“the Bill will reduce the Employment Relations Act to a farce and the result will be wages are driven down and employment agreements broken up, with some of the most significant impact being on workers in the public sector.”
And when that does not happen will we see an apology from the author of this post?
Today is a great day for the country.
[lprent: This looks more like diversion trolling than addressing the topic – moved to OpenMike.
Two week ban. One for diversion trolling. The second for wasting my time moving the comments. ]
The ironic thing is labour will get into power and leave most of the changes intact (like most of the changes Roger implemented) – they know its good for the economy
Then again labour is acting mighty strangely lately with all this NZ Power craziness!!!
In relation to ” ‘Cos-I’m-John-Key-can’t-remember-my-last-username”, this is defining. In the archaic meaning of “squire” he was a fellow who was the dependable runner or errand boy of the knight.
Well, no unkindness intended but that’s how the abovenamed strikes me.
And he will be vindicated.
There is no doubt that before that citizen of the Kingdom of Global Banker leaves these now less-lovely shores, he will bestow upon himself The Order Of This That the Other Thing.
The abovenamed will have a true knight to snivel around after !
crmlu
You’re right Labour did blend in NACT type policies. There was a subterranean movement and a lot of aspiring NACTs took over hearts and minds of the Labour faithful in spades. It’s time to forge new approaches which is what is being said each day.
I don’t mind you refusing to print any of my guest post requests. As a Centre Left website you have every right to do so. No website allows posts they disagree with, that’s understandable. And why should you be different? But Lynn, do you really have to bump down my posts on Open mike?
P.S. Saying that. If you did allow more controversial Left of Centre posts. Who knows? You might find you could possibly get more debate and more readership.
the site is unpredictable at times Jenny; comments I make often end up above comments that came before; don’t panic; I read most of your comments, most of the time anyway.
Coincidentally since I put up THIS post on open mike yesterday.
The Herald has published reviews of a new book which details all the pressures that David Lange was put under by the New Zealand state, the permanent heads of the Civil Service, military leaders, and foreign government leaders, to ignore his promise to the electorate. And the dismay these people felt, when Lange, under this onslaught of secret behind the scenes pressure, despite some early vacillation, eventually turned his back on them. That these undemocratic parasites on the body politic have now accused Lange of lying to them. Is just sour grapes. Politics is all about pressure and this time the pressure from below, was greater than the pressure from above.
If only Lange had had the courage and the wit to stand up to the enemy within: Douglas, Prebble, Bassett, Moore, De Cleene and their fanatical mentors in Treasury.
To Morrissey and Rhinocrates et al “If only Lange had had the courage and the wit to stand up to the enemy within: Douglas, Prebble, Bassett, Moore, De Cleene and …….”
He did ! Don’t you remember ? Some time late in 1987 Lange called for a “cup of tea” – meaning he wanted a pause in the ongoing rushed economic reforms to allow for proper consideration of them and their effects.
He was strongly vilified for that, a grouping led by Douglas, Prebble ,De Cleene etc set up the “Backbone Club” which went out publicly – with MSM support – to vilify Lange and his attempts to stop what was going on, when he had realised just how damaging it was. The vilification continued in house in the caucus as well. It was sickening to observe. Disgusting behaviour on the part of the leaders.
During an industrial dispute in Kawerau, provoked when Tasman cunningly appointed an unqualified woman to a machine operating position ahead of several qualified men, Lange came out on the side of the bosses. He said he would never stand with a union that was against employment for women, even when this patently was not the issue.
My view of Lange is that Kirk was the last half way decent Labour PM.
Agreed …. though I don’t judge him QUITE as harshly as the ‘careerists’ that followed and who STILL keep trying to push their barrow (or rather keep doing their best to push SHIT uphill).
At Least Lange had the decency to call for a cup of tea and a lay down – i.e. he recognised the programme was hollow.
Not so others – and unfortunately I now have to include that pathetic munter Robertson amongst that ilk (UNLESS of course he has an epiphany forthwith).
Hey……… btw….. whatever happened to that FanBoi or Fan Club fella?
Haven’t seen it screaching loudly lately in defense of the indefensible. (I guess he/she/it is too busy climbing the ranks and sucking as much rrrrrrrr’s as possible)
Gerald Hensley reinvents history to besmirch the memory of David Lange, and instead of being critical of that cowardly and disgusting behaviour, comments on The Standard concerning this matter are predominantly anti-Labour… Some even claiming Lange wasn’t courageous enough at a time he implemented legislation to ensure New Zealand became nuclear free in spite of huge international and domestic pressures.
You’d have to be seriously gullible to believe what Piggy Muldoon’s former chief adviser has made up to discredit a left wing Prime Minister. In fact you’d likely have to be as deluded as Hensley himself. Let’s instead ask the right wing hack what his advice was on the Springbok tour, the Think Big projects and increasing external debt by 1338% while Muldoon was Prime Minister. Where’s the book accepting that the third National Government was a complete economic, social and political failure for New Zealand?
Giving Hensley’s fabrications the credence they clearly don’t deserve by attacking Labour will only help to promote the idea of removing our Nuclear Free legislation (PDF)… Not that National presently abides by those laws anyway, that’s the end goal for Hensley and the current government. Let’s make something very clear… Like the vast majority of Kiwis, David Lange wanted New Zealand to be nuclear free… Hensley’s lies won’t change that fact one iota.
If only Lange had had the courage and the wit to stand up to the enemy within: Douglas, Prebble, Bassett, Moore, De Cleene and their fanatical mentors in Treasury.
Morrissey
No human being could stand up to that sort of pressure alone. Such pressure can be so intense that you can be ambushed into making decisions that can even go against your own better judgement. Despite it all, Lange did eventually call a halt. And probably wondered “Why on earth did I ever support any of that?” A question that I am sure many principled people finding themselves in similar isolated positions have asked themselves.
To his cost. For David Lange on his retirement, there was no plum sinecure as a director on a board of some well off company or bank, the usual reward for politicians of his stature who do what they’re told.
What was missing was a mass movement that would have supplied Lange with the counter pressure to the neo-liberal tidal wave.
Politics is all about pressure and who can bring it to bear.
“March 21 Novopay debacle solved by restarting computer
Novopay minister Steven Joyce: “We tried everything we could think of. We made sure the plug was in, we ran a virus scan. You know, pretty much everything. And then John walks in this morning munching on his breakfast bagel, and he says ‘Hey, Steve. Have you tried restarting the computer’?”
If in doubt – reboot! – Says it all really. Cure the immediate, though not the cause.
Very symbolic of a NAct agenda, and symbolic of the neo-Lib agenda too.
Keep it up is what I’m DESPERATELY hoping for but they should not be surprised when they disappear up their own arses (as fat and ugly as they may be).
Shades of Monty P/Greed/Sloth explosions in the nature of weapons of mass disgusting
from what I have read of this chap behind The Civilian (beyond a Nicholas Cage article) he appears very capable and creative; now a part of the media furniture for a while, with the hesitant support of his parents.
Here in H.B there is a young woman broadcasting her interesting life and personality to a YouTube audience of hundreds of thousands of people.”Jamies World”. great self-marketing for an aspirant dramatic arts performer or director. could be a few unforeseen consequences.
At least we can be a little pleased for the guy that runs The Civillian. He does help to make the day go with a smile. And as they say Any advertising is good advertising.
Indeed David H.Thank god (no religious inference intended) for Colin Craig being an arse. I hadn’t heard about that hilarious Civilian website until he threw a wee tanty.
The Comedy of Mortification
Kiwi version of The Office struggles along Back Benches, Prime TV, Wednesday 24 April 2013, 10:30 p.m.
Hosted by WALLACE CHAPMAN and DAMIAN CHRISTIE
Politicians: Gareth Hughes (Green), Aaron Gilmore (National), Chris Hipkins (Labour)
After suffering through TV3’s dire The Vote: Is New Zealand a Racist Country?, my big night of television continued with yet another New Zealand current affairs show fronted by a couple of clowns.
These two, although far less self-assured clowns than Espiner and Garner, are, nonetheless, impressive exponents of the comedy of embarrassment. Christie, in particular, came across very effectively as New Zealand television’s very own David Brent. The fact that this was entirely unintentional only made it all the more effective.
In case you haven’t seen Back Benches—and you probably haven’t—it consists of aforesaid clowns (Wallace Chapman and Damian Christie) talking to a panel of three politicians and then walking around the Back Benches tavern in Wellington asking people what they think about what the politicians have said. The politicians are usually pretty relaxed—it seems that ties are banned—and usually acquit themselves quite well. The members of the public, however, are a little more unpredictable. The following is a quick highlights reel of Wednesday night’s episode….
