That’s the issue with hill, when she’s interested in the subject she’s top of the game but when it’s not in her interest zone she gets very unprofessional starving listeners of viewpoints she’s not up for hearing.
Thanks Bored for the link
Really interesting interview! She’s saying in a light academic easy listening way the same message as R Atack,in his abrasive way and AFewKnowTheTruth have been batting on with for a long time!
Primary Points:
1. 50% of oil left but it’s lower quality stuff, harder to refine and increasingly more and more difficult to access and get out This means a decline in available oil due to declining EROEI (Energy return on energy invested) This mean going into a permanent supply decline probable beginning this year. Decline has already set in but has been covered so far by new discoveries but these are are only at band aid level.
2. The fiat debt interest bearing money creation system depends on the infinite growth paradigm which is now sunk on the peak oil Peak and other resource decline plus a used up maxed out environment. Hence this money system has collapsed also due to the incredible amounts of debt incurred which cannot ever be repaid.
Human World– Money system— Physical resources. The money system is the interface between the two. The creation of the fiat interest bearing debt is a claim on future resource acquisition when the latter fails so does the former.
3. The era of globalised trade is doomed probably within the next 10 years or less and we will all have to begin relocalising.For the reason of higher and higher fuel costs. The era of lots of stuff will be over.
R. Heinberg The End of Growth review
Industrialized economies have grown most years since the mid-19th century. Globally, economic output per person increased tenfold between 1900 and 2000. Richard Heinberg says that this long run of economic growth is reaching an end owing to a number of factors: depletion of fossil fuels, minerals and fresh water; the escalating cost of industrial accidents and environmental disasters in the wake of global climate change; and financial disruptions due to the inability of our financial system to service “the enormous piles of government and private debt” generated over the past few decades.
“3. The era of globalised trade is doomed probably within the next 10 years or less and we will all have to begin relocalising.For the reason of higher and higher fuel costs. The era of lots of stuff will be over.”
I’m not quite sure what to make of these claims. Undoubtedly globalised trade will diminish, quite probably drastically, maybe as much as down to only 5-20% of it’s current amount, but trans-national trade has always existed and likely always will so long as nations exists and have excess things they can trade.
Agree. Trans-national trade will continue even if it is by sailing ship and steamer, as per the days of old.
But there will be big differences. For instance, this won’t simply be a matter of NZ having its iPad 3’s delivered on a steamer instead of via air-freight.
The complex, expensive supply networks and just in time logistics needed to put an iPad 3 together in the first place simply won’t be viable any more. Costs will go up, which means design complexity (specifications) will have to fall even as the retail price rises. Higher store prices combined with worker incomes falling in failing economies means far fewer units sold. (Peak-credit will exacerbate the situation). This economic calculation will feedback to Apple who will drastically change which products it pursues development of, which markets it decides to serve, and how it serves them.
Put another way – a lot of material stuff is going to gain real value and rarity status again, just like in the old days when people really treasured and looked after individual items they owned. The end of throw-away consumerism.
a lot of material stuff is going to gain real value and rarity status again, just like in the old days when people really treasured and looked after individual items they owned. The end of throw-away consumerism.
This is a gloat, gloat speak for yourself moment! 😀
In our family we’ve always done that – looked after our ‘stuff’. Even my mobile phone is years old, and was ‘old tech’ then – (not that I wouldn’t like a fancy one, but can’t afford it. )
Trade has always existed but nation states haven’t been as dependent upon it as they are now. The amount of trade was far less because long distance trade is, without the cheap energy of fossil fuels, far too expensive to maintain.
One of the things I believe the energy gap of the future will drive is true costs becoming transparent and extremely localised. Which has the potential for the individual to be rid of “taxes” inherent in transfer costs within corporations (i.e if you understand the whole supply chain because it is short and visible you wont pay for anything other than what is explicit). In effect we will probably have much less income but will get a proportionally better return for it.
For those RWNJs I am describing a market as Adam Smith understood it without the distortion by “rentier” activities (i.e corporate transfer costs etc etc).
Brewer attacks brown over the size of his mayoral office. When is Len going to grow a pair and expose this divisive supershity council The Nats designed that they thought Banks would be heading.
POAL is a great opportunity to get out there in a statesman like manner and show akl they’ve been shafted……the time is now, what are ya made of Len?
Brewers comments seem to fit in well with the attempts to curb local government, by central govt. This is simply a poor attempt to point score by Brewer, who one really cant have much time for, he is not a good councillor for AKL, but serves his purpose for the right.
Yes LB should really get a set…I can tell you that is not going to happen!
Prime Minster John Key will be seeking out United States President Barack Obama in their hotel gym this morning. And he wants his room back.
The pair are staying at Seoul’s plush Grand Hyatt hotel for the Nuclear Security Summit tonight. It’s Mr Key’s second visit to the five-star hotel on Mt Namsan. But although the red carpet was rolled out for his arrival on Saturday, he’s not getting the same special treatment as Mr Obama.
“He’s got my room,” Mr Key said. “That’s the room I stayed in last time. I guess they don’t call it the presidential suite for nothing. I might see him in the gym tomorrow morning.”
I think i stayed there 10 years ago there was a strike and that was the only advailable rooms.
Anyway what surprised mer was ethere was a high level conference in the top of the hotel with shipley, japanese, etc. And i was able to get up to the conference room with out any securtity checkor being even questioned. Different time!
Funny thing, back in the 80s after the Tour a number of us seemed to get rejected from any government job we applied for, did not even get the interview. I was always suspicious, who knows? Fortunately for me commerce worked out better and more financially rewarding.
“He’s got my room,” Mr Key said. “That’s the room I stayed in last time. I guess they don’t call it the presidential suite for nothing. I might see him in the gym tomorrow morning.”
“Look at me! Look at me! Look at ME!” Insecure much, Mr Key?
“Labor’s numbers are so small it must rely on the mercy of Mr Newman for it to retain official party status.”
While various arguments have been put forward as to the reasons for the loss, such as the rejection of a woman premier, the carbon tax, Rudd’s challenge to Gillard and Bligh’s turning from “nice” to “attack dog,” this stood out for me:
“Bligh did not tell Queenslanders before the last election that she intended a massive sell-off of state assets, and she and her colleagues implied such a thing wasn’t being contemplated. Then, in government, the sell-off went ahead, with Bligh arguing it was necessary for her state’s economy. The public did not forgive, and most observers believe it was a major reason for her downfall.”
It is all too easy to think that Labour must move to the right because voters are “so over” left wing values, when what what voters are in fact rejecting are parties that purport to stand for left wing values but do not.
It is all too easy to think that Labour must move to the right because voters are “so over” left wing values, when what what voters are in fact rejecting are parties that purport to stand for left wing values but do not.
I think its time for some in the Labour hierarchy to accept that it’s they who are over left wing values, not the rest of us.
Core voters and activists will not support a weak party which compromises on its own principles in order to pander to transient swing supporters.
