What will be the response of political leaders around the world, and our leaders here, to Obama’s speech?
Will John Key issue a statement in response?
Unlikely
How about David Shearer?
Also unlikely
What about the Greens?
Will the Green Party issue a statement calling on the other two to give a response and make a stand?
Will Obama’s speech be just like a pebble dropped into the ocean, unremarked in this country and around the world?
In the face of this existential threat like no other ever faced by humanity, will business as usual be the unspoken commitment that we will receive from our leaders?
What will be the response of political leaders around the world, and our leaders here, to Obama’s speech?
MEMO JENNY:
Barack Obama is not taken seriously by anyone. He did nothing at all during his first term except spout rhetoric (that impressed Jim Mora at least) but he was too timid or too compromised or too indolent to actually DO anything, whether it was about conservation, or justice in the middle east, or anything at all. Now, barely six months into his second term, this ineffectual and empty poseur is already a lame duck.
Why are you urging people to flog this dead horse?
Not sure exactly what you were expecting Obama to achieve when he was saddled with an incredibly partisan and frankly insane republican majority in the house.
Also he did get the health reforms through – a shadow of what they needed to be, but an achievement none-the-less.
On May 9 2012 in an ABC interview Obama said “…I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” This reverberated around the world. The gay marriage movement in this country had been bubbling along gaining litle traction until then, Obama’s comments made a huge impact here – Bob McCroskie launched his anti-gay marriage a month later, and the entire thing was done and dusted here within eleven months of Obama’s comments. Since then I think eight or so countries have legalised gay marriage and it has become a major issue again in many others.
So it is total hogwash no one takes seriously the US President in general or Obama in particular. Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he isn’t important. People take him seriously all over the world, even his corrupt congress does – it just spends it time opposing him, that is all.
What ever you think of President Obama, muzza, and Morrissey, (and from your comments, it doesn’t sound like much). President Obama has made a statement strongly supporting doing something about climate change and encouraging others around the world to rise to the challenge also.
Muzza/Morrissey I think you are both missing the point I was making. (and I suspect deliberately)
Will Obama’s challenge be ignored by our political leaders here?
Will they, (and I mean any of them) even acknowledge Obama’s speech?
Will any of them, and I mean any of them, come out in support of Obama and suggest that we need to go even go further?
Or are they still determined to continue on as if they can afford to ignore this issue?
And lastly, muzza and Morrissey, is your attack on Obama’s credibility just an excuse to provide political cover for those parties here who wish to do nothing?
Voter support for Labour and its leader, David Shearer, has slumped in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey. Audrey Young in the Hersld today.
The party has lost 5.5 percentage points since March, and Mr Shearer is down 6.1 points as preferred Prime Minister.
National’s support has barely moved and it is still polling high at 48.8 per cent of decided voters.
Prime Minister John Key is preferred Prime Minister for 65.2 per cent, up 2.6 points on his last rating.
If the poll were translated to votes, National would not be able to govern alone.
Either National or Labour would be able to form a government.
But Labour would need four other parties, and National would have more options including being able to form a government with only New Zealand First support, only Maori Party support, or support from Act and United Future.
Mr Shearer has been Labour leader for a little over 18 months, after beating former finance spokesman David Cunliffe in a contest involving the party membership.
Today’s poll could put added pressure on Mr Shearer’s leadership, which has been attracting stronger criticism lately from the remnants of Mr Cunliffe’s support on the left than from the right.
Mr Key has taken to taunting Mr Shearer in Parliament about being under the control of deputy leader Grant Robertson.
But more voters see Mr Cunliffe as a successor should Mr Shearer no longer be in contention.
Asked who would be best to replace Mr Shearer if he left politics, 31.8 per cent supported Mr Cunliffe and 16.7 per cent Mr Robertson.
The dark horse is Andrew Little, a first-term list MP and former national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, who had 13.5 per cent support as a possible replacement.
Eleven per cent wanted someone else and 27 per cent did not know or refused to say.
Among Labour supporters, 37.7 per cent supported Mr Cunliffe if Mr Shearer weren’t there, 19 per cent Mr Robertson and 14 per cent Mr Little.
Labour’s party vote support appears to have gone to New Zealand First and the Greens.
New Zealand First’s support rose above the 5 per cent threshold, and support for Winston Peters as preferred Prime Minister is up from 4 per cent to 6.4 per cent.
Party vote figures in the poll are: National 48.8 (up 0.3), Labour 30.9 (down 5.5), Greens 10.5 (up 1.5), NZ First 5.1 (up 2.6), Maori Party 1.8 (up 0.7), Mana 0.5 (no change), United Future 0.3 (up 0.3) and Act 0.2 (up 0.1). The Conservatives gained 2.65 per cent of the vote at the last election but no MPs polled 1.5 (up 0.2).
Support for Mr Shearer rose in March to 18.5 per cent when National was mired in issues such as the failure of the Novopay pay system for teachers, the Solid Energy crisis and the partial sale of Mighty River Power.
Since the last poll, the Government has lost list MP Aaron Gilmore and passed its Budget, but a lot of the political focus since then has been on United Future leader Peter Dunne.
Mr Dunne resigned as a minister as the chief suspect in the leak of a confidential report.
Party vote results and preferred Prime Minister results are of decided voters only.
On the party vote questions, 11.9 per cent of poll respondents were undecided.
NZ First ratings edge up
The biggest movements in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey are among older voters. And it appears New Zealand First has had a boost at the expense of Labour.
Overall, Labour has fallen from 36.5 per cent in the March poll to 30.9 per cent in the June poll published today. NZ First has risen from 2.5 per cent in March to 5.1 per cent now, based on the poll of 750 respondents.
Labour has gone from having a high level of support among the 65 and over voters in March – 40.5 per cent compared to its overall party vote of 36.1 per cent – to just 28.2 per cent.
Among the younger age group, 18 to 39, the Green Party has disproportionate support, but that is evident in most polls.
Last time 54.8 per cent of men supported National and 42.4 per cent of women, compared to 48.5 per cent overall. This time 49.9 per cent of men and 47.7 per cent of women supported National, which has 48.8 per cent overall.
As preferred Prime Minister, David Shearer is supported by 12.4 per cent overall but by 15.2 per cent of women and 9.6 per cent of men. In March he had 18.5 per cent and even support from men and women.
John Key is on 65.2 per cent and has almost even support of men and women.
Herald-Digipoll
Party vote
• National – 48.8% (up 0.3)
• Labour – 30.9% (down 5.5)
Preferred PM
• John Key – 65.2% (up 2.6)
• David Shearer – 12.4% (down 6.1)
Maybe Shearer should listen to President Obama and pull his head out of the Sand over climate change. Shearer needs to heed Obama’s call for other nations to play their part, and publicly announce that an incoming Labour administration will stop all new coal projects, and all other extreme hydrocarbon extraction plans like fracking and deep sea oil.
As for the Nacts. They need to be strongly condemned in every forum, for being as Obama says only concerned for the concerns of special interests.
Maybe then Shearer might be recognised as a leader.
Until then, Shearer and the party he leads will remain unrecognised unknown, and in the public mind sullenly silent and negative.
If this doesn’t spell out clearly to Shearer supporters that we have a serious problem then nothing will. (Well maybe a bad result in Ikaroa Rawhiti will compound).
Changes need to be made, perhaps some more deadwood need to be sent packing at the same time as Shearer loses his Leadership. It is not too late. There is NO WAY Shearer has what it takes to roll Key in 2014 (Currently there is a huge VOID in leadership in Labour), Shearer supporters need to swallow their pride and give Cunliffe a chance.
To work this needs to be driven by Shearer and Robertson factions…..if they have the maturity and foresight to do this then Labour has a chance of winning in 2014, otherwise roll on 2017, 3 more years of New Zealand moving towards the extreme Right.
For the long term health of the Labour party, National needs to win the next election.
That way Mallard , King, Goff and the rest of the bludging relics can be given the boot and replaced with fresh faces.
Shearer winning the next election would be the end of Labour.
yes but this National party is hopeless, if it wasn’t for Chch, the economy would have tanked.
I agree that some of the deadwood needs to be cleaned out, but unlike some on TS I actually quite like Labour’s Policies, the problem is the Leadership…its non existent and it has a complete inability to sell itself.
THIS IS FAR AND AWAY LABOURS BIGGEST ISSUE AND IT NEEDS TO BE SORTED.
Sadly Mallard has no where to go so will go no where, if he had any honor he would have quit after managing Labours worst election result in recent history. He cuts a sad old grumpy figure from the second row, grasping at past glories and taking up space that should be filled with newer blood. A more accurate example of ‘deadwood’ is hard to find.
I agree that Labour winning 2014 is more likely to do the party harm than help them, at least under Shearer’s leadership (and the team that put him there).
But the left will keep on trucking, even if Labour falls behind.
The problem with labour is a lot more than just Shearer,
No direction. stuck in the dark ages. Borrow and spend policies. Playing second fiddle to the Greens. In bed with the unions.
Some of those you might think are OK (like the union bit) – but you forget that people outside of your core voters dont like them – and dont want NZ run by a party with its stings pulled by unions.
Upshot – The general man in the street dosnt like Labour or what it seems to stand for these days.
And this is reflected in the polls. Its not just the man in front (even the best salesman has trouble shifting a fundamentally broken product)
I know that you will disagree. That’s OK – keep relying on – its a rouge, biased because only calling land lines, if you look at the trends … blagh blagh blagh. you all know better – Im a tit as I dont agree with you etc. You know the usual excuses you come up with on other threads.
Labour is a conflicted party, still wounded by neo liberalism. Even a return to Norm Kirk style policies would make the LP look like revolutionaries. Green and Mana are the future for the parliamentary left unless the LP has a few retirements v.soon.
Social democracy is enough of a dead end ideology anyway without the bumbling equivocation of David Shearer.
Yes we all know you find unionism heretical James. On a par with the witches of Salem blah blah blah.
Beats me how any rational person can endorse lawful free association in service of shared common interest in all other areas of our nation’s existence, yet carp on like a psychotic Alf Garnett when the same is engaged by workers in their shared common interest.
It is you who lives in the dark ages James and whine as you might, it will take more than an obsessive union-hater to take us back there. Yes, we know the World is flat. And if it’s not it bloody well should be !
You can’t see or hear your irrelevant ranting James. Everyone else (emabarrassed for you) can. Grow up !
New Plymouth is lost to Labor. Cuddling up to Greens in energy land while parachuting Andrew “do a runner” Little as candidate for last election both bad mistakes and will not be forgotten.
The Labour Party did not benefit from attending your Auckland BBQs in the past. Cheap sausages and good champagne should not be mixed.
It is time for Labour to close ranks againt those who want Key to continue in power, e.g. Hooton, Armstrong and Sullivan.
LEC’s and Branches and Union meetings are the place for discusion on the party’s direction.
Come on Hooton, do you honestly expect that people believe your tripe that your band of merry men and women did their utmost to support Shearer for the good of the Labour party?
Jesus wept. If you expect people to swallow that one I’ve got an igloo to sell you next to your Dear Leader’s house in Hawaii..
Well given that a week ago he was insisting that he never had anything to do with Shearer, I think it’s safe to say no; he doesn’t “honestly” expect anything.
Being either invisible or just slinging shit impresses no one.
Shearer isn’t a prime ministers arsehole, it’s about time he realizes that and steps down.
You keep believing that.
The only time I see Shearer on TV is when he’s all worked up and telling every one what a crappy job John Key and National are doing.
Needs too be a lot more positive, you’ll never win being a divisive moaning wanker.
I think Slinging Shit has been the only strategy that Labour have had since Key got in. Following on from these stirling results it has got them nowhere.
However the sun will rise tomorrow and that will be followed by yet another TS post outlining Key as a failure and a liar. So much for the idea that repeating the same behaviour and expecting a different result is a sure fire sign of ……oh wait…..
Labour has no idea why its poll performance has been so mediocre. Until it does, playing another round of musical chairs with the leadership is pointless. New captain same sinking ship? Thatll be the second half of Hootens dream come true. Clue – NZ Power should have been just the start, and backing the Greens on some economic and monetary alternatives.
Stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged in society for godssakes, not try and find a “balance”.
