Mick Wallace is a courageous politician who dares to ask questions few others do.
The attack on Nordstream was a terrible attack on European vital infrastructure, it was an act of Environmental Terrorism – A disastrous release of methane. Why is the EU showing so little interest in finding out who did it.? Are they afraid that they won't like the answer..?
Ease is not the issue, for most, it is lack of basic courtesy and consideration of the very simple rules of engagement here on TS. Sign of the times, I fear …
A country with a Baltic base that's home to small, quiet, submarines with the ability to move undetected in the region carrying dive teams that specialise in seabed operations.
Cui bono?
A country with the stated intent of freezing Western Europe into submission.
“Few conflicts have been so shaped by the chief actors’ sense of their own national story as the Ukrainian war that began in February. It is the competing grand narratives of the past, not just in Russia and Ukraine, but in Germany, France, Poland, the Baltics, the UK, the US, and even the global south, that make this war so hard to resolve”
History is everything. Much of that Guardian article is pretty superficial.
In this 38 minute interview with Aaron Maté, Nicolai Petro discusses "the overlooked influence of Ukraine's far-right nationalist movement and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent admission that the Minsk Accords — the international formula for ending the post-2014 Donbas civil war — "was an attempt to give Ukraine time" to prepare for a conflict with Russia, rather than make peace. Petro is the author of the new book, "The Tragedy of Ukraine."
Petro is the Silvia-Chandley Professor of Peace Studies and Nonviolence and Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island, in the United States. He also served as the US State Department's special assistant for policy on the Soviet Union under President George HW Bush.
I'm sure people being shelled, tortured, raped, looted by Russian invaders, will be very interested to intellectualise over what Classical Greek Tragedy can Teach us About Conflict Resolution.
This guy is full of shit – victim blaming and saying parties within Ukraine bear similar responsibility to Russia – the latter being the only one of the two that launched a war and brutal invasion of its neighbour. He discusses the minutiae of internal Ukrainian events, while brushing over Russia's internal repression, dictatorship and repeated pattern of interference and military assault of its neighbours.
Well, that's almost 40 minutes of my life I will never get back.
The only notable thing about this interview with professor Nicolai Petro, is the weird leading questions from sour Putin apologist Aaron Mate. Mate kept trying to push this dry bones professor to agree with his propaganda talking points.
The good professor pushed back on Aaron Mate's propaganda talking points. Admittedly very weakly, but push back he did.
That Western Ukraine is fascist
@ 7:48 minutes "I don't define everyone in government as a neo-nazi or fascist. That's not correct."
That the people of the Donbas, wanted to join Russia.
@ 32:00 minutes "It is not fair to say that they wanted to be part of Russia"
Whether "The Ukrainian state will ever exist again"
@ 36:10 minutes "Well it exists today. And I think there will be a Ukraine, certainly in the foreseeable future.
P.S. I thought Aaron Mate’s Dramatic headline to this interview was slanted and laughably misleading as to what was actually discussed.
“How Ukraine’s far-right, with NATO backing, block peace”
Hi Adam,
Are you saying, Aaron Mate deliberately put up a more dramatic headline than the actual content warranted, because he knew the Facebook algorithm would direct pro-war conspiracy theorists like aj to it?
A more balanced and nuanced view from Bomber Bradbury. The cause of this war is not just Putin and Russia ( as some posters on this site want to claim), but…..
let’s not ignore the coup in Kazakstan, the Wests involvement with the Ukrainian coup and the years of shelling and conflict in the Donbas that all lead up to this nor should we ignore the war mongers selling weapons being accelerants here.
You have mentioned this a few times now. Just for a sense of context, can you provide firm count of the death toll on both sides of this conflict in the Donbas, for say the 3 or 4 years prior to the invasion this year – and the same count for this year 2022 after Russia invaded in order to 'protect' said civilians?
The figures before Russia came in were 14000 according to the UN report which from mem i think came out in 21 .This number is often attributed though to just the deaths from DPR /LPR but this is not the case if i have my facts right The 14000 includes all the protagonists including the nationalist forces although the bulk of them were from the Donbas because of course for a long time outgunned .
Russian siloviki may be setting information conditions to justify the nationalization of oligarchs’ resources to sponsor Russia’s war effort. Wagner financier Yeveniy Prigozhin attended the funeral of a deceased Wagner Group mercenary in St. Petersburg on December 24, where he stated that Russia needs to confiscate luxury possessions and accommodations from elites who ignore or do not support the war effort out of fear of losing their privileged lifestyles.[7] Prigozhin added that these affluent individuals support a vision where ”Western curators” dominate Russia in return for the sponsorship of their lifestyles and compared today’s Russian oligarchy to Ukraine’s or to 1990s Russia. Prigozhin ignited a scandal regarding the burial of the Wagner serviceman in recent weeks to push his political objectives — such as the legalization of Wagner in Russia — and his statements advocating redistribution of wealth at the funeral gained significant traction on the Russian internet.[8] Wagner-affiliated milbloggers widely supported Prigozhin’s criticism of Russian officials and praised his support for the war effort.[9] Prigozhin may be using such populist proposals to elevate his authority in Russian society or influence a return of stricter nationalization measures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also indirectly attacked Russian oligarchs on December 22, however, stating that Russians who drain Russia’s money from abroad and do not have a connection with the country “represent a danger” to Russia.[10] Putin claimed that while the vast majority of Russian businessmen are patriots, there are some who do not share the sentiment. Putin concluded that “everyone strives not only to stay, to live and work in Russia but to work for the benefit of our country.” Putin previously nationalized big businesses in the early 2000s to consolidate his authoritarian kleptocracy and may be attempting leverage nationalization to coerce elites to support his war in Ukraine or seize their property to fund military expenses.[11]
Ah. Yep. Now that you have pointed it out, I remembered that was the same effect last time. But they have added a prefix field. I should be able to exclude that from being remembered.
I find I learn a lot more about issues like the Ukraine if I avoid both Russian and NATO propagandists. I read writers without clear ideological connections to either side.
One I follow M.K. Bhadrakumar. He was an Indian diplomat whose
diplomatic career was devoted to assignments on the territories of the former Soviet Union and to Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Other overseas postings included South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey.
He writes mainly on
Indian foreign policy and the affairs of the Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific.
The whole point is that the western commentariat largely forgets that Russia’s core agenda is not about territorial conquest — much as Ukraine is vital to Russian interests — but about NATO expansion.
What people learn in echo chambers is the sound of a pandemonium of parrots flying into each other and climbing up the walls in desperation to get out but unable to find the rabbit hole that sucked them in in the darkness of their cognitive dissonance.
I agree. Even blogs like this one, TDB, Kiwiblog and Whaleoil or whatever it is now, are often echo chambers, and if some one dares to swim against the tide or criticise the supported team, they are often moderated with a threat to be banned if they do not discontinue.
