Two right wing parties were expected to win a relatively victory after a year of setbacks for the ruling centre-left government. The large, traditional party of the centre right (the Peoples’s Party or PP) was led by a supremely confident but gaffe-prone individual who struggled to connect with the electorate. PP’s running mate was Vox, a neo-liberal party of the extreme right, which campaigned against an allegedly “woke” government unduly influenced by feminists and trans rights activists. Vox was also calling for lower taxation & employer-friendly labour laws.
Meanwhile, the centre-left government of Pedro Sanchez was accused even by its own running mate Sumar of (a) doing too little to address the country’s social problems, and (b) clinging to power for its own sake.
Sumar’s leader Yolanda Diaz happens to be Spain’s most popular politician, and she attracts support from across the political spectrum. As the Labour Minister in the Sanchez government, Diaz has also been widely praised for raising the minimum wage substantially, and for granting the workers in gig economy firms the full rights of employees, via a model piece of legislation that the European Union is widely expected to adopt next year.
He goes on to make the point that the media switched from focus on govt problems to focus on opposition credibility which produced a feeling of revulsion in the public enough to collapse the rightist support base relatively.
Relevance to here is indicative. The media focus will always be on controversy (sensation rules) but quiet days can switch their focus to future prospects, and the public mood often reflects that. Floating voters are always seeking a better option, so their collective shifts are relative to feeling averse to either or both left & right at the time. When left & right compete for centrists, their simulations tend to be transparent to floaters & you get a lack of gravitating towards those poles. Hung parliament in Spain resulting – maybe headed thataway here too…
He was paying people using Newscorp cash to covertly film gay and straight men having sex with them so he could use the tapes at a later date to extort and blackmail them.
This is the logical conclusion of the era of the Murdoch press, and shows how corrupt the UK right wing tabloid media is.
Your faith in the BBC is touching but misplaced. Novara have also covered the story, very carefully, professionally and with their usual intellectual honesty.
Actually I don't have a lot of faith in the BBC, I thought they would likely cover it if it was a verified story because they are in opposition to GB News.
I will look up Novara myself.
I am not saying he didn't do thes heinous crime, just due process and all that.
is a New Zealander, something that makes me deeply, deeply ashamed
Likewise here – and long before this story came to light.. Ashamed, but not surprised because this country has plenty of little Dan Woottens running around – heading I sense for a gleeful victory in October. He is definitely one of us.
Well this just keeps getting worse for Kiri Allan. You should not leave the scene of an accident. She wasn't that drunk as she was under the old 400 limit according to reports.
Why do you think that she can't leave the scene of an accident?
As far as I can see the only requirement, provided that no-one has been injured, is that you must notify the owner of the vehicle she damaged, or the police, within 60 hours.
There doesn't seem to be any requirement to stay there.
that's my understanding. Only issue I can see is that her car was apparently still in the middle of the road. I think there would be an expectation of making sure that wasn't a hazard to other motorists.
I guess if your in the middle of a break down and have just done something that's going to finish your career, your smashed car blocking a road is probably not even in your thoughts
yep. Her judgement seems majorly impaired, and I don't think she is being give good advice (or she is ignoring it). I read her FB post and it's about her and her feelings. This is understandable but it's appropriate for people close to her, not public announcements from an MP in government.
I have just had a look at the photo of the crash and there certainly is a major blockage. I wasn't thinking about that. The only way to get past would be to get your wheels onto the cycle lane as it blocks both vehicle lanes on the road.
"From the damage to the ute I doubt that her car could be driven though. I'm not sure what she is actually required to do in that case."
If you had an accident and your vehicle was blocking the road, normally you would call police and wait with the vehicle for it to be towed.
Unless of course, you were over the limit and should not have been driving, in that case people often abandon their vehicle and make a run for it, and deny they were the driver.
The legal requirement appears to be to notify the owner of any damaged vehicles or property "as soon as possible" [from your link, above]
If no one is hurt, you must give your name, address and plate number as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours after the crash to:
the owner or driver of any other vehicle that’s been damaged
the owner of any property that’s been damaged.
As soon as possible, with a parked car, would be door-knocking the adjacent houses, to find who it belonged to. The first door would have found them.
She seems to be in breach of the road code.
However, that's only a minor issue – and (all other things being equal) wouldn't have raised a ripple in the papers [e.g. if her car had lost traction in the rain (not speeding), or if she'd been distracted, and hit the parked car (all too common in our local supermarket carpark)]
I get the horrible feeling that the opposition and media will not be satisfied until they have hounded her to death. This is more than a lack of empathy its a complete lack of compassion. We are very lucky the only harm was to a couple of cars.
She has been through treatment for stage three cervical cancer, I surmise there is a medically induced menopause with its severe mood swings, a host of physical complications including cognitive changes. Forty percent of stage three cervical cancers do not survive beyond five years, try living with that threat every day.
Being moralistic does not suffice in these types of situations. While no medical expert, a friend of mine with lung cancer which spread, bought 5 years of life so far by paying for very effective Keytruda (now on Pharmac list for cancers other than just Melanomas).
Doctors warned her of “chemo brain” which sounded rather patronising, but they were right, mood swings, doing weird stuff and the constant existential overlay of “my time might be up”.
Kiritapu has multiple issues to deal with by the sounds of it, so while you do not have to applaud her for not calling a cab–at least don’t put the slipper in.
There's certainly no more room for doubt about the motivation of those who want to keep this going (like Jester, above).
If the motivation is the public interest (i.e. "holding to account") then all of the following would be legitimate …
1) Demanding the Minister go … but it's already happened.
2) Demanding the ex-Minister quit Parliament … but it's already happened.
3) Demanding that she be charged, and subject to the same judicial process as the rest of us … but it's already happening.
4, 5, 6 etc …) Demanding that the PM front up. Demanding a debate in Parliament. Demanding that Kiri Allan make a statement, including an apology. And so on.
All of which has already happened. Those are the facts, and all in the public domain.
So what exactly do they want now from Kiri Allan? Pitchforks? To achieve … what?
Morgan Godfery writes an excellent column ruing the relentless spotlight on Kiri. Obsever at 3.2.2 has summed it up so well and I take my hat off for Godfery too.
That sentence reduces a relentless, three-day news cycle to its essentials.
From Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon, journalists were fighting to break new angles on the most controversial political story of the year: what were the particulars of Kiri Allan’s mental distress at the moment of the crash? And did the Prime Minister know enough, in hindsight, to make a better decision for her wellbeing and her career?
On the morning of July 24, as the major media outlets were publishing live blogs, the frenzied coverage made constitutional and news sense. But stepping back from that initial coverage, it’s worth asking whether the punishing drive for new information and new angles made ethical sense…..
If that had been a National minister Labour would be rolling out similar criticisms
Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero.Unless National have a high profile scandal hidden away.highly unlikely remember when Mike Williams shot over to Melbourne in the hope of digging some dirt and it backfired. Labour is going to be an opposition party for sometime.
"Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero"
I don't think you should buy into this Nats/Act framing Tricle. A couple of ministers have made mistakes and another has a mental illness problem.
Meanwhile 17 other ministers are beavering away doing a lot of good stuff running the country. The economy has come through Covid and the Ukraine war induced contraction and two massive flood events in a reasonably healthy state. Inflation is now almost under control, the housing market has undertaken a much needed price-fall, state houses are being built, the minimum wage is moving towards a livable wage, many people have been taken out of poverty and more money is being spent on public transport and climate change. The health system has been reformed, RMA reforms are almost ready to go and the Affordable Water reforms are moving forward.
National's game, aided by the MSM, is to portray this a government as being in chaos, when it is anything but.
This is such a transparent beat-up. For example, Stuff has now hired Tova O'Brien to stick it to Labour.