After the politicians have been interviewed, the first person on the roving mike is John Carnegie from Business New Zealand. Predictably, sadly, he vapours pompously about the Labour-Green electricity pricing policy: “We are sending an incredibly bad signal that New Zealand is no longer a safe place to invest.” The crowd reacts to this rant with skeptical murmuring and scattered laughter. Quite apart from his irrational, hysterical words, many people have no doubt noticed that Carnegie looks uncannily like the fat guy in The Office.
Back to the politicians, for their thoughts. This is where not only the intellectual, but the moral calibre of the politicians is often revealed. Chris Hipkins and Gareth Hughes both speak eloquently, but when Hipkins is speaking, Aaron Gilmore hoots and laughs. Such displays of loutish imbecility are, damningly, all that National is capable of; Gilmore’s antics are no different from the antics in Parliament of other National Party thugs, especially Gerry Brownlee. (Talking about people who look like Big Keith…)
Then it’s time for the most unpredictable part of the show: the vox pops. This consists of Damian Christie walking around the tables with his microphone and asking them what they think. This is a nerve-wracking exercise at the best of times, and it’s not helped by Christie’s patent awkwardness….
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Have you been to Gallipoli for the dawn service? WOMAN: Yes. DAMIAN CHRISTIE: What were you doing over there? WOMAN: Going to the dawn service.
This is met by gales of laughter, some of it shading into outright derision of Christie. Undeterred, however, Christie ploughs on, like an ANZAC soldier struggling doggedly up a Turkish cliff…
CHRISTIE: You’re getting all choked up over it now, aren’t you! WOMAN: Not really.
Bravely, Christie continues to circulate around the room, wielding his enormous microphone, looking for vulnerable drinkers. It’s quite noticeable that people are drawing away as he approaches. He’d better watch himself, otherwise he’s going to make people as nervous as Brian Edwards did with his ambush vox pops in Auckland’s Victoria Park during his short-lived Saturday night horror show a decade ago.
Indeed – don’t encourage them.
I’ve only managed to watch one Backbenches since is commercial transition – just as I have Media3 (once was Media7).
One of the big problems with the commercialisation of these programmes (or should I now call them ‘shows’) is that the continuity is destroyed often by the NEED to ‘take a break’ at as close to set times as is possible – and regardless of interrupting participants trying to make a point.
You’ll notice it on FUX NEWS often – when the left are getting any sort of advantage in an argument….. “we gotta get a break”, etc.
That’s just ONE of the problems! The platform is insidious: whether intended or not – you’ll find Brown, Chapman, Christie et al become victims of the ‘stardom mentality’ that seems to be a necessity in operating on this commercially driven platform.
In both cases (Prime BB, and MW M3), the defense is – it’s better than no BB or M3. I’m afraid not for me.
We are sending an incredibly bad signal that New Zealand is no longer a safe place to invest
It would be followed by an lowering of our credit rating, and a devaluation in currency.
The oil prices being kept artificially high as a deterrant to flirting with currency devaluation, because the inflationary pressure threat would be rammed down everyones throat!
Interest rates would rise, and whats left of the NZ economy will fall out the backdoor. Even with more competitive exports, the current account deficit will keep widening, with a higer cost of borrowing to service the lesser credit rating, leading to higher taxes to service the gowing debt costs!
The NZ Power policy as no chance of getting off the ground,
Because the global banking cartel, has NZ, by the balls!
The effect of NZ Power on private shareholders dividends will be 3 to 4.5% (not accounting for revenue increasing, + 18.6% in 2012). You’re saying that because of a potential 3 to 4.5% reduction in value of dividends going to private shareholders the NZ economy will fall out the backdoor? Get off the grass muzza.
I have to agree with you there CV… After crunching a few numbers it appears NZ Power won’t have much if any affect on power companies profitability or the dividends they payout. However there are savings to be made through better management of current infrastructure, which I think is just as much a problem as the current bidding system that means consumers are paying far too much for electricity that’s relatively cheap to produce.
It appears that Labour and the Greens perhaps knew there would be howls of anger from the right wing regarding NZ Power and so devised a very moderate policy. It certainly isn’t far left “economic vandalism” that some have claimed. Let’s hope that when NZ Power gets up and running (mid to late 2016) they will push the envelope a bit on how much is actually able to be saved for consumers.
Actually Jackal, my intent was aimed at what would likely happen to the housing/retail markets, should interest rates rise from their current. *lows* ??? following a devaluation in our currency, via a ratings mark down!
My commentary was a high level overview of what would happen, as was pointed out, if *a signal that NZ was no longer a safe place to invest*, went out!
Which is what NZ Power will have to contend with, and its creators contend with, before it stands any chance to become airborne!
A wee bit surprised you didn’t zone in on the comment made by one of those ( I don’t know one from the other) aforementioned clowns Morrissey. Never mind. I’ll do it. Came after a quick fire question to the pollies relating to Boston.
Where were the alleged bombers from? Answer given was Chechnya. Answer queried on the grounds (I guess) that Kyrgyzstan had been mentioned in connection to them and their family. And the clown, not remembering the name ‘Kyrgyzstan’ deemed it an an opportunity to pop out the racially loaded ‘Wogistan’ alternate answer.
Not surprised you don’t know one clown from another. After all, they’re all make-uo (courtesy of whatever brand of face paint that’s in vogue these days).
I was just thinking though (after witnessing a hipkins on some Beck Benchas ‘show’ – constructed by a Chapman and a Christie – where the credits were at pains to tell us all who ‘dressed them’) – I was going to suggest he should ‘Moisturise!…. Moisturise!…. Moisturise”.
It may well be his greatest contribution to the Labouring Party
A wee bit surprised you didn’t zone in on the comment made by one of those ( I don’t know one from the other) aforementioned clowns Morrissey.
I heard it, but I didn’t write it down in my transcription notebook, so I’d forgotten it by the time I came to type it up. The clown that said it was (surprise, surprise) the National Party lout Aaron Gilmore.
Never mind. I’ll do it. Came after a quick fire question to the pollies relating to Boston.
Thanks, Bill. You’re a trooper—in the good sense.
Where were the alleged bombers from? Answer given was Chechnya. Answer queried on the grounds (I guess) that Kyrgyzstan had been mentioned in connection to them and their family. And the clown, not remembering the name ‘Kyrgyzstan’ deemed it an an opportunity to pop out the racially loaded ‘Wogistan’ alternate answer.
And no-one batted an eyelid.
It’s not that nobody noticed, or cared. The problem is the format of the show. To remonstrate with that halfwitted National Party thug would have been counter to this show’s enforced mood of frivolity. Earlier in the evening, over on TV3, the same determined dumbing down occurred when Prof. Damon Salesa tried to say something serious during the moronic laugh-fest The Vote.
It wasn’t Gilmore came out with that shit Morrissey. It was one of the presenters – the one who tended to do the wandering around eliciting opinion from attendees.
Gilmore answered with “Chechnya”. One of the presenters was a bit unsure of that as an answer and the other clown kind of dismissively (barely conceiled undertones of ‘they’re all the same and who the fuck cares anyway’) suggested “Wogistan”. Racially, ethnically and religiously fucked up as all hell imo.
John Armstrong is the Peter Dunne of the NZ Herald. Always trying to position himself in the vaccuous centre because he thinks that will may him look sensible, balanced and fair. In reality he’s just another self-serving journo.
Everyone should see the the film ‘Shadows of liberty’; it was on at documentary festival and hopefully will come back to cinemas once finished the festival cycle.
Here it trailer http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=_SAUborWbPw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_SAUborWbPw
It does show what has happened to the media and examples can be found in New Zealand of all the same issues mentioned in the film.
“John Armstrong is the Peter Dunne of the NZ Herald.”
heh.
It’s a thing. “High Broderism” it’s called, after David Broder who dominated the Washington press corp for lo, many years.
The basic conceit is that some journalists develop a identity of being the caretakers of the discourse. The content of policy, the actual business of politics, becomes a side issue at best; the protection of order, and form, take over. Disputes are seen not as politics functioning as it ought, but as threats to be resolved. ‘Bold policy’ is just a move in a game. They are positioning statements aimed at voter blocks, rather than policies aimed at problems.
What that leads to, though it is never admitted, or even realised I suspect, is that much of the political analysis we see is not analysis of policy, or even of politicians, but of the polis.
The question “How will this policy play in the electorate in terms of votes” is not answered by looking at the effects of a policy, or the reasoning behind it. ie, it cannot be answered by reporting on policy or politicians. It is answered by discussing whose votes might shift, and what it might do in the polls.