Just to pull a name out of the hat, anyone spotted Maryan Street lately? You know, opposing the gutting of the RMA, mining, and the attacks on Auckland by her opposite in government Nick Smith? No, didn’t think so. She is quite useless, and clearly lazy to boot. Still, she is an ex-NZLP bureaucrat and a lesbian woman so that makes her a paid up member of the self-absorbed Labour Wellington political class, which makes her utter uselessness all right I suppose.
If you are beltway senior labour right-wing MP you earn a fat six figure salary to work just as hard as you feel like, you are broadly in agreement with 90% of the governments agenda and 30% in the polls guarantees you and the rest of your faction in control of the parliamentary wing a job for life.
Working hard, and selecting a winning and articulate leadership that gets you over over 40% in the polls just means they newly independent and feisty members might send a whole bunch of n00bs to parliament who will challenge your factions superiority.
Noooooooo to that! It might an opposition MPs office, but it IS an office.
So – crisis? What crisis you talkin’ bout, Willis?
Still, she is an ex-NZLP bureaucrat and a lesbian woman so that makes her a paid up member of the self-absorbed Labour Wellington political class, which makes her utter uselessness all right I suppose.,/i>
What’s sexuality got do to with it?
In contrast, if a heterosexual is performing badly, why is their sexuality rarely mentioned?
it is a symbol of why the NZ public lost faith in the labour government: captured by (sexual) identity politics and nanny-ish interventions, they failed to address social inequality nor restrain the excesses of finance companies
No, the *NZ public* were tired of Labour’s (perceived) weird policies, being scolded by Sue Bradford, and Michael Cullen hoarding record govt revenues for a rainy day.
I agree that we forgot how bad National are at governing, but we also have never seen such an efficient marketing apparatus as the one around Key’s natty team, nor have we seen a PM of such charisma since David Lange
Yep Ropata you are on the money. The big issue with the finance industry debacle is that no matter how many people just laugh it off, it has caused massive pain and taken a huge lump of private capital and wealth out of middle NZ. This is exactly the type of capital that we need to be invested in NZ businesses to allow them to grow and employ more.
Christ! – you and I have a very different definition of ‘charisma’. Never mind though – I suspect it’s me that’s out of tune with muddle Nu Zull.
I wonder how krismetic they think John Key is now though – if they weigh up all the lying and bs.
So Labour are still going to carry the millstones that are Shearer, Robertson, and Mallard into the next election. How many points does it take to drop before they have a clean out? 10? 20?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Shearer has had his chance. Someone else needs to take the leadership. I was originally Team Cunliffe, and he’s still my preferred choice, but I’d accept Robertson, Little, even Goff at this stage.
Basically, yes. Although I think Cunliffe should probably be somewhere on the front bench instead of backbench Siberia.
However my fear is that Shearer says no change not because that’s what he wants, but because the entire senior team is truly compassless and has no idea what to do differently. Maybe give them another 6 months?
PS its a real easy formula for Labour to win, stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged and the struggling. And ditch some of the more onerous neo liberal and monetary constraints this nation is subservient to.
What you are really suggesting is that all Herald polls are shit and no-one should take the slightest notice of such rubbish,
The right in desperation at the true nature of National’s vote, in my opinion 42-43.5%, are now flogging NZFirst simply because no matter how thick they are they now realize they have no other option left to gain a third term in 2014…
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
You have an opinion of the level of National’s support? Why didn’t you say so before? We can stop all this bothersome polling every three months and just ask bad12 what his or her opinion of the support of each party is. Actually, when you think about it, why bother with elections.
Wevvilybiscuit
Fancy you as opinionated as you are, castigating bad12 for that. I presume you don’t mean that we should step down in favour of bad12 as dictator. Though the opinions offered sound sound. Perhaps you haven’t any points to argue so are merely doing more of the s..t throwing that is the last resort of those facing being disproved.
lprent
When I submitted my last comment above I got the rolling ball showing that it was being processed and then I got the connection cut – service closed message on the site page. So I pressed back arrow and got back onto TS page, went to Home and updated page and found that my comment had gone through. This was a bit confusing though.
Also I notice a few duplicate comments going through. Usually if I mistakenly press twice I get a message advising that so don’t get that.
Nonsense. The fact that a couple of vague nods to social responsibility looks so “left” (to you and John Key) just shows how deeply stuck in the right wing status quo they are.
Also, voters don’t hate Labour. We’re just not interested in Labour because they offer nothing different, especially to those who most need something different.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2.7.1.2.1.1
Well actually I didn’t say they aren’t “left enough”, I said they aren’t offering anything different. And I don’t think your idea of of “left” has much to do with my idea of “different”.
But seeing as you went there, Hone’s majority is more than 1000 votes. Over Labour.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
I don’t see why, North. Lots of people here seem to think Labour are so electorally unpopular because they are not left enough. But the parties to the left of them are even less popular, so that can’t be right.
Parties to the left of Labour are not unpopular with their growing constituency base GF; conflation methinks you display for one so ‘perceptive’. There is a grassroots movement underfoot, oh, that’s Right, you have not been following the increased surveillance debate…/
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
Well, of course they are not unpopular with the people who support them, but that’s a bit of a shit argument. Kyle Chapman’s political movement is popular with the people who support it as well. Folk dancing is popular with the people who support that, as well. Doesn’t mean it is popular in the populace as a whole.
According to the Digipoll, Colin Craig’s bunch of fuck heads enjoy three times the level of support of the Mana Party.
Why anyone would give an iota of credence to a political poll conducted by or on behalf of the HERALD is beyond me,
There is only one remote possibility of Slippery the PM gaining a third term for this National Government and that is with the support of Winston’s NZFirst,
The wider press have for the past 5 years attempted to sway the electorate by ‘deliberately’ talking down the true % NZFirst enjoyed from the electorate, i used at the 2011 election a specific gambling/poll to correctly judge NZFirst’s support by simply monitoring the % over the months leading up to that election that that particular gambling/poll discounted the NZFirst % back down under the 5% every time that party attained the 5% over a number of months,
THEY are messing with your minds via their polls and i would suggest any left leaning voter who voted for Winston in 2011 seriously think about voting for another party…
its a real easy formula for Labour to win, stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged and the struggling. And ditch some of the more onerous neo liberal and monetary constraints this nation is subservient to.
or, you could be wrong and it puts them further down in the polls.
”We’re going to be doing exactly what we are doing now,” Shearer said when asked what difference the poll would make….
This shows his appalling lack of Leadership and disregard for the people that Labour represents, what he should have said is” …this is a worry, New Zealand has never had greater inequality and clearly we are not connecting with the people who need us. We will be doing everything we can do to change this.”
He’s useless, for the sake of the Left he has to let go of the Labour Leadership.
Hear that ducky, kingy, goffy and all you other has beens to comfy in the trough whilst ignoring the wishes of the rank and file.
It’s the sound of inevitability…….the train wreck is coming unless you hand over the controls and sit back quietly whilst the new blood wrests the agenda back and gets the disaffected third back in the polling booths.
Coal is going to be discouraged and many thermal plants shut down. Fracking and nuclear power encouraged. XL tar sands pipeline still a possibility if GHG effects are not “significant”.
See also….
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6 NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Funny but I dont see Ms Klarks name in the top 3 where she should be for (in any order you like) I believe Winston, I didnt notice we were speeding, I painted that.
She’s DavidC’s bogeyperson. The one who makes him wake up hot and wimpering in the night and Mummy runs and guides his little thumby into his frightened little mouthy. And one day he’ll grow up to be a fuckwit ! Poor thing. Always lagging a good 5 years behind everyone else. Though for such a littley he’s very knowledgable re The World’s Greatest Art Heists and the Kaikohe Demolition Derby.
felix.. maybe you slept thru it…
Ms Klark ruled over Hulungrad … 9 years marred by overspending and election bribes in a bumper time when something should have been left in the public purse..instead we got “I have spent the lot” and a broken trainset.
Funny but I dont see Ms Klarks name in the top 3 where she should be for (in any order you like) I believe Winston, I didnt notice we were speeding, I painted that.
She might well end up on the list, but not for the minor speeding thing or the Paintergate beat-up. It’s a measure of just how lacking in seriousness you are that those two trivialities are all you can think of to denigrate her.
Yes brazil 2014 will be an interesting media event, how many will venture from the sanctuary of the FIFA endorsed hospitality to see the real Brazil and how some new stadiums are in cities with no professional football club.
Watched the 2ecobars recently (excellent ESPN documentary)….no surprise that the head of FIFA is a brazilian with a rainforest full of skeletons.
I’m sure you are right that the media contingent will not venture out of the air conditioned suites, except for maybe a spot of police escorted danger tourism to a favela to show how daring they are. However, Brazil in 2014 is still a relatively understandable location. Qatar 2022, on the other hand …
btw, FIFA’s head is the odious Sepp Blatter, who is Swiss. You might have been thinking of the jackboot loving Joao Havelange, his predecessor. I think he still holds the somewhat ironic title of ‘honorary’ president, though.
Constitution Conversation –
Has there been one on The Standard that I have missed? There is still time – through to 31 July. One month and we should be able to come up with some cogent comments.
Yes its a good result for NZ but my main worry is that National won’t get a 4th term (although with Labour being such a shambles you can’t rule anything out) which means NZ will miss out on Collins running the country, building on the great work of John Key
John Key has stopped the runaway tanker and righted it and soon it’ll be Collins firmly putting the tanker into full steam ahead…if NZ is lucky, if NZ is unlucky the Greens will cobble together a coilition in 2017 and all the good work done by National will be wasted
I don’t give a shit about the mythical “left” just as I don’t give a shit about the equally mythical “right”. What I do care about is the country that I am leaving my children and if you think that National (or Labour for that matter) are improving the long term prognosis for this country then quite frankly – you’re deluded..
You denounce the collective approach to everything – and then you embrace the collective approach when it some to your own affiars. e.g. Fonterra, Foodstuffs, pretty much every single coprorate.
Why is that? Why do you say one thing and do another?
The real issue with the Herald poll is that it shows Cunliffe twice as popular with voters (both Labour and overall) as Robertson, or anyone else.
It doesn’t matter to ABC how badly Labour are doing. If the price of victory is the guy they hate, then they would prefer a defeat. We can brainstorm “solutions” or “improvements” for Labour all day, all year, but the simple, inescapable fact is … as voters, our priorities are fundamentally opposed to theirs.
We want a change of government, therefore a change in party. They want no change in party – regardless of cost to us. That’s all.
“It doesn’t matter to ABC how badly Labour are doing.”
Maybe now it does.
I have no idea what is going on behind the scenes in the Labour caucus. I can only hope and pray they have come to their senses. The Shearer experiment needs to be abandoned ASAP.
Desperation= The Herald giving the architect of ‘the gambling harm minimization bill’ column inches to explain His position vis a vis the complete and utter gutting of that piece of legislation by it’s coalition partner Slippery’s National Government,
The Maori Party’s Te Ururoa Flavell needn’t have bothered, explaining the intricacies of being the ‘Lapdog’ of the National Government in such eloquent terms still leaves the Maori Party and Te Ururoa Flavell occupying the seat as ‘Lapdog’ no matter how many or how few the weasel words are that attempt to provide a justification,
Flavell should face the facts, National went behind His back getting Tariana and Pita to accept the gutting of His harm minimization bill and Flavell had to swallow the dead rat once the changes agreed to by His leaders were made,
The ‘harm minimization legislation is in fact a metaphor for the actual gains that the Maori Party have made for their voters and Maori in general after two terms as National’s coalition partner,
Nothing is the consensus among Maori, while the Maori Party gained it’s ‘slush fund’ in Whanau Ora, Maori who use tobacco products paid for this with increased taxes,
There is no Mana in the Maori Party and Flavell must now know that He is ‘Owned’ by National MP’s only too happy to laugh in His face even doing so on National TV,
Te Ururoa should now negotiate with Hone Harawira to bring His electorate into the Mana Party as being the ‘leader’ of nothing after the 2014 election will leave Him with none whatsoever,
New Zealand Post has told staff it intends to close its Waikato, Wellington, Dunedin and heartland mail processing centres at a cost of 500 jobs.