[You nailed it, almost! Undoubtedly, you will be able to support your serious accusation with at least three fine examples here on TS. If not, I will let you out of this echo chamber and give you the freedom that you crave so clearly. For now, you’re in Pre-Mod, where we can look after you and give the care and attention that you clearly need – Incognito]
And exactly as I said I'm now being banned (or threatened to be) or moderated or whatever. Do you seriously think that Kiwiblog is not an echo chamber for the blue team? As this is for the red team?
I can't be bothered looking back through comments for examples that you would discount or not satisfy you anyway.
It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what you claim and can back up or not here on TS. I don’t give a toss about KB or any other blogsite.
FYI, the main reason for your Mod note was not the echo chamber bit but the moderation and ban threats for those who criticise ‘the red team’. This is blatant BS as many a Post and comment here is (highly) critical of the Labour Party, the Labour-led Government, or of MPs, Ministers, or even the PM, for example. The kaupapa of this site is robust debate and informed and founded criticism is an essential part of that. Otherwise how would we have constructive debate and about what?
You say that you can’t be bothered. I say that you know that you cannot support your accusation.
Whether I would discount any attempts or not is moot and a cop out.
The worst outcome for you would have been a temporary ban for wasting Moderator time. However, you have chosen to leave permanently, i.e., you are not banned but you took a permanent self-ban, which saves me having to put your details in the Black List.
It is ok for some to insult, smear, abuse and slander, but if you, I or the others who speak, question the narrative in even the most diplomatic language, we can expect moderation and threats of banning.
Free speech.
What a joke!
[This is just wonderful! Parrots in an echo chamber parrot each other to become self-martyrs. This Mod parrot has the same response: provide at least 3 fine examples on TS of threats of moderation and banning when “speak[ing], question[ing] the narrative in even the most diplomatic language”.
You parrots seem to think that free speech means absolutely no rules, no boundaries, and no consequences. You seem to think that free speech is unconditional. You are a blot on free speech!
Obviously, you knew this was coming, so you will be prepared and have your examples handy. However, to avoid you further abusing your commenting privileges here – after more than 10,000 comments over almost 12 years here on TS , not counting all your aliases – and taking your ideas of free speech too far, I put you in Pre-Mod – Incognito]
At the start I mentioned both Russian and NATO propaganda. Living in New Zealand, I am exposed to mucH more NATO and UkraniN propaganda obviously, given our mainstream media filters.
What more independent sources do you rely on for news from Ukraine and Russia?
It's a nice trick, confuting western news with Putin's propaganda, but it is profoundly disingenuous.
Perhaps you don't understand quite what it is that you are doing. Take a pro-western source, like Radio Free Europe. They report fact. They gather it, and verify it, it is news, not propaganda. It is true that they may not exert themselves to find true pro-Kremlin stories – but they are not obliged to. The same rules are supposed to apply to parliamentary debate here in NZ – the opposition is entitled to reveal unpleasant truths, but gets no sympathy when they lie.
Now consider the abundant Russian propaganda. It does not adhere to anything approaching journalistic principles, on the contrary, much of it is made from whole cloth, shot within Russian borders with actors or 'celebrities. These things are not equivalent – the Russian sources are compromised, and if you don't treat them critically you'll be compromised too.
And you call for independent sources. Who do you imagine independent journalists are? The ones supported by foundations that facilitate opaque funding streams? Or the genuine independent journalists that sell to wire services like AP or Reuters? Your sources of choice seem to be the former – not much independence happening there.
To understand how western media propaganda works, I recommend you read Naom Chomsky to comprehend how our leaders manufacture consent through the corporate mainstream media.
I read writers without clear ideological connections to either side
Just had a look at his twitter feed. For someone so unbiased, everything resembles verbatim kremlin propaganda. And he is continually retweeting 100% kremlin propaganda, bought and paid for (i.e. TASS, RT). Plus tweeting Russian Ministry of Defence press releases, links from kremlin official website etc.
No echos there. It's like an anechoic chamber, it is.
Are you able to debate without hurling smears, abuse and slander?
You don't debate with folk unwilling to condemn a terror state that bombards, launches missile attacks, and drops incendiaries on civilian populations with the sole purpose of murdering people in their beds.
Well I am personally happy that Russia is losing this war quite horribly Putin's ineptitude combined with his hubris and his Generals incompetence has seen Russia lose the its best trained and equipped troops and the majority of its quality ground equipment. Sanctions have crippled Russian efforts to refresh almost all modern arms. Ukraine and the west have been successfully boiling the frog for a while now
I've been hearing that for a good long time, and yet despite massive support,( an unprecedented nearly 50 billion dollars,) US provided surveillance, satellite intelligence,thousands and thousands of various pieces of armory and lethal weapons, years of Nato training and arming, additional mercenaries ,and sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy, Russia is still standing and is still fighting in Ukraine
Sort of like Steven Joyce said about NZ. In 2017 wasn't it? There were plenty of other saying the NZ economy was totally down the dunny in 2017 when National didn't get in.
Well so far Russia has ignored the UN General Assembly at every point. What chance do you think of a Security Council resolution that they would not veto – or even consider adhering to?
We were discussing military aid such as the US gives regularly to Israel .Even their dearest friend and string puller Israel has never received 50 billion within an 8 month period.
And you have to resort to the Iraq war , which the US was overtly engaged in , rather than covertly
The US and the west will run out of money to give long before Russia will loose.
Or let me put it this way, the US American will run out of patience with their government giving their tax dollars away on a war that is no more winable then Afganistan or Iraq, or Somalia for that matter.
So the question is, will the US break apart first or Russia. My money is on the US.
The other question is who of the victorious and glorious 101st keyboard brigades in the west is happy to send their kids into the killing fields to feed the hunger of the cannon? Someones got to do the dying. I guess we will find out soon. War is a racket, and the poor as always will pay the bills.
Francesca, Russia has already lost, it's only a matter of time.
But Francesca if you asking; How long will it take for the war to end?
The war in Ukraine will continue as long as Putin keeps attacking and Ukraine keeps resisting.
My estimation is that the Ukrainians will never stop resisting.
Even if the West stops backing Ukraine with modern arms and equipment, the Ukrainians will continue to fight a gorilla war against the Russian invader. In that case the war will follow the trajectory of the Vietnam or Afghanistan war. With the same result, the war will drag on for years, until Russian withdrawal.
On a seemingly completely unrelated matter; I was reading the history of the First King Charles.
King Charles the First was charged with treason against Parliament. But one of the more peculiar of the other related charges brought against KC1, was continuing the war after it was lost. A charge even the Royalist army generals supported.
The Russians are on the run , they've run out of missiles several times over, they haven't got the men or wherewithal to keep on going , their economy has been in tatters since Obama's time , Putin is dying, has been for years, a palace coup is imminent, since 2014 at least, Russian soldiers are surrendering, dying of cold,without weapons or food or cold weather gear, China and India have turned against them, told Putin off, thrown away the key.And all this since about March 2022.With all their generals killed and only untrained 50 year old conscripts thin on the ground, no more missiles , I would have thought the far superior Ukrainian army, with right and Nato (synonymous)on their side would have been in Crimea by now, let alone Moscow.Whats the hold up?