The advantage for journalists here is that this is a non partisan endeavor; they aren’t pontificating about whether the policy is good/bad, or whether the politician is honest/mendacious.
Nice link, PB. I think Colin Espiner fits that description too. When many had pegged him as a friend of the left he let loose with the article on Green/Labour policy.
Armstrong’s piece is all about strategy – about The Game. And nothing about what is actually the right thing to do for the majority of Kiwis, and especially for those struggling on low incomes.
It’s a heartless piece. But that’s what “neoliberalism” has done to mainstream political commentary.
small question (and I understand folks are busy)
Why is there no banner/promotion on The Standard for the Day of Action ?
There is just yesterday’s reminder. Seems like a missed opportunity is all.
anyways . . .
You may have voted National, Maori Party, United Future or even Act. That does not deny you your right to voice opposition to their actions as a Government. In fact to succeed in their crimes, they count on your silence and your complicity. Today is your chance to let them know you matter.
If you are not working today, little has greater significance to the future of New Zealand than this simple walk down the street amongst friends.
The crowning of Maurice Williamson as a ‘gay icon’ (by the media at least) has left me somewhat bemused.
Nothing against Williamson. He voted yes for marriage equality and as a result I applaud him. Even more so, he is a member of a conservative party in a rather blue neighbourhood. I have no doubt the pressure on him from those opposing equality was fierce.
His speech was good. Great? That’s debatable. It was loud. It had a few amusing turns of phrase. But it wasn’t necessarily any better than any of the other pro-speeches. Mojo Mathers, for example, gave one of the most stirring speeches I’ve ever seen. So why isn’t she being lauded as a ‘gay icon’?
Perhaps because she isn’t male, white and heterosexual? She doesn’t possess that holy triumvirate that many in society ascribe as being ‘preferable’ or ‘powerful’ or even ‘acceptable’.
Williamson voted down Civil Unions. He says it’s because they didn’t go far enough. That doesn’t wash with me. By that same logic you would deny a starving person a hamburger because it wasn’t steak. Back then those of us who needed legal protection were happy to get it any way we could. We saw civil unions as a secondary class, but it was a class nonetheless. No Maurice, you don’t get a pass on that. You voted tactically there, not with your conscience. Be honest.
Maurice, you’re not an ‘icon’ to this ethnic gay man. You’re a straight white man who voted progressively. You’re not worthy of the kudos that the media is heaping on you for marriage equality. That belongs to those politicians who worked tirelessly for years, decades, to achieve this. Kevin Hague. Louisa Wall. Those are gay icons. Those are the people who should be invited on Ellen. Not you, Maurice.
Stop the interviews. Don’t go on Ellen. Get on with doing your job. Because feeding this ‘gay icon’ fire is just sad to those who know it’s all puffery. You did a good thing. A very good thing. But there’s nothing worse than someone taking credit that isn’t due.
But won’t Mr Key be livid. He had to boyishly grin as he gave approval for the Ellen visit.
But why wasn’t it him! John Key is the man for centre stage, the limelight, the adulation, the autograph hunters, and international spotlight. To have to step back for a lowly Maurice for heavens sake! Hell will blaze for a man back-benched!
My conspiracy theory is that Maurice nixed the trip (I seem to remember him saying he wouldn’t go at first) but that Key pushed him to promote NZ. His talk about the trip now has tourism speak all over it.
But we can assume Key is pissed someone else is getting the limelight…
Some people I know took it upon themselves to inform Ellen de Generes of Williamson’s history on the issue. He was pretty much promoted by the Herald etc because he’s a Tory – just hijacking kudos for NAct. I didn’t think his speech was anything great and the fact that it was lauded all round the world just goes to show oratory has died.
I can see how Ellen might think Williamson would help get the white male heterosexual conservatives in the US onside for the same sex marriage campaign in the US.
However, she totally ignores the impact within NZ.
I agree, Tigger. Mojo Mathers gave the best speech in the 3rd reading of the Bill, as far as I’m concerned – it was about an inclusive family and wider whanau.
From the US point of view, that so many National MPs voted for marriage reform basically identifies them as God-despising family hating bleeding heart liberals who are all going to hell.
hence the “database unavailable” shite a while back.
You should be commended lprent as I’m hoping you are from time to time.
The approach is obviously not the ‘suck it and see’ one found elsewhere.
The outages should have only been 10-20 seconds or so each time.
Upgraded and been through a good solid compacting including old versions of posts and comments. I have corrected all issues with orphaned comments (~200 all up). Deleted about 4 that were in a chain in 2010 where the original comment got deleted and the replies all referred to the original comment.
It is suck it and see some of the time. There are some issues that I can’t test on the development system because of loading differences.
To all marching today…thank you so very much. I can’t be there due to the on call nature of my work but I am with you in spirit and will be following the protests around the country with much interest. I marched up Queen Street with my 84yr old Dad last year and found it very helpful in so many ways. I trust you all will too. Once again, many thanks from those of us unable to be there in body, we are with you.
see, with these subsistence-labour factories like the one that collapsed in Bangladesh it is only the consumer, and their demand for price, that can make the difference; the consumer. A dilemma indeed.
They can be quite delayed and sensationalist these prime-time news bulletins; In context, the last bird-flu killed approximately 370 people world-wide, from memory. That is not to say that something unforeseen might happen if the current strain becomes transmitted human to human.
According to the agonising of the sheep and beef farmer, if they don’t find solutions “they may as well pack it in” according to one representativee.
So, the use of sarin is a “red-line”, a “game-changer” says Obama, yet the US and Co. are being a bit more cautious before rushing in this time it appears.
and according to a commentator on the Auckland transport bind; “cycling (if possible) really does blow all other forms of transport away”.
Doug Sellman is the man to go to concerning the addiction issues NZ faces.
“professional sports are just rife with mental health issues”-Karen Nimmo
“rugby administrators are inconsistent in their enforcement of ‘codes of conduct'”
Rob Nichol, an apologist for big-money sports investment effectively, nonetheless identifies the two big issues professional sports (and those who aspire to participation in the field) face;
-integrity
-mental health of athletes (just consider Susan Devoy; too many shuttles to the head).
I’d like to thank anyone who is marching today against the theft of our national assets. I am unable to be there, but am with you in spirit.
To the scum who wish to sell us out: Kaore e mau te rongo–ake, ake!
Swaps and detivatives rate fixing investigation hits Bank of America Merrill Lynch
After fining banks billions of dollars over the last year for distorting a key interest rate known as Libor, regulators in the U.S. are now investigating whether a more obscure rate in another huge market is also rigged.
The rate, known as ISDAfix, is a benchmark in the $379 trillion market for interest rate swaps, which corporations and governments use to fine-tune their borrowing costs. U.S. regulators have subpoenaed as many as 15 banks and about a dozen current and former brokers at ICAP (IAP), the company that collects the data submitted by banks to set ISDAfix prices, to determine if they’re colluding to manipulate quotes. ICAP said in a statement on April 9 that it had no knowledge of price manipulations by its brokers, and that it is conducting its own inquiry.
It should surprise no one that among the players implicated in this scheme to fix the prices of interest-rate swaps are the same megabanks – including Barclays, UBS, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and the Royal Bank of Scotland – that serve on the Libor panel that sets global interest rates.
Shoddy standards continue to erode the integrity of TVNZ news
Why would anyone trust this television station?
Television One News, Saturday 27 April 2013
Thousands of people turned out on the streets this afternoon to protest against the Government’s plan to flog off our national assets. But not according to one crusty old newsreader on Television One. I switched on my television just after 6:30 this evening to hear this…
Peter Williams: “HUNDREDS of people turned out in marches all over the country today…”
Given the fact that there were hundreds of protestors in Tauranga alone, it seems certain that there were several thousand marchers over the whole country.
Yet someone gave that silly old fool Peter Williams a script that said there were only “hundreds” of marchers nationwide. Or maybe Williams adjusted the figure himself; in light of his many nasty, smug little comments over the years, I would not put it past him to do such a thing.
After that came the preview of the sports news. This was equally abject, equally foolish, equally contrary to reality….
Jenny-May Coffin: “The Blues and Hurricanes have both lost to Aussie opposition. Both games were superb spectacles but the Australian teams were WAY TOO STRONG.”
Yet some genius wrote a script for Jenny-May Coffin to read out that claimed the Australians were “way too strong.” Perhaps it was the same person who claimed there were only “hundreds” of marchers nationwide today.
Are they testing the copy-writers at TVNZ for hallucinogenic drug use? And if not, why not?
I found it strange watching the news – no mention of the Stewart Island oil leaking fishing vessel country of origin – why it ended up on rocks. Just the name Sureste – and a seemingly relaxed Environment Southland – heavy weather had dispursed most of the oil away.
