"Parker took the opportunity to step aside from that role when cabinet was reshuffled in the wake of Kiri Allan's arrest. He later told reporters that holding the revenue position was untenable."
Some interesting comments under that Interest.co.nz opinion piece:
– it’s not that the socialists love the poor, it’s their hatred of the rich that drives them.
Jesus wept. What drives capitalists – their 'concerns' about poverty and the planet?
What Jesus said about capitalism [9 April 2012]
This doesn't mean Christ accepted poverty as an inevitable characteristic of the economy, or part of the divine plan. Rather, he says, the divine vision is that poverty be abolished, but as long as it persists, God and God's people must always take the side of the poor – and be among them.
Hmm, what would that lovely Mr Luxon say; he of the seven properties?
He said he continued to care about the Labour cause, describing himself as “an agent for change, for progressive change”.
It is a sad moment when a principled stand on the fundamental platform for a fairer society is described by a competent journalist as petulant. Such was the gist of Claire Trevett’s recent Herald piece on David Parker’s exit from the Taxation portfolio. The argument that one must stay silent on fundamental matters to sustain party unity is simply wrong. I understand well why Mr Parker found his position to be untenable in the face of a “Captain’s Call”, a modern initiative, which the Labour Party should, I believe, eschew.
The support for significant taxation reform is now shared across a spectrum from Piketty to Hickey and should be front and centre in Labour’s policy commitments. Delay on this front makes the task harder in the future.
The support for significant taxation reform is now shared across a spectrum from Piketty to Hickey and should be front and centre in Labour’s policy commitments. Delay on this front makes the task harder in the future.
The Israeli parliament on Monday passed a law stripping the Supreme Court of its power to block government decisions, the first part of a planned judicial overhaul that has sharply divided Israeli society and drawn fierce criticism from the White House.
The controversial bill passed by a vote of 64-0 in the Knesset. All members of the governing coalition voted in favor the bill, while all opposition lawmakers walked out of the chamber as the vote was taking place.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he would file a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the law and has urged the military reservists not to refuse to serve until the court delivers its ruling.
The so-called reasonableness law takes away the Supreme Court’s power to block government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. Its passing could trigger a constitutional crisis – if the court declares the law itself is unreasonable.
In a democracy, who holds supreme power? Executive or judiciary? The theory of popular sovereignty holds that the people are supreme, therefore any govt they vote in exercises ultimate power. The theory of the establishment is that constitutional tradition prevails over popular cowboy govts. The Israeli PM is a popular cowboy trying it on. Principled folk would argue he has a mandate to do so. So, the people or the judges?
One has to consider both the powers of the courts and the way in which the judiciary are appointed. The US has the worst of both worlds in terms of the Supreme Court – politically-appointed judges and the power to block legislation. The sanest combination is probably quite limited powers to block legislation and independently-appointed judiciary. I don't know anything about the Israeli Court System so don't know if Netenyahu's changes are in this direction or away from it. No doubt much of the alarm is caused not by the precise constitutional nature of the change, but about who is initiating it and whether it is just the opening gambit.
The scale and persistence of the protests must indicate the lefties there are irrational, I suppose.
It's just a pity that the size of the leftie vote in Israel is no longer on the scale of the protests. Labour is the smallest party in their Knesset with just 4 seats, just above the 3% threshhold. And Meretz is gone. They now have to merge, or risk being seen as vote wasters.
The wider ME sees it as the beginning of the end of the Israeli state. It's certainly the end of the culture which built the homeland state and defended it.
This is beyond the cultural war in the USA. This is their Weimar Republic on the precipice moment.
If there is to be supreme law (like a constitution) and ordinary law, the question arises of what to do when the legislature passes ordinary laws which contradict supreme law, particularly if it is a genuinely unintended consequence.
Obviously that doesn't have to be resolved by the judiciary, but that has become a traditional approach. Could use the NZ approach of referring conflicts back to the legislature to resolve, but if for some reason, there is no resolution, it does call into question the supremacy of a constitution.
AAhh Joe Biden, possibly the most corrupt POTUS in our life time….this guy has no shame…
Gallery Sold Hunter Biden’s Art to Major Dem Donor Appointed to Special Commission by President Biden
"The New York art gallery representing Hunter Biden’s exorbitantly expensive painting collection sold his artwork to a Democratic-donor socialite whom President Biden appointed to a special U.S. commission of international significance.
Despite the assurance of the Biden administration that the president’s son, for ethical reasons, would be left in dark about the identity of his buyers, Hunter later discovered the identities of two of them, sources told BusinessInsider. One of those two clients received a presidential privilege in the form of a commission placement.
The buyer in question was California investor and philanthropist Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who contributed $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year, Insider reported.
…and that is just the tip of the iceberg in the USA, of course we all know about the Biden's many and varied super dodgy 'business' dealings in the Ukraine….nothing tosee here folks…well according to RNZ,who of course rarely cover any of this, but of course cover every stupid thing about Trump, like he is somehow any worse than Biden…jeez give me a break!…they are both just stinking piles of shit.
Though I guess Trump's instinct seems to be to keep the US within it's own boarders, which would make the World a safer place for most of the rest of the World, especially for those in the most of the Middle East, most of Asia, most of South America, better they keep the hell out of Europe too as it turns out, so I guess for that one thing alone he could be marginally better…
…if having a more peacful world is your thing that is, which I know isn’t really the bag of the new Liberal imperialist class..but who cares what they think right?
But am not discussing Putin here, I am discussing Biden…we get to hear all the bad things about Putin (and Trump) quite regularly enough on western MSM don't you think?
To bad our media seems to believe it is in the business of creating, molding and driving news narratives, rather than just reporting on them and letting the public make up it's on mind…but then it turns out that even people who should react to this fact with dismay…seem to be quite okay with it…and that my friend, is the bit I just don't understand.
Adrian is now the spokesman for the Maga loonies. After 5 years of investigation by Trump appointed investigators there has not one bit of evidence found to incriminate Joe Biden. The two items Hunter has been charged with after those 5 years is a late IRD tax payment which he has since paid and owning a gun that he wasn't entitled to own.
The rest is wild conspiracy Maga rubbish Adrian and you might be wise to avoid any rabbit holes. They trip you up.
I have it on good authority, (numerous YouTube interviews with people outside Trump rallies and attending JFK Jr Lives rallies), that Joe is not the President.
I also have it on similarly good authority that the Biden's are a 'crime family' guilty of all sorts of crimes, financial, political, sexual, moral and other stuff so unimaginable you have to make it up.
The answer to any and all dilemmas facing the US is that the most ethical, moral, intellectual, honest, humble, compassionate, altruistic family in US history should be given total reign in that land. Arise King Donald.
Really though, as for them 'both being just stinking piles of shit' because one is, jeez, give us a break.
USA is claimed to be the "greatest democracy" and "leaders of the world" yet sunken into a swamp of fantasy. Worrying to hear a NZF candidate claiming "sexualisation of schoolkids" and "Wokeism " in NZ schools with Winston supporting it on Morning Report.
You might like to have a look at the RSE curriculum and what is being taught in our schools.
"Hutt Valley High’s lessons are based in gender identity theory, an unscientific belief system that seeks to redefine boys and girls. Despite the fact that New Zealand parents are overwhelminglyopposed to gender identity theory, our Ministry of Education has been attempting to introduce these types of lessons across New Zealand. At Hutt Valley High, they have succeeded.
The underlying messages sent by Hutt Valley High’s lessons are that:
Your biological sex was arbitrarily assigned to you, and can be changed.
Whether you are ‘really’ male or female depends on your feelings about gender roles, and is independent of your biology.
Girls who don’t feel comfortable with the stereotypical female gender role should consider medical gender transition (as should boys who don’t feel comfortable with male stereotypes).
Disagreeing with any of these beliefs is unacceptable (i.e. ‘transphobic’).
These messages are false and potentially harmful. Hutt Valley High’s lessons risk nudging vulnerable adolescents into a descent into lifelong medical dependency."
Are you actually seriously equating this moment in history with the Nazi invasion of Europe and Russia?….holy crap buddy, you must have drunk even more of the Cool Aid than most of the new Liberal pro war crew around these parts….and that really is saying something!
Like so much that Joe Biden has anything to do with, it looks and smells very much like something really dodgy…even the Washington Post is going to cut Biden free soon it seems..
Yet we’re still left with a motley collection of odd and unsavory figures sending a lot of money through a lot of companies to a lot of members of the Biden family, with little explanation why. Comer contends that bank records confirm more than $10 million in payments, run through at least 20 businesses, mostly limited liability companies, to the president’s son Hunter Biden; the president’s brother, James Biden; James’s wife, Sara Jones Biden; Hallie Biden (widow of Joe Biden’s son Beau, who died in 2015); Hunter’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle; Hunter’s current wife, Melissa Cohen; and, as Comer noted, “three children of the president’s son and the president’s brother.”
Just what goods or services did all those Biden family members provide to those companies?"
…pretty sure most US Liberal press will follow suit before long, not only is the man obviously suffering seriously from age related age issues that even the most staunchest Biden supporter can't possibly ignore, he has also obviously been involved in some really dodgy as fuck business dealings with various foreign entities…the guy is damaged good, shit he can't even stay with Trump in the election polls for 2024…or even DeSantis in some polls FFS…. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/2024/
But you lot just keep on telling yourself that I am a Trump troll and Putin puppet if that keeps the lid on (for a little longer) the giant bucket of fermenting bullshit you guys have been sitting on and feeding for so long……but hey, you go right ahead a believe whatever makes you happy.
On Tuesday evening, less than two weeks after the court ruling, Shaw announced Cabinet had made a decision to almost entirely align with the commission's advice going forward.
"Today is an important step forward in helping us to meet our domestic and international climate targets. The new settings put us in lock step with advice provided by the Climate Change Commission in 2022 and 2023," he said. Cost-of-living impacts were expected to be minimal – a $10 rise in the price of carbon would only add $1.67 to the average household's weekly budget.
She talks about her own experience, as founder of the Disibformation Project, and mentions a new UN report on gendered violence, which summarises the outcomes of the negative on-line attacks:
"At a societal level, targetted female and gender-based violence is a threat to open, peaceful, democratic societies. Evidence shows that gendered disinformation and targeted hate campaigns form narratives that go beyond attacks on individual women and LGBTQIA+ people, to attacking their rights more broadly, often with an end goal of polarising and destabilising democratic societies.
