Open mike 26/10/2023
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6:00 am, October 26th, 2023 - 25 comments
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- This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...1 hour ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...10 hours ago - Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...13 hours ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
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Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...18 hours ago - Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...18 hours ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
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Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...21 hours ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
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- Young Maori take over
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Like everyone else (everyone who wasn't there, anyway), I've spent the morning watching the hikoi march on Parliament. The pictures are astounding: parliament grounds and the surrounding streets are full, and there are still people backed up along Lambton Quay. The police are estimating 35,000 people, and that's a floor ...3 days ago
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- National’s support base is wobbling
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7 days ago - More lawlessness from National
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The Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its First Reading in the House today, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti continues. More than 40 KCs have written to the Prime Minister and Attorney-General outlining their “grave concerns” about the substance of the Treaty Principles Bill, while an academic and ...1 week ago
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- Voices echo
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Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
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- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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Winston Peters’ revisionist attack on Jacinda Ardern should be slapped down in the strongest terms.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/500994/winston-peters-tweet-about-what-jacinda-ardern-knew-before-march-15-attacks-clearly-inaccurate-pm-s-office
The irony is some of Peter’s current fellow travellers are conspiracy fruitcakes–and that does not need further elucidation here, some implications being rather obvious.
Mr Peters would do better looking into the NZSIS and NZ Police role in the lead up to the Mosque massacre i.e. where terror threats were likely to come from, monitoring the likes of the shooter, and community fire arms management.
It isn't "inaccurate" as politely characterised by the PMs office. It is a straight out lie. A better response from Labour – with an eye to a second election – would be to simply say Peters is a blustering fool suffering from age related memory.
If there is a second election the clear choice between the coalition of chaos + some buyer remorse would be useful for Labour…
Peters' next rant will be that Covid was a giant hoax, just a flu variant, and Jacinda knew that all along.
I can see what he is doing, he is looking for an excuse to turn into a Luxon bossom buddy now that Labour's treachery is now revealed.
NZ First and ACT fighting over who gets to be best man or groomsman.
The meta has to contain some concern at Winston's mental accuity, since it may be he genuinely forgot.
Knowing that single malt is superior shows plenty of mental acuity.
Peters trying to channel Donald Trump.Dog whistling of the worst kind. Peters will keep a stench around National lucky Labour have nothing to do with Winnie the poo!
National's Mark Mitchell is advocating gang members should use makeup to cover their tattoos! That must be the silliest, most ridiculous comment made by a politician this year. Well now NZ knows the calibre of the likely new Police minister. Perhaps Mitchell will then suggest the gangs consult with drag queens on how to do their makeup. The cartoonists will have a field day.
Law and Order distraction straight from the GOP handbook of how to wage a culture war.
Agree, low grade nitpicking authoritarianism MAGA style–target an unpopular minority group.
The subtext is also anti Māori in that Ta Moko and Moko Kauae (female) tattoos may well end up in in the frame in various ways also.
Mr Mitchell is a dodge pot, not just because of his Police and mercenary history, but his early electioneering methods…
https://thestandard.org.nz/hagar-posts-dirty-politics-chapter-on-mark-mitchell-on-web/
It is utterly unenforceable. Will we be treated to the spectacle of Rawiri Waititi or Tama Iti being arrested if some white boy wannabe strongman police minister decides that is "intimidating"? Will it apply to Swastikas? What are the implications to fervent Bhuddists?
It is a tool that could allow a MAGA style wholesale assault on Maori ta moko. The problem is Maori are not without means to fight back.
Are ties and Rotary pins gang insignia? I find them intimidating.
YES especially BLUE ties!!!!
More than once I've heard the police described as the biggest gang in the country.
Destiny Church scare me. Will they have their gang patches removed and all crucifixes covered with makeup?
The gangs are buttheads, but when the state starts dictating what facial markings you can and can't have you are heading in a bad direction.
What's next? Dictating headscarfs, caps, what is printed on T-shirts?
Even before the next government is formed we can see the general intelligent quota will be pretty low.
This is the correct way to deal with it. Suggest the legislation be extended to apply to anyone who may be wearing anything anyone finds intimidating, like a Groundswell tee shirt or whatever.
And the White Collar Criminals suit and tie?
The USA has a speaker for their House on the Hill – Mike Johnson.
He has personally opposed aid to Ukraine, how this impacts on the GOP budget consult with the White House is unknown – his background is well Christian nation conservative. So part Pat Buchanan and part Pat Robertson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Johnson_(Louisiana_politician)
So their choice is an election denier who according to the NY Times ''played a leading role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election."
And to make sure he strikes the double, according to the Guardian he has co-sponsored bills for a nationwide ban of abortion.
One down, two to go.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/business/economy/uaw-ford-contract-agreement-strike.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20231025&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=105215441&segment_id=148311&user_id=9142031648891a79204ee9b70e83177e
At least he's quit the masturbatory references
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
As you have just demonstrated, those probes tend to be memorable. Therefore useful for my educational purpose. But as has been previously been demonstrated you aren’t that good at picking up why I (or anyone else) do things.
Why think? There is always a mindless slogan to cover any occasion so you don’t have to.
/sarc
BTW: I save the personal habits barbs for people who can’t express themselves in their own words. They usually get way more articulate about what they really think when they get probed with the appropriate insult.
SPC isn’t in that category. I disagree with them, but they have been expressing their own opinions pretty well.
Cue would do
Regarding the case that we were not allowed to know about until after the election, do we have an idea of if/when the suppression order will be lifted?
August next year at the earliest
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/former-political-figure-accused-of-historical-sexual-offending-to-keep-name-secret-until-after-election-and-through-to-trial/KKZGGBATRJFCTPSWGYA7FLTNMA/
"Judge Anna Skellern recently released her reserved judgment to parties in the case, granting the man ongoing interim name suppression until his trial, scheduled to start on August 19, 2024."