Articulate and a very good spokesperson for Labour. I notice she avoids personal attacks which I particularly like as it indicates good character. She can laugh at the sweetie comment by zippy. My new favourite politician.
Thanks, AWS. It’s one of the excellent Beatson Interviews from Triangle TV (how I will miss Triangle when it goes off air next year). This interview was done by quality journo Selwyn Manning.
My response to this interview is pretty much how I’ve been re-Ardern lately – mixed feelings. At the start of the interview, Ardern’s hand movements were irritatingly distracting – as the interview went on I realised this was because it was a symptom of Ardern trying to hard to be lively, engaging and emphatic. And she just seems to lack sincerity (too often the smile seems forced, real emotions lacking) – maybe because she’s trying too hard to push the Team shearer line, and isn’t really saying what she thinks – or she’s just a career politician.
That said, Ardern does say things I agree with. She has said some good things about reducing poverty and inequalities – other times her performance in the House have been poor, lacking strong research and deep thinking e.g. on transition to work payment being used to fly people to Aussie.
I was pleased that eventually, after some questioning, she began talking about the need for more state housing. She started out with the official Shearer line focused on making home buying more affordable, ignoring people who rent (whether from choice or necessity).
Adern is a lighweight, never operated outside the boundaries of political life, and is of course adept at being able to say some of the right things, heck any idiot can say the right things!
The hope people have about Adern, is that she has yet to prove herself conclusively useless, and just another politician, no worries, she will get her chance to confirm what is already clear.
Those who are not convinced already of her (in)ability will be shown to be correct, not that its a help to anything productive, it just consumes time, and energy.
If these young politicians want to prove themselves then they can, regardless of the role they are playing, speak out against the monetary ssytem which should be particulary close to Aderns scope, as it is one of the primary contibuters to the inequality. and poverty, which she pays lip service to by ignoring. Saying she is not the shadow finance spoke, is not any reason why she could not get creative.
Lets hear some speaking out against the primary causes of so much pain in NZ!
You have a point with the flying people to Aussie thing, although I don’t see anyone else looking for issues in welfare that haven’t been brought up in response to changes to the Social Securities Act.
Not even going to bother with the first link (any chance we can avert an *ss*ng* squabble?).
The second link is so full of problems I don’t know where to begin. I’m sure that the big pharma companies are pretty happy with the increase in diabetes being blamed on something out of everyone’s control like birth order. Never mind that diet in China has changed drastically in the same time frame. We know from pretty much every other country in the world that has done this that when you have populations taking up the western diet the rates of diabetes, heart disease etc sky rocket.
Seems Golem is mistaking “labour movement” for Labour Party/government, and equating being one in the room, with leading/controlling the establishment and development of TS.
Because he’s a horrible man who creeps around in the shadows, whispering lies, deceiving friends and enemies alike in an all-consuming quest for power.
In modern Hebrew golem is used to mean “dumb” or “helpless”. Similarly, it is often used today as a metaphor for a brainless lunk or entity who serves man under controlled conditions but is hostile to him under others.[citation needed] “Golem” passed into Yiddish as goylem to mean someone who is clumsy or slow.
rotary hoe;
The Times They are a’ catching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt076twzblU
(just tidyin’ up some loose Enz);well the piranha, has sharp teeth dear…Attack
RNZ korero a.m; “not the political will to develop and fund second language”;exposure to all that
Pacifica not palatable enough.
“I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?”…falls on the righteous and the wicked.Just the same.
Tamati Kruger is a person of the year; moor Survivors-Nga Morehu (Judith Binney and Chaplin)
now there was a vision Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki chose those women.
Back in the Bay “looking for adventure?…head out on the i-Way” (borrow a bike)
Nothin’ rude about sharing Gods Love in a wholesome way. pornea is idolatry-nothing more profane
“We’re gonna ride, ride like a one-eyed Jack of Diamonds with the devil right beside”
“She’s got the Jack jack jack she’s got the jack”
Today! if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion
(this is still the day of divine grace and opportunity to trust God, yet it will not last indefinitely)
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be care-full that none be found to have fallen short of it.(the “message” they “heard” was of no value to them because those who “heard” did not combine it with faith)
Fore
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and barrow;
It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Now
Bring us our Broadsword, and clear understanding (or join a Slow Marching Band)
It is all Cash around here with nothin’ goin’ round but the rent.
100.70 (FM) is just alright with me
provided this mans’ “best friend” with a Red Tee this x-eve
XL; hope it fitted Horey: Ahh…the Mighty Red Machines
meanwhile Boxing On (selling out)
The Big Questions Series, ed Simon Blackburn: Quercus. is reading OK; “God” by Mark Vernon
“philosophy works out the cost of the meal called life, and can write you a bill, but (faith)
offers you the meal itself” We know Major Tom’s a junkie.