It can erode individual and collective rights to participate in shared civic spaces and discourage women from being involved in public life or cause them to self-censor.
It can also increase tensions that lead to violent conflict, with some arguing that online threats against women in public roles should be included as a gender-sensitive early warning indicator for conflict.
There is also a growing body of research showing the specific security threat posed by individuals who perpetrate acts of targeted violence, many of whom display concerning online misogynistic behaviour, domestic violence, or threatening online communication."
The reason the left succumbed to this shit lies in the inertial effect of political psychology: minority rights. The focus in the 1970s was on achievement of recognition of those, then thro the '80s they were integrated via consensual acceptance.
Identity politics morphed this via activist narcissism. Personal subjective views got more media play than shared views built on an ethical basis as common ground.
Consequently the past decade has featured the alphabet soup tribe becoming toxic in a flow of media sensations. The only interesting dimension of the trend is the emergence of collective narcissism as a feature of small minority groups.
Harm done to victims by trendy lefty lynch mobs is indeed a worthy focus for media and all. A corrective remedial force must emerge to deal with the sociopaths.
You should try Incognito's word-salad framing. Works just as well to evade the point. And I wouldn't assume left-wingers are incapable of learning the difference between individual and group narcissism – the analytical trend into discussing that has been percolating along nicely in recent years. Leftists tend to be partial to such academic fashion trends…
Gee, DF, almost like rights should not be universal, but only for the comfy majority. That comfy majority may be buddhist against muslim in Myanmar, hindu against any other religion in India, white against people of colour and sunni against shia (and vv) in many places.
Anywhere that fear is riled up by cynical political actors to gain and maintain power.
Speaking of universal rights, do you believe that the exceptions in the Human Rights Act that enable female-only spaces and services (think Rape Crisis or sport or women's changing rooms at work) should be retained or removed so that TW can have access to those female only things?
In the UK, trans women have used, and volunteered for, rape-crisis and domestic violence organisations. This 2021 article shows the big divide within the UK sector, where on-the-ground non-trans workers disagree with trans-exclusionary policy brought in by management, but fear for their jobs. And that is at a time when the 2010 UK rights legislation clearly prohibits gender-based discrimination.
I disgree with the GC trans exclusionary position held by some here at TS, especially because it has eroded the existing services trans women have had, and used without issue, particularly in the UK and US.
That's taking things away from people. It shows a particularly damaging belief that rights for minority groups somehow take away rights from the majority (Dennis Frank's denounciation of 'identity politics'). Where, instead, I know through changes in my own lifetime, that inclusivity action, by expansion of rights and by equity initiatives, makes our society more diverse and interesting, and better to belong in.
Real-world evidence validates that access of trans women to gendered spaces and services in the last decades has not caused problems from the 100,000 or so trans women in the UK, and the 11,000 trans women in NZ. And self-id in countries like Brazil and Ireland, covering a billion or so people, has not caused floods of penises into bathrooms. Your point about universal rights and 'women-only' spaces is what?
There will always be people manipulated into the "fashions" of the time.
For example NOW’s (National Organisation of Woman – USA) dedication to the equal rights of the feminine gender/women, now incorporates those who are transgender.
And so there are now, women's organisations built around, not doing so.
And predictably there are LGB groups that exclude the transgender and seem to be abandoning the word queer while doing so. All because the established LGBQ added the T.
The word narcissism is one commonly thrown around, to infer some particular knowledge of the psychopathy of others.
This is all the sign, of a certain cultivation of the evolved civilisation sentience, that such matters gain significance. As with the Weimar Republic. Before the retreat back to the old certainties of atavism, or that old time religion, kingdom come. So much washing off of guilt to allow a return to being pure and righteous.
A bit like confession of addiction, to redeem the collective self. As Hollywood Babylon did with the adoption of a Hays Code. And the SEC did after the excesses of Wall Street.
Can someone explain why this post could not be further edited within the 10 minutes?
I’ll continue.
Yet ultimately it is the concept of market forces natural law “order out of chaos”, a god of mammon that humanity is subject to, so that there is a return to innocent acceptance of over-rule – rather than the knowledge/guilt of human dominion.
The great joke on joe public is that the elites manipulate the market all the time to take advantage of it, to grow their own wealth.
It’s all propaganda designed to diminish the power of voters, so elites can retain privilege.
Of course the people are given something to vote against, hate on, so their consent can be seen to be made.
Cool. The interesting thing about political commentary is the inter-generational context. Folks get socially conditioned to a norm, then the co-construction of social reality shifts into consolidating a different norm. So if there's areas of similar views across generations, there's also significant differences.
Those differences can be experienced as a barrier or divide, yet also explored for potential to articulate further common ground by resolving the differences. As a centrist within the Greens I had to establish common ground with the leftists & thereby learnt the art of consensus-building via practical politics.
The notion of intersectionality is what differentiates minority politics nowadays from that era of 30 years back. The sociopolitical system has gotten more complex. We just had the red-green & blue-green dimension plus the pale Green & deep Green dimension – along with the leftist/centrist divide that caused the Values Party schism in the '70s and has persisted since then.
It's a bit rich for her to complain about misogyny in the darker corners of the internet when the "young NZer of the Year" and a bunch of left wing activists openly assaulted women in Albert Park earlier this year and cancelled their right to speak in public. And a few days ago the MSM colluded again to suppress a pretty mild ad from Family First stating basic biological reality.
Disinformation indeed.
(stating it plainly: IMO the Disinfo Project has morphed into a propaganda attack on free speech and an organ of elite narratives – especially focussed on othering dissidents and whistleblowers – the antithesis of open democratic discourse & the fourth estate’s duty to hold the powerful to account)
Lal was a part of the whole debacle. AFAIK "they" did not directly assault anyone. Personally I am more concerned about the violence and coverups than litigating one sentence I wrote
To clarify: Lal endorsed the misogynistic Albert Park violence and subsequent cover-up.
None of the links you have provided support this assertion. Because you are making a specific claim about a public figure, you have to be able to back that up now.
When you do, please provide the quote as well as the link.
… why did Posie Parker require protection – is because Hill, Minister Wood, O’Brien, Lal and even Justice Gendall had all contributed to an environment where the use of violence was not only being legitimised, but had become a moral necessity.
Lal, and the now former Pride director Max Tweedie, drove the smear campaign against both women’s rights campaigner Posie Parker and local feminists ahead of her ill-fated March visit. After an attempt to deny her entry into the country was rejected, the pair shifted their focus to organising a crowd to chase women out of a public park. A few women were violently assaulted. The message sent was clear – oppose us, and we will physically hurt you.
Lal's tweets about "Terfs" are inflammatory and celebrate the Albert Park mob.
"Good riddance Nazi TERF"
"Yes #fuckallterfs"
"A lipsticks for TERFs" (accompanied by a picture of superglue)
thank-you. And thanks for just going and doing that instead of arguing about it or not doing it, this mod is very grateful.
You said,
It’s a bit rich for her to complain about misogyny in the darker corners of the internet when the “young NZer of the Year” and a bunch of left wing activists openly assaulted women in Albert Park earlier this year and cancelled their right to speak in public.
I’m not aware that Lal assaulted anyone. I agree he is partially responsible for the set up for the violence that happened, and that’s different from assaulting people.
The truth is sufficient, we don’t have to embellish it. I’m going to make a mod statement soon, because all sides at the moment are making exaggerated declaratory statements without evidence and it has to stop. It’s a significant drain on my moderator time, and it also drags TS commentariat into the culture war instead of upholding robust debate.
Let's hope your own smear campaign against Lal (reinforcement of the message of Grant et al) does not incite any violence, given you think there is correlation between having a position and what others do.
Lal used his considerable media reach to preach terf=nazi bigot. It wasn’t simply a position, it was activism and propaganda.
Both sides need to calm the fuck down. I have some hope that people like rob will. I have no sense that people like Lal will until they get slapped down. The response from Spark was a good public embarrassment for him, I doubt that he will have learned much but in time the tide will shift on the kind of extreme position he takes, because of the kinds of actions it leads to.
the use of violence was not only being legitimised, but had become a moral necessity.
The crowd seemed intent on making noise and kettling the protest, little more.
the pair shifted their focus to organising a crowd to chase women out of a public park. A few women were violently assaulted. The message sent was clear – oppose us, and we will physically hurt you.
They were was no attempt to chase anyone out, nor any attempt to organise any attack (no one came armed) and what incidents there were were inter-personal apart from some jostling of the K-J K's protection team on the way out.
She makes the mistake of thinking that there is something called LGBTQA++++ and that their interests are all the same. In reality, the L, G and B are same sex attracted and everything south of there is straight.
Our rights as same sex attracted people rest on the idea that same-sex attraction is real and normal and should be afforded the same rights and respect as heterosexuality. That is all we want – the same rights as straight people.
Good comment. Analytical flair in the culture wars really ought to balance a differential tendency with an integral tendency otherwise it remains inherently partial. Since culture arises from commonality, human groups can't survive easily without doing both concurrently. In geopolitics, the splitter syndrome wears the technical term balkanisation.
I suspect culture wars aren't much fun for most participants (harm done) but are entertaining for splitters. When minority group leaders are splitters rather than consensus builders, they produce toxicity.
Funny that both Visubversa and roblogic are happy to discount gender-based online calls for violence because of the person making that message.
If you attack people and groups right to exist, not their ideas, then that is open discrimination. I detest Posie Parker because of her manipulative provacateur actions and some extreme violent comments she made against trans people, and has never apopogised for. I don't call for her annihilation (as she threatens women who disagree with her). I don't threaten her with violence, I challenge her disgusting views.
And baby with bathwater. Hannah opposes violent anti-gender online speech in her commentary, which in number primarily attacks women. By trying to discount that message because of the messenger, VS and RL (and now others here) expose their discrimination for us to see. Baby with bathwater.
If you attack people and groups right to exist, not their ideas, then that is open discrimination.
This is a good point. It's why I focus on gender identity ideology and its impacts on women rather than focussing on trans people.
Funny that both Visubversa and roblogic are happy to discount gender-based online calls for violence because of the person making that message.