You are making a straw man argument. I have never claimed any of those things.
In my opinion the Russian Federation has more than enough military capacity and potential to continue attacking Ukraine indefinitely.
So what?
Despite America's huge military capacity and potential eventually the US withdrew from Vietnam. The US had the capacity to carry on the war in Vietnam for another decade, easily and possibly even indefinitely.. Some commentators in the US argued that if the US had just "Stayed the course" the US would have eventually won in Vietnam. Afghanistan proved that theory wrong.
Americans thought they would win in Afghanistan, if they just, "Stayed the course". The Afghanistan war became the longest war in US history and the US still lost.
As long Russia keeps attacking the Ukrainians will keep resisting.
Like the US in Vietnam and Afghanistan, the RF despite their huge military resources and potential will eventually withdraw because to continue will have no point.
What the current contraversy about "Drag" has at its roots.
"once they donned blackface, white men could “sing, dance, speak, move, and act in ways that were considered inappropriate for white men.” When men appear in drag, they can sing, dance, speak, move, and act in ways that some people still consider inappropriate for men. If we have moved past blackface, it’s hard to understand why we cannot move past drag."
That's an excellent piece .I've always felt that drag is a colossal piss take at the expense of women .Hypersexualised , soft porn, male fantasy projections should not target children .
Absolutely – we managed to learn how to read without the assistance of some bloke calling himself "Suzi Slutski" or similar and dressed in nightclub gear at 10am. You have to wonder why children should be taught not to trust the evidence of their eyes and ears when it comes to the sex of the people they might meet.
Godwin's law, short for Godwin's law (or rule) of Nazi analogies, the longer a dispute goes on the probability of a comparison to Nazis or Adolf Hitler approaches 1.
That's not "Godwin's Law". Godwin's Law uses analogies to Hitler, or the Nazies, in debates which have nothing to do with either. Ed made a statement about Nazies in Ukraine, which was intended as astatent of fact, and not analogous to anything, though of course any statement of that type may be contested.
Russia has spent 8 years trying to steal one of Ukraine's most valuable economic resources; the estimated 60 billion tonne coal reserve that's vital to Ukrainian industry.
Your source? I thought we were expected to provide links for unsubstantiated claims.
I know you are aware there was a coup d'etat in 2014, in which the democratically elected government of the Ukraine as removed by far right agitators, supported by the neoconservative cabal in the U.S.
There was a coup d'etat in 2014, in which the democratically elected government of the Ukraine as removed by far right agitators, supported by the neoconservative cabal in the U.S.
You can keep shooting the many messengers, but historical fact is just that.
No-one here should be fool enough to think all sides were lily-white in their motives and conduct. A nation struggling to emerge from being an exploited colony of the Russian Empire was notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional – as all ex-marxist states are. At the same time successive Ukrainian govts from 2002 onward had sought better economic ties with the EU – a trend that is also undeniable on the facts.
Yanukovych's democratic mandate evaporated when he backed away from this movement to escape this Russian noose around their neck. And no amount of Western meddling would have made any difference if there had not also been a critical mass of ordinary Ukrainian people willing to openly protest and risk death for this cause.
Of course Poots immediate response to these events was not negotiation, not diplomacy but to invade and annexe Crimea – and act of such egregious bad faith that it inexorably set us on the path to the the present slaughter.
Maybe somewhere in your imagination you are still protesting the Vietnam war, or perhaps still grieving for the fall of the Soviet Union – but this juvenile narrative in your head that – everything Russian = blameless and wonderful; and everything Western = vile and corrupt – is as cartoonish as would be the converse narrative.
Of course typing out anti-US, anti-Western narratives on the internet has long been a certain path to collecting hard-left purity points. Triple score if you hang trigger words like 'neo-conservative' and 'hard-right' into the mix. And what is more in this western liberal democracy you hate so much, we typically indulge you in this. Here we are almost a year into this and here you are still getting a free pass to repeat whatever nonsense and disinformation you like.
When of course – as you know full well – the same privilege would not be accorded to you if you lived in Russia. (Which if you were sincere in what you tell us – you would have already moved there and be telling us first hand how wonderful it is.)
Here we are almost a year into this and here you are still getting a free pass to repeat whatever nonsense and disinformation you like.
What do you suggest? Censoring, cancelling, banning, something else? If anything, on what grounds, i.e., grounds that contravene TS Policy and/or are deliberate nonsense and misinformation beyond reasonable doubt?
When of course – as you know full well – the same privilege would not be accorded to you if you lived in Russia.
This seems to suggest that it is ok to give out free passes and commenting privileges even to peddlers of nonsense and misinformation.
There’s a lot of confusion and internal conflict in your comments lately that evolve around free speech.
I suggest you might have read more into that than intended. As you well know I have consistently argued for free speech (within the usual bounds and consequences).
This seems to suggest that it is ok to give out free passes and commenting privileges even to peddlers of nonsense and misinformation.
Well take for example Ed's claim below at 12:28pm – that Russian language is banned in Ukraine. Obvious nonsense and easily debunked. As far as I am concerned the correct response to disinformation is to provide the evidence and counter the argument. Nowhere have I suggested our resident crew of pro-Poots tankies should be banned or censored.
On the other hand it is also reasonable to point out that Russian law at present, convicts and sentences people to prison for the offence of merely calling the Ukrainian 'Special Operation' by it's proper name – a war. Actually criticising the war is likely to attract an attack of Russian gravity from third floor window.
I am genuinely not sure why you should think this inconsistent.
My comment was an invitation to you to elaborate and clarify and you obliged, so thank you.
It is still unclear to me what you suggest [we do] with commenters such as Ed who “repeat[s] whatever nonsense and disinformation [he] like[s]”. For example, how many times does the commentariat have to debunk his claims, especially the same claim that’s allegedly (!) easily debunked, before a Mod steps in?
Russian law is irrelevant here on TS and as such, I have no interest in it. What I am interested in is upholding the principles of free speech and the kaupapa of this site.
Well yes. I was only pointing out Ed's gross hypocrisy, running apologist lines for a regime that absolutely crushes free speech, while exploiting his privilege here for the same – to the max.
Maybe I should have just left this obvious contradiction unstated.
Yes, it is (gross) hypocrisy, but that is a very low threshold for anything. Spreading nonsense and disinformation is much more serious and this has my considerable attention and interest and yours too. So, what do we (…) do about it, if anything, except for calling out, countering, and/or debunking? That’s the real question, IMO.
I have no right of reply to RL’s fraudulent allegations against me.
Not until you’ve dealt with your Mod note and you’ve been wasting Moderator time and I’m getting impatient.
Jester and I have been censored and silenced for daring to question the neocon narrative.
