that something is seriously wrong or corrupt within the Danish court, often used to describe a situation where there is significant underlying problems or corruption that are not readily apparent
Notes. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” is used to describe corruption or a situation in which something is wrong.
The black mirror – and the rotten borough of Gauntanamo/Hawaii/Panama Canal/Greenland and the golden sun king of Florida oranges – (see chad votes 2000 and image of the New York tax exile below).
Very 2017, and a complete failure in persuasion except with the commentators who already agreed with all those points.
The writer doesn't seem to recognise this and has failed to learn from it, which is actually a hallmark of true stupidity. Moreover his analysis leads him to the stale conclusion that tens of millions of Americans are stupid, awful people because they voted for a stupid, awful [insert abusive words of choice] Trump.
Instead, how about this analysis from commentator Stephen Smith on Bill Maher's show just the other day. He voted for Harris but is under no illusions about her failure or that of the Democrat Party. You can watch all 11 minutes but I've teed up a different link to this comment from the same show:
Here’s the deal: the man was impeached twice, he was convicted on 34 felony counts, and the American people still said, ‘He’s closer to normal than what we see on the left.'
Live: Trees down, roofs lifted, power out after tornado wallops Mangawhai
FENZ Northland manager Wipari Henwood said the initial estimate is 50 homes damaged, but he expects that number will go up due to homes and businesses in the wider area damaged by falling trees.
As for why there are so many tornadoes right now? Record high sea temperatures, causing evaporation.
Dr Kevin Trenberth said March is tornado season because it's when sea temperatures are already usually at their highest and La Niña weather patterns and global warming had sent them soaring higher.
The extra moisture and heat means more energy is available to fuel storms.
Where are our journalists? IDF snipers fire on Palestinian civilians in a breach of the ceasefire agreement, and not a word about it in our mainstream media.
What are they waiting for? Are they waiting for Hamas to retaliate, so that they can blame the Palestinians for the collapse of the ceasefire?
Netanyahu is itching to continue the war, and says he has the full backing of Trump administration, and the support of the outgoing Biden administration, to go "stronger".
Apparently a long standing civil rights-era executive order that banned workplace discrimination against federal government workers was never codified.
US Department of Labor to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under rescinded Executive Order 11246
WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone today transmitted Secretary’s Order 03-2025 to all department employees, directing them to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 and the regulations promulgated under it.
The order applies to all department employees, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Administrative Law Judges and the Administrative Review Board.
The department no longer has any authority under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 or its regulations.
I guess this is part of the plan to'just clean out' the whole thing.
/
President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the Pentagon to release a hold on supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden, a White House official said.
Under Biden, the US paused delivery of about 3,500 bombs to Israel — including the 2,000-pound explosives — in May in a bid to limit civilian casualties in the densely packed city of Rafah during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
ICYMI – Trump has halted funding for the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief set up by George W Bush.
This includes the HIV treatment provided to 20 million people through PEPFAR, people who will die without treatment. And of course millions more will be infected.
.
On Day 1 of taking office as US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order that banned any new government spending on foreign aid projects. This was followed by an unexpected “stop-work order” issued on 24 January, which means that funding to PEPFAR, even for existing grants and contracts, is frozen.
[…]
PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any country, ever, to address a single disease. Since it established PEPFAR in 2003, the US government has invested over USD 110 billion in the global HIV response. It has saved 26 million lives and prevented millions of HIV acquisitions in more than 50 countries
She said the current Crown Research Institute chairpeople had already been looking at staffing and downsizing …
They were required to lay off so many staff they were no able to function.
.. and were all supportive of the move.
"They've been knowing that they are going to have to right-size and they knew that there was change coming, so much so that every one of the Crown Research Institute chairs is supportive of what we're doing.
"They're excited about this."
Will they lose their "golden handshake" if they say otherwise?
This is not an improvement but a downsizing to a barely functioning state – less research. And limited capacity for concentration of specialists in any field.
In the USA people voted Trump to end the "war" in Gaza.
Now trump is determined on Israeli victory on their terms. And calling it peace.
Trump is aligning with those who want room for onshore gas facilities, a return to Jewish settlement and IDF presence in Gaza (the WB permanent occupation model).
US President Donald Trump said he’d like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip – potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.
Trump has offered non-traditional views on the future of Gaza in the past. He suggested after he was inaugurated on Monday that Gaza has “really got to be rebuilt in a different way."
