Open mike 26/02/2015
Written By:
- Date published:
6:54 am, February 26th, 2015 - 268 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags:
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
268 comments on “Open mike 26/02/2015 ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
Recent Comments
- Farmers earning their reputation again
New Zealand farmers routinely complain about the public viewing them as environmental vandals. At the same time, they're opposing basic environmental regulation: Federated Farmers has asked that a wide-ranging plan change setting water use rules for South Canterbury remove all references to the protection of “indigenous fish”. [...] ...1 hour ago - NZ Politics Daily – 22 October 2020
Labour-Greens talks, Labour govt Henry Cooke (Stuff): There is no evidence National voters backed Labour to keep the Greens out Audrey Young (Herald): Labour holds all the cards as Ardern’s talks with Greens get underway RNZ: Greens better off independent – Former Green MP Catherine Delahunty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Greens would be ...6 hours ago - Geoffrey Miller: Stardust across the Middle East: How Arab media reported on NZ’s electionNews is not in short supply in the Middle East, and on Saturday, Arab media remained focused heavily on the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Nevertheless, the New Zealand election – and especially Jacinda Ardern’s personal success – received significant attention from Arabic-language TV news channels, newspapers and ...6 hours ago
- It's Time For Some “Earnest Struggle”.
7 hours ago - Party Like It’s 1936: Songs for the Philologists
It’s the most obscure Tolkien book of all… so obscure that only fourteen copies exist: Songs for the Philologists, a 1936 collection of thirty humorous verses, by Tolkien (who wrote thirteen), E.V. Gordon, and ... 14 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – National’s catastrophic collapse and fraught rebuildThe National Party’s defeat has been so comprehensive that few in the party seem optimistic they will recover anytime soon. Falling from 47% in 2017 to just 27% (which might drop as low as 25% once special votes are counted), is one of the most severe collapses in New Zealand’s ...17 hours ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #42, 2020
Dust-up at the Denial Corral, in "journal time" Way back in 2017 the Institute of Physics publication Environmental Research Letters (ERL) published a featured article, Assessing ExxonMobil's climate change communications (1977–2014), by Supran & Oreskes. The article reverberated widely as it exposed a documented a pattern of behavior arguably described as perfidious. The authors ...19 hours ago - Now’s the time – expand ACC
Having ruled out Capital Gains Tax and Wealth Tax, the incoming Labour government must be looking for some significant progressive policies that they haven’t already ruled out. Expanding the ACC scheme fits that brief, and the Green Party have conveniently already proposed doing so. But, how to fund it? The accident/illness ...23 hours ago - Managing to the targetNew Zealand's health system is chronicly underfunded, and so almost all DHBs run deficits. Last month, just before he bailed out Canterbury DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins was repeating the mantra that DHBs must live within their means and "have a credible plan to return to financial sustainability". But yesterday, ...1 day ago
- Solarise all the things!If we are to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, we need to decarbonise the economy and shift our energy supply completely to renewables. The good news is that the International Energy Agency thinks that that is going to happen. The reason? Interest rates have dropped. And this means that ...1 day ago
- New Zealand weighs up a nation-sized battery
Ian Mason and Robert McLachlan Climate change was a small but perceptible part of the recent election. On climate change, Labour pointed proudly to their record of legislating for net zero emissions by 2050 (nicknamed the ‘Zero Carbon Act’), establishing a Climate Change Commission to set carbon budgets and advise ...1 day ago - NZ Politics Daily – 21 October 2020Today’s content Election Jack Vowles (The Conversation): The 2020 NZ election saw record vote volatility — what does that mean for the next Labour government? Jason Walls and Chris Knox (Herald): 20 fascinating facts about the 2020 election you might have missed Stuff: Labour Day: A vote-by-vote analysis of New Zealand’s historic shift ...1 day ago
- Do Landslides Change the Landscape in the Long Run?
It was easy for election night commentators to use the ‘landslide’ trope to describe Labour’s winning of the 2020 election. But the historical record suggests that such landslides may not last long. In 1935, the First (Savage-Fraser) Labour Government won 53 seats in a parliament of 80; National ...2 days ago - The Debunking Handbook 2020: Prevent misinformation from sticking if you canThis blog post is part 2 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020 which can be downloaded here. The list of references is available here. Prevent misinformation from sticking if you can Because misinformation is sticky, it’s best preempted. This can be achieved by explaining misleading or ...2 days ago
- Graeme Edgeler: Mandates are not mandatory, but they are also not meaninglessThere’s a lot of talk about what the Labour Government’s new mandate is. For a discussion of exactly what that might mean, Graeme Edgeler explores the murky logic of what they can and can’t do, pointing out that ultimately voters decide if this mandate was properly used in three years. ...2 days ago
- Hyping it up over fluoridation
In my time as a scientific researcher, honest scientists used to condemn colleagues who over-hyped their science. To our mind there should have been a special place in hell for scientists who misrepresented their ... 2 days ago - Don’t fall for the Covid contrariansAs life in Aotearoa gets back to some kind of normal after our latest Covid-19 outbreak, cases in the northern hemisphere are on the rise again and that puts us all at risk. Because no one is safe until we are all safe. This is a tricky virus. We now ...2 days ago
- Liam Hehir: Online abuse and the standard you walk byThere’s a lot of nastiness in the online public sphere, much of it tribal, petty and personal. Political commentator and Twitter enthusiast Liam Hehir has seen too much of it, and explains why he’s going to actively stand up against it. I did a radio interview a little while ...2 days ago
- Tanzania: elections, neoliberalism and economic diplomacy
Politics in New Zealand is the main focus of Redline, along with supporting liberation movements and anti-imperialist struggles. We have had little material from the African continent, so are pleased to print this submission from a Tanzanian writer on their pending elections. Tanzania will be going to the polls on ...2 days ago - Governing For All Of Us.2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 20 October 2020Today’s content Coalition negotiations, shape of government Gordon Campbell: On why the Greens shouldn’t join the government Andrew Geddis (Pundit): What Sort Of Relationship Might Labour And The Greens Agree On? Audrey Young (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds preparatory talks with Greens but coalition looking unlikely Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern tight-lipped after ...2 days ago
- What sort of relationship might Labour and the Greens agree on?
Even without knowing the final election result (because, don’t forget there’s about 500,000 special votes still to count and they very likely will change Saturday’s results), we can say two things for certain about the next government. Jacinda Ardern will be its Prime Minister. And Labour will be at its core. But ...3 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Leftwing euphoria meets realityThe political left has been euphoric since Saturday’s night historic landslide victory for Labour. But political commentators from across the spectrum are united in warning that the new Government isn’t about to be transformative. Instead, we will see more of a status quo administration grappling with a crisis, with very ...3 days ago
- Yes, a mandate for sure… but issues for NZ will be far, far more difficult now
With the NZ General Election and Referendums over for 2020, Jacinda Ardern is to form a Government over the next few weeks, “there are some areas we do want to crack on with, that we will need to expedite”, and talks will begin to form around what the voters ...3 days ago - Labour Party landslide – 2020 Election in review
Jacinda Ardern - Prime Minister of New ZealandThe 2020 General Election has been one of the most interesting in New Zealand’s political history. Not only did we have voters provide the Labour Party with a stratospheric 49.1% mandate to govern, the results also delivered National with a crushing 26.8% defeat ...3 days ago - Be careful what you wish for: Labour's difficult triumph
Labour’s overwhelming victory at the election has been greeted with rousing cheers on the left of New Zealand politics and the start of transformational demands. It’s a multi-generational win for Labour, out-polling the Kirk, Lange and Clark victories. You have to go back to 1938 for a bigger percentage (55.8%) ...3 days ago - A Skeptical Science member's path to an experiment on carbon sequestrationDuring what now seems like another era entirely- back in February of this long year- Skeptical Science regular RedBaron (aka Scott Strough) mentioned in a discussion thread here that he'd been working on an idea for no-till cultivation of vegetables, was seeking to quantify what appeared to be promising results. Scott ...3 days ago
- Jacinda Will Keep Us Moving – To The Same Place.Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes? Not Likely: Though few New Zealanders would express it in such a fashion: Jacinda’s and Labour’s general handling of the Covid-19 crisis proved both to be highly effective defenders of the capitalist status quo. She, and they, kept the lights on. And that, in the absence of an alternative ...3 days ago
- The Greens and LabourWith an absolute majority, Labour can govern in its own right, and doesn't need partners. But while unnecessary, they're a nice-to-have, both as backup and for PR reasons. Ardern has talked about "consensus", and there are obvious benefits for her of having government policy endorsed by as many parties as ...3 days ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #42Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Earth has warmest September on record, and 2020 may clinch hottest year Record warmth in Europe and Asia overwhelms a ...3 days ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Vindication of Winston PetersAn egalitarian spirit is currently being revived in New Zealand, and we should thank Winston Peters for keeping alive that spirit. Josh Van Veen, who once worked with the NZ First leader, pays his tribute. With New Zealand First receiving less than 3% of the vote, critics are happily ...3 days ago
- The Hunt for Red October: Musings on Taieri
So New Zealand has had its general election. Jacinda Ardern has managed a single-party majority government, New Zealand’s first in twenty-six years, and its first since the adoption of proportional representation. I intend to do a comment on that further down the line – my feelings on the Sunday ...4 days ago - Lessons from the Election
This year’s general election has broken new ground – and not just in terms of its outcome, the seats won and votes cast, and – in an MMP environment – the margin of victory. It also suggests that something quite fundamental has changed in New Zealand politics. The outcome is ...4 days ago - The unexpected resultThe people have spoken, and its a Labour majority government. This wasn't meant to happen under MMP, and in fact its exactly what the system was designed to prevent: no majority governments, no elected dictatorships, unless we really, really want it (which at the time seemed unlikely on 40 years ...4 days ago
- Schadenfreude is a dish best served blue
What started out as the largest party in parliament has ended election night scratching the back door of the house of irrelevance. ...4 days ago - 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #42A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Oct 11, 2020 through Sat, Oct 17, 2020 Editor's Choice A FIELD GUIDE TOTHE ELECTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE The presidential election is just weeks away, and climate change has broken ...4 days ago
- Legal Beagle: Election '20: The Special Votes
The 2020 General Election has a preliminary result. For reasons I am unable to really explain, we will not have even a preliminary result for the end of life choice and cannabis legalisation referendums for some weeks (I dropped the ball on that one when the referendum legislation was before ...4 days ago - National rejects tonight’s result as a ‘rogue poll’
National are dismissing tonight’s election result as an “obvious outlier” Half an hour into counting, National Party leader Judith Collins and deputy leader Gerry Brownlee are already dismissing tonight’s election result as a “rogue poll”, saying it’s an incomplete survey with shoddy methodology. Brownlee called an emergency media stand-up just ...5 days ago - Jacinda Ardern ran down four National supporters with her car this morning but due to electoral law ...Dr. Ashley Bloomfield reported at today’s 1pm health briefing that the Coronavirus turns out not to exist, but that information was also withheld on the same grounds. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern began her election morning by ruthlessly driving her car into a family of National supporters just blocks from her ...5 days ago
- Six weird animals that have nothing to do with the electionGet a load of these things! Some of these animals are just crazy. You wouldn’t want a single one of these animals anywhere near your kids. It could ruin them for life. Last thing you’d want is your kid growing up around any of these, and thinking that’s what animals ...5 days ago
- 1pm Covid Health Update for 17th October, 2020What follows is today’s 1pm health update from the Ministry of Health There are 12 new cases of Covid-19 today, six in managed isolation, three escaped, and three are wealthy foreigners so it’s fine. One of these cases is a man in his 50s who visited Auckland sex club Fisting ...5 days ago
- It's Election Day.5 days ago
- National caucus convening to elect new leader for final 2 hours of the campaignThis is a breaking news event, and further updates and clarifications may be forthcoming. With less than three hours to go in the election campaign, The National Party is holding an emergency meeting to elect a new leader, one they hope can turn things around in the final one and ...6 days ago
- Judith Collins asking for two week extension on election due dateCollins says she was “ever so close” to finishing everything up, but a family member died, her computer crashed, and she just needs “a little more time” to get things right. In a late move this evening, Judith Collins has written an urgent letter to the Electoral Commission requesting a ...6 days ago
- The Debunking Handbook 2020: Misinformation is damaging and stickyThis blog post is part 1 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020. The list of references is available here. Misinformation can do damage Misinformation is false information that is spread either by mistake or with intent to mislead. When there is intent to mislead, it is ...6 days ago
- Not as a Christian, but as a New Zealander: Why I am voting against assisted suicide tomorrow.
