Open mike 26/10/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 26th, 2022 - 87 comments
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87 comments on “Open mike 26/10/2022 ”

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  1. pat 1
    26 October 2022 at 6:58 am

    "… And thus we return to the perpetual paradox of power: only people who want it seek it. But it should never be given to people who want it."

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/130270773/reminded-that-power-should-never-be-given-to-those-who-want-it

    “What can the people do about it? Nothing much. Only sigh, laugh, shake their heads and go to market, just as they’ve always done.”

  2. Jimmy 2
    26 October 2022 at 7:27 am

    "It's getting worse. When Labour was elected, less than one in 10 patients waited longer than six hours to be seen at an emergency department. Now, nearly one in four wait longer than six hours."

    Yes Andrew, it is a crisis. You have made it worse.

    "Dr Sandy Richardson, the former chair of the College of Emergency Nurses, said the situation is now dangerous."

    Little 'doing lots of things' as new figures reveal one in four waiting longer than six hours to be treated at ED (msn.com)

    • gsays 2.1
      26 October 2022 at 8:26 am

      I must admit to feeling sad then a little pissed off yesty.

      Sad to hear of the plight of a wee 4 yr old and his parents being failed by our health system. ( In no way is this a criticism of the front line workers.)

      Then pissed off hearing Reti and Dr Doolittle squabble in the house.

      Decades of underfunding, and DHB governance overseen by accountant types worshipping the $ and serving the budgets.

      Kiddies dying and Robertson is proud of his surplus….

      • Jimmy 2.1.1
        26 October 2022 at 9:27 am

        The problem for Andrew is, it has got so much worse under his (and David Clark's) watch over the last 5 years. You cant keep blaming "9 years of neglect". You may as well blame the Muldoon govt back in the seventies!

        • Sacha 2.1.1.1
          26 October 2022 at 10:54 am

          Almost as if we have had a once in a century public health emergency over the last 5 years..

          • gsays 2.1.1.1.1
            26 October 2022 at 11:24 am

            C'mon Sacha, get real, this has been going on well before Te Virus.

            In fact the impending virus provided a much needed break from the regular under-staffed over-worked norm.

            • Sacha 2.1.1.1.1.1
              26 October 2022 at 11:31 am

              Well before the virus, when the previous govt deliberately ran down the health system, you mean? Sure was. Takes many years to turn it around. Now health workforce is in demand all over the world and a dangerous job.

              • gsays …
                26 October 2022 at 11:50 am

                Try putting yr red pom poms down for a moment and consider the backwards slide our system has gone through in the last 4 decades.

                • woodart …
                  26 October 2022 at 9:57 pm

                  in the last four decades our population has doubled, health costs have blown out hugely(go into an operating theatre(p.n. hospital has ten) and figure out how much all the gizmo's cost, you wont be anywhere near correct). all meds have ballooned in costs, all western countries are short staffed medically. fun fact, the asthma inhaler that costs me $5 because the gov subsidizes it costs $100 u.s. in the u.s.. the health system is a black hole that swallows up as much money as you can throw in it. getting rid of the different health boards is a big forward step, but NO government will EVER keep ahead of the problem. the english voted for brexit fooled by the lie that the money saved would bail out their health system. hows that working out????

        • gsays 2.1.1.2
          26 October 2022 at 11:20 am

          Muldoon may be a stretch but every government since then has adhered to this neo-liberal experiment.

          Ryall, Clark, Hodgson, King,Coleman Creech, none can hold their heads high.

        • Jenny are we there yet 2.1.1.3
          26 October 2022 at 4:27 pm

          '

          "You cant keep blaming "9 years of neglect". You may as well blame the Muldoon govt back in the seventies!" Jimmy

          As the old joke goes:

          “George Washington is the only US president who didn’t blame the previous administration for all his difficulties”

          Considering that this administration is the first administration to have full control of the house since the introduction of MMP. This administration can't trot out the "handbrake" excuse.

          Writing in 2020 before the last election, Bernard Hicky proves presentiment in laying out this adminstration’s chosen trajectory:

          A painful handbrake? Or a perfect alibi?