That's not it though. The disagreement isn't because it's Hannah making it, it's because the DIP is so partisan and not honest about that.
For instance, Visubversa's critique is that the DIP using LGBTQI+ framing creates significant problems for homosexual people. It's the ideas within LGBTQI+ that push the problems. We've not been allowed to talk about that freely thanks to No Debate, and now we have a progressive org enforcing homophobic ideology. That's all legit critique.
Likewise, rob is pointing to the ideological positioning of the DIP.
I'm all for not focussing on Hannah and the DIP and talking about the ideology, but in the absence of that conversation, there will be push back against orgs and people who are actively suppressing debate and refusing to engage with critique of their positions. The only way left to respond to that is to push harder.
This is a ridiculous claim. It's equivalent to the argument that prioritising Māori and Pasifika to improve inequitable health outcomes is racist.
The bandying about of the 'ideology' term ignores that those who are endlessly claiming there is 'No Debate' are also followers of an ideology, one that seeks to exclude trans people, supported by such 'progressive' organisations as Family First.
The Disinformation Project is 'pressuring lesbians to like girl dick'? That is your claim?
now we have a progressive org enforcing homophobic ideology
Even if I accept your framing of an uncited example, no one is or is even capable of forcing anyone to be attracted to anyone else. That said, plenty of trans people aren't straight, being trans isn't a sexuality. Just like plenty of bisexuals are in straight relationships but are still part of the community.
The Disinformation Project is 'pressuring lesbians to like girl dick'? That is your claim?
No, they have an ideological position which supports the subculture that is shifting the definition of homosexuality from same sex attracted to same gender attracted.
You said you wanted to talk about ideas, that's what I'm doing. I'm talking about those ideas play out in RL with unintended consequences. Have you heard about the cotton ceiling?
no one is or is even capable of forcing anyone to be attracted to anyone else.
Of course. They can try though, which is why we have conversion therapy legislation.
I will ask you again, how is pressuring lesbians to like girl dick not homophobic?
No lesbian has – or ever has had, a penis. They can call themselves a "lesbian" until the end of time but nobody can be forced to believe them. Your "evidence" has the language of gender ideology and is therefore reflective of a homophobic cult.
And you have no evidence but your own exclusionary ideology. Your argument is circular, your antipathy to the existence of people different from you is transphobic. You can hold these beliefs but they do not reflect the views of the majority of people.
The bandying about of the 'ideology' term ignores that those who are endlessly claiming there is 'No Debate' are also followers of an ideology, one that seeks to exclude trans people, supported by such 'progressive' organisations as Family First.
I go on about No Debate, but my ideology is that of gender critical feminism, not RW gender conservatism. Do you know what the difference is?
It says much that you are unaware of the strong left wing GC movement, and all the work it is doing to push back against the conservatives positions on gender.
I mentioned Family First as they were cited by RL. I note that you haven’t pushed back on that.
Push back on what? He pointed to the problem of the MSM collaborating to refuse advertising to something that was pretty mild. Do you think that didn't happen?
I have been very critical of the Parliament protests and its disgraceful misogyny and violence. And quite harsh on Julian Batchelor and his anti Maori crusade.
I am an equal opportunity critic of bullshitters.
Posie Parker probably belongs in the “BS” category too, but that doesn’t justify the way that she and her supporters were treated in Aotearoa.
The vast majority of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supportive of, and not concerned at all about the existence of trans people or any supposed 'ideology'.
The queer community has always included trans people and efforts to exclude them are ahistorical, confused and ideological.
The vast majority of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supportive of, and not concerned at all about the existence of trans people or any supposed 'ideology'.
What makes you think this?
I agree about the queer community comment, but do you accept that there are significant numbers of LGB people who don't ID as queer and don't see themselves as part of that community?
The latest global survey from Ipsos – the LGBT+ Pride 2023 survey – shows that 84% of New Zealanders believe transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing and access to businesses.
That's my understanding too. That's not the same as "The vast majority of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supportive of, and not concerned at all about the existence of trans people or any supposed 'ideology'."
When we look at yougov polling in the UK, it's very clear that most people support the human rights of trans people (as above), and draw the line at TWAW and accessing women's changing rooms.
Have a look at what happens to women's positions when they understand that a TW can be a man with no surgical treatment.
I know what you did, but I countered that by pointing out that your vidence didn't match your claim.
I then made the argument that most people support trans rights but don't support transgressions of women's rights and I provided a reputable polling company in a similar country.
Yes, the UK isn't NZ. We don't do adequate polling on this in NZ. I wonder why.
You have failed to quantify your claim of 'significance' and you again make up claims about my beliefs.
Just been dealing with other things, will get to it in a while.
Of all LGBT+ identities, other than trans and non-binary people themselves, lesbian young adults were most likely to say they know a trans person (92%), and most likely to say they are “supportive” or “very supportive” of trans people (96%).
In comparison, 89% of LGBT+ people overall said they were “supportive” or “very supportive” of trans people, and just 69% of non-LGBT+ people said the same.
You are confusing the past – when the vast majority of trans people were gay men at a time when sex between men was unlawful and some of them internalised their homophobia and "transed away the Gay". There were also a few lesbians who endeavoured to be more like men for personal protection and/or at the bequest of their "straight acting" girlfriends. All these people were same sex attracted and very much part of the LGB community.
Today, with Homosexual Law Reform and Marriage Equality, there is no longer the impetus for that kind of "gay conversion therapy". Today's trans identifying people are quite different. Many are heterosexual, the men have wives and children and when they "identify" as women, they also identify as lesbians. The same with many of the young women who reject the pornified and oppressive female gender roles of today and seek to identify their way out of their oppression. They identify as gay men and then have problems finding sexual partners as they do not have when gay men want.
It is this kind of sexual repression and resentment that drives a lot of the vitriol – particularly against lesbians who are just not interested in a "transbian".
There was a period of common cause – it was of course the equal rights and protections for people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sex, sexuality or gender identity.
It seems to be a separation between sexuality and gender identity, as to common cause. As if their equal rights and or protection could conflict.
Our rights as same sex attracted people rest on the idea that same-sex attraction is real and normal and should be afforded the same rights and respect as heterosexuality. That is all we want – the same rights as straight people.
All fine, but then there is the common cause with those who deny any reality (or normality) to gender identity where this is different to biological sex.
Sorry – what reality/normality is there in the idea that people have a "gendered soul" which supersedes biological reality? Where is the test for this "gender reality"?
The truth about your sex is in every drop of your blood. If you are going to state that something should overcome that – you better have a good definition of it and some sort of ability to prove it.
That I have not made a case, is not evidence that I have no argument. It's not the point being discussed, which was related to the end of common cause.
I'm with roblogic on this one. The moral high ground to make these statements was lost because of the lack of condemnation of the male violence against women at LWS in Auckland, as well as the use of violence to prevent NZ women from speaking.
It's just too jarring, and imo what Hannah is doing with this partisan approach is engaging in the culture war.
Rather a fallacious argument to discount Hannah's right to comment on gender-based online violence, weka. By that same logic, VS and RB are disbarred from any comments on this topic because they have not denounced the actual physical violence against a woman exercising her right to freedom of expression in Batchelor's PN meeting.
Hannah is in an excellent position to make an informed comment: she works with this revolting material every day.
I do not discount Hannah's personal right to comment, no doubt she has experienced some of the worst dregs of humanity online. But her article turns a blind eye to others not of her political persuasion and the equal amount of shit they have to deal with.
Has that person defined the women that they speak of? female women, male women, non binary women of both sexes?
IF not, it's meaningless drivel.
And females getting bullied, what else is new, i mean this is NZ a country with sky high domestic violence stats.
As or Albert Park the only ones that were getting the bash there were the middle aged women – maori and pakeha – that came for a meeting of their peers to a public park. Not a single male women or a single female man were harmed.
Not true, a known neo-nazi the crowd pushed around a tiny woman counter-protest marshall. He continued to harass her physically until a trans woman in blue gave him a good punch on the shoulder, after talking with the marshall briefly.
Apart from this, the juice incident, the young man who punched the woman, the motorbike hit on Marama, and thuggish behaviour by Posie supporters, the Brian Tamaki mob, where is the orchestrated anti-woman violence in the counter-protest in the thousands, in which many ‘bio’ women came along to protest noisily against PP.
you need to provide the evidence for those. Putting you in premod until you do. The MSM made a mess of reporting this, so we may as well get it sorted out now. I'm not doubting you so much as wanting clarity and to sort out the facts from the hyperbole (feel free to point me to other comments that need to provide evidence too).
Evidence means,
links *and quotes to support each specific claim
if using video/audio, a time stamp to the relevant bits.
Each claim means,
a known neo nazi pushed a counter protest marshal around
Saw the harassment of the marshall 'with my own eyes' on an extensive video analysis, virtually frame-by-frame on BHN. The man was post-incident id’d as a neo-nazi.
Unfortunately BHN has taken down their clip, so I cannot say any more than I was an eye-witness to credible visuals that clearly showed this sequence of events. I have discussed these events at TS before weka
Are you using your site capacity to censor my posts with no warning ? Where is my post on UK media?
No, I'm not censoring you, you're in premod, which means none of your comments will appear until you've provided evidence. This is to make sure that people provide back up for claims of fact (see the site Policy) and don't create work for the mods having to chase them up. We've been using this method for a long time.
In this case you have explained why you can't provide evidence, but I'm going to ask you to link to the person and place that used to have the video up.
You also need to provide evidence for the last claim in my list.
I've explained moderation and expectations to you before.
I'm not willing to allow such loose claims of fact on such a controversial topic. Again, if you see other people needing to be pulled up on this please let one of the mods know (we will need a link to the specific comment and a brief explanation).
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, weka. Where is your evidence/link that trans lesbians are pressuring 'real' lesbians into sex? And where is Anker's link for the former judge discrediting the Disinformation Project?
You ARE censoring me if you hold only me to your moderator standard of providing proof (in a debate you hold a contrary position on, I point out), but do not hold yourself or others who continue a thread I initiated this morning to the same requirement.
This is now being discussed in the back end. I'm going to ban you for 24 hours so the mods can finish that conversation.
My suggestion is this:
Take some time over the next day to reread my two (unbolded) moderation comments. I've explained quite clearly what is needed (two simply pieces of evidence and how that needs to be done).