The plan will result in 130 job losses in Waikato, 160 in Wellington, 75 in Dunedin and 125 in heartland and satellite sites.
New Zealand Post has indicated there is potential for 250 new full time equivalent roles in its Auckland, Manawatu and Christchurch mail centres, but predicts fewer than 5% of people affected by the cuts will relocate.
EPMU postal industry organiser Joe Gallagher says the announcement is devastating news for workers and their communities.
“There are a lot of people deeply fearful for their futures today. This is not a good time to find yourself on the dole queue and in the current environment it’s going to be very hard to get another job with secure hours and good rates of pay.
“We’re going to work with New Zealand Post to ensure everyone who loses their job receives their full redundancy entitlements and assistance finding new employment, but the reality is that won’t be enough.
“The Government really needs to step up to the plate here by making jobs its number one priority. People need to have some decent alternatives when they find themselves out of work and at the moment the jobs just aren’t there.”
Mr Gallagher says the union will continue to challenge cuts to New Zealand Post’s services, which also include a proposal to reduce postal delivery to three days a week and replace post offices with kiosks.
“We recognise New Zealand Post faces considerable commercial pressures and that some degree of change is inevitable, but we’re not convinced service cuts on this scale are justified.
“There are some serious questions about the figures these proposals are based on and we’ll be taking this up with the company and with the Government.”
Mr Gallagher says the union will continue to challenge cuts to New Zealand Post’s services, which also include a proposal to reduce postal delivery to three days a week and replace post offices with kiosks.
So the union thinks the tax payer should subsidize NZ post, why?
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise dairy farmers?
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise the NZX?
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise businesses who make money by capital gain?
maybe because the taxpayers subsidised Steven Joyce’s ex-company Mediaworks?
Not at all. There is a difference between the state forgoing a tax (Warners) and using taxes taken to subsidise a failing business (NZ Post).
I hardly ever use post to my home any more – the effect of dropping a few days deliveries has no negative effect on me. A negative effect on the postie? No doubt at all but using that argument there should be deliveries 4 times a day and twice on the weekends (at time and a half). We don’t have lamppost lighting men or night soil men any more either and I am afraid that the postie is going the same way. The model is not viable in this day and age and keeping it as a public good (which I agree with) can only go so far.
Yes, dead right there’s a difference. Warners is a foreign company with no links to NZ other than via the liar Jackson’s wallet who got a whopping wedge of payola for no logical reason at all and NZ Post is a profitable NZ owned company that interacts with most kiwis most days and provides a service that will still be needed for generations to come in some form or other.
Are you arguing that NZ would have been better off if the Hobbit was made elsewhere? Sorry don’t answer that as it is not the point I was trying to make.
Are you suggesting that NZ Post should be subsidised just because it interacts with most people people most days? Like the night soil men? Should we still have them? Should we ban milk sales in supermarkets to protect the milk deliveries?
It was never going to be made elsewhere. It was always going to be made here. However, what little substance there was to the vague threat was enough to get Key reaching for the cheque book.
NZ Post is not being subsidised. It’s profitable (didn’t I already write this?)
Where did the union say it wanted a subsidy? It’s simply said it’s challenging the figures and that the scale of cuts isn’t justified by the decline of mail volume. FFS, you people need to learn to read.
Holy crap that is bad news. Why bother with a nation state if you just sack everyone? Last person with a proper job please turn out the lights. The natz still want to keep the spooks, coppers and Army on tho.
When Labour greens mana Maori Winston first do finally cobble together a coalition ( sit down and watch the fun) it will be an interesting side show to watch the government of the damned hold themselves to the same standard they have demanded from National the prior 12 or 15 years.
I think the left are missing the point completely. NZ will not stand for the policies that Labour and the greens promote. These policies have very much frightened the horses. But I am received that Shearer is not going to change a thing ( how could he – that would take some doing against the factionalised Labour Party.)
Easy. LP+Greens+NZF in any combination of Government coalition or just confidence and supply. And do bear in mind that this is the Herald, not exactly the paragon of accuracy. Every percentage point Labour get above Granny’s figure is a nail in Key’s coffin.
As I’ve said before, the only poll that even comes close to being accurate is the Roy Morgan. The function of the others is to convince Labour supporters not to vote.
Heres your problem, Russell Norman siad he wont be in any coalition with nzfirst.
Then you have the fact that the greens always poll higher than they get. You have national and the maori party, thats all they need. a party with cant become government.
Her’s your problem, you are full of s**t, give us a link to anywhere Russel Norman has said he will not enter a coalition Government that NZFirst are part of…
TRP of course Labour will be able to form a govt with 30.9%. Which position will Labour give to the Greens? Deputy PM + Economic Development or Finance?
Big day over the ditch. Two independents, Oakshott and Windsor, have just announced their retirements at the next election. Neither will support a Rudd led Government for the rest of the term if Gillard loses to him tomorrow, so, if she does get rolled, expect a vote of no confidence from the Liberals immediately and an election in a month.
New Zealand’s waste policies are stuck in the 19th Century as ever-rising levels of rubbish are dumped to landfill instead of a system fit for the 21st Century of more and better recycling and possibly waste incineration, a leading environmental law expert says.
This is so true. Absolutely nothing should be going to landfills as it should all be recycled and if it can’t be recycled then it shouldn’t be on the market.
QT 25.6
Q.6. Parker- according to the ANZ analysis, the domestic-centric balance of growth is not sustainable.
Q.8. “more (oversight) with less resources will be rquired to police migrant exploitation”-Darien Fenton.
Q.10. Amy Adams (felt unwell just watching her) – “not a good idea for local councils to be regulating GMO’s under their plans” (Northland and Auckland councils putting in protections; Adams swooping in to over-ride). NAct have a GMO-promoting agenda (productivity gains in sight).
moving Right along…, 1000’s of the elderly are being scammed out of millions per year; fear and embarrassment preventing declaration of foolishness. “Names” of the gullible are placed on “suckers lists”; no understanding, what did they learn through the course of their lives?
Regional Council admits the vulnerability of Wellington to Nature, you don’t say, well, blow me away with a feather!.
“NZ Land Transport are fueling the housing crisis” Surprise surprise!
NZ is ranked worst out of 33 OECD countries for the earning potential of University graduates, realising a mere 18% premium above secondary school leavers.
NZ Post used to be a respected operation, which has been run into the ground. with or without digital mail, its been slide created by inept/corrupt management, directors!
Nope, it’s obvious that snail mail is on the way out. Industry, on the other hand, should be increasing with NZ producing more and more from our own resources.
Good Labour policy would protect a few hundred jobs a year using millions of tax payers dollars. Think of being able to go into an election saying unemployment is low…. Very popular thing to do and well worth bankrupting the country for the popularity of the red team…
Perhaps we could learn from how government protected the railways from road transport competition. Make it illegal for eMail to get to the destination faster than snail mail. That little “protectionist” law kept about 15,000 employees in safe jobs in the railways… Protecting a dysfunctional pit for tax payers dollars because it was a state owned monopoly….
A few hundred jobs for a few million tax payers dollars is cheap as chips.
Yes … The wagon wheel business could still be making beautifully crafted wooden wheels for horse drawn carts keeping those jobs alive and keeping the ‘Waggon wheel makers’ union happy. Imagine the fun we could have building them breaking them down for a few million each year protecting those jobs that were going to be lost 60 years ago….
And burt comes back with the old but Labour did it too whinge. Yes burt, they’ve both been doing it and it’s something that’s been done for centuries. Capitalism isn’t the massive engine of progress that you and others seem to think – it runs on government subsidies. Without them it’d crash and burn.
BTW, burt, this government increased the subsidies specifically for The Hobbit.
Moscow doesn’t just have a public train system- it has a public escalator system!
How do you keep them running?
“People,” Likhachev says. His division has a staff of 3,000. It has workers posted at every station during operating hours. It has a 20-member emergency rapid response team. It also has its own factory churning out spare parts, “so we don’t have to rely on suppliers.”
This is not to say that all escalators work all the time, because they don’t. But let’s be clear about one thing: “We do not have escalators out of order,” Likhachev says. “We close some for repair.”
…and today’s programme has been brought to you by the letter ‘A’, and the number ’11’
(Oscar is definitely not a prince in waiting).
“Alienation: A psychological or social evil, characterised by one or another type of harmful separation, disruption or fragmentation, which sunders things which belong together. people are alienated from the political process when they feel separated from it and powerless in relation to it; this is alienation because in a democratic society you belong in the political process, and as a citizen it ought to belong to you.
Reflection on your beliefs, values or social order can also alienate you from them. It can undermine your attachment to them, cause you to feel separated from them, no longer identified with them, yet without furnishing anything to take their place; they are yours ‘faute de mieux’, but no longer truly yours: they are yours, but you are alienated from them.
Marx derived the terms ‘Entdusserung’ and ‘Entfremdung’ from Hegel, who used them to portray the ‘unhappy consciousness’ of the Roman world and the Christian Middle Ages.
Marx used essentially the same notion to portray the situation of modern individuals- especially modern wage labourers- who are deprived of a fulfilling mode of life because their life-activity as socially productive agents is devoid of any sense of communal action or satisfaction and gives them no ownership over their own lives or their products. In modern society, individuals are alienated in so far as their common essence, the actual cooperative activity which naturally unites them, is powerless in their lives, which are subject to an inhuman power- created by them, but separating and dominating them instead of being subject to their united will.
This is the power of the ‘market’, which is ‘free’ only in the sense that it is beyond the control of it’s human creators, enslaving them by separating them from one another, from their activity, and from it’s products.
The verbs ‘entaussern’ and ‘entfremden’ are reflexive, and in both Hegel and Marx alienation is always fundamentally ‘self’-alienation.Fundamentally, to be alienated is to be separated from one’s own essence or nature; it is to be forced to lead a life in which that nature has no opportunity to be fulfilled or actualized.
Your life objectively actualizes your nature, especially (for both Marx and Hegel) your life with others as a social being on the basis of a determinate course of historical development.
Their view that alienation, so conceived, can nevertheless have historical consequences, and even be a lever for social change, clearly invokes some sort of realism about the human good: it makes a difference, psychologically and socially, whether people actualize their nature, and when they do not, this fact explains waht they think, feel and do, and it can play a decisive role in historical change.
More laughing and sneering at dissidents
Inanity rules, as usual, on The Panel
Radio NZ National, Wednesday 26 June 2013
Jim Mora, Dita De Boni, Chris Wikaira
JIM MORA: All right, it’s Susan Baldacci with what the woooooorld’s talking about! What have you got for us today?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Someone who’s name is on the lips of virtually EVERYBODY is Edward Snowden.
DITA DE BONI: Oh yes? He he he he he!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yeeeeeessss, well this guy is the new JETSET TRAVELLER!
MORA: Hur hur hur hur hur!
SUSAN BALDACCI: Well, people have been asking how the heck he DOES it!
DITA DE BONI: Yes! I’ve been asking that!
MORA: He’s like a ghost!
DITA DE BONI: Apparently he didn’t even need a passport to get into Russia!
SUSAN BALDACCI: No, well that’s just it, you see. You only need a passport if the country you are entering DEMANDS one. That’s how so many refugees manage to get into countries after they have destroyed their documents.
DITA DE BONI: What is the advantage for Ecuador in taking this guy?
MORA: Arrrgghh, they’re just thumbing their nose at the world.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yeah. Otherwise why would they take Julian Assange?
DITA DE BONI: Exactly.
MORA: They’re staking out a position in South America.
DITA DE BONI: Exactly!
MORA: Okay, moving on. You’ve got something about Stephen Fry?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yes, he has written about how extremely depressed he gets sometimes.
MORA: He always seems, to me, to live a gilded life. He’s erudite, he’s witty, he’s clever, he’s just so admired.
DITA DE BONI:[slowly, to indicate great seriousness] I think he struggles with being gay.
SUSAN BALDACCI: I think he’s a tortured soul.
DITA DE BONI: When he came out, it wasn’t so cool you know? It wasn’t so hip, you know?
….[Awkward silence]….
MORA: Mmmmmkayyy… Okay, Susan Baldacci, what else have you got?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Well, there’s a new survey has found the best places for a tertiary education. They are, number one: CANADA.