The new president added then, “Gaza is interesting. It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting.”
The transaction being promoted moving the Palestinian people out, (ethnic cleansing).
Praise for Jordan having WB refugees (some became citizens, some not).
On his larger vision for Gaza, Trump said he had call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak on Sunday with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt.
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess.”
There is no reason to build elsewhere.
He said of such a mass movement of Palestinians, “it could be temporary or long term,”
“Something has to happen," Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” He added: “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Peace via people removal – ethnic cleansing. One can guess that under Trump, the USA will formally end recognition of and participation in a Palestinian state peace plan process. And seek to bring along others to this course.
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And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
Comment: The recent attack by Destiny Church front groups on a Drag science show at Te Atatū library crossed a line. This wasn’t the first time that Brian Tamaki, the multimillionaire self-appointed ‘apostle’, has ordered acts of aggression against the queer community. Last year, Drag Story Time events were targeted, ...
Martina Salmon is well versed in the fast-paced action on a netball court, but even she was caught by surprise with the speed at which her career changed tack last year.Staying in the fast lane is only part of her drive this season.Fresh off a nine-day camp in Sydney with ...
Last night I may as well have been in Taihape. Or, closer to home, for me at least, somewhere in the Wairarapa. Or Tūrangi, even – which is near where we used to spend the summer when I was a child. For there was that same gorgeous small town feeling ...
Having Auckland’s food scraps dumped onto your rural backyard sounds scandalous, but in the North Island town of Reporoa there’s no fuss about the thousands of tonnes carted here every week.From the same site as one truck drops the waste, another truck picks up fertiliser to spread on local sheep ...
Negotiating rights over freshwater in Treaty settlement negotiations could have extended negotiations a decade, a Ngāi Tahu leader says.Tribal leaders, and its umbrella body, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, have taken the Attorney-General to court in a bid to have the Crown recognise its rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over wai māori ...
Analysis: Poor safeguarding of New Zealanders’ data could be a widespread practice within the public service and certainly within the health system, according to the findings of an independent inquiry into allegations of misused census and Covid-19 vaccination information.The Public Service Commission’s review, led by consultant Pania Gray and former ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stone, Principal Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Having dense breasts is a clear risk factor for breast cancer. It can also make cancers hard to spot on mammograms. Yet you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The National Anti-Corruption Commission will finally investigate whether six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt engaged in corrupt conduct. This follows an independent reconsideration by former High Court judge Geoffrey ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Last week in Europe, the United States sent some very strong messages it is prepared to upend the established global order. US Vice President JD Vance warned a stunned Munich ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates on Tuesday, the first decrease in four years, saying inflationary pressures are easing “a little more quickly than expected”. However, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan Fels, Professor Allan Fels, Professor of Law, Economics and Business at the University of Melbourne and Monash University., The University of Melbourne Australia is creeping towards adding a divestiture power to its Competition and Consumer Act. Under such a law, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arjen Vaartjes, PhD Student, Quantum Physics, UNSW Sydney Dmitriy Rybin / Shutterstock What makes something quantum? This question has kept a small but dedicated fraction of the world’s population – most of them quantum physicists – up at night for decades. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University (From left to right): Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano before signing the Munich Agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany.German Federal Archives/Wikimedia Commons Ukraine ...
The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Page Jeffery, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney suriyachan/Shutterstock When the Australian government passed legislation in November last year banning young people under 16 from social media, it included exemptions for platforms “that are primarily for the purposes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland If you’ve ever been stopped by quarantine officers at the airport, you might think Australia’s international border is locked down like a fortress. But when it comes ...
Duncan Sarkies’ latest novel, Star Gazers, is about the collapse of democracy in a society of alpaca breeders. Here are some things his intensive research revealed. 1 How greed works, psychologicallyYes, I guess I already understood greed, but I could never understand why people who already have everything they ...
The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Ministers to end funding for Te Kurahuna programmes and workshop grifters that have received millions in taxpayer funding, despite the Government’s supposed focus on cutting costs. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
The White Lotus is back for season three. Here’s what we made of episode one. The third White Lotus season rinses and repeats – and thank God for that. Turns out there is enough comedic and dramatic juice in resort-set ensemble satires on privilege in the modern world, ...
Israel's propaganda narrative of rape and torture in the 'terror tunnels' of Hamas being inhuman animals that must be exterminated at all costs has taken a blow.