          Bernard Hicky, August 26 2020

          ….Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will have to decide soon whether she wants the second term of her Labour-led coalition to be about policy reform or simply about managing the status quo, and whether she is confident enough in Labour's popularity to propose 'transformational' policies….

          She will have to decide if she is a true Labour reformer, or just a manager of the status quo, MMP-style. ….

          Wednesday's confirmation that New Zealand First has blocked Labour's preference for a NZ Superannuation-led 'Public Public Partnership' to build a $6 billion transformational rail-led redevelopment of the Auckland isthmus is just the latest of a series of handbrake turns.

          They include: commercial rent relief for smaller retailers; a vehicle feebate scheme to encourage new electric car purchases; 90-day trials for new employees for smaller businesses; welfare reform; benefits for jobless migrants; blocking visa variations to allow out-of-work migrants to switch employers; delaying a second round of gun reforms; blocking reforms to sexual violence law reforms; stopping cameras from being rolled out on fishing boats; stopping farming's inclusion in the emissions trading scheme; tougher water quality rules; and reform of the 'three strikes' law reform.

          That's not forgetting the ultimate handbrake on Labour's Capital Gains Tax reform,…

          https://www.newsroom.co.nz/1248395/a-painful-handbrake-or-a-perfect-alibi

          The perfect excuse for not implementing 'transformational policy' is gone, So what is Labour's alibi for managing the (neoliberal) status quo, now?

          'It's the last lots fault’?.

    • Hunter Thompson II 2.2
      26 October 2022 at 9:25 am

      Will the new Maori Health Authority be the solution to the problem? Or is it just another bureaucratic restructuring combined with political virtue-signaling?

      I suspect we will get more highly-paid officials sitting in Wellington as the hospital waiting lists grow longer, but only time will tell. Economist Brian Easton has described the government policy as a "redisorganisation."

      • Anker 2.2.1
        26 October 2022 at 9:35 am

        Hunter Thompson 11. The answer to your first two questions: No and Yes.

        We are already getting more highly paid officials sitting in Wellington and the hospital lists are growing longer by the day. Time is already telling us, Little and Labour think if they set up a new authority, ministry, whatever then this will magically translate into solutions. Brian Easton is right. But the worst part of all this is that our health system will deteriorate further and further.

      • Sacha 2.2.2
        26 October 2022 at 10:57 am

        Will the new Maori Health Authority be the solution to the problem?

        Only has to solve one problem. Let's not ignore the rest of the system.

    • Anker 2.3
      26 October 2022 at 9:29 am

      But wait Jimmy………we have a brand new lovely Health Authority that is going to bring health equity to all! Andrew Little to the rescue! As health professionals leave the sinking ship, the shiny new NZ Health (with their drag Queen kaoreke evenings because they are so inclusive) are in a meeting right now to discuss…….god knows what, but I hear NZ Health is in absolute chaos.

      And probably Mr Little will bring health equity to all NZders, because the lack of health staff will mean we all get equally bad health options eg longer wait times across all ED in the country.

    • mpledger 2.4
      26 October 2022 at 10:43 am

      So, what are you doing to save the health system? Are you still wearing masks so you don't pass covid-19 around? Are you still cleaning your hands before entering and leaving any new location?

      Hospitals are under stress because covid-19 hasn't magically gone away, in fact we are at the start of another upswing.

      https://tinyurl.com/2p8yvae5 (Financial Times data)

      There is not a lot money can do at the moment because we can't magic up a medical workforce and facilities to deal with the extra peaks in sickness due to covid-19. The only way to deal with it is to do all you can not to get covid-19 and not to spread covid-19.

      But people are happy to make it someone else's problem because caring for the welfare of others, by even the simplest of strategies, is too hard.

      • gsays 2.4.1
        26 October 2022 at 11:57 am

        The workforce is part of the solution, and all the minister can come up with is … getting more migrants

        Howzabout offering complimentary training and support payments to those we need in the health workforce. Maori and P.I. Stay on for 2/3/5 years and you owe nothing.