Is this the same Sur Este – one of the Korean-flagged fishing vessels recently in the news for abusing crew?
Here’s an odd thing – an application from the FBI to hack a computer which was denied on the basis that the target computer is outside the territorial limit. I guess it just a Texas judge, so presumably the hacking of Kim Dotcom’s computers must have been issued by someone from the World Court, right?
Dotcom’s house was raided by NZ authorities, not by American. (although the Americans instigated and supervised it). This is also why the NZ courts system has jurisdiction over the incident.
And here’s what we know so far: The CFTC has sent subpoenas to ICAP and to as many as 15 of those member banks, and plans to interview about a dozen ICAP employees from the company’s office in Jersey City, New Jersey. Moreover, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, or ISDA, which works together with ICAP (for U.S. dollar transactions) and Thomson Reuters to compute the ISDAfix benchmark, has hired the consulting firm Oliver Wyman to review the process by which ISDAfix is calculated. Oliver Wyman is the same company that the British Bankers’ Association hired to review the Libor submission process after that scandal broke last year. The upshot of all of this is that it looks very much like ISDAfix could be Libor all over again.
Remember that these private banks are empowered by the central banks, and that the top execs of both move freely between each others organisations at the highest levels.
What’s new? The whole 20th century was one of concentration of capital into giant industrial and banking trusts, combines and cartels.
Its called state monopoly capitalism.
Competition is for losers. You only survive by getting bigger. Once you are big enough you can corner any market, land, finance, oil etc and set up a cartel especially if you can buy the govt. Land is a natural monopoly, but in finance you buy the govt and get it to license you to print money, set interest rates, get bailed out blah blah.
Its not new, its not an aberration, its not corruption, its the way the capitalist system works by outgrowing its competitive origins and using state power to bully all and sundry to accept your monopoly as god’s gift.
The system has to run like this because that’s the only way it can continue to accumulate and concentrate private wealth at the top, i.e. by making sure that only those at the top can compete.
So competition is squeezed upward out of markets, out of national jurisdictions and into international trusts that use the power of their state machines to bully their rivals. Its also squeezed downwards into the surplus population to divide and rule the working class. The result is world wars. US vs China is the current world war in the making.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century such was the fusion of industrial capital and banking capital that Lenin coined the term ‘finance capital’ to express this fact.
Today the term ‘finance capital’ is used to mean ‘money’ or ‘banking’ capital, when in reality it is fused with industrial capital.
As I said none of this is new. The constant surprise expressed by these ‘players’ as to the depth of collusion in business and banking is evidence of their ignorance as to how the system really works.
This sort of learned stupidity is part of the process of legitimating capitalism.
Its not new, its not an aberration, its not corruption, its the way the capitalist system works…
It’s not new, it is how the capitalist system works and it is corrupt.
This sort of learned stupidity is part of the process of legitimating capitalism.
My latest thought on the matter is that the whole neo-liberal paradigm isn’t actually an economic theory (How can it be? It’s not even remotely explaining the reality) but is just a means to legitimate the continued accumulation of the communities wealth into fewer and fewer hands.
Agree DTB if you use a standard of ‘corruption’ external to capitalism. Capitalism is inherently corrupt compared to pre-capitalist standards of communal sharing of social resources, and compared to post-capitalist concepts of communal existence. It breaks what is a fundamental rule of social reproduction (i.e. survival) which is “from each according to their ability and to each according to their needs”. It’s transgression of this rule is what is driving it to destroy humanity and nature.
The Interim Climate Change Committee's report on Action on agricultural emissions: Evidence, analysis and recommendations was finally released today, and as you might guess from the title, it is recommending that we actually act, rather than let farmers keep ...
On Sunday July 7, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter announced their intention to review the Ministry of Health’s Funded Family Care policy and repeal Part 4Aof the 2000 NZ Public Health and Disability Act. These are festering injustices ...
Agriculture is our biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 48% of the total. It follows that meeting any credible emissions reduction target requires cutting agricultural emissions, most likely by having fewer cows. But National thinks people shouldn't be ...
How scummy is the UK Home Office? This scummy:The Home Office lied to EU member states to remove victims of human trafficking and modern slavery in breach of European law, according to whistleblowers. Legal experts have said the practice is ...
Belle is a lovely fifteen year-old border collie who belongs to our friends and neighbours at Bryan’s Beach, Michael and Judy Corboy. Belle, in her old age, can hardly see or hear, but – as a constant participant at social ...
“We wuz robbed!” is the classic cry of the disappointed losers of a closely contested sporting contest – it is very much to the credit of the Black Caps that we heard no such sentiment from them following the stunning ...
The Youth Parliament is being held this week, and some of the youth MPs are campaigning for a lower voting age:Molly Doyle, 17, is one Youth MP who wants this to change. She is part of a non-partisan campaign run ...
Up till now, Australia has made its living by digging up coal and exporting it to other countries, destroying the global climate in the process. But now they have a new option: exporting solar power:The desert outside Tennant Creek, deep ...
Later this month, thousands of people are expected to march to parliament as part of the #HandsOffOurTamaraki movement. At its heart, the movement is about preserving whānau and demanding that the state stop removing children from their whānau, hapū and iwi. ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh The recent statements made by the former FARC commander, Carlos Lozada (legal name Julian Gallo), where, from his seat in Congress, he praised the Colombian Army demonstrate how low the farianos have sunk. Lozada began by ...
A Woman’s Place is on the Podium was a public meeting in London on 10 July to discuss women’s sports and the impact of transwomen competing against women. The venue was sold out with a packed hall of 750 people. ...
Last month I talked about the no-fly movement: people who refuse to fly or limit it to absolute necessity to avoid destroying the climate. Now, that movement has a somewhat surprising new member: Dutch airline KLM:Dutch airline KLM has launched ...
In the 1960's, humanity faced a terrible threat: global thermonuclear war. Nuclear weapons were uniquely destructive and dangerous, and if more countries got them, the logic of MAD and the pre-emptive strike would put us on a hair-trigger to destruction. ...
An occasional series where I will ponder allegations of anti-Semitism directed at the British Labour Party and its members.In this case, we are thinking about an allegedly anti-Semitic image shared by a Labour Party member. Its origins appear to be ...
Matariki has been and gone, but this year we saw a couple of op-eds arguing that it should be a public holiday, replacing the foreign monarch's fake birthday. And now, New Zealand Republic - a group which campaigns for an ...
The discussion on the quality of economic advice, which we reported last week, has spilled over into a discussion about whether so many senior appointments should be of non-New Zealanders. Recall I discussed the failure to develop career paths within ...
When Nicky Hager revealed US footage of the Operation Burnham raid, obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act, one of the obvious questions was whether Ministers had seen it - and in particular, whether they'd been told that it ...
Northern Ireland is the Alabama of the UK: a backwards region where women and gay people are denied fundamental rights. But Westminster has just decided to fix that:MPs have voted resoundingly to extend same-sex marriage and access to abortion to ...
There's a problem with "synthetic cannabis", and not just the one you think. It's the name.We're in the midst of a wave of news stories that link synthetic drugs to serious harm, through deadly road accidents and accidental overdoses (which ...
Ranjit Kauri, The Dancing Maharani and Other Stories, Swansea, Head and Heart, 2019, £6.99; reviewed by Don Franks Working people are not the same country to country. Our struggles for a better life take place in surroundings of very different ...
Let's Do Them! All Jacinda Ardern has to do to clinch the 2020 General Election is frighten the bejesus out of the electorate by describing in the most graphic terms imaginable what will happen to all the positive beginnings her ...
It may be that we have all misinterpreted the somewhat surprising “bromance” between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. It has been all too easy to assume that it is Kim who is cosying up to Trump rather than the ...
by Michael Roberts So the full circle is completed. The corrupt pro-business conservative New Democracy party in Greece that was ousted by the anti-capitalist Syriza party in 2015 has been returned to office in yesterday’s general election, with an outright ...
When the Australian government passed a series of new spy laws over the last few years, they pinky-promised that they wouldn't use them to spy on journalists and subvert freedom of the press. They lied:The anti-encryption laws passed by the ...
From 1975 to 1989, the spy agencies of South America's right-wing military dictatorships cooperated in Operation Condor, a joint campaign of extermination against the continent's left. Roughly 400,000 people were imprisoned, 30,000 disappeared, and 60,000 murdered - kidnapped, tortured, executed, ...
When she was standing for office, Jacinda Ardern promised she would take abortion out of the Crimes Act. And to be fair, there was some early action on that, with an immediate referral of the issue to the Law Commission ...