Kiri made mistakes before the careless driving etc situation. The speech at Radio NZ. Alledged reports of bullying by two senior public servants, which is unusal. A suggestion of a badly handled conflict of interest over Mein Fong, Posting about her distress about her relationship on FB or twitter two weeks ago, was another sign of not being able to maintain boundaries.
Jan Tinetti, mislead the house and failed to correct and it went before privledges committee
Michael Wood conflict of interest and misleading PM about his shares being sold when they weren't.
Stuart Nash, say no more.
David Parker resigning from Revenue a clear FU to Chris Hipkins.
Meka Whiteri. Walked.
As a Labour/Green old chum of mine message me "the wheels are falling off".
I would be hard pressed to think of a cabinet that has had so many problems/resignations in such a short space of time…….happy for someone to provide other examples
I go along with most of what you say BG and I think it is a shame that Hipkins didn't take the opportunity to 'blood' a new minister. Especially with a view that they 'hit the ground running' post Oct 14th.
His excuses, close to an election etc can play into a narrative that the election is already lost, shallow talent pool etc.
That anyone, other than a journalist, sees government determined by the public appearance/reputation of the politicians, rather than the policies and governance is depressing.
It would mean gotcha journalism and character assassination dominate.
Thank you psych nurse. I had daymares. Nightmares with my eyes open, full panic sweats and shakes about "what might go wrong" with driving a car, flying, any trigger, until hormone treatment and then "I was back".
My aunt who had breast cancer could not have the treatment. She lived with bad nerves for years.
So yes, being on your own during one of those is terrifying, Kiri reached out to Willie, but he wasn't physically close enough to help, and it all just "piled up".
The mistakes she has made are being blown out of proportion to suit certain views and narratives. These reporters need to take a breath and show some humanity, but unfortunately some are like Seymore, opportunists.
This is more than just “mental health” issues. I think that she has been “found out” and those around her are no longer accepting some of her behaviour, so she’s got nowhere to go.
Ive seen this happen to bullies before, people start seeing them for what they really are, and stop putting up with their BS. So the bully has nowhere to go so they “collapse” in order to gain control and to not be held accountable for their actions.
There were allegations of previous unacceptable behaviour directed at public service employees, now it appears that she has been bullying junior MP’s.
she has been pulled up on her behaviour and is now having a hissy fit to avoid being held accountable.
The explanation of the impact of cancer treatment on someone is made and you remain fixated on the Inquisitor mode, about the character of the person … we can only now presume … political agenda and ignore the spam.
Wow!! So Terry, do you know who is complaining? Or do you jump at every rumour to add them to the actual mistakes?
So she has got nowhere to go. according to you.
That is not true. Her local people and many of us are rallying to help her to recover. Your senario is all guess work and glaring falsehoods. Kiri has been held accountable… but you seem to have a twisted view of things Terry.
The key measures are that Te Huia will be using its Electronic Train Protection (ETP) system in the Auckland area and its locomotive engineers are doing extra training and are getting support “to navigate the complexities of the Auckland metro rail network”.
This has assured Waka Kotahi that safety risks have been addressed and the prohibition notice can be lifted, director of land transport Neil Cook said.
….
“We are pleased that KiwiRail is taking the urgent action required to prevent further incidents.”
Kiwirail should have invested in the new safety equipment that NZTA asked for, right back at the business case for Te Huia. They were quite happy to shell out for new station and track in Hamilton.
I see Blinken has dropped in for a few hours and no doubt our pm will be fawning all over him personally i'd have sent a junior office clerk an maybe shouted him a cup of instant at the local pie cart similar to how the Chinese treated him recently !
Blinking Blinken, there have been a number of US officials and delegations roaming around the Pacific lately…what could they possibly want…
I recall during the sirKey years when the “Hobbit Act” and Kim Dot Com raid were on the go, non commercial American planes were spotted at Wellington Airport. They always come sniffing around.
The revelations were remarkable for two reasons. The first is that it marks the first chink in what has been an impenetrable unity of the Labour caucus since 2017. And second because it is an account of an MP unhappy about something that well predates Chris Hipkins’ prime ministership. In other words, unfixed problems under the leadership of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern. The fact that at least some caucus members are now feeling aggrieved enough about it to speak to media belies a greater tension that appears to be setting in among the Labour ranks over a number of issues.
Note the banal framing: Labour will be desperate to plug caucus leaks. One swallow don't make no summer, as an illiterate Englishman might say. Can anyone actually plug caucus leaks?? Experience tells us no: the tendency to leak under sufficient pressure is as likely in National as in Labour. Leaks happen regardless of witch-hunting endeavours if the motive is sufficient. Btw I wouldn't blame Luke for that banal framing – more likely blame his editor – a level up the media hierarchy.
The most significant dimension revealed by the leak seems to be the victim specifying abuse spanning two years, with implied tolerance by powers that be – yet with no mention of any victim complaint. Smoke without fire again.
Its not overly suprising really, youve got a whole bunch of mp's who have come to the stark realization that theyll be looking for a new job shortly. A fair portion of them will be feeling aggreived for real and imagined reasons. A small portion of them will have a big enough chip on the shoulder to try and do damage on the way out.
When Grant Robertson calls a press conference at Parliament, and calls Chris Hipkins a corrupt, criminal politician, and releases secret recordings of their phone conversations, and then marches off to the Wellington police station with the media in tow, to lay a complaint against his own leader …
then yes, Labour's internal "leaks" will be just as bad as National's.
So, a very long way to go. One dripping tap, and one dam bursting flood.
Yeah but Nationals implosion happened in opposition. They kept their shit together right up until Bill English left in 2018.
Labour has started imploding in government. After just 5 and a half years. It's unreal.
At first it looked like Jacindas retirement had created a post Helen Clark esque leadership vacuum in the party with Hipkins unable to fill it.
Increasingly, it looks the other way around:
Jacindas lack of leadership and discipline over her cabinet created a mountain of problems and a bunch of lazy, fast and loose, entitled ego driven MPs and bad behaviour to go unchecked.
All these problems were allowed to go unchecked under Ardern and as soon as a leader who tried to actually lead his caucus in a traditional style, the shit hit the fan.
The internal problems labour faces ATM is because Ardern was hands off. She was another Lange who let her cabinet run circles around her.
There is no defending Ardern, all of these problems should have been managed by her, years ago.
Now labour has an arrogant, divided caucus that can't focus on anything but themselves, two months out from an election.
If they are imploding this badly in government, god help us when they do the usual post government opposition implosion.
Nash leaked Woods lied plus two retirements and a defection.
Now a Minister in strife.
Face it 6 hard years have caused fall out. As Chris Hipkins is finding, managing in a constant state of crisis is very demanding.
I don't think we would do any better with Luxon's sorry lot, plus Seymore playing holier than thou with his no human rights no treaty, and probably a failing narrow benefit system falling apart as they tell us "there is no money", except what they find for tax cuts contracts for mates etc.
Stuff has noticeable lurched to the right since the soft coup that saw Caitlin Cherry jump before she was pushed. The opinion attacks on Labour from their political staff have become much more aggressive. That sort of thing only happens with an email about an editiorial direction change and warnings about job losses amongst the luke warm if they paper doesn't turn revenue falls around.
They've brought in Tova O'Brian who it seems is the angel of death who appears when a news organisation moves to the right and then inevitably fails.