Good point, Oz labor partys are fairly centrist and mostly go on branding and personalities, there’s not alot between them and liberals, the sell off was foolish, not required and without electoral mandate so she paid the price.
labor has been in 20 yrs in QLD and they just had some of their worst natural disasters. With the opposition getting it’s act together a perfect electoral storm prevailed.
There’s something freeing, to be sure, about being able to say anything you want. You can engage in unfounded name-calling, or intentionally hurt someone’s feelings, or just generally behave like a twelve year old. And no one will know it’s you. And that’s why I don’t read many blogs that are written by people who prefer to remain anonymous or who write under pseudonyms when there isn’t really any reason for them to do so.
In fact, I don’t think there are any blogs I read on a daily basis whose authors are anonymous. The anonymous or pseudonymous blogs are often just filled with cruelty, name-calling, and bad arguments. Indeed, there are a great many people who choose to write under an assumed name because they want to harrass or offend others.
In my experience there’s some truth to that.
When I read a blog post that anonymously uses phrases like “Both sides are scum” and “making a dick of himself and pathetically trying” it immediately diminishes in stature for me.
When comparing the general tone of that with this post, which is also politically critical but a more reasoned and reasonable tone, I know which one I respect more. Notably this author has chosen to identify themselves.
They believe their anonymity means they create better writing. It is a specious argument and one that largely leads to their blogs becoming echo chambers.
I believe that if more of them “came out” that there would be a better more honest, reasoned, political discourse in the NZ blogosphere.
I agree. It can still be robust debate when you are up front and honest about who you are.
(I’ve posted my own blog on this but chosen to put it in full here to reduce nitpicking over linking. I undertsand that some people have good reasons to blog anonymously, but political commentary has enough suspicions about motive as it is without being cloaked.)
The Standard doesn’t have “anonymous blogging” as you like to imply, it has pseudonymous blogging. That is very different.
Go search and read others of Eddie’s posts and you will see the tone in them is often quite similar to the one that you are whining about. Similarly r0b’s posts have always had a similar tone, before and after he decided to start putting his real name on them.
It’s no different than if Cameron Slater were pseudonymous – his blog would still be a vile sewer. Attaching his name to it clearly hasn’t made him clean up his act.
I think an identity can make a significant difference to credibility (obviously it doesn’t make it credible, just lends more credibility).
I know I’ll probably get hammered again here, but if what I say is disliked or not, anything I comment or post I’d be prepared to say face to face to anyone.
I disagree with Whaleoil as much as I agree with him and his method of operation, but I find his blog far less deviously vitriolic than here – and there’s more freedom to say what you want there. In other words, there’s generally more shit here, so the sewer accusations are kinda weird.
You seem to be under the impression that when, for example, I am in face to face encounters, I do not call an individual, on occasion, a stupid fucking self-absorbed moron. I have. If that lowers their regard for me, I don’t care. They’re fucking morons.
On the single-digit occasions I’ve been to KB or WO or their equivalents, most of the epithets I’ve seen have been aimed at entire cultures or social groups rather than individuals. And without any moderation if someone crosses over into personal-safety issues. I’ll call you a dick to your face, but not your entire culture.
Posting under your given name doesn’t add to the argument, at all, ever. And, yes, I’m quite willing to call you a delusional fuckwit to your face as well.
Pete you are boring the most Bored person in the world. Dull dull dull dull….now whilst you are talking “scum” and a person “making a dick of himself” might I bring up a name you are familiar with? A Mr Peter Dunne, the man who wants to sell us down the river.
Pete you are boring the most Bored person in the world. Dull dull dull dull….now whilst you are talking “scum” and a person “making a dick of himself” might I bring up a name you are familiar with?
Oh ma dai! You’re proving his point, by being so abusive. You may find him dull (really, you usually say much worse than that to him.) I rarely agree with him, but on the other hand, the abuse here on the Standard is sometimes so incredibly foul, it’s obvious that Standardistas have huge issues with being disagreed with.
(I am keeping a mental note of every foul name I am called, and every bit of race and sex-based abuse handed to me.)
Who here has caught up with the latest scandal to hit the Torys in UK? The deputy Chancellor selling off time with the Prime Minister for “contributions”, and having private individuals “issues” to the Policy Committee for “consideration”. Democracy for sale……
I imagine that a large enough donation to any party would gain access to its leader. Regrettable, perhaps, but a fact of life. This is why various countries, including NZ, attempt to limit campaign spending.
Matthew Hooten distorted Annette King’s interview, and attempted to turn the tables by accusing Helen Clark of having had “an unethical, close working relationship with Howard Broad” and that she leaked knowledge of the meeting in question to the media before it had taken place. No evidence to back up such an absurd claim, and he did his usual shouting over the top of the two women, Josie Pagani and Kathryn Ryan. I found his allegations interesting given all the embarrassing “leaking” that has been occurring over the ACC/Pullar/Boag/Smith/Collins/Key affair.
Nat. Party panic mode is at full throttle methinks.
Says alot about Ryan and RNZ that they persist in having the badly beahaved boy hooten on, can’t wait his turn to say his piece must shout and prevent others making their point.
Bad radio, bad behaviour, rewarded every time with another soapbox slot for mr shouty.
On the one hand his party has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes donations, on the other, he wants to keep up with the Australians and this is an opportunity to look tough. Decisions decisions…
The Australians will do as they are told by the USA, this much as become clear over the years, and so having taken the money from Huawei, and even had them in NZ looking for prey to purchase, Key really is in a tight spot…
Good link that one….potentially some more “xenophobia” coming along!
The thought of Key feeling under seige by his ministers, and possibly stuck between OZ/US and China, really should give one pause for a smile!
These paragraphs in particular stood out for me, especially the last bit of para 2 re Key singling out the firm:
“The New Zealand government has welcomed Huawei’s interest in the ultrafast broadband (UFB) network.
Trade Minister Tim Groser, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Finance Minister Bill English visited the company in China after Prime Minister John Key singled out the firm for possible involvement in the UFB network.”
The National Party’s desire to get paid has so far outweighed the national interest on every occasion – education policy, gambling laws, asset sales, penal reform, resource extraction, etc etc.
Will it outweigh Australia and the USA’s interests too?
70 more jobs to go from a government department…..
Govt fishery observers told to get ready to pack up
Published: 6:23PM Sunday March 25, 2012 Source: ONE News
A leaked email from the Ministry of Fisheries reveals that observers on commercial fishing vessels will have their jobs outsourced by the end of the year.
The observers are stationed on commercial fishing vessels to monitor the catch and conditions on the boats.
The leaked email reveals that around 70 Ministry of Fisheries observers have been told their jobs are being outsourced by December.
Industry insiders say that the move will rob the watchdogs of their independence.
One former observer says that they play a vital role.
“No-one has questioned the quality of their information and it shouldn’t be compromised for money, and certainly not when the fisheries are under pressure.”
Critics argue that outsourcing will allow fishing companies to pick observers who are prepared to turn a blind eye in order to keep their jobs.
