Open mike 27/02/2020

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 27th, 2020 - 55 comments
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55 comments on “Open mike 27/02/2020 ”

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  1. Sacha 1
    26 February 2020 at 6:34 pm

    We have seen hysteria with regards to other issues (eg Y2K bug) and they have typically been overblown.

    That chestnut again. Sigh.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  2. Sacha 2
    27 February 2020 at 7:10 am

    MP Golriz Ghahraman on what she has realised since developing multiple sclerosis:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12311993

    "The more we talk about these things the more we will learn."

    "The world's built for people with full ability.

    "It's not that people with MS can't do certain jobs, it's that we haven't made enough of an effort to make that possible."

    The process also highlighted to her the need to put more resources into the healthcare system.

    • Rosemary McDonald 2.1
      27 February 2020 at 10:21 am

      Such a pity, and a crying shame that it takes this kind of close and personal experience to provoke a politician into this very minor state of enlightenment.

      There will be more than a handful of wry smiles out here in the Disabilty Margins.

  3. Descendant Of Smith 3
    27 February 2020 at 7:59 am

    "It's not that people with MS can't do certain jobs, it's that we haven't made enough of an effort to make that possible."

    Once upon a time the government picked up much of this responsibility. Sadly they no longer do this.

    • Rosemary McDonald 3.1
      27 February 2020 at 10:27 am

      Busy now DOS, and I struggle to link from my phone, but there are numerous schemes out there being funded to get those with health and disabilty challenges into work. Pr enable them to keep working.

      ACC will do stuff, and even modify workspaces. MOH still languish in the Dark Ages where they equate disabilty with being sick and frail and planning one's send off. They seriously struggle with the idea of foobarred folk actually being able, or even wanting to leave their homes. If they are fortunate enough to have one.

    • bwaghorn 3.2
      27 February 2020 at 7:47 pm

      I know I guy with ms . He still fences . It can take him up to 4 hours on a rough day to do what I can do in 30 mins .

      Luckily for him he has people who are happy for him to go at his speed . He would be charging by the meter.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    27 February 2020 at 8:29 am

    Beside daily political scandal rage, interesting stuff still happens. And in the provinces it often surfaces via the great “Local Democracy Reporting” initiative. Some long abandoned District and Regional Council beats are getting covered again.

    Yes, NZ First has a classic crony capitalist approach, but good works can happen regardless with the PGF. I mean, turning the Kaipara back into a marine highway and economic booster is a great idea. And in this article water infrastructure for Northland. More horticultural land use has to be a positive thing.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=12310509

  6. mpledger 6
    27 February 2020 at 9:00 am

    We think the problems with Y2K were overblown because nothing apparently happened – a) the "hysteria" made people do something so mostly nothing notable happened and b) the things that did happen were mostly hushed up because it was bad PR to let things get out – I heard of a couple. What turned out to be more of a problem in the end was the year 2000 leap year bug – every 4 years there is a leap, unless it's evenly divisible by 100 then it's not, unless it's evenly divisible by 400 then it is.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  7. cathy-o 7
    27 February 2020 at 9:20 am

    same old, same old.

    Y2K virus was very real, and there were some problems but relatively few because it was well handled and provided for.

    it was an obvious problem that was known years in advance so immense resources went into fixing it. my software was Y2K proof by 1997 and most others around the world were very well prepared.

    ignorance is bliss

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    • Ross 7.1
      27 February 2020 at 10:54 am

      so immense resources went into fixing it.

      That doesn’t actually address the issue. Some governments spent very little yet had few problems while others (eg Australia) spent large sums of money. The Australian government was advised well in advance that there were unlikely to be major problems.

      • Incognito 7.1.1
        27 February 2020 at 11:33 am

        Please take the Y2K stuff to OM. It is has been discussed before, and conclusively I thought, so there’s no need to relitigate the arguments. It is also derailing this Post.

    • Nic the NZer 7.2
      27 February 2020 at 12:56 pm

      I thought Y2K was a category of software bug not a computer virus?