Nope. Jester chose to leave on his own accord. You were both modded for making unsubstantiated accusations about censoring and silencing here on TS. Plenty of commenters here flip their lids about neocon, neoliberal, and neo-what-have-you – Jester and you are not special cases at all and by no means ‘activist heroes turning into martyrs’. If you think you’re fighting some kind of ‘holy war’ here like the anti-woke crusaders then you are seriously deluded.
Making up false accusations about censorship on TS almost guarantees self-martyrdom aka stupidity. The Venn diagram of such commenters and commenters not debating in good faith is two circles with a large overlap. This makes it easier for the Mods 😉
Yet the Ukraninian people, knowing that Yanukovich was "pro Russia", nevertheless elected him president.
As I understand matters, Yanukovich tried to obtain a deal with Europe, but latter kept putting obstacles in his path. I don't think they really wanted Ukraine in Europe – hardly surprising really given Ukraine's for corruption – but it's my guess they were negotiating to keep the Americans happy.
Also it's my understanding that the separatists were not originally looking to separate from Ukraine altogether. What they wanted was for a federal arrangement which would give them some leeway to live in accordance with their own Russian culture. It was the illegal ousting of Yanukovich that triggered that sentiment. However the fascists weren't having any of "that sort of nonsense" and started a war against them.
Well just maybe the counterfeit Ukrainian govt in 2014 shouldn't have sent the tanks in to eliminate Russian Ukrainians .Not a good way to make friends and influence people
Ukraine’s language law, which has been implemented in phases, establishes Ukrainian as the country’s sole state language. The law requires Ukrainian to be primarily used in business, school and media settings. However, it does not ban the use of Russian or other languages.
Most Ukrainians speak both and continue to do so perfectly legally. The laws referred to established Ukrainian as the official state language. Most nations have similar laws.
You're kind of fudging the law changes in Ukraine .Regional language status was granted to Russian and other minority languages in 2012., recognising the preponderance of Ukrainian Russians in certain regions.
It was the Party of Regions who got this bill through, under Yanukovich who had been voted in largely by the Eastern and the Southern regions, obviously a majority at that time
That meant Russian could be used in courts , schools and govt institutions in regions where those minorities exceeded 10%.
This was changed in 2019 when Ukrainian was made compulsory in all areas of public life including political parties.
Exceptions were made for the official languages of the EU, and some minorities, but Russian , Yiddish!!! and Belarusian were expressly excluded., which drew criticism from the Venice Commission and Human Rights Watch , and several EU members
Ukraine could have become a federation with semi autonomous regions but instead chose to fan the flames of nationalism, a point not missed by many Jews
We have three official languages and Russia has 24, Serbia 10,Canada 2.all in recognition of the various resident minorities.Ukraine has a sizeable Russian minority, the largest outside Russia.I get that Ukraine has been squeezed over the centuries with constantly changing borders, and the larger Empires dominating.But nationalism , such as it expressed itself during the second world war has a very ugly and dangerous side indeed , one that the US that other ugly empire is only too ready to exploit for its own purposes
and lets have a reputable source for a change please
You’ll have to issue a list of what you consider to be reputable , can be very subjective
What a wanker … if you please
Charming as it always is to be called a wanker by a preening faux leftist that idolizies genocidal dictators, and refreshing as it is to see you dig deep enough to find a source not entirely comprised of the pathetic Kremlin fictions you typically prefer (Wikipedia! but a great leap forward in your case rofl), it was not your untenable claim about Russian language that I tasked you to support – that particular fiction having been thoroughly debunked upthread by another commentor.
Well just maybe the counterfeit Ukrainian govt in 2014 shouldn't have sent the tanks in to eliminate Russian Ukrainians .Not a good way to make friends and influence people
It is distasteful to lie as you do, but it shows your quality I suppose, that you are incapable of recognizing the legitimacy of the government of Ukraine.
The assertion you needed to support however was that that government had sent in tanks to eliminate Russian Ukrainians. We understand of course, that a person that lies as often as yourself is wont to lose track, and await your withdrawal and apology – your enthusiasm clearly got the better of you and your respect for fact proved unable to restrain it.
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Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Mick Wallace is a courageous politician who dares to ask questions few others do.
Please add a link if you are quoting from something.
Here is the link to his tweet.
https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1603991444062375937
Thank you. I like how easy it is to paste tweets here.
Ease is not the issue, for most, it is lack of basic courtesy and consideration of the very simple rules of engagement here on TS. Sign of the times, I fear …
When you quote, you link
E iti noa ana, nā te aroha
The food is really good.
Wallace is a bankrupt, misogynist tax fraud who left a €30 million trail of bad debt and supports terrorists and violent, despotic regimes.
https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2022/11/24/mick-wallace-criticises-protests-in-iran-and-propaganda-against-regime/
Nice sidestep to ignore the observation made about Nord Stream.
Who blew it up?
Cui bono?
A country with a Baltic base that's home to small, quiet, submarines with the ability to move undetected in the region carrying dive teams that specialise in seabed operations.
A country with the stated intent of freezing Western Europe into submission.
Self sabotage. Not likely.
The destruction of NordStream meant Russia lost its ability to lever Europe over gas.
Whereas Biden had a clear motive.
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/FVbEoZXhCrM
Interesting read to the war in Ukraine. More historical than contemporary.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/26/ukraine-war-revenge-of-history-how-geopolitics-shaping-conflict?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
“Few conflicts have been so shaped by the chief actors’ sense of their own national story as the Ukrainian war that began in February. It is the competing grand narratives of the past, not just in Russia and Ukraine, but in Germany, France, Poland, the Baltics, the UK, the US, and even the global south, that make this war so hard to resolve”
History is everything. Much of that Guardian article is pretty superficial.
In this 38 minute interview with Aaron Maté, Nicolai Petro discusses "the overlooked influence of Ukraine's far-right nationalist movement and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent admission that the Minsk Accords — the international formula for ending the post-2014 Donbas civil war — "was an attempt to give Ukraine time" to prepare for a conflict with Russia, rather than make peace. Petro is the author of the new book, "The Tragedy of Ukraine."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cTxXQsfXkU
Petro is the Silvia-Chandley Professor of Peace Studies and Nonviolence and Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island, in the United States. He also served as the US State Department's special assistant for policy on the Soviet Union under President George HW Bush.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolai_N._Petro
I'm sure people being shelled, tortured, raped, looted by Russian invaders, will be very interested to intellectualise over what Classical Greek Tragedy can Teach us About Conflict Resolution.
This guy is full of shit – victim blaming and saying parties within Ukraine bear similar responsibility to Russia – the latter being the only one of the two that launched a war and brutal invasion of its neighbour. He discusses the minutiae of internal Ukrainian events, while brushing over Russia's internal repression, dictatorship and repeated pattern of interference and military assault of its neighbours.
Tried to put this in my reply…
Details.
https://twitter.com/maksymeristavi/status/1495323069539405826
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1495323069539405826.html
https://www.numbers-stations.com/articles/soviet-and-russian-invasions-since-1917/
Well, that's almost 40 minutes of my life I will never get back.