Now, forgive me moderators, just some filing to do:
-Madame Guyon 1648-1717-inner life
-Count Zinzendorf 1700-1760-fellowship
J.N Darby 1800-1882-exposition
A.B Simpson 1843-1919-life
Andrew Murray 1828-1971-subjective experience of the spirit (feelings are facts to those experiencing them you CBT control freaks)
Jacob Boehme 1575-1624
Peter Bohler 1712-1775
Brother Lawrence 1605-1691
Meister Eckhart 1260-1327
George Muller 1805-1898
A.W Tozer 1897-1963
John Polkinghorne; Wolfhart Pannenberg
Iain McGilchrist-“Master and Emissary”
Jerome Bruner-“Actual Minds-Possible Worlds”
So do not be afraid of them; There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made know; What we tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
“Who Is David Shearer? Revealing The Back-Story To The Back-Story”
It is about how Shearer has been parachuted in to Labour candidacies more than once; his pragmatic rejection of the left-right divide; his presence in NZ during the 4th Labour Government, and not appearing to have had any strong objections to the neoliberal shift under that government; his fascination with militarism in his roles for the UN and jobs researching for intelligence operations; his favouring of private military options as a pragmatic solution in some crucial conflict zones.
Well worth the read – those with a stronger background of UN and international military operations, how accurate is Trotter’s analysis?
That’s well written by Trotter who i have come to not favor as a commentator on the politics of the left in recent times,
I have read neither article written by Shearer on the subject of ‘private armies’, but nonetheless heard of His attachment to the idea of such private forces,(think i might have commented on it a week ago),
While i can (slightly), see where He is coming from in such use as an aid to the delivery of aid and the security of those who do so i still recoil from the need for such forces,
As has been shown over and over such forces are likely at any time to ‘go rogue’ and we should all remember that Al Qaeda started out as a ‘private army unit’ fighting as a proxy for the US in the Aghan v USSR conflict of the 1980’s, paid and armed by ‘private foundations’ in the US, Al Qaeda was answerable to God knows who, as the US Government was at the time claiming not to have knowledge of them….
Shearer’s argument is that the UN has difficulty raising peace keeping forces, except when the contributing countries have regional interests in the area. He says that use of private armies would only be limited to a small number of conflicts where there was a moral need to protect civilians from genocide, rape, violence and looting.
He says at the point of his writing the article private armies had only been used in the following circumstances:
Private security companies – those protecting private interests – are a booming business in countries where there is instability. Fine for those who can afford it. But these more benign security tasks are a different order from their military cousins. Rather than offering protection only for those who can pay, military companies are hired to influence the overall strategic situation – to protect the public or end the war regardless of ability to pay.
And earlier in the article Shearer produced this argument:
Most evidence suggests that private companies are likely to be cheaper. Executive Outcome’s total fee for the nineteen months it was in Sierra Leone was $35 million – against more than $600m for the current number of troops. The reason is simple: companies tend to front load their military deployments and hold little in reserve.
Perhaps more importantly, most companies will only work to a clear mandate and are more likely to insist on what exactly they have to do to get paid. Imagine a situation where a company loses a contract if it is unable to safeguard civilians it has been charged to protect. The current model offers little come back aside from some handwringing.
Many factions are increasingly motivated by economic gain through the control of diamonds, gold or minerals. Why not award the concession to a company which will mine and protect the resource, thereby keeping diamonds out of the hands of rebels who will sell them to finance their war? Stemming the flow of illicit diamonds from Sierra Leone is unlikely despite the valiant efforts being made to clamp down on the international diamond trade. There are simply too many loopholes for miners to sell their gems through other channels.
Southern Cross Security, for example, a company headed by a former Executive Outcome officer, has protected Sierra Leone’s titanium dioxide mines from total destruction throughout the war. That single effort is likely to be the most important factor to guarantee the country’s economic future once the war finally ends.
So Shearer is all for using private armies to support capitalist interests?
Hmmmm, can i withdraw my comment above where i ‘slightly see’ what He is on about, His support for ‘private armies’ would seem to go way deeper than just protecting those who deliver aid,
I wonder what ‘use’ such armies would be put to if there were a lack of contractual work available, a ‘hostile takeover’ of one of the weaker African country’s perhaps, in such a situation Dave could always raise ‘another’ private army to oust the former i suppose…
Very good link to the Trotter post Karol, the importance/relevance of which is self evident.
1: So which entity was responsible for the parachuting of DS into first two failed attempts, then the successful Mt Albert bye election, and would that same entity be the people who backed DS as leader?
2: Who/what is pulling the strings, and executing the instructions inside the LP, and what is Phil Goffs true purpose?
3: IISS/Chatham House funded by who/what, working for who/what!
4: Private armies working to * defend conflict* for their corporate masters who have created/sponsored that same conflict, while working in unison with the *state* owned military, whose strings are pulled by the like of IISS/Chatham House, whose influences of sending nations to war is well documented!
5: MBE – Working for who officially then?