In what can only be described as a public relations disaster for Netanyahu and the Israeli cabinet, who claim they are determined to continue the war.
It looks like a giant party, or festival.
Hamas soldiers in uniform with their distinctive green headbands and Palestinian flag epaulets on their shoulders, overseeing the handover of hostages to the Red Cross
Joyous scenes in both Gaza and Israel at the release of 4 captured Israeli women soldiers in Israeli uniform, smiling and waving to the gathered crowds in Gaza. The scene captured on a split screen in Tel Aviv as just as joyous Israeli crowds witness the handover.
Netanyahu has made it very clear that this will be the final ceasefire, there will be no stage 2
Netanyahu had earlier said he was 'overjoyed' at the number of hostages that Israel had managed to get Hamas to agree to release in this first round of the ceasefire negotiations. Netanyahu also said that Israel will restart the war with the full support of both Biden and Trump to 'eliminate Hamas'. And do it 'stronger'.
Netanyahu says he is determined to achieve Israel's war aim to completely eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu has extended this campaign to the West Bank, with the Trump administration's support.
Netanyahu's message is clear, the remaining hostages, mostly male soldiers, that were due to be released in the stage 2 ceasefire agreement will be sacrificed to achieve Israel's war aims of eliminating Hamas. In practice, Israel's war aim can only be achieved with the extermination of the Palestinian people.
Civil society must do everything we can to prevent Israel restarting their genocide in Gaza.
On October 6th 2023 Syria was ruled by a tyrant and was a Russian client state and was a full-on conduit for armaments for terror groups from the Sinai to Yemen.
Also on October 6th 2023 Iran was a massive destabilising force right across the Arabian Peninsula and was growing in ambition and influence.
By January 2025 Hezbollah and Hamas get no arms from anyone and have been shrunken to a husk of their previous organisational strength,
Syria has a completely new ruler and the Russians have been kicked out of their port,
Iran no longer destabilises the Middle East,
Dubai is now clearly the peace broker to the region and the world,
Saudi Arabia and Jordan moved less than a muscle to help any Arab in trouble,
Lebanon has a fresh government that has positive relations with the IDF …
… and in the Israel side they have regathered their regional security after losing it on October 7th, Netanyahu has regained confidence and US Presidential patronage, Israel is getting its remaining captive soldiers back, and they are essentially taking over the West Bank with even more impunity than before.
Sure, nobody wins this filthy war. But there's no doubt the outcomes have been all beneficial to Israel and to broader Middle Eastern security.
But still absolutely no justice for Palestinians, just genocide.
Where will help come from?
Not from the self proclaimed moral centres of the west, that's for sure.
Extended ….. . Gaza has been the diversion to the WB settlement and permanent occupation project (post 2000 peace talks failure, intifada and fences and Kadima disengagement phase ended) for nearly two decades. The policy began with Hamas being allowed to stand in a PA parliamentary election, winning and then being removed by the Abbas gun and in turn removing the PA gun from Gaza. No PA elections since. Weak and divided and game played ever since. This is why the Likud regime wants to keep the PA out of Gaza – block unity and legitimacy (via elections).
That Musk nazi salute revisited.
Barely hidden code ?….
And of course his moral and economic support for new US fascist Pres pays off. The new department of "government efficiency" has an ominous sound. Musk ever more openly channelling his burgeoning inner nazi?
Like minds….
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/539957/chilling-purge-trump-fires-17-independent-watchdogs-at-federal-agencies
The USA appears ever increasingly entering a new fascist dark era. I'm sure there will be opponents…but will they be able to prevent the rise of New Amerika? Im a fan of SF and particularly rate Phillip K Dick. One, among many, intrigued…..
Seems they didnt need a war..but simply voted fascism in.
Sinclair Lewis saw this coming in his 1936 book "It Can't Happen Here."
Nostradamus had seen it all [happening] in 1555.
Strange you should happen to cite that book, when I've just been watching the original trailer for the 1964 British film It Happened Here (about an alternative history in which Germany successfully invades and occupies the UK, and whose title was a nod to Lewis).
It contains the memorable line: "The appalling thing about fascism is that you've got to use fascist methods to get rid of it".
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxeTSFSWMLY
lol
Many of those dismissed Friday were Republicans or Trump appointees from his first term, which stunned the watchdog community.
https://archive.li/k4uhE#selection-947.0-947.126 (wapo)
If SCOTUS consents to this, it is corrupt.