I am no stranger to lost causes. And, while there is always hope, it does appear that David Seymour’s “End of Life Choice” law will receive the necessary endorsement of voters to finally legalise assisted suicide in this country. A significant minority of voters will dissent, however.I will be one ...6 days ago - Ardern reassures voters that Greens’ negotiating table will be a tiny, humiliating oneOn the eve of the election, the Prime Minister wants New Zealanders to know the Greens will be given a very small seat at the table, quite literally. In the final hours of the campaign, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made a forceful appeal to the electorate not to be ...6 days ago
- A Waste of Time: The Hundred “Best” Fantasy Books
Time Magazine has put out a list of the hundred best fantasy books of all time: https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/ It is bad. Very bad. I get that this is clickbait nonsense, but… really. Time Magazine ought to be ashamed of themselves. Ostensibly, the selection process was as follows: ...6 days ago - Big changes do stickIn one of her last pre-election interviews, Jacinda Ardern tries to defend her policy of doing nothing while in government: Ardern reflected on large changes made by Helen Clark’s government – particularly in education and welfare – that were still part of the system now, saying they prove smaller ...6 days ago
- Polls show regret for not voting Green
I have looked at election polling for last four elections and have noticed a concerning pattern. The Green Party's polling leading up to each election is stronger than what they actually achieve, then the poll immediately afterwards is always considerably higher. For most parties the opposite is generally the case. ...6 days ago - Climate Change: Planning to failLast year, the government passed the Zero Carbon Act, setting short-term and long-term goals for carbon reduction. And they're already saying that they will fail to meet them: Environment Minister David Parker appears to have already given up on the country’s ability to meet the 2030 methane goal set ...6 days ago
- Another issue Labour is ignoring its voters overJacinda Ardern is trying to rule out even discussing a wealth tax if she gets re-elected. But if she gets re-elected, it will be by voters who support one. A Newshub poll shows that nearly half of all voters - and 60% of labour supporters - support a wealth tax: ...6 days ago
- Scholarship PhysicsIt’s that time of year when school students become seriously focused on exams. This year has been messy for student learning, and has affected some students more than others, but the NCEA external assessments and the Scholarship exams are going ahead pretty-much as normal. I’ve taken some interest in the ...6 days ago
- “Fitz” On Cannabis."I Like It!" “Shall I tell you the real reason to legalise cannabis? Because all the stuff I’ve told you, while true, isn’t enough. You should legalise cannabis because you’d like it. No, actually, you’d love it! Cannabis makes food taste better. It turns music into magic. It suppresses pain and nausea ...6 days ago
- Crusher fails to resonate7 days ago
- A flaw in our electoral transparency regime IILast month, we learned there was a flaw in our electoral transparency regime, with the New Zealand Public Party receiving a quarter of a million dollars in donations which will never have to be decalred. And now its got worse,as it turns out they're also explicitly soliciting donations from rich ...7 days ago
- “Entirely separate”When two people whose identities we all know but cannot say publicly due to name suppression were charged with "Obtaining by Deception" over routing donations to NZ First through the NZ First Foundation, Winston Peters claimed his party had been exonerated because "The Foundation is an entirely separate entity from ...1 week ago
- Judith Collins' little green liesNew Zealand is not the United States, thank goodness. We don't have the same level of political partisanship nor public media outlets that blatantly display political bias. However, during the closing weeks of this campaign I do feel an infection of trumpism is evident. Judith Collins and her National Party ...1 week ago
- Which ‘milk’ is best for the environment? We compared dairy, nut, soy, hemp and grain milksMaking eco-conscious choices at the shops can be tricky when we’re presented with so many options, especially when it comes to milk. Should we buy plant-based milk, or dairy? We’ve looked at the evidence to help you choose. Dora Marinova, Curtin University and Diana Bogueva, Curtin University Dairy has the ...1 week ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Psychology of ArdernismJacinda Ardern has made New Zealanders feel safe. Josh Van Veen looks at psychological understandings of leadership to help explain the ongoing success of Labour in this election campaign. Simon Bridges could have been the Prime Minister. Opinion polls in February suggested a close election, with Colmar Brunton giving the ...1 week ago
- Let's Make Jacinda Break Her Promises.1 week ago
- Two days to go, 12 questions still worth asking
One last lap. One last crack. One last chance to boost your own policies or knock down your opponents. Tonight TVNZ hosts the final leaders’ debate and although over a million New Zealanders have voted and much of the policy debate seems to have stagnated around negative attacks, there are ...1 week ago - Possible inter-satellite collision on FridayTwo objects in low-Earth orbit may collide with each other on Friday, in a hyper-velocity impact which would lead to millions of fragments being left on-orbit, each potentially-lethal to functioning satellites. Fingers crossed (not that I am superstitious) that it is a miss, rather than a hit. One local ...1 week ago
- Do Elections Deliver What We Want?
MMP may deliver a parliament which reflects us, but frequently the government does not. At the heart of my recent history of New Zealand, Not in Narrow Seas, is the interaction between economic and social change. I could measure economic change via the – far from comprehensive – ...1 week ago - Flailing last grasps bring lasting gasps in the NZ General Election…
The last week of the 2020 election here in New Zealand has been an increasingly torrid and venal affair has it not? Many expect the last week of any Election campaign to get considerably more tetchy, everyone is hurrying to nail the last voter down after all. But this ...1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #41, 2020Zika follows climate Sadie Ryan and coauthors combine what we know about the Zika virus and its preferred regime with modeling to show the pathogen will greatly expand its range during the next few decades. We do have some remaining control over the situation. From the abstract: "In the ...1 week ago
- Does a delay in COP26 climate talks hit our efforts to reduce carbon emissions?Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz Will the delay of the COP26 UN climate negotiations impact ...1 week ago
- Where do the parties stand on open government?The election is in less than a week, so I thought I'd take a quick look at where the parties stand on open government, freedom of information, and the OIA. The short answer is that most of them don't. While Andrew Little has "promised" to rewrite the OIA, there's no ...1 week ago
- The Second Time As Farce: National's Election Campaign Falls Apart.1 week ago
- National's Little Helpers have A Cunning Plan.Keep Your hands Off Of My Stash: Viewed from the perspective of the 2020 General Election as a whole, the intervention of the Taxpayers’ Union against the Greens' Wealth Tax confirms the Right’s growing sense of desperation that the campaign is slipping away from them. With hundreds of thousands of ...1 week ago
- Covid-19: A planetary diseaseLouise Delany* This blog focuses on the underlying environmental causes of Covid-19 (Covid) and the role of international law in tackling both Covid and other planetary crises. I argue that major changes to our relationship with our planet and its creatures are needed and these changes must be supported by ...1 week ago
- Liam Hehir: How to make your mind upIf you’re still on the fence about how to vote, Liam Hehir says it’s probably more important for you to vote on the basis of your principles, and he offers a way to think about how these principles might align with the main party options. Still undecided? Here’s how ...1 week ago
- What else apart from a Wealth Tax? The shape of a Labour-Greens coalition
If you haven’t heard, the Green Party supports a Wealth Tax. Yeah, I thought you might have heard of it. Everyone’s been talking about it on the campaign trail these past few days. It would force the wealthiest six percent of New Zealanders to pay a one percent tax each ...1 week ago - Time is slipping by for the fruit industry to improve wagesThe covid-19 pandemic has meant a lot of changes for New Zealand. Lockdowns, social distancing, a massive shift to working from home and the death of tourism for a start. But the sensible and necessary border closure has also completely cut off the supply of cheap, migrant labour - and ...1 week ago
- A new low in American “democracy”Every US election, we're used to seeing long lines of voters, and reading stories of widespread gerrymandering and voter suppression (including things like flyers falsely telling people their assigned polling place (!) has moved or that voting will be on a different day, and robocalls threatening that people will be ...1 week ago
- WATCH LIVE: Election Night 2020
...5 days ago - Election Night Speech – Marama Davidson
Kia ora tātou kātoa. Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou Te Roopu Kakariki, ngā kaitautoko, e aroha ana I te kaupapa mo te taiao me te mokopuna. No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. I am so proud to be standing here tonight, at the end of an ...5 days ago - Election Night Speech – James ShawOn Election Night three years ago I stood up in front of you to say, “We are still here!” Well, tonight, not only are we still here, we are the first support party in MMP history to have started and finished a term in government above the 5% threshold. We ...5 days ago
- Greens only party with plan to meet scale of climate challengeA new report showing that the effects of climate change are already being felt in Aotearoa New Zealand shows the importance of the Green Party pushing for urgent action in the next Government. ...1 week ago
- Green Party commits to stronger urban tree protection and no new mines on public conservation landThe Green Party is the only party in Parliament which is explicitly committing to protecting public conservation land and the indigenous plants and wildlife which live there, from destructive mining. ...1 week ago
- Vote still undecided? Watch this.As of today, over 1.4 million New Zealanders have already cast their votes in this year’s election. While this shows that a huge number of people have already made up their minds about who they want to lead our country, there are many who are still undecided. ...1 week ago
- Labour's 2020 Election ManifestoThe Labour Party understands how important continuity, stability and clarity are for New Zealanders in these uncertain times. That’s why, in our 2020 Election Manifesto, we’re setting out how we will continue to invest in people, jobs, small businesses, infrastructure, and global trade, to set New Zealand up for the ...1 week ago
- Green Party releases tourism policyToday the Green Party’s conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage went kayaking on Akaroa Harbour to highlight the greater protection achieved for Hector’s and Maui dolphins this term and the Greens’ election commitment to supporting sustainable tourism. ...1 week ago
- National’s false ‘wealth tax’ claims: The “last roll of the misinformation dice”“Collins has warned voters to expect a wealth tax. This is despite the fact Labour has ruled this out a number of times.” – Jason Walls, NZ Herald. “The Labour Party has ruled out implementing the Green Party's wealth tax.” – Henry Cooke, Stuff. “Labour has time and time again ...1 week ago
- Week that was: Counting down to Election DayIt’s getting incredibly close to Election Day now – and over a million people have already cast their vote! ...2 weeks ago
- Jacinda Ardern's Wellington Rally SpeechJacinda Ardern delivers a rally speech at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. ...2 weeks ago
- Grant Robertson's Wellington Rally SpeechGrant Robertson delivers a rally speech at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. ...2 weeks ago
- Building a vibrant creative sector The Green Party will push for better conditions, more certainty, and greater opportunities for New Zealand’s artists and creatives as part of the next Government, Co-leader of the Green Party, James Shaw said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens promise continued action to reduce mental health waiting timesThe Green Party is committed to reduce the waiting times people in mental distress have to put up with before they receive attention and get treatment. ...2 weeks ago
- Early voting is openDid you know that early voting is open? That means you can go out and cast your vote right now - whether you've already enrolled or not. Almost 600,000 Kiwis have already voted, and you can join them! ...2 weeks ago
- Greens would go further and faster for kauri protectionThe Green Party says Labour’s commitment to protecting kauri is a good start, but the Greens would go further and faster to keep our kauri standing. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens would bring urban food farms to Auckland CityThe Green Party will invest funding in community agriculture and urban food gardens in places like Auckland city centre. ...2 weeks ago
- Our next steps on climate changeWe’re proud of our record on climate change. Since coming to Government we’ve put climate and the environment at the heart of all of our policies, as they are inextricable from issues like housing, agriculture, waste, energy and transport. ...2 weeks ago
- 10 days out: 10 reasons to vote LabourWith only ten days to go until Election Day, we’re counting down the top ten reasons you should vote Labour this October. Already voted? Share this list with friends and family who haven’t voted yet to encourage them to give two ticks to Labour! ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome Labour’s climate commitments, will push for more action to match the scale of the c...The Green Party welcomes Labour’s commitment to reduce climate emissions in the next term of Government, but would go further and faster to address the true scale of the crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for independent review of PharmacThe Green Party is calling for an independent review of Pharmac to ensure that there is proper equity around funding for medication for sick New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s record on Christchurch and CanterburyFrom investing in health and education to getting key projects built, we’re proud of our record in Canterbury. We know there’s still more to do, but we’ve made a good start, and we’re committed to supporting the region as together, we respond to COVID-19. ...2 weeks ago
- Investing in the South IslandAs part of our COVID recovery plan, we’re investing in shovel-ready infrastructure projects that not only create jobs across the South Island, but also help us build back better. From tackling climate change to strengthening our health system, we’re taking on the long-term challenges while keeping our economy moving. ...2 weeks ago
- National versus Labour: Our record on ChristchurchThe past decade has been tough for our second largest city. Unlike National, Labour’s backing the people of Christchurch so together, we can make it through COVID-19 and build back better. Here’s how National’s record on Christchurch compares to our progress so far. ...2 weeks ago
- National’s economic plan a cruel blow for those on low incomesThe Green Party says National’s economic plan would devastate those earning the least, and further entrench poverty across our communities. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome Labour’s commitment to ban conversion therapy, but want Office for Rainbow Communit...The Green Party is pleased to see Labour commit to a long-standing Green stance of banning gay conversion therapy, as part of its Rainbow policy released today. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party announces plan for net zero energy buildingsIf re-elected, the Green Party would work towards net zero energy new buildings by 2030 in order to accelerate the transition to a low carbon future for Aotearoa and a cleaner, safer planet for our kids and grandkids. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens commit to protecting KauriIf re-elected, the Green Party will focus $50 million of the existing Jobs for Nature package to keep Aotearoa’s iconic kauri forests standing. “Kauri are an incredibly important taonga for Aotearoa and the Greens want to go further and faster to keep them healthy and standing,” said Green Party ...3 weeks ago
- Week that was: Health, housing and early votingIt was a big week of policy announcements as Jacinda and the Labour team hit the road to let New Zealanders know about our plan to keep New Zealand moving. From snow down south to our day of action, here are this week’s highlights from the campaign trail. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ announces a third P-3 deployment in support of UN sanctions
The Government has deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea, announced Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “New Zealand has long supported ...3 days ago - Pacific trade and development agreement a realityPacific regional trade and development agreement PACER Plus will enter into force in 60 days now that the required eight countries have ratified it. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the announcement that the Cook Islands is the eighth nation to ratify this landmark agreement. “The agreement represents ...7 days ago
- Securing a pipeline of teachersThe Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching. “When we came into Government, we were faced with a teacher supply crisis,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “Over the past three years, we ...1 week ago
- Border exceptions for a small number of international students with visasThe Government has established a new category that will allow 250 international PhD and postgraduate students to enter New Zealand and continue their studies, in the latest set of border exceptions. “The health, safety and wellbeing of people in New Zealand remains the Government’s top priority. Tight border restrictions remain ...1 week ago
- First COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreement signedThe Government has signed an agreement to purchase 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines – enough for 750,000 people – from Pfizer and BioNTech, subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, say Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Minister Chris Hipkins. ...1 week ago
- International statement – End-to-end encryption and public safetyWe, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the ...1 week ago
- Ministry of Defence Biodefence Assessment releasedThe Ministry of Defence has today released a Defence Assessment examining Defence’s role across the spectrum of biological hazards and threats facing New Zealand. Biodefence: Preparing for a New Era of Biological Hazards and Threats looks at how the NZDF supports other agencies’ biodefence activities, and considers the context of ...1 week ago
- New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020 Hon David Parker’s response following Thomas Piketty and Esther Duflo. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever in the world you might be. I first acknowledge the excellent thought provoking speeches of Thomas Piketty and Esther ...2 weeks ago
- Kaipara Moana restoration takes next stepA Memorandum of Understanding has been signed today at Waihāua Marae between the Crown, local iwi and councils to protect, restore and enhance the mauri of Kaipara Moana in Northland. Environment Minister David Parker signed the document on behalf of the Crown along with representatives from Ngā Maunga Whakahī, Ngāti ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand and Uruguay unite on reducing livestock production emissionsAgriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Uruguayan Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Carlos María Uriarte have welcomed the launch of a three-year project that will underpin sustainable livestock production in Uruguay, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The project called ‘Innovation for pasture management’ is led by Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural ...2 weeks ago
- 3100 jobs created through marae upgradesHundreds of marae throughout the country will be upgraded through investments from the Provincial Growth Fund’s refocused post COVID-19 funding to create jobs and put money into the pockets of local tradespeople and businesses, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced. “A total ...2 weeks ago
- Health volunteers recognised in annual awardsHealth Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 9 teams and 14 individuals are the recipients of this year’s Minister of Health Volunteer Awards. “The health volunteer awards celebrate and recognise the thousands of dedicated health sector volunteers who give many hours of their time to help other New Zealanders,” Mr Hipkins ...2 weeks ago
- Community COVID-19 Fund supports Pacific recoveryThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says a total of 264 groups and individuals have successfully applied for the Pacific Aotearoa Community COVID-19 Recovery Fund, that will support Pacific communities drive their own COVID-19 recovery strategies, initiatives, and actions. “I am keen to see this Fund support Pacific ...2 weeks ago
- Community benefits from Māori apprenticeshipsUp to 50 Māori apprentices in Wellington will receive paid training to build houses for their local communities, thanks to a $2.75 million investment from the Māori Trades and Training Fund, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Ngāti Toa Rangatira Incorporated to provide its Ngā Kaimahi ...2 weeks ago
- Training fund supports Māori jobseekersRapidly growing sectors will benefit from a $990,000 Māori Trades and Training Fund investment which will see Wellington jobseekers supported into work, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Sapphire Consultants Ltd. to help up to 45 Māori jobseekers into paid training initiatives over two years through ...2 weeks ago
- Ruakura Inland Port development vital infrastructure for WaikatoThe Government is investing $40 million to develop an inland port at Ruakura which will become a freight super-hub and a future business, research and residential development for the Waikato, Urban Development and Transport Minister Phil Twyford, and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The funding has been has ...2 weeks ago
- Appointments made to Defence Expert Review GroupDefence Minister Ron Mark announced today the establishment of an Expert Review Group to review a number of aspects of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) structure, information management and record-keeping processes. The Expert Review Group’s work arises out of the first recommendation from the Report of the Government’s Inquiry ...2 weeks ago
- No active community cases of COVID-19There are no active community cases of COVID-19 remaining in the country after the last people from the recent outbreak have recovered from the virus, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “This is a big milestone. New Zealanders have once again through their collective actions squashed the virus. The systems ...2 weeks ago
- Clean energy upgrade for more public buildingsMore public buildings will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. Minister Shaw announced that Lincoln and Auckland universities will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to replace fossil fuel boilers. Southern, Taranaki, and ...2 weeks ago
- Schools back donations scheme for the second yearMore schools have opted in to the donations scheme for 2021, compared to 2020 when the scheme was introduced. “The families of more than 447,000 students will be better off next year, with 94% of eligible schools and kura opting into the scheme,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is ...2 weeks ago
- Ruapehu cycle trails gets PGF boostThe spectacular Mountains to Sea cycle trail in Ruapehu District will receive $4.6 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund for two additional trails, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is an exciting development for the local community, and one that will provide significant economic opportunities ...3 weeks ago
- We can no longer ignore the threats facing the Pacific — we need to support more migration to Aust...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW The effects of a warming planet are no longer far away in time or distance. We are witnessing transformed landscapes, mass extinctions and people on the move, ...15 mins ago - Explainer: why the government can’t simply cancel its pandemic debt by printing more moneySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ananish Chaudhuri, Professor of Behavioural and Experimental Economics, University of Auckland With the government borrowing heavily to fund its pandemic response and recovery, it has been suggested it could simply cancel its debt by printing more money. That sounds like an attractive ...45 mins ago
- New Demand To End The Private Sale And Use Of Fireworks
With the fireworks season about to start and the Cabinet about to be announced, there is a new demand on the government to end the private sale and use of fireworks in New Zealand. Auckland Councillors Cathy Casey and Fa’anana Efeso Collins have ...1 hour ago - Five successful New Zealand women on how they deal with imposter syndrome
A governor general, a microbiologist, a New Zealander of the Year, an Oscar-nominated producer and a comedian walk into a bar. The punchline? They all struggle with imposter syndrome despite being extremely cool and successful women. “I’m the governor general, I have to accept that I’ve done some things right – ...2 hours ago - Russian fishing crew not feeling too unwell, says Sealord bossBy RNZ News Hundreds of Russian fishing crew at a New Zealand covid isolation hotel in Christchurch are said to be in good spirits and those who have the virus are doing well. Eighteen of the 237 foreign workers at the Sudima Hotel are infected with covid-19. They will all ...2 hours ago
- LIVE: A View from Afar – With Paul Buchanan + Selwyn Manning: New Zealand and Bolivia Elections ...Welcome to Evening Report’s A View from Afar As always, we are joined by political scientist Paul Buchanan and this week we will discuss: In these weeks leading up to the United States elections… there have been a number of countries around the world that have seen voters swing ...2 hours ago
- Here’s hoping our new govt gets the message about intelligence from GSCB’s role in exposing Russ...