Well done Trotter for picking up on this *back story*, like John Key, it is a carefully crafted spin cycle, where the humanitarian worker Shearer comes back to *save his country*. Remember that JK was *the best person to steer NZ through hard economic times*, so Shearer must be the best person to *steer NZ through its poverty/inequality nightmare* – We should all feel very safe in knowing that these are the *chosen ones*, who will direct NZ ….. Into the hands of the private owners!
And in case that does not work out as planned, then there is the *Boston International* man, Cunliffe, or the other *chosen one* , Norman, whose back story is even more opaque than Shearer or Key!
heh. Well, his arguments do not have any kind of clear anti-market angle. He favours a regulated market over a “free-market” of private armies, as argued in his earlier 1998 article, ‘Outsourcing war’, Shearer, David. Foreign Policy 112 (Fall 1998): 68-72+
However, he has a lot of faith in the effectiveness and aims of corporations. He differentiates the current private armies over mere mercenaries because they are legitimate corporate entities, operating within the law:
They have a distinct corporate character, have openly defended their usefulness and professionalism, have used internationally accepted legal and financial instruments to secure their deals, and so far have supported only recognized governments and avoided regimes unpalatable to the international community.
Shearer argues that rpivate armies were more common in earlier times, and nation-state armies are a pretty recent phenomenon, that he almost sees as an aberration. He doesn’t have a problem with the fact that such corporate entities are a central part of the military-industrial complex.
Military companies are unfettered by political constraints. They view conflict as a business opportunity and have taken advantage of the pervasive influence of economic liberalism in the late twentieth century. They have also been quick to adapt to the complex agendas of civil wars.
…
Another trend, reminiscent of the privateers of earlier centuries, is the willingness of private military companies to act as proxies for Westem governments. MPRI has specialized exclusively in military services, originally for the privatization-minded U.S. Department of Defense. MPRI’S first two major international contracts were with the Croatian government in 1994 to update its Warsaw Pact-oriented military. When the sophisticated Croatian offensive, Operation Storm, took the Serb-held Krajina enclave in August 1995, there was inevitable suspicion that MPRI was involved. …
Other American companies have also worked to further administration policy. Corporate giants such as Science Applications International Corporation and Braddock, Dunn & McDonald, Inc. and its subsidiary Vinnell Corporation are primarily high-technology suppliers to the military-industrial market but have also diversified into military training. They are contracted by the Saudi government to upgrade and train its armed forces in the use of mainly U.S. weaponry. Some British companies have also supported government interests: The London-based Saladin Security, for example, trains Omani government forces working alongside British Army officers who are seconded there.
Would I trust this guy being in charge of NZ’s secret TPP negotiations?
Military companies are unfettered by political constraints.
Gee…and that’s not a problem?! That’s shear – er, madness! Here’s a thought. If he sees nothing wrong with corporate militaries, then what would he see as being wrong with private police forces or a more privatised NZ army….?
Well, to me it looks like a pragmatic work-through of the problems the UN faced and still faces. Problems which will only be resolved when the UN has a standing army of its own.
Basically, for current tactical security and local stability UN operations have three options: member-country regular military, local combatant military, or private armies/security (on a sliding scale of intensity form one to the other). 1 reduces strategic independence, 2 drags the aid workers into partisan politics, and 3 operates within clearly defined roles with no mission-creep and as much reliability as the money lasts.
It’s a bit like the difference between a spouse in a difficult but long term and robust relationship, an insecure to the point of paranoia gf/bf, or a prostitute. If all you really need is a shag, pay for the prostitute.
Edit:Oh, and all three might be sub-par, but only the prostitute is covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act.
Everyone who reads this site should read Trotter’s article. Everyone. It should chill you.
Do I need to point out that the (aspirant) leader of a country actually has to support its armed forces?
To me this is a deep disqualification for being Labour’s leader: Shearer believes in fully privatised military expedience instead of strengthening the state for itself, and its armed forces.
I dont mind a certain degree of internationalism in a politician, if they are a statesman. Like Peter Fraser. But David Shearer cannot be leader of this country if has so little patriotic core.
I agree that everyone should read Trotter’s piece.
Shearer believes in fully privatised military expedience instead of strengthening the state for itself, and its armed forces.
Actually, no he doesn’t. Shearer has argued in the past for limited use of private armies, in certain circumstances, and in a way that is well-regulated. He particularly advocated for their use in the case of “weak states”, whee there is a conflict.
However, Shearer’s interest in this option seemed very strong at one stage in his life. He wrote several articles on it. I have yet to see anything from him on the problems we now have due to the neoliberal shift – a shift that also saw an increase in private armies used by the US, especially.
Hmmm I read and retread this and the original article…when states govt fail and the national army is corrupt and murders ect and the globalised responce weak or politicised and ineffectual where does a good person turn, to trained professional soldier who will do the assigned job…simple.
Have you been to rhwanda or Liberia somali perhaps, have you seen death, murders rapist from within and from outside forces corrupted by power a gun a drug or ignorance…shearer has and these experiences formed his belief.