When the government introduced the Zero Carbon Bill, people rightly asked what they planned to do to reduce transport emissions, which basicly had no policy at all other than the ETS. Today, they responded, announcing a "feebate" system which would ...
At almost every level, the problem with medicinal cannabis is a lack of good information. In the US, FDA regulations make it hard to research. Most doctors aren't familiar with what research there is and most patients don't know either. ...
Redline is critical of Corbyn for his political weaknesses, but he’s no anti-Semite. There is no substance to the McCarthyist witch-hunt being run by the right wing, and the pro-Israel lobby inside and outside the Labour Party in the UK. ...
The government's billion trees program is the sort of policy which could make a real difference to our emissions and the fight against climate change. But climate scientist Jim Salinger isn't convinced:The Forestry Minister Shane Jones' one billion trees won't ...
Last month the government was celebrating another surplus. Meanwhile, children are starving:One in five children are living in households where putting food on the table is a struggle, according to a new report from the Ministry of Health. It found ...
Show Me The Money! The alternative to state funding of infrastructure is, of course, to fund it by taking on massive amounts of private debt. On this issue, at least, Auckland mayoral challenger, Tamihere, has some solid points to make. ...
If we are to avoid making the earth uninhabitable, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to practically nothing over the next decade. But that will still leave us with the problem of the carbon we have already emitted, which ...
Former Waikato DHB CEO Nigel Murray allegedly misused public funds, spending more than $120,000 of public money on unjustified travel. He was forced to resign and the Serious Fraud Office began an investigation. But despite the SFO finding that the ...
Jeremy Corbyn, we are told, is being advised – not least by his deputy (as well as by some of his would-be successors) – that he must come “off the fence” on the Brexit issue if he wants to bolster ...
The End of Life bill has been read a second time and is now heading for the House for further debate. Personally, I support the proposal. I don't ever epect to take advantage of the Bill's provisions myself, but as ...
Before the substantive issue which this column is about – whether there has been a deterioration in the economic advice given to the government – a paragraph about the budget leaks.read more ...
Below is a translation of the editorial in the June 24 round of weekly workplace bulletins issued all over France by the revolutionary workers’ organisation Lutte Ouvriere. Last Saturday, 8,000 people took to the streets of Belfort (eastern France) to ...
Why hasn't Parliament followed the lead set by our local authorities and declared a climate emergency? The answer is the National Party:The Prime Minister’s admission that she is open to the idea of declaring a climate change emergency is nothing ...
Back in May the government released its Zero Carbon Bill. While much of the bill was welcome, there was one big exception: it contained a secrecy clause, requiring the Climate Change Commission to maintain secrecy over practically everything it does. ...
by Phil Duncan This past week has marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Stonewall Inn riots in Christopher Street, New York, the event generally regarded as kicking off the gay liberation movement. Quite a few articles have ...
Southland - land of coal-burning dairy farmers - has become the first region in the country to explicitly vote against declaring a climate emergency. Their reason? They didn't want to "devalue" the word "emergency". Its an argument addressed powerfully in ...
New Zealand has a problem with police chases: officers going after fleeing drivers like rabid dogs, without any consideration for proportionality or public safety, often with fatal results. And according to an in-depth article in the Guardian today, the UK ...
Welcome to another heaping helping of research publications related to climate change drivers and mechanisms, the effects of climate change and how we might yet grope our way into systems approaches to dealing with the mess we're making, despite ourselves. ...
Holly Lawford-Smith is a senior lecturer in political philosophy at the University of Melbourne. She’s currently writing a book about radical feminism. This article appeared on Feminist Current Academics should be standing together in defence of universities’ fundamental values: the ...
The Otago Daily Times has an in-depth article about the future of wind energy in New Zealand, and it is looking bright:The news that wind will play the leading role in New Zealand’s energy future was put up in lights ...
If the sight of schoolkids striking for a future has been filling you with hope, good news: they want you to join them on September 27:Students will take to the streets again demanding action on climate change, and this time ...
The People's "Friend": In this masterpiece of revolutionary propaganda, the homicidal political psychopath, Jean-Paul Marat, has been transformed by Jacques-Louis David, the French Revolution's most accomplished artist, into a martyred hero of the ordinary people of Paris. Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, ...
The principle of one person, one vote doesn’t apply for local elections. In fact, you don’t even need to be a person to have voting rights. Welcome to the ratepayer roll. While the ratepayer roll accounts for less than 1% ...
I have been working my way through a 47,000 document tranche of declassified US government communications related to Argentina and the “Dirty War” of 1976-83. I grew up in Argentina in the period leading up to the March 24, 1976 ...
To express concern about foreign ownership and control in New Zealand is often to invite accusations of xenophobia and economic illiteracy. It is worthwhile, therefore, to rehearse the grounds for that concern, and to explore the various forms it can ...
It must be a day ending in Y because the Guardian - remember when it used to be a good paper1 - is running another spurious story about Corbyn's leadership being threatened over anti-Semitism.The headline the Guardian runs is: "MPs tell ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 23 through Sat, June 29, 2019 Editor's Pick When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and ...
When people slate the current Government for taking too long on certain issues, or not getting everything right, just check the outrage and quit helping National manufacture consent for their decade of Disaster Economics and much more. Bill couldn’t ...
Robots could soon replace many low-skill jobs, such as President of the United States. US Presidential hopeful and doomsday prophet Andrew Yang went to extreme lengths to make a point in the first round of Democratic primary debates today, replacing ...
More people have died in the shower this year than will die in a KiwiBuild home. KiwiBuild home owners are experiencing a surprise windfall this month, as the price of their houses have begun to rise dramatically, due to growing ...
First way – the state, Keynesian demand management, the working class as the base of support. Second way – free-market, reduce the scope of the state and cut taxes, relative indifference to social justice. Third Way – well that's the ...
E15 is a London-based housing campaign that arose from the eviction of a group of young working-class mothers from a homeless hostel in 2013. Cat Wiener, through her work with the Revolutionary Communist Group, helped get Focus E15 up and ...
Going Upstairs: If we accept the LGBTQI+ community’s untrammelled right to advance their understanding of love, then we must also accept Israel Folau’s right to articulate his own simplistic and inadequate interpretation of the Christian religion.ONE OF THE FIRST things ...
So, some Labour MPs and peers have written Corbyn a letter complaining about the re-admission of loudmouth MP Chris Williamson, who had been suspended over allegations he made anti-Semitic comments.Never mind the Guardian's typically biased headline that Corbyn is facing ...
When the NZDF was asked to release US information on Operation Burnham which would have revealed how the villagers died, they refused, claiming that the US objected. So, Nicky Hager and Deborah Manning requested it in the US, under that ...
Statistics New Zealand has released a new report on New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, with a sectoral breakdown shown how much is caused by different sectors of the economy. The data is crystal clear: half our emissions are caused by ...
Another day, another IPCA report finding police misbehaviour, this time in relation to police beating a suspect in Huntly in 2017. But despite a finding that officers used excessive force, the police as usual refused to prosecute their own. But ...
The State Services Commission has released its report into Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf's handling of treasury's budget security failure. And it is not good:Outgoing Treasury secretary Gabriel Makhlouf was "clumsy", unreasonable and fell "well short" of expectations in his handling ...
David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill passed its second reading in Parliament last night, 70 - 50. Which means now the real struggle for consensus over amendments begins. Pretty much everyone who voted for it agrees it needs changes ...
Compare And Contrast: One of the reasons so many powerful forces combined to oust the Third Labour Government was its obvious determination to move beyond progressive rhetoric and embrace progressive action. When assessing the behaviour of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ...
A new digital platform aims to make it easier for small businesses to access services from multiple government agencies, leaving them more time to focus on their own priorities. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash ...
Million-dollar start to gun collection eventsPolice Minister Stuart Nash says a solid start has been made to the gun buyback and amnesty after the first weekend of community collection events. “Gun owners will walk away with more than ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash has praised Police and gun owners after the first firearms collection event saw a busy turnout at Riccarton Racecourse in Christchurch. “Police officers and staff have put a tremendous effort into planning and logistics for the ...
Seventy-eight new Police constables are heading out to the regions following today’s graduation of a new recruit wing from the Royal New Zealand Police College. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the record high number of new Police officers being recruited, ...
New Zealand’s ‘mission-driven’ charities working in international aid are showing early signs of changing the way they work, in particular prioritising building the capacity and resilience of local communities to do their own development. ...
Teachers will have to wait until 11 September for pay increases won as part of their collective agreement negotiations settled in June, according to an update sent to schools today from Novopay. ...
July 16 (BusinessDesk) - Energy Minister Megan Woods says the government “won’t die in a ditch” if its goal of 100 percent renewable electricity generation isn't reached by 2035. ...