If you don't want to provide evidence, then please withdraw the claims you made.
If you can do either of those two things then no further ban will be likely.
I've also explained how you can get moderators to look at other comments you think are a problem.
Three further points:
wasting moderator time and/or arguing about moderation are two fast pathways to a ban. If you slow down and read what I said you will see an easy way to get out of premod and how to avoid a ban
You may feel like this is unfair, but I'm cutting you slack here. Other commenters on other topics would have been banned by now.
the Policy says this "This includes making assertions that you are unable to substantiate with some proof (and that doesn’t mean endless links to unsubstantial authorities) or even argue when requested to do so. Such comments may be deleted without warning or one of the alternatives below may be employed. The action taken is completely up to the moderator who takes it."
We don't require pre-emptive evidence with every comment, but anyone here can ask any other commenter for evidence if it hasn't already been provided. The key here is to actually ask, and do so in a clear way that people can understand.
MOD NOTE: It's two days later and you haven't responded. I'm drawing a line under this so I don't have to waste more time on it. You are now out of premod and off the ban list.
This is your final warning. Next time you refuse to provide back up for claims of fact when asked, and/or you ignore moderation, and/or you hassle moderators or try and fight about the moderation, I will simply ban you so that I don't have to waste my time any further. I don't know how long that ban will be, maybe a few weeks or a month. But if you give me grief I will ban you until after the election.
To be very clear, this has nothing to do with the topic. I want you to keep bringing your arguments to TS, you just have to work with the rules like everyone else. This is to do with you ignoring moderation and picking a fight about it.
Anyone else that behaved as you did two says ago would already have been banned, but I'm cutting you slack because I think the debate on TS is better served by you being able to comment than not. There are limits to that however.
Please read this post for how evidence needs to be presented, and ask if you are unclear,
I'm not discounting her right to comment so much as pointing out that she doesn't have the moral high ground.
It's not hard to ascertain what rob, V and I think about say the woman who was assaulted at JB's meeting. You can just ask.
(fwiw I think it was assault and I hope she presses charges. I also think activists need to be aware of the undisciplined situation they are putting themselves in. I expect they already know that, I hope they get strategic about it. There's an opportunity here to use the Justice System to get the JB crowd to shift back into societal protest norms. But that also takes us back to LWS and what the fuck the police were not doing).
But can you tell me what statements DIP have made about the violence at LWS?
The Disinformation Project deals with online calls for violence. Isolated incidences of physical violence at an overwhelmingly peaceful counterprotest is kind of outside their brief.
If there had been an outpouring of murder and rape threats online from NZers against Posie Parker, as there was against the protester who merely poured juice on PP, and against Lal simply for organising a peaceful counterprotest that repeatedly emphasised non-violence, then we would have heard of it from Hannah.
Kate Hannah has every right to speak up about her experience as a woman on line.
But I think" on-line violence" is an oxymoron as violence is physical and happens in the real world (like in Albert Park). Language however hurtful isn't violence and changing the definition of violence is unhelpful. Not to take away from verbal threats of violence which are against the law.
TDP has been very well critiqued in the media, shortly after Posie Parkers visit. The commentators spanned across the left right divide. Then a retired district court judge reviewed their work including their metholodogy and completely discredited them. The DIP exist to re-inforce an indeological narrative and thus their purpose is propaganda. They have likely won a $500,000 contract to carry out this work. Both the fact that they do it and the fact that tax payers pay for it is disgraceful. I hope the new NACT govt cancell their contract or if they can't, don't renew. We have spies that are specialists in monitoring citizens who may be a danger to our society. They are trained to do this job and do it in secret.
While I essentially support your views on this wider subject, I do take issue with;…"as violence is physical and happens in the real world (like in Albert Park). Language however hurtful isn't violence and changing the definition of violence is unhelpful".
A few years back I was involved as a Scout Leader at a Jamboree. A few of our senior female Scouts asked if they could have an all girl patrol. We agreed. For the first two days they were unstoppable, tight, co-operative and happy.
Activities on day 3 included building a raft and going around a buoy and returning. It didn't go well is an understatement. The nasty back-biting and ganging up that occurred was shocking. Often out of earshot or in quiet moments. That evening the patrol members were 're-assigned' to other patrols.
The point I am making (finally) was illustrated at a korero we had at the first night back at Scouts a few weeks later. While not speaking of the events outlined above, a young female Scout observed that "when a female wants to hurt you, you stay hurt".
I know of those who possess a 'wicked tongue', constantly undermining, questioning one's worth or ability and happily highlighting short-comings.
I accept that on-line carry-on is a step away in severity from real world and I have more than a few questions about DIP's beginnings, funders and true motive but words do matter.
Dunno about predictable. Does a rebel get street cred by caving to political pressure?? Tradition has it that he who fights & runs away will live to fight another day, so I guess one ought to acknowledge his pragmatism. A rebel has to learn to develop solidarity in common cause, so maybe that will be his learning curve…
He doesn't seem to have considered the potential conflicts of interest in his multiple board roles
I told Jim the problem I have got is I sit on Te Whakaruruhau and part of my mandate on that board is to be noisy around political stuff. With the election coming forward, there’s going to be more of this, so I said I’m out.”
“Twitter, the text-based social media platform that played an outsized role on society by serving as a digital town square, was killed by its unhinged owner Elon Musk on Sunday. It was 17 years old.
A zombie Twitter, known only as X, reluctantly endures. A warped and disfigured platform, X marches on like a White Walker, an ugly shell of its former self under the command of a loathsome leader.
Whereas Twitter was once a fountain of authoritative information, X is a platform where trolls can pay a small fee to have their ugly content boosted ahead of reputable sources.
X is a platform where identity verification no longer exists and impersonation is only a paid subscription away.”
Under the Chinese Communist Party system, foreign policy is formulated by a high-level official, who then directs the foreign minister to implement it.
So you have a puppeteer & a puppet. Perhaps the minister thought being a protege of Xi gave him more autonomy than his controller deemed appropriate?
"The Earth is basically a lumpy potato," said study coauthor Attreyee Ghosh, a geophysicist and associate professor at the Centre for Earth Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science. "So technically it's not a sphere, but what we call an ellipsoid, because as the planet rotates the middle part bulges outward."
Yeah I read that yesterday. We got taught the oblate spheroid view in college physics (mid-late '60s). That asymmetry is now more complex. I suppose the effect of the anomaly on plate tectonics is the guts of the research. Wait until a modified theory becomes output after the research…
Not me, while I did 6th form physics, I used the class for history revision (an option available to those choosing a new subject in the 7th form year – they allowed a 4 subject UE pass), thus an easy A. E = mc2 and the basics of the atom etc (or was that 4th form, I got an A in 4th form science).
They seem quite aware that they still have something to work out. Modified and or upgraded position and all.
The Taxpayers’ Union has heard from sources that Nicky Hager is working on a bookwhich is focused at the Taxpayers’ Union. We are aware of him approaching former members of staff asking them to breach confidences.
Chairman of the Taxpayers’ Union, Laurie Kubiak said:
[…]
“It is no surprise the Taxpayers’ Union is Mr Hager’s latest target. He is coming for us because we are successful.
“Hager is very good at collecting disparate facts and then weaving them to suit an interpretation using selective and partial use of those facts."
How else can he front as a partisan??
We are successful because we have hundreds of thousands of subscribed supporters, and more than 23,000 donors. There is a very sad history of hacks and theft of data from centre-right groups in New Zealand.
Have-nots hacking haves, ha! As if wealthy folk don't have a right of privacy in the view of leftist hackers. Selective morality is a partisan thing. Hypocrisy.
In the United Kingdom, security services have been more proactive in assisting think tanks to defend themselves from politically motivated cyber-attacks.
An actual bleat! They think they're a think-tank, not just a union. Well then, spend the goddam donations on security like the Brits then! Spit that dummy!
He [Hager] is coming for us [the Taxpayers’ Union] because we are successful.
Does Kubiak consider 'PMs ruling out a CGT or wealth tax' to be a success? Probably.
“Journalists should also be wary of relying on Mr Hager’s claims. His last book Hit & Run, resulted in an enquiry led by a former Supreme Court Judge, and a former Attorney General and Prime Minister. They concluded that the “principal allegations” in Hager’s book “are not accurate”.
– Kubiak [Chairman of the Taxpayers' Union]
Hager has responded. He argues that "after nearly ten years of denials, the Inquiry has confirmed the main allegations in the book Hit & Run." And he concludes "The report contains the most serious findings against the NZSAS and NZDF in their history. This should prompt a lot of soul searching inside the New Zealand Defence Force."
Gordon Campbell doesn't accept the report's findings at all. He has written a scathing response, suggesting it amounts to a whitewash and does not sufficiently deal with the military misadventure and misinformation in question.
Campbell doesn't accept there was no Defence Force cover-up. Furthermore, he does not believe the Defence Force will fix the problems identified: "Can we really expect an organisation with this bunker mentality to reform itself voluntarily, from the inside?"
"This bunker mentality", eh? A fair description of Kubiak's mentality too, imho.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
The Department of Conservation is in greater need of a commissioner than Health NZ, a veteran scientist says The post The risks and rewards of remaking DoC appeared first on Newsroom. ...
"Parker took the opportunity to step aside from that role when cabinet was reshuffled in the wake of Kiri Allan's arrest. He later told reporters that holding the revenue position was untenable."
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/123211/national-party-says-chaotic-government-getting-more-divided-all-time-latest
Some interesting comments under that Interest.co.nz opinion piece:
Jesus wept. What drives capitalists – their 'concerns' about poverty and the planet?
Hmm, what would that lovely Mr Luxon say; he of the seven properties?
Luxon is Supply Side Jesus.
https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx
Thanks Ad, very good – "a supply side Jesus pioneer" + "keep our swords legal"![smiley smiley](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png?x42494)
Why am I unsurprised that the substance of the post remains uncommented upon.
It is a sad moment when a principled stand on the fundamental platform for a fairer society is described by a competent journalist as petulant. Such was the gist of Claire Trevett’s recent Herald piece on David Parker’s exit from the Taxation portfolio. The argument that one must stay silent on fundamental matters to sustain party unity is simply wrong. I understand well why Mr Parker found his position to be untenable in the face of a “Captain’s Call”, a modern initiative, which the Labour Party should, I believe, eschew.