      • McFlock 7.2.1
        27 February 2020 at 2:30 pm

        yeah, it was a bug – or even a "feature" (space saving coding) with built-in obsolescence (failure upon century rollover).

        But they all come under the general class of "machinen spitzen sparken en poppen der fuzen" 🙂

        • Nic the NZer 7.2.1.1
          27 February 2020 at 2:39 pm

          I'm just a bit surprised to hear that from somebody who says they have or have updated software.

          • McFlock 7.2.1.1.1
            27 February 2020 at 2:57 pm

            I mean, it's not exactly a tech-specialist job for a lost of software. Most of the time you just click "update now".

  8. Andre 8
    27 February 2020 at 12:13 pm

    I'm not a pollie with many decades of experience, so it takes me a while to process my reactions. But if Bernie is to win the presidency, he's going to need to be a lot lighter on his feet.

    Consider the kefluffle yesterday when Bernie was asked about his past comments praising Castro and Ortega. That was a perfect opportunity to lead with something like "Right now Donald Trump is cuddling up to authoritarian dictators, especially where he owns business interests or wants to develop them. As president, I will never cosy up to foreign dictators, and I will never be in a position to benefit from favours granted by foreign powers. Things I said thirty-five years ago while exploring ways to improve relations with our neighbours won't affect how I govern as president"

    Instead, he doubled down on the aspects of his comments likely to alienate large populations of voters, and his weak and complicated defence of having never condoned the entirety of authoritarian governments was lost in the background.

    • Nic the NZer 8.1
      27 February 2020 at 12:53 pm

      Your going to start stumping for Reagan posthumously now?

      • Andre 8.1.1
        27 February 2020 at 2:06 pm

        Bernie doesn't need to persuade anyone who already thinks socialism is ok that he wuz right back then. His base is already rusted on.

        Bernie needs to persuade those that are skeptical of him. Whether minor aspects of some odious regimes from the 80s were praiseworthy is totally the wrong argument to be having to win over the skeptics. There's just no upside for Bernie in that argument.

        To persuade the skeptics, Bernie needs the argument to be about how he will be better than his opponents. In this case, there was an easy way to shift the frame of the discussion to being about not doing corrupt dodgy deals with totalitarian dictatorships. That's an area where Bernie is way above all his rivals, including Dems (possibly even Warren). But Bernie totally missed that golden opportunity, instead jumping into a no-win mudhole..

        • Nic the NZer 8.1.1.1
          27 February 2020 at 2:34 pm

          We both know, regardless of how Bernie explains his foreign policy intentions, that your blue no matter who (e.g your basically running republican talking points from here on in).

  9. A 9
    27 February 2020 at 12:19 pm

    Uh oh. Thailand never stopped flights from Wuhan. This is why the UAE + Kuwait have blocked flights from Thailand.

    NZ is behind on this and needs to act now. Unfortuately I think officials are listening to WHO who have mismanaged this from the outset. This effectively means risk to our population is significantly higher than is currently believed.

  10. Sacha 10
    27 February 2020 at 1:36 pm

    Govt proposes regulating our fuel market mid-year https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/410488/new-bill-targets-wholesale-reduction-in-fuel-prices

    Regulatory changes in the Fuel Market Bill currently being drafted include:

    • More transparent wholesale pricing regime requiring fuel suppliers to publicly post the prices they sell to wholesale customers at storage terminals
    • Rules to ensure contracts between wholesale fuel suppliers and their customers are fair and support competition
    • Providing a dispute resolution scheme for the new regime
    • Improvements to the monitoring of the fuel market by requiring fuel companies to collect and disclose certain information
    • Requiring retail fuel sites to display premium fuel prices on forecourt price boards.
    • Climaction 10.1
      27 February 2020 at 3:49 pm

      What’s more important? Being carbon neutral or making petrol cheaper?

      having abandoned one of the cleverer ideas to decrease emissions (rebate / feebate) this government is now making it easier to choose to drive the car rather than a lower emission alternative.

      why can’t they make their fucking minds up? And where are the greens on this?