Yet Tova's first for Stuff this morning seemed to lack pizzazz.
inevitably fails
Another Belfast cowboy along with Van Morrison?? Well, cowgirl presumably…
Boucher moved with her family from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Christchurch, New Zealand, when she was about three years old… On 25 May 2020, Nine Entertainment agreed to sell Stuff to Boucher for NZ$1… In July 2023, Boucher stepped down as CEO and became executive chair and publisher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinead_Boucher
So if Stuff has no stock exchange listing I assume she's sole owner still, more of a media baroness than cowgirl. In regard to chronic failure in capitalist enterprise, could be worth noting that the Post combined the mid-19th century Evening Post with the early 20th century Dominion about 20 years back. Evidence of continuity.
three power centers — Netanyahu, the far-right, and the ultra-Orthodox — align on the need to kneecap the courts to enact their agendas. It is the courts that could send Netanyahu to jail and that (on occasion) issues rulings constraining the settlement movement and protecting the rights of Arab citizens and more secular Jews.
The court system, in other words, is the barrier standing between Israel and a more authoritarian future. Without its oversight, “the government could … rig future elections, for example by banning Arab parties from participating — a step previously proposed by coalition members,” the Israeli public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari writes in theFinancial Times.
Here is a well balanced piece on the bogged down, and increasingly untenable Ukraine counter offensive… Did the US know the Ukraine offensive might fail, and if so, when?
This also begs the question of whether Washington will recognize when it must start pushing for an armistice.
"As the Quincy Institute’s Anatol Lieven has observed many times, Ukraine has already achieved a great victory that very few believed possible when the invasion occurred in February 2022. Russia has suffered staggering military losses, its international reputation is in tatters, and its forces have been stopped and pushed back far short of their original objectives."
"An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end. The Korean War also offers us a cautionary tale of the perils of overreaching, as the advance towards the Chinese border led to Chinese intervention and the prolonging of the war at great cost to all parties. Trying to recapture all territory held by Russian forces runs the risk of both Russian escalation and Ukrainian exhaustion, and Ukraine might end up with less than what it has today."
Of course with ultra war hawks and open Russia hawks like Blinkin and newly Biden appointed acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland in the room, this only sane option seems tragically unrealistic…as these people are obviously insane.
Or maybe we could leave the definition of victory up to the Ukrainians rather than some random American think tank?
I'm pretty sure they're more than capable of defining their own military and foreign policy objectives without our help. And that when they do, it will not involve a half-assed truce that results in large chunks of their county being occupied by the Russians.
We have to remember that to the Ukrainian people, this isn't just a distant conflict that's going to end when the West gets bored of it: it's a struggle for national survival against a bellicose neighbor who has a grim historical record of straight-out mass murder.
And, on the subject of apt historical analogies, sitting around and letting autocracies gobble up their other nations in the 1930s while telling them they weren't worth fighting over turned out really well, right?
I don't understand how the progressive left has grown so soft, so cowardly, and so far up its own arse that it would support a morally bankrupt quasi-dictatorship for fear of soiling its own hands.
None of our values are worth anything if we aren't willing to fight for them.
As for the counteroffensive and it's purported failure: ces't la guerre
The Ukrainians will never take back any more significant land from the Russian now.
The progressive Left is mainly pro a negotiated end to this conflict because they are some of the few out side observers that seem to be willing to acknowledge/comprehend the awful and tragic series of events, that were heavily guided and funded by outside actors (we all know who they are) that finally led to this totally avoidable war.
No matter what you or I think, the fact of the matter is that all Super Powers demand boarder security…the USA, UK, France, China would have all done exactly what Russia is now doing had a hostile military alliance moved on to their boarder…that is just a fact.
So the question you should really be asking is why the USA/UK via NATO intentionally backed Russia into a corner when they all well knew that any Russian leader would have gone into the Ukraine with that provocation?
As the Head of the CIA warned of himself….
"The former US ambassador to Russia, William J. Burns, who is now director of the CIA, warned in a February 2008 embassy cable that Ukraine constituted a security “redline” for Moscow.
The confidential State Department cable was titled “Nyet Means Nyet: Russia’s NATO Enlargement Redlines” (“nyet” is Russian for “no”).
Burns cautioned that the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine “could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim, civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene.”
"What would have been the down side of Ukraine being a neutral country?"
Not what russia wants. Russia wants to build their empire and subjugating Ukraine is a non-negotiable part of the plan. Nonsense like trying to dictate the foreign policy of your independent neighbour, is merely a means of war and conquest by other means.
"An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end."
Worked out great for the population that remained trapped in North Korea. Mass starvation, utter poverty and absolute suppression and abuse by the state. Plus compulsory worship of a clown dictator. Sounds lovely for them! But the Ukrainians don't seem so keen to sign up for that.
Voters with a brain that would not be lonely if gifted another, will get exactly what is potentially on offer here. The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026.
Turnout is King–and if the previously alienated young new gens climb on board the TPM & Green train there will be an upset Election result on October 14. The MMP negotiations will be interesting indeed.
"The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026."
Dare to dream…I tautoko what you say but would add a severely diminished Labour too. A once in a lifetime opportunity with a majority MMP government and all we got was incremental tinkering.
Parker and Robertson are no-one's fools. Hipkins' Captain's Call (to not implement meaningful tax reform), to chase a few rich folk's votes to the detriment of thousands deserves to see Labour lumped in with the Nats and friends.
Will that position be cemented into Labours election Manifesto ?
Or do we wait until THIS leader is overthrown to allow for any changes and how does anyone then know what they are voting for as we see some policies are on the basis of a leaders call/whim ? and who knows who will be leading Labour in the future and what leaders calls they will make in opposition/government !!!
To be fair, the Labour party have had two leaders and no overthrows in the last six years, compared to seven Nat leaders – although a couple of those had very short tenures, possibly indicating "trouble at mill"
I hope the devout Luxon adopts Bill English's (2017) election campaign commitment to cut the number of Kiwi children living in poverty by 50,000 over the next three years, and another 50,000 in the three years following – that would be awesome.
Counting placeholders like Nikki Kaye (1 day) and Shane Reiti (5 days) – seems a little disingenuous.
The substantive total: English, Bridges, Muller, Collins, Luxon is pretty much equivalent to the last time Labour were in opposition: Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, Little, Ardern.
All good B – knew you could be relied on to counter this inveterate lefty's view.
Yes, Kaye's 1-day stint was a stop-gap response to the trouble with Muller, while Reti's 5-day reign smoothed over the Collins/Bridges stouch/meltdown.
Kaye’s gone, but can’t rule out Reti having another go in future. He may only have been in parliament less than 9 years, but that's still more than three times the experience of the current leader of the opposition.
Trying to imagine more into it than that is bound to fail.
Yes, but our imaginations can sometimes be quite furious
I would say that if Labour loses the election, Hipkins will be rolled.
… If he [Hipkins] fails to do this [win the election], then there is no need for compromise, and he's out.
… Will Hipkins remain? Or will he be rolled by the left of the party…
… If so – who's the next leader?
Yes. I'm imagining what would happen to a defeated leader of a Government.
History is on my side…… More often than not, they are gone as leader within a year (in fact, the only exception that immediately comes to mind is Shipley – I think she lasted another 2-3 years)
What is interesting in this case, is whether Hipkins would be rolled, even if successful (success defined as in making a left coalition possible). His stated policies on tax are antithetical to TPM and GP – and there is clear division within his caucus, with a left-wing of the LP closer to the GP, than they are to Hipkins on some issues.
Yes, of course it's speculation – as is every other comment on TS about what might happen in October.
If you think the speculation is wrong – and Hipkins is safe as houses as leader of the LP – then make your case.
See the comment below.
If you don't like making a case for the respectful centrist – perhaps you'd like to make one for the unabashed leftist.
Or is it only fun challenging the centrist?
It always amazes me the way the hard-core left (and the hard-core right, for that matter) – seem to require their political heroes to be on pedestals – and decline to allow them any human reactions or emotions.