Three cheers for the GSCB. It has been lauded by the US FBI and intelligence agencies for its role in uncovering Russian covert intelligence activities around the world. The Minister in Charge of the intelligence services, Andrew Little, expressed surprise we had been named – but this is a wake-up ...3 hours ago - PNG auditor calls for ‘sanctions’ in private probe over medicines rowBy Clifford Faiparik in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea’s Auditor-General has questioned who approved a US-based international auditing firm to audit the awarding of contracts by the Health Department to pharmaceutical companies. Acting Auditor-General Gordon Kega said his office should “sanction” the involvement of any private firm in the auditing ...3 hours ago
- International Media Hails New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Re-electionTom Peters, Socialist Equality Group 21 October 2020, original url: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/21/nzel-o21.html The world’s corporate media has responded to the re-election of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government for a second term with a wave of adulation. ...3 hours ago
- When officials dance on the head of a pin
As the Royal Commission into abuse in state care continues its hearings, Aaron Smale outlines one graphic set of denials by officials which turned out to be false and misleading. Sometimes the work of a journalist is to convert technical information into something the average intelligent reader can understand. Sometimes ...4 hours ago - New Parliament Demonstrates That Māori Seats Should GoNew Parliament demonstrates that Māori seats should go ...4 hours ago
- Low interest rates are killing the home ownership dream for many – even John Key is concernedSuper-low interest rates are a blessing to those already on the housing ladder. For those still renting and without a deposit, it is yet another nail in the long-sealed coffin of potential home ownership.Last week, when Heartland Bank became the first lender in New Zealand history to offer a home ...4 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 22 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Labour-Greens talks, Labour govt Henry Cooke (Stuff): There is no evidence National voters backed Labour to keep the Greens out Audrey Young (Herald): Labour holds all the cards ...4 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: National’s catastrophic collapse and fraught rebuild5 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Election Day DemographicsAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Auckland electorates have lower populations, on average. Chart by Keith Rankin. This week’s first chart shows the average numbers of votes cast – on and before election day – in New Zealand’s different regions. In principle, all electorates have the same population, with electorate boundaries drawn ...5 hours ago
- Review: Rose Matafeo will make you laugh and make you cry in Baby DoneThe comedian stars opposite Matthew Lewis, the artist formerly known as Neville Longbottom, in a charming new New Zealand comedy about a pregnant woman completely losing her shit. Recently I watched all of series one of Duchess, the semi-biographical Netflix vehicle of comedian Katherine Ryan, based on her life as an ...5 hours ago
- Dunne Speaks: Just Being The Anti-Labour Party Will Not Work For NationalBy any measure the National Party has been the most successful New Zealand political party of recent times. After all, it has won 16 of the last 25 elections, governing for 47 years since first winning office in 1949, almost twice as long as the Labour ...5 hours ago
- How Many Malt Patrons Used COVID Tracer App On Friday?“Confusion is reigning after patrons at a pub may have been exposed to COVID, and the problem is a total failure of the Government’s NZ COVID Tracer app,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The Prime Minister’s ‘team of 5 million’ ...6 hours ago
- Over 1 million mail-in ballots could be rejected in the US election — and the rules are changing b...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah John, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University In the US election next month, record-breaking numbers of voters will cast their ballots by mail for the first time. Millions of these ballots will be processed by local election administrations inexperienced ...6 hours ago
- Thinking of ditching private health insurance in the pandemic? Here’s how to calculate if it’s w...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, University of Melbourne Almost all private health insurers increased their premiums in October, and have scheduled another price rise for April 2021. As many people struggle financially amid the pandemic, you may be wondering whether you ...6 hours ago
- School of fish: how we involved Indigenous students in our investigation of a 65,000-year-old siteSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Morgan Disspain, Adjunct Researcher, Southern Cross University A recent program for school kids in Kakadu and West Arnhem Land, incorporating traditional knowledge and Western science, is a model for teaching Indigenous children on Country. The Djenj Project (djenj means “fish” in the ...6 hours ago
- At the heart of the broken model for funding aged care is broken trust. Here’s how to fix itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rafal Chomik, Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), UNSW This article is part of our series on the future of aged care. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will hold its final ...6 hours ago
- Why philosophers say solitude can be helpful (even if you didn’t choose it)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sharpe, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Deakin University Over the past seven months, many of us have got closer to experiencing the kind of solitude long sought by monks, nuns, philosophers and misanthropes. For some, this has brought loneliness. Nevertheless, like religions ...6 hours ago
- Live updates, October 22: ‘Contract tracing system working’ – HipkinsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 22. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.45am: ‘Contract tracing system working’ – HipkinsThe health minister does not believe there’s any reason for Auckland’s alert level to change, following news an infectious Covid-19 case visited ...6 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Everyone’s got an opinion for the GreensGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over how Greens should approach Labour relationship, Auckland pub patrons told to self-isolate, and highly leveraged investors send house prices higher.How lucky is the Green party, to have so many people giving advice and suggestions right now? As talks continue ...7 hours ago
- Business & Investing: NZX and European exchange in ETS service
NZX will help develop Emissions Trading Scheme auction platform, plus Kiwis have way less debt on their credit cards ...7 hours ago - Labour's final online ad push: $24 a minute
In the final week of election campaigning the Labour Party was spending $24 every minute on Facebook and Google advertising It was a huge finish. Not only did Labour win by a landslide on election night, it outspent competitors in the last week of campaigning online. In a seven day period the ...8 hours ago - Book of the Week: Jesse Mulligan on Chelsea Winter
Food critic Jesse Mulligan cooks his way through Supergood by Chelsea Winter Dad might have been the only person in Hamilton who truly bought Playboy for the articles. If he knew there were naked ladies in there too well, it never came up, and when he occasionally passed me a ...8 hours ago - Police reviewing mysterious death in Gore
Police are reviewing the case at the centre of a Newsroom video investigation which revealed a substandard inquiry into the death of a three-year-old Southland boy. Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner report WATCH: Melanie Reid's video investigation Police have confirmed they are conducting a review into the case relating to ...8 hours ago - Why New Plymouth voters went for Labour
After the Government announced a surprise ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration in 2018, the New Plymouth electorate looked like a sure thing for National. What changed? ...9 hours ago - W R Peters loans $60k to NZ First
As New Zealand First tried to fight off electoral oblivion, a W R Peters put his money where Winston's mouth was, Sam Sachdeva reports New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, or someone with the identical initials and home base, appears to have lent the party $60,000 in the dying days of the ...9 hours ago - 1980 Moscow boycott still hurts Kiwi gymnast
When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed, those who would have known just how the New Zealand team felt were the athletes selected for the 1980 Moscow Games. Their dreams were shattered 40 years earlier by a boycott - and 34 of those Kiwi athletes never got the chance to compete ...9 hours ago - Who the hell is Gideon Rozner, anyway?
Cindy Baxter looks into the background and associations of the author of a stark attack on re-elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern As I read the outrage at the negative outlier of an article about Jacinda Ardern’s victory in The Australian, I thought it was worth putting this piece into ...9 hours ago - Lion linked to Myanmar human rights abuses
The parent company of NZ’s largest beverage provider has been implicated in the funding of genocide. ...9 hours ago - Aussies stand by to fly on over
Australians are queuing up to go on a safe overseas holiday. Ross Stitt argues that New Zealand is missing out on a potential bonanza if it doesn't join the travel bubble. The much-anticipated Trans-Tasman ‘travel bubble’ has finally arrived. Sort of … Travellers from New Zealand are now allowed quarantine-free ...9 hours ago - Be fearless: Sandra Lee’s advice for Chlöe Swarbrick, 27 years after she stormed Auckland CentralThe woman who won Auckland Central for the Alliance in 1993 had some words of wisdom for the Green Party’s Chlöe Swarbrick on Sunday’s post-election episode of Gone By Lunchtime.“I always thought you could do it,” former cabinet minister Sandra Lee told Chlöe Swarbrick the morning after a dramatic election ...9 hours ago
- Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: Covid-19 and the Swiss cheese systemThe effort to defeat the coronavirus relies on many layers of defence. Or, let’s call them, slices of cheese.One thing that has really irked me during Covid-19 has been the labelling of any mistake in our systems or any unexpected transmission of the virus as a failure. Yes, I understand ...9 hours ago
- Auckland's cone zone
Construction of Auckland's City Rail Link is well underway and don't local retailers know it. It's killing the heart of the city, with the sound of construction replacing the ringing of tills. The country's largest infrastructure project, the $4 billion Auckland City Rail Link, is touted as long awaited solution ...9 hours ago - Taskmaster NZ proves we can do panel comedy as well as the BritsNew Zealanders love Taskmaster UK. But will they warm to the homegrown version? Guy Williams is doing his best to amp up the crowd, while Angella Dravid sits quietly alongside with her usual look of both discomfort and amusement. Leigh Hart has that wry smirk on his face that viewers of ...19 hours ago
- At the highwater mark with little wriggle room
This Government’s work, its future successes and its failures, will now all sit fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the Labour Party. ...20 hours ago - The US is taking on Google in a huge antitrust case. It could change the face of online searchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, UNSW, and Academic Lead, UNSW Grand Challenge on Trust, UNSW The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google for unlawful monopolisation. The department says Google’s conduct harms competition and consumers, ...20 hours ago
- Wāhine grab chance to have voice at the council table
Local government in Wairarapa is no longer the "pale, stale male" environment it once was, according to a recent survey. ...20 hours ago - NSW wants to change rules on suspending and expelling students. How does it compare to other states?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Sullivan, Associate Professor of Education, University of South Australia The disability royal commission heard from experts last week on the disproportionate number of students with a disability who have been suspended or expelled from school for “problem behaviour”. The commission’s public ...20 hours ago
- Greater needs, but poorer access to services: why COVID mental health measures must target disadvant...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Meadows, Professor of Adult Psychiatry, Monash University COVID-19 outbreaks and the resulting lockdowns, particularly in Victoria, have adversely affected many people’s mental health. Social isolation, financial stress, and anxiety about contracting COVID-19 can all contribute to psychological distress. For some people, ...21 hours ago
- NSW needs to prohibit religious discrimination, but not like thisSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Elphick, Adjunct Research Fellow, Law School, University of Western Australia It has long been a glaring problem that the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act (ADA) does not prohibit religious discrimination. One Nation’s Mark Latham recently proposed a new Religious Discrimination Bill. ...22 hours ago
- The redemption of Hine-nui-te-pōAn extract from Witi Ihimaera’s new book Navigating the Stars: Māori creation myths.This is an abridged passage of a deeply empathetic section analysing the life story of Hine-nui-te-pō, who crushed Māui to death with her vulva. At the end of the book, Ihimaera argues that Hine-nui-te-pō should be instated to ...22 hours ago
- Green Party: 'Fruitful discussions … further discussions to have'The Green Party says there is a negotiation going on with the Labour Party, but there are more discussions to be had. ...22 hours ago
- The online support club that helps the newly redundant through a scary timeCovid-19 has shoved New Zealand’s economy into recession, prompting a whole lot of businesses to downsize and slash their workforce. That’s why a support club has been formed to help the newly unemployed to get back on their feet.Redundancy can hit like a ton of bricks. The shock, uncertainty, the ...22 hours ago
- Police Continue To Ignore Their Own Pursuits PolicyA police crash during a pursuit in Masterton in the early hours of Wednesday morning suggests the police are simply ignoring their own pursuits policy, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety ...22 hours ago
- Green Party provide update after election resultsThe Green Party is speaking to media amid speculation over possible negotiations about a coalition deal. ...22 hours ago
- Houses (and their prohibitive prices) will be high in Ardern’s considerations as she appoints her ...