        Here in Palmy, we have a high Bhutanese population. These migrant's children don't see a way for them to upskill to nursing because the cost is a barrier

        • mpledger 2.4.1.1
          26 October 2022 at 12:49 pm

          The problem is now because covid-19 is now.

          We can't wait 3-5 years time when college kids leaving school this term get through a nursing program and are competent enough to work. Or in 20 years when immigrant kids starting school now get through a medical degree and are competent doctors.

  3. observer 3
    26 October 2022 at 7:40 am

    This is fun. 82% reject National's tax cuts!

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/10/have-your-say-do-you-want-tax-cuts.html

    Of course these polls are meaningless. In the past they've been rigged by the Right, and an official complaint to the Media Council was upheld:

    https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/jenny-kirk-against-mediaworks-newshub/

    Perhaps this one was rigged by the Left. Cool. The people have spoken!

  4. Sanctuary 4
    26 October 2022 at 9:33 am

    A few apologies to the PM in order, I would think.

    "…But Newshub understands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deliberately toned down her criticism to avoid upsetting the regime and jeopardising the release of the two Kiwis…"

    • Anne 4.1
      26 October 2022 at 10:18 am

      Well what that story tells me: there is one response for the rich and famous and another for the rest of us. That does not mean to say NZ officials wouldn't bother to rescue us poor folk, but maybe not with the same level of determination?

      Mind you the rest of us wouldn't be so stupid as to go there in the first place given the Foreign Office has warned NZers to stay away from Iran since 2020.

      • Sanctuary 4.1.1
        26 October 2022 at 11:28 am

        "…there is one response for the rich and famous and another for the rest of us…"

        I don't agree – you are asking to prove a negative.

        I mean, you go off and be a completely unhinged fucking arsehole like Martyn Bradbury – a man blinded by an irrational hatred of anyone on a higher income than him, which is basically anyone with a job that isn't minimum wage – with that assertion but I would contend that any pair of young NZer's would get exactly the same level of concern from MFAT (not the foreign office, that is the poms) & the government.

        And we shouldn't concern ourselves with the blame game until they are safely out of Iran, after all being idiots should not be a crime punishable by indefinite incarceration in some Iranian black hole.

        • Anne 4.1.1.1
          26 October 2022 at 12:37 pm

          Yes. I should have said MFAT. Been watching too much British news of late.

          You are the one going off on some unhinged rant.

          Of course MFAT would look to ensure the safety of anyone who found themselves in dangerous territory. But I stand by my impression that the more wealth and influence you have, the greater the chance your request for assistance will be swiftly expedited by officialdom. It seems high level activity has been occurring for months now and it has worked. The pair are out of Iran safe and well.

          They will have to answer the question… what the hell were they doing there given there has been two years of official warnings not to go to Iran.

          • Sanctuary 4.1.1.1.1
            26 October 2022 at 3:15 pm

            My apologies, I wanted to say "…you COULD go off…" perils of posting on the bus. One word lol.

            • Anne 4.1.1.1.1.1
              26 October 2022 at 6:29 pm

              Apology accepted.

              I saw a clip of the story on TV1 just now, and although Jacinda Ardern was being very diplomatic (as always) I had the feeling she's not happy with them. The young travellers came across to me as two spoilt, selfish young people who didn't give a thought to the trouble they cause other people from their own actions.

              Perhaps this experience will be a good lesson for them.

  5. Molly 5
    26 October 2022 at 9:35 am

    Higher education? Cambridge seizes zeitgeist with gender-neutral German

    It aimed to encourage students to speak more “inclusively” and not fall foul of those who may be offended by sex-specific pronouns. But the University of Cambridge’s decision to say Auf Wiedersehen to teaching gendered German has prompted warnings from linguists that students risk making a fool of themselves when talking with native speakers.

    Undergraduates paying £9,250 a year have been urged to use “inclusive language” and “to use gender- and non-binary-inclusive language when we address or refer to students and colleagues, both in writing and in speech in English and in German”.