Currently observers are employed by the Ministry of Fisheries on short term contracts while they are at sea.
The Ministry recoups their pay and administration expenses from the fishing companies.
Glenn Simmons from the University of Auckland told ONE News he cannot see the logic in the change.
“I really can’t see any cost savings in it, so I really wonder what is driving this, particularly from the Ministry’s point of view.”
But documents show the fishing industry has been pushing for outsourcing for at least six years.
The Ministry of Fisheries would not be interviewed for this story, and refused to give an explanation of the benefits gained by outsourcing the observer roles.
The Minister of Fisheries, David Carter told ONE News that observers are not likely to be outsourced by December.
“At this stage there’s still a lot more work to be done as to how best to deliver observer services on foreign charter vessels and other vessels no decision has been made about outsourcing.”
Nevertheless, one former observer says that the decision seems fixed.
“They’ve already decided, it appears they’re not asking any questions here.”
Watch as our seas get raped even more as the private providers who are supposed to be watching the catch find that it’s more profitable to cut back on the number of observers making it impossible to actually regulate the industry as required.
“I really can’t see any cost savings in it, so I really wonder what is driving this, particularly from the Ministry’s point of view.”
It’s just another way for this government to hand over our wealth to their rich mates.
Speculating because im not that knowledgable about the industry but I expect this means boats will fish in areas they arent allowed, mis reporting of bycatch especially marine mammals, rorting of the quotas and maybe that final nail in the coffin for the Hectors dolphin.
Great to see that details are still being leaked from Government Departments.
Keeps the public service busy.
Long may it continue providing the informants cannot be traced, but that is getting easier to trace.
I could ask – but shaving heads is not for everyone. I don’t have much left on top but have never felt inclined to take the lot off. I do donate to things without taking part in the marketing gimmicks, as I’m sure many people do.
Interestingly, PRC’s mission statement starts with “We Believe Everyone Deserves A Voice.” Perhaps “We Believe Everyone Who Purchases Our Devices Deserves A Voice” or “We Believe Everyone Except Those Needing An Affordable App Deserves a Voice” might be more appropriate alternatives.
Well that is a bit weird:
“Police will not lay charges against freelance cameraman Bradley Ambrose over the so-called “teapot tapes” affair, Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess says.
He said police will issue Mr Ambrose with a warning after referring the matter to Crown Law.
…….clear that the actions of Mr Ambrose were unlawful.”
That needs clarification:
Was it unlawful to leave his recorder on the table?
Was it unlawful to retrieve it?
Was it subsequent actions that made it unlawful?
What does unlawful mean against a criminal act?
Sort of cleared but damned. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10794713
That needs clarification:
Was it unlawful to leave his recorder on the table?
He left it there quite reasonably. And really what value was it to reporters if they could not publish it, and did not? Maybe it was a turd blossom Key’s minders wanted leaked, making Key look like a victim of the nasty press.
Was it unlawful to retrieve it?
It was his property, and arguable are you allowed to break the PM security to retrieve your property?
Was it subsequent actions that made it unlawful?
What does unlawful mean against a criminal act?
If he was given a warning, what were the specifics of the warning he was given????
Sort of cleared but damned.
Police must think there was enough evidence but the prosecution may believe he already suffered enough.
My point is that I am unsure what the unlawful bit is? (Just in case I mislay my recorder, or hand it on when found or even need to know when a public place is a private place.)
The allegation was of intentionally recording someone when they would have reasonably expected a private conversation. I.e. apparently banks and key were expecting to be able to whisper intimate nothings into each other’s ear without being heard.
Given that it was at a media event with cameras rolling just on the other side of an open door, and that the camera operator claimed to have forgotten the mic in all the hubbub, and that the private conversation took place in a public cafe the police have decided to pretend that the offence was committed without all that difficult “proof” stuff.
No Right Turn shows the amazing Stats.
Lib/National 49% of votes but 87% of seats
Labour 27% of vote but 8% of seats
Greens 7% of vote but 0% of seats.
Quick question for you lefties and then I’ll leave you alone again.
Is Cuba regarded as having a better or worse system than Western free market economies?
I’m just reading a very interesting survey on Cuba on the Economist at the moment and find the left wing policies there mind bogingly dumb and was wondering if they are consistent with any left wing thinking here. For example, apparently advertising is not allowed WTF?
Yawn, it’s afternoon tea time..time for a quick break..my men and I have been making the hard cash today..and here comes Gos.
Gos understands the mind numbing complexities of Zimmers and now Cuba, paragons of “errant” left wing thinking. These Gos equates to socialist thinking everywhere…..such a broad brush stroke over such a broad church.
Interestingly Gos displays a very extreme ideological purity over what is also a very broad church, right wing thinking. The mind numbing neo lib orthodox version.
It was a simple question Bored. All it required was an answer along the lines of ‘We like it’s social policies but the majority of it’s economic policies and it’s political repression is reprehensible so the West is better in that respect’. Not hard to do really.
Ummmm…. I’m not asking anything about my world view. I’m asking about lefties world view in relation to Cuba. I’m not interested in getting into a debate on the rights or wrongs of this. Think of it as intelligence gathering or ‘Know thy enemy’.
Did anyone hear on Sunday 7pm Radionz World Book Club: James Ellroy – American Tabloid.which goes through the Bay of Pigs debacle and ties it into the assassination of John Kennedy.
Ellroy pondered what things would have been different if Cuba had been invaded as planned (Kennedy had envisaged 16 planes but only sent in six)according to this fictionalised account.
I think their most significant economic “policy” has been dictated to them by the US.
How well do you think NZ would be doing if Australia had the same trade embargos with us?
Not wanting to get into a massive debate about this but the embargo by the US should not really be that much of big deal now. Cuba is free to trade with numerous other countries. To try and place the blame for economic difficulties on that is not really fair.
That’s right Gosman. 50 odd years of being denied the opportunity to trade with your nearest neighbour which just happens to be the world’s biggest economy is unlikely to have had any effect one way or the other.
What makes you think that they are left-wing? I read the articles on the weekend and thought that they reminded me of the days of Muldoon.
Looks more like a standard controlled economy. A bit like the UK during and for a decade after the second world war. For that matter our current labour laws that forbid freedoms of association are much the same.
Depends on your definition of left wing I suppose. The idea of guarranteed minimum living standards would be more left than right. Also the aversion to private property. What was interesting, as stated, was the fact that they outlaw advertising. I don’t know if that is regarded as left wing or not hence one of the reason asking the question.
Gosman I totally agree with you Cuba is way worse for being a company based on Socialism, as were many of the Eastern block countries.
One of the main issues of Socialism ,and someting they have never been able to get to grips with. Is eventually you run out of other peoples money
… although the reason Cuba “ran out of money” was because of a US-sponsored embargo. So of it’s it’s unsurprising they “ran out of money”. So would you, if you couldn’t earn an income.
Hardly ‘cricket’, is it?
And definitely anti-free market.
Though I guess using Thatcher’s slogans is easier than reality?