The only notable thing about this interview with professor Nicolai Petro, is the weird leading questions from sour Putin apologist Aaron Mate. Mate kept trying to push this dry bones professor to agree with his propaganda talking points.
The good professor pushed back on Aaron Mate's propaganda talking points. Admittedly very weakly, but push back he did.
That Western Ukraine is fascist
@ 7:48 minutes "I don't define everyone in government as a neo-nazi or fascist. That's not correct."
That the people of the Donbas, wanted to join Russia.
@ 32:00 minutes "It is not fair to say that they wanted to be part of Russia"
Whether "The Ukrainian state will ever exist again"
@ 36:10 minutes "Well it exists today. And I think there will be a Ukraine, certainly in the foreseeable future.
P.S. I thought Aaron Mate’s Dramatic headline to this interview was slanted and laughably misleading as to what was actually discussed.
“How Ukraine’s far-right, with NATO backing, block peace”
Isn't that just Youtube at the minute. It's a bullshit place hard to get clicks if your considered not corporate enough.
Hi Adam,
Are you saying, Aaron Mate deliberately put up a more dramatic headline than the actual content warranted, because he knew the Facebook algorithm would direct pro-war conspiracy theorists like aj to it?
Nope, what I saying is that people are making OTT titles to get clicks.
Like this one "Does The Fusion Breakthrough Live Up To The Clickbait?"
talking about fusion break through/kinda/sorta
or this one "Betty White and Joan Rivers Lay Into Each Other"
Two female comedians being legends.
A more balanced and nuanced view from Bomber Bradbury. The cause of this war is not just Putin and Russia ( as some posters on this site want to claim), but…..
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/12/27/the-new-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse-us-military-industrial-complex-vs-covid-vs-catastrophic-climate-change-vs-late-stage-capitalism/
You have mentioned this a few times now. Just for a sense of context, can you provide firm count of the death toll on both sides of this conflict in the Donbas, for say the 3 or 4 years prior to the invasion this year – and the same count for this year 2022 after Russia invaded in order to 'protect' said civilians?
I would imagine numbers are highly contested by both sides.
Would you accept a UN document – or does is it only Russian sources that you believe?
The figures before Russia came in were 14000 according to the UN report which from mem i think came out in 21 .This number is often attributed though to just the deaths from DPR /LPR but this is not the case if i have my facts right The 14000 includes all the protagonists including the nationalist forces although the bulk of them were from the Donbas because of course for a long time outgunned .
Are you referencing this UN report?
Nope the one i was referencing went back to 2014
Just a coincidence.
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1607425817595764738
https://www.wionews.com/world/russias-wealthy-lawmaker-and-critic-of-putins-ukraine-war-found-dead-in-india-546866
Russian siloviki may be setting information conditions to justify the nationalization of oligarchs’ resources to sponsor Russia’s war effort. Wagner financier Yeveniy Prigozhin attended the funeral of a deceased Wagner Group mercenary in St. Petersburg on December 24, where he stated that Russia needs to confiscate luxury possessions and accommodations from elites who ignore or do not support the war effort out of fear of losing their privileged lifestyles.[7] Prigozhin added that these affluent individuals support a vision where ”Western curators” dominate Russia in return for the sponsorship of their lifestyles and compared today’s Russian oligarchy to Ukraine’s or to 1990s Russia. Prigozhin ignited a scandal regarding the burial of the Wagner serviceman in recent weeks to push his political objectives — such as the legalization of Wagner in Russia — and his statements advocating redistribution of wealth at the funeral gained significant traction on the Russian internet.[8] Wagner-affiliated milbloggers widely supported Prigozhin’s criticism of Russian officials and praised his support for the war effort.[9] Prigozhin may be using such populist proposals to elevate his authority in Russian society or influence a return of stricter nationalization measures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also indirectly attacked Russian oligarchs on December 22, however, stating that Russians who drain Russia’s money from abroad and do not have a connection with the country “represent a danger” to Russia.[10] Putin claimed that while the vast majority of Russian businessmen are patriots, there are some who do not share the sentiment. Putin concluded that “everyone strives not only to stay, to live and work in Russia but to work for the benefit of our country.” Putin previously nationalized big businesses in the early 2000s to consolidate his authoritarian kleptocracy and may be attempting leverage nationalization to coerce elites to support his war in Ukraine or seize their property to fund military expenses.[11]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-24
Russian gravity strikes again!
If you aren't enough of a yes man, you get defenestrated
2022 Russian businessmen mystery deaths – Wikipedia
https://twitter.com/GeoRebekah/status/1607571305863479296?s=20&t=skEo7_IAni3btAQ-XHfm5g
…. imagine won’t size properly with the tool….
[image resized – Incognito]
I have done a caching change to the site that I am unsure of.
Let me know of any weird effects…
right now, logged in, my Replies list thinks I am Mac1.
Ah. Yep. Now that you have pointed it out, I remembered that was the same effect last time. But they have added a prefix field. I should be able to exclude that from being remembered.
My Replies list is fine.
Mine too. 🙂
back to normal now.
"Many are called, but few are chosen."
lol.
I find I learn a lot more about issues like the Ukraine if I avoid both Russian and NATO propagandists. I read writers without clear ideological connections to either side.
One I follow M.K. Bhadrakumar. He was an Indian diplomat whose
He writes mainly on
https://www.indianpunchline.com/about-me/
His most recent piece is as insightful as ever.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/ukraine-war-tolls-death-knell-for-nato/
What people learn in echo chambers is the sound of a pandemonium of parrots flying into each other and climbing up the walls in desperation to get out but unable to find the rabbit hole that sucked them in in the darkness of their cognitive dissonance.
Echo chambers like the Washington Post, CNN and the Guardian.
I agree.
Echo chambers come in all styles & sizes.
What is the sound of one gum flapping?
I agree. Even blogs like this one, TDB, Kiwiblog and Whaleoil or whatever it is now, are often echo chambers, and if some one dares to swim against the tide or criticise the supported team, they are often moderated with a threat to be banned if they do not discontinue.
[You nailed it, almost! Undoubtedly, you will be able to support your serious accusation with at least three fine examples here on TS. If not, I will let you out of this echo chamber and give you the freedom that you crave so clearly. For now, you’re in Pre-Mod, where we can look after you and give the care and attention that you clearly need – Incognito]
Mod note
What are your sources Jester?
Really recommend Indian Punchline.
And exactly as I said I'm now being banned (or threatened to be) or moderated or whatever. Do you seriously think that Kiwiblog is not an echo chamber for the blue team? As this is for the red team?
I can't be bothered looking back through comments for examples that you would discount or not satisfy you anyway.
Goodbye.
It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what you claim and can back up or not here on TS. I don’t give a toss about KB or any other blogsite.
FYI, the main reason for your Mod note was not the echo chamber bit but the moderation and ban threats for those who criticise ‘the red team’. This is blatant BS as many a Post and comment here is (highly) critical of the Labour Party, the Labour-led Government, or of MPs, Ministers, or even the PM, for example. The kaupapa of this site is robust debate and informed and founded criticism is an essential part of that. Otherwise how would we have constructive debate and about what?