BTW – thanks for continuing to link to a very minor and rather incidental description of a natural human reaction – by my estimation, you've increased its circulation by 500%. Was that your intention?
And, still no reaction or challenge to exactly the same comments about the chances of Hipkins being rolled from the leftie…. Not very principled at all…..
And again, thanks for the continued promotion of my original comment.
You're welcome – always happy to highlight obvious fabrications, such as "Clark's fury", in this age of disinformation/misinformation – however “very minor and rather incidental“.
Disinformation
Information that is false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organization or country.
Misinformation
Information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm.
Malinformation
Information that is based on real facts, but manipulated to inflict harm on a person, organization or country.
It always amazes me the way the hard-core left (and the hard-core right, for that matter) – seem to require their political heroes to be on pedestals – and decline to allow them any human reactions or emotions.
Are you now suggesting I've declined to allow Helen Clark (my "hero"?) "any human reactions or emotions"? That would be a truly bizarre twist.
You, a self-described centrist, fabricated "Clark's fury". You've provided no objective evidence to support your odd (for a centrist) mischaracterisation.
Maybe one or both of us is/are mistaken about "fury" and/or "centrist", but (imho), with 'centrist' comments like yours, who needs NAct. Just the impression I get from some of your comments – I could be wrong.
Given parties make compromises in forming coalitions, a leaders word has more impact than the manifesto.
In this case it would seem to mean under Hipkins, Labour could only be a minority government with G and TPM providing little more than confidence and supply to keep NACT out.
Or Labour roll Hipkins immediately after the election (assuming that a left coalition has a mathematical chance), to allow a closer relationship with GP and TPM. Sounds pretty cynical…..
Meanwhile from Q2 in Parliament today it seems Labour maybe set to announce the removal of GST on fresh food as part of their last gasp attempt to regain the election initiative.
Anyone who’s ever been to the UK, ordered a sandwich and been presented with the eat in or take away question knows how fraught that policy is. Of course everyone says take away and the immediately takes a seat instead. 😂
It'll almost gaurentee I won't vote labour , it's just dumb policy, over complicated overly expensive, is chippy calling all the shots?? Wothout listening to his minister's?
The Ugly Australian brand originator, John Howard demonstrating he was not and is not shit-lite.
First stating the good fortune of Oz (those aboriginals) to have been settled by the British (white pride our voice is better keep their voice quiet – they should be grateful)
Mr Howard is one of the most influential conservative figures to throw his weight behind the No campaign, but his own legacy on Indigenous affairs remains controversial.
His government weakened First Nations land rights, suspended Australia's racial discrimination act, and refused to apologise to the Stolen Generations – tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were taken from their families by the government until the mid-1960s.
His pupil Dutton
warned that the vote would have an "Orwellian effect" on Australian society, by giving First Nations people greater rights and privileges.
It is a claim that has been further distorted online – and debunked – with social media users suggesting the vote would divide Australians into "settlers" and "original custodians" resulting in a "two-tier government".
Howard claimed it would prevent a repeat of his 2007 Intervention
Mr Howard defended the policy in his interview on Wednesday as "a good old-fashioned dose of proper governance".
He also claimed that if the Voice succeeds, it could prevent the government from intervening in Indigenous communities when it is deemed necessary.
If you want Terry to see and (possibly) reply. Then you should use the "Reply" feature (bottom right hand corner of the comment box).
S/he is most unlikely to see this stray comment 12 major comments later.
You can always (well, within 10 minutes) delete a stray comment and have another go.
I've found that refreshing the site, or exiting my browser and opening it up again seems to re-set the replies to go where they should.
Is this actually important though? I mean if the credit rating companies are not open to just buying a better rating (as they have shown previously they are open to). But ultimately if your a large financial firm then lending to the govt is the only place you can lend to which also itself issues the repayments. You can spend or invest that instead but then this adds risk (and presumably pays more return) and another large financial firm ends up with the same dilemma. Some central banks have even demonstrated negative interest rates don't inhibit govt borrowing (these result in lending at a nominal loss, and this lending still happens).
There are ways to manage debt without cost or with low cost, but whether one could sell that approach when running a high OCR because of inflation – it's a lot of change and the economic mainstream is conformist, except when something different is required to save the system.
I suspect your under a misapprehension here. If the govt spends without draining the excess reserves created, or creates surplus reserves via QE or similar, then the effective OCR falls to zero (financial institutions don't need to borrow reserves, the OCR is irrelevant). Govt borrowing serves the purpose of allowing the RBNZ to maintain a higher OCR. The follow on impacts on inflation are the sketchy part, with multiple countries implementing such policies without being able to even get inflation up to target bands over the course of a decade.
There are ways to manage debt without cost or with low cost,
but only if this is seen as necessary out of GFC, or the pandemic when
something different is required to save the system.
But generally this is opposed by the economic mainstream at other times, and more so if there is inflation – and the orthodoxy is to manage this with a higher OCR.
Inflations cause is very relevant to the question of if using the OCR to target inflation is a sensible policy. The evidence seems to suggest the high OCR policy has extended the inflation (regulated prices such as energy prices are often tied to base returns on investment) and shifted the burden to prices impacting low incomes (such as rents).
Lest we forget back in 2008 National campaigned on tax cuts, but because of the economic decline of the time (Bollards high OCR to stifle house inflation) and the looming GFC on top of it, this was found to be unaffordable.
So Key decided it could be still be done. if there was an increase in GST to 15% …
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
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Gordon Campbell did an excellent analytical report on Spain's election outcome and the new lie of their political terrain: http://werewolf.co.nz/2023/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-lessons-from-spains-election/
He goes on to make the point that the media switched from focus on govt problems to focus on opposition credibility which produced a feeling of revulsion in the public enough to collapse the rightist support base relatively.
Relevance to here is indicative. The media focus will always be on controversy (sensation rules) but quiet days can switch their focus to future prospects, and the public mood often reflects that. Floating voters are always seeking a better option, so their collective shifts are relative to feeling averse to either or both left & right at the time. When left & right compete for centrists, their simulations tend to be transparent to floaters & you get a lack of gravitating towards those poles. Hung parliament in Spain resulting – maybe headed thataway here too…
Ain't happening here mate. They're too shallow, lazy poorly-educated and high on their imaginary celebrity.
Dan Wootten is a New Zealander, something that makes me deeply, deeply ashamed. This scandal could not be much worse.
https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/24/martin-branning-his-first-victim/
He was paying people using Newscorp cash to covertly film gay and straight men having sex with them so he could use the tapes at a later date to extort and blackmail them.
This is the logical conclusion of the era of the Murdoch press, and shows how corrupt the UK right wing tabloid media is.
A completely heinous crime and the perpetrator of such acts should be in jail.
However where is the due process? Has Wooten been charged?
Do you realize he is crowd funding to sue the bylinetimes?
I checked the BBC website,no mention of this case there. I would have thought they would run with it if the story could be validated.
I am not saying he didn't do this. How would I know? But I would have more faith in the story if the police were involved, making statements.
I hope whoever did it (and it could be Dan) is found guilty and gets a very heavy sentence
Your faith in the BBC is touching but misplaced. Novara have also covered the story, very carefully, professionally and with their usual intellectual honesty.
Actually I don't have a lot of faith in the BBC, I thought they would likely cover it if it was a verified story because they are in opposition to GB News.
I will look up Novara myself.
I am not saying he didn't do thes heinous crime, just due process and all that.
Are the police investigating?
The BBC reported on the allegations last week.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66240304
Thanks Joe90 and as the BBC report they are allegations.
Very, very serious ones.