The support for significant taxation reform is now shared across a spectrum from Piketty to Hickey and should be front and centre in Labour’s policy commitments. Delay on this front makes the task harder in the future.
Momentous development in constitutional law:
In a democracy, who holds supreme power? Executive or judiciary? The theory of popular sovereignty holds that the people are supreme, therefore any govt they vote in exercises ultimate power. The theory of the establishment is that constitutional tradition prevails over popular cowboy govts. The Israeli PM is a popular cowboy trying it on. Principled folk would argue he has a mandate to do so. So, the people or the judges?
A quite unremarkable reform that makes it much closer to New Zealand's own system.
No issue.
One has to consider both the powers of the courts and the way in which the judiciary are appointed. The US has the worst of both worlds in terms of the Supreme Court – politically-appointed judges and the power to block legislation. The sanest combination is probably quite limited powers to block legislation and independently-appointed judiciary. I don't know anything about the Israeli Court System so don't know if Netenyahu's changes are in this direction or away from it. No doubt much of the alarm is caused not by the precise constitutional nature of the change, but about who is initiating it and whether it is just the opening gambit.
The scale and persistence of the protests must indicate the lefties there are irrational, I suppose.
It's just a pity that the size of the leftie vote in Israel is no longer on the scale of the protests. Labour is the smallest party in their Knesset with just 4 seats, just above the 3% threshhold. And Meretz is gone. They now have to merge, or risk being seen as vote wasters.
The wider ME sees it as the beginning of the end of the Israeli state. It's certainly the end of the culture which built the homeland state and defended it.
This is beyond the cultural war in the USA. This is their Weimar Republic on the precipice moment.
If there is to be supreme law (like a constitution) and ordinary law, the question arises of what to do when the legislature passes ordinary laws which contradict supreme law, particularly if it is a genuinely unintended consequence.
Obviously that doesn't have to be resolved by the judiciary, but that has become a traditional approach. Could use the NZ approach of referring conflicts back to the legislature to resolve, but if for some reason, there is no resolution, it does call into question the supremacy of a constitution.
AAhh Joe Biden, possibly the most corrupt POTUS in our life time….this guy has no shame…
Gallery Sold Hunter Biden’s Art to Major Dem Donor Appointed to Special Commission by President Biden
"The New York art gallery representing Hunter Biden’s exorbitantly expensive painting collection sold his artwork to a Democratic-donor socialite whom President Biden appointed to a special U.S. commission of international significance.
Despite the assurance of the Biden administration that the president’s son, for ethical reasons, would be left in dark about the identity of his buyers, Hunter later discovered the identities of two of them, sources told Business Insider. One of those two clients received a presidential privilege in the form of a commission placement.
The buyer in question was California investor and philanthropist Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who contributed $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year, Insider reported.
Biden announced Hirsh Naftali’s appointment to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad in July 2022 — eight months after Hunter’s art debuted at the gallery"
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hunter-biden-gallery-sold-art-to-dem-donor-appointed-to-special-commission-by-president-biden/
…and that is just the tip of the iceberg in the USA, of course we all know about the Biden's many and varied super dodgy 'business' dealings in the Ukraine….nothing tosee here folks…well according to RNZ,who of course rarely cover any of this, but of course cover every stupid thing about Trump, like he is somehow any worse than Biden…jeez give me a break!…they are both just stinking piles of shit.
Though I guess Trump's instinct seems to be to keep the US within it's own boarders, which would make the World a safer place for most of the rest of the World, especially for those in the most of the Middle East, most of Asia, most of South America, better they keep the hell out of Europe too as it turns out, so I guess for that one thing alone he could be marginally better…
…if having a more peacful world is your thing that is, which I know isn’t really the bag of the new Liberal imperialist class..but who cares what they think right?
You should find out what Putin has done.
but but…whatboutism!
Putin has children that sell shitty art for nigh on a million dollar to rich donors? got any links to bolster that claim?
But am not discussing Putin here, I am discussing Biden…we get to hear all the bad things about Putin (and Trump) quite regularly enough on western MSM don't you think?
To bad our media seems to believe it is in the business of creating, molding and driving news narratives, rather than just reporting on them and letting the public make up it's on mind…but then it turns out that even people who should react to this fact with dismay…seem to be quite okay with it…and that my friend, is the bit I just don't understand.
Adrian is now the spokesman for the Maga loonies. After 5 years of investigation by Trump appointed investigators there has not one bit of evidence found to incriminate Joe Biden. The two items Hunter has been charged with after those 5 years is a late IRD tax payment which he has since paid and owning a gun that he wasn't entitled to own.
The rest is wild conspiracy Maga rubbish Adrian and you might be wise to avoid any rabbit holes. They trip you up.
So Joe's definately not the…BIG GUY!!![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png?x42494)
Even if Joe was the "Big Guy" that is not evidence of malfeasance.
I have it on good authority, (numerous YouTube interviews with people outside Trump rallies and attending JFK Jr Lives rallies), that Joe is not the President.
I also have it on similarly good authority that the Biden's are a 'crime family' guilty of all sorts of crimes, financial, political, sexual, moral and other stuff so unimaginable you have to make it up.
The answer to any and all dilemmas facing the US is that the most ethical, moral, intellectual, honest, humble, compassionate, altruistic family in US history should be given total reign in that land. Arise King Donald.
Really though, as for them 'both being just stinking piles of shit' because one is, jeez, give us a break.
USA is claimed to be the "greatest democracy" and "leaders of the world" yet sunken into a swamp of fantasy. Worrying to hear a NZF candidate claiming "sexualisation of schoolkids" and "Wokeism " in NZ schools with Winston supporting it on Morning Report.
You might like to have a look at the RSE curriculum and what is being taught in our schools.
"Hutt Valley High’s lessons are based in gender identity theory, an unscientific belief system that seeks to redefine boys and girls. Despite the fact that New Zealand parents are overwhelmingly opposed to gender identity theory, our Ministry of Education has been attempting to introduce these types of lessons across New Zealand. At Hutt Valley High, they have succeeded.
The underlying messages sent by Hutt Valley High’s lessons are that:
These messages are false and potentially harmful. Hutt Valley High’s lessons risk nudging vulnerable adolescents into a descent into lifelong medical dependency."
https://plainsight.nz/what-hutt-valley-high-school-is-teaching-kids-about-sex/?fbclid=IwAR0jpIpsxSjtzHF0X9HamVigmykZm8modZrfcztROrpnL3xfw20lwNh0bbA
The claim is true. I am glad a politcal candidate is speaking up
With you there (possibly for the first time, but with you all the same).
Just a trump corruption reminder..
Trump built skyscrapers in manhattan in the 70's …using undocumented labour ..
Now ..there are two industries that the mafia controlled/profited from…the garbage industry…and the construction industry..
The teamsters union were/are the public face of the mafia..
And there is no way trump could have got away with that…unless he was very well connected ..
Then he built casinos for them to launder their money in..
Trump is 'the most corrupt potus' ..and by a country mile…
And I don't see another coming anywhere near him..
And this is why trump must face the legal consequences from his actions…
If only to protect american democracy .
So that at sometime in the future someone smarter than the orange clown.. doesn't get the chance to do a trump…
"And this is why trump must face the legal consequences from his actions…
If only to protect american democracy"
You can't really be that naive…can you?
My noting of the need for this check to be installed…is not a wholesale endorsement of the american political system..
It is politically agnostic…
And I am noting the imperative that must be driving those pushing for trump to be held to account..
Understand now..?…or do you need more explanation..
Or are you just an apologist for trump..?
What's the corrupt bit?
Dunno Ad.
Similar US isolationist ideas prevailed in the late 1930's and initial stages of WW2. How did that turn out for them?
Are you actually seriously equating this moment in history with the Nazi invasion of Europe and Russia?….holy crap buddy, you must have drunk even more of the Cool Aid than most of the new Liberal pro war crew around these parts….and that really is saying something!
The first article merely showed the White House was concerned about the ethics of the situation.
And the later link, did not show any prior purchase before the appointment, but did note the position gained was an unpaid one.
Like so much that Joe Biden has anything to do with, it looks and smells very much like something really dodgy…even the Washington Post is going to cut Biden free soon it seems..
…pretty sure most US Liberal press will follow suit before long, not only is the man obviously suffering seriously from age related age issues that even the most staunchest Biden supporter can't possibly ignore, he has also obviously been involved in some really dodgy as fuck business dealings with various foreign entities…the guy is damaged good, shit he can't even stay with Trump in the election polls for 2024…or even DeSantis in some polls FFS….
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/2024/
But you lot just keep on telling yourself that I am a Trump troll and Putin puppet if that keeps the lid on (for a little longer) the giant bucket of fermenting bullshit you guys have been sitting on and feeding for so long……but hey, you go right ahead a believe whatever makes you happy.
So we, those others not in lockstep, are all of one category of humanity for you to quickly sum up?
Do you want to be taken seriously, or not?
If it walks like a 'trump troll/putin puppet'..
And if it talks like a 'trump troll/putin puppet'..
It probably is a 'trump/putin puppet'..eh..?..
A victory for the Greens:
Labour seems to have done a positional shift here. I'd welcome views from Labour insiders re any cabinet infighting that produced this shift!
Kate Hannah speaks out about on-line silencing by targetted gender-based violence on the Spinoff.
She talks about her own experience, as founder of the Disibformation Project, and mentions a new UN report on gendered violence, which summarises the outcomes of the negative on-line attacks:
"At a societal level, targetted female and gender-based violence is a threat to open, peaceful, democratic societies. Evidence shows that gendered disinformation and targeted hate campaigns form narratives that go beyond attacks on individual women and LGBTQIA+ people, to attacking their rights more broadly, often with an end goal of polarising and destabilising democratic societies.
It can erode individual and collective rights to participate in shared civic spaces and discourage women from being involved in public life or cause them to self-censor.
It can also increase tensions that lead to violent conflict, with some arguing that online threats against women in public roles should be included as a gender-sensitive early warning indicator for conflict.
There is also a growing body of research showing the specific security threat posed by individuals who perpetrate acts of targeted violence, many of whom display concerning online misogynistic behaviour, domestic violence, or threatening online communication."