MORA: Canada! Hmmmmm.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Number two is ISRAEL.
MORA: Israel, yes.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Japan was third.
MORA: Japan was third?
SUSAN BALDACCI:[clearly irritated] Y-y-y-y-yes. The United States was fourth. And fifth was… NEW ZEALAND! Sixth was South Korea, seventh the U.K., eighth was Australia, and Ireland was next.
….[Stunned silence for several seconds]…..
DITA DE BONI: I am really shocked by that. New Zealand at number FIVE?!!??!?!?
now, that is very funny Morrissey, but wait, a song hearkens… Oh my word, what does it mean
won’t you please read my signs, be a Gypsy.
Love To All On The Left.
Morrissey. We are so fortunate that we do not have to listen to Newstalkzb, Radio Live, the National Programme from dawn to dusk. We have you. (transcripts and all). Keep up the good work, especially the ever growing listings of liars and deceivers. However, I hope you were able to appreciate that there was fog, drizzle, and occasional sunshine over Auckland today.
I hate to have to keep repeating this, but Moz’s efforts are not transcripts. They are his half remembered impressions of what was said. Other than the names, most of what he claims above bears little resemblance to what was actually said, or the tone in which it was said.
I hate to have to keep repeating this, but Moz’s efforts are not transcripts.
I did not haul out the old BASF tape and insert it into the tape-recorder, no. And no, that was not a sexual metaphor.
They are his half remembered impressions of what was said.
Anyone who listened to that horrible fifteen minutes of inanity yesterday knows that what I wrote is way, way more than “half remembered.”
Other than the names, most of what he claims above bears little resemblance to what was actually said, or the tone in which it was said.
I challenge anyone to dispute seriously that the characters in my little horror script are not simulacra of the principals involved in yesterday’s Panel pre-show segment. Any listener who persevered with listening to them will attest that Dita De Boni really was that shallow, that Susan Baldacci really was that disgusting, and that Jim Mora really was, as always, that special mix of avuncular, cowardly, frivolous, insincere and superficial.
Keep up the good work, especially the ever growing listings of liars and deceivers.
Sadly, Liars of Our Time is a series which seems to have no prospect of ending any time soon. Watch out also for: Dum Quote of the Week, Hall of Hogwash, Humbug Corner, Luvvies on the Loose, The Ouch! File, The Subservience Index, Weasel Watch, Wimp Walloping and Yeah Right.
However, I hope you were able to appreciate that there was fog, drizzle, and occasional sunshine over Auckland today.
That transcript—or, as our friend Te Reo Putake reminds us, that “impression”—was done quickly, by hand, then typed up in a fever. That was the only time I listened to the radio all afternoon. Similarly, I don’t watch much TV, although it might seem like it sometimes.
The state’s right to increase its powers of surveillance and Key’s old chestnut assurance that “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”. In an odd way, the Texas legislature has just sent a warning to us all. What is legal today, might not be should a radical change of government take place in the future. A government that could trawl through the googol bytes of data on files and establish that an individual or group were doing things that are suddenly subversive or anti-state in the new administration’s views.
3rd Degree tonight must surely settle the question. Robin did it.
The evidence was there from day one and nobody – not the lawyers, not the police, not Karam, not the firearms experts, not anyone who looked at the photos ever noticed it. By the time Robin’s body reached the pathologist the evidence was probably gone, brushed off, but those magazine loading marks on his thumb and forefinger in the crime scene photos are unmistakable.
Yeah, nah. It’s interesting, but is it provable evidence? We don’t make legal decisions based on TV shows, thankfully. Bear in mind that the show was based around the premise that it proves Robin Bain did it. I’d wait for the responses from the coppers and prosecution before making a judgement. And, if it was David, he could conceivably pressed the magazine to his dead Dad’s fingers about the same time he typed the computer message.
Having said all that, it does beggar belief that his body wasn’t checked more thoroughly.
Yep, true, it’s not conclusive, but it’s the piece of the puzzle I was looking for. I always thought David did it. It’s close enough to the smoking gun for me. It virtually is the smoking gun. It’s never even been raised before. As you say, the next few days and comments from police etc will be interesting.
David could have conceivably done that, but if he had, wouldn’t he have attempted to draw attention to the marks in the 2 pics? They were both widely used in the trials. Will be an interesting few weeks ahead.
That’s along the lines I’m thinking. If he was clever enough to go to that degree of detail to frame his dad, surely he’d have been clever enough to have found a way to nudge his defence team into noticing the marks. They’d be so critically important to the defence case.
Another thought: how come David didn’t spot the marks? He must have stared at those photos for years and he would have seen the same marks on his own hand every time he used the gun.
That’s the thing, TRP. It suggests he’s innocent. The residue stripes happen to anyone loading a magazine after the gun’s been fired, and that one misfires a lot and needed reloading even at the murder scene, but it’s just powder and it rubs off almost straight away just doing anything – people may not even pay it any attention. He just may have never thought of it. If he’d framed his dad he’d have thought of it.
According to the doco, the photos weren’t blown up. The Waikato man who discovered the marks noticed them after the pictures were enlarged considerably.
Yeah. The guy is a businessman and took an interest before the last trial. He was looking at the pics enlarged on his computer screen I think he said. And he used to shoot as a lad on a farm. That’s how he made the connection. The compensation case just got very interesting again.
Be interesting to hear James (was it) McNeish’s response. He was pretty public and on occasion near shrewish in his condemnation of David Bain.
NZ Femme above – yeah, David Bain could have done that number. I mean no one can prove he didn’t but it’s as unlikely as the nonsense someone in the Crown or the police were mouthing off – he or his lawyer or somebody deliberately ballsed things up for the joy of being convicted a murderer, then winning a retrial or an appeal or something ???
Sounds very much Simon Bridges ex-Crown prosecutor to me, viz. bloody ridiculous.
Right. Like you and Arfamo, it makes no sense at all to me either.
“I’m going to spend the next 13 years rotting in jail, sitting on evidence I handily whipped up earlier that could get me off, entirely for shits and giggles.”
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TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
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. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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 ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Live stream to Obama’s speech on climate change.
http://live.reuters.com/Event/politics
“Every country has to play its part”.
“it will require all of us….
“Those of us in positions of responsibility will have to less concerned with the worries of special interests…..
“Those of us in positions of responsibility will have to less concerned with the worries of special interests…..”
Jenny, you do realize who spoke those words, don’t you? I presume you are posting this up as satire.
What will be the response of political leaders around the world, and our leaders here, to Obama’s speech?
Will John Key issue a statement in response?
Unlikely
How about David Shearer?
Also unlikely
What about the Greens?
Will the Green Party issue a statement calling on the other two to give a response and make a stand?
Will Obama’s speech be just like a pebble dropped into the ocean, unremarked in this country and around the world?
In the face of this existential threat like no other ever faced by humanity, will business as usual be the unspoken commitment that we will receive from our leaders?
What will be the response of political leaders around the world, and our leaders here, to Obama’s speech?
MEMO JENNY:
Barack Obama is not taken seriously by anyone. He did nothing at all during his first term except spout rhetoric (that impressed Jim Mora at least) but he was too timid or too compromised or too indolent to actually DO anything, whether it was about conservation, or justice in the middle east, or anything at all. Now, barely six months into his second term, this ineffectual and empty poseur is already a lame duck.
Why are you urging people to flog this dead horse?
Yours mixed metaphorically,
Morrissey
Not sure exactly what you were expecting Obama to achieve when he was saddled with an incredibly partisan and frankly insane republican majority in the house.
Also he did get the health reforms through – a shadow of what they needed to be, but an achievement none-the-less.
No one gets to be pressie without being in the belly of the US imperialist beast.
On May 9 2012 in an ABC interview Obama said “…I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” This reverberated around the world. The gay marriage movement in this country had been bubbling along gaining litle traction until then, Obama’s comments made a huge impact here – Bob McCroskie launched his anti-gay marriage a month later, and the entire thing was done and dusted here within eleven months of Obama’s comments. Since then I think eight or so countries have legalised gay marriage and it has become a major issue again in many others.
So it is total hogwash no one takes seriously the US President in general or Obama in particular. Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he isn’t important. People take him seriously all over the world, even his corrupt congress does – it just spends it time opposing him, that is all.
Jenny, you realise that Obama is controlled by various industry, right!
Such as the oil/gas industry, the nuclear industry, you get that eh!
Yes or No?
I’m pretty sure it’s actually the NBA, Moz.
Not that long ago you would have been ridiculing people for suggesting that the NSA was spying on everyone..
Food for thought?
Get out of my head!
🙂
What ever you think of President Obama, muzza, and Morrissey, (and from your comments, it doesn’t sound like much). President Obama has made a statement strongly supporting doing something about climate change and encouraging others around the world to rise to the challenge also.
Muzza/Morrissey I think you are both missing the point I was making. (and I suspect deliberately)
Will Obama’s challenge be ignored by our political leaders here?
Will they, (and I mean any of them) even acknowledge Obama’s speech?
Will any of them, and I mean any of them, come out in support of Obama and suggest that we need to go even go further?
Or are they still determined to continue on as if they can afford to ignore this issue?
And lastly, muzza and Morrissey, is your attack on Obama’s credibility just an excuse to provide political cover for those parties here who wish to do nothing?
Voter support for Labour and its leader, David Shearer, has slumped in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey. Audrey Young in the Hersld today.
The party has lost 5.5 percentage points since March, and Mr Shearer is down 6.1 points as preferred Prime Minister.
National’s support has barely moved and it is still polling high at 48.8 per cent of decided voters.
Prime Minister John Key is preferred Prime Minister for 65.2 per cent, up 2.6 points on his last rating.
If the poll were translated to votes, National would not be able to govern alone.
Either National or Labour would be able to form a government.
But Labour would need four other parties, and National would have more options including being able to form a government with only New Zealand First support, only Maori Party support, or support from Act and United Future.
Mr Shearer has been Labour leader for a little over 18 months, after beating former finance spokesman David Cunliffe in a contest involving the party membership.
Today’s poll could put added pressure on Mr Shearer’s leadership, which has been attracting stronger criticism lately from the remnants of Mr Cunliffe’s support on the left than from the right.
Mr Key has taken to taunting Mr Shearer in Parliament about being under the control of deputy leader Grant Robertson.
But more voters see Mr Cunliffe as a successor should Mr Shearer no longer be in contention.
Asked who would be best to replace Mr Shearer if he left politics, 31.8 per cent supported Mr Cunliffe and 16.7 per cent Mr Robertson.
The dark horse is Andrew Little, a first-term list MP and former national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, who had 13.5 per cent support as a possible replacement.
Eleven per cent wanted someone else and 27 per cent did not know or refused to say.
Among Labour supporters, 37.7 per cent supported Mr Cunliffe if Mr Shearer weren’t there, 19 per cent Mr Robertson and 14 per cent Mr Little.
Labour’s party vote support appears to have gone to New Zealand First and the Greens.
New Zealand First’s support rose above the 5 per cent threshold, and support for Winston Peters as preferred Prime Minister is up from 4 per cent to 6.4 per cent.
Party vote figures in the poll are: National 48.8 (up 0.3), Labour 30.9 (down 5.5), Greens 10.5 (up 1.5), NZ First 5.1 (up 2.6), Maori Party 1.8 (up 0.7), Mana 0.5 (no change), United Future 0.3 (up 0.3) and Act 0.2 (up 0.1). The Conservatives gained 2.65 per cent of the vote at the last election but no MPs polled 1.5 (up 0.2).
Support for Mr Shearer rose in March to 18.5 per cent when National was mired in issues such as the failure of the Novopay pay system for teachers, the Solid Energy crisis and the partial sale of Mighty River Power.
Since the last poll, the Government has lost list MP Aaron Gilmore and passed its Budget, but a lot of the political focus since then has been on United Future leader Peter Dunne.
Mr Dunne resigned as a minister as the chief suspect in the leak of a confidential report.
Party vote results and preferred Prime Minister results are of decided voters only.
On the party vote questions, 11.9 per cent of poll respondents were undecided.
NZ First ratings edge up
The biggest movements in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey are among older voters. And it appears New Zealand First has had a boost at the expense of Labour.