Very, very
seriousdetailed ones.https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/26/dan-wootton-paid-porn-stars-with-suns-depp-money-for-covert-catfish-sex-videos/
Likewise here – and long before this story came to light.. Ashamed, but not surprised because this country has plenty of little Dan Woottens running around – heading I sense for a gleeful victory in October. He is definitely one of us.
Well this just keeps getting worse for Kiri Allan. You should not leave the scene of an accident. She wasn't that drunk as she was under the old 400 limit according to reports.
Kiri Allan car crash: Police dogs tracked MP, she was located 500 metres from scene – report – NZ Herald
Why do you think that she can't leave the scene of an accident?
As far as I can see the only requirement, provided that no-one has been injured, is that you must notify the owner of the vehicle she damaged, or the police, within 60 hours.
There doesn't seem to be any requirement to stay there.
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/roadcode/general-road-code/about-driver-responsibility/crashes/#:~:text=If%20you're%20involved%20in%20a%20crash%20while%20driving%2C%20and,24%20hours%20after%20the%20crash.
that's my understanding. Only issue I can see is that her car was apparently still in the middle of the road. I think there would be an expectation of making sure that wasn't a hazard to other motorists.
I guess if your in the middle of a break down and have just done something that's going to finish your career, your smashed car blocking a road is probably not even in your thoughts
yep. Her judgement seems majorly impaired, and I don't think she is being give good advice (or she is ignoring it). I read her FB post and it's about her and her feelings. This is understandable but it's appropriate for people close to her, not public announcements from an MP in government.
I have just had a look at the photo of the crash and there certainly is a major blockage. I wasn't thinking about that. The only way to get past would be to get your wheels onto the cycle lane as it blocks both vehicle lanes on the road.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/justice-minister-kiri-allans-arrest-and-resignation-photo-shows-crash-on-evans-bay-parade-wellington/PZLIGJ763VEMRODL44SKEFMQVU/
From the damage to the ute I doubt that her car could be driven though. I'm not sure what she is actually required to do in that case.
"From the damage to the ute I doubt that her car could be driven though. I'm not sure what she is actually required to do in that case."
If you had an accident and your vehicle was blocking the road, normally you would call police and wait with the vehicle for it to be towed.
Unless of course, you were over the limit and should not have been driving, in that case people often abandon their vehicle and make a run for it, and deny they were the driver.
The legal requirement appears to be to notify the owner of any damaged vehicles or property "as soon as possible" [from your link, above]
As soon as possible, with a parked car, would be door-knocking the adjacent houses, to find who it belonged to. The first door would have found them.
She seems to be in breach of the road code.
However, that's only a minor issue – and (all other things being equal) wouldn't have raised a ripple in the papers [e.g. if her car had lost traction in the rain (not speeding), or if she'd been distracted, and hit the parked car (all too common in our local supermarket carpark)]
I get the horrible feeling that the opposition and media will not be satisfied until they have hounded her to death. This is more than a lack of empathy its a complete lack of compassion. We are very lucky the only harm was to a couple of cars.
She has been through treatment for stage three cervical cancer, I surmise there is a medically induced menopause with its severe mood swings, a host of physical complications including cognitive changes. Forty percent of stage three cervical cancers do not survive beyond five years, try living with that threat every day.
Being moralistic does not suffice in these types of situations. While no medical expert, a friend of mine with lung cancer which spread, bought 5 years of life so far by paying for very effective Keytruda (now on Pharmac list for cancers other than just Melanomas).
Doctors warned her of “chemo brain” which sounded rather patronising, but they were right, mood swings, doing weird stuff and the constant existential overlay of “my time might be up”.
Kiritapu has multiple issues to deal with by the sounds of it, so while you do not have to applaud her for not calling a cab–at least don’t put the slipper in.
Or call for her to be crucified and/or otherwise hounded…as some on the Kiri comments section did.
Disgusting.
I am going to call this a little hypocritical.
Many of this site continue to bring up Sam U…….the National Party bloke who
horrendously beat up another student when he was 16 years.
The charges against Kiri given she was Justice Minister are quite severe.
We pay her a salary of over $300000 to do this job. I think it is in the public interest to know what happened.
And as I have already said, I think most of the commentary has been kind and reasonable.
Huh? Hypocritical? What… are you on about? In my comment…I said about some who wanted Kiri to be crucified or similar.
At NO stage have I talked about Mr..Sam Uffindell. Ever.
You can apologise..
A bit absent-minded there.
https://thestandard.org.nz/nationals-culture-problem-2/#comment-1904616
Aha the respectful centrist. Well you think you are quite the trawler aye? I meant in this Kiri should be crucified related commentary.
As Anker was alluding.
Nope. Just correcting your conveniently faulty memory. Didn't require trawling – just a simple search.
If you meant in this thread, then you should say in this thread.
Your beef with Anker, is your beef with Anker – nothing to do with me.
Yep. A trawler. Respectfully Centrist ..of course. Had you sussed quite a time back.
Don't start a flame war.
If you have nothing useful to contribute – and have to resort to name calling – stay silent.
What? No flame war from me. And this from the person who has to go back to a comment nearly a year old.
Sad…
There's certainly no more room for doubt about the motivation of those who want to keep this going (like Jester, above).
If the motivation is the public interest (i.e. "holding to account") then all of the following would be legitimate …
1) Demanding the Minister go … but it's already happened.
2) Demanding the ex-Minister quit Parliament … but it's already happened.
3) Demanding that she be charged, and subject to the same judicial process as the rest of us … but it's already happening.
4, 5, 6 etc …) Demanding that the PM front up. Demanding a debate in Parliament. Demanding that Kiri Allan make a statement, including an apology. And so on.
All of which has already happened. Those are the facts, and all in the public domain.
So what exactly do they want now from Kiri Allan? Pitchforks? To achieve … what?
Morgan Godfery writes an excellent column ruing the relentless spotlight on Kiri. Obsever at 3.2.2 has summed it up so well and I take my hat off for Godfery too.
https://www.thepress.co.nz/a/nz-news/350042701/morgan-godfery-defence-kiri-allan-and-maori-women
If that had been a National minister Labour would be rolling out similar criticisms
Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero.Unless National have a high profile scandal hidden away.highly unlikely remember when Mike Williams shot over to Melbourne in the hope of digging some dirt and it backfired. Labour is going to be an opposition party for sometime.
"Labour's chances of regaining power now are Zero"
I don't think you should buy into this Nats/Act framing Tricle. A couple of ministers have made mistakes and another has a mental illness problem.
Meanwhile 17 other ministers are beavering away doing a lot of good stuff running the country. The economy has come through Covid and the Ukraine war induced contraction and two massive flood events in a reasonably healthy state. Inflation is now almost under control, the housing market has undertaken a much needed price-fall, state houses are being built, the minimum wage is moving towards a livable wage, many people have been taken out of poverty and more money is being spent on public transport and climate change. The health system has been reformed, RMA reforms are almost ready to go and the Affordable Water reforms are moving forward.
National's game, aided by the MSM, is to portray this a government as being in chaos, when it is anything but.
This is such a transparent beat-up. For example, Stuff has now hired Tova O'Brien to stick it to Labour.
Do you think having a health issue is justification for driving drunk and crashing a car?
If not then don't you consider Kiri to have made a mistake as well as the two ministers you have referred to?
Kiri made mistakes before the careless driving etc situation. The speech at Radio NZ. Alledged reports of bullying by two senior public servants, which is unusal. A suggestion of a badly handled conflict of interest over Mein Fong, Posting about her distress about her relationship on FB or twitter two weeks ago, was another sign of not being able to maintain boundaries.
Jan Tinetti, mislead the house and failed to correct and it went before privledges committee
Michael Wood conflict of interest and misleading PM about his shares being sold when they weren't.