Better to have a private professional trusted law abiding army that none to protect.
Try “the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to take over”.
Health.
Education.
Social welfare.
Banks.
Insurers.
Construction.
Safety.
And now…
“the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to detain them”
Jails.
Immigration.
Customs.
Police.
Courts.
And now…
“the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to have guns and kill them as expedience dictates.”
Takers for that “program” anyone? how many Labour policies from the 2008 manifesto does it cross out?
Perhaps this needs clarifying by Shearer: what are the limits to the private sector in New Zealand? In black and white thanks.
That question is being asked loudly.
Show us the new direction, the new language, the open discourse and give us the tools the message organisational structure to prepare the ground for a prolonged shift in the social well being of this country.
so mr sheared and co stand up please…
To be fair to Shearer, he wasn’t talking about as wide a use of privatised “security” as happened in Iraq post 2003. Shearer’s last article on the issue was written in 2001.
I’m more worried that there’s little else then or since that Shearer seems to have been motivated to write or speak on in any depth.
Thats the trouble at present…we know little about this man apart from the humanatrian work and is gaffe goffs mate from school.
No wait he doesn’t believe in old framed language like left and right…maybe maybe just in people, fairness opportunity and equality…hmmm
I think it’s time to put the record straight. They weren’t mates at High School. They went to the same school but at different times. Phil Goff is 4 to 5 years older than Shearer.
Just did my own homework too.
Interesting enigma this shearer.
I know many on here back cunliffe, I did too when I met him but well I am a realist and have one objective.
One united strong labour party that will win 2014.
If only sheared was a better speaker. Damn it.
Oh well plan b…team approach.
“No wait he doesn’t believe in old framed language like left and right…maybe maybe just in people, fairness opportunity and equality…hmmm”
….. a Tony Blairism if EVER I saw one ! and a good excuse to cover for a multitude of sins by politicians who come to like their positions of comfort (going forward)
To be fair to Shearer, he wasn’t talking about as wide a use of privatised “security” as happened in Iraq post 2003. Shearer’s last article on the issue was written in 2001.
Well, that’s the problem right there. In 2001 he was writing about his nice, elegant, crystalline, even ethereal theory…. and in 2003 we saw the bloody implementation of that beautiful theory in the real world away from all his precious reports and spreadsheets. Oops… well, it was probably reality that was at fault.
My knowledge from Iraq and Afghanistan is second hand from within my family, most served at one time or another, some still do and need a signed authorisation to entry or leave new Zealand.
Not debating War my friend, right or wrong,
from the Good Doctor;
…and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty “days” he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”
He answered, “It is written, Man does not live on bread alone”
Deuto,
“but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and he said to him; “I will give you all their authority and splendour for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to; Soooo, if you worship me, it will all be yours.” (thats the wordly Key)
He answered, “It is written; Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
Deuto,
“Alright then (he’s gettn’ a little desperate around about now, it is hot where he’s comin’ from and he needs the water, like Lazarus) If you are the Son of God”, he said, “throw yourself down from here.”
He answered, “It says, Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Deuto.
So, Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Do not conform any more to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test what God’s will is-His perfect and pleasing will)
(it may even be universal) 😉
God? joy is the strength of love
peace is the security of love
Others? patience is the endurance of love
kindness the conduct of love
goodness is the character of love
Self? faithfulness is the confidence of love
gentleness the nature of love
SELF CONTROL the victory of love
(be gentle on yourself and i will be seeing you soon)
Such is the flak she is now taking that it is easy to forget that her predecessor, Anne Tolley, had an equally difficult time. Those tribulations afflicting two education ministers in succession reflect not so much the particular deficiencies of the individual ministers as the deep flaws in the education policy pursued by the Government as a whole.
The Key Government has quite deliberately set out on a policy that flies in the face of our long and largely successful experience in creating an excellent education system in this country. The Government has preferred to play upon the fears, prejudices and just plain ignorance of some parents and – in the course of putting in place policies such as national standards – defied the evidence and the accumulated expertise of education professionals and experts from both at home and overseas.
Little wonder that conflict has been the leitmotif of education policy and that education ministers have struggled.
Chances are it’s actually both – inherent incompetence and failed policies pushed by the government.
A short and direct article on why “controversial” political subjects aren’t controversial and why people need to be better informed.
Ars Technica has never been afraid to cover so-called “controversial” issues in science and culture. Here is why we routinely cover them—and why we reject calls for us to be silent on such issues.
I put “controversial” in quotes for a reason. Many of the topics that are supposedly controversial are not really contentious at all among people who are properly informed and rely on a scientific understanding of the physical world around us. However, due to the fact that scientific literacy is sadly lacking on this great planet of ours, “controversy” emerges when individuals, groups, societies, and nations are forced to confront their nonscientific worldviews with the findings of science. Of course, skepticism is a healthy and powerful thing. But skepticism in the face of overwhelming evidence is not healthy, so long as you remember what the word “overwhelming” means. And facts themselves are not controversial.