Overall, Labour has fallen from 36.5 per cent in the March poll to 30.9 per cent in the June poll published today. NZ First has risen from 2.5 per cent in March to 5.1 per cent now, based on the poll of 750 respondents.
Labour has gone from having a high level of support among the 65 and over voters in March – 40.5 per cent compared to its overall party vote of 36.1 per cent – to just 28.2 per cent.
Among the younger age group, 18 to 39, the Green Party has disproportionate support, but that is evident in most polls.
Last time 54.8 per cent of men supported National and 42.4 per cent of women, compared to 48.5 per cent overall. This time 49.9 per cent of men and 47.7 per cent of women supported National, which has 48.8 per cent overall.
As preferred Prime Minister, David Shearer is supported by 12.4 per cent overall but by 15.2 per cent of women and 9.6 per cent of men. In March he had 18.5 per cent and even support from men and women.
John Key is on 65.2 per cent and has almost even support of men and women.
Herald-Digipoll
Party vote
• National – 48.8% (up 0.3)
• Labour – 30.9% (down 5.5)
Preferred PM
• John Key – 65.2% (up 2.6)
• David Shearer – 12.4% (down 6.1)
Maybe Shearer should listen to President Obama and pull his head out of the Sand over climate change. Shearer needs to heed Obama’s call for other nations to play their part, and publicly announce that an incoming Labour administration will stop all new coal projects, and all other extreme hydrocarbon extraction plans like fracking and deep sea oil.
As for the Nacts. They need to be strongly condemned in every forum, for being as Obama says only concerned for the concerns of special interests.
Maybe then Shearer might be recognised as a leader.
Until then, Shearer and the party he leads will remain unrecognised unknown, and in the public mind sullenly silent and negative.
If this doesn’t spell out clearly to Shearer supporters that we have a serious problem then nothing will. (Well maybe a bad result in Ikaroa Rawhiti will compound).
Changes need to be made, perhaps some more deadwood need to be sent packing at the same time as Shearer loses his Leadership. It is not too late. There is NO WAY Shearer has what it takes to roll Key in 2014 (Currently there is a huge VOID in leadership in Labour), Shearer supporters need to swallow their pride and give Cunliffe a chance.
To work this needs to be driven by Shearer and Robertson factions…..if they have the maturity and foresight to do this then Labour has a chance of winning in 2014, otherwise roll on 2017, 3 more years of New Zealand moving towards the extreme Right.
For the long term health of the Labour party, National needs to win the next election.
That way Mallard , King, Goff and the rest of the bludging relics can be given the boot and replaced with fresh faces.
Shearer winning the next election would be the end of Labour.
yes but this National party is hopeless, if it wasn’t for Chch, the economy would have tanked.
I agree that some of the deadwood needs to be cleaned out, but unlike some on TS I actually quite like Labour’s Policies, the problem is the Leadership…its non existent and it has a complete inability to sell itself.
THIS IS FAR AND AWAY LABOURS BIGGEST ISSUE AND IT NEEDS TO BE SORTED.
Totally agree with all you say, Saarbo!!
Sadly Mallard has no where to go so will go no where, if he had any honor he would have quit after managing Labours worst election result in recent history. He cuts a sad old grumpy figure from the second row, grasping at past glories and taking up space that should be filled with newer blood. A more accurate example of ‘deadwood’ is hard to find.
Jane – Mallard will hang on in there – he wants to be Speaker, doncha know ! and he thinks Shearer is the way to get there. More fool him !
Mallard – “Honour”? – it’s not about him , but what’s best for New Zealanders.
It’s thoroughly depressing that the main opposition party plays personality politics while the country goes down the gurgler, and democracy with it.
And that goes for the rest of Team Shearer-Robertson.
I agree that Labour winning 2014 is more likely to do the party harm than help them, at least under Shearer’s leadership (and the team that put him there).
But the left will keep on trucking, even if Labour falls behind.
The problem with labour is a lot more than just Shearer,
No direction. stuck in the dark ages. Borrow and spend policies. Playing second fiddle to the Greens. In bed with the unions.
Some of those you might think are OK (like the union bit) – but you forget that people outside of your core voters dont like them – and dont want NZ run by a party with its stings pulled by unions.
Upshot – The general man in the street dosnt like Labour or what it seems to stand for these days.
And this is reflected in the polls. Its not just the man in front (even the best salesman has trouble shifting a fundamentally broken product)
I know that you will disagree. That’s OK – keep relying on – its a rouge, biased because only calling land lines, if you look at the trends … blagh blagh blagh. you all know better – Im a tit as I dont agree with you etc. You know the usual excuses you come up with on other threads.
Labour is a conflicted party, still wounded by neo liberalism. Even a return to Norm Kirk style policies would make the LP look like revolutionaries. Green and Mana are the future for the parliamentary left unless the LP has a few retirements v.soon.
Social democracy is enough of a dead end ideology anyway without the bumbling equivocation of David Shearer.
“Labour is a conflicted party, still wounded by neo liberalism”
“Labour is a conflicted party, its power-holders still deeply wedded to neo liberalism”
fify.
best comment of yours I’ve read James (ruse).
Yes we all know you find unionism heretical James. On a par with the witches of Salem blah blah blah.
Beats me how any rational person can endorse lawful free association in service of shared common interest in all other areas of our nation’s existence, yet carp on like a psychotic Alf Garnett when the same is engaged by workers in their shared common interest.
It is you who lives in the dark ages James and whine as you might, it will take more than an obsessive union-hater to take us back there. Yes, we know the World is flat. And if it’s not it bloody well should be !
You can’t see or hear your irrelevant ranting James. Everyone else (emabarrassed for you) can. Grow up !
Goodbye West Coast and New Plymouth.
New Plymouth is lost to Labor. Cuddling up to Greens in energy land while parachuting Andrew “do a runner” Little as candidate for last election both bad mistakes and will not be forgotten.
ha ha, like when the west coast disappeared when the native logging was stopped in its tracks gosman?
history man, learn your history
Funny how their comments expose their fears, eh?
Feck.
If the drums arn’t beating for a leadership spill then there is no life left in the Labour caucus.
I think I might have another media BBQ on the first sunny weekend. David Cunliffe invited again. He should show up this time.
The Labour Party did not benefit from attending your Auckland BBQs in the past. Cheap sausages and good champagne should not be mixed.
It is time for Labour to close ranks againt those who want Key to continue in power, e.g. Hooton, Armstrong and Sullivan.
LEC’s and Branches and Union meetings are the place for discusion on the party’s direction.
People make quite different decisions when they are sober Matthew, alcohol impairs judgement.
Drunk media chose Shearer….
Best if everyone stays off the piss this time.
None of Hooton’s mates can handle their drink anyway. Bunch of lightweights.
Certainly Shearer seemed to be most coherent and articulate that day …
Come on Hooton, do you honestly expect that people believe your tripe that your band of merry men and women did their utmost to support Shearer for the good of the Labour party?
Jesus wept. If you expect people to swallow that one I’ve got an igloo to sell you next to your Dear Leader’s house in Hawaii..
Well given that a week ago he was insisting that he never had anything to do with Shearer, I think it’s safe to say no; he doesn’t “honestly” expect anything.
Ho…..Matthew Hooton for PM !
Indispensable to our national psyche is the shouty wee paid for oracle with the reptilian smirk.
still dining out Matthew?
heh, hoots has developed a semblance of humour
Being either invisible or just slinging shit impresses no one.
Shearer isn’t a prime ministers arsehole, it’s about time he realizes that and steps down.
Slinging shit has worked well for Key, so far though. If anything, Shearer is not indulging in slinging shit often enough.
You keep believing that.
The only time I see Shearer on TV is when he’s all worked up and telling every one what a crappy job John Key and National are doing.
Needs too be a lot more positive, you’ll never win being a divisive moaning wanker.
Agree. Shearer never seems able to come out with a strong, decisive statement – and that is his major failing.
Comments are always framed around what National is doing, and calls for public inquiries….
He needs to go.
Agree. Shearer never seems able to come out with a strong, decisive statement – and that is his major failing.
Comments are always framed around what National is doing, and calls for public inquiries….
He needs to go.
“Needs too be a lot more positive, you’ll never win being a divisive moaning wanker.” seems to work just dandy for key
The media are paid to tell Key’s side of the argument…
I think Slinging Shit has been the only strategy that Labour have had since Key got in. Following on from these stirling results it has got them nowhere.
However the sun will rise tomorrow and that will be followed by yet another TS post outlining Key as a failure and a liar. So much for the idea that repeating the same behaviour and expecting a different result is a sure fire sign of ……oh wait…..
BM, you wrote “just slinging shit impresses no one.”
Then you said, “isn’t a prime ministers arsehole.”
Your first statement is absolutely on the money.
Dead right BM. That particular arsehole is spoken for. Slavishly liked by the licks of you.
Labour has no idea why its poll performance has been so mediocre. Until it does, playing another round of musical chairs with the leadership is pointless. New captain same sinking ship? Thatll be the second half of Hootens dream come true. Clue – NZ Power should have been just the start, and backing the Greens on some economic and monetary alternatives.
Stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged in society for godssakes, not try and find a “balance”.
Just to pull a name out of the hat, anyone spotted Maryan Street lately? You know, opposing the gutting of the RMA, mining, and the attacks on Auckland by her opposite in government Nick Smith? No, didn’t think so. She is quite useless, and clearly lazy to boot. Still, she is an ex-NZLP bureaucrat and a lesbian woman so that makes her a paid up member of the self-absorbed Labour Wellington political class, which makes her utter uselessness all right I suppose.
If you are beltway senior labour right-wing MP you earn a fat six figure salary to work just as hard as you feel like, you are broadly in agreement with 90% of the governments agenda and 30% in the polls guarantees you and the rest of your faction in control of the parliamentary wing a job for life.
Working hard, and selecting a winning and articulate leadership that gets you over over 40% in the polls just means they newly independent and feisty members might send a whole bunch of n00bs to parliament who will challenge your factions superiority.
Noooooooo to that! It might an opposition MPs office, but it IS an office.
So – crisis? What crisis you talkin’ bout, Willis?
Still, she is an ex-NZLP bureaucrat and a lesbian woman so that makes her a paid up member of the self-absorbed Labour Wellington political class, which makes her utter uselessness all right I suppose.,/i>
What’s sexuality got do to with it?
In contrast, if a heterosexual is performing badly, why is their sexuality rarely mentioned?
it is a symbol of why the NZ public lost faith in the labour government: captured by (sexual) identity politics and nanny-ish interventions, they failed to address social inequality nor restrain the excesses of finance companies
interesting ropata
like, three issues, most of which were private members’ bills, were the reason Labour were too busy to “restrain the excesses of finance companies”?
Nope.
Labour were tired and the people forgot how bad National were at running a country.
No, the *NZ public* were tired of Labour’s (perceived) weird policies, being scolded by Sue Bradford, and Michael Cullen hoarding record govt revenues for a rainy day.
I agree that we forgot how bad National are at governing, but we also have never seen such an efficient marketing apparatus as the one around Key’s natty team, nor have we seen a PM of such charisma since David Lange
Yep Ropata you are on the money. The big issue with the finance industry debacle is that no matter how many people just laugh it off, it has caused massive pain and taken a huge lump of private capital and wealth out of middle NZ. This is exactly the type of capital that we need to be invested in NZ businesses to allow them to grow and employ more.
Christ! – you and I have a very different definition of ‘charisma’. Never mind though – I suspect it’s me that’s out of tune with muddle Nu Zull.
I wonder how krismetic they think John Key is now though – if they weigh up all the lying and bs.
furthermore, commentary in the street has been how the Greens would not have a bar of Sue’s failure to fall in line, or vice versa.
😉
“it is a symbol of why the NZ public lost faith in the labour government: captured by (sexual) identity politics”
All politics are identity politics. Some of us are just more honest about it.
It’s called careerist politicians.
I’d like to know what her sexuality has to do with anything as well. What about that useless heterosexual man, Trevor Mallard?
So Labour are still going to carry the millstones that are Shearer, Robertson, and Mallard into the next election. How many points does it take to drop before they have a clean out? 10? 20?
Who cares?