The reason the left succumbed to this shit lies in the inertial effect of political psychology: minority rights. The focus in the 1970s was on achievement of recognition of those, then thro the '80s they were integrated via consensual acceptance.
Identity politics morphed this via activist narcissism. Personal subjective views got more media play than shared views built on an ethical basis as common ground.
Consequently the past decade has featured the alphabet soup tribe becoming toxic in a flow of media sensations. The only interesting dimension of the trend is the emergence of collective narcissism as a feature of small minority groups.
Harm done to victims by trendy lefty lynch mobs is indeed a worthy focus for media and all. A corrective remedial force must emerge to deal with the sociopaths.
"Narcissism" you say (twice) – tribal toxicity – trendy lefty lynch mob sociopaths!![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png?x42494)
And something about "alphabet soup"
You should try Incognito's word-salad framing. Works just as well to evade the point. And I wouldn't assume left-wingers are incapable of learning the difference between individual and group narcissism – the analytical trend into discussing that has been percolating along nicely in recent years. Leftists tend to be partial to such academic fashion trends…
Gee, DF, almost like rights should not be universal, but only for the comfy majority. That comfy majority may be buddhist against muslim in Myanmar, hindu against any other religion in India, white against people of colour and sunni against shia (and vv) in many places.
Anywhere that fear is riled up by cynical political actors to gain and maintain power.
Speaking of universal rights, do you believe that the exceptions in the Human Rights Act that enable female-only spaces and services (think Rape Crisis or sport or women's changing rooms at work) should be retained or removed so that TW can have access to those female only things?
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0082/latest/whole.html#DLM304212
https://gal-dem.com/transphobia-in-sexual-violence-services/
In the UK, trans women have used, and volunteered for, rape-crisis and domestic violence organisations. This 2021 article shows the big divide within the UK sector, where on-the-ground non-trans workers disagree with trans-exclusionary policy brought in by management, but fear for their jobs. And that is at a time when the 2010 UK rights legislation clearly prohibits gender-based discrimination.
I disgree with the GC trans exclusionary position held by some here at TS, especially because it has eroded the existing services trans women have had, and used without issue, particularly in the UK and US.
That's taking things away from people. It shows a particularly damaging belief that rights for minority groups somehow take away rights from the majority (Dennis Frank's denounciation of 'identity politics'). Where, instead, I know through changes in my own lifetime, that inclusivity action, by expansion of rights and by equity initiatives, makes our society more diverse and interesting, and better to belong in.
Real-world evidence validates that access of trans women to gendered spaces and services in the last decades has not caused problems from the 100,000 or so trans women in the UK, and the 11,000 trans women in NZ. And self-id in countries like Brazil and Ireland, covering a billion or so people, has not caused floods of penises into bathrooms. Your point about universal rights and 'women-only' spaces is what?
There will always be people manipulated into the "fashions" of the time.
For example NOW’s (National Organisation of Woman – USA) dedication to the equal rights of the feminine gender/women, now incorporates those who are transgender.
And so there are now, women's organisations built around, not doing so.
And predictably there are LGB groups that exclude the transgender and seem to be abandoning the word queer while doing so. All because the established LGBQ added the T.
The word narcissism is one commonly thrown around, to infer some particular knowledge of the psychopathy of others.
This is all the sign, of a certain cultivation of the evolved civilisation sentience, that such matters gain significance. As with the Weimar Republic. Before the retreat back to the old certainties of atavism, or that old time religion, kingdom come. So much washing off of guilt to allow a return to being pure and righteous.
A bit like confession of addiction, to redeem the collective self. As Hollywood Babylon did with the adoption of a Hays Code. And the SEC did after the excesses of Wall Street.
Can someone explain why this post could not be further edited within the 10 minutes?
I’ll continue.
Yet ultimately it is the concept of market forces natural law “order out of chaos”, a god of mammon that humanity is subject to, so that there is a return to innocent acceptance of over-rule – rather than the knowledge/guilt of human dominion.
The great joke on joe public is that the elites manipulate the market all the time to take advantage of it, to grow their own wealth.
It’s all propaganda designed to diminish the power of voters, so elites can retain privilege.
Of course the people are given something to vote against, hate on, so their consent can be seen to be made.
Mostly agree DF
Cool. The interesting thing about political commentary is the inter-generational context. Folks get socially conditioned to a norm, then the co-construction of social reality shifts into consolidating a different norm. So if there's areas of similar views across generations, there's also significant differences.
Those differences can be experienced as a barrier or divide, yet also explored for potential to articulate further common ground by resolving the differences. As a centrist within the Greens I had to establish common ground with the leftists & thereby learnt the art of consensus-building via practical politics.
The notion of intersectionality is what differentiates minority politics nowadays from that era of 30 years back. The sociopolitical system has gotten more complex. We just had the red-green & blue-green dimension plus the pale Green & deep Green dimension – along with the leftist/centrist divide that caused the Values Party schism in the '70s and has persisted since then.
Who watches the watchers?
Who defines what is hate speech, disinformation, propaganda?
Who should be the moral arbiters of public discourse?
Who elected Kate Hannah?
It's a bit rich for her to complain about misogyny in the darker corners of the internet when the "young NZer of the Year" and a bunch of left wing activists openly assaulted women in Albert Park earlier this year and cancelled their right to speak in public. And a few days ago the MSM colluded again to suppress a pretty mild ad from Family First stating basic biological reality.
Disinformation indeed.
(stating it plainly: IMO the Disinfo Project has morphed into a propaganda attack on free speech and an organ of elite narratives – especially focussed on othering dissidents and whistleblowers – the antithesis of open democratic discourse & the fourth estate’s duty to hold the powerful to account)
Imho it's a bit rich to assert that "the young NZer of the Year" assaulted women in Albert Park earlier this year – "Disinformation indeed"?
Nice misinterpretation there. I think you missed the point
https://democracyproject.nz/2023/04/12/bryce-edwards-the-need-to-take-disinformation-seriously/
To clarify: Lal endorsed the misogynistic Albert Park violence and subsequent cover-up.
No, you accused a particular person of assaulting others at an event.
This is either true, or not true.
Lal was a part of the whole debacle. AFAIK "they" did not directly assault anyone. Personally I am more concerned about the violence and coverups than litigating one sentence I wrote
Your link provides no supporting evidence for either assertion.
ignoring & justifying violence against women is not a great look mate.
Alex Penk and Brendon fn O'Neil of the Spectator. Really.
Relevance to your claims about …
You said,
None of the links you have provided support this assertion. Because you are making a specific claim about a public figure, you have to be able to back that up now.
When you do, please provide the quote as well as the link.
Damien Grant: We're having a free speech moment. It isn't going well | Stuff.co.nz
Why would you want to cancel Shaneel Lal? – Plain Sight – Dane Giraud
Lal's tweets about "Terfs" are inflammatory and celebrate the Albert Park mob.
thank-you. And thanks for just going and doing that instead of arguing about it or not doing it, this mod is very grateful.
You said,
I’m not aware that Lal assaulted anyone. I agree he is partially responsible for the set up for the violence that happened, and that’s different from assaulting people.
The truth is sufficient, we don’t have to embellish it. I’m going to make a mod statement soon, because all sides at the moment are making exaggerated declaratory statements without evidence and it has to stop. It’s a significant drain on my moderator time, and it also drags TS commentariat into the culture war instead of upholding robust debate.
@roblogic
Let's hope your own smear campaign against Lal (reinforcement of the message of Grant et al) does not incite any violence, given you think there is correlation between having a position and what others do.
Lal used his considerable media reach to preach terf=nazi bigot. It wasn’t simply a position, it was activism and propaganda.
Both sides need to calm the fuck down. I have some hope that people like rob will. I have no sense that people like Lal will until they get slapped down. The response from Spark was a good public embarrassment for him, I doubt that he will have learned much but in time the tide will shift on the kind of extreme position he takes, because of the kinds of actions it leads to.
I will keep that in mind for the next time I am explicitly inciting a riot, given my massive platform and public profile.
The crowd seemed intent on making noise and kettling the protest, little more.
They were was no attempt to chase anyone out, nor any attempt to organise any attack (no one came armed) and what incidents there were were inter-personal apart from some jostling of the K-J K's protection team on the way out.
Any smears seem to have been of a two way street.
100% Roblogic
She makes the mistake of thinking that there is something called LGBTQA++++ and that their interests are all the same. In reality, the L, G and B are same sex attracted and everything south of there is straight.
Our rights as same sex attracted people rest on the idea that same-sex attraction is real and normal and should be afforded the same rights and respect as heterosexuality. That is all we want – the same rights as straight people.
Good comment. Analytical flair in the culture wars really ought to balance a differential tendency with an integral tendency otherwise it remains inherently partial. Since culture arises from commonality, human groups can't survive easily without doing both concurrently. In geopolitics, the splitter syndrome wears the technical term balkanisation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkanization
I suspect culture wars aren't much fun for most participants (harm done) but are entertaining for splitters. When minority group leaders are splitters rather than consensus builders, they produce toxicity.
Funny that both Visubversa and roblogic are happy to discount gender-based online calls for violence because of the person making that message.
If you attack people and groups right to exist, not their ideas, then that is open discrimination. I detest Posie Parker because of her manipulative provacateur actions and some extreme violent comments she made against trans people, and has never apopogised for. I don't call for her annihilation (as she threatens women who disagree with her). I don't threaten her with violence, I challenge her disgusting views.
And baby with bathwater. Hannah opposes violent anti-gender online speech in her commentary, which in number primarily attacks women. By trying to discount that message because of the messenger, VS and RL (and now others here) expose their discrimination for us to see. Baby with bathwater.
This is a good point. It's why I focus on gender identity ideology and its impacts on women rather than focussing on trans people.
That's not it though. The disagreement isn't because it's Hannah making it, it's because the DIP is so partisan and not honest about that.
For instance, Visubversa's critique is that the DIP using LGBTQI+ framing creates significant problems for homosexual people. It's the ideas within LGBTQI+ that push the problems. We've not been allowed to talk about that freely thanks to No Debate, and now we have a progressive org enforcing homophobic ideology. That's all legit critique.
Likewise, rob is pointing to the ideological positioning of the DIP.