Frank why did the Eastern Block countries run out of money, and Russia no embargo there? they were collapsing all over the place. Agree with Cuba though understanable Kennedy didnt want nukes there
In simplified terms because no one wanted to buy their products. When you take competitors out of the situation and only supply state made products. You dumb everyone down to the lowest common denominator. Many of their products were shite. There was a total lack of innovation because of state control. It became just a job with no passion no critical thinking
“It became just a job with no passion no critical thinking” – Well done mate you have just described 90% of the worlds jobs, if not nearer 100% as they exist under the current prevailing system!
Many of their products were shite. There was a total lack of innovation because of state control. It became just a job with no passion no critical thinking
BULLSHIT
The state can innovate and take risks far more than the private sector is willing to do, James.
Everything from the atomic bomb, to the transistor, to the foundations of the internet, to supersonic jet travel, the state has led the way while private companies only become interested once the hard risky expensive work has been done on the public purse.
There was a total lack of innovation because of state control.
And that would be why the USSR was the first country in the world to orbit the earth with a man made satellite and why, once they got over being terrified, the USA landed on the moon…
Oh, wait…
BTW, it’s impossible to run out of money as the banks print it as fast as possible. The real problem is that we’re running out of resources due to the capitalist free-market (which, of course, is no where near “free”).
I’m not really commenting on the Cuban situation at all beyond stating that you can’t blame the economic problems in Cuba on the embargo by the US.
Cuba did relatively well up to the 1980’s. It didn’t need to trade with the US during this period.
The US hasn’t got the ability to massively impact other nations trading with Cuba either. Name me some countries or companies who have suffered as a result of doing business with Cuba.
I don’t agree with the economic embargo myself as it is counter productive but the US has every right to decide who it trades with. As leftists I am sure you would agree with that logic. It forms the basis of many of your objections to free trade pacts. You know – sovereignty blah blah.
Fine. No-one was arguing the right or ability of the USA to impose this embargo.
But you cannot discount the reason why it was imposed in the first place… the USA hoped to break Cuba economically, and it certainly had a big negative impact on their economy. You can’t simply ignore it because it doesn’t suit your argument. In the long run the embargo will probably prove counter-productive as the Cubans have also learned to make do with far less and have a more resilient economy as a result. It is certainly not as ‘efficient’ or ‘prosperous’ according to conventional measures… but as the Egyptian’s discovered when Joseph ruled them; the seven years of plenty meant little during the seven years of famine.
Interestingly if you read The Spirit Level closely enough, you will notice that Cuba is also the only country in the world that is close to being both socially and environmentally sustainable… at least according the to way the authors measured these things.
“… and it certainly had a big negative impact on their economy”
I respectively disagree. The embargo was put on in the 1960’s as you will see from the graph below the Cuban economy was able to redirect trade to other sources and managed quite good GDP growth through to the end of the 1980’s. Of course when those other trading sources fell over then their economy tanked but that is hardly the US’s fault.
What you seem to be saying here is that the US should be obliged to support economically the Cuban economy by allowing them to trade with them. It would be like trying to argue that Australia should be obliged to trade with us.
You should reread the Economist articles again and do it a bit more closely this time.
The Cuban economy was effectively being subsidised by the USSR especially with low prices for imported oil and high prices for exported sugar. This was largely as a response to the US embargo. When the USSR started to disintegrate in the late 80’s, the subsidies and markets diminished.
The embargo was (and still is) in place. In the late 80’s it included most countries in the america’s and western europe. This included the Panama canal. If you have a look at the available trade routes you’ll find that leaves very little that is a possible trade route apart from going half way around the world. Mostly africa, the middle east, and eastern europe. None of them exactly bursting with export potential for the commodities that Cuba produced and all with closer sources of supply.
The wonder was that the cuban economy didn’t fold under the embargo in the 90’s. But the embargo that has been stupidly maintained by US domestic politics was definitely the main constraint on their economy.
I’m sorry but nothing in that survey suggested the embargo was anything but an major irritant to Cuba. It certainly didn’t place the blame for the lack of economic performance on it. In fact it mentions that Cuba has an opportunity to become a significant economic player if it makes changes regardlesss of the embargo. If you disagree then please show where the survey supports your view rather than mine.
“For that matter our current labour laws that forbid freedoms of association are much the same. ”
Indeed. It’s interesting how repressive and controlling National actually is. they labelled Labour as “nanny state” – and yet they pass more restrictive laws than any Labour government.
Yet, they manage to cultivate an image as the “party of freedom”…
Yes and they say things like ‘eventually you run out of other people’s money’ about Labour while they are busy hoovering up as much ‘other people’s money’ as they can for themselves.
Interesting report on the Aotearoa blog think you guys need to go easy on Merryl Lynch and John Key or you could end up with a heap of egg on your face! Russai has put out an arrest warrant for him kind of ironical really
Soros is regarded by many as a sort of leftist saviour who finances leftist media outlets and who is fabulously wealthy. What is interesting is that Soros’ has been financing many colour revolutions around the world through his NGO’s causing death, destabilisation and mayhem in the chosen countries.
You may want to remember that our new lefty leader David Shearer actually worked for one of Soros’ NGO’s called The international crisis group which has such criminals as Zbignew Brzezinski and Richard Armitage on its board and as advisors.
Jimbo, you are on fire tonight – Soros is in fact a complete insider criminal of the very highest order..
I have huge reservations about Shearer, and any politician who has been indoctrinated via the USA educational brainwashing facilities, followed by their political pre screening services, and further brainwash. I also include the UN, and any of the alphabet soup organisations you can name, which far as I can tell are little more than criminal oganisations, masquerading as being the “good guys”
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Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
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Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
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NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
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“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
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Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
Who listened to Nicole Foss with Kim Hill Saturday morning? Kim got scratchy as her future dreams and aspirations were explained away, poor dear.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2513651/nicole-foss-global-finance-and-peak-oil.asx
That’s the issue with hill, when she’s interested in the subject she’s top of the game but when it’s not in her interest zone she gets very unprofessional starving listeners of viewpoints she’s not up for hearing.
Thanks Bored for the link
Really interesting interview! She’s saying in a light academic easy listening way the same message as R Atack,in his abrasive way and AFewKnowTheTruth have been batting on with for a long time!
Primary Points:
1. 50% of oil left but it’s lower quality stuff, harder to refine and increasingly more and more difficult to access and get out This means a decline in available oil due to declining EROEI (Energy return on energy invested) This mean going into a permanent supply decline probable beginning this year. Decline has already set in but has been covered so far by new discoveries but these are are only at band aid level.
2. The fiat debt interest bearing money creation system depends on the infinite growth paradigm which is now sunk on the peak oil Peak and other resource decline plus a used up maxed out environment. Hence this money system has collapsed also due to the incredible amounts of debt incurred which cannot ever be repaid.
Human World– Money system— Physical resources. The money system is the interface between the two. The creation of the fiat interest bearing debt is a claim on future resource acquisition when the latter fails so does the former.