You say that you can’t be bothered. I say that you know that you cannot support your accusation.
Whether I would discount any attempts or not is moot and a cop out.
The worst outcome for you would have been a temporary ban for wasting Moderator time. However, you have chosen to leave permanently, i.e., you are not banned but you took a permanent self-ban, which saves me having to put your details in the Black List.
Goodbye to you too.
Yes, Jester you are correct.
It is ok for some to insult, smear, abuse and slander, but if you, I or the others who speak, question the narrative in even the most diplomatic language, we can expect moderation and threats of banning.
Free speech.
What a joke!
[This is just wonderful! Parrots in an echo chamber parrot each other to become self-martyrs. This Mod parrot has the same response: provide at least 3 fine examples on TS of threats of moderation and banning when “speak[ing], question[ing] the narrative in even the most diplomatic language”.
You parrots seem to think that free speech means absolutely no rules, no boundaries, and no consequences. You seem to think that free speech is unconditional. You are a blot on free speech!
Obviously, you knew this was coming, so you will be prepared and have your examples handy. However, to avoid you further abusing your commenting privileges here – after more than 10,000 comments over almost 12 years here on TS , not counting all your aliases – and taking your ideas of free speech too far, I put you in Pre-Mod – Incognito]
Mod note
I can't be bothered looking back through comments for examples that you would discount or not satisfy you anyway.
Ban, censor and silence me if you want to.
[See you back on April Fools’ Day for making false accusations about censoring on TS and wasting Moderator time – Incognito]
Mod note
Those can be echo chambers, I agree.
But you betray your bias by not including an RT or a Sputnik etc in your list.
At the start I mentioned both Russian and NATO propaganda. Living in New Zealand, I am exposed to mucH more NATO and UkraniN propaganda obviously, given our mainstream media filters.
What more independent sources do you rely on for news from Ukraine and Russia?
It's a nice trick, confuting western news with Putin's propaganda, but it is profoundly disingenuous.
Perhaps you don't understand quite what it is that you are doing. Take a pro-western source, like Radio Free Europe. They report fact. They gather it, and verify it, it is news, not propaganda. It is true that they may not exert themselves to find true pro-Kremlin stories – but they are not obliged to. The same rules are supposed to apply to parliamentary debate here in NZ – the opposition is entitled to reveal unpleasant truths, but gets no sympathy when they lie.
Now consider the abundant Russian propaganda. It does not adhere to anything approaching journalistic principles, on the contrary, much of it is made from whole cloth, shot within Russian borders with actors or 'celebrities. These things are not equivalent – the Russian sources are compromised, and if you don't treat them critically you'll be compromised too.
And you call for independent sources. Who do you imagine independent journalists are? The ones supported by foundations that facilitate opaque funding streams? Or the genuine independent journalists that sell to wire services like AP or Reuters? Your sources of choice seem to be the former – not much independence happening there.
To understand how western media propaganda works, I recommend you read Naom Chomsky to comprehend how our leaders manufacture consent through the corporate mainstream media.
I guess you imagine I haven't read Chomsky Ed – I expect I was reading him before you were born.
But you really don't seem to understand how Russian propaganda works, which is how they invariably make you their patsy.
Just had a look at his twitter feed. For someone so unbiased, everything resembles verbatim kremlin propaganda. And he is continually retweeting 100% kremlin propaganda, bought and paid for (i.e. TASS, RT). Plus tweeting Russian Ministry of Defence press releases, links from kremlin official website etc.
No echos there. It's like an anechoic chamber, it is.
Who happens to be a prolific spreader of Russian propaganda via his own publication and pro-Kremlin rags Globalresearch and RT.
Looks like we disagree on this.
What's to disagree about.You're a consumer of Kremlin propaganda.
Are you able to debate without hurling smears, abuse and slander?
If your arguments are strong, rely on evidence- not abuse.
I note you use this system with many who disagree with you I this subject.
You seem to be confusing what appears to be a statement of fact ("You're a consumer of Kremlin propaganda"), with abuse and slander.
You don't debate with folk unwilling to condemn a terror state that bombards, launches missile attacks, and drops incendiaries on civilian populations with the sole purpose of murdering people in their beds.
You smear, abuse and slander them.
There is also that, true.
Well I am personally happy that Russia is losing this war quite horribly Putin's ineptitude combined with his hubris and his Generals incompetence has seen Russia lose the its best trained and equipped troops and the majority of its quality ground equipment. Sanctions have crippled Russian efforts to refresh almost all modern arms. Ukraine and the west have been successfully boiling the frog for a while now
I've been hearing that for a good long time, and yet despite massive support,( an unprecedented nearly 50 billion dollars,) US provided surveillance, satellite intelligence,thousands and thousands of various pieces of armory and lethal weapons, years of Nato training and arming, additional mercenaries ,and sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy, Russia is still standing and is still fighting in Ukraine
How long do you think its going to take?
So about 2.5% of what the US spent on the Iraq invasion to date then. And around 2% of the estimated cost to the world economy from Russia's brutal invasion.
Estimates of Russia's expenditure to date are in the range of $80b – $300b
You never answered Francesca’s question.
I'll answer; not long if rumours of a run on Russian banks are to be believed.
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1606686548971364352
Not long says Joe, without any kind of estimate.
Obama told us way back then that the Russian economy was in tatters
And yet, here they still are
Sort of like Steven Joyce said about NZ. In 2017 wasn't it? There were plenty of other saying the NZ economy was totally down the dunny in 2017 when National didn't get in.
How much of the cost to the world comes from the lunatic sanctions?
And there is the risk to the world of nuclear war because of US and UK brinkmanship.
Peace now.
The UN must call for an immediate ceasefire.
Well so far Russia has ignored the UN General Assembly at every point. What chance do you think of a Security Council resolution that they would not veto – or even consider adhering to?
A good point Red .It's almost as if the UN General Assembly has no power to change things
From your neck of the woods
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/us-votes-against-un-adopted-anti-nazi-resolution-while-australia-abstains/
Goodness me US
We were discussing military aid such as the US gives regularly to Israel .Even their dearest friend and string puller Israel has never received 50 billion within an 8 month period.
And you have to resort to the Iraq war , which the US was overtly engaged in , rather than covertly
I heard the US has already committed 100 billion for the Ukraine war on BBC radio the other day. Not sure how much of this has been spent.
The US and the west will run out of money to give long before Russia will loose.
Or let me put it this way, the US American will run out of patience with their government giving their tax dollars away on a war that is no more winable then Afganistan or Iraq, or Somalia for that matter.
So the question is, will the US break apart first or Russia. My money is on the US.
from 2021 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/27/politics/blinken-tapper-the-lead/index.html
and the follow up on this from 2022
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2022/12/23/2825535/us-admits-afghan-pullout-helped-arm-ukraine
The other question is who of the victorious and glorious 101st keyboard brigades in the west is happy to send their kids into the killing fields to feed the hunger of the cannon? Someones got to do the dying. I guess we will find out soon. War is a racket, and the poor as always will pay the bills.