I'm all for not focussing on Hannah and the DIP and talking about the ideology, but in the absence of that conversation, there will be push back against orgs and people who are actively suppressing debate and refusing to engage with critique of their positions. The only way left to respond to that is to push harder.
This is a ridiculous claim. It's equivalent to the argument that prioritising Māori and Pasifika to improve inequitable health outcomes is racist.
The bandying about of the 'ideology' term ignores that those who are endlessly claiming there is 'No Debate' are also followers of an ideology, one that seeks to exclude trans people, supported by such 'progressive' organisations as Family First.
as an example, there are lesbians being pressured to like girl dick. Please explain to me how this is not homophobic?
The Disinformation Project is 'pressuring lesbians to like girl dick'? That is your claim?
Even if I accept your framing of an uncited example, no one is or is even capable of forcing anyone to be attracted to anyone else. That said, plenty of trans people aren't straight, being trans isn't a sexuality. Just like plenty of bisexuals are in straight relationships but are still part of the community.
No, they have an ideological position which supports the subculture that is shifting the definition of homosexuality from same sex attracted to same gender attracted.
You said you wanted to talk about ideas, that's what I'm doing. I'm talking about those ideas play out in RL with unintended consequences. Have you heard about the cotton ceiling?
Of course. They can try though, which is why we have conversion therapy legislation.
I will ask you again, how is pressuring lesbians to like girl dick not homophobic?
This is a textbook leading question but I will answer it however your ideological position will prevent you from accepting the answers:
No lesbian has – or ever has had, a penis. They can call themselves a "lesbian" until the end of time but nobody can be forced to believe them. Your "evidence" has the language of gender ideology and is therefore reflective of a homophobic cult.
And you have no evidence but your own exclusionary ideology. Your argument is circular, your antipathy to the existence of people different from you is transphobic. You can hold these beliefs but they do not reflect the views of the majority of people.
I go on about No Debate, but my ideology is that of gender critical feminism, not RW gender conservatism. Do you know what the difference is?
It says much that you are unaware of the strong left wing GC movement, and all the work it is doing to push back against the conservatives positions on gender.
Why do you insist on making claims about what I am aware of?
I mentioned Family First as they were cited by RL. I note that you haven’t pushed back on that.
Because it's preferable to saying that you appear to be intentionally misleading the debate.
Do you know what the difference is between conservative positions and left wing GC ones?
Push back on what? He pointed to the problem of the MSM collaborating to refuse advertising to something that was pretty mild. Do you think that didn't happen?
I have been very critical of the Parliament protests and its disgraceful misogyny and violence. And quite harsh on Julian Batchelor and his anti Maori crusade.
I am an equal opportunity critic of bullshitters.
Posie Parker probably belongs in the “BS” category too, but that doesn’t justify the way that she and her supporters were treated in Aotearoa.
this is a very clear and useful comment.
Bisexuals are definitionally not 'sex attracted'.
The vast majority of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supportive of, and not concerned at all about the existence of trans people or any supposed 'ideology'.
The queer community has always included trans people and efforts to exclude them are ahistorical, confused and ideological.
What makes you think this?
I agree about the queer community comment, but do you accept that there are significant numbers of LGB people who don't ID as queer and don't see themselves as part of that community?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/02-06-2023/vast-majority-of-new-zealanders-believe-trans-people-should-be-protected-from-discrimination-poll
Can you quantify 'significant'? Otherwise what makes you think that?
That's my understanding too. That's not the same as "The vast majority of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supportive of, and not concerned at all about the existence of trans people or any supposed 'ideology'."
When we look at yougov polling in the UK, it's very clear that most people support the human rights of trans people (as above), and draw the line at TWAW and accessing women's changing rooms.
Have a look at what happens to women's positions when they understand that a TW can be a man with no surgical treatment.
this is worth highlighting. You appear to think that people who object to TWAW are inherently anti-trans human rights. They're not.
My example is the 'vast majority' of NZers, which automatically includes LGB NZers.
The UK is not the same as NZ.
You have failed to quantify your claim of 'significance' and you again make up claims about my beliefs.
I know what you did, but I countered that by pointing out that your vidence didn't match your claim.
I then made the argument that most people support trans rights but don't support transgressions of women's rights and I provided a reputable polling company in a similar country.
Yes, the UK isn't NZ. We don't do adequate polling on this in NZ. I wonder why.
Just been dealing with other things, will get to it in a while.
Here's some UK evidence then:
https://www.justlikeus.org/blog/2023/03/31/trans-day-of-visibility-ally-lesbian/
You are confusing the past – when the vast majority of trans people were gay men at a time when sex between men was unlawful and some of them internalised their homophobia and "transed away the Gay". There were also a few lesbians who endeavoured to be more like men for personal protection and/or at the bequest of their "straight acting" girlfriends. All these people were same sex attracted and very much part of the LGB community.
Today, with Homosexual Law Reform and Marriage Equality, there is no longer the impetus for that kind of "gay conversion therapy". Today's trans identifying people are quite different. Many are heterosexual, the men have wives and children and when they "identify" as women, they also identify as lesbians. The same with many of the young women who reject the pornified and oppressive female gender roles of today and seek to identify their way out of their oppression. They identify as gay men and then have problems finding sexual partners as they do not have when gay men want.
It is this kind of sexual repression and resentment that drives a lot of the vitriol – particularly against lesbians who are just not interested in a "transbian".
Society has always had its narrative order.
One stated that homosexuality was caused by idolatry and those of faith therefore could not be homosexual.
Another that if there was a bad harvest blaming a woman could give the community hope as they waited for another harvest.
But eventually science comes to the party and explains the natural world and human biology, chemistry and psyche a little better.
Reckons are useful, and each individual has them.
There was a period of common cause – it was of course the equal rights and protections for people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sex, sexuality or gender identity.
It seems to be a separation between sexuality and gender identity, as to common cause. As if their equal rights and or protection could conflict.
All fine, but then there is the common cause with those who deny any reality (or normality) to gender identity where this is different to biological sex.
Sorry – what reality/normality is there in the idea that people have a "gendered soul" which supersedes biological reality? Where is the test for this "gender reality"?
The truth about your sex is in every drop of your blood. If you are going to state that something should overcome that – you better have a good definition of it and some sort of ability to prove it.
Thanks for so explicitly, explaining my point.
Thanks for demonstrating that you have no arguement. You are welcome to believe in gender ideology – I am welcome to not believe in it.
That I have not made a case, is not evidence that I have no argument. It's not the point being discussed, which was related to the end of common cause.
I'm with roblogic on this one. The moral high ground to make these statements was lost because of the lack of condemnation of the male violence against women at LWS in Auckland, as well as the use of violence to prevent NZ women from speaking.
It's just too jarring, and imo what Hannah is doing with this partisan approach is engaging in the culture war.
Rather a fallacious argument to discount Hannah's right to comment on gender-based online violence, weka. By that same logic, VS and RB are disbarred from any comments on this topic because they have not denounced the actual physical violence against a woman exercising her right to freedom of expression in Batchelor's PN meeting.
Hannah is in an excellent position to make an informed comment: she works with this revolting material every day.
I do not discount Hannah's personal right to comment, no doubt she has experienced some of the worst dregs of humanity online. But her article turns a blind eye to others not of her political persuasion and the equal amount of shit they have to deal with.
Has that person defined the women that they speak of? female women, male women, non binary women of both sexes?
IF not, it's meaningless drivel.
And females getting bullied, what else is new, i mean this is NZ a country with sky high domestic violence stats.
As or Albert Park the only ones that were getting the bash there were the middle aged women – maori and pakeha – that came for a meeting of their peers to a public park. Not a single male women or a single female man were harmed.
Not true, a known neo-nazi the crowd pushed around a tiny woman counter-protest marshall. He continued to harass her physically until a trans woman in blue gave him a good punch on the shoulder, after talking with the marshall briefly.
Apart from this, the juice incident, the young man who punched the woman, the motorbike hit on Marama, and thuggish behaviour by Posie supporters, the Brian Tamaki mob, where is the orchestrated anti-woman violence in the counter-protest in the thousands, in which many ‘bio’ women came along to protest noisily against PP.
you need to provide the evidence for those. Putting you in premod until you do. The MSM made a mess of reporting this, so we may as well get it sorted out now. I'm not doubting you so much as wanting clarity and to sort out the facts from the hyperbole (feel free to point me to other comments that need to provide evidence too).
Evidence means,
Each claim means,
Saw the harassment of the marshall 'with my own eyes' on an extensive video analysis, virtually frame-by-frame on BHN. The man was post-incident id’d as a neo-nazi.
Unfortunately BHN has taken down their clip, so I cannot say any more than I was an eye-witness to credible visuals that clearly showed this sequence of events. I have discussed these events at TS before weka
Are you using your site capacity to censor my posts with no warning ? Where is my post on UK media?
No, I'm not censoring you, you're in premod, which means none of your comments will appear until you've provided evidence. This is to make sure that people provide back up for claims of fact (see the site Policy) and don't create work for the mods having to chase them up. We've been using this method for a long time.
In this case you have explained why you can't provide evidence, but I'm going to ask you to link to the person and place that used to have the video up.
You also need to provide evidence for the last claim in my list.
I've explained moderation and expectations to you before.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15-06-2023/#comment-1954626
I'm not willing to allow such loose claims of fact on such a controversial topic. Again, if you see other people needing to be pulled up on this please let one of the mods know (we will need a link to the specific comment and a brief explanation).
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, weka. Where is your evidence/link that trans lesbians are pressuring 'real' lesbians into sex? And where is Anker's link for the former judge discrediting the Disinformation Project?
You ARE censoring me if you hold only me to your moderator standard of providing proof (in a debate you hold a contrary position on, I point out), but do not hold yourself or others who continue a thread I initiated this morning to the same requirement.
This is now being discussed in the back end. I'm going to ban you for 24 hours so the mods can finish that conversation.
My suggestion is this:
Take some time over the next day to reread my two (unbolded) moderation comments. I've explained quite clearly what is needed (two simply pieces of evidence and how that needs to be done).
If you don't want to provide evidence, then please withdraw the claims you made.
If you can do either of those two things then no further ban will be likely.
I've also explained how you can get moderators to look at other comments you think are a problem.