Labour are bygones.
– Stuff
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Shearer has had his chance. Someone else needs to take the leadership. I was originally Team Cunliffe, and he’s still my preferred choice, but I’d accept Robertson, Little, even Goff at this stage.
David Shearer will never be Prime Minister.
Basically, yes. Although I think Cunliffe should probably be somewhere on the front bench instead of backbench Siberia.
However my fear is that Shearer says no change not because that’s what he wants, but because the entire senior team is truly compassless and has no idea what to do differently. Maybe give them another 6 months?
PS its a real easy formula for Labour to win, stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged and the struggling. And ditch some of the more onerous neo liberal and monetary constraints this nation is subservient to.
CV +1 particularly like your summation.
I suspect that this is not a drop at all but that the last Herald poll, which had Labour rising, was rogue.
The bad news for Labour is that this would mean that they have made no headway at all.
What you are really suggesting is that all Herald polls are shit and no-one should take the slightest notice of such rubbish,
The right in desperation at the true nature of National’s vote, in my opinion 42-43.5%, are now flogging NZFirst simply because no matter how thick they are they now realize they have no other option left to gain a third term in 2014…
You have an opinion of the level of National’s support? Why didn’t you say so before? We can stop all this bothersome polling every three months and just ask bad12 what his or her opinion of the support of each party is. Actually, when you think about it, why bother with elections.
Wevvilybiscuit
Fancy you as opinionated as you are, castigating bad12 for that. I presume you don’t mean that we should step down in favour of bad12 as dictator. Though the opinions offered sound sound. Perhaps you haven’t any points to argue so are merely doing more of the s..t throwing that is the last resort of those facing being disproved.
lprent
When I submitted my last comment above I got the rolling ball showing that it was being processed and then I got the connection cut – service closed message on the site page. So I pressed back arrow and got back onto TS page, went to Home and updated page and found that my comment had gone through. This was a bit confusing though.
Also I notice a few duplicate comments going through. Usually if I mistakenly press twice I get a message advising that so don’t get that.
Yawn….
I am not sure your recipe is a good one, CV. After all, Labour is lefter now than they have been since 1975 and the voters demonstrably hate it.
Nonsense. The fact that a couple of vague nods to social responsibility looks so “left” (to you and John Key) just shows how deeply stuck in the right wing status quo they are.
Also, voters don’t hate Labour. We’re just not interested in Labour because they offer nothing different, especially to those who most need something different.
Well, if the voters are not responding to Labour because they are not left enough, why are Mana not enjoying that support?
Well actually I didn’t say they aren’t “left enough”, I said they aren’t offering anything different. And I don’t think your idea of of “left” has much to do with my idea of “different”.
But seeing as you went there, Hone’s majority is more than 1000 votes. Over Labour.
…in one electorate.
Correct. The one he campaigned in.
…in one electorate.
That makes two, counting the one you mentioned above…
So, is your position that the Mana Party is more electorally popular than the Labour party?
certainly ‘more popular’ up Gizzy and Wairoa ways, listening to the kumara vine.
So, remind me, do votes cast outside Gizzy and Wairoa count in a general election?
only concentrating on one byelection at a time my friend.
Introducing Mana into this argument is ridiculous Gormless and you know it.
I don’t see why, North. Lots of people here seem to think Labour are so electorally unpopular because they are not left enough. But the parties to the left of them are even less popular, so that can’t be right.
Parties to the left of Labour are not unpopular with their growing constituency base GF; conflation methinks you display for one so ‘perceptive’. There is a grassroots movement underfoot, oh, that’s Right, you have not been following the increased surveillance debate…/
Well, of course they are not unpopular with the people who support them, but that’s a bit of a shit argument. Kyle Chapman’s political movement is popular with the people who support it as well. Folk dancing is popular with the people who support that, as well. Doesn’t mean it is popular in the populace as a whole.
According to the Digipoll, Colin Craig’s bunch of fuck heads enjoy three times the level of support of the Mana Party.
Crikey you’re right Gormy! Kyle Chapman’s Onanist Party has far fewer members than Labour!
This is conclusive proof that voters are staying away from Labour because they’re further to the right than they’ve ever been before.
etc etc.
I know you understand that this is not the point I was making Felix. Why are you pretending to be dumb?
It’s exactly the same point. I just compared them to a right wing party instead of a left wing one.
The idiocy of the comparison is identical, and for the same reason.
Why anyone would give an iota of credence to a political poll conducted by or on behalf of the HERALD is beyond me,
There is only one remote possibility of Slippery the PM gaining a third term for this National Government and that is with the support of Winston’s NZFirst,
The wider press have for the past 5 years attempted to sway the electorate by ‘deliberately’ talking down the true % NZFirst enjoyed from the electorate, i used at the 2011 election a specific gambling/poll to correctly judge NZFirst’s support by simply monitoring the % over the months leading up to that election that that particular gambling/poll discounted the NZFirst % back down under the 5% every time that party attained the 5% over a number of months,
THEY are messing with your minds via their polls and i would suggest any left leaning voter who voted for Winston in 2011 seriously think about voting for another party…
its a real easy formula for Labour to win, stand unashamedly for the disadvantaged and the struggling. And ditch some of the more onerous neo liberal and monetary constraints this nation is subservient to.
or, you could be wrong and it puts them further down in the polls.
“…. but because the entire senior team is truly compassless ,,,,”
I’m afraid it’s worse than that CV – they aren’t even a ‘team’
And don’t rely on the corporate media to give you a fair hearing.
Bypass them.
”We’re going to be doing exactly what we are doing now,” Shearer said when asked what difference the poll would make….
This shows his appalling lack of Leadership and disregard for the people that Labour represents, what he should have said is” …this is a worry, New Zealand has never had greater inequality and clearly we are not connecting with the people who need us. We will be doing everything we can do to change this.”
He’s useless, for the sake of the Left he has to let go of the Labour Leadership.
Hear that ducky, kingy, goffy and all you other has beens to comfy in the trough whilst ignoring the wishes of the rank and file.
It’s the sound of inevitability…….the train wreck is coming unless you hand over the controls and sit back quietly whilst the new blood wrests the agenda back and gets the disaffected third back in the polling booths.
Labours best option.
When they are wiped out at the next election the best result New Zealand is a coalition deal with NATIONAL.
Labours best option.
When they are wiped out at the next election the best result New Zealand is a coalition deal with NATIONAL.
Live stream to Obama’s speech on climate change.
http://live.reuters.com/Event/politics
“We are charged with looking after more than the arc of our political careers……
“But this is not just a job for politicians…..
“Make your voices heard…..
Coal is going to be discouraged and many thermal plants shut down. Fracking and nuclear power encouraged. XL tar sands pipeline still a possibility if GHG effects are not “significant”.
LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 23: Jay Carney
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. was expecting the Russians “to look at the options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden back to the United States to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/edward-snowden-ecuador_n_3493911.html
See also….
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6 NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Funny but I dont see Ms Klarks name in the top 3 where she should be for (in any order you like) I believe Winston, I didnt notice we were speeding, I painted that.
Who the feck is “Ms Klark” and what did she say she painted?
She’s DavidC’s bogeyperson. The one who makes him wake up hot and wimpering in the night and Mummy runs and guides his little thumby into his frightened little mouthy. And one day he’ll grow up to be a fuckwit ! Poor thing. Always lagging a good 5 years behind everyone else. Though for such a littley he’s very knowledgable re The World’s Greatest Art Heists and the Kaikohe Demolition Derby.
Yeah North, She is everything that Shearer is not!
felix.. maybe you slept thru it…
Ms Klark ruled over Hulungrad … 9 years marred by overspending and election bribes in a bumper time when something should have been left in the public purse..instead we got “I have spent the lot” and a broken trainset.
Ah, so you can’t spell or count. And you make up lies about people.
Funny but I dont see Ms Klarks name in the top 3 where she should be for (in any order you like) I believe Winston, I didnt notice we were speeding, I painted that.
She might well end up on the list, but not for the minor speeding thing or the Paintergate beat-up. It’s a measure of just how lacking in seriousness you are that those two trivialities are all you can think of to denigrate her.
Real footy updates:
Romario (now a socialist politician) on the World Cup’s negative effects: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/23/brazil-world-cup-deepen-problems-fifa
Half a century ago, Liverpool Football Club played ‘socialist’ football. Now they’re just another blot on the landscape: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jun/24/liverpool-houses-landlord
Yes brazil 2014 will be an interesting media event, how many will venture from the sanctuary of the FIFA endorsed hospitality to see the real Brazil and how some new stadiums are in cities with no professional football club.
Watched the 2ecobars recently (excellent ESPN documentary)….no surprise that the head of FIFA is a brazilian with a rainforest full of skeletons.
That is indeed a fine doco, TC.
Major sporting events, leave the host nations with huge debts, so why was Brazil awared the World Cup, and the Olympics, in an unprecedented move?
South Africa: The myths and realities of the FIFA soccer World Cup
http://links.org.au/node/1744
I’m sure you are right that the media contingent will not venture out of the air conditioned suites, except for maybe a spot of police escorted danger tourism to a favela to show how daring they are. However, Brazil in 2014 is still a relatively understandable location. Qatar 2022, on the other hand …
btw, FIFA’s head is the odious Sepp Blatter, who is Swiss. You might have been thinking of the jackboot loving Joao Havelange, his predecessor. I think he still holds the somewhat ironic title of ‘honorary’ president, though.
Constitution Conversation –
Has there been one on The Standard that I have missed? There is still time – through to 31 July. One month and we should be able to come up with some cogent comments.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1306/S00227/submission-deadline-for-constitution-conversation-extended.htm
and
http://www.ourconstitution.org.nz/
and
http://www.ourconstitution.org.nz/New-Zealands-Constitution
Preferred PM
• John Key – 65.2% (up 2.6)
• David Shearer – 12.4% (down 6.1)
For every voter preferring Shearer, there are 5.25 voters who prefer Key.
Four and a half more years of Nats, by which time Judith Collins will be dictator.
Who said, “God is merciful.”
Yes its a good result for NZ but my main worry is that National won’t get a 4th term (although with Labour being such a shambles you can’t rule anything out) which means NZ will miss out on Collins running the country, building on the great work of John Key
John Key has stopped the runaway tanker and righted it and soon it’ll be Collins firmly putting the tanker into full steam ahead…if NZ is lucky, if NZ is unlucky the Greens will cobble together a coilition in 2017 and all the good work done by National will be wasted
Is that why more people have left for Australia during Key’s term than any other government ever?
and also why kiwis are now starting to return
nonsense.
[citation needed]
(There isn’t one: this idiot is dribbling as usual. See table 1 in the link.)
You should have kept your mouth shut and left everyone thinking you were an idiot rather than opening it and proving it.
Don’t worry petal, the left might get a look in around 2017 🙂
I don’t give a shit about the mythical “left” just as I don’t give a shit about the equally mythical “right”. What I do care about is the country that I am leaving my children and if you think that National (or Labour for that matter) are improving the long term prognosis for this country then quite frankly – you’re deluded..
You fullas don’t make any sense.
You denounce the collective approach to everything – and then you embrace the collective approach when it some to your own affiars. e.g. Fonterra, Foodstuffs, pretty much every single coprorate.
Why is that? Why do you say one thing and do another?
Because they’re sociopathic hypocrites?
Winston Smith
Have you always been a greenie?
yes winston,
key is fucking awesome and the sun shines out his sphincter whenever he craps on NZ
like when he increases gst and cuts taxes to the wealthy
and when he flogs off a power company to his rich mates
or when he gives tax breaks to hollywood and casinos but craps on worker rights
what a great guy
“we would love to see wages drop“
The rain falls on both the just, and the unjust.
The real issue with the Herald poll is that it shows Cunliffe twice as popular with voters (both Labour and overall) as Robertson, or anyone else.
It doesn’t matter to ABC how badly Labour are doing. If the price of victory is the guy they hate, then they would prefer a defeat. We can brainstorm “solutions” or “improvements” for Labour all day, all year, but the simple, inescapable fact is … as voters, our priorities are fundamentally opposed to theirs.
We want a change of government, therefore a change in party. They want no change in party – regardless of cost to us. That’s all.