The Electricity Networks Association (ENA) is welcoming the Government’s response to the Interim Climate Change Committee (ICCC) Report released today. Graeme Peters, chief executive of the ENA, said one of the key recommendations, endorsed by the ...
An article* published this month in the Journal of Health Organization and Management raises questions over the way health board members are elected and whether the boards are even needed. ...
NZEI Te Riu Roa's kindergarten teacher members will vote on a proposed settlement to their collective agreement after four days of negotiations with the Ministry of Education and kindergarten employers. ...
Vector has today welcomed the ICCC’s report on Accelerated Electrification . Vector agrees that accelerating the electrification of transport and process heat will play a major role in reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives to ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Porirua City Council to cancel its underwriting of a proposed Canadian-led privately owned adventure park slated for public land after a similar project created a huge liability for Christchurch ...
Youth climate change campaigners Generation Zero welcome the Interim Climate Change Committee’s (ICCC’s) reports: Accelerated Electrification and Action on agricultural emissions ; which were finally released by the Government today, almost three months ...
Fish & Game New Zealand notes the announcement today that the Government and the intensive agriculture leadership have reached a ‘historic consensus’ and are exploring using a formal sector-government agreement instead of bringing agriculture ...
The independent Interim Climate Change Committee’s report on Accelerated Electrification was released today by the Minister for Energy and Resources, Hon Dr Megan Woods. ...
The independent Interim Climate Change Committee’s report Action on agricultural emissions was released today by the Minister for Climate Change, Hon James Shaw and the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Damien O’Connor. ...
Please find attached embargoed copies of two media statements from the Interim Climate Change Committee http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1907/Embargoed_Interim_Climate_Change_Committee_Accelerated_electrification_MEDIA_STATEMENT.pdf ...
Greenpeace Executive Director, Dr Russel Norman, has reacted with disbelief that the Government’s latest climate proposal includes an option for dairy to voluntarily deal with their emissions over the next six years. ...
This week’s “Youth Parliament” is an expensive waste of time that promotes taxpayer-funded junketeering, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . “We shouldn’t be training kids on the joys of the trough,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones admitted on Q+A tonight that the state of New Zealand’s infrastructure planning is “dismal” and the government needs to get on with building “rather than writing more reports about it.” ...
DairyNZ has released its submission on the Zero Carbon Bill and is calling on the Government to revise the methane target in the Bill to one that does not put at risk New Zealand’s world-leading dairy sector. Farm profit could ...
July 15 (BusinessDesk) - Foreign Minister Winston Peters will have bi-lateral meetings with two of US president Donald Trump's most hawkish defence and security advisers in a five day trip to Washington D.C. ...
Youth climate change campaigners Generation Zero are calling for Members of Parliament to show political courage as the Zero Carbon Bill goes through the crucial Select Committee process. ...
Annual net migration was provisionally estimated at 50,200 (± 800) in the year ended December 2018 compared with 52,600 in the previous year, Stats NZ said today. ...
New Zealanders have the opportunity to contribute to the government’s Review of Retirement Income Policies, including questions around Superannuation and KiwiSaver. Submissions are now open for the Review, being run by the Commission for Financial ...
Yesterday at Mataatua Marae the Tamaki Makaurau Electorate of the Māori party congratulated Rangi Mclean who was appointed to the Vice president Tāne role of the party nation-wide executive. ...
The funding crisis facing the disability sector has become more urgent following the disturbing news that the Ministry of Health will not increase contract prices for providers this year, the New Zealand Disability Support Network said today. ...
The growing number of working poor is an alarming indicator that the regulatory Minimum Wage does not cut it said Closing the Gap spokesperson Peter Malcolm. ...
Historic hui gives overwhelming agreement for a Māori Inquiry The inquiry into state run Oranga Tamariki will be led by whanau, kaimahi and Māori leaders. ...
Drug infiltration into our maximum security prisons is putting prisoners and staff at unnecessary risk, and one tool that would be of huge benefit is a full body scanner. ...
The Socialist Equality Group is hosting a protest rally in Cuba Street, Wellington (at the intersection with Left Bank) on Sunday 14 July at 2:30pm to oppose the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and to ...
Simon Shepherd: The National Party proposed its own medicinal cannabis scheme last year. Its Health Spokesperson, Michael Woodhouse, says it shouldn’t have been ignored. So I began by asking him what his problem is with the government’s proposed regime. ...
Countries around the world are also dealing with medicinal cannabis. Britain legalised it last year, but the uptake has been slow. Neurologist Professor Mike Barnes wrote the report that convinced UK lawmakers it was a good idea. He's coming here ...
Simon Shepherd: Green MP Chloe Swarbrick’s name has become synonymous with drug reform, so following years of campaigning for safe, public access to medicinal cannabis, what does she think of the government’s new plan? Well, Chloe Swarbrick joins me ...
Social Credit is calling for a Government enquiry into the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board over it's handling of the Sarah Preece attack in 2017 and its subsequent report. ...
An overwhelming response sees Māori from across the country pouring into Māngere today. The call for action came from Māori leadership concerned with the practice of tamariki removals by the state. Whānau, experts, and highly skilled Māori from ...
Responding the announcement of a $2.37 million loan from the Provincial Growth Fund to a Northland berry farm, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “Why couldn’t this business get a loan from the bank? If no bank was ...
Multicultural NZ is delighted to congratulate former Gisborne Mayor, Meng Foon, who has been appointed as New Zealand’s Race Relations Commissioner. ...
Award-winning broadcaster, Waatea has been selected by North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency to exclusively livestream the historic Māori-led Inquiry on Oranga Tamariki. ...
“The Peace Movement sends an urgent call to Winston Peters to reject any US demands for New Zealand participation in patrolling the Persian Gulf and Straits of Hormuz. New Zealand should have nothing to do with any war on the ...
More than 50 senior non-commissioned officers from militaries in the Asia-Pacific Region gathered this week in Auckland for a conference hosted by the New Zealand Army. ...
The addition of an absurd Treaty of Waitangi clause in the Plant Varieties Act raises the question whether “Maoridom” will claim royalties on new plant varieties, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello said today. ...
What are we going to do about District Health Boards? News this week that the Government is looking at a further bail-out of cash-strapped Boards to help reduce their deficits has raised afresh questions about the sustainability of the current ...
Legal proceedings were filed in the Wellington High Court this week to have certain blocks of land at Shelly Bay returned to the ownership of Taranaki Whānui iwi. The land in issue is currently the proposed site for a high ...
Heart Kids, the only charity which supports families of heart children, acknowledges the fear and distress of families who have voiced their concern over paediatric cardiac services in New Zealand. ...
Amnesty International has released a scathing report into the United States’ response to gun violence, a report that New Zealand policy-makers can learn from. In Scars of Survival: Gun Violence and Barriers to Reparation in the USA, survivors of gun ...
New Plymouth District Council has corrected information it gave the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union regarding ratepayer-funded flight expenses in 2017/18. A Council spokesperson states: ...
The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand welcomes the announcement of Meng Foon as the new Race Relations Commissioner. “Our community, along with many others, has deeply felt the absence of an advocate in that role, particularly in light of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that New Plymouth District Council was the fourth highest-spending council in the country when it game to air travel in the 2017/18 financial year. The Council spent $285,391 on flights, $256,235 of which was domestic, ...
Today I have submitted against the application of the Queenstown Lakes District Council seeking a "right to polllute" in their latest resource management application to the Otago Regional Council. I have done so in my capacity as a Dunstan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Harry Hobbs, Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has announced that the state will begin a conversation about a pathway to treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mair Underwood, Lecturer in Anthropology and Sociology, The University of Queensland Months after a public breakup with her husband, the politician Barnaby Joyce, Natalie Joyce made news when she displayed her “new” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brittany Huber, Postdoctoral researcher, Swinburne University of Technology Most (80%) Australian parents worry children spend too much time with screens. But what children are doing on and off screen matters more than ...
A local photographer has posted emails from Warner Brothers NZ requesting they work “unpaid” on Married At First Sight NZ. A wedding photographer has posted emails from Warner Brothers NZ on Reddit after the production company requested that they work for ...
How ANZ Bank fought for more than three years to keep its role in New Zealand’s biggest Ponzi scheme quiet and stop a regulator telling out-of-pocket investors the details. ...
Sam Brooks reviews Mean Mums, the new sitcom from Three that manages to make putting a great show together look easy.When it premiered as part of Three’s Pilot Week last year, I called Mean Mums the winner of the bunch. Nearly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Last week on this podcast we talked to Ken Wyatt about the government’s plan for a referendum – hopefully this parliamentary term – to recognise ...