Three further points:
"This includes making assertions that you are unable to substantiate with some proof (and that doesn’t mean endless links to unsubstantial authorities) or even argue when requested to do so. Such comments may be deleted without warning or one of the alternatives below may be employed. The action taken is completely up to the moderator who takes it."
We don't require pre-emptive evidence with every comment, but anyone here can ask any other commenter for evidence if it hasn't already been provided. The key here is to actually ask, and do so in a clear way that people can understand.
https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/
MOD NOTE: It's two days later and you haven't responded. I'm drawing a line under this so I don't have to waste more time on it. You are now out of premod and off the ban list.
This is your final warning. Next time you refuse to provide back up for claims of fact when asked, and/or you ignore moderation, and/or you hassle moderators or try and fight about the moderation, I will simply ban you so that I don't have to waste my time any further. I don't know how long that ban will be, maybe a few weeks or a month. But if you give me grief I will ban you until after the election.
To be very clear, this has nothing to do with the topic. I want you to keep bringing your arguments to TS, you just have to work with the rules like everyone else. This is to do with you ignoring moderation and picking a fight about it.
Anyone else that behaved as you did two says ago would already have been banned, but I'm cutting you slack because I think the debate on TS is better served by you being able to comment than not. There are limits to that however.
Please read this post for how evidence needs to be presented, and ask if you are unclear,
https://thestandard.org.nz/moderation-notes-in-election-year/
I'm not discounting her right to comment so much as pointing out that she doesn't have the moral high ground.
It's not hard to ascertain what rob, V and I think about say the woman who was assaulted at JB's meeting. You can just ask.
(fwiw I think it was assault and I hope she presses charges. I also think activists need to be aware of the undisciplined situation they are putting themselves in. I expect they already know that, I hope they get strategic about it. There's an opportunity here to use the Justice System to get the JB crowd to shift back into societal protest norms. But that also takes us back to LWS and what the fuck the police were not doing).
But can you tell me what statements DIP have made about the violence at LWS?
The Disinformation Project deals with online calls for violence. Isolated incidences of physical violence at an overwhelmingly peaceful counterprotest is kind of outside their brief.
If there had been an outpouring of murder and rape threats online from NZers against Posie Parker, as there was against the protester who merely poured juice on PP, and against Lal simply for organising a peaceful counterprotest that repeatedly emphasised non-violence, then we would have heard of it from Hannah.
This comment highlights why we really need to "let women speak" for themselves rather than believe everything that outfits like TDIP spoon feed us.
Here are a couple of items you won’t see in the NZ news:
https://twitter.com/ReduxxMag/status/1616910618703040514?s=20
https://reduxx.info/new-zealand-womens-rights-campaigner-mobbed-attacked-by-trans-activists/
Sure the DIP deals with online information/activity that relates to incitement to violence here (not overseas).
In so far as public events/activities here, any threats or planning of acts of violence.
Kate Hannah has every right to speak up about her experience as a woman on line.
But I think" on-line violence" is an oxymoron as violence is physical and happens in the real world (like in Albert Park). Language however hurtful isn't violence and changing the definition of violence is unhelpful. Not to take away from verbal threats of violence which are against the law.
TDP has been very well critiqued in the media, shortly after Posie Parkers visit. The commentators spanned across the left right divide. Then a retired district court judge reviewed their work including their metholodogy and completely discredited them. The DIP exist to re-inforce an indeological narrative and thus their purpose is propaganda. They have likely won a $500,000 contract to carry out this work. Both the fact that they do it and the fact that tax payers pay for it is disgraceful. I hope the new NACT govt cancell their contract or if they can't, don't renew. We have spies that are specialists in monitoring citizens who may be a danger to our society. They are trained to do this job and do it in secret.
While I essentially support your views on this wider subject, I do take issue with;…"as violence is physical and happens in the real world (like in Albert Park). Language however hurtful isn't violence and changing the definition of violence is unhelpful".
A few years back I was involved as a Scout Leader at a Jamboree. A few of our senior female Scouts asked if they could have an all girl patrol. We agreed. For the first two days they were unstoppable, tight, co-operative and happy.
Activities on day 3 included building a raft and going around a buoy and returning. It didn't go well is an understatement. The nasty back-biting and ganging up that occurred was shocking. Often out of earshot or in quiet moments. That evening the patrol members were 're-assigned' to other patrols.
The point I am making (finally) was illustrated at a korero we had at the first night back at Scouts a few weeks later. While not speaking of the events outlined above, a young female Scout observed that "when a female wants to hurt you, you stay hurt".
I know of those who possess a 'wicked tongue', constantly undermining, questioning one's worth or ability and happily highlighting short-comings.
I accept that on-line carry-on is a step away in severity from real world and I have more than a few questions about DIP's beginnings, funders and true motive but words do matter.
I actually agree Gsays. Verbal harrasment can be devastating.
No question.
And Jason Ake has quit. Well that was predictable.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/rnz-board-member-jason-ake-quits-telling-board-chair-i-wont-be-constrained-because-im-on-a-crown-board/4ZEWHO5WXJF3NCGKRQZC3YCJ6E/
Dunno about predictable. Does a rebel get street cred by caving to political pressure?? Tradition has it that he who fights & runs away will live to fight another day, so I guess one ought to acknowledge his pragmatism. A rebel has to learn to develop solidarity in common cause, so maybe that will be his learning curve…
Incapable of reading the job description;
should never have put himself forward for nomination.
Na it'll be another case of the effects colonialism and white people, not recognizing Akes right to do things differently
Sure the job description is designed to prevent any capacity to have any relevance.
Empty chairs at empty tables. Sums up what so much of bureaucracy has become.
He doesn't seem to have considered the potential conflicts of interest in his multiple board roles
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/rnz-board-member-jason-ake-quits-telling-board-chair-i-wont-be-constrained-because-im-on-a-crown-board/4ZEWHO5WXJF3NCGKRQZC3YCJ6E/
And, given the publicity around Rob Campbell earlier this year, he really should have….
CNN posts "obituary" for twitter
Doing in plain light of day what his satellites are doing to the night.
Not only the night, 100% cell coverage world wide!!! No where to hide.
Missing, last seen with this man
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/13061/production/_130412977_b17e095d-a7dd-4c86-8e23-d15aded671b2.jpg.webp
Mr Qin Gang attended a series of events in June including meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
There is a new foreign minister of China, the old one 2013-2022.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-66299379
The more recent one, apparently gave our Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta a major dressing during her visit to Beijing in March.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/nanaia-mahuta-received-dressing-down-from-chinese-foreign-minister-reports/QLPJDQEJ5JEQJLQT4UMA7E6M4Q/
Old Arawa saying, when hosting woman of the Tainui, …do not shout so loud that one can later only whisper when the man comes to town.
PS – we could respect the man from Foggybottom, but we know the man with the resignation shadow, the wise feed him.
I liked this bit:
So you have a puppeteer & a puppet. Perhaps the minister thought being a protege of Xi gave him more autonomy than his controller deemed appropriate?
And of course to Xi, your and my policy was sound – but he could not make it work, so it's on him.
Those who realised that a rent freeze was the best way to manage the cost of living crisis were right.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2023/07/trade-me-data-kiwi-renters-paying-2600-more-a-year-than-last-year.html
Greedy/grasping rent-rackers are running amuck…
Expecting them to act in a reasonable/fair manner is delusional..
Rent-freezing/wofs are the minimum actions urgently needed..
Proof the earthling is a potato head.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/07/there-s-a-gravity-hole-in-the-indian-ocean-and-scientists-now-think-they-know-why/_jcr_content/par/image.dynimg.full.q75.jpg/v1690227217696/cnn-GRAVITY-HOLE-1120.jpg
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/07/there-s-a-gravity-hole-in-the-indian-ocean-and-scientists-now-think-they-know-why.html?ref=ves-nextauto
Yeah I read that yesterday. We got taught the oblate spheroid view in college physics (mid-late '60s). That asymmetry is now more complex. I suppose the effect of the anomaly on plate tectonics is the guts of the research. Wait until a modified theory becomes output after the research…
Not me, while I did 6th form physics, I used the class for history revision (an option available to those choosing a new subject in the 7th form year – they allowed a 4 subject UE pass), thus an easy A. E = mc2 and the basics of the atom etc (or was that 4th form, I got an A in 4th form science).
They seem quite aware that they still have something to work out. Modified and or upgraded position and all.
Yes please.
The Taxpayers’ Union has heard from sources that Nicky Hager is working on a book which is focused at the Taxpayers’ Union. We are aware of him approaching former members of staff asking them to breach confidences.
Chairman of the Taxpayers’ Union, Laurie Kubiak said:
[…]
“It is no surprise the Taxpayers’ Union is Mr Hager’s latest target. He is coming for us because we are successful.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2307/S00177/pre-election-books-avoiding-false-impressions.htm
Could be fun.
How else can he front as a partisan??
Have-nots hacking haves, ha! As if wealthy folk don't have a right of privacy in the view of leftist hackers. Selective morality is a partisan thing. Hypocrisy.
An actual bleat! They think they're a think-tank, not just a union. Well then, spend the goddam donations on security like the Brits then! Spit that dummy!
Is that the same tax papers union that that took the wage subsidie ?
Surly a national party stalking horse would be squeaky clean!!!
Does Kubiak consider 'PMs ruling out a CGT or wealth tax' to be a success? Probably.
"This bunker mentality", eh? A fair description of Kubiak's mentality too, imho.
"Breaches of confidence", do employees have to sign contracts to keep their knowledge of the TU to themselves?
"Centre-right organisations as victims of cyber attacks" … oh so it is a centre-right organisation then …
Otago Regional Council's staff tell the Council that banning dairy farming in some areas needs to be an option.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/dairying-gun-river-action-urged
So it's not just Green Party policy, it's also official advice to one of the worst and most dysfunctional regional councils in the country.
The case for banning the mobiles from schools.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2023/07/newshub-nation-researcher-says-social-media-changing-kids-brains-wants-it-treated-like-other-addictive-substances.html
With you there (possibly for the first time, but with you all the same).
According to news reports, the Long Bay snapper poacher was warned 5 times by DoC staff about his illegal activities.
Shows what a stern rebuke will do, doesn't it?
I doubt if the $4,000 fine will be paid, unless he poaches more fish to get the dosh, making the whole judicial process a laughing stock.