One of the strange outcomes of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the surge in house prices, not just in Auckland but through the rest of the country. It’s a phenomenon that runs contrary to past experience when the economy has slipped into recession. Many authorities say booming house prices are ...23 hours ago - Calls for Labour to fast-track child poverty mandateAnti-poverty campaigners are urging Labour to move fast and use its massive electoral support to forcefully tackle inequality. ...23 hours ago
- Indigenous leadership presents a new way of looking at the changed worldDon Rowe meets the post-graduate students putting tikanga and kaupapa Māori at the centre of learning how to lead. The planet is in trouble. Since the time of the industrial revolution, the Western world has become increasingly enthralled and enchanted by the pursuit of economic and individualistic success. Power, prestige, and ...24 hours ago
- The tale of ‘habitual criminal’ William King: a Black life in Victoria’s white justice systemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alana Piper, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney The Black Lives Matters movement in the United States and Australia has drawn welcome attention to Black deaths in the criminal justice system. Such fatalities are extreme manifestations of a long history of ...24 hours ago
- Review: The Vow takes a deep dive into the cesspit of the NXIVM cultJust a few years ago, few people had heard of the self-help group/cult of personality known as NXIVM. Now the dark story has gone global, thanks to an eight-part docuseries that debuts on Neon today. This review contains mild spoilers for The Vow.What is it that white people love so ...1 day ago
- Video: Death of a toddler – Mel Reid investigates
How did 3-year-old Lachie Jones really meet his death? Mysterious circumstances, improbable theories and a once-over-lightly police investigation spark calls for a new inquiry into how little Lachie Jones died in Gore last year. Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner report. *Watch the full story in the video player below* ...1 day ago - Whakatōhea Settlement Another Step CloserThe Waitangi Tribunal decision to decline an urgent hearing into the Crown's decision to continue treaty negotiations with the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust is another step forward for the Whakatōhea Settlement. "We are pleased with ...1 day ago
- Calls for an ABC-run social network to replace Facebook and Google are misguided. With what money?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona R Martin, Associate Professor in Convergent and Online Media, University of Sydney If Facebook prevented Australian news from being shared on its platform, could the ABC start its own social media service to compensate? While this proposal from the Australia Institute ...1 day ago
- A loss of ‘Fijian’ identity – or no identity at all – in AotearoaBy Sri Krishnamurthi “No matter how we come to be in Fiji, or how long we have been here …we all part of the land. It is the land of our birth or land of our adoption, the land to which we belong” – The late archbishop Petero Mataca. When ...1 day ago
- Decisive Victory of MAS in Bolivia: A Blow to Anti-Indigenous and Anti-Socialist Coups in the Americ...Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By William CamacaroFrom Caracas The decisive electoral victory of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) in Bolivia may be a point of inflection on the continent that advances the construction of a new South American socialist bloc. After having been removed from ...1 day ago
- Podcast documents first-hand witness of the Senkata Massacre in BoliviaSource: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage Francesca Emanuele is a Peruvian journalist and a Ph.D. student of Anthropology at American University in Washington, DC. She interviewed a first-hand witness of the Senkata Massacre, that took place on November 19th, 2020, days after the overthrow of Evo Morales, ...1 day ago
- With a mandate to govern NZ alone, Labour must now decide what it really stands forANALYSIS: By David Hall, Auckland University of Technology A pandemic can change the foundations of a society. But if this happens in New Zealand over the next three years, it will be for reasons beyond the control of the sixth Labour government. When it comes to the fundamental structure of ...1 day ago
- Jornal Independente wins annual ‘best media’ award in Timor-LesteBy Jose Sarito Amaral in Balibo The Jornal Independente newspaper has been awarded Timor-Leste’s mediaoutlet of the year prize in the National Press Council’s 2019 awards. Rigoberto Monteiro, executive director of Timor-Leste’s Press Council, said the Independente took out the award because of the quality of its stories and “strict ...1 day ago
- Sediment, jobs and mauri – Minister responds to questions about measuring progress on Kaipara clea...We found nothing new, in our daily check of the Beehive website. But we can report the reply to questions that were raised in an announcement from Environment Minister David Parker (which we noted at the time) earlier this month. The announcement was headed Kaipara Moana restoration takes next step. ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s gluten-free bread, reviewed and rankedA definitive answer to a burning question: what is the best gluten-free bread of them all?Outside of coeliac circles, not many people know that gluten-free bread is actually better than regular bread. It’s true.* After years of fastidious experimentation and perfecting, gluten-free bakers have now produced a product vastly superior ...1 day ago
- Voting patterns are more volatile than ever and will bring a stark test for LabourWhat is vote volatility and how will it affect the Labour Party over the next three years? Jack Vowles, professor of political science, explains.As the dust begins to settle after the 2020 election, a new electoral landscape becomes visible. It is remarkably different from the one before. One way to ...1 day ago
- Agreement Better Than DivisionA prominent Northland principal is raising concerns with the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF), suggesting its proposal to establish a breakaway principals’ union is misleading, divisive and would likely worsen outcomes for principals. Pat ...1 day ago
- Meet the duo behind some of The Beths’ coolest music videosAfter a lockdown spent creating stop motion in their laundry, Sports Team is now nominated for an Aotearoa Music Artisan award. The duo talk to The Spinoff about making music videos.The first music video Annabel Kean and Callum Devlin made was accidental. It happened on a date, wandering around Auckland ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 21 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Election Jack Vowles (The Conversation): The 2020 NZ election saw record vote volatility — what does that mean for the next Labour government? Jason Walls and Chris ...1 day ago
- Bicultural, bilingual, bijural: A plan for a new model of legal education in AotearoaOPINION: It is time to integrate tikanga Māori into law schools to create a truly bicultural legal system, writes University of Otago law professor Jacinta Ruru. I see, hear, feel racism. Every day. Each morning, I begin my trek from carpark to office, walking across the campus lawns, alongside the Ōwheo ...1 day ago
- Greens better off independent – Former Green MP Catherine DelahuntyCatherine Delahunty says the party does not have the leverage to form a government with Labour and is better off pushing for change from opposition. ...1 day ago
- Winning election a 'big ask' – National leader Judith CollinsJudith Collins is looking to the future where she envisions herself as leader, and the party as the best opposition ever. ...1 day ago
- Trump has changed America by making everything about politics, and politics all about himselfSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney On October 14, Donald Trump held a rally attended by several thousand in Iowa, despite White House guidelines that gatherings in the state should be limited ...1 day ago
- Despite more than 30 major inquiries, governments still haven’t fixed aged care. Why are they gett...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eileen Webb, Professor of Law and Ageing, UniSA: Justice and Society, University of South Australia This article is part of our series on aged care. You can read the other articles in the series here. Australia’s aged care sector has been ...1 day ago
- Why more housing stimulus will be needed to sustain recoverySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Rowley, Professor; School of Economics, Finance and Property, and Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, Curtin University In response to the COVID-19 recession, federal, state and territory governments quickly provided support to the housing industry for two ...1 day ago
oh my goodness, as i clutch my pearls, cunliffe has been caught using a cell phone in his car, front page news, end of the world, obviously the police to media hotline is redhot!
did you miss the ‘brighton’ story..?
Yep why investigate possible corruption when they can investigate a talking on the cellphone minor infringement. This story is sourced from Slater as is the picture of the dating site. You would have to wonder at how he “stumbled” on it and I wonder who put it up.
Meanwhile there was a significant development in the Donghua Liu story and questions of when Woodhouse met him to discuss immigration policy and the relationship with the timing of his donation to the National Party.
But of course talking on a cellphone is more serious …
reckon, i don’t believe the chinese dating site for a second, thats gotta be a set up that any idiot can see through, …well most idiots i guess.
The Nats are smarting after the Donghua Liu story hit John Key.
Key is rattled: it showed in his bad tempered performance in Parliament yesterday.
He should have known better than to do that.
However, is there more than meets the eye in this story? The stuff article had me wondering about a few aspects in the story.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/66672455/cunliffe-fined-for-using-cellphone-while-driving
* It says a motorist made the complaint and the complaint said Cunliffe was driving ‘erratically’ which Cunliffe has denied.
Because of the nature of the complaint, I am curious to know WHO the complainant was. Was it a set up ? Was this complainant deliberately following Cunliffe? Was he or one of the accomplices themselves instigate the whole episode? How come the media came to know about this incident promptly? Did the police leak the information or was it the minister of police? Was this to distract the news away from the various messes that the government is in? Is this all part of dirty politics? Something is fishy here.
* The report also strangely said this:
“he admitted he had “made a cellphone call or two” in hands-free mode and had been given an infringement notice. He was fined $80 by a police officer, NZME reported”
If it was in ‘hands-free mode’ as the report says, was that illegal?
Yep it reeks of a set up to me how they just happened to find a witness to comment on his driving.
It definitely is black-ops work.
Cunliffe certainly didn’t call the media!
Had the person following being an ordinary Joe and called Police, because of concerns about his driving, then the matter should be a private matter between Cunliffe and the Police.
If the person is a Nat lackie who followed Cunliife from Parliament in his hire car (he is an Auckland MP) and called the Police then that person would be the source for the Media. Why then did the Police confirm? Is that their normal procedure? No.
This news story required cooperation from both the snitch/lackie and the police.
Dirty Politics continues.
Its the left who always encourage narking and denouncements. You reap what you sow.
cite pls. CF:the greasy cetacean
Slater is a leftie for the purposes of Bedwetter’s feeble stories.
East German Stasi had 189000 informers study says.
I never nark or inform on anyone for that very reason.
Fuck the Stasi, the American driven FVEY apparatus turned on each of us is four or five orders of magnitude more powerful than what the Stasi could ever manage.
You clearly don’t Facebook, email, call or txt your friends and family then.
So, what you’re saying is that if you see a crime or an injustice happening you’re not going to do anything about it? That would probably explain your support of Key and his lies.
This kind of phenomena will increase as trust in the activities and motivations of the authorities decrease.
BTW In know that it’s obvious to you, but the authorities aren’t really interested in correcting “injustice.”
Don’t need authority to point out an injustice and to try and remove it from society if it’s systemic.
You already see it in many areas of the world – including western ones. People seeking justice outside of the official system when they know or feel that the official system has no interest in delivering justice.
Crimes against life or property are a different matter, but I will not report people for arbitrary offences such as exceeding drink driving limits, speeding, talking on their cellphone, any of that stuff. Its just divisive left wing shit that eventually corrodes a country and you end up like East Germany above.
And please stop saying I support Key.
When Little takes power, you may be able to say to most of the other dipshits on Kiwiblog et al that you didn’t see them complaining when Key was doing it, but you won’t be able to say that about me.
Here is just one example.
You managed to contradict yourself in the same sentence. The reason why we have speed and drink drive limits and rules against driving while using the cell phone is because it kills people and often not the person doing the really stupid thing. In other words, these things are crimes against life.
In fact, as it stands I’d say that there’s enough evidence to say that capitalism itself is a crime against life as it continues to destroy the environment in its drive for profit but I’m sure that we will never see you call for capitalism to be abolished because of that crime.
No it does not. Take the drink driving limit. A person can exceed that limit and drive home every night of their life and never hit or kill or maim anyone. Its an arbitrary amount that has no real relationship to the committing of an offence.
If a person crashes into someone and kills or maims them, and they have been drinking, and the drinking is proved to be an influence, then charge them and make sure the sentence is punitive enough to discourage them and others from taking the risk.
You do not make criminals out of innocent people. Set up roadblocks and carry out suspicionless searches. That is another characteristic of left wing tyranny. It begins small and gets bigger. As in East Germany under the Stasi.
Don’t any of you Leftists know anything of history?
Translation: redbaiter refuses to report violations of laws he is too stupid to understand…
The Stasi were just carrying on the great tradition of Himmler and the earlier brownshirts, A mass informer society.
The spanish fascists were the same for longer.
What Bullshit. Dirty Politics is an organised programme of media dirt designed to attack Labour and distract from National Government incompetence and misdeeds at key junctures.
says in the article that using a handheld phone was illegal. My understanding is that handsfree is legal.
Doesn’t actually say whether the infringement was for the phone or, say, failing to indicate a lane change.
The ODT has (in a reprint of the NZH article):
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/334494/cunliffe-nabbed-using-phone-while-driving
Fuck that shit! You should always indicate before you change lanes whether you think anyone else in nearby or not. Cunliffe sounds like someone trying to excuse pointing a gun at a crowd by claiming he didn’t think it was loaded.
I’m saying this as someone who thought that Cunliffe had better ideas than any other leader in Labour in decades. Little may turn out to be a more effective leader due to less caucus hostility, but I’m yet to be impressed (though still early days).
Also; Clemgeopin, the quote in the ODT (haven’t looked at Stuff yet) is:
Even with a genuine legal hands-free set-up; research demonstrates that phone calls are a distraction to driving competence. Simply using the loudspeaker mode on a normal cellphone would surely be even worse. Not quite as idiotic as txtng while driving though.
Is the timing of media release suspicious? Hell yes. Should that excuse an MP ignoring the law for personal convenience? Fuck no!
lol ah, so he had it on speakerphone.
Amazing the mileage on an $80 traffic ticket, though…
Wouldn’t you be more worried about more serious offending? Like indecent assaults on children?
mickysavage
I’m pretty sure that any comment I might make linking MPs with indecent assaults on children would be breaking name suppression, and don’t want to put TS in that position.