Stuart Nash, say no more.
David Parker resigning from Revenue a clear FU to Chris Hipkins.
Meka Whiteri. Walked.
As a Labour/Green old chum of mine message me "the wheels are falling off".
I would be hard pressed to think of a cabinet that has had so many problems/resignations in such a short space of time…….happy for someone to provide other examples
None of this makes Luxon remotely electable.
I go along with most of what you say BG and I think it is a shame that Hipkins didn't take the opportunity to 'blood' a new minister. Especially with a view that they 'hit the ground running' post Oct 14th.
His excuses, close to an election etc can play into a narrative that the election is already lost, shallow talent pool etc.
That anyone, other than a journalist, sees government determined by the public appearance/reputation of the politicians, rather than the policies and governance is depressing.
It would mean gotcha journalism and character assassination dominate.
Thank you psych nurse. I had daymares. Nightmares with my eyes open, full panic sweats and shakes about "what might go wrong" with driving a car, flying, any trigger, until hormone treatment and then "I was back".
My aunt who had breast cancer could not have the treatment. She lived with bad nerves for years.
So yes, being on your own during one of those is terrifying, Kiri reached out to Willie, but he wasn't physically close enough to help, and it all just "piled up".
The mistakes she has made are being blown out of proportion to suit certain views and narratives. These reporters need to take a breath and show some humanity, but unfortunately some are like Seymore, opportunists.
This is more than just “mental health” issues. I think that she has been “found out” and those around her are no longer accepting some of her behaviour, so she’s got nowhere to go.
Ive seen this happen to bullies before, people start seeing them for what they really are, and stop putting up with their BS. So the bully has nowhere to go so they “collapse” in order to gain control and to not be held accountable for their actions.
There were allegations of previous unacceptable behaviour directed at public service employees, now it appears that she has been bullying junior MP’s.
she has been pulled up on her behaviour and is now having a hissy fit to avoid being held accountable.
Could you please link to this "hissy fit"?
And, in what way is she not "held accountable"? Do you follow the news, at all?
The explanation of the impact of cancer treatment on someone is made and you remain fixated on the Inquisitor mode, about the character of the person … we can only now presume … political agenda and ignore the spam.
But the unverified claims – back them up.
Wow!! So Terry, do you know who is complaining? Or do you jump at every rumour to add them to the actual mistakes?
There you go, regular as a clockwork bowel movement.
Shut up about this if you're serious, and go comment on something useful, like that post today about Labour's reneging…
Or are youactually just trolling?
Yes.
Yes here too Anne. Very concerning.
Te Huia is allowed back into central Auckland.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/waikato/132622712/te-huia-train-service-allowed-back-into-central-auckland
Kiwirail should have invested in the new safety equipment that NZTA asked for, right back at the business case for Te Huia. They were quite happy to shell out for new station and track in Hamilton.
But good patch for now.
Can't see why it was an issue. The chances of Te Huia encountering a working train on the Auckland network are next to zero.
I see Blinken has dropped in for a few hours and no doubt our pm will be fawning all over him personally i'd have sent a junior office clerk an maybe shouted him a cup of instant at the local pie cart similar to how the Chinese treated him recently !
Blinking Blinken, there have been a number of US officials and delegations roaming around the Pacific lately…what could they possibly want…
I recall during the sirKey years when the “Hobbit Act” and Kim Dot Com raid were on the go, non commercial American planes were spotted at Wellington Airport. They always come sniffing around.
Political diagnosis from Luke Malpass:
Note the banal framing: Labour will be desperate to plug caucus leaks. One swallow don't make no summer, as an illiterate Englishman might say. Can anyone actually plug caucus leaks?? Experience tells us no: the tendency to leak under sufficient pressure is as likely in National as in Labour. Leaks happen regardless of witch-hunting endeavours if the motive is sufficient. Btw I wouldn't blame Luke for that banal framing – more likely blame his editor – a level up the media hierarchy.
The most significant dimension revealed by the leak seems to be the victim specifying abuse spanning two years, with implied tolerance by powers that be – yet with no mention of any victim complaint. Smoke without fire again.
Its not overly suprising really, youve got a whole bunch of mp's who have come to the stark realization that theyll be looking for a new job shortly. A fair portion of them will be feeling aggreived for real and imagined reasons. A small portion of them will have a big enough chip on the shoulder to try and do damage on the way out.
When Grant Robertson calls a press conference at Parliament, and calls Chris Hipkins a corrupt, criminal politician, and releases secret recordings of their phone conversations, and then marches off to the Wellington police station with the media in tow, to lay a complaint against his own leader …
then yes, Labour's internal "leaks" will be just as bad as National's.
So, a very long way to go. One dripping tap, and one dam bursting flood.
Yeah but Nationals implosion happened in opposition. They kept their shit together right up until Bill English left in 2018.
Labour has started imploding in government. After just 5 and a half years. It's unreal.
At first it looked like Jacindas retirement had created a post Helen Clark esque leadership vacuum in the party with Hipkins unable to fill it.
Increasingly, it looks the other way around:
Jacindas lack of leadership and discipline over her cabinet created a mountain of problems and a bunch of lazy, fast and loose, entitled ego driven MPs and bad behaviour to go unchecked.
All these problems were allowed to go unchecked under Ardern and as soon as a leader who tried to actually lead his caucus in a traditional style, the shit hit the fan.
The internal problems labour faces ATM is because Ardern was hands off. She was another Lange who let her cabinet run circles around her.
There is no defending Ardern, all of these problems should have been managed by her, years ago.
Now labour has an arrogant, divided caucus that can't focus on anything but themselves, two months out from an election.
If they are imploding this badly in government, god help us when they do the usual post government opposition implosion.
Don't be naff Corey. Cut the hyperbole.
Nash leaked Woods lied plus two retirements and a defection.
Now a Minister in strife.
Face it 6 hard years have caused fall out. As Chris Hipkins is finding, managing in a constant state of crisis is very demanding.
I don't think we would do any better with Luxon's sorry lot, plus Seymore playing holier than thou with his no human rights no treaty, and probably a failing narrow benefit system falling apart as they tell us "there is no money", except what they find for tax cuts contracts for mates etc.
Why are you quoting their rubbish??
plugging non existent 'anonymous leaks' even harder. imo.
A bit like finding a “homeless man in MIQ”.
Stuff has noticeable lurched to the right since the soft coup that saw Caitlin Cherry jump before she was pushed. The opinion attacks on Labour from their political staff have become much more aggressive. That sort of thing only happens with an email about an editiorial direction change and warnings about job losses amongst the luke warm if they paper doesn't turn revenue falls around.
They've brought in Tova O'Brian who it seems is the angel of death who appears when a news organisation moves to the right and then inevitably fails.
Yet Tova's first for Stuff this morning seemed to lack pizzazz.
inevitably fails
Another Belfast cowboy along with Van Morrison?? Well, cowgirl presumably…
So if Stuff has no stock exchange listing I assume she's sole owner still, more of a media baroness than cowgirl. In regard to chronic failure in capitalist enterprise, could be worth noting that the Post combined the mid-19th century Evening Post with the early 20th century Dominion about 20 years back. Evidence of continuity.
.
https://archive.li/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sinead-oconnor-dead-obituary-200764/
56!, Jeez, that's terrible. She def spoke her mind. Lion & Cobra is an exceptional album. Damn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9HEn1pqq4g Sister Sinead by Kris Kristofferson
Sad. Too young
After tearing up the Pope's photo on Saturday Night Live in 1992, Joe Pesci threatened to "smack" her.
She responded along the lines of 'if you believe half the stuff said about him, I wouldn't be the first woman he abused'.
One of my all time favourite records is her album of reggae covers, Throw Down Your Arms.