Crikey. Just as well there is so much written about mr Cunliffe to provide scope for intensive interpretation and misinterpretation of every part of his philosophy, as a balance to Shearer fairly given analysis and commentary.
Otherwise Shearer would need a full time staff, an entire party, and the entire mainstream media to get his “analysis and commentary” out and counteract anything Cunliffe is ever doing or ever will do.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
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In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
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TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
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Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
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http://livenews.co.nz/2012/12/special-extended-iv-labours-jacinda-ardern-joins-selwyn-manning-to-talk-about-the-big-issues-of-2012/
Articulate and a very good spokesperson for Labour. I notice she avoids personal attacks which I particularly like as it indicates good character. She can laugh at the sweetie comment by zippy. My new favourite politician.
Thanks, AWS. It’s one of the excellent Beatson Interviews from Triangle TV (how I will miss Triangle when it goes off air next year). This interview was done by quality journo Selwyn Manning.
My response to this interview is pretty much how I’ve been re-Ardern lately – mixed feelings. At the start of the interview, Ardern’s hand movements were irritatingly distracting – as the interview went on I realised this was because it was a symptom of Ardern trying to hard to be lively, engaging and emphatic. And she just seems to lack sincerity (too often the smile seems forced, real emotions lacking) – maybe because she’s trying too hard to push the Team shearer line, and isn’t really saying what she thinks – or she’s just a career politician.
That said, Ardern does say things I agree with. She has said some good things about reducing poverty and inequalities – other times her performance in the House have been poor, lacking strong research and deep thinking e.g. on transition to work payment being used to fly people to Aussie.
At least Ardern is full of promise and hope, and this much is so rare in almost any politician of the day.
I was pleased that eventually, after some questioning, she began talking about the need for more state housing. She started out with the official Shearer line focused on making home buying more affordable, ignoring people who rent (whether from choice or necessity).
“Full of promise and hope” …..my arse. Full of herself maybe.
Adern is a lighweight, never operated outside the boundaries of political life, and is of course adept at being able to say some of the right things, heck any idiot can say the right things!
The hope people have about Adern, is that she has yet to prove herself conclusively useless, and just another politician, no worries, she will get her chance to confirm what is already clear.
Those who are not convinced already of her (in)ability will be shown to be correct, not that its a help to anything productive, it just consumes time, and energy.
If these young politicians want to prove themselves then they can, regardless of the role they are playing, speak out against the monetary ssytem which should be particulary close to Aderns scope, as it is one of the primary contibuters to the inequality. and poverty, which she pays lip service to by ignoring. Saying she is not the shadow finance spoke, is not any reason why she could not get creative.
Lets hear some speaking out against the primary causes of so much pain in NZ!
Thus spakes the interwebz
You have a point with the flying people to Aussie thing, although I don’t see anyone else looking for issues in welfare that haven’t been brought up in response to changes to the Social Securities Act.
Swaziland steps boldly forward into the 1970’s, finally working out who’s really responsible for sexual assaults. No, its not Julian Assange:
http://www.theage.com.au/world/swaziland-bans-rapeprovoking-miniskirts-20121224-2buqh.html
And China’s one child policy has a sizeable side affect:
http://www.theage.com.au/world/onechild-policy-linked-to-chinas-diabetes-epidemic-20121224-2buke.html
What about Julian Assange in a miniskirt?
Not even going to bother with the first link (any chance we can avert an *ss*ng* squabble?).
The second link is so full of problems I don’t know where to begin. I’m sure that the big pharma companies are pretty happy with the increase in diabetes being blamed on something out of everyone’s control like birth order. Never mind that diet in China has changed drastically in the same time frame. We know from pretty much every other country in the world that has done this that when you have populations taking up the western diet the rates of diabetes, heart disease etc sky rocket.
I’d suggest looking into increased infant formula and decreased breastfeeding rates.
before or after looking at McDs and KFC?
I see Golem is celebrating Christmas by telling lies about The Standard: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/12/the_standard_and_red_alert.html
Seems Golem is mistaking “labour movement” for Labour Party/government, and equating being one in the room, with leading/controlling the establishment and development of TS.
Haha, very generous of you to call it “mistaking”.
His readers will do the mistaking, his part is called “bullshitting”.
And my response has gone into moderation…. what’d I say?
Karol.Maybe your comment wasn’t ‘modern’ enough for the halfwits who normally comment there.
Actually, marsman. I meant my comment here is in moderation (still is) – never comment over there.
[RL: Fixed]
Thanks RL. Can’t see what word trigger the auto-moderation.
Ooops, my bad.
Why are you calling DPF Golem?
Because he’s a horrible man who creeps around in the shadows, whispering lies, deceiving friends and enemies alike in an all-consuming quest for power.
Also, he looks like Golem.
Surely “Gollum”? (I’m only being pedantic because the Golem is a very different kettle of fish.)