3. The era of globalised trade is doomed probably within the next 10 years or less and we will all have to begin relocalising.For the reason of higher and higher fuel costs. The era of lots of stuff will be over.
R. Heinberg The End of Growth review
Industrialized economies have grown most years since the mid-19th century. Globally, economic output per person increased tenfold between 1900 and 2000. Richard Heinberg says that this long run of economic growth is reaching an end owing to a number of factors: depletion of fossil fuels, minerals and fresh water; the escalating cost of industrial accidents and environmental disasters in the wake of global climate change; and financial disruptions due to the inability of our financial system to service “the enormous piles of government and private debt” generated over the past few decades.
link: http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-03-23/are-we-coming-end-growth-era-review
“3. The era of globalised trade is doomed probably within the next 10 years or less and we will all have to begin relocalising.For the reason of higher and higher fuel costs. The era of lots of stuff will be over.”
I’m not quite sure what to make of these claims. Undoubtedly globalised trade will diminish, quite probably drastically, maybe as much as down to only 5-20% of it’s current amount, but trans-national trade has always existed and likely always will so long as nations exists and have excess things they can trade.
Agree. Trans-national trade will continue even if it is by sailing ship and steamer, as per the days of old.
But there will be big differences. For instance, this won’t simply be a matter of NZ having its iPad 3’s delivered on a steamer instead of via air-freight.
The complex, expensive supply networks and just in time logistics needed to put an iPad 3 together in the first place simply won’t be viable any more. Costs will go up, which means design complexity (specifications) will have to fall even as the retail price rises. Higher store prices combined with worker incomes falling in failing economies means far fewer units sold. (Peak-credit will exacerbate the situation). This economic calculation will feedback to Apple who will drastically change which products it pursues development of, which markets it decides to serve, and how it serves them.
Put another way – a lot of material stuff is going to gain real value and rarity status again, just like in the old days when people really treasured and looked after individual items they owned. The end of throw-away consumerism.
This is a gloat, gloat speak for yourself moment! 😀
In our family we’ve always done that – looked after our ‘stuff’. Even my mobile phone is years old, and was ‘old tech’ then – (not that I wouldn’t like a fancy one, but can’t afford it. )
Nuclear powered superfreuighters anyone
Trade has always existed but nation states haven’t been as dependent upon it as they are now. The amount of trade was far less because long distance trade is, without the cheap energy of fossil fuels, far too expensive to maintain.
One of the things I believe the energy gap of the future will drive is true costs becoming transparent and extremely localised. Which has the potential for the individual to be rid of “taxes” inherent in transfer costs within corporations (i.e if you understand the whole supply chain because it is short and visible you wont pay for anything other than what is explicit). In effect we will probably have much less income but will get a proportionally better return for it.
For those RWNJs I am describing a market as Adam Smith understood it without the distortion by “rentier” activities (i.e corporate transfer costs etc etc).
Actually, I thought Kim Hill was rather placid, indicating that perhaps she understood that what Nicole was saying was hard to refute.
Brewer attacks brown over the size of his mayoral office. When is Len going to grow a pair and expose this divisive supershity council The Nats designed that they thought Banks would be heading.
POAL is a great opportunity to get out there in a statesman like manner and show akl they’ve been shafted……the time is now, what are ya made of Len?
Brewers comments seem to fit in well with the attempts to curb local government, by central govt. This is simply a poor attempt to point score by Brewer, who one really cant have much time for, he is not a good councillor for AKL, but serves his purpose for the right.
Yes LB should really get a set…I can tell you that is not going to happen!
Did you hear our Prime Minister, this morning, championing “our proud record on nuclear disarmament…”?
The trailer for the 911 Toronto hearings video 3.5 minutes long and Max Keiser interviewing financial journalist Lars Schall, about his recently published investigation into insider trading around the 9-11 terrorist attack on show 266
Oh dear! Little Johnny is relegated to stalking Obama in the hotel gym:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6635889/PM-relegated-as-Obama-lands-in-Seoul
I think i stayed there 10 years ago there was a strike and that was the only advailable rooms.
Anyway what surprised mer was ethere was a high level conference in the top of the hotel with shipley, japanese, etc. And i was able to get up to the conference room with out any securtity checkor being even questioned. Different time!
Key a gym junkie? Not that you can tell…
Seems more like an opportunist junkie?
Well said by our Hawaiien President following the disastrous U$$$$ economic model.
Thousands of unemployed UK construction workers on secret employers’ blacklist
highly illegal. UK police contributed information on activists and protestors to it. Private company was profiting from distributing the list.
Funny thing, back in the 80s after the Tour a number of us seemed to get rejected from any government job we applied for, did not even get the interview. I was always suspicious, who knows? Fortunately for me commerce worked out better and more financially rewarding.
“Look at me! Look at me! Look at ME!” Insecure much, Mr Key?
+1 lol “little man syndrome“
I think maybe all my comments are going into moderation this morning? Maybe not, just 2 comments in the give way post did.
For those interested in reading about Labor’s devastating loss in Queensland.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/losers-turn-on-bligh-who-fires-a-final-shot-20120325-1vsii.html
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/labor-looks-down-the-barrel-after-queensland-rout-20120325-1vsj2.html
“Labor’s numbers are so small it must rely on the mercy of Mr Newman for it to retain official party status.”
While various arguments have been put forward as to the reasons for the loss, such as the rejection of a woman premier, the carbon tax, Rudd’s challenge to Gillard and Bligh’s turning from “nice” to “attack dog,” this stood out for me:
“Bligh did not tell Queenslanders before the last election that she intended a massive sell-off of state assets, and she and her colleagues implied such a thing wasn’t being contemplated. Then, in government, the sell-off went ahead, with Bligh arguing it was necessary for her state’s economy. The public did not forgive, and most observers believe it was a major reason for her downfall.”
It is all too easy to think that Labour must move to the right because voters are “so over” left wing values, when what what voters are in fact rejecting are parties that purport to stand for left wing values but do not.
I think its time for some in the Labour hierarchy to accept that it’s they who are over left wing values, not the rest of us.
Core voters and activists will not support a weak party which compromises on its own principles in order to pander to transient swing supporters.
Good point, Oz labor partys are fairly centrist and mostly go on branding and personalities, there’s not alot between them and liberals, the sell off was foolish, not required and without electoral mandate so she paid the price.
labor has been in 20 yrs in QLD and they just had some of their worst natural disasters. With the opposition getting it’s act together a perfect electoral storm prevailed.
In my experience there’s some truth to that.
When I read a blog post that anonymously uses phrases like “Both sides are scum” and “making a dick of himself and pathetically trying” it immediately diminishes in stature for me.
When comparing the general tone of that with this post, which is also politically critical but a more reasoned and reasonable tone, I know which one I respect more. Notably this author has chosen to identify themselves.
I agree. It can still be robust debate when you are up front and honest about who you are.