And yet Musk is an ardent supporter of Israel .Netanyahu defends him.Does this mean it is possible for a Jew to also collaborate with those who hold Nazi sympathies?
Azov regiment and Bandera comes to mind
https://www.politico.eu/article/benjamin-netanyahu-elon-musk-is-being-falsely-smeared-over-controversial-salute/
Yes, of course it does. All ethnicities and nationalities had Nazi collaborators.
Zionism has an especially 'proud' history of Nazi collaboration.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/how-owen-jones-justifies-labours-purge-socialists/33831
Ali Abunimah, a founding editor of The Electronic Intifada and the most passionate humanist in the Palestinian cause has just been arrested one day after entering Zurich on a speaking tour
https://electronicintifada.net/content/eis-ali-abunimah-arrested-switzerland/50333
Thanks
It seems expediency will always rule the day , and propaganda will cover the cracks
I'm thinking Al Qaeda,(HTS) who once again have become freedom fighters, with a mere stroke of the pen , they've been reprogrammed .How many incarnations now?
Bans against military aid to Azov lifted when convenient
Similarly Centuria, trained by the Canadian military .
https://jacobin.com/2022/12/canadian-military-train-ukrainian-fascists-azov-centuria
On it goes
The rehabilitation of the Saudi national, al Jolani, as a Syrian freedom fighter is indeed mindboggling.
Meanwhile, freedom fighters that have the weight of international law behind them (Hamas) and those that carry out actions to prevent or make more difficult the prosecution of a genocide (Ansarallah, Hezbollah), in line with the requirements of international law, are called terrorists.
"Government efficiency" sounds like Seymour as Minister for Regulation.
And yesterday, Peter Dutton, Aussie opposition leader, announced his
All this hyper-capitalist, anti-democratic, pro-plutocrat right seem to be in lock-step.
Who could take this young woman's advice to just do it.
@out5p0ken.bsky.social
Do it.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:eezrj7dplg2goacopghccdgq/post/3lgitmiezwc2o?
Some comment that it was merely Musk gesturing..from the heart ! Whooboy. Well, ironically maybe, just not in any good way..
I have observed Musk's rise and wonder if his
DOGnazi name would be Bormann?A dangerous man that Bormann.
On a brighter note….just like those old nazi's, the ego's of the new iteration have been, and will further, lead to vicious infighting.
I hope the American Left survive and fight back.
There was a song I remembered from years back…Grant Lee Buffalo "Stars and Stripes". IMO Lyric…kinda prescient.
Musk attends a rally for the AFD by video and tells them they are the best hope for Germany and to move on from past guilt.
One wonders if he was hoping they would salute Musk while he was talking.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360559894/elon-musk-urges-far-right-german-party-move-beyond-past-guilt
Trump reprimanded top capitalist for doing wokeism: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/25/business/trump-corporate-executives-davos/index.html
Top capitalists being naughty is business as usual, but
So the commies got in thro the back door, took over the board-room & are operating their elite control system to sideline conservatives. You can see why T is irritated.
Public opinion in Britain is giving their Labour govt a clear steer:
Action man to implement the implied strategy is Starmer's trade minister, a lawyer like him but a Scot from Glasgow who
The EU Parliament already appreciates the efforts PM Starmer is making in this regard:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2024)767164
A British professor came up with this analysis of Trump "Is he mad or bad?"
Simple in its delivery, compelling and ultimately "terrifying".
And only 9 minutes long.
To see an authoritative accountant defining reality, mad & bad, is rather entertaining. I did like him saying that most Labour MPs will vote that black is white. That makes him seem realistic. That was 6 mins in, then he made the point that T's plethora of executive orders recently signed off in the media spotlight may not get enacted easily due to the potential for 2/3 congress defectors removing Republican majority control.
That's a crucial point. But he's one of those people who conflate bad & evil, which makes him seem too simple-minded to take seriously…
He's talking to normal everyday people… not self-styled wannabe academics who like to use lengthy, contorted prose to describe anything as simple as turning on a tap.
He is a professor. Are you?
And btw, he used "Labour" as an argument because they are in government – not because they are any more prone to arguing "black is white" than the other lot. I think that is obvious. 🙄
can anyone make sense of this? Is the outgoing CIA director saying we don't know where covid came from? And the incoming one is saying it was China?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/539965/cia-now-says-covid-19-more-likely-to-have-come-from-lab
Yes & yes, with a but wait and see…
Yet he seems willing to consider the possibility that his staffers will form a consensual view opposing his personal belief. Forming opinions based on circumstantial evidence is part of the basis of law court operation, but opinions always differ on truth. Science seems to have pointed to the meat market as likeliest origin. How a virus gets from the Wuhan Institute to the meat market is the missing link in the conspiracist theory: an enterprising employee telling criminal associates about the labs organic disposal system is a likely hack. Chinese govt investigators may have found who done it already.