Someone ridden by many demons – as well as making unforgettable music.
One never thought she'd make old bones.
Hopefully her family and those who loved her can find peace with this tragic loss.
The Israeli triad:
This is from a rather good in-depth look at their threat to the Supreme Court : https://www.vox.com/2023/7/24/23805532/israel-judicial-overhaul-reasonableness
Here is a well balanced piece on the bogged down, and increasingly untenable Ukraine counter offensive…
Did the US know the Ukraine offensive might fail, and if so, when?
This also begs the question of whether Washington will recognize when it must start pushing for an armistice.
"As the Quincy Institute’s Anatol Lieven has observed many times, Ukraine has already achieved a great victory that very few believed possible when the invasion occurred in February 2022. Russia has suffered staggering military losses, its international reputation is in tatters, and its forces have been stopped and pushed back far short of their original objectives."
"An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end. The Korean War also offers us a cautionary tale of the perils of overreaching, as the advance towards the Chinese border led to Chinese intervention and the prolonging of the war at great cost to all parties. Trying to recapture all territory held by Russian forces runs the risk of both Russian escalation and Ukrainian exhaustion, and Ukraine might end up with less than what it has today."
Of course with ultra war hawks and open Russia hawks like Blinkin and newly Biden appointed acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland in the room, this only sane option seems tragically unrealistic…as these people are obviously insane.
Or maybe we could leave the definition of victory up to the Ukrainians rather than some random American think tank?
I'm pretty sure they're more than capable of defining their own military and foreign policy objectives without our help. And that when they do, it will not involve a half-assed truce that results in large chunks of their county being occupied by the Russians.
We have to remember that to the Ukrainian people, this isn't just a distant conflict that's going to end when the West gets bored of it: it's a struggle for national survival against a bellicose neighbor who has a grim historical record of straight-out mass murder.
And, on the subject of apt historical analogies, sitting around and letting autocracies gobble up their other nations in the 1930s while telling them they weren't worth fighting over turned out really well, right?
I don't understand how the progressive left has grown so soft, so cowardly, and so far up its own arse that it would support a morally bankrupt quasi-dictatorship for fear of soiling its own hands.
None of our values are worth anything if we aren't willing to fight for them.
As for the counteroffensive and it's purported failure: ces't la guerre
The Ukrainians will never take back any more significant land from the Russian now.
The progressive Left is mainly pro a negotiated end to this conflict because they are some of the few out side observers that seem to be willing to acknowledge/comprehend the awful and tragic series of events, that were heavily guided and funded by outside actors (we all know who they are) that finally led to this totally avoidable war.
No matter what you or I think, the fact of the matter is that all Super Powers demand boarder security…the USA, UK, France, China would have all done exactly what Russia is now doing had a hostile military alliance moved on to their boarder…that is just a fact.
So the question you should really be asking is why the USA/UK via NATO intentionally backed Russia into a corner when they all well knew that any Russian leader would have gone into the Ukraine with that provocation?
As the Head of the CIA warned of himself….
"The former US ambassador to Russia, William J. Burns, who is now director of the CIA, warned in a February 2008 embassy cable that Ukraine constituted a security “redline” for Moscow.
The confidential State Department cable was titled “Nyet Means Nyet: Russia’s NATO Enlargement Redlines” (“nyet” is Russian for “no”).
Burns cautioned that the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine “could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim, civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene.”
https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/02/27/us-nato-expansion-ukraine-russia-intervene/
What would have been the down side of Ukraine being a neutral country?
"What would have been the down side of Ukraine being a neutral country?"
Not what russia wants. Russia wants to build their empire and subjugating Ukraine is a non-negotiable part of the plan. Nonsense like trying to dictate the foreign policy of your independent neighbour, is merely a means of war and conquest by other means.
"An armistice like the one that halted the fighting in Korea seventy years ago has been held up as a model for how the current war could be brought to an end."
Worked out great for the population that remained trapped in North Korea. Mass starvation, utter poverty and absolute suppression and abuse by the state. Plus compulsory worship of a clown dictator. Sounds lovely for them! But the Ukrainians don't seem so keen to sign up for that.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300936903/te-pti-mori-lobs-grenade-into-the-tax-debate
wow
Helps us align with Australia where first $18,000 is tax free.
Sensible policy from Maori Party.
Yes, but Chippy says no………, Grant and David say yes, but Chippy says no.
Well there's a good answer to that but it will take October 14th to precipitate.
100%
Well done Te Pāti Māori!
Voters with a brain that would not be lonely if gifted another, will get exactly what is potentially on offer here. The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026.
Turnout is King–and if the previously alienated young new gens climb on board the TPM & Green train there will be an upset Election result on October 14. The MMP negotiations will be interesting indeed.
Last one out please turn the lights off
"The key strategic political task in 2023 is surely to exclude Natzos and Act from office, so that there is opportunity to finally kick Rogernomics arse in 2026."
Dare to dream…I tautoko what you say but would add a severely diminished Labour too. A once in a lifetime opportunity with a majority MMP government and all we got was incremental tinkering.
Parker and Robertson are no-one's fools. Hipkins' Captain's Call (to not implement meaningful tax reform), to chase a few rich folk's votes to the detriment of thousands deserves to see Labour lumped in with the Nats and friends.
Here you go, cannot see details on the mechanisms of the wealth tax
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/07/27/te-pati-maori-time-for-wealthy-to-pull-their-weight-on-tax/
When asked about the TPM tax announcements today, Chippy confirmed there will be no wealth tax is any Government he leads.
Bold of him to assume he has a choice. Unless he's happy being leader of the opposition, of course.
"Chippy confirmed there will be no wealth tax is any Government he leads."
I can see a win-win solution to that…
I can see Labour getting 20% if Chippy is rolled.
Less about rolling Hipkins but Labour may end up being grateful for 20%, Nats too.
HMS Neo-Liberalism is listing…
I admire your optimism
If the math works post-election…and it means being government or not being government…
..hipkins could be rolled during coalition negotiations…
Will that position be cemented into Labours election Manifesto ?
Or do we wait until THIS leader is overthrown to allow for any changes and how does anyone then know what they are voting for as we see some policies are on the basis of a leaders call/whim ? and who knows who will be leading Labour in the future and what leaders calls they will make in opposition/government !!!
To be fair, the Labour party have had two leaders and no overthrows in the last six years, compared to seven Nat leaders – although a couple of those had very short tenures, possibly indicating "trouble at mill"
I hope the devout Luxon adopts Bill English's (2017) election campaign commitment to cut the number of Kiwi children living in poverty by 50,000 over the next three years, and another 50,000 in the three years following – that would be awesome.
Counting placeholders like Nikki Kaye (1 day) and Shane Reiti (5 days) – seems a little disingenuous.
The substantive total: English, Bridges, Muller, Collins, Luxon is pretty much equivalent to the last time Labour were in opposition: Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, Little, Ardern.
Or was that "trouble at 't mill" as well?
All good B – knew you could be relied on to counter this inveterate lefty's view.
Yes, Kaye's 1-day stint was a stop-gap response to the trouble with Muller, while Reti's 5-day reign smoothed over the Collins/Bridges stouch/meltdown.
Kaye’s gone, but can’t rule out Reti having another go in future. He may only have been in parliament less than 9 years, but that's still more than three times the experience of the current leader of the opposition.
Well, in that vein, you can't rule out Parker (after all he's only stated that he didn't want the leadership) or Robertson (likewise).
Opposition parties often go through leadership strife. They're trying to re-invent themselves, after a swinging electorate rebuff.
Trying to imagine more into it than that is bound to fail.
Yes, but our imaginations can sometimes be quite furious
Yes. I'm imagining what would happen to a defeated leader of a Government.