(I’ve posted my own blog on this but chosen to put it in full here to reduce nitpicking over linking. I undertsand that some people have good reasons to blog anonymously, but political commentary has enough suspicions about motive as it is without being cloaked.)
Oh god, not this again.
The Standard doesn’t have “anonymous blogging” as you like to imply, it has pseudonymous blogging. That is very different.
Go search and read others of Eddie’s posts and you will see the tone in them is often quite similar to the one that you are whining about. Similarly r0b’s posts have always had a similar tone, before and after he decided to start putting his real name on them.
It’s no different than if Cameron Slater were pseudonymous – his blog would still be a vile sewer. Attaching his name to it clearly hasn’t made him clean up his act.
I think an identity can make a significant difference to credibility (obviously it doesn’t make it credible, just lends more credibility).
I know I’ll probably get hammered again here, but if what I say is disliked or not, anything I comment or post I’d be prepared to say face to face to anyone.
I disagree with Whaleoil as much as I agree with him and his method of operation, but I find his blog far less deviously vitriolic than here – and there’s more freedom to say what you want there. In other words, there’s generally more shit here, so the sewer accusations are kinda weird.
You seem to be under the impression that when, for example, I am in face to face encounters, I do not call an individual, on occasion, a stupid fucking self-absorbed moron. I have. If that lowers their regard for me, I don’t care. They’re fucking morons.
On the single-digit occasions I’ve been to KB or WO or their equivalents, most of the epithets I’ve seen have been aimed at entire cultures or social groups rather than individuals. And without any moderation if someone crosses over into personal-safety issues. I’ll call you a dick to your face, but not your entire culture.
Posting under your given name doesn’t add to the argument, at all, ever. And, yes, I’m quite willing to call you a delusional fuckwit to your face as well.
Pete you are boring the most Bored person in the world. Dull dull dull dull….now whilst you are talking “scum” and a person “making a dick of himself” might I bring up a name you are familiar with? A Mr Peter Dunne, the man who wants to sell us down the river.
Oh ma dai! You’re proving his point, by being so abusive. You may find him dull (really, you usually say much worse than that to him.) I rarely agree with him, but on the other hand, the abuse here on the Standard is sometimes so incredibly foul, it’s obvious that Standardistas have huge issues with being disagreed with.
(I am keeping a mental note of every foul name I am called, and every bit of race and sex-based abuse handed to me.)
Who here has caught up with the latest scandal to hit the Torys in UK? The deputy Chancellor selling off time with the Prime Minister for “contributions”, and having private individuals “issues” to the Policy Committee for “consideration”. Democracy for sale……
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17507447
I imagine that a large enough donation to any party would gain access to its leader. Regrettable, perhaps, but a fact of life. This is why various countries, including NZ, attempt to limit campaign spending.
The commentators are going hot and strong about our terrorism laws this morning on Radionz.
Annette King has highly exercised their minds.
Matthew Hooten distorted Annette King’s interview, and attempted to turn the tables by accusing Helen Clark of having had “an unethical, close working relationship with Howard Broad” and that she leaked knowledge of the meeting in question to the media before it had taken place. No evidence to back up such an absurd claim, and he did his usual shouting over the top of the two women, Josie Pagani and Kathryn Ryan. I found his allegations interesting given all the embarrassing “leaking” that has been occurring over the ACC/Pullar/Boag/Smith/Collins/Key affair.
Nat. Party panic mode is at full throttle methinks.
Says alot about Ryan and RNZ that they persist in having the badly beahaved boy hooten on, can’t wait his turn to say his piece must shout and prevent others making their point.
Bad radio, bad behaviour, rewarded every time with another soapbox slot for mr shouty.
Exactly, he’s unendurable…
What’s a Prime Minister to do?
On the one hand his party has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in
bribesdonations, on the other, he wants to keep up with the Australians and this is an opportunity to look tough. Decisions decisions…The Australians will do as they are told by the USA, this much as become clear over the years, and so having taken the money from Huawei, and even had them in NZ looking for prey to purchase, Key really is in a tight spot…
Good link that one….potentially some more “xenophobia” coming along!
The thought of Key feeling under seige by his ministers, and possibly stuck between OZ/US and China, really should give one pause for a smile!
Agreed.
These paragraphs in particular stood out for me, especially the last bit of para 2 re Key singling out the firm:
“The New Zealand government has welcomed Huawei’s interest in the ultrafast broadband (UFB) network.
Trade Minister Tim Groser, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Finance Minister Bill English visited the company in China after Prime Minister John Key singled out the firm for possible involvement in the UFB network.”
The National Party’s desire to get paid has so far outweighed the national interest on every occasion – education policy, gambling laws, asset sales, penal reform, resource extraction, etc etc.
Will it outweigh Australia and the USA’s interests too?
And that is one of the reasons why we need to be able to produce what we need here.
70 more jobs to go from a government department…..
Govt fishery observers told to get ready to pack up
Published: 6:23PM Sunday March 25, 2012 Source: ONE News
A leaked email from the Ministry of Fisheries reveals that observers on commercial fishing vessels will have their jobs outsourced by the end of the year.
The observers are stationed on commercial fishing vessels to monitor the catch and conditions on the boats.
The leaked email reveals that around 70 Ministry of Fisheries observers have been told their jobs are being outsourced by December.
Industry insiders say that the move will rob the watchdogs of their independence.
One former observer says that they play a vital role.
“No-one has questioned the quality of their information and it shouldn’t be compromised for money, and certainly not when the fisheries are under pressure.”
Critics argue that outsourcing will allow fishing companies to pick observers who are prepared to turn a blind eye in order to keep their jobs.
Currently observers are employed by the Ministry of Fisheries on short term contracts while they are at sea.
The Ministry recoups their pay and administration expenses from the fishing companies.
Glenn Simmons from the University of Auckland told ONE News he cannot see the logic in the change.
“I really can’t see any cost savings in it, so I really wonder what is driving this, particularly from the Ministry’s point of view.”
But documents show the fishing industry has been pushing for outsourcing for at least six years.
The Ministry of Fisheries would not be interviewed for this story, and refused to give an explanation of the benefits gained by outsourcing the observer roles.
The Minister of Fisheries, David Carter told ONE News that observers are not likely to be outsourced by December.
“At this stage there’s still a lot more work to be done as to how best to deliver observer services on foreign charter vessels and other vessels no decision has been made about outsourcing.”
Nevertheless, one former observer says that the decision seems fixed.
“They’ve already decided, it appears they’re not asking any questions here.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/govt-fishery-observers-told-get-ready-pack-up-4795996
…and all the issues about slave labour in our waters will magically dissapear
Watch as our seas get raped even more as the private providers who are supposed to be watching the catch find that it’s more profitable to cut back on the number of observers making it impossible to actually regulate the industry as required.
It’s just another way for this government to hand over our wealth to their rich mates.
Hurrah for NZ Incorporated!!!!
Speculating because im not that knowledgable about the industry but I expect this means boats will fish in areas they arent allowed, mis reporting of bycatch especially marine mammals, rorting of the quotas and maybe that final nail in the coffin for the Hectors dolphin.