We want a change of government, therefore a change in party. They want no change in party – regardless of cost to us. That’s all.
Exactly. Time for Robertson to call Cunliffe, and decide on what’s best for the country.
“It doesn’t matter to ABC how badly Labour are doing.”
Maybe now it does.
I have no idea what is going on behind the scenes in the Labour caucus. I can only hope and pray they have come to their senses. The Shearer experiment needs to be abandoned ASAP.
It needed to be abandoned a year ago.
Just like the Goff experiment needed to be abandoned a year before it was too late.
Gee, if only we’d all been warning them back then…
Don’t worry about it, Labour can be Nationals junior partner and they’ll have a sniff of power 🙂
You know, those smiley’s don’t lend your comments any relevance.
Desperation= The Herald giving the architect of ‘the gambling harm minimization bill’ column inches to explain His position vis a vis the complete and utter gutting of that piece of legislation by it’s coalition partner Slippery’s National Government,
The Maori Party’s Te Ururoa Flavell needn’t have bothered, explaining the intricacies of being the ‘Lapdog’ of the National Government in such eloquent terms still leaves the Maori Party and Te Ururoa Flavell occupying the seat as ‘Lapdog’ no matter how many or how few the weasel words are that attempt to provide a justification,
Flavell should face the facts, National went behind His back getting Tariana and Pita to accept the gutting of His harm minimization bill and Flavell had to swallow the dead rat once the changes agreed to by His leaders were made,
The ‘harm minimization legislation is in fact a metaphor for the actual gains that the Maori Party have made for their voters and Maori in general after two terms as National’s coalition partner,
Nothing is the consensus among Maori, while the Maori Party gained it’s ‘slush fund’ in Whanau Ora, Maori who use tobacco products paid for this with increased taxes,
There is no Mana in the Maori Party and Flavell must now know that He is ‘Owned’ by National MP’s only too happy to laugh in His face even doing so on National TV,
Te Ururoa should now negotiate with Hone Harawira to bring His electorate into the Mana Party as being the ‘leader’ of nothing after the 2014 election will leave Him with none whatsoever,
Mana that is….
Whenever Shearer is on the telly there is a bearded fulla right behind him. Who is this masked man?
He’s Shearer’s five o’clock shadow distractor.
lol
Brighter Future update:
June 26, 2013
Media Release
NZ Post cuts 500 mail processing jobs
New Zealand Post has told staff it intends to close its Waikato, Wellington, Dunedin and heartland mail processing centres at a cost of 500 jobs.
The plan will result in 130 job losses in Waikato, 160 in Wellington, 75 in Dunedin and 125 in heartland and satellite sites.
New Zealand Post has indicated there is potential for 250 new full time equivalent roles in its Auckland, Manawatu and Christchurch mail centres, but predicts fewer than 5% of people affected by the cuts will relocate.
EPMU postal industry organiser Joe Gallagher says the announcement is devastating news for workers and their communities.
“There are a lot of people deeply fearful for their futures today. This is not a good time to find yourself on the dole queue and in the current environment it’s going to be very hard to get another job with secure hours and good rates of pay.
“We’re going to work with New Zealand Post to ensure everyone who loses their job receives their full redundancy entitlements and assistance finding new employment, but the reality is that won’t be enough.
“The Government really needs to step up to the plate here by making jobs its number one priority. People need to have some decent alternatives when they find themselves out of work and at the moment the jobs just aren’t there.”
Mr Gallagher says the union will continue to challenge cuts to New Zealand Post’s services, which also include a proposal to reduce postal delivery to three days a week and replace post offices with kiosks.
“We recognise New Zealand Post faces considerable commercial pressures and that some degree of change is inevitable, but we’re not convinced service cuts on this scale are justified.
“There are some serious questions about the figures these proposals are based on and we’ll be taking this up with the company and with the Government.”
So the union thinks the tax payer should subsidize NZ post, why?
Dunno.
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise dairy farmers?
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise the NZX?
Maybe because the taxpayers subsidise businesses who make money by capital gain?
maybe because the taxpayers subsidised Steven Joyce’s ex-company Mediaworks?
Why do they do this BM?
No business should be subsidized by the tax payer.
Hobbit hater.
Not at all. There is a difference between the state forgoing a tax (Warners) and using taxes taken to subsidise a failing business (NZ Post).
I hardly ever use post to my home any more – the effect of dropping a few days deliveries has no negative effect on me. A negative effect on the postie? No doubt at all but using that argument there should be deliveries 4 times a day and twice on the weekends (at time and a half). We don’t have lamppost lighting men or night soil men any more either and I am afraid that the postie is going the same way. The model is not viable in this day and age and keeping it as a public good (which I agree with) can only go so far.
Yes, dead right there’s a difference. Warners is a foreign company with no links to NZ other than via the liar Jackson’s wallet who got a whopping wedge of payola for no logical reason at all and NZ Post is a profitable NZ owned company that interacts with most kiwis most days and provides a service that will still be needed for generations to come in some form or other.
Are you arguing that NZ would have been better off if the Hobbit was made elsewhere? Sorry don’t answer that as it is not the point I was trying to make.
Are you suggesting that NZ Post should be subsidised just because it interacts with most people people most days? Like the night soil men? Should we still have them? Should we ban milk sales in supermarkets to protect the milk deliveries?
It was never going to be made elsewhere. It was always going to be made here. However, what little substance there was to the vague threat was enough to get Key reaching for the cheque book.
NZ Post is not being subsidised. It’s profitable (didn’t I already write this?)
Should post be a business?
IMO, it should be a state service as it once was that way we don’t get the dead weight loss of profit adding to our taxes.
The taxpayer owns NZ Post, BM.
But it’s losing money and dying.
Cuts need to be made so it can survive, fighting these changes causes more harm than good.
Kill the village to save it.
Where did the union say it wanted a subsidy? It’s simply said it’s challenging the figures and that the scale of cuts isn’t justified by the decline of mail volume. FFS, you people need to learn to read.
Holy crap that is bad news. Why bother with a nation state if you just sack everyone? Last person with a proper job please turn out the lights. The natz still want to keep the spooks, coppers and Army on tho.
30.9% spin away, guys.
“If the poll were translated to votes, National would not be able to govern alone.
Either National or Labour would be able to form a government.”
Day One through to Day 900 Tory attack: this cobbled together Labour minority government has no mandate to govern.
Well to be fair Labour do say that National has no mandate on well anything really…
When Labour greens mana Maori Winston first do finally cobble together a coalition ( sit down and watch the fun) it will be an interesting side show to watch the government of the damned hold themselves to the same standard they have demanded from National the prior 12 or 15 years.
I think the left are missing the point completely. NZ will not stand for the policies that Labour and the greens promote. These policies have very much frightened the horses. But I am received that Shearer is not going to change a thing ( how could he – that would take some doing against the factionalised Labour Party.)
NZ will not stand for the policies that Labour and the greens promote.
So why does Key keep pinching them?
Good point gs (a 1000+ bored out with aYoshimura kit; takes it to 1145,or there-abouts).
“When Labour greens mana Maori Winston first do finally cobble together a coalition ( sit down and watch the fun)”
Will it be anything like the fun of watching the cobbled-together National/Act/UnitedFuture/MaoriParty coalition fall apart in disgrace?
‘cos that’s been kinda cool.
Yeah try forming a government when you have 30.9 percentage.
Easy. LP+Greens+NZF in any combination of Government coalition or just confidence and supply. And do bear in mind that this is the Herald, not exactly the paragon of accuracy. Every percentage point Labour get above Granny’s figure is a nail in Key’s coffin.
As I’ve said before, the only poll that even comes close to being accurate is the Roy Morgan. The function of the others is to convince Labour supporters not to vote.
Heres your problem, Russell Norman siad he wont be in any coalition with nzfirst.
Then you have the fact that the greens always poll higher than they get. You have national and the maori party, thats all they need. a party with cant become government.
Her’s your problem, you are full of s**t, give us a link to anywhere Russel Norman has said he will not enter a coalition Government that NZFirst are part of…
TRP of course Labour will be able to form a govt with 30.9%. Which position will Labour give to the Greens? Deputy PM + Economic Development or Finance?
Nah, everyone will be so stoked to prop up the glorious leadership of Shearer that they won’t want anything in return but the radiated brilliance.
Yep going with that, felix. Serenity Now!
My mind is boggling. It’s never actually ever boggled before.
“Yeah try forming a government when you have 30.9 percentage.”
Brett, I know this is going to be lost on you, but can you explain how National is going to form a government with less than 50% and no partners?
Big day over the ditch. Two independents, Oakshott and Windsor, have just announced their retirements at the next election. Neither will support a Rudd led Government for the rest of the term if Gillard loses to him tomorrow, so, if she does get rolled, expect a vote of no confidence from the Liberals immediately and an election in a month.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-pulse-live/politics-live-june-26-2013-20130626-2ovyx.html
Today’s wonderful poll resuls for Labour and Mr Shearer. Yes, yes, yes.
New Zealand waste policies stuck in the past
This is so true. Absolutely nothing should be going to landfills as it should all be recycled and if it can’t be recycled then it shouldn’t be on the market.
NZ…stuck in the past. FIFY
Well, yes.
QT 25.6
Q.6. Parker- according to the ANZ analysis, the domestic-centric balance of growth is not sustainable.
Q.8. “more (oversight) with less resources will be rquired to police migrant exploitation”-Darien Fenton.
Q.10. Amy Adams (felt unwell just watching her) – “not a good idea for local councils to be regulating GMO’s under their plans” (Northland and Auckland councils putting in protections; Adams swooping in to over-ride). NAct have a GMO-promoting agenda (productivity gains in sight).
moving Right along…, 1000’s of the elderly are being scammed out of millions per year; fear and embarrassment preventing declaration of foolishness. “Names” of the gullible are placed on “suckers lists”; no understanding, what did they learn through the course of their lives?
Regional Council admits the vulnerability of Wellington to Nature, you don’t say, well, blow me away with a feather!.
“NZ Land Transport are fueling the housing crisis” Surprise surprise!
NZ is ranked worst out of 33 OECD countries for the earning potential of University graduates, realising a mere 18% premium above secondary school leavers.
Cruel is the strife of brothers- Aristotle.
Your Decision
And once you take out student loan repayments out of each paypacket, I bet the number worsens for young grads even more.
Dr Cullen has managed to do for NZ post what he did for NZ
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8843355/NZ-Post-shuts-mail-processing-centres
Or it could just be commercial operations declining due to more and more use of electronic messaging.
NZ Post used to be a respected operation, which has been run into the ground. with or without digital mail, its been slide created by inept/corrupt management, directors!
Yep, just imagine what he would have done to the horse buggy whip and whalebone corset industries if he’d been put in charge of them!
Well, shouldn’t we be having an inquiry into the decline of the mail business and make recommendations to arrest it?
Nope, it’s obvious that snail mail is on the way out. Industry, on the other hand, should be increasing with NZ producing more and more from our own resources.
Good Labour policy would protect a few hundred jobs a year using millions of tax payers dollars. Think of being able to go into an election saying unemployment is low…. Very popular thing to do and well worth bankrupting the country for the popularity of the red team…
A few hundred jobs for a few million tax payers dollars is cheap as chips.
It could be illegal to send more than 8 emails per day. That’d fix it.
very funny. Best not to send e-mails, and choose broadcast instead.You’d be surprised the ‘replies’ one gets. 😀
Perhaps we could learn from how government protected the railways from road transport competition. Make it illegal for eMail to get to the destination faster than snail mail. That little “protectionist” law kept about 15,000 employees in safe jobs in the railways… Protecting a dysfunctional pit for tax payers dollars because it was a state owned monopoly….
CV
Yes … The wagon wheel business could still be making beautifully crafted wooden wheels for horse drawn carts keeping those jobs alive and keeping the ‘Waggon wheel makers’ union happy. Imagine the fun we could have building them breaking them down for a few million each year protecting those jobs that were going to be lost 60 years ago….
Waggon wheels come in handy, when push come to shove.
Actually, that seems to be National Party policy.
The subsidies for LOTR were apparently bigger than for the Hobbit – guess they got Dear Leader a photo opp with PJ – so it was worth it.