Imagine if we treated our native birds with as little care as we do our precious fish stocks, writes ecologist Stella McQueen.Earlier this year, 900 at-risk native mudfish were relocated to make way for a wastewater development. But despite a ...
For when toast or cereal just doesn’t cut it, but you don’t have the time or inclination to do any actual cooking, try this. If I ever cook rice (or grains of any kind) for dinner, I often make extra to ...
For their latest ageing episode, Hilary Barry joins the On the Rag team to talk wrinkle creams, menopause and why people still think she is Jeremy Wells’ mum. This month’s episode of On the Rag is all about ageing. Time ravages ...
The Auditor-General's investigators are to look into the National Party's complaints about taxpayer funding being used to underwrite KiwiBuild homes. ...
Its rolling slate of cringey jokes and meaningless trivia is a familiar sight wherever there’s a captive audience – but what the hell is Giggle TV? Johnny Crawford looks into the tweet-stealing, wife joke-telling phenomenon.If you’ve spent any time in ...
COMMENTARY:By Yamin Kogoya in Auckland More than 50 years of “torture” has been inflicted on the Papuan people by the Indonesian government. With the complicity of Western governments, great fear has been put in the hearts and minds ...
It’s landlords who are finding themselves out in the cold as property managers begin to walk away from clients who haven’t insulated their rentals, reports Don Rowe.Two weeks after the first of New Zealand’s healthy homes deadlines, property managers are ...
Event date and time: Friday, July 26, 2019 – 17:00–18:30JOIN US for this Pacific Media Centre‘s smorgasbord “launch” mid-winter fono and celebration for: + Two new documentaries on climate change and media freedom + The ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Tuesday’s contentForeign affairs and trade Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): US ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Monday’s contentOranga Tamariki, state care of children, adoption Bonnie Sumner (Newsroom): Māori ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Senior research fellow, Southern Cross University Humans’ distant ancestor Australopithecus africanus had a unique approach to raising their young, as shown in our new research published today in Nature. Geochemical ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joyce Y.M. Nip, Senior lecturer, Department of Media and Communications; Department of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney As China grows more powerful and influential, our New Superpower series looks at what this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trent Yarwood, Infectious Diseases Physician, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University and, The University of Queensland This year’s flu season is off to an early start, with 144,000 confirmed cases so far in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Todd Denham, PhD Candidate, School of Global, Urban & Social Studies, RMIT University Governments are looking to fast rail services to regional cities to relieve population pressures in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zsuzsanna Csereklyei, Lecturer in Economics, RMIT University Wholesale prices in the National Electricity Market have climbed significantly in recent years. The increase has coincided with a rapid increase in the proportion of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Koa Whittingham, Psychologist and Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Bluey is a ground-breaking Australian children’s television series and the most downloaded show in ABC iView history. Since premiering in October 2018, ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Both PM and deputy PM in action on foreign relationships, major climate report being released today, and DOC staff facing escalating threats. Both the PM and deputy PM are in action ...
The Auditor-General's investigators are to look into the National Party's complaints about taxpayer funding being used to underwrite KiwiBuild homes. ...
Cancer can happen to anyone, even if they have followed the advice. While healthy living is not a guarantee, it does stack the odds in your favour. ...
Food researcher George Henderson assesses best-selling NZ low-carb cookbook What The Fat, and asks: How did it become so popular, and why is a laxative included in the sausage roll recipe? ...
Practical steps to take right now if you’re appalled at the news coming out of the United States.This article was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated with current information.From the far side of an ocean, we in ...
Grant Robertson, a cricket fanatic whose day jobs include being minister for finance and minister for sport, raced from Wellington to northwest London on the weekend to watch the Black Caps in what turned into the greatest one-day international ever ...
Ātea editor Leonie Hayden headed out to the hui for a Māori-led inquiry into Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, and found a unified Māori force that has decided enough is enough.When first announced, Saturday’s Oranga Tamariki hui was to ...
A vulnerability has hit users everywhere, New Zealand included, and it reveals something very troubling about the way the tech world worksNew Zealand Schools, district health boards and even the perhaps the halls of power have found themselves compromised by ...
By RNZ Pacific New Caledonia has a healthy lead on the Pacific Games medals table after the first week of the competition. The French Territory has won 42 gold medals after the first six days of competition and more ...
Open mike 27/04/2013 
The Interim Climate Change Committee's report on Action on agricultural emissions: Evidence, analysis and recommendations was finally released today, and as you might guess from the title, it is recommending that we actually act, rather than let farmers keep ...11 hours ago
On Sunday July 7, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter announced their intention to review the Ministry of Health’s Funded Family Care policy and repeal Part 4Aof the 2000 NZ Public Health and Disability Act. These are festering injustices ...12 hours ago
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“the Bill will reduce the Employment Relations Act to a farce and the result will be wages are driven down and employment agreements broken up, with some of the most significant impact being on workers in the public sector.”
And when that does not happen will we see an apology from the author of this post?
Today is a great day for the country.
[lprent: This looks more like diversion trolling than addressing the topic – moved to OpenMike.
Two week ban. One for diversion trolling. The second for wasting my time moving the comments. ]
The ironic thing is labour will get into power and leave most of the changes intact (like most of the changes Roger implemented) – they know its good for the economy
Then again labour is acting mighty strangely lately with all this NZ Power craziness!!!
It’s good for owners
Bad for workers
That’s a very simple ‘class war’ construct to think about the issue..you can do better than that
Exactly, this anti-labour legislation is a salvo in NZ’s ongoing class war.
Lol you like a walking slogan….
I suspect you’re a wannabee shogun.
You are talking an alien culture. Fuck Off !
No, he’s a wannabe squire.
Manservant
In relation to ” ‘Cos-I’m-John-Key-can’t-remember-my-last-username”, this is defining. In the archaic meaning of “squire” he was a fellow who was the dependable runner or errand boy of the knight.
Well, no unkindness intended but that’s how the abovenamed strikes me.
And he will be vindicated.
There is no doubt that before that citizen of the Kingdom of Global Banker leaves these now less-lovely shores, he will bestow upon himself The Order Of This That the Other Thing.
The abovenamed will have a true knight to snivel around after !
crmlu
You’re right Labour did blend in NACT type policies. There was a subterranean movement and a lot of aspiring NACTs took over hearts and minds of the Labour faithful in spades. It’s time to forge new approaches which is what is being said each day.
I don’t mind you refusing to print any of my guest post requests. As a Centre Left website you have every right to do so. No website allows posts they disagree with, that’s understandable. And why should you be different? But Lynn, do you really have to bump down my posts on Open mike?
P.S. Saying that. If you did allow more controversial Left of Centre posts. Who knows? You might find you could possibly get more debate and more readership.
the site is unpredictable at times Jenny; comments I make often end up above comments that came before; don’t panic; I read most of your comments, most of the time anyway.
You are right, of course. Thanks ghost, for your vote of support.
“Politics is all about pressure”
Coincidentally since I put up THIS post on open mike yesterday.
The Herald has published reviews of a new book which details all the pressures that David Lange was put under by the New Zealand state, the permanent heads of the Civil Service, military leaders, and foreign government leaders, to ignore his promise to the electorate. And the dismay these people felt, when Lange, under this onslaught of secret behind the scenes pressure, despite some early vacillation, eventually turned his back on them. That these undemocratic parasites on the body politic have now accused Lange of lying to them. Is just sour grapes. Politics is all about pressure and this time the pressure from below, was greater than the pressure from above.
“Lange lied over Anzus rift: author”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10879810
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10879996
P.S. All my best wishes to those attending rallies against asset sales today.
See you there.
Jenny
If only Lange had had the courage and the wit to stand up to the enemy within: Douglas, Prebble, Bassett, Moore, De Cleene and their fanatical mentors in Treasury.
You can add Goff and King, who are still there.
To Morrissey and Rhinocrates et al “If only Lange had had the courage and the wit to stand up to the enemy within: Douglas, Prebble, Bassett, Moore, De Cleene and …….”
He did ! Don’t you remember ? Some time late in 1987 Lange called for a “cup of tea” – meaning he wanted a pause in the ongoing rushed economic reforms to allow for proper consideration of them and their effects.
He was strongly vilified for that, a grouping led by Douglas, Prebble ,De Cleene etc set up the “Backbone Club” which went out publicly – with MSM support – to vilify Lange and his attempts to stop what was going on, when he had realised just how damaging it was. The vilification continued in house in the caucus as well. It was sickening to observe. Disgusting behaviour on the part of the leaders.
Indeed, sorry for any misunderstanding. Lange was a sincere person under enormous pressure.
Goff and King on the other hand…
Aye!