History is on my side…… More often than not, they are gone as leader within a year (in fact, the only exception that immediately comes to mind is Shipley – I think she lasted another 2-3 years)
What is interesting in this case, is whether Hipkins would be rolled, even if successful (success defined as in making a left coalition possible). His stated policies on tax are antithetical to TPM and GP – and there is clear division within his caucus, with a left-wing of the LP closer to the GP, than they are to Hipkins on some issues.
Yes, of course it's speculation – as is every other comment on TS about what might happen in October.
If you think the speculation is wrong – and Hipkins is safe as houses as leader of the LP – then make your case.
Imho it's pointless making an alternative case to a respectful centrist's imaginings – as pointless as expecting an explanation for "Clark's fury".
Not that one’s needed
See the comment below.
If you don't like making a case for the respectful centrist – perhaps you'd like to make one for the unabashed leftist.
Or is it only fun challenging the centrist?
Would that be "the centrist" who described Clark's reaction to Shipley being Aotearoa NZ's first woman PM as "Clark's fury"?
Imho, there's value in challenging regressive right comments* on TS. Misinformation and misrepresentation can also be a bit of a worry.
Your definition of 'centrist' may be broader than mine – time will tell.
So, not challenging the same comments from the Leftist.
Makes it clear just how principled you are.
Thanks, I do try to give an honest account of myself, and despise ACT.
Imho, "Clark's fury" makes it clear just how centrist you are.
This exchange began when you took exception to the way I took exception to Herodotus’ comment @13.3 – makes you think?
It always amazes me the way the hard-core left (and the hard-core right, for that matter) – seem to require their political heroes to be on pedestals – and decline to allow them any human reactions or emotions.
BTW – thanks for continuing to link to a very minor and rather incidental description of a natural human reaction – by my estimation, you've increased its circulation by 500%. Was that your intention?
And, still no reaction or challenge to exactly the same comments about the chances of Hipkins being rolled from the leftie…. Not very principled at all…..
And again, thanks for the continued promotion of my original comment.
You're welcome – always happy to highlight obvious fabrications, such as "Clark's fury", in this age of disinformation/misinformation – however “very minor and rather incidental“.
Information that is false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organization or country.
Information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm.
Information that is based on real facts, but manipulated to inflict harm on a person, organization or country.
https://www.undp.org/eurasia/dis/misinformation
When even the lefties are saying it …..
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-27-07-2023/#comment-1961954
Are you now suggesting I've declined to allow Helen Clark (my "hero"?) "any human reactions or emotions"? That would be a truly bizarre twist.
You, a self-described centrist, fabricated "Clark's fury". You've provided no objective evidence to support your odd (for a centrist) mischaracterisation.
Maybe one or both of us is/are mistaken about "fury" and/or "centrist", but (imho), with 'centrist' comments like yours, who needs NAct. Just the impression I get from some of your comments – I could be wrong.
"..that's still more than three times the experience of the current leader of the opposition"
No,no,no,no…there was this airline. Here, let me tell you about it [deep breath in] …
Given parties make compromises in forming coalitions, a leaders word has more impact than the manifesto.
In this case it would seem to mean under Hipkins, Labour could only be a minority government with G and TPM providing little more than confidence and supply to keep NACT out.
Or Labour roll Hipkins immediately after the election (assuming that a left coalition has a mathematical chance), to allow a closer relationship with GP and TPM. Sounds pretty cynical…..
Meanwhile from Q2 in Parliament today it seems Labour maybe set to announce the removal of GST on fresh food as part of their last gasp attempt to regain the election initiative.
Anyone who’s ever been to the UK, ordered a sandwich and been presented with the eat in or take away question knows how fraught that policy is. Of course everyone says take away and the immediately takes a seat instead. 😂
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300937166/nationals-nicola-willis-claims-shes-been-leaked-labours-tax-policy
If it's not just nat shit stirring,
It'll almost gaurentee I won't vote labour , it's just dumb policy, over complicated overly expensive, is chippy calling all the shots?? Wothout listening to his minister's?
Labour has a death wish.
I really hope they dont, it's such a stupid idea.
It adds huge amounts of admin to what is a broad and simple tax.
The wealthy reap by far the biggest benifit in dollar terms.
Also lets be honest the duopoly will turn it into extra profit margin.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/10/uk-retailers-not-passing-on-tampon-tax-savings-to-women-report-says
Have to wait and see if the policy eventuates – but if it does it's an indication that the leaks from the Labour caucus are not one-off.
Would it make me a bad person if I hoped labour was leaking bullshit stories to willis to make her look like a screech 🦉!!??
Only you can know 😉
“Bullshit stories” Him indoors had that thought!!
The Ugly Australian brand originator, John Howard demonstrating he was not and is not shit-lite.
First stating the good fortune of Oz (those aboriginals) to have been settled by the British (white pride our voice is better keep their voice quiet – they should be grateful)
His pupil Dutton
Howard claimed it would prevent a repeat of his 2007 Intervention
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66309637
Howard is, and always has been SHIT.
@ Terry (3.2.5) … and your factual evidence for your comment is …?
If you want Terry to see and (possibly) reply. Then you should use the "Reply" feature (bottom right hand corner of the comment box).
S/he is most unlikely to see this stray comment 12 major comments later.
Yes I know. But something went wrong when I first posted it. Second time posting it ended up here at 15!
You can always (well, within 10 minutes) delete a stray comment and have another go.
I've found that refreshing the site, or exiting my browser and opening it up again seems to re-set the replies to go where they should.
Why not just drop GST on everything from 15% to 10%? It's so much easier and requires far less admin that excluding some items but not others.
GST revenue is about $25B (2022) – 25% of total tax.
A reduction of a third, without a lot of new taxes, would have immediate impact on our credit rating.
The total for food is less than $3B of the GST revenues.
Is this actually important though? I mean if the credit rating companies are not open to just buying a better rating (as they have shown previously they are open to). But ultimately if your a large financial firm then lending to the govt is the only place you can lend to which also itself issues the repayments. You can spend or invest that instead but then this adds risk (and presumably pays more return) and another large financial firm ends up with the same dilemma. Some central banks have even demonstrated negative interest rates don't inhibit govt borrowing (these result in lending at a nominal loss, and this lending still happens).
There are ways to manage debt without cost or with low cost, but whether one could sell that approach when running a high OCR because of inflation – it's a lot of change and the economic mainstream is conformist, except when something different is required to save the system.
I suspect your under a misapprehension here. If the govt spends without draining the excess reserves created, or creates surplus reserves via QE or similar, then the effective OCR falls to zero (financial institutions don't need to borrow reserves, the OCR is irrelevant). Govt borrowing serves the purpose of allowing the RBNZ to maintain a higher OCR. The follow on impacts on inflation are the sketchy part, with multiple countries implementing such policies without being able to even get inflation up to target bands over the course of a decade.
As I said
but only if this is seen as necessary out of GFC, or the pandemic when
But generally this is opposed by the economic mainstream at other times, and more so if there is inflation – and the orthodoxy is to manage this with a higher OCR.
Inflation cause is a separate topic.
Inflations cause is very relevant to the question of if using the OCR to target inflation is a sensible policy. The evidence seems to suggest the high OCR policy has extended the inflation (regulated prices such as energy prices are often tied to base returns on investment) and shifted the burden to prices impacting low incomes (such as rents).
But,but how would you pay for tax …cuts!
That's a Key…issue.
Lest we forget back in 2008 National campaigned on tax cuts, but because of the economic decline of the time (Bollards high OCR to stifle house inflation) and the looming GFC on top of it, this was found to be unaffordable.
So Key decided it could be still be done. if there was an increase in GST to 15% …