Yeah. Sounds like there's some political fiddling going on.
From LA Times:
"The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China — even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion"
"suggesting the evidence is deficient, inconclusive or contradictory."
"intelligence officials say it may never be resolved, due to a lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities."
"scientists think the most likely hypothesis is that it circulated in bats, like many coronaviruses, before infecting another species, probably racoon dogs, civet cats or bamboo rats. In turn, the infection spread to humans handling or butchering those animals at a market in Wuhan, where the first human cases appeared in late November 2019."
The pile of dead cats on the table is taking twin-towers shape and proportions. Trump is also going to release the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassination files.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/539865/trump-orders-release-of-last-jfk-rfk-king-assassination-files
The media will rejoice and the people will be infotained ad infinitum while the oligarchs will collect clicks and dollars.
But Incognito you've left off the important, to the current weirdo in the White House, ability to spawn alternative facts. Armed with 'alternative facts' I forsee we will see a brand new and more palatable modern history where even bleach is found to rid the body of Covid, not to mention the body also.
And more seriously he is intent on bullying the Danes over Greenland that has been a Danish territory since 1814?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360559876/denmark-crisis-mode-after-horrendous-phone-call-trump-demanding-buy-greenland
I think all of us in NZ with Danish ancestry should rise up and free Hawaii for the Spaniards. I am sure that there will be some newly released papers somewhere that will show that the annexation of Hawaii by the US following the US/Spanish war was unjust.
It certainly shows that annexation of territory for military and economic reasons is a part of the US playbook, something I've long thought odd bearing in mind the railing and wailing of the US over itself being colonised.
After signing the order Trump asked that the sharpie he used to sign the order be given to RFK Jnr.
The Spanish never owned Hawaii
And the overthrow of the Hawaiian royal family by plantation owners aided by the Americans certainly was unjust .
I know that, it was carrying on a tongue in cheek response to ideas that there is any justification for what Mr Weirdo is doing
'Spurred by the nationalism aroused by the Spanish-American War, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 at the urging of President William McKinley.
https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/gp/17661.htm
McKinley, imperialism and tariffs. The restoration of power and privilege, an agenda of Manifest Destiny (Polk vs Mexico) and the carpetbaggers.
GOP oligarchy central (see Joseph Wharton).
A reaction to the greater freedom
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/sherman-anti-trust-act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McKinley
“Trump is also going to release the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassination files.”
How certain can we be that the stuff he releases will be the actual files?
It doesn’t matter, whatever he releases will do the trick. That’s my point.
And here is an excellent article on why he bewilders many of us, just as many of us are bewildered by the US citizens who voted for such a crass person.
https://londondaily.com/british-writer-pens-the-best-description-of-trump-i-ve-read.
Nate White must have read a few of those speeches in the Roman Senate.
Trump is popular with the real American of the GOP because he appeals to their bundle of prejudices.
It was part of HUAC, it was part of Moral Majority, Christian Coalition and Dominionism ambition for a turning point in the USA – where they come into power and make their judgement of others.
Can anything good come out of the Galilee Street? They have no learning, but want to be a mob in judgment of others.
The black mirror – and the rotten borough of Gauntanamo/Hawaii/Panama Canal/Greenland and the golden sun king of Florida oranges – (see chad votes 2000 and image of the New York tax exile below).
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1000w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2021_09/3454102/210303-trump-statue-cpac-al-1202.jpg
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360559876/denmark-crisis-mode-after-horrendous-phone-call-trump-demanding-buy-greenland
Very 2017, and a complete failure in persuasion except with the commentators who already agreed with all those points.
The writer doesn't seem to recognise this and has failed to learn from it, which is actually a hallmark of true stupidity. Moreover his analysis leads him to the stale conclusion that tens of millions of Americans are stupid, awful people because they voted for a stupid, awful [insert abusive words of choice] Trump.
Instead, how about this analysis from commentator Stephen Smith on Bill Maher's show just the other day. He voted for Harris but is under no illusions about her failure or that of the Democrat Party. You can watch all 11 minutes but I've teed up a different link to this comment from the same show:
No he said they had done something dumb.