Great to see that details are still being leaked from Government Departments.
Keeps the public service busy.
Long may it continue providing the informants cannot be traced, but that is getting easier to trace.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10794656
So no word about pushing the imperials to dissarm then John.
Nah don’t want to upset the masters eh!
Peter George – how about getting your great leader, Peter Dunne, to have his head shaved in support of this very worthy cause?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10794675
I could ask – but shaving heads is not for everyone. I don’t have much left on top but have never felt inclined to take the lot off. I do donate to things without taking part in the marketing gimmicks, as I’m sure many people do.
Perhaps Brownlee should replace McCully as Minister of Foreign Affairs?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6639179/Finns-angry-over-Gerry-Brownlees-comments
Profiteering companies prove, once again, that they stand in the way of people getting what they need.
Well that is a bit weird:
“Police will not lay charges against freelance cameraman Bradley Ambrose over the so-called “teapot tapes” affair, Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess says.
He said police will issue Mr Ambrose with a warning after referring the matter to Crown Law.
…….clear that the actions of Mr Ambrose were unlawful.”
That needs clarification:
Was it unlawful to leave his recorder on the table?
Was it unlawful to retrieve it?
Was it subsequent actions that made it unlawful?
What does unlawful mean against a criminal act?
Sort of cleared but damned.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10794713
IMO, the police have just decided to change the law but have not gone to the extent of having that law change tested in court.
That needs clarification:
Was it unlawful to leave his recorder on the table?
He left it there quite reasonably. And really what value was it to reporters if they could not publish it, and did not? Maybe it was a turd blossom Key’s minders wanted leaked, making Key look like a victim of the nasty press.
Was it unlawful to retrieve it?
It was his property, and arguable are you allowed to break the PM security to retrieve your property?
Was it subsequent actions that made it unlawful?
What does unlawful mean against a criminal act?
If he was given a warning, what were the specifics of the warning he was given????
Sort of cleared but damned.
Police must think there was enough evidence but the prosecution may believe he already suffered enough.
My point is that I am unsure what the unlawful bit is? (Just in case I mislay my recorder, or hand it on when found or even need to know when a public place is a private place.)
The allegation was of intentionally recording someone when they would have reasonably expected a private conversation. I.e. apparently banks and key were expecting to be able to whisper intimate nothings into each other’s ear without being heard.
Given that it was at a media event with cameras rolling just on the other side of an open door, and that the camera operator claimed to have forgotten the mic in all the hubbub, and that the private conversation took place in a public cafe the police have decided to pretend that the offence was committed without all that difficult “proof” stuff.
Damn, stuffed up the blockquoting there 😳
Anna Bligh former Labor Premier for Queensland maintains state asset sales were “absolutely necessary”
Why do we even need Tory political leaders when we have Labor leaders like this hanging about?
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/bligh-concedes-defeat-in-qld-election-20120324-1vqi4.html
Political parties need funding….need I say more.
With 7 MPs left they’re really going to need that funding now. A great scheme, the Liberals in power in Queensland for the next half generation.
No Right Turn shows the amazing Stats.
Lib/National 49% of votes but 87% of seats
Labour 27% of vote but 8% of seats
Greens 7% of vote but 0% of seats.
Hooray for MMP.
Quick question for you lefties and then I’ll leave you alone again.
Is Cuba regarded as having a better or worse system than Western free market economies?
I’m just reading a very interesting survey on Cuba on the Economist at the moment and find the left wing policies there mind bogingly dumb and was wondering if they are consistent with any left wing thinking here. For example, apparently advertising is not allowed WTF?
http://www.economist.com/node/21550416
Yawn, it’s afternoon tea time..time for a quick break..my men and I have been making the hard cash today..and here comes Gos.
Gos understands the mind numbing complexities of Zimmers and now Cuba, paragons of “errant” left wing thinking. These Gos equates to socialist thinking everywhere…..such a broad brush stroke over such a broad church.
Interestingly Gos displays a very extreme ideological purity over what is also a very broad church, right wing thinking. The mind numbing neo lib orthodox version.
It was a simple question Bored. All it required was an answer along the lines of ‘We like it’s social policies but the majority of it’s economic policies and it’s political repression is reprehensible so the West is better in that respect’. Not hard to do really.
Yeah and it was a simple answer too: No one gives a fuck about you and your world view.
Not hard to understand really.
Ummmm…. I’m not asking anything about my world view. I’m asking about lefties world view in relation to Cuba. I’m not interested in getting into a debate on the rights or wrongs of this. Think of it as intelligence gathering or ‘Know thy enemy’.
Hey Gos, watcha been up to since the Cold War ended?
Really?
It looks more like a greasy teen jerking off than a super-army-soldier behind-blog-lines intel grab.
Gosman, it occurs to me that you often begin any point you make by asking a question or multiple questions, and demanding answers.
You keep demanding answers until one (or more) is provided.
You then deride the answer.
In affect, you’re using a tactic called “explaining is losing”, a common theme in politics.
Carry on.
+1 Frank Macskasy
No point here Frank. You are free to make any comment you wish without me stating it is a load of bollocks.
So what is your view of Cuba then?
+1Felix
Cuba has one of the highest Literacy rates in the World, and on a very slender shoestring.
They couldn’t beat China though. I’ve seen their circus performers and they can do anything on a shoestring, spinning 20 plates too.
Thanks. That is what I was interested in seeing.
Did anyone hear on Sunday 7pm Radionz World Book Club: James Ellroy – American Tabloid.which goes through the Bay of Pigs debacle and ties it into the assassination of John Kennedy.
Ellroy pondered what things would have been different if Cuba had been invaded as planned (Kennedy had envisaged 16 planes but only sent in six)according to this fictionalised account.
I think their most significant economic “policy” has been dictated to them by the US.
How well do you think NZ would be doing if Australia had the same trade embargos with us?
Not wanting to get into a massive debate about this but the embargo by the US should not really be that much of big deal now. Cuba is free to trade with numerous other countries. To try and place the blame for economic difficulties on that is not really fair.
That’s right Gosman. 50 odd years of being denied the opportunity to trade with your nearest neighbour which just happens to be the world’s biggest economy is unlikely to have had any effect one way or the other.
Also when the world’s biggest consumer refuses to trade with anyone who trades with you.
Yep, no effect whatsoever.
Guess Cubans are just lazy.
Maybe they should be forced to do some “community service” so they learn lifeskills and stop being munters?
The community service stuff sucks up resources and is meaningless in effect when there are not jobs available to go to.
What makes you think that they are left-wing? I read the articles on the weekend and thought that they reminded me of the days of Muldoon.
Looks more like a standard controlled economy. A bit like the UK during and for a decade after the second world war. For that matter our current labour laws that forbid freedoms of association are much the same.
In other words, just use your brains….
Depends on your definition of left wing I suppose. The idea of guarranteed minimum living standards would be more left than right. Also the aversion to private property. What was interesting, as stated, was the fact that they outlaw advertising. I don’t know if that is regarded as left wing or not hence one of the reason asking the question.