I am perhaps a bit sensitive when it comes to road safety. But I imagine many who have experience with those who have suffered vehicular death or injury feel similarly.
The casualty rate for motor vehicles is higher than all forms of assault (including both your example of; child-assault, and mine of; firearms). In 2010 (most recent year easy to access through Statistics NZ) this was 8.6/ 100000 vs 1.2/100000 (vehicular injury rate at 321/100000). The only good news is that the road toll in 2013 was half what it was in 2000.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/nz-social-indicators/Home/Individual%20safety%20and%20security/m-v-casualties.aspx
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/nz-social-indicators/Home/Individual%20safety%20and%20security/death-assault.aspx
McFlock
I suppose it does seem a lot of drama about an $80 ticket. Though if I had my way, driving while phoning would be automatic loss of license (once proven in court, and possibly just a 3month suspension on first offense). I really don’t have a sense of humour about that shit.
You will understand the reason for my bewilderment at David being criticised for this.
Drivers with pets and small kids in the car are just as distracted, if not more so.
We’re not going to start disqualifying them from driving too are we?
Regardless, the way we need to go is to get 90% of private motor vehicle transport off the roads.
I entirely agree with you. If Cunliffe broke the law, he should be ticketed and pay the fine. No issue about that. He should know better.
My issue is about the aspects I have mentioned connected with the news reports in our media, such has HOW and WHY and by WHOM did this leak take place and became public knowledge. Is it legal and fair to do so? Was the police or the minister or the PM involved in this leak of privacy? Have no other MPs ever broken a traffic rule and fined? If any do exist, have all those cases too been exposed in the media?
The stuff link I posted is still as it was in the morning I think. I have now read your ODT link.
I wish our MSM, the journalists, the political commentators are fairer, show more integrity and professionalism and delve deep into HEAPS of other important issues such as the truth and cost behind the Iraq armed deployment, electronic surveillance of all, the Lu donation truth, the bio security inefficiency, the dirty politics, black ops operations, the truth about the Charter schools, the $50,000/day or so spent on a social Welfare Ministry’s CEO visit somewhere, the 43K review cost we have to pay for Brownlee jumping over the security gate without being charged etc just as a few examples
They don’t seem to hold the National Party Ministers and their MPs to the same degree of minute scrutiny as they do for Labour. Something is just not right.
factoids:..
1)..america has only not been at war..for 21 yrs out of the 237 since the founding of the country..
(‘if not them..who..?’..eh..?..)
2)..when national took power there were 40,000 nz’ers on the minimum wage..
..there are now 160,000 nz’ers on the minimum wage..
..(well done john key/the tories..!..eh..?..)
3)..in a country that once had no homeless…
..there are now over 30,000 nz’ers ‘sleeping-rough’..
..(well done both national and labour..!..eh..?..)
4)..alcohol is 114 times more dangerous than cannabis..
5)..cunnliffe has a new nickname..it is the name he is known as on a chinese dating-site..
..meet ‘brighton’…
and if you see cunnliffe out and about..
..can i suggest u call out to him:..’brighton..!..is that you..?’…
oh..!..i almost forgot..!
..we ‘can’t afford’ to do anything about poverty/homelessness..
..but we can afford to spend $65 million to be spear-carriers for the psycopathic/war-mongering fucken americans..
Morning Phil, where did you get the info for your second fact? It is interesting…
morena hutty..
..from q-time @ parliament yesterday…
..and that’s not even going near the abomination that is zero hours-contracts..
Do you know whose speech/speaking it was in? Cheers
don’t quote me..but i think question 4..
..(parliamentary website has full-transcript..u shd b able find it there..)
You mentioned it, you find it.
u get fucked..!..eh..?..
(then get back to me..)
It’s real simple. You made a claim and now you have to back it up.
I’ve looked at question time for yesterday, and can’t find it, phil.
There was one mention of the average wage in regards to benefit levels, and joyce made a passing reference to the starting out wage, but I can’t find anything close to what you mentioned.
oh well..i don’t make things up..it was said..
..(n.b..i am not making the claim..i am reporting what i heard..)
..and if ball-busting over it..surely labour dept stats wd help you..?
Hang on, so now I need to find evidence to support an assertion that you can’t show ever existed?
Whatever you “heard”, it wasn’t where you claim it was said. So at best you’re mistaken about where it was said, at worst you made it up, and the middle ground is that you simply heard wrong.
And you get pissy when people like wayne and northshoredoc just plain ignore you most of the time…
i am possibly mistaken about where i heard it..(i spend my days in a sea of information..)
..but i definitely heard it..
..and if that isn’t good enough for you..
..that’s tough-bikkies..eh..?
..and yep..! northshoredoc just won’t answer about the freebies he gets from big-pharma..(‘conferences’ in exotic-locales being just one..eh doc..?..)
..and ‘wayne’ has been nowhere near general debate since i asked him about the war-crimes committed by nz soldiers (handing prisoners over to be tortured) while he was minister of defence..
..(war-crimes he initially denied..then he just ran to his fox-hole..
..where he has remained ever since..)
i wd like to ask him those questions again..and hopefully get a straight answer from him..
In recent articles on the Minimum wage increases over the last two years:
In April 2014, the min wage rose to $14.25, CTU economist Bill Rosenberg said “…More than 100,000 people were on or close to the new minimum wage…”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/9758228/Minimum-wage-up-50c
However on this years rise to $14.75, Helen Kelly said “…Helen Kelly said over 300,000 workers were on or near the minimum wage.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/66627971/minimum-wage-rises-to-1475
Seems hard to believe that an extra 200,000 people are ‘on or near’ the min wage in just a year. Suppose it depends on far ‘near’ is from the minimum wage.
Phil, after a lot of reading, your point number 2 does not appear in the transcripts of Parliament for this past week, so if you do happen to remember who/when it was said, just let us know and perhaps we can search the videos for it but I’m not going to do that without a bit more detail.
Seeing as you eventually have admitted you may have misheard or mistakenly assigned the source to question time, why all the animosity? No one was having a go at you, (apart from draco of course but isn’t that what you two do for fun ?)
Asking for more details is something you do all time, so maybe….
🙄
Wayne’s been commenting regularly, just not to you. In fact, I definitely remember correcting you on that claim before, I just can’t remember where. Oh, I know, rather than expecting you to do my work for me, I’ll do the search myself: oh look, it was a week and a half ago. So now I have reason to doubt your memory of what was said on any particular topic, rather than just where it was said.
The fact that you are quite probably delusional is most likely the reason you will not get what you want from folk like wayne or northshoredoc – no matter what they say, even if they are in the right you will merely “hear” what you have already decided to hear and go off on a rabid, unintelligible tangent.
@ freedom..no..i did not mishear..i did not say i misheard..
..i am very certain about what i heard..
..i said i was not sure where i heard it..
…but it was yesterday..
@ flock..
..’wayne’ has not been back to where i can ask him..the general debate..
..asking him where he appeared..wd have been clear thread-disruption..
..i presume yr links are not general-debate..?
lol
I disappeared for a wee while to search @wayne.
How long have you been carrying this torch? Because I’ve got some bad news for you, phil: wayne seems to have commented on an open mike once, in late 2013. And you missed your opportunity to righteously challenge him – for shame.
That single comment is what stands between you and your “back” being complete bullshit.
It seems it might not be all about you…
“and yep..! northshoredoc just won’t answer about the freebies he gets from big-pharma..(‘conferences’ in exotic-locales being just one..eh doc..?..)”
Already answered this a couple of times during your previous diatribes Phil, perhaps you were otherwise engaged or it has slipped your memory.
remind us all..doc..
That’s what the search engine on the site is for phil.
oh..!..u r so coy on this subject..aren’t you..?
..why is that..?
..from memory u said these holidays (sorry..!.’conventions’..) in exotic locales..
..were part of yr ongoing ‘training’..?
..is that correct..?
..and the lobbying/wh.y. from big-pharma reps has absolutely no influences on yr prescribing..eh..?..
“….. from memory ….”
I thought this thread had offered some confirmation that you should not rely on your memory.
u duck and weave like a sweating tory politician..
..don’t you..?
@phil…. no…..eh
‘no’..that you are not ducking and weaving like a sweating tory politician..?
..or ..’no’..that u won’t talk about yr ongoing relationship with big-pharma..?
..btw..when is yr next paid-for-by-drug-company-holiday..(sorry..!..medical-conference..) scheduled..?
..and which exciting/exotic locale will it be in..?
Yes that’s right Phil I’m currently sunning myself in Jamaica – all expenses paid by multinational pharmaceutical companies all in return for changing all my patients onto their drugs once I return to NZ.
They are flying me back via Mars where their hypnotoad overlords will be further indoctrinating me.
astonishing how you seem to so blissfully deny the well-documented phenomenon of the influence big-pharma has over doctors-prescribing..
..and the ‘bribes’ that are given to doctors to achieve those ends..
..are you denying this internationally recognised fact/evil..?
(and maybe not jamaica..but wanaka is nice this time of yr..eh..?..)
i will try again to ask you the question:..what/where was the last ‘conference’ you went to..?
..and what financial-assistance did you receive from big-pharma to attend..?
..and when/where is the next one..?
Melbourne …. and no.
….and not playing this game anymore all your questions have been answered …in all honestly it’s probably more useful trying to have an online conversation with one of your deceased canines than trying to engage with yourself….eh ?
and how much financial assistance from big-pharma did you get to attend..?
..and a slur/slag around my recently deceased 16 yr old dog..?
..that i am still seriously grieving over..?
..really putting the ass/arse in ‘class’..
.aren’t you..?..eh..?
..you fucken shabby piece of crap….
and yes..readers here can see yr evasions..
..and we all know you are just another big-pharma tool…
..pimping their poisonous shit for them…
..bought/owned by them..
..the hypocratic-oath..eh..?
..you clearly live by it..
@phil……
“..and a slur/slag around my recently deceased 16 yr old dog..?
..that i am still seriously grieving over..?”
Perhaps you should’ve had the dear old thing stuffed and mounted next to your computer ….. then you could commune with it rather than typing your ellipsis loaded diatribes……….eh ?
do you usually hit the turps on a friday nite..?
..is that where u get yr bravado from..?
..and you wouldn’t say that to my fucken face..wd u..?
..u gutless piece of shite…
..and u a north shore doctor…eh..?
..flying the flag for the profession..eh..?
that’s a definition of cowardice..isn’t it..?
..saying something hiding behind a nom de plume..
..that you wd not say to that persons’ face..
..and be assured..
..i wd love to question you about yr big-pharma links..
..face to face..
..but/bet u wouldn’t like that..wd u..?
@phil
Oh dear, what’s with all the ellipsoidal abuse……….eh ?
I thought you didn’t dislike anyone…….eh ?
…. and here’s me thinking that all that pot was supposed to mellow you out…eh ?
….hopefully I never have to have your mug in front of me…if your incoherent tosh on this site is anything to go by……your gobbledegook in person must be completely intelligible dribble……eh.
Poor old pooch having to put up with a human like you, wouldn’t surprise me if the poor old dear gave up the ghost after listening to your rambling on another pot fuelled afternoon………….eh ?
Actually, avoiding being stalked by deranged stoners is a very good example of why some people prefer to use pseudonyms.
a bit more of that piss-bravery in you..eh..?
..and you don’t like yr doctor-infallibility being questioned/laughed at..do ya..
..ya fucken pill-pusher..
Standard Phil – this happens daily.
“I heard something but can’t find any evidence of it but I know I heard it so get fucked and go find the info the supports it.”
“.. this happens daily. ..
..care to cite/link to..oh..!..let’s say just two of these ‘daily occurances’..?
..you bullshit-artist you..
Why should I have to cite anything to you?
@ contrarian..
..maybe not to prove you are a total bullshit artist..’daily occurance’..
..but ok..’total bullshit-artist’ can/will stand..
..your call..
lol
So if you refuse to cite, we should trust you, but when someone else refuses to cite, they’re total bullshit artists.
Fish, meet barrel. You’ll be happy there for a while, no troubles.
This is the most recent report I can find:
http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/pay/backgroundpapers/2013/Minimum-Wage-Review-MBIE-Report-2013.pdf
It claims 54,000 are on the minimum wage. However, the figure quoted in the previous year’s report was 80K, so they may have changed the recording mechanism. Also, firms are advised to pay marginally more than the minimum so that their workers are less likely to get assistance from MBIE if they need it (they are required to help minimum wage workers, but not necessarily minimum +10c per hour workers).
The effect of raising the minimum also sweeps up groups of workers who used to be above minimum, but who have not kept pace due to not getting annual rises. So that 54,000 probably rose in 2013/14.
However, I can’t see how even the 80,000 figure quoted in 2012 could become 160,000 a couple of years later.
Having said that, Phil’s point remains; under National more workers are on the bare minimum. Not only that, many are on 90 day fire at will contracts, zero hour arrangements and the like, so certainty of employment has also diminished.
“We would love to see wages drop.” John Key, 2008.
the figure quoted was from when the tories came to power..not 2012..
..it was 2008 ’till now…
..40,000 then..160,000 now…
(shall we all have a group-dance on the head of a fucken pin..?..
..oh..!..hang on..!..we’re already doing that..!..)
Er, I was backing you up, Phil.
MBIE said 54k in 2013 and the previous year (2012) they said 80k. I was quoting MBIE, not the Nats.
Which I wrote as: “It claims 54,000 are on the minimum wage. However, the figure quoted in the previous year’s report was 80K, so they may have changed the recording mechanism.”
I think it’s entirely likely that it was 40k when the Tories took over and that it’s got worse since then.
@ trp..
..and i was just correcting yr claim that i had said 2012….
I didn’t claim you said 2012, Phil!
alright..my bad..
No worries, cobber.
His name is Cunliffe NOT CuNNliffe FFS it’s in the papers enough
u get todays’ pedant-award..
..i mean..who cares..?..
..and anyway..i much prefer his chinese-dating-site name…
..’brighton’…
..and i shall call him ‘brighton’ from here on in..
..u ok with that spelling..?
Gosh that is more exciting that TV1 expose a few weeks ago that Cadbury were reducing their bar size!
I almost forgot in the excitement, that John Key is sending our troops into an illegal war in Iraq without UN or Security Council approval.
As our assistance has been requested the UN doesn’t come into it. Of course, the fact that the government was talking about going before the request came does indicate that we would have gone with or without the Iraqi request.
Our assistance was requested by the Shia side of the sectarian Parliament, and no official paperwork drawn up around it. It’s very minimal cover for our intervention in a civil war.