Francesca, Russia has already lost, it's only a matter of time.
But Francesca if you asking; How long will it take for the war to end?
The war in Ukraine will continue as long as Putin keeps attacking and Ukraine keeps resisting.
My estimation is that the Ukrainians will never stop resisting.
Even if the West stops backing Ukraine with modern arms and equipment, the Ukrainians will continue to fight a gorilla war against the Russian invader. In that case the war will follow the trajectory of the Vietnam or Afghanistan war. With the same result, the war will drag on for years, until Russian withdrawal.
So how long will the war last?
It depends.
How long will Putin keep attacking?
P.S.
On a seemingly completely unrelated matter; I was reading the history of the First King Charles.
King Charles the First was charged with treason against Parliament. But one of the more peculiar of the other related charges brought against KC1, was continuing the war after it was lost. A charge even the Royalist army generals supported.
But Jenny , haven't you heard ?
The Russians are on the run , they've run out of missiles several times over, they haven't got the men or wherewithal to keep on going , their economy has been in tatters since Obama's time , Putin is dying, has been for years, a palace coup is imminent, since 2014 at least, Russian soldiers are surrendering, dying of cold,without weapons or food or cold weather gear, China and India have turned against them, told Putin off, thrown away the key.And all this since about March 2022.With all their generals killed and only untrained 50 year old conscripts thin on the ground, no more missiles , I would have thought the far superior Ukrainian army, with right and Nato (synonymous)on their side would have been in Crimea by now, let alone Moscow.Whats the hold up?
You are making a straw man argument. I have never claimed any of those things.
In my opinion the Russian Federation has more than enough military capacity and potential to continue attacking Ukraine indefinitely.
So what?
Despite America's huge military capacity and potential eventually the US withdrew from Vietnam. The US had the capacity to carry on the war in Vietnam for another decade, easily and possibly even indefinitely.. Some commentators in the US argued that if the US had just "Stayed the course" the US would have eventually won in Vietnam. Afghanistan proved that theory wrong.
Americans thought they would win in Afghanistan, if they just, "Stayed the course". The Afghanistan war became the longest war in US history and the US still lost.
As long Russia keeps attacking the Ukrainians will keep resisting.
Like the US in Vietnam and Afghanistan, the RF despite their huge military resources and potential will eventually withdraw because to continue will have no point.
What the current contraversy about "Drag" has at its roots.
"once they donned blackface, white men could “sing, dance, speak, move, and act in ways that were considered inappropriate for white men.” When men appear in drag, they can sing, dance, speak, move, and act in ways that some people still consider inappropriate for men. If we have moved past blackface, it’s hard to understand why we cannot move past drag."
https://juliebindel.substack.com/p/drag-story-hour-and-cultural-appropriation
That's an excellent piece .I've always felt that drag is a colossal piss take at the expense of women .Hypersexualised , soft porn, male fantasy projections should not target children .
Absolutely – we managed to learn how to read without the assistance of some bloke calling himself "Suzi Slutski" or similar and dressed in nightclub gear at 10am. You have to wonder why children should be taught not to trust the evidence of their eyes and ears when it comes to the sex of the people they might meet.
Doesn’t need to be overcomplicated.
https://twitter.com/stamellea/status/1606926003129012224
The war started in 2014.
Did you know that detail?
No Ed, I'm really stupid.
I did actually.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
Putin’s excuse for invading Ukraine is Godwin's law writ large.
[link added. Take a few days off for repeatedly ignoring the requested conventions here. – weka]
Ok, so all those who compare Putin to Hitler ,the childish Putler etc, have by Godwin's law also lost the internet debate
It really depends on the facts they produce.
Gassing his own citizens? Check.
That's not "Godwin's Law". Godwin's Law uses analogies to Hitler, or the Nazies, in debates which have nothing to do with either. Ed made a statement about Nazies in Ukraine, which was intended as astatent of fact, and not analogous to anything, though of course any statement of that type may be contested.
mod note.
From one of the comments below the tweet
"If Ukraine keeps fighting there will be no Ukraine .After Russia is done ,Hungary,Poland and the rest will take back their part of what remains"
Decommunisation!
Doesn't need to be complicated
And another comment below states that Ukraine ….
Yes, I'm sure they just love attacking their own citizens.
It was a civil war. Are you aware of the history of Ukraine?
Except they are Russians, not considered to be human , let alone citizens
Russia has spent 8 years trying to steal one of Ukraine's most valuable economic resources; the estimated 60 billion tonne coal reserve that's vital to Ukrainian industry.
Your source? I thought we were expected to provide links for unsubstantiated claims.
I know you are aware there was a coup d'etat in 2014, in which the democratically elected government of the Ukraine as removed by far right agitators, supported by the neoconservative cabal in the U.S.
Context is essential to understanding.
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2016/06/13/the-2014-coup-d-etat-and-the-ukrainian-crisis/
https://ehu-lt.academia.edu/VladislavSotirovi%C4%87/CurriculumVitae
I think we can glean from the tenor of this article the necessary context to understand where your Prof. Sotirovic is coming from.
There was a coup d'etat in 2014, in which the democratically elected government of the Ukraine as removed by far right agitators, supported by the neoconservative cabal in the U.S.
You can keep shooting the many messengers, but historical fact is just that.
Fact.
You can use whatever labels you like – but the whole story of the Maidan Revolution is a lot more complex than the idiot simplification you want us to believe.
No-one here should be fool enough to think all sides were lily-white in their motives and conduct. A nation struggling to emerge from being an exploited colony of the Russian Empire was notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional – as all ex-marxist states are. At the same time successive Ukrainian govts from 2002 onward had sought better economic ties with the EU – a trend that is also undeniable on the facts.
Yanukovych's democratic mandate evaporated when he backed away from this movement to escape this Russian noose around their neck. And no amount of Western meddling would have made any difference if there had not also been a critical mass of ordinary Ukrainian people willing to openly protest and risk death for this cause.
Of course Poots immediate response to these events was not negotiation, not diplomacy but to invade and annexe Crimea – and act of such egregious bad faith that it inexorably set us on the path to the the present slaughter.
Maybe somewhere in your imagination you are still protesting the Vietnam war, or perhaps still grieving for the fall of the Soviet Union – but this juvenile narrative in your head that – everything Russian = blameless and wonderful; and everything Western = vile and corrupt – is as cartoonish as would be the converse narrative.
Of course typing out anti-US, anti-Western narratives on the internet has long been a certain path to collecting hard-left purity points. Triple score if you hang trigger words like 'neo-conservative' and 'hard-right' into the mix. And what is more in this western liberal democracy you hate so much, we typically indulge you in this. Here we are almost a year into this and here you are still getting a free pass to repeat whatever nonsense and disinformation you like.
When of course – as you know full well – the same privilege would not be accorded to you if you lived in Russia. (Which if you were sincere in what you tell us – you would have already moved there and be telling us first hand how wonderful it is.)