Right you are. Although…
(Golem is in the dark)
Check out newsnow.co.uk for some Light 🙂
rotary hoe;
The Times They are a’ catching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt076twzblU
(just tidyin’ up some loose Enz);well the piranha, has sharp teeth dear…Attack
RNZ korero a.m; “not the political will to develop and fund second language”;exposure to all that
Pacifica not palatable enough.
“I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?”…falls on the righteous and the wicked.Just the same.
Tamati Kruger is a person of the year; moor Survivors-Nga Morehu (Judith Binney and Chaplin)
now there was a vision Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki chose those women.
Back in the Bay “looking for adventure?…head out on the i-Way” (borrow a bike)
Nothin’ rude about sharing Gods Love in a wholesome way. pornea is idolatry-nothing more profane
“We’re gonna ride, ride like a one-eyed Jack of Diamonds with the devil right beside”
“She’s got the Jack jack jack she’s got the jack”
Today! if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion
(this is still the day of divine grace and opportunity to trust God, yet it will not last indefinitely)
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be care-full that none be found to have fallen short of it.(the “message” they “heard” was of no value to them because those who “heard” did not combine it with faith)
Fore
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and barrow;
It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Now
Bring us our Broadsword, and clear understanding (or join a Slow Marching Band)
It is all Cash around here with nothin’ goin’ round but the rent.
Deeply yours,
-H.M (without the Purple Haze) 😉
100.70 (FM) is just alright with me
provided this mans’ “best friend” with a Red Tee this x-eve
XL; hope it fitted Horey: Ahh…the Mighty Red Machines
meanwhile Boxing On (selling out)
The Big Questions Series, ed Simon Blackburn: Quercus. is reading OK; “God” by Mark Vernon
“philosophy works out the cost of the meal called life, and can write you a bill, but (faith)
offers you the meal itself” We know Major Tom’s a junkie.
Now, forgive me moderators, just some filing to do:
-Madame Guyon 1648-1717-inner life
-Count Zinzendorf 1700-1760-fellowship
J.N Darby 1800-1882-exposition
A.B Simpson 1843-1919-life
Andrew Murray 1828-1971-subjective experience of the spirit (feelings are facts to those experiencing them you CBT control freaks)
Jacob Boehme 1575-1624
Peter Bohler 1712-1775
Brother Lawrence 1605-1691
Meister Eckhart 1260-1327
George Muller 1805-1898
A.W Tozer 1897-1963
John Polkinghorne; Wolfhart Pannenberg
Iain McGilchrist-“Master and Emissary”
Jerome Bruner-“Actual Minds-Possible Worlds”
So do not be afraid of them; There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made know; What we tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
A must-read posted by Chris Trotter in the last hour.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/who-is-david-shearer-revealing-back.html
“Who Is David Shearer? Revealing The Back-Story To The Back-Story”
It is about how Shearer has been parachuted in to Labour candidacies more than once; his pragmatic rejection of the left-right divide; his presence in NZ during the 4th Labour Government, and not appearing to have had any strong objections to the neoliberal shift under that government; his fascination with militarism in his roles for the UN and jobs researching for intelligence operations; his favouring of private military options as a pragmatic solution in some crucial conflict zones.
Well worth the read – those with a stronger background of UN and international military operations, how accurate is Trotter’s analysis?
That’s well written by Trotter who i have come to not favor as a commentator on the politics of the left in recent times,
I have read neither article written by Shearer on the subject of ‘private armies’, but nonetheless heard of His attachment to the idea of such private forces,(think i might have commented on it a week ago),
While i can (slightly), see where He is coming from in such use as an aid to the delivery of aid and the security of those who do so i still recoil from the need for such forces,
As has been shown over and over such forces are likely at any time to ‘go rogue’ and we should all remember that Al Qaeda started out as a ‘private army unit’ fighting as a proxy for the US in the Aghan v USSR conflict of the 1980’s, paid and armed by ‘private foundations’ in the US, Al Qaeda was answerable to God knows who, as the US Government was at the time claiming not to have knowledge of them….
I have just read this 2001 article, courtesy of Auckland Libraries Digital Library:
http://www.questia.com/library/1P3-78339397/privatising-protection
Shearer’s argument is that the UN has difficulty raising peace keeping forces, except when the contributing countries have regional interests in the area. He says that use of private armies would only be limited to a small number of conflicts where there was a moral need to protect civilians from genocide, rape, violence and looting.
He says at the point of his writing the article private armies had only been used in the following circumstances:
And earlier in the article Shearer produced this argument:
So Shearer is all for using private armies to support capitalist interests?
Hmmmm, can i withdraw my comment above where i ‘slightly see’ what He is on about, His support for ‘private armies’ would seem to go way deeper than just protecting those who deliver aid,
I wonder what ‘use’ such armies would be put to if there were a lack of contractual work available, a ‘hostile takeover’ of one of the weaker African country’s perhaps, in such a situation Dave could always raise ‘another’ private army to oust the former i suppose…
(Psst, karol, you should totally do a post on this ’cause it would be awesome)
Thanks, QOT… the viperish one. But I don’t think I could better Trotter’s post on it.