I got the distinct impression that the request from Iraq was done at the behest of the USA to give a cover for their invasion that they weren’t going to get any other way.
Pretty much – I think your conclusion makes sense. And I think the USA already checked in with John Key to ensure that our answer would indeed be “yes.”
The rich praise the rich.
Importing massive amounts of sweatshop produce, building big boxes that close down other retail and destroy town centres, create lousy low paid work.
Yes Tindall really did make life better for thousands of NZers.
The shareholders of the Warehoise.
It’s like the Walmart family being awarded in the US
http://m.tvnz.co.nz/news/top_stories/6242222
Yup and team tindall have been acquiring other niche kiwi etailers etc to ensure the empire of crap continues to prosper. The many brands one owner strategy you see in logistics, booze, dairy products etc.
I only shop at red shed when I don’t expect my purchase to be well made or have longevity but hey that’s the world we live in….never mind the quality feel the width.
i know..!..i am still gathering my (gobsmacked) thoughts over that one..
..and not to mention the third world slave-workers/children he made his money off/thru..
..and you are right..it wd be like america making walton american-of-the-year..
Posted the link to Auckland Conversations last week on the topic of housing, and the introduction to the event was full of praise for Stephen Tindall (who attended) and the Warehouse. (Youth & Community Economic Development – David Turner)
I haven’t heard Len Brown speak in public for a while, and was not impressed. Very sycophantic to business overall, and Tindall and the Warehouse specifically on this occasion. I had to only listen with moderate attention to this lovefest, and so could look at these guys and ponder whether their egos are so fragile they must constantly puff each other up at every opportunity:
“Like me, like me, – I like you – d’ya like me…?”
The Warehouse has some form of school to work programme, called “Red Shirts in Schools”. If you are interested in seeing the disaster that can be if not managed properly – go and have a look at some the Academy schools in the US. Particularly in areas that are struggling.
The feature speaker, David Turner was – by contrast – much more interesting to listen to.
He spoke of the success of the Swiss system which provides long-term and extensive work business relationships to students, and the experience and effort that goes into ensuring apprenticeships and students have a good fit. This includes a vast resource of independent career counselors and a “three strikes and your in” understanding. That is, businesses are aware that some students who have had no prior experience in industry will require three placements before they have the skills and knowledge to be ready to participate.
He also said that businesses meet regularly to discuss the progress of their “apprenticeships” and keep up with the progress of students that have moved on to other placements. While there is some degree of financial strategy, they recognise they are contributing to the common good. When was the last time we heard that phrase in NZ in the same sentence as business?
He also suggested that he believed that fundamentally business owners in Switzerland got involved in these programmes because of their humanity.
And for the RWNJ reading this, the word is not synonymous with public relations.
Without being undiplomatic, he stated that the business relationships in Australia – where he is from – is not set up to do this kind of support, and until it is, it is likely that repeats of past exploitation of young people would happen. He said he was unqualified to comment on NZ, but if business networks were similar it would have to undergo a big change.
Almost worth listening to Len Brown’s valentine at the beginning – to hear the words business, humanity and common good linked together.
(Unfortunately, Len Brown left after his introduction – so missed an opportunity for a bit of education himself.)
Really good stuff on
http://www.norightturn.blogspot.co.nz
Including Cash for Questions in UK,
followed by Money laundering from the National party donations,
Greens actually spent more money on the election than Labour (again Labour not listening on the moral issues here so missing out on votes and donations),
GCSB’s obsession with “network security” (which, thanks to Snowden, we now know means “making sure people don’t plug the backdoors we use”) is killing research and driving tech companies out of the country.
SIS’s slow vetting procedures appear to have interfered with the establishment of IGIS’s office and their recruitment of staff. Vetting is their core function, but apparently it still takes months.
IGIS currently has an own-motion inquiry into the SIS underway “which arose from the regular inspection of intelligence warrants [and] is the first Inspector-General inquiry into the “propriety” of particular activities of an intelligence and security agency”. Which sounds as if SIS are abusing their powers. Unfortunately, as its “operational”, all the details are classified, and we’ll only be getting a summary at the end of it. Its unclear whether the victims of any SIS impropriety will be informed of the violation of their rights so they may take legal action against the spies.
Because they’d only been in the role for seven weeks, the IGIS can not certify that GCSB and SIS are complying with their legislation.
So, it turns out that Sky City’s surprise “cost overrun” on their crony-deal convention centre was their plan all along, and that the government knew about it from the beginning:
Well worth reading!
Here is an article on a crucial aspect of the Iraq conflict that is not getting discussed but is most certainly going to play an ever increasing role in the (re)establishment of a stable Iraq nation.
Iran has always had a hands on influence in many parts of Iraq but appears to be strengthening its presence. As there is little information on this area of the political situation in Iraq, we have no way to know the veracity of the claims, but that can be said of most aspects of this conflict.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-irans-military-chiefs-operate-in-iraq-2015-2
I adapted the map to show where “behind the wire” puts our troops
Addendum:
“Here is an article on a crucial aspect of the Iraq conflict that is not getting discussed..”
I should have said …discussed in the mainstream public arena and the MSM news services…
“Canada’s electronic surveillance agency is covertly monitoring vast amounts of Canadians’ emails as part of a sweeping domestic cybersecurity operation, according to top-secret documents.”
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/02/25/canada-cse-pony-express-email-surveillance/
Bet the GCSB is doing the same. What are Palintir here for, now?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10899920
i am caught on the horns of a moral dilemma..
..i have been offered (much-needed) ‘dirty money’..
..the facts of the matter are that i have a hellish job keeping up with the costs etc. of running whoar..+ life..on the dole..
..(i actually went totally ‘dark’ on tues…pre-paid electricity ran out sooner than expected..and no money to top it up..that was an interesting 24hrs….)
..and i have received an offer to host some paid-content..for an online gambling casino…
..what to do..?..
..while loathing how the gambling-industry exploits the weakest..
..i am not actually opposed to people having the right to throw their money away in whatever stupid way they choose…
..aarrgghh..!..those horns are sharp..!
hee hee classic dilemma mr ure… whatcha gonna do? Firstly, don’t worry about electricity it is entirely over-rated unless you have a freezer full of food. I know a few who stay off the grid and it works fine…. biggest problem likely to be punching out the daily squawk online.
so, to be or not to be – whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of struggles…..
you know what you are going to do – you are just temporarily weakened by the devil of temptation.
aye..!
don’t do it!…its the beginning of the end…and you will lose credibility…the great thing about this site is that it is classy and clean ….has no tacky or amoral or immoral ads
chooky..i am talking about whoar..not here..
..’y’know..!..that ‘cartoony-site’ you make sure you stay well away from..?
i know that…if you start advertising gambling that makes it worse…even although i dont look at it
Agree with trp below. It’s well and good to maintain principles and decency – all for it – but you’ve got to live Phil. The constant worry about having no money (been there) means you can’t be much help to anybody let alone yourself. Go for it.
Well, that explains why you didn’t comment on my post on Tuesday, Phil!
For my tuppenceworth, I think you should put the ads up. I don’t see it as a moral compromise or lowering your site’s credibility. It’s just not that kind of website, it’s a news aggregator, not a forum for philosophical discussion. Unlike dope, casino’s are legal, though I wish the situation was reversed.
Use the money to get a regular power account (pre-pay is a total rip off) and maybe think about solar, if that’s possible where you live.
“.. and maybe think about solar..”
i’ll do that after i’ve got the pony all sorted out..eh..?..
..and i am well aware glo-bug pre-pay is a total gouge..
.the power company forced me onto it..against my will/protestations..
..(their reason..?..my payments were not always on the day..(tho’ i note my power had never been disconnected..the bills were paid..)
..this is one of the ways the poorest get fucked over…
..and here’s another one…!
..fucken animal control..and the fascist bitches (yes..!..i meant to say that..!..stick yer fucken p.c..!..) that drive around in those red vans..
a few months ago..they came to my house..having received a complaint that my dogs weren’t registered..
..my old dog had been registered..but it had expired..and the little one wasn’t..
..i pointed out that it wasn’t deliberate..more an outcome of poverty..
..(and i noted that the old-dog was on her death-legs..was nearly gone..(she died about three weeks later..)
..and this meant nothing..despite this fascist-bitch agreeing that yes..she was clearly near the end..
..so i went and borrowed the money to get both dogs registered..
..and then..here is the kicker..!
..as well as these two horror-shows talking to me in a way they would never address say..a gang-member..?
..(the true mark of the coward-bully..the careful selection of who they will fuck over..)
..i maintained politeness..(with great difficulty..)
..and then..two weeks later..hand-delivered to my letterbox..
..two tickets..back-dated..for $300 each..for having unregistered dogs…
..(a malicious afterthought..?..it was never mentioned to me..)
..i was unable to pay that $600 fine..
..so it has worked its’ way thru the system..
..and i have just been told it + the requisite penalties – will be taken from my benefit..
..(so that was over $1,000 ..that they screwed me for..seems fair..?..eh..?..).
..i see in the media that there will be an inquiry into animal-services auckland..and how they operate..after allegations of cruelty by their officers..
..i would like to give evidence to that inquiry..
..about what would seem to be their ‘normal-practices’..
..because if these pieces of human excrement did this to me..
..you can bet that is what they are doing to everyone,..
(except gang-members..!..of course..!..)
…sounds pretty bad alright!….and for many a dog or pet companion is crucial for emotional health when you are down and out ( the people who enforce these rules male or female have to be callous…no other person could do the job)
….maybe yu or others should keep a poverty diary somewhere on line….so people can see in detail what a hard struggle it is…even in New Zealand
I have some idea because i was brought up by a solo parent, who had a professional job, but it was still a struggle ….and i also have a very well educated professional friend who has a long term chronic health problem and is invalided in a state house which could be sold out from under him
….the day to day worry and grind of poverty and living on benefits should be chronicalled for all to see in dairy form…maybe 7 people each take a day of the week?
(btw…where is Xtasy these days ?)
+1 on xtasy. Was wondering the same thing just the other day. Would like to hear from them again.
Things sound a tad grim sorry to hear Phil, however your a stoic chap and harvest
time is near, just remember to give the taxman his share and all will be fine. Take the money from whoever is trying to scam your morals.
I would rather dog owners were registered, I think its sucks they fine you on your own property. Caught in public would be inline with cars. You don’t get fined for having an unregistered car on your property only in public.
Maybe we could fund raise for you, say if you had a wash, a short back and sides, a shave and if you get a real job a hold it we could top up your pay.
Have you looked at applying for jobs in your area? Works for me
…..what
…. fucking work
……..it’s oppression is work
…..enslavement I tell ya
….for whoars sake s
Hot war on it’s way
http://www.tfmetalsreport.com/podcast/6645/another-vital-jb-sfc
Another Vital JB-SFC
Tweet
By Turd Ferguson | Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 8:46 am
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how critically important it is for you to listen to these weekly Ukraine discussions and last night’s episode was no different. Please make the time to give this a thorough listen.
Among the topics covered last evening:
– The inside details of the peace negotiations held last week in Minsk
– A thorough summary of the devastating UAF retreat from Debaltsevo
-The increasing possibility of a coup to depose Ukraine president Poroshenko (and it is this possibility and aftermath that has me most concerned right now)
-The ongoing demonization of Russia and Putin by the war parties of the west
Any bets on what the MPs’ salary numbers will look like by the end of the day ?
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2013/0462/latest/DLM5736806.html
“After the last round of wage rises, authority chairman John Errington warned the gulf between Cabinet ministers and top executives was growing and would be addressed in the next determination.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/66672796/mps-in-line-for-a-pay-rise
Will the Ministerial Salary break the $300,000 mark ? Or will it slip in at $295,000
(allowances taking it closer to $350k+ of course )
+ I’m picking the base MP rate to hit $155,000
and when you think of the incompetent clowns pulling down $300 grand..
(we’re looking at you..!..foss-the-hapless..!..and the minister with the faraway-eyes..!..)
” the gulf between Cabinet ministers and top executives”
I read this line and just about threw up…. a Minister occupies a wholly different role in society than a ceo, different responsibilities, different obligations, different purposes, different organisations, different people, different powers…….
there is no comparison
shit of the horse
And, of course, the employers of MPs don’t get a say in how much we should pay them. I think this should be determined by referendum.
The senators of Rome sit back in their luxurious bubble while the serfs in the provinces slowly starve.
doing the commentaries on q-time means i see the disconnect between how people are suffering..
..and how these fucken clowns spend their days point-scoring against each other..
..seemingly oblivious to the shit so many nz’ers are going thru..
..(and it is not just the fucken tories..!..it is also the useless arse-wipes in give-the-poorest-fuck-all!/no way will we legalise cannabis!..mine/drill/spying on nz’ers’is ok with us!..
..fucken labour..!
..the disconnect is the size of cook straight..
and we know many of them are truly fiddling …
I wonder if Bill English is going to say no thank you since he is so concerned about the growing debt and the need to cut government expenses.
It will be interesting to see if any MP is going to say no thank you.
The PM has answered with the usual pathetic line ‘i don’t want it but my hands are tied’
If the ministers and MP are not paid a good salary how will you get competent managers?
Oh but wait……
How soon before we see a law like this? 🙁
Pesky damn science folk and all their facts pfft who needs that sort of hassle when you are trying to make some bloody money!
http://inhabitat.com/house-passes-bill-that-prohibits-expert-scientific-advice-to-the-epa/
Here’s hoping the veto promise is kept.
Just put down the book Science for Sale – by David L Lewis, a microbiologist who previously worked for the EPA in the 1990’s.
Don’t agree with all his scientific positions – at the end he makes statements about climate change that are not founded in any studies – but the history he outlines about his employment with EPA, and his treatment is very interesting.
Also, he studied the likelihood of infection from endoscopes, and attempted to have the accepted sterilisation of the equipment improved, as current practices not only did not remove all infectious material, practitioners were not even following that.
He suggests that most ethical scientists left or were pushed out in the early 1990s.
The revolving door of corporate execs and government panels is as dangerous as it is extraordinary. Thanks for the tip, will see if the local library has it/can get it in.
I have it from the Auckland City libraries, so it’ll be back in circulation there in the next week or so…
Business don’t like science as it gets in the way of them doing whatever they want. Same can be said of some politicians who only do the bidding of business anyway.
Women are more likely to be religious and so vote more conservatively. Power, money, are harder to obtain for women. So of course conservatives pander to companies and individuals who like them want to stifle change. And hey who wants change. But everyone who loathes change also wants to chase profits and wealth where it enriches themselves, so its not about companies or theists being anti-science, its about hypocrisy, taking the bounty of science and using the wealth created to shout how loathsome science is. You see the history of conservativismis the history of hypocritical lying two faced anti freedom,anti american, anti anything that gets in their way. imho its stupidity but others would call it a opportunity to scare the begeezous out of their comfort fantasies.