    Course managers said they encouraged students and staff to choose newer forms with plural nouns.

    When writing, they may render feminine nouns unisex by inserting an asterisk before the suffix — a nonstandard usage known as the “gender star”.
    They noted that “in extended German texts grammatical structures can inhibit inclusivity . . . relative and other pronouns, for example, are obligatorily marked for grammatical gender, so going gender-free is difficult to achieve”    .

    • Sabine 5.1
      26 October 2022 at 10:49 am

      The german language already have a neutral

      das – singular

      die – plural.

      Das Mensch – used to denote uppity women with ideas

      Die Menschen – The Humans – Humankind

      'der' (masculine) Mensch – The Human.

      In saying that "Mensch" is also a term for a human with empathy, heart and soul.

      As in 'Das ist ein mensch', or 'Der ist ein mensch'. The first is neutral, the second is masculine, die ist ein mensch – feminin. Die sind Menschen – plural.

      Maybe the guys need to study German again.

      But the German language, and many other languages are sexed or gendered, but then, its all just mind fuckery now and up is down, black is white and ain't the sky a lovely shade of green.

      Someone needs a job on the grievance and horribly marginalised minority train or something and this is a way of doing it for i guess some useless academics that find working in the private industry to hard. Also with children being unable to learn how to read it might make sense dumbing down language to emoticons and txt wrtng.

      • AB 5.1.1
        26 October 2022 at 11:57 am

        I always liked that in German the nouns for two forms of power (die Kraft, die Macht) are both feminine.

        • Sabine 5.1.1.1
          26 October 2022 at 1:02 pm

          die Macht and die Kraft is plural rather then feminine. Die is for die…Die die Macht haven – those that have power, die die Kraft haben – those that have force.

          Or you could say – Er hat die kraft – He has the force, or – Er hat die Macht – he has the power. Er – him, you could replace this with Sie – her, or even with Das.

          To de-sex the german language would be to destroy it, but then, maybe that is the expected/desired outcome. If you want to destroy a culture and destroy belonging to a group you destroy their language first. Hence why in NZ you currently have a revival of Te Reo.

          History does not repeat, it rhymes.

      • Molly 5.1.2
        26 October 2022 at 11:57 am

        Four years of high school Deutsch and still occasionally remember the neutered articles for nouns, but fast disappearing…

        It seems a particularly weird explanation for an institution like Cambridge University to give for not actually teaching students the language they were enrolled to learn.

        • Sabine 5.1.2.1
          26 October 2022 at 1:03 pm

          Universities are creating de-sexed gender ideologists of tomorrow. We all have no longer a sex, but we get to choose a meaningless identity instead. Our bodies will be the farms of tomorrow. We are all dairy cows now.

          • Visubversa 5.1.2.1.1
            26 October 2022 at 1:48 pm

            And the Transcult is still out there shouting about how marginalised and victimised they are – while demanding that we change the very language we use to describe our own bodies.

      • Anker 5.1.3
        26 October 2022 at 1:08 pm

        Lol Sabine. Love it. Great points

  6. Adrian Thornton 6
    26 October 2022 at 9:52 am

    Here is a very good overview at China today..from Defense Politics Asia, who also happen to do the best and without doubt the most neutral/unbiased daily coverage of the Ukraine conflict……
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZYO9xKIns

  7. arkie 7
    26 October 2022 at 10:36 am

    Some justice for Protect Pūtiki:

    Waiheke marina security guard convicted of assaulting protester

    A security consultant has been convicted of assaulting a protester at the Kennedy Point Marina construction site on July 7, 2021.

    Construction of the marina on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf is opposed by a group known as Protect Pūtiki. The group's members – who call themselves protectors because they see their role as kaitiaki, or guardians of the area – have been protesting at the marina for years, saying mana whenua were not adequately consulted and kororā, little blue penguins, could be harmed by the construction.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300717547/waiheke-marina-security-guard-convicted-of-assaulting-protester

  8. Anne 8
    26 October 2022 at 10:43 am

    Image tweeted by Larry, the No10 cat

    Note the policeman and photographer are more interested in the real boss of No 10. He’s always there for the big moments to make sure people know who really runs the show.