Very good link to the Trotter post Karol, the importance/relevance of which is self evident.
1: So which entity was responsible for the parachuting of DS into first two failed attempts, then the successful Mt Albert bye election, and would that same entity be the people who backed DS as leader?
2: Who/what is pulling the strings, and executing the instructions inside the LP, and what is Phil Goffs true purpose?
3: IISS/Chatham House funded by who/what, working for who/what!
4: Private armies working to * defend conflict* for their corporate masters who have created/sponsored that same conflict, while working in unison with the *state* owned military, whose strings are pulled by the like of IISS/Chatham House, whose influences of sending nations to war is well documented!
5: MBE – Working for who officially then?
Well done Trotter for picking up on this *back story*, like John Key, it is a carefully crafted spin cycle, where the humanitarian worker Shearer comes back to *save his country*. Remember that JK was *the best person to steer NZ through hard economic times*, so Shearer must be the best person to *steer NZ through its poverty/inequality nightmare* – We should all feel very safe in knowing that these are the *chosen ones*, who will direct NZ ….. Into the hands of the private owners!
And in case that does not work out as planned, then there is the *Boston International* man, Cunliffe, or the other *chosen one* , Norman, whose back story is even more opaque than Shearer or Key!
Puts a new spin on ‘market forces’ dunnit.
heh. Well, his arguments do not have any kind of clear anti-market angle. He favours a regulated market over a “free-market” of private armies, as argued in his earlier 1998 article, ‘Outsourcing war’, Shearer, David. Foreign Policy 112 (Fall 1998): 68-72+
However, he has a lot of faith in the effectiveness and aims of corporations. He differentiates the current private armies over mere mercenaries because they are legitimate corporate entities, operating within the law:
Shearer argues that rpivate armies were more common in earlier times, and nation-state armies are a pretty recent phenomenon, that he almost sees as an aberration. He doesn’t have a problem with the fact that such corporate entities are a central part of the military-industrial complex.
Would I trust this guy being in charge of NZ’s secret TPP negotiations?
Gee…and that’s not a problem?! That’s shear – er, madness! Here’s a thought. If he sees nothing wrong with corporate militaries, then what would he see as being wrong with private police forces or a more privatised NZ army….?
Well, to me it looks like a pragmatic work-through of the problems the UN faced and still faces. Problems which will only be resolved when the UN has a standing army of its own.
Basically, for current tactical security and local stability UN operations have three options: member-country regular military, local combatant military, or private armies/security (on a sliding scale of intensity form one to the other). 1 reduces strategic independence, 2 drags the aid workers into partisan politics, and 3 operates within clearly defined roles with no mission-creep and as much reliability as the money lasts.
It’s a bit like the difference between a spouse in a difficult but long term and robust relationship, an insecure to the point of paranoia gf/bf, or a prostitute. If all you really need is a shag, pay for the prostitute.
Edit:Oh, and all three might be sub-par, but only the prostitute is covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act.
Making the case for the pragmatic private sector solution. It’s excellent to see how far we have come in such a short space of time.
Because member-state military support did so well throughout the 90s /sarc
Everyone who reads this site should read Trotter’s article. Everyone. It should chill you.
Do I need to point out that the (aspirant) leader of a country actually has to support its armed forces?
To me this is a deep disqualification for being Labour’s leader: Shearer believes in fully privatised military expedience instead of strengthening the state for itself, and its armed forces.
I dont mind a certain degree of internationalism in a politician, if they are a statesman. Like Peter Fraser. But David Shearer cannot be leader of this country if has so little patriotic core.
I agree that everyone should read Trotter’s piece.
Shearer believes in fully privatised military expedience instead of strengthening the state for itself, and its armed forces.
Actually, no he doesn’t. Shearer has argued in the past for limited use of private armies, in certain circumstances, and in a way that is well-regulated. He particularly advocated for their use in the case of “weak states”, whee there is a conflict.
However, Shearer’s interest in this option seemed very strong at one stage in his life. He wrote several articles on it. I have yet to see anything from him on the problems we now have due to the neoliberal shift – a shift that also saw an increase in private armies used by the US, especially.
Hmmm I read and retread this and the original article…when states govt fail and the national army is corrupt and murders ect and the globalised responce weak or politicised and ineffectual where does a good person turn, to trained professional soldier who will do the assigned job…simple.
Have you been to rhwanda or Liberia somali perhaps, have you seen death, murders rapist from within and from outside forces corrupted by power a gun a drug or ignorance…shearer has and these experiences formed his belief.
Better to have a private professional trusted law abiding army that none to protect.
Get the program…labour victory at all costs.
Try that principle on any part of public life here.
Try “the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to take over”.