Gosman I totally agree with you Cuba is way worse for being a company based on Socialism, as were many of the Eastern block countries.
One of the main issues of Socialism ,and someting they have never been able to get to grips with. Is eventually you run out of other peoples money
Of course having a economic embargo hasn’t had any impact at all?
Plonker…
I’d argue that it hasn’t. Cuba can redirect trade elsewhere and did so in the past.
… although the reason Cuba “ran out of money” was because of a US-sponsored embargo. So of it’s it’s unsurprising they “ran out of money”. So would you, if you couldn’t earn an income.
Hardly ‘cricket’, is it?
And definitely anti-free market.
Though I guess using Thatcher’s slogans is easier than reality?
Frank why did the Eastern Block countries run out of money, and Russia no embargo there? they were collapsing all over the place. Agree with Cuba though understanable Kennedy didnt want nukes there
Why did the USSR collapse James…..go on read some history, I dare you!
Why was South Osetia such an issue?
In simplified terms because no one wanted to buy their products. When you take competitors out of the situation and only supply state made products. You dumb everyone down to the lowest common denominator. Many of their products were shite. There was a total lack of innovation because of state control. It became just a job with no passion no critical thinking
“It became just a job with no passion no critical thinking” – Well done mate you have just described 90% of the worlds jobs, if not nearer 100% as they exist under the current prevailing system!
BULLSHIT
The state can innovate and take risks far more than the private sector is willing to do, James.
Everything from the atomic bomb, to the transistor, to the foundations of the internet, to supersonic jet travel, the state has led the way while private companies only become interested once the hard risky expensive work has been done on the public purse.
And that would be why the USSR was the first country in the world to orbit the earth with a man made satellite and why, once they got over being terrified, the USA landed on the moon…
Oh, wait…
BTW, it’s impossible to run out of money as the banks print it as fast as possible. The real problem is that we’re running out of resources due to the capitalist free-market (which, of course, is no where near “free”).
Gosman or James, have either of you been to Cuba and or know many Cuban people?
Or is it just commenting again from lets call it, best guess!
I’m not really commenting on the Cuban situation at all beyond stating that you can’t blame the economic problems in Cuba on the embargo by the US.
Cuba did relatively well up to the 1980’s. It didn’t need to trade with the US during this period.
The US hasn’t got the ability to massively impact other nations trading with Cuba either. Name me some countries or companies who have suffered as a result of doing business with Cuba.
I don’t agree with the economic embargo myself as it is counter productive but the US has every right to decide who it trades with. As leftists I am sure you would agree with that logic. It forms the basis of many of your objections to free trade pacts. You know – sovereignty blah blah.
Fine. No-one was arguing the right or ability of the USA to impose this embargo.
But you cannot discount the reason why it was imposed in the first place… the USA hoped to break Cuba economically, and it certainly had a big negative impact on their economy. You can’t simply ignore it because it doesn’t suit your argument. In the long run the embargo will probably prove counter-productive as the Cubans have also learned to make do with far less and have a more resilient economy as a result. It is certainly not as ‘efficient’ or ‘prosperous’ according to conventional measures… but as the Egyptian’s discovered when Joseph ruled them; the seven years of plenty meant little during the seven years of famine.
Interestingly if you read The Spirit Level closely enough, you will notice that Cuba is also the only country in the world that is close to being both socially and environmentally sustainable… at least according the to way the authors measured these things.
“… and it certainly had a big negative impact on their economy”
I respectively disagree. The embargo was put on in the 1960’s as you will see from the graph below the Cuban economy was able to redirect trade to other sources and managed quite good GDP growth through to the end of the 1980’s. Of course when those other trading sources fell over then their economy tanked but that is hardly the US’s fault.
What you seem to be saying here is that the US should be obliged to support economically the Cuban economy by allowing them to trade with them. It would be like trying to argue that Australia should be obliged to trade with us.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/GDP-Carribean.png
You should reread the Economist articles again and do it a bit more closely this time.
The Cuban economy was effectively being subsidised by the USSR especially with low prices for imported oil and high prices for exported sugar. This was largely as a response to the US embargo. When the USSR started to disintegrate in the late 80’s, the subsidies and markets diminished.
The embargo was (and still is) in place. In the late 80’s it included most countries in the america’s and western europe. This included the Panama canal. If you have a look at the available trade routes you’ll find that leaves very little that is a possible trade route apart from going half way around the world. Mostly africa, the middle east, and eastern europe. None of them exactly bursting with export potential for the commodities that Cuba produced and all with closer sources of supply.
The wonder was that the cuban economy didn’t fold under the embargo in the 90’s. But the embargo that has been stupidly maintained by US domestic politics was definitely the main constraint on their economy.
I’m sorry but nothing in that survey suggested the embargo was anything but an major irritant to Cuba. It certainly didn’t place the blame for the lack of economic performance on it. In fact it mentions that Cuba has an opportunity to become a significant economic player if it makes changes regardlesss of the embargo. If you disagree then please show where the survey supports your view rather than mine.
Apples and oranges. Late 80’s and 90’s compared to now. The embargo now has more holes on it than solid sections.
I’ll have wait until tomorrow night at the earliest to dig into TE. Work is a bit demanding during the day.
“For that matter our current labour laws that forbid freedoms of association are much the same. ”
Indeed. It’s interesting how repressive and controlling National actually is. they labelled Labour as “nanny state” – and yet they pass more restrictive laws than any Labour government.
Yet, they manage to cultivate an image as the “party of freedom”…
Yes and they say things like ‘eventually you run out of other people’s money’ about Labour while they are busy hoovering up as much ‘other people’s money’ as they can for themselves.
“…or that matter our current labour laws that forbid freedoms of association ”
What aspect of our labour laws forbid freedoms of association?
Anyone else see this?
Interesting report on the Aotearoa blog think you guys need to go easy on Merryl Lynch and John Key or you could end up with a heap of egg on your face! Russai has put out an arrest warrant for him kind of ironical really
Soros is regarded by many as a sort of leftist saviour who finances leftist media outlets and who is fabulously wealthy. What is interesting is that Soros’ has been financing many colour revolutions around the world through his NGO’s causing death, destabilisation and mayhem in the chosen countries.
You may want to remember that our new lefty leader David Shearer actually worked for one of Soros’ NGO’s called The international crisis group which has such criminals as Zbignew Brzezinski and Richard Armitage on its board and as advisors.
Jimbo, you are on fire tonight – Soros is in fact a complete insider criminal of the very highest order..
I have huge reservations about Shearer, and any politician who has been indoctrinated via the USA educational brainwashing facilities, followed by their political pre screening services, and further brainwash. I also include the UN, and any of the alphabet soup organisations you can name, which far as I can tell are little more than criminal oganisations, masquerading as being the “good guys”
That shaven-headed, thin-lipped, angry middle-aged dickhead at the skatepark.
National voter or ACToid? I reckon National.