  9. Sabine 9
    26 October 2022 at 10:58 am

    I got an email from one of our suppliers yesterday warning of the future shortage of eggs in NZ due to the phasing out and then illegalising of battery hens/laying farms by the end of this year. This will then be followed by colony hens in 2027. It is called the 'Layer Hens Code of Welfare'.

    Personally i am not a great fan of battery hens and their eggs, but i understand that for many on low income or benefits these types of eggs are often the only protein they get as they don't buy meat.

    The suppliers forsees shortages of eggs essentially due to a. the shut down of these factories, b. the shortage of grains coming into NZ to be used as feed.

    I really don't want to sound like Kassandra, but i would suggest that people buckle up as prices for pretty much anything containing eggs will go trough the roof, as i will expect bakeries to shut next as dairy, butter and now eggs are too expensive to create a product that can still be retailed at an affordable price.

    So if you can have some chucks get some.

    • SPC 9.1
      26 October 2022 at 11:17 am

      If there is no ban on importing eggs from nations with a lower standard in animal care, it will just result in imports (as with pork).

      Communities (supply to foodbanks and schools) and neighbourhoods should consider “green banking”.

      • Sabine 9.1.1
        26 October 2022 at 1:10 pm

        I don't actually care that some will be able to afford imported food in the future. There will always be rich people or those with the good connection that will afford food even if the rest of the population eats grass – north korea and such places come to mind.

        This affects our local food production, and as bad as battery farming is (i am not unhappy seeing it go, my father in law adopts battery hens and has a bout 60 of them) for some cheap food is the only food they can afford, and those that can afford imported food can also afford organic and thus legal eggs.

        I also doubt that many people are aware of the changes coming.

        • SPC 9.1.1.1
          26 October 2022 at 1:13 pm

          I would have thought it obvious that the imported battery farming eggs (Oz still allows this) would be cheaper than that produced locally, just as the imported pork is.

          • Sabine 9.1.1.1.1
            26 October 2022 at 2:48 pm

            So you suggest that we outsource our animal abuse and pollution and still hope to get it cheaper then locally produced.

            Oh boy.

            • SPC 9.1.1.1.1.1
              26 October 2022 at 3:06 pm

              I'll repost my original comment more slowly this time.

              <blockquote>
              If there is no ban on importing eggs from nations with a lower standard in animal care, it will just result in imports (as with pork).
              </blockquote>

              You had noted a consequence of the policy change, without apparently realising there was the option of using imports. Those using eggs (say bakeries) and with customers sensitive to price will seek to do this and so might supermarkets (if one does then they gain customers, so all do).

              But you do you girl.

              • Sabine …
                26 October 2022 at 3:30 pm

                again, slowly for you as you don't seem to understand.

                Why are we outsourcing pollution and animal abuse to different countries? As the purported welfare of the animals that is the reason we are banning it for and probably the pollution that comes with it? And why are we ok with flying or shipping in eggs from battery hens, when we find the practice so horrendous that we make these eggs illegal under the Layer Hens Code of Welfare'

                It is hypocritical to say the least. Oh, look we so virtuous and so green that we outlaw the abuse of hens and the resulting pollution that comes from it here in loverly NZ, but we are happy to import the product of these practices that we so abhor from elsewhere like OZ?

                Oh but you ok with that.

                And lastly, are you gendering me? Are you sexing me? Kindly abstain from that shit. You might actually get it wrong and then that would make your last comment offensive as fuck. 🙂 Misgendering is actual violence, don't forget that.

                • SPC …
                  26 October 2022 at 3:43 pm

                  Guess what "sabine", "I" do not write government policy,

                  I do know that we have pig farming standards and import pork from nations that do not have them.

                  The same disconnect is likely to occur with poultry, thus your fears about pricing of much higher prices for eggs may not occur.

                  But you do you.

                  • SPC …
                    26 October 2022 at 3:59 pm

                    As to my opinion,

                    1. we have temporarily suspended an impost on petrol to reduce inflation.