Climate change,banking collapses, economics of oil peak, its all revenge on the stupid, and they deserve to have truth spoken to them.
For those of you who have argued the Greeks achieved what they wanted during the recent negotiations here is a reality check
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21644592-deal-struck-extend-bail-out-after-greece-caves-now-syriza-must-answer-its
Viva la revolution indeed.
Nope some of us did not see a revolution in Greece, just a slight shift.
http://libcom.org/blog/alternative-voting-systems-are-no-alternative-21022015
But, into whose arms does this deal push Greece Gossy? Out of the EU, and towards Moscow? I also think the Germans may have just played the fubar play. Austerity is a loss loss solution – the ultimate degenerate play to support greed culture – it’s time as a economic solution appears to be limited – as it’s being exposed for what it is.
You do understand the notion of “war” versus “battle” right Gos?
So it seems to be that muslims do not accept responsibility for jihadists, despite some/many suggesting that they should shoulder more of the responsibility because they share the same religion. And those that do suggest they are more responsible have been pilloried and even fired – evidence the crazy pastor down south http://www.anglicantaonga.org.nz/Features/Extra/Apology
On a few occasions on here last year it was strongly suggested, and accepted by many, that men should shoulder more of the responsibility for the actions of rapists because they share the same gender.
These two things don’t add up it seems. The cogs don’t mesh, the standards vary, the eyes refuse to see, the mind refuse to think ….
Cunliffe is also an example of this confused, mixed-up and wrong-headed thinking, when he apologised for being a man. If he was also a muslim would he have apologised for being a muslim?
So who is right? Both propositions cannot be right.
“On a few occasions on here last year it was strongly suggested, and accepted by many, that men should shoulder more of the responsibility for the actions of rapists because they share the same gender.”
That’s not how I would put it. I would say that men have a particular responsibility that women don’t because its men’s business (how men relate in the world). And I would say that women have been shouldering the burden way more than is ok because in the past men haven’t been taking their responsibilities seriously. So it’s more about evening up the load.
And by men, I mean men collectively. Obviously it varies hugely when it comes to individuals. But essentially we have rape culture, it’s not enough to say that that’s soley about men who rape, it’s about the things that promote rape, and of course men as a class have huge influence on that, including in ways that women don’t.
tl;dr, women are already doing the work, when are men going to step up.
hi weka,
to be blunt, your comments , to me, are reminiscent of the statement (forgive me i do not recall who said it) “all men are rapists” from the ’80s.
“women are already doing the work, when are men going to step up.”
who are raising these men who are doing the raping?
to be blunt, your comments , to me, are reminiscent of the statement (forgive me i do not recall who said it) “all men are rapists” from the ’80s.
Which means that you truly don’t understand what I meant 🙂
(the statement “all men are rapists” is by a fictional character in a novel by Marilyn French. In order to understand why the character said that, you really need to look at it in context. It’s not what you think it is).
“women are already doing the work, when are men going to step up.”
who are raising these men who are doing the raping?
Presumably their parents. Are you suggesting that men rape because of their upbringing?
My statement about women doing the work refers to the women that have been doing the anti-rape work for decades (eg Rape Crisis). Where are the men’s organisations doing this work?
hi weka,
perhaps you are right, i may have got the wrong end of the stick about your comment.
re the all men are rapists, i do recall that line being used (it may have been by a spokesperson from womens refuge) and getting repeated in the media, causing a stir, both because of the provocative nature of the comment and also how it was defended.
it was in a climate where peter ellis was able to be convicted in the chch civic creche case.
i am suggesting that men rape partly because of their upbringings, and i feel it is a lack of parents as opposed to a parent contributes to this.
(a male in the household showing respect to women).
to the best of my knowledge there are a few male groups (manline, court appointed anger management groups), all running on a tenuous shoestring budget. relying on goodwill of volunteers, much like rape crisis, i suspect.
i would also point to groups like scouts and sports teams where civics, self esteem, cooperation are encouraged in our boys/young men.
“So it seems to be that muslims do not accept responsibility for jihadists, despite some/many suggesting that they should shoulder more of the responsibility because they share the same religion.”
I think you are confusing responsibility and blame (which also explains your views in gender). I see Muslims being responsible when their communities work towards reducing fundamentalism. Men can do the same in reducing rape culture. That’s a different thing than Muslims being to blame for jihadists or men being to blame for individual rapists.
The bishop in your link appears to be blaming individuals for other individuals’ actions over which they have no control. He also appears judgemental (Jews should have learned lessons from the holocaust) and hypocritical (why aren’t individual Muslims doing more to prevent their fundamentalists). Hard to tell from such a short article though.
Cunliffe didn’t apologise for being a man. He apologised for the fact that domestic/sexual violence against women is overwhemingly done by men. And then he told men to wake up and man up and start doing the right things.
There is not contradiction between all these things. The bishop was blaming individuals for things outside of their control. Everyone else is saying x, y, z isn’t ok, let’s work collectively to change that.
Mike Hosking must be a wonderful chap. It says so at the “disclaimer” at the bottom of his applause for his hero Key.
” Mike’s insightfulness and knowledge makes him one of New Zealand’s most successful broadcasters.”
Mike Hosking is just another schoolyard loudmouth, it says more about the people that actually listen to his rantings/opinions then what comes out of his mouth.
He’s not credible and only has his presenter/commentator status because people higher up think he’ll attract viewers/listeners to their medium. More punters = more cash in advertising. I’d rather listen to commentators like Rod Oram / Dame Anne Salmond , at least they are credible, can back opinions with researched facts and are not in it for the show.
Mmm, seem to have my grumpy hat on today, again..
Just finding the media more and more disappointing these days and getting sick of pointing out inconsistencies / false truths to friends. Like asking people if they know the full “I’m ashamed to be a man” quote when they bring it up. Once they realise what he actually said in context, opinions change very quickly.
yea and what’s happened to the best journalist /writer in NZ ..Wayne Brittendon?
my little scooter-dog really really loves porridge…(loaded with fruit etc..)
..and he is just getting all waggy…saying ‘thanks..!’..
World’s first grid-connected wave power station switched on in Australia
More renewable energy successfully connected to the grid. Will be interesting to see how this goes.
Not also that that project was only possible due to government support.
It’s a military project. At least they get it.
Creationism in New Zealand schools.
Xians, this is why people don’t trust you: telling lies to four year old children is bearing false witness.
Still think if they going to do this. I should have the opportunity to teach Atheism in schools.
I even have a name for the programme.
Children positivity classes – God is dead, and I killed him.
if there is no god then how could you have killed him?
huum, tricky question that!
Let me guess:
God created everything, including adam (this one, but that one too).
When adam got some ‘education’ and reasoning ‘power’, he became cleverer than God and stronger than God and killed him easily without bullets, just with his own powerful thoughts! Cool ye? God of course disappeared from adam’s life while adam was still alive.
But, (there is always a but! ask PG)
God did not really kick the bugger(strike out!) bucket at all. Having been rejected, He waited patiently for adam to die too, hoping to meet the poor soul once again someday sometime somewhere somehow.
just saying….
Easy. You point out that god was only ever an incorrect belief system that has now been replaced by actual research and facts.
lol – actual research and facts eh – what disproves god?
Disproving the beliefs that surround the god phenomenon. The existence or not of god(s) is immaterial to the human condition.
I would have thought that one was even harder and well beyond ‘easy’ if it could be achieved at all.
No, it’s easy – we’ve already done it after all. The problem is that some people refuse to believe.
Materialists, measurementalists and the acolytes of scientism have always been such a self righteous bunch, in my experience. Forever wanting to force their own beliefs on to others, looking down on those heathen who refuse to adopt the faith, insisting that their way of looking at the universe and all the rich phenomena within it is the one and only way, and declaring knowledge from all other sources and especially from prophets without PhDs false and misleading.
Wow, that makes me think that you lot have a heck of a lot in common with the fundamentalist Christians. You guys should get together and compare notes.
Would you prefer to build a house using measured strengths or just believing that a 4×2 is strong enough to hold up a skyscraper?
Once we have things measured then they’re no longer beliefs. That’s the point. And at that point if you don’t accept them then you’re being delusional.
I have no faith in PhDs. What I do is accept the facts that the research has shown. Creationism has nothing to back it, no research and no observable data. In fact, the observable data precludes Creationism and many other items of faith within religious doctrine.
What other sources of gaining quantifiable knowledge are available?
Ahhhh, the delightful certainty of the measurementalist. (I made the term up myself, it’s actually an offshoot of the managerialism which has plagued western civilisation for the last 20 years).
So, according to your statement, once you have successfully measured something it is transmogrified and becomes sanctified in the faith as a known “fact”.
Such a fascinating belief system you have.
You are treading close to heresy here! Do you dare imply that there are types of knowledge which cannot be quantified (measured)???
+100 CR
It is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful [as a babelfish] could have evolved purely by chance that some have chosen to see it as the final proof of the NON-existence of God. The argument goes something like this:
But, if he gets killed on a zebra crossing, it proves that God does not exist because zebra crossings are definitely meant to stop people dying on zebra crossings.
“what disproves god”
It isn’t about disproving god, god must be proved. Not the other way round.
why?
Burden of proof. The burden rests on the person making the positive assertion not the negative.
Well you need to take that up with draco – he said, “Easy. You point out that god was only ever an incorrect belief system that has now been replaced by actual research and facts.”
Take it up with me. The person making the extraordinary claim: that a god-creature exists in the form they assert (as opposed to the ones people from other countries propose), has to provide the evidence.
Actually, they don’t. unless they foist the performance upon children
When they demand the right to child victims, the crimes act provides the solution. Strangle the last priest with the entrails of the last homeopathist.
Fuck that. Why should someone from a different belief system have to satisfy the tenets of your belief system to be seen as valid.
What children should be taught, and what they will rarely be taught, is how to critically and creatively think about things beyond the realms of materialism and logic.
Homeopath.
By the way, its science and technology which is losing credibility in the world right now, not homeopathy.
🙄
Says an anti-science conspiracy theorist.
“By the way, its science and technology which is losing credibility in the world right now, not homeopathy.”
Bahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahha! Homeopathy is complete horseshit
Just as the complex mechanism of a watch requires a magician to hit it with a mallet, so too the complex nature of the universe requires a roll of multicoloured handkerchieves to surreptitiously unravel…
lol but where did that watch and handkerchiefs (never would have believed that that was how you spell that word but there you go) come from. Anyway my original comment was about the killing god bit – I’m struggling to engage with this stuff tbh
This might help
The horologist is the watch’s god…
Existential kicking-around is fun, but largely pointless (other than as a logical exercise). I generally figure that if I wait a few decades (hopefully that long) I’ll find out either way, or not (as the case may be) 🙂
In the meantime, good to live a good, kind and ethical life anyway.
” god must be proved”
Only upon your dead body, like the saying goes. Until then, it is for each one to believe or not whatever one thinks or feels is ‘true’.
Is science the most powerful thing in the universe?
Anyway, as an aside, I have a plan for my dead body and science.
Most powerful? Doubt it.
Most curious and inquisitive? Probably.
Science is great. But no one, including Science, can ever in this life ‘PROVE’ or ‘DISPROVE’ there is a God, if there is a God, who is more powerful and the most powerful of all. Transcending dimensions, if you believe in the scientific theories of dimensions. Beyond the realm of known physics and science.
As an aside, for the curious:
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/ciencia_hyperspace02.htm
Oh you could prove it alright, if only you had evidence of one, (just one) phenomenon with no possibility of rational explanation.
Sixty thousand years, no evidence. Does that make deist mumbo-pocus less credible than 9/11 conspiracy theories much?
May be, by definition of divine and God, you shouldn’t expect any such worldly explanation or proof because God by definition transcends our dimension, reasoning, brain power, science and he/she/it is not of this world. So one has to have faith or a sense of life, soul, God, ethics, morals, conscience….or not.
Is human evolution complete?
OAB, why should anyone bother to submit to you types and categories of evidence that your personal belief system finds acceptable and valid?
How is it that your personal belief system led you to be so totally incurious and close minded? Is this really how science and technology advanced so far over the last 500 years of western civilisation?
How is it that someone like you knows so much better and so much more confidently than scientific geniuses like Einstein and Newton?
Well, Einstein’s work superceded Newton’s, and when he said “God does not play dice”, he was wrong, as delayed choice quantum erasure demonstrates.
That said, it’s pretty clear from your comment that you haven’t the first idea what I’m talking about. Again. Thus you twist my words into a new shape all your own.
In the first place I’m not asking you to submit evidence. I couldn’t give a toss about the brainless witterings of an anti-science fundie.
Secondly, I’m simply observing that if all phenomena are explicable by “natural” causes, there’s no room for miracles, and your sky fairy is just as bound by universal laws as the rest of us.
As for incurious, fuck off Tat.
Clem, there are masses of things that are “beyond the realm of known physics and science.”
Some, like out-of-body experiences, are replicable and as yet unexplained. Others, like dark matter, are areas of pure conjecture arising from observed phenomena.
This is called “the god of the gaps” – asserting that deity exists in the unknown, and then finding that the unknown keeps getting smaller.
Transcendental experiences lead deists to assert deity, and yet some of the oldest books in the world explain such things as evidence that everything is connected, and urge us to “trust in our senses”, while explicitly denying the existence of gods.
Meanwhile, religion is an accident of birth. Perhaps I’d be more accepting had I been born a Viking.
With my “logical paradox disruptor cannon”.
single shot or rapid fire?
a couple of shots, then 15 minutes to reload.
“Children positivity classes – God is dead, and I killed him.”
Attaboy, get in with the fundamentalism while they’re so impressionable.
This one was disturbing
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/66533678/playground-preacher-upsets-parents
What they really think.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/idaho-republican-backs-faith-healer-parents-if-i-want-to-let-my-child-be-with-god-why-is-that-wrong/
This is worth a look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FiHRVb_uE0
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations for
routine vaccination of adults in the United States
http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/reports/nvacstandards.pdf
http://www.globalresearch.ca/u-s-government-moves-on-nationwide-adult-vaccination/5432582?print=1
Q. How much control could the pharmaceutical companies and those behind them gain from a medical dictatorship ?
A. 🙄
A2. probably not nearly as much as they’d get from treating an unvaccinated population
Smackdown! Use the chair! Actually, stuff the chair, use the pre-frontal lobotomy; it’s not like anyone will notice the difference.
….and punch the silly little docy face between the rolling eyes
🙄
Hope the computer screen is sturdy !