What do you suggest? Censoring, cancelling, banning, something else? If anything, on what grounds, i.e., grounds that contravene TS Policy and/or are deliberate nonsense and misinformation beyond reasonable doubt?
This seems to suggest that it is ok to give out free passes and commenting privileges even to peddlers of nonsense and misinformation.
There’s a lot of confusion and internal conflict in your comments lately that evolve around free speech.
I suggest you might have read more into that than intended. As you well know I have consistently argued for free speech (within the usual bounds and consequences).
Well take for example Ed's claim below at 12:28pm – that Russian language is banned in Ukraine. Obvious nonsense and easily debunked. As far as I am concerned the correct response to disinformation is to provide the evidence and counter the argument. Nowhere have I suggested our resident crew of pro-Poots tankies should be banned or censored.
On the other hand it is also reasonable to point out that Russian law at present, convicts and sentences people to prison for the offence of merely calling the Ukrainian 'Special Operation' by it's proper name – a war. Actually criticising the war is likely to attract an attack of Russian gravity from third floor window.
I am genuinely not sure why you should think this inconsistent.
My comment was an invitation to you to elaborate and clarify and you obliged, so thank you.
It is still unclear to me what you suggest [we do] with commenters such as Ed who “repeat[s] whatever nonsense and disinformation [he] like[s]”. For example, how many times does the commentariat have to debunk his claims, especially the same claim that’s allegedly (!) easily debunked, before a Mod steps in?
Russian law is irrelevant here on TS and as such, I have no interest in it. What I am interested in is upholding the principles of free speech and the kaupapa of this site.
Well yes. I was only pointing out Ed's gross hypocrisy, running apologist lines for a regime that absolutely crushes free speech, while exploiting his privilege here for the same – to the max.
Maybe I should have just left this obvious contradiction unstated.
Yes, it is (gross) hypocrisy, but that is a very low threshold for anything. Spreading nonsense and disinformation is much more serious and this has my considerable attention and interest and yours too. So, what do we (…) do about it, if anything, except for calling out, countering, and/or debunking? That’s the real question, IMO.
I have no right of reply to RL’s fraudulent allegations against me.
Jester and I have been censored and silenced for daring to question the neocon narrative.
Not until you’ve dealt with your Mod note and you’ve been wasting Moderator time and I’m getting impatient.
Nope. Jester chose to leave on his own accord. You were both modded for making unsubstantiated accusations about censoring and silencing here on TS. Plenty of commenters here flip their lids about neocon, neoliberal, and neo-what-have-you – Jester and you are not special cases at all and by no means ‘activist heroes turning into martyrs’. If you think you’re fighting some kind of ‘holy war’ here like the anti-woke crusaders then you are seriously deluded.
If people are not conversing in good faith, they are better off gone .
Making up false accusations about censorship on TS almost guarantees self-martyrdom aka stupidity. The Venn diagram of such commenters and commenters not debating in good faith is two circles with a large overlap. This makes it easier for the Mods 😉
I am unable to debate this point quickly with you as I have been put into moderation.
Indeed, and you know what to do, so get on with it.
Yet the Ukraninian people, knowing that Yanukovich was "pro Russia", nevertheless elected him president.
As I understand matters, Yanukovich tried to obtain a deal with Europe, but latter kept putting obstacles in his path. I don't think they really wanted Ukraine in Europe – hardly surprising really given Ukraine's for corruption – but it's my guess they were negotiating to keep the Americans happy.
Also it's my understanding that the separatists were not originally looking to separate from Ukraine altogether. What they wanted was for a federal arrangement which would give them some leeway to live in accordance with their own Russian culture. It was the illegal ousting of Yanukovich that triggered that sentiment. However the fascists weren't having any of "that sort of nonsense" and started a war against them.
Well just maybe the counterfeit Ukrainian govt in 2014 shouldn't have sent the tanks in to eliminate Russian Ukrainians .Not a good way to make friends and influence people
Or banned their language.
Another nonsense.
Most Ukrainians speak both and continue to do so perfectly legally. The laws referred to established Ukrainian as the official state language. Most nations have similar laws.
I am not sure I can answer you.
No, you cannot, as you have to deal with your Mod note first.
You're kind of fudging the law changes in Ukraine .Regional language status was granted to Russian and other minority languages in 2012., recognising the preponderance of Ukrainian Russians in certain regions.
It was the Party of Regions who got this bill through, under Yanukovich who had been voted in largely by the Eastern and the Southern regions, obviously a majority at that time
That meant Russian could be used in courts , schools and govt institutions in regions where those minorities exceeded 10%.
This was changed in 2019 when Ukrainian was made compulsory in all areas of public life including political parties.
Exceptions were made for the official languages of the EU, and some minorities, but Russian , Yiddish!!! and Belarusian were expressly excluded., which drew criticism from the Venice Commission and Human Rights Watch , and several EU members
Ukraine could have become a federation with semi autonomous regions but instead chose to fan the flames of nationalism, a point not missed by many Jews
https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/30/israels-president-confronts-ukrainians-with-their-past/
We have three official languages and Russia has 24, Serbia 10,Canada 2.all in recognition of the various resident minorities.Ukraine has a sizeable Russian minority, the largest outside Russia.I get that Ukraine has been squeezed over the centuries with constantly changing borders, and the larger Empires dominating.But nationalism , such as it expressed itself during the second world war has a very ugly and dangerous side indeed , one that the US that other ugly empire is only too ready to exploit for its own purposes
https://unacademy.com/content/upsc/study-material/general-awareness/countries-with-more-than-one-official-language/
*citation required.
And let's have a reputable source for a change, if you please.
Can’t tell if you’re wanting a citation from me
Wikipedia too Kremlinesque for you ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_policy_in_Ukraine#:~:text=According%20to%20article%2010%20of,entire%20territory%20of%20the%20country.
and lets have a reputable source for a change please
You’ll have to issue a list of what you consider to be reputable , can be very subjective
What a wanker … if you please
Charming as it always is to be called a wanker by a preening faux leftist that idolizies genocidal dictators, and refreshing as it is to see you dig deep enough to find a source not entirely comprised of the pathetic Kremlin fictions you typically prefer (Wikipedia! but a great leap forward in your case rofl), it was not your untenable claim about Russian language that I tasked you to support – that particular fiction having been thoroughly debunked upthread by another commentor.
Well just maybe the counterfeit Ukrainian govt in 2014 shouldn't have sent the tanks in to eliminate Russian Ukrainians .Not a good way to make friends and influence people
It is distasteful to lie as you do, but it shows your quality I suppose, that you are incapable of recognizing the legitimacy of the government of Ukraine.
The assertion you needed to support however was that that government had sent in tanks to eliminate Russian Ukrainians. We understand of course, that a person that lies as often as yourself is wont to lose track, and await your withdrawal and apology – your enthusiasm clearly got the better of you and your respect for fact proved unable to restrain it.