                    2. we can introduce domestic standards and allow cheap imports, for a time, for the same reason.

                    If all you want to do is warn that government policy is causing inflation, or that it might not, because of some hypocrisy, so be it.

          • Shanreagh 9.1.1.1.2
            26 October 2022 at 9:19 pm

            Yes but why would we want to do this? crazy.

            We should encourage, by whatever means possible our local growers to step up to rearing poultry in best for birds conditions. perhaps ,,,,(whispers) subsidies or low cost loans for growers.

            I have not seen Chinese grown pork in my local supermarket for ages and actively avoided when it was on the shelves. The price differential between locally grown and imported was not of a magnitude to encourage me to turn to Chinese produced.

            • SPC 9.1.1.1.2.1
              26 October 2022 at 9:45 pm

              The Chinese pig herd got culled because of disease. The price of pork is currently the leading cause of their food inflation (ahead of fruit and veg because of drought).

            • SPC 9.1.1.1.2.2
              26 October 2022 at 9:54 pm

              Why? A ban on importing eggs might mean shortages. And to limit the price inflation resulting from the decline in supply.

              The higher bird poultry livestock management standards result in higher priced eggs – the evidence is in the cartons in front of every shopper. It's because they do not get the same production, lower supply.

              The cage folk will move onto barn eggs so the supply will not collapse. But it will be higher priced. That will impact bakeries and others using ingredients – unless they supply cage eggs from offshore (maybe OZ, though they sometimes have shortages).

              From 2027 there will be no barn eggs, rinse and repeat.

    • Jimmy 9.2
      26 October 2022 at 4:46 pm

      No paper towels for the last week in my closest supermarket.

  12. joe90 12
    26 October 2022 at 2:43 pm

    Just an official of the Security Council of the Russian Federation calling for the de-satanisation of Ukraine.

    /

    I believe that with the continuation of the special military operation, it becomes more and more urgent to carry out the de-Satanization of Ukraine, or, as the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov aptly put it , its “complete de-Satanization”

    https://aif.ru/society/religion/chto_varyat_v_vedminom_kotle_na_ukraine_nabrali_silu_neoyazycheskie_kulty

    google translate

  13. SPC 13
    26 October 2022 at 2:56 pm

    Truss tomatoes ripen for longer on the vine and kept in a bowl with their stem continue to ripen and so are good for throwing during dewali.

    https://twitter.com/devisridhar/status/1584482495738761216

    https://twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1584980561939951628

    https://twitter.com/gem_abbott/status/1584981243464396800

    • SPC 13.1
      26 October 2022 at 3:37 pm

      One of the most eye-catching appointments was the return of Suella Braverman as home secretary.

      She resigned just days ago from the role after a security breach, when she sent a government document to someone not authorised to receive it.

      She endorsed Mr Sunak to be the new leader two days ago, a move seen as a massive boost for his campaign as it represented support from the right-wing of the party.

      Some sources in government speculate that endorsement may well have been an ask for something in return. There was a hint of that in her article for the Daily Telegraph backing Mr Sunak – where she said we will "only stop boats crossing the Channel" if the UK passes new laws to limit the impact of Modern Slavery laws, the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights.

      Such a move would be controversial, and face legal and political challenges – especially in the House of Lords. But is her appointment a signal Mr Sunak has agreed it is the way forward? It looks likely.

      Former No 10 pollster James Johnson tweeted that the tougher approach on immigration provides an opening for the Tories among swing voters in so-called Red Wall seats.

      Ms Braverman was a key figure in the ERG – the group of pro-Brexit Tory MPs

      "Suella Braverman's reappointment is the most eye-catching," says Sir Craig.

      "There's a lot he is going to be doing that the right of the party will be uncomfortable with – for example around the budget and economy.

      "So this [signal of a harder line on immigration] means he can point to something that really goes down well with the more traditional wings of MPs and party members."