Health.
Education.
Social welfare.
Banks.
Insurers.
Construction.
Safety.
And now…
“the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to detain them”
Jails.
Immigration.
Customs.
Police.
Courts.
And now…
“the state has failed in x policy area so we need a well regulated private y to have guns and kill them as expedience dictates.”
Takers for that “program” anyone? how many Labour policies from the 2008 manifesto does it cross out?
Perhaps this needs clarifying by Shearer: what are the limits to the private sector in New Zealand? In black and white thanks.
That question is being asked loudly.
Show us the new direction, the new language, the open discourse and give us the tools the message organisational structure to prepare the ground for a prolonged shift in the social well being of this country.
so mr sheared and co stand up please…
so mr sheared and co stand up please
Tonight I already drafted a post with a very similar title – just in case, if/when I post it, you think I stole your words.
I think that some people here better read up on how Blackwater Security performed in Iraq, and how they treated i.e. killed Iraqi civilians.
To be fair to Shearer, he wasn’t talking about as wide a use of privatised “security” as happened in Iraq post 2003. Shearer’s last article on the issue was written in 2001.
I’m more worried that there’s little else then or since that Shearer seems to have been motivated to write or speak on in any depth.
Thats the trouble at present…we know little about this man apart from the humanatrian work and is gaffe goffs mate from school.
No wait he doesn’t believe in old framed language like left and right…maybe maybe just in people, fairness opportunity and equality…hmmm
I think it’s time to put the record straight. They weren’t mates at High School. They went to the same school but at different times. Phil Goff is 4 to 5 years older than Shearer.
Thanks for the correction Anne.
No problem. You’re not the only one. It was a false MSM meme which seems to have gained credence across the board – like so many of their false memes.
Just did my own homework too.
Interesting enigma this shearer.
I know many on here back cunliffe, I did too when I met him but well I am a realist and have one objective.
One united strong labour party that will win 2014.
If only sheared was a better speaker. Damn it.
Oh well plan b…team approach.
It is nothing to do with how good a speaker David Shearer is. Michael Joseph Savage was a lousy speaker but the crowds adored him.
Matt McCarten suffers from a terrible stutter yet he is asked to comment on every major political event.
It is because David Shearer has got nothing coherent to say.
If David Shearer was passionate about something he would find the words.
It is because his political views are so lousy that he is verbally inchoate. Making him come across so badly.
Exactly Jenny.
“No wait he doesn’t believe in old framed language like left and right…maybe maybe just in people, fairness opportunity and equality…hmmm”
….. a Tony Blairism if EVER I saw one ! and a good excuse to cover for a multitude of sins by politicians who come to like their positions of comfort (going forward)
To be fair to Shearer, he wasn’t talking about as wide a use of privatised “security” as happened in Iraq post 2003. Shearer’s last article on the issue was written in 2001.
Well, that’s the problem right there. In 2001 he was writing about his nice, elegant, crystalline, even ethereal theory…. and in 2003 we saw the bloody implementation of that beautiful theory in the real world away from all his precious reports and spreadsheets. Oops… well, it was probably reality that was at fault.
My knowledge from Iraq and Afghanistan is second hand from within my family, most served at one time or another, some still do and need a signed authorisation to entry or leave new Zealand.
Not debating War my friend, right or wrong,
from the Good Doctor;
…and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty “days” he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”
He answered, “It is written, Man does not live on bread alone”
Deuto,
“but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and he said to him; “I will give you all their authority and splendour for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to; Soooo, if you worship me, it will all be yours.” (thats the wordly Key)
He answered, “It is written; Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
Deuto,
“Alright then (he’s gettn’ a little desperate around about now, it is hot where he’s comin’ from and he needs the water, like Lazarus) If you are the Son of God”, he said, “throw yourself down from here.”
He answered, “It says, Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Deuto.
So, Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Do not conform any more to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test what God’s will is-His perfect and pleasing will)
(it may even be universal) 😉
God? joy is the strength of love
peace is the security of love
Others? patience is the endurance of love
kindness the conduct of love
goodness is the character of love
Self? faithfulness is the confidence of love
gentleness the nature of love
SELF CONTROL the victory of love
(be gentle on yourself and i will be seeing you soon)
-Dog Soldier,
(Live Free, Ride Free)
🙂 🙂 🙂
He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.
Bryan Gould: Parata’s meteoric rise part of her downfall
Chances are it’s actually both – inherent incompetence and failed policies pushed by the government.
A short and direct article on why “controversial” political subjects aren’t controversial and why people need to be better informed.
Crikey. Just as well there is so much written about mr Cunliffe to provide scope for intensive interpretation and misinterpretation of every part of his philosophy, as a balance to Shearer fairly given analysis and commentary.
Otherwise Shearer would need a full time staff, an entire party, and the entire mainstream media to get his “analysis and commentary” out and counteract anything Cunliffe is ever doing or ever will do.
Oh wait …. Whoops.