    • Wayne 10.2
      27 February 2020 at 6:52 pm

      I reckon this will be quite tough to do. Even with all that regulation and compulsory reporting, will prices actually come down?

      I recall in my youth that in 1974 (Kirk/Rowling Labour government) there was Warren Freer's Maximum Retail Price (MRP) scheme. That had similar rules. Hugely complicated and expensive to administer and seemed to have no effect on actual prices.

      It is typical of traditional left wing governments (as opposed to Roger Douglas) to try and control market prices through regulation. It is a history of failure and market distortion.

      It does look like an election thing. I wonder if it will make any difference.

      • Blazer 10.2.1
        27 February 2020 at 7:20 pm

        'to try and control market prices through regulation. It is a history of failure and market distortion. '

        so the GFC was the result of deregulation regarding financial services by banks.

        That was a failure ..was it not?

        And then of course ..interest rates…are they imposed or the result of free market forces?

      • McFlock 10.2.2
        27 February 2020 at 7:27 pm

        It seems to be more about freeing up information and enabling easier choice changes for smaller retailers than it is about price controls through regulation.

        It's a market-based strategy, enabling competitors to see the same information and change their wholesaler. Market liberalisation, in fact.

        • Wayne 10.2.2.1
          28 February 2020 at 6:02 pm

          McFlock,

          That is a fair comment. It is largely about disclosure rather than actual price regulation. The disclosure will work (but at what cost). But will prices come down?

          • McFlock 10.2.2.1.1
            28 February 2020 at 6:11 pm

            According to economic theology, it should: more equal information and greater purchasing freedom is supposed to lead to more efficient competition, isn't it?

            • Sacha 10.2.2.1.1.1
              28 February 2020 at 7:11 pm

              The actual effect if it works as announced will be a reduction to only a couple of fuel station chains, like so much else in our small economy.

      • Muttonbird 10.2.3
        27 February 2020 at 8:32 pm

        A bit like pretending rents will come down if a NACT government reverses ring-fencing and healthy homes.

        Rents won't come down. Amateur landlords will pocket the difference.

  11. Eco Maori 11
    28 February 2020 at 6:30 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub

    No wonder the doctor reversed his statements this morning.

    15 years ago life was easier to live sports stadium were full. Now after one government funnelled all the money to the wealthiest people our sports stadium are empty you know who to thank for that a national and shonky.

    Ka kite Ano

  12. Eco Maori 12
    28 February 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    That's is cool 79 million to open a sea port in Opotiki to build aqua culture farms . The Kai Moana is sweet and grows good there to.

    Institute racism I can see it staring me in the face every day. They are not just ignoring this phenomenon they are trying to bury this fact.

    The new Te reo Maori picture dictionary will be a great teaching tool.

    Ka kite Ano

  13. Eco Maori 13
    29 February 2020 at 6:27 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    Can't have been to much panic about the virus if the lottery sales has been going strong.

    That plane crash in California they were lucky looks like a skillful crash landing by the pilot.

    That's cool some southern people caring for some endanger birds we all need to value our wildlife.

    Ka kite Ano

  14. Eco Maori 14
    29 February 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Sea week Awsome. Its good that some are rejuvenating mussel that we over harvested and clappsed We need to learn by our past mistakes as some fisheries will never be rejuvenated not matter what we do. Don't be greedy leave some Kai for tomorrow the future.

    Mana Wahine.

    Ka kite Ano

  16. Eco Maori 16
    1 March 2020 at 6:28 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    Calling the Virus a hoaxes is not very bright.

    The new Kiwisaver changes are good.

    The stunt newly weds showing their talents cool.

    Ka kite Ano.

  17. Eco Maori 17
    1 March 2020 at 6:47 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    I think it's the revival of the tridaton of old Maori Tangi would be good .

    Ka kite Ano.

Upgrade on internet this morning. Probably intermittent interruptions.