      But her appointment may make it harder to make the argument, as Mr Sunak did earlier, that this would be a government of "integrity" – given her recent breach.

      https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63394099

      Ms Braverman was the architect of the policy to send refugees to Rwanda during processing, to return people to where they came in breach of the refugee convention, has been accused of planning an ever harsher policy to reduce migration and seeking to ban people crossing the channel from claiming asylum.

    • joe90 13.2
      26 October 2022 at 6:59 pm

      Meet Grant Shapps, the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In a previous life he ran spammed an internet get rich quick scam.

      Complete with bogus testimonials.

      Going under the name Michael Green and casting himself as an internet marketing guru, Shapps in 2007 claimed audiences could "make $20,000 in 20 days guaranteed or your money back" – if they spent $200 buying his bespoke software.

      Shapps previously told journalists he used the name Michael Green for the business to keep it separate from his political work.

      https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/sep/02/grant-shapps-google-howtocorp-adsense

      https://searchengineland.com/uk-conservative-party-chair-founded-google-spamming-business-132087

      Have you ever come across Corinne Stockheath of Surrey? Or Dr JLM Richards of the Wallerson Trust in Dallas, Texas? Or Richard Warton of Tektriox in New York?

      Please let me know if you have, as I’m having great trouble finding them. And, as you may have seen on Channel 4 News last night, the Conservative Chairman Grant Shapps doesn’t seem very keen to help me find them.

      But Mr Shapps insists they do all exist, and are genuine people. All three names provided glowing testimonials for an online guide on How To Write a Newsletter which Mr Shapps sold in the days he called himself Michael Green.

      https://www.channel4.com/news/by/michael-crick/blogs/grant-shapps-and-the-mysterious-testimonials

  14. X Socialist 14
    26 October 2022 at 4:18 pm

    Here we go. Saint Jacinda good. Luxon bad. I don't give money to the homeless on the street for a variety of reasons. I suggest you do likewise. It can be dangerous. I wonder if leftwing media will have a field day tonight? I wonder if Auckland Grammar will get a mention?

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/10/christopher-luxon-says-he-supports-organisations-rather-than-giving-money-to-homeless-after-pm-spotted-giving-cash-to-person-in-need.html

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-grammar-threatens-to-withhold-end-of-year-reports-if-parents-dont-pay-fees/K3C6C57FRUWYXCRV3AYSYI5E2I/

    • bwaghorn 14.1
      26 October 2022 at 6:24 pm

      Luxon should be disgusted and dismayed that we have charity's for kids and food banks in this country, nothing says political failure more in my opinion.

  15. ianmac 15
    26 October 2022 at 4:33 pm

    Damn it! Just listened to the Luxon delivery leading the General Debate. He is reading less from a script and delivering a thread with fluency and confidence. Gone is the bumbling ninny of the past. And ditto for his stand up interviews. I do not think he is truthful but to an unsuspecting audience he is credible. Trouble I think.

    https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=229089

    • Tony Veitch 15.1
      26 October 2022 at 8:00 pm

      But dig a bit deeper than just the delivery, ianmac. He didn't actually say anything, just slagged off the government with some repeated clichés. Still no policy, other than negativity.

      It's almost like he's saying: 'trust me and trust my government to make things better,' but offering no ideas.

      Empty, inconsequential and shallow – as always.

      • Muttonbird 15.1.1
        26 October 2022 at 10:04 pm

        Yes, but the intellectually and morally bereft like X Socialist will still be impressed by, "empty, inconsequential and shallow", because it is spoke by a man who ran an airline.

      • ianmac 15.1.2
        27 October 2022 at 10:14 am

        Lack of content agreed. The delivery is my worry because he has learned to talk with just notes and appears confident. Most people just remember the delivery and little of the content. For example ask people what they remember about a speech just given, and most remember zilch.

        • Bearded Git 15.1.2.1
          27 October 2022 at 9:10 pm

          But it is all so NEGATIVE. He only talks about reversing what Labour has done.

          And before anybody mentions the wonderful "social investment" this was always just a trite phrase, empty words. Bill English never actually did anything to implement this fantasy policy and I am sure Luxons lot won't either

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