Shit, that must be confusing for you mate.
And burt comes back with the old but Labour did it too whinge. Yes burt, they’ve both been doing it and it’s something that’s been done for centuries. Capitalism isn’t the massive engine of progress that you and others seem to think – it runs on government subsidies. Without them it’d crash and burn.
BTW, burt, this government increased the subsidies specifically for The Hobbit.
…and how Burt just lervs a man in a whalebone corset!
Anyone seen the latest Stuff poll? Says it all really – and sizable response too
Wrong leader, wrong direction
2028 votes, 58.2%
Wrong leader, right direction
497 votes, 14.3%
Right leader, right direction
379 votes, 10.9%
Too hindered by infighting
579 votes, 16.6%
Total 3483 votes
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8842669/Shearer-fends-off-poll-slump
Meaningless drivel, how many of the wrong leader wrong direction voters in this poll were supporters of other party’s…
I voted right leader, right direction because I want him to stay as leader
Moscow doesn’t just have a public train system- it has a public escalator system!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/14/AR2010121406132.html
“movin on up” 😉
…and today’s programme has been brought to you by the letter ‘A’, and the number ’11’
(Oscar is definitely not a prince in waiting).
“Alienation: A psychological or social evil, characterised by one or another type of harmful separation, disruption or fragmentation, which sunders things which belong together. people are alienated from the political process when they feel separated from it and powerless in relation to it; this is alienation because in a democratic society you belong in the political process, and as a citizen it ought to belong to you.
Reflection on your beliefs, values or social order can also alienate you from them. It can undermine your attachment to them, cause you to feel separated from them, no longer identified with them, yet without furnishing anything to take their place; they are yours ‘faute de mieux’, but no longer truly yours: they are yours, but you are alienated from them.
Marx derived the terms ‘Entdusserung’ and ‘Entfremdung’ from Hegel, who used them to portray the ‘unhappy consciousness’ of the Roman world and the Christian Middle Ages.
Marx used essentially the same notion to portray the situation of modern individuals- especially modern wage labourers- who are deprived of a fulfilling mode of life because their life-activity as socially productive agents is devoid of any sense of communal action or satisfaction and gives them no ownership over their own lives or their products. In modern society, individuals are alienated in so far as their common essence, the actual cooperative activity which naturally unites them, is powerless in their lives, which are subject to an inhuman power- created by them, but separating and dominating them instead of being subject to their united will.
This is the power of the ‘market’, which is ‘free’ only in the sense that it is beyond the control of it’s human creators, enslaving them by separating them from one another, from their activity, and from it’s products.
The verbs ‘entaussern’ and ‘entfremden’ are reflexive, and in both Hegel and Marx alienation is always fundamentally ‘self’-alienation.Fundamentally, to be alienated is to be separated from one’s own essence or nature; it is to be forced to lead a life in which that nature has no opportunity to be fulfilled or actualized.
Your life objectively actualizes your nature, especially (for both Marx and Hegel) your life with others as a social being on the basis of a determinate course of historical development.
Their view that alienation, so conceived, can nevertheless have historical consequences, and even be a lever for social change, clearly invokes some sort of realism about the human good: it makes a difference, psychologically and socially, whether people actualize their nature, and when they do not, this fact explains waht they think, feel and do, and it can play a decisive role in historical change.
Althusser to follow.
“Gather round ma’s knee
To read this weeks letter
I wonder what will be
I hope the news is better
The men die here like flies ma”
Rachel’s Coming Home
Hollywood, and Sky, watch slingshot closely
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10893125
ha, ha, mud, (or a stone) in your eye.
More laughing and sneering at dissidents
Inanity rules, as usual, on The Panel
Radio NZ National, Wednesday 26 June 2013
Jim Mora, Dita De Boni, Chris Wikaira
JIM MORA: All right, it’s Susan Baldacci with what the woooooorld’s talking about! What have you got for us today?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Someone who’s name is on the lips of virtually EVERYBODY is Edward Snowden.
DITA DE BONI: Oh yes? He he he he he!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yeeeeeessss, well this guy is the new JETSET TRAVELLER!
MORA: Hur hur hur hur hur!
SUSAN BALDACCI: Well, people have been asking how the heck he DOES it!
DITA DE BONI: Yes! I’ve been asking that!
MORA: He’s like a ghost!
DITA DE BONI: Apparently he didn’t even need a passport to get into Russia!
SUSAN BALDACCI: No, well that’s just it, you see. You only need a passport if the country you are entering DEMANDS one. That’s how so many refugees manage to get into countries after they have destroyed their documents.
DITA DE BONI: What is the advantage for Ecuador in taking this guy?
MORA: Arrrgghh, they’re just thumbing their nose at the world.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yeah. Otherwise why would they take Julian Assange?
DITA DE BONI: Exactly.
MORA: They’re staking out a position in South America.
DITA DE BONI: Exactly!
MORA: Okay, moving on. You’ve got something about Stephen Fry?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Yes, he has written about how extremely depressed he gets sometimes.
MORA: He always seems, to me, to live a gilded life. He’s erudite, he’s witty, he’s clever, he’s just so admired.
DITA DE BONI: [slowly, to indicate great seriousness] I think he struggles with being gay.
SUSAN BALDACCI: I think he’s a tortured soul.
DITA DE BONI: When he came out, it wasn’t so cool you know? It wasn’t so hip, you know?
….[Awkward silence]….
MORA: Mmmmmkayyy… Okay, Susan Baldacci, what else have you got?
SUSAN BALDACCI: Well, there’s a new survey has found the best places for a tertiary education. They are, number one: CANADA.
MORA: Canada! Hmmmmm.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Number two is ISRAEL.
MORA: Israel, yes.
SUSAN BALDACCI: Japan was third.
MORA: Japan was third?
SUSAN BALDACCI: [clearly irritated] Y-y-y-y-yes. The United States was fourth. And fifth was… NEW ZEALAND! Sixth was South Korea, seventh the U.K., eighth was Australia, and Ireland was next.
….[Stunned silence for several seconds]…..
DITA DE BONI: I am really shocked by that. New Zealand at number FIVE?!!??!?!?
MORA: The Australians are annoyed, aren’t they….
et cetera, et cetera, ad absurdum, ad nauseam….
now, that is very funny Morrissey, but wait, a song hearkens…
Oh my word, what does it mean
won’t you please read my signs, be a Gypsy.
Love To All On The Left.
Morrissey. We are so fortunate that we do not have to listen to Newstalkzb, Radio Live, the National Programme from dawn to dusk. We have you. (transcripts and all). Keep up the good work, especially the ever growing listings of liars and deceivers. However, I hope you were able to appreciate that there was fog, drizzle, and occasional sunshine over Auckland today.
I hate to have to keep repeating this, but Moz’s efforts are not transcripts. They are his half remembered impressions of what was said. Other than the names, most of what he claims above bears little resemblance to what was actually said, or the tone in which it was said.
VOR: clearly irritated!
I hate to have to keep repeating this, but Moz’s efforts are not transcripts.
I did not haul out the old BASF tape and insert it into the tape-recorder, no. And no, that was not a sexual metaphor.
They are his half remembered impressions of what was said.
Anyone who listened to that horrible fifteen minutes of inanity yesterday knows that what I wrote is way, way more than “half remembered.”
Other than the names, most of what he claims above bears little resemblance to what was actually said, or the tone in which it was said.
I challenge anyone to dispute seriously that the characters in my little horror script are not simulacra of the principals involved in yesterday’s Panel pre-show segment. Any listener who persevered with listening to them will attest that Dita De Boni really was that shallow, that Susan Baldacci really was that disgusting, and that Jim Mora really was, as always, that special mix of avuncular, cowardly, frivolous, insincere and superficial.
Keep up the good work, especially the ever growing listings of liars and deceivers.
Sadly, Liars of Our Time is a series which seems to have no prospect of ending any time soon. Watch out also for: Dum Quote of the Week, Hall of Hogwash, Humbug Corner, Luvvies on the Loose, The Ouch! File, The Subservience Index, Weasel Watch, Wimp Walloping and Yeah Right.
However, I hope you were able to appreciate that there was fog, drizzle, and occasional sunshine over Auckland today.
That transcript—or, as our friend Te Reo Putake reminds us, that “impression”—was done quickly, by hand, then typed up in a fever. That was the only time I listened to the radio all afternoon. Similarly, I don’t watch much TV, although it might seem like it sometimes.
The state’s right to increase its powers of surveillance and Key’s old chestnut assurance that “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”. In an odd way, the Texas legislature has just sent a warning to us all. What is legal today, might not be should a radical change of government take place in the future. A government that could trawl through the googol bytes of data on files and establish that an individual or group were doing things that are suddenly subversive or anti-state in the new administration’s views.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/26/wendy-davis-abortion-filibuster-chaos
Looks like Rudd has taken the Labor leadership. Should probably have been sooner rather than later. Any lessons, NZ Labour Party, huh?
Ballot Results:
Rudd 57.
Gillard 45.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/26/labor-leadership-spill-gillard-rudd-live
57 to 45. Bill Shorten announced just before the ballot he was going with Rudd; that would have been the clincher.
Lesson for NZ? Lets see if Rudd wins the federal election first, eh!
BAIN CASE
3rd Degree tonight must surely settle the question. Robin did it.
The evidence was there from day one and nobody – not the lawyers, not the police, not Karam, not the firearms experts, not anyone who looked at the photos ever noticed it. By the time Robin’s body reached the pathologist the evidence was probably gone, brushed off, but those magazine loading marks on his thumb and forefinger in the crime scene photos are unmistakable.
Pay David the compensation.
Yeah, nah. It’s interesting, but is it provable evidence? We don’t make legal decisions based on TV shows, thankfully. Bear in mind that the show was based around the premise that it proves Robin Bain did it. I’d wait for the responses from the coppers and prosecution before making a judgement. And, if it was David, he could conceivably pressed the magazine to his dead Dad’s fingers about the same time he typed the computer message.
Having said all that, it does beggar belief that his body wasn’t checked more thoroughly.
Yep, true, it’s not conclusive, but it’s the piece of the puzzle I was looking for. I always thought David did it. It’s close enough to the smoking gun for me. It virtually is the smoking gun. It’s never even been raised before. As you say, the next few days and comments from police etc will be interesting.
David could have conceivably done that, but if he had, wouldn’t he have attempted to draw attention to the marks in the 2 pics? They were both widely used in the trials. Will be an interesting few weeks ahead.
That’s along the lines I’m thinking. If he was clever enough to go to that degree of detail to frame his dad, surely he’d have been clever enough to have found a way to nudge his defence team into noticing the marks. They’d be so critically important to the defence case.
Another thought: how come David didn’t spot the marks? He must have stared at those photos for years and he would have seen the same marks on his own hand every time he used the gun.
That’s the thing, TRP. It suggests he’s innocent. The residue stripes happen to anyone loading a magazine after the gun’s been fired, and that one misfires a lot and needed reloading even at the murder scene, but it’s just powder and it rubs off almost straight away just doing anything – people may not even pay it any attention. He just may have never thought of it. If he’d framed his dad he’d have thought of it.
According to the doco, the photos weren’t blown up. The Waikato man who discovered the marks noticed them after the pictures were enlarged considerably.
Yeah. The guy is a businessman and took an interest before the last trial. He was looking at the pics enlarged on his computer screen I think he said. And he used to shoot as a lad on a farm. That’s how he made the connection. The compensation case just got very interesting again.
Be interesting to hear James (was it) McNeish’s response. He was pretty public and on occasion near shrewish in his condemnation of David Bain.
NZ Femme above – yeah, David Bain could have done that number. I mean no one can prove he didn’t but it’s as unlikely as the nonsense someone in the Crown or the police were mouthing off – he or his lawyer or somebody deliberately ballsed things up for the joy of being convicted a murderer, then winning a retrial or an appeal or something ???
Sounds very much Simon Bridges ex-Crown prosecutor to me, viz. bloody ridiculous.
Right. Like you and Arfamo, it makes no sense at all to me either.
“I’m going to spend the next 13 years rotting in jail, sitting on evidence I handily whipped up earlier that could get me off, entirely for shits and giggles.”
Yeah, Nah.
+1000% thank you.