He wrote this
Care to explain the voting in 1930's Germany, if you think this validates the person who receives votes.
Who can make sense of anything coming out of the US right now?
It's all political bluster rather than any sense
Denmark is a founding member of NATO.
What happens if Trump follows through and attempts to take Greenland by military force?
Article 5 invoked ?
Same as what's happening now with his exec orders and appointments IMO as plenty are meeting resistance with Republicans not all toeing the line.
He had issues with the joints chiefs last time IIRC so maybe watch that space.
Climate Change? IMO evident.
Last year… 4 Tornadoes. More to come ?
Sea Temps rising….Of course all these things are cumulative, look out, batten the hatches !
Winds in the one that just went through Ireland set new records. It closed scotlands rail system for a day with a red 'loss of life' warning declared.
Hey it's just weather.
? As in so what?
Where are our journalists? IDF snipers fire on Palestinian civilians in a breach of the ceasefire agreement, and not a word about it in our mainstream media.
What are they waiting for? Are they waiting for Hamas to retaliate, so that they can blame the Palestinians for the collapse of the ceasefire?
Netanyahu is itching to continue the war, and says he has the full backing of Trump administration, and the support of the outgoing Biden administration, to go "stronger".
If, then. The release of an IDF female soldier was delayed.
Apparently a long standing civil rights-era executive order that banned workplace discrimination against federal government workers was never codified.
US Department of Labor to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under rescinded Executive Order 11246
WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone today transmitted Secretary’s Order 03-2025 to all department employees, directing them to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 and the regulations promulgated under it.
The order applies to all department employees, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Administrative Law Judges and the Administrative Review Board.
The department no longer has any authority under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 or its regulations.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20250124
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/executive-order-11246/as-amended
I guess this is part of the plan to 'just clean out' the whole thing.
/
President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the Pentagon to release a hold on supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden, a White House official said.
Under Biden, the US paused delivery of about 3,500 bombs to Israel — including the 2,000-pound explosives — in May in a bid to limit civilian casualties in the densely packed city of Rafah during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-25/trump-frees-up-2-000-pound-bombs-for-israel-after-biden-s-halt?
https://archive.li/YBebv
ICYMI – Trump has halted funding for the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief set up by George W Bush.
This includes the HIV treatment provided to 20 million people through PEPFAR, people who will die without treatment. And of course millions more will be infected.
.
On Day 1 of taking office as US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order that banned any new government spending on foreign aid projects. This was followed by an unexpected “stop-work order” issued on 24 January, which means that funding to PEPFAR, even for existing grants and contracts, is frozen.
[…]
PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any country, ever, to address a single disease. Since it established PEPFAR in 2003, the US government has invested over USD 110 billion in the global HIV response. It has saved 26 million lives and prevented millions of HIV acquisitions in more than 50 countries
https://www.iasociety.org/ias-statement/pepfar-freeze-threatens-millions-lives
Androgen science
https://archive.li/iGTG3#selection-3915.0-4000.1
They were required to lay off so many staff they were no able to function.
Will they lose their "golden handshake" if they say otherwise?
This is not an improvement but a downsizing to a barely functioning state – less research. And limited capacity for concentration of specialists in any field.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/01/23/govt-reveals-biggest-reset-of-nzs-science-system-in-3-decades-collins/
In the USA people voted Trump to end the "war" in Gaza.
Now trump is determined on Israeli victory on their terms. And calling it peace.
Trump is aligning with those who want room for onshore gas facilities, a return to Jewish settlement and IDF presence in Gaza (the WB permanent occupation model).
The transaction being promoted moving the Palestinian people out, (ethnic cleansing).
Praise for Jordan having WB refugees (some became citizens, some not).
There is no reason to build elsewhere.
Peace via people removal – ethnic cleansing. One can guess that under Trump, the USA will formally end recognition of and participation in a Palestinian state peace plan process. And seek to bring along others to this course.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360560028/trump-wants-jordan-and-egypt-accept-more-refugees-and-floats-plan-just-clean-out-gaza
I guess that's a way of ending the conflict in the Middle East.
I suspect the pro-Palestinian crowd that refused to vote for Biden, as well as pro-Trump tankies everywhere must be kicking themselves now.
Then again, they've got what they deserved. It's not like they weren't aware of their great and glorious orange saviour's plans.