+1 there McFlock!
Q. So you are in favour of the direction this indicates doc ?
A. I’m concerned that the Blackcaps game plan for Saturday might be too dependent on a top of the order blitz.
Not a “medical dictatorship”, a corporate dictatorship. Hence the TTPA. If the government introduces regulations which limit the use of, and hence the profitability of, a given drug, corporations have the rights to get those regulations re-examined and potentially rescinded.
Do you still entertain the notion we might sign up to that?
It is a real and present danger, yes.
+100 Murphey
Yep. I have appreciated a lot of the material and links that The Murphey has pointed out.
Interesting stuff in Holland.
Student protesters – showing some defiance.
http://libcom.org/blog/student-protests-escalating-amsterdam-25022015
interesting coming from Holland….usually it is France with the student protests
fail newkeyland
http://www.amnesty.org.nz/news/new-zealand-rejects-international-recommendations-address-inequality
fix our issues up here before making worse issues for others.
+100 ….good points
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/66672796/10k-payrise-tipped-for-Backbench-MPs
Shit I’m in the wrong job I got $15 a week extra this year ..
It’s because they deserve it….right???
It’s a tuff job no doubt but they seem to get pretty big raises fairly often, I’d have a crack for 100k . not sure which party would have me though.:-)
I notice our leader is making a bit of political hay going round saying he doesn’t want it but can’t do anything about it , funny he seems to be able to change laws when it suits him.
Steve Keen: Rethinking Economics at the London School of Economics
strange in a stranger land
give the kid an overdose, pump his stomach and the charge the parents for the pumping ffs
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11408317
yeah that seems a bit like a panelbeater smashing your windscreen and charging you for the new one…
No McFlock it has to be more personal and intimate than that. It’s like a hospital that amputated your leg wrongly, and then charged you for the surgery and the legal counsel they needed to answer your complaint.
The mother said she commented on the size of the syringe for the little boy, you would have thought it would have prompted a check by the nurse who was either distracted, rushing, or robotic. 85 mils instead of, appropriate for the child/s weight, a tenth or a hundredth of that.
Just putting one aspect of it it in more identifiable terms. Frankly, I’m intrigued that he was billed for the cost of their misconduct, in addition to being concerned that the misconduct occurred in the first place.
I’ve no idea what it’s like to have a limb amputated, correct one or otherwise.
The bit that concerns me in that article is this:
Which tends to indicate that they were using hand-written documentation and that is just not acceptable. Some peoples handwriting is just simply unreadable and so we need to remove that from the equation.
>>T he nurses discussed that it was a large dose but neither checked with the anaesthetist.
I wonder if there was a feeling of we mustn’t appear stupid by the nurses?
And won’t ACC cover the expense as it was a medical mistake?
Sorry, but the likelihood of the error was a pre-existing condition.
@ In vino
+1
If unsure, ask. I wonder why they didn’t? Only takes 5 mins to confirm a dose…
How to rid NZ of pests, rodents etc, drugs that irreparable cause rodents to miscarry would lead to a aging pop who could not reproduce.
While Key talks about the Iraq deployment being the ‘price of the club’, it will be ordinary people in Iraq who pay that price not people like him or his kids (can anyone imagine Max or Stephanie Key on the frontline?)
Veteran anti-imperialist activist Don Franks on the deployment:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/war-pigs/
The General Theory of Employment by J Keynes
It’s a shorter, more easily read version of The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
it wd seem the green party male co-leadership contest is now a two-horse race..
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/new-zealand-parliament-list-of-questions-for-oral-answer-thursday-26-february-2015/
I was disappointed by the much talked about Shaw. What was with the shiny suit, more fitting for the ACT party, the fit was terrible. This guy is a non event and should be kept to making Norman’s morning coffee. It will be the Nat/Greens if this guy is made co leader.
i am aware he is a rightwinger..and dresses/looks like a young-tory-spiv..(think simon bridges..)
..and wd leap at the chance of a coalition with the tories…
..(and that if he did that..it wd cause the green party to implode..)
..and that he is most probably the most rightwing green party member in the country..
..i am not endorsing him..
..just pointing out that he was competent in his questioning of joyce..(who doesn’t usually divert from serial-sneering at any questioners..)
..and that it is likely a two-horse race between him and hague..
..(but if you watched the encounter between shaw and joyce..and thought shaw didn’t do ok..
..yr ideological-lenses are clearly affecting yr judgement-calls..)
I just think it was average at best, considering he wants to be leader. The other bloke has better creds although mollyhawk Hughes still fancies his chances.
i agree that dr no should get it..
..and hughes has the unfortunate-blessing/curse of a young/baby-face..
..and as one similarly cursed/blessed i can tell him he can console himself with the fact he will appreciate that more and more..the older he gets..(heh..!)
..when all the craggy-faced ones are looking like shit..he won’t..
..but as for gravitas..?..nah..!..
..he always seems so ‘perky’..
..and he does try just a little bit too much/hard..
@ In vino
+1
i was very impressed with Shaw’s end of year speech to parliament ….is he really, really a right winger?
….I mean can Shaw be more right wing and wissey wussy than the Little Labour Party putting in Shearer instead of Norman or Metiria Turei on the spy committee …..and taking paid advice from right wing journalist David Cohen?…pot calling kettle black?
….really what is needed for the Green Party is someone with the charisma and abilities of Shaw to sock it to John Key Nactional…Shaw does have this ability
…it has to be proven Shaw is a right winger and worse than the Labour Party before he is discounted imo…where is the proof ? I say…or is it just a smear campaign against someone with considerable ability who really can stick it to both Nactional and Little Labour ?
Shaw is getting extremely experienced help from strong and longtime right activists.
Shaw might want to post here to prove such fears wrong.
+100 Ad….yes I for one would be very interested to see Shaw’s real colours flying from the mast…he must come clean as to where he stands if he expects to get the Green vote for co-leadership…and he must be held to account to be true to his word
…sometimes people who come from the right of the spectrum ( either by birth or education privilege or profession position) are nevertheless true democrats and Lefties eg Tony Benn ….so it does not pay to right them off without evidence…the Greens need the best and truest person for the job
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/15/tony-benn-saw-ttip-coming-70s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Benn
@ Ad re your statement: “Shaw is getting extremely experienced help from strong and longtime right activists”
….where is the EVIDENCE?!
….we have evidence Little and Labour got paid advice/help from right wing journalist David Cohen…the same journalist who dissed and smeared Hone Harawira?
Did anyone else notice in Parliament yesterday, when Key was questioned about the Lui donation dinner, he said he was there in his capacity as leader of the National Party! Wearing another hat again, other than that of PM!
Key gets caught out time and time again, yet nothing happens to him! Who or what is protecting him?
When is this SOB going to trip up?
,i>”when Key was questioned about the Liu donation dinner, he said he was there in his capacity as leader of the National Party!”
Yeah right!
If any one, any one at all, believes that Liu invited Key as the leader of National party and not because he is Prime Minister, then such a person is not only an idiot, but a stupid idiot.
And is Liu such a nice innocent man that he would invite Key and his little boy Ross, to eat some dumplings and stuff, without having any ulterior dodgy motives like cash for favours? If yes, he should be knighted if not cannonaded as our very first Saint of Aotearoa NZ, along with Key and Jamie. Three in one, like the three way handshake for the troty. Cool bananas!
The Phantom Underclass
That article mentions a study that shows that even poor people think that there are people who are work shy. The study couldn’t find these work shy people though.
Right wingers going batshit crazy on Twitter in 1936;
Sean Hannity & co. freaking out about Triumph des Willens‘ Oscar loss
Salon, February 23, 1936
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/23/sean_hannity_and_others_freaking_out_about_american_snipers_oscar_loss/
Divisive film Triumph des Willens took home a single Academy Award on Sunday night. Naturally, Sean Hannity and others were quick to come up with their reasons why this movie, which is about their favorite politician, did not nab top honors: “liberal Hollywood.”
Hannity took to Twitter to share this “hot take.” Here were the right’s reactions to Triumph des Willens‘ loss:
Sean Hannity: Triumph des Willens snubbed by liberal hwood Predictable. #CluelessOscars
6:07 PM – 23 Feb 1936
Terri Green @TerriGreenUSA
Follow
Hey @TheAcademy from Americans all over this county you know who won at the Box Office? Triumph des Willens
6:12 PM – 23 Feb 1936
Ernesto @Liberty4480
Follow
#Oscars1936 snub of #TriumphDesWillens is as bad as giving #wilson #NobelPeacePrize. Not surprised w #Hollywood #liberalbias #tcot #p2
6:12 PM – 23 Feb 1936
Brandon Morse @TheBrandonMorse
Follow
Don’t worry about #TriumphDesWillens not winning an Oscar folks. It already won the award for best MUTHA FUCKIN MONAY! #Oscars1936
7:17 PM – 23 Feb 1936
Spencer Hawes ✔ @spencerhawes00
Follow
Triumph des willens got absolutely robbed imho. Incredible story of an even more incredible man. #RIPHorstWessel
6:10 PM – 23 Feb 1936
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/23/sean_hannity_and_others_freaking_out_about_american_snipers_oscar_loss/
Triumph des Willens (1935) – Triumph of the Will
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHs2coAzLJ8
what is barker whining about..?
..he helmed the biggest-choke in nz sporting-history..
He sure did. This taxpayer gravy train has to stop. $100 million feeds a lot of kids. How on earth kiwi’s are easily conned is beyond me, the egotistical captains of industry must be laughing their heads off.
Bullshit they were out walleted the yanks did shit to there boat that was’nt covered under the rules , the fact that the holders w
right the rules is problem.
Team NZ were outsailed and Barker should have been fired long ago.
So if you don’t win you get sacked in you’re world ,I’m guessing you’re a key voter with that attitude.
Its not a union. He’s not a cleaner.
Its a multimillionaire’s play world. He’s paid to win. He didn’t.
Bet he’s been turning down big money offers from other syndicates for years to sail for nz.
when you’re a 3 time loser ,you really should change your name to…second.
Hi Phillip Ure,
Your opinion may carry some weight if you were to become a productive member of our society.
How many years now have you been sucking on the public tit ?
When did you last do an honest days work and receive a pay check ?
C’mon Phil, tell us, what year was it when you were last paid for honest work ?
Cricko, we live in a society predicated on a unchanging pool of the unemployed that keeps wages down, workers subservient and poverty permanent. The real question isn’t about Phil, it’s about you. If you’re that fucken clever, why don’t you offer Phil a job?
Hi te reo putake,
I’m personaly not in a position to offer Phil Ure a job.
However, people must apply for a job in order to be offered a job.
Thats the way it normaly works.
A bludger who sits on his arse, pontificates upon the shortfalls of others, and is happy to believe that his fellow citizens owe him, is never likely to apply for a job.
Ask your mate Phillip Ure what year was it when he last even applied for a job.
Get my point ?
Nope. You’re pointless. I think there is a lot to be said about the dignity of work, but equally, I have no problem with those who aren’t, or can’t, be a model worker. Phil annoys me regularly, but I have more respect for him than I’ll ever have for you.
What have I done to earn your disrespect ?
What has Phil Ure done to earn your respect?
How do you feel about those who could work but don’t and choose to be bludgers, just because they can ?
Do they have your respect ?
There’s a search function up on the right hand side. Enter ‘cricko’ and you’ll see why you haven’t earned my respect. Phil ‘works’, just not for someone else and (unless he’s taken the casino’s coin 😉 ) not for profit. From what little I know of him, I think he probably could do a ‘job’, but I know nothing about his circumstances, where he lives, what job options there are in his community.
Phil seems to me to very capable of holding down a job, but everything I know about how WINZ are geared to punishment these days suggests to me that there must be valid reasons why that’s not an option.
If you want to stand in judgement, then more fool you.
You’re assuming all people are put together the same and can deal with getting up in the morn to go do something that in a lot of cases is drudgery
I give Mr Ure a bit of stick on occasion but the world is a richer place with people in it that refuse to bow down to the norm.
I’d rather a few of my tax dollars go to him than fucking sky city.
b waghorn
You can’t be serious.
So, if tomorrow I decide I can’t deal with going to work any longer to support my family because it’s just drudgery.
Then thats OK with you and you’ll pay for me and my family because I make the world a richer place ?
How can I get in contact with you, because I’ve had a gutsfull of working. And I hate Sky City,
Your a bit of a twister of words I doubt people decide they can’t deal with stuff .
cricko
Everyone has something useful to do in society. For you it is working at some job that you can manage. For somebody else it is coping with an chronic illness and working when there is work available that that person can do. If they are using their brain to think and communicate information that is helpful to society, then that could be the best thing that they can do.
You obviously have trouble understanding how society works and how people’s
needs and abilities differ and you want simple answers, so stick to doing simple jobs that you can manage.
Jobs are way overrated.
People should be supported to do worthwhile work, for themselves, for their communities, and for NZ however.
+100 CR
WTF is a “pay check”?
It’s a fucking Americanism is what it is, like “full spectrum dominance” and “total information awareness” and all the other lovely things they’ve brought to the language.
Ok, I meant pay ‘cheque’
Big point scored by Saarbo,
maybe the first ever.
Well done Saarbo.
Your as smart as a tack.
Huge win.
Bet it made your week.
Since when did becoming a wage slave become such a point of pride???
+100 CR…what about all the creative people out there…and the caregivers?
hey cricko,
can i reccomend a couple of looks on you tube at guy standings lectures.
he highlights (amongst other things) how tories see the monetary system as rewarding ‘good’ people and punishing’bad’ people.
ie if you have money you are ok.
he also points at the lack of empathy or compassion that right wing folk show.
also the need for a ubi ( an idea supported by hard right folk such as milton friedman).
please have a look, its ok to be a tory, honest.
phillip is a very productive member of society …it is just that he doesn’t get enough money for it…we need a UBI
http://www.bigkahuna.org.nz/universal-basic-income.aspx
Oh piss off there isn’t enough work to go around, what with slave import labour, zero hours work. Obviously Phil is making a sacrifice so others can at least say they are working to idiots like you. Thanks Phil.
i hafta say i am humbled by the words of support from all..chrs..
..(and i wanta know how the hell can i lay into waghorn again..?
..when he/she has said something both intelligent and civilised..
..he/she has messed with my assumptions..)
i am watching top gear..
st petersburg is a very cool looking city…
City of Shadows: http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/
Nice work there!
Baltic definitely next big tour.
a heads-up for david mitchell fans (old and new..)
..he is on a new show on tvone @ 10 pm..
..called ‘was it something i said?’…
It was very good. As was the New Zealand comedy show before it.