During an industrial dispute in Kawerau, provoked when Tasman cunningly appointed an unqualified woman to a machine operating position ahead of several qualified men, Lange came out on the side of the bosses. He said he would never stand with a union that was against employment for women, even when this patently was not the issue.
My view of Lange is that Kirk was the last half way decent Labour PM.
Agreed …. though I don’t judge him QUITE as harshly as the ‘careerists’ that followed and who STILL keep trying to push their barrow (or rather keep doing their best to push SHIT uphill).
At Least Lange had the decency to call for a cup of tea and a lay down – i.e. he recognised the programme was hollow.
Not so others – and unfortunately I now have to include that pathetic munter Robertson amongst that ilk (UNLESS of course he has an epiphany forthwith).
Hey……… btw….. whatever happened to that FanBoi or Fan Club fella?
Haven’t seen it screaching loudly lately in defense of the indefensible. (I guess he/she/it is too busy climbing the ranks and sucking as much rrrrrrrr’s as possible)
I ‘spose he/she/it’s content with that little media 15 secs of fame on Neshnool TV recently -though I doubt it.
Grant……where are you?
Shearer ……… where are you?
Bullyboy – what’s her name – ah yea – Mallard ……..where are you?
Clare! Darling! Where are you?
Maid Marion – where are you?
Oh…… I know – all in your little comfort zones destined to destroy the entire concept of the “Labour Party”.
Carry on what?
Gerald Hensley reinvents history to besmirch the memory of David Lange, and instead of being critical of that cowardly and disgusting behaviour, comments on The Standard concerning this matter are predominantly anti-Labour… Some even claiming Lange wasn’t courageous enough at a time he implemented legislation to ensure New Zealand became nuclear free in spite of huge international and domestic pressures.
You’d have to be seriously gullible to believe what Piggy Muldoon’s former chief adviser has made up to discredit a left wing Prime Minister. In fact you’d likely have to be as deluded as Hensley himself. Let’s instead ask the right wing hack what his advice was on the Springbok tour, the Think Big projects and increasing external debt by 1338% while Muldoon was Prime Minister. Where’s the book accepting that the third National Government was a complete economic, social and political failure for New Zealand?
Giving Hensley’s fabrications the credence they clearly don’t deserve by attacking Labour will only help to promote the idea of removing our Nuclear Free legislation (PDF)… Not that National presently abides by those laws anyway, that’s the end goal for Hensley and the current government. Let’s make something very clear… Like the vast majority of Kiwis, David Lange wanted New Zealand to be nuclear free… Hensley’s lies won’t change that fact one iota.
love ya work Jackal
Thanks ghostrider888.
don’t always agree with your analysis yet you appear a fairly astute and balanced commentator. *Bow* (wow)
No human being could stand up to that sort of pressure alone. Such pressure can be so intense that you can be ambushed into making decisions that can even go against your own better judgement. Despite it all, Lange did eventually call a halt. And probably wondered “Why on earth did I ever support any of that?” A question that I am sure many principled people finding themselves in similar isolated positions have asked themselves.
To his cost. For David Lange on his retirement, there was no plum sinecure as a director on a board of some well off company or bank, the usual reward for politicians of his stature who do what they’re told.
What was missing was a mass movement that would have supplied Lange with the counter pressure to the neo-liberal tidal wave.
Politics is all about pressure and who can bring it to bear.
The unions could have crippled the 4th Labour Government, had they chosen to.
Colin Craig: working tirelessly to help the unemployed! Well done, Craig! What’s next? Secure housing for the homeless?
“March 21
Novopay debacle solved by restarting computer
Novopay minister Steven Joyce: “We tried everything we could think of. We made sure the plug was in, we ran a virus scan. You know, pretty much everything. And then John walks in this morning munching on his breakfast bagel, and he says ‘Hey, Steve. Have you tried restarting the computer’?”
If in doubt – reboot! – Says it all really. Cure the immediate, though not the cause.
Very symbolic of a NAct agenda, and symbolic of the neo-Lib agenda too.
Keep it up is what I’m DESPERATELY hoping for but they should not be surprised when they disappear up their own arses (as fat and ugly as they may be).
Shades of Monty P/Greed/Sloth explosions in the nature of weapons of mass disgusting
from what I have read of this chap behind The Civilian (beyond a Nicholas Cage article) he appears very capable and creative; now a part of the media furniture for a while, with the hesitant support of his parents.
Here in H.B there is a young woman broadcasting her interesting life and personality to a YouTube audience of hundreds of thousands of people.”Jamies World”. great self-marketing for an aspirant dramatic arts performer or director. could be a few unforeseen consequences.
At least we can be a little pleased for the guy that runs The Civillian. He does help to make the day go with a smile. And as they say Any advertising is good advertising.
Indeed David H.Thank god (no religious inference intended) for Colin Craig being an arse. I hadn’t heard about that hilarious Civilian website until he threw a wee tanty.
Same and I am so pleased I found it. Maybe a thank you E-Mail to Colin, for telling us about this website. Just to say thanks you know 😉
The Comedy of Mortification
Kiwi version of The Office struggles along
Back Benches, Prime TV, Wednesday 24 April 2013, 10:30 p.m.
Hosted by WALLACE CHAPMAN and DAMIAN CHRISTIE
Politicians: Gareth Hughes (Green), Aaron Gilmore (National), Chris Hipkins (Labour)
After suffering through TV3’s dire The Vote: Is New Zealand a Racist Country?, my big night of television continued with yet another New Zealand current affairs show fronted by a couple of clowns.
These two, although far less self-assured clowns than Espiner and Garner, are, nonetheless, impressive exponents of the comedy of embarrassment. Christie, in particular, came across very effectively as New Zealand television’s very own David Brent. The fact that this was entirely unintentional only made it all the more effective.
In case you haven’t seen Back Benches—and you probably haven’t—it consists of aforesaid clowns (Wallace Chapman and Damian Christie) talking to a panel of three politicians and then walking around the Back Benches tavern in Wellington asking people what they think about what the politicians have said. The politicians are usually pretty relaxed—it seems that ties are banned—and usually acquit themselves quite well. The members of the public, however, are a little more unpredictable. The following is a quick highlights reel of Wednesday night’s episode….
After the politicians have been interviewed, the first person on the roving mike is John Carnegie from Business New Zealand. Predictably, sadly, he vapours pompously about the Labour-Green electricity pricing policy: “We are sending an incredibly bad signal that New Zealand is no longer a safe place to invest.” The crowd reacts to this rant with skeptical murmuring and scattered laughter. Quite apart from his irrational, hysterical words, many people have no doubt noticed that Carnegie looks uncannily like the fat guy in The Office.
http://www.pilkipedia.co.uk/wiki/images/thumb/4/4f/BigKeith.jpg/250px-BigKeith.jpg
http://www.businessnz.org.nz/images/upload/JohnCarnegie%20web.jpg
Back to the politicians, for their thoughts. This is where not only the intellectual, but the moral calibre of the politicians is often revealed. Chris Hipkins and Gareth Hughes both speak eloquently, but when Hipkins is speaking, Aaron Gilmore hoots and laughs. Such displays of loutish imbecility are, damningly, all that National is capable of; Gilmore’s antics are no different from the antics in Parliament of other National Party thugs, especially Gerry Brownlee. (Talking about people who look like Big Keith…)
Then it’s time for the most unpredictable part of the show: the vox pops. This consists of Damian Christie walking around the tables with his microphone and asking them what they think. This is a nerve-wracking exercise at the best of times, and it’s not helped by Christie’s patent awkwardness….
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Have you been to Gallipoli for the dawn service?
WOMAN: Yes.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: What were you doing over there?
WOMAN: Going to the dawn service.
This is met by gales of laughter, some of it shading into outright derision of Christie. Undeterred, however, Christie ploughs on, like an ANZAC soldier struggling doggedly up a Turkish cliff…
CHRISTIE: You’re getting all choked up over it now, aren’t you!
WOMAN: Not really.
Bravely, Christie continues to circulate around the room, wielding his enormous microphone, looking for vulnerable drinkers. It’s quite noticeable that people are drawing away as he approaches. He’d better watch himself, otherwise he’s going to make people as nervous as Brian Edwards did with his ambush vox pops in Auckland’s Victoria Park during his short-lived Saturday night horror show a decade ago.
Can you find this online?
You CAN get this online, but SkyTV makes you jump through hoops. I recommend you don’t encourage them in their bid to privatize this content….
http://www.isky.co.nz/product/481749.aspx
Indeed – don’t encourage them.
I’ve only managed to watch one Backbenches since is commercial transition – just as I have Media3 (once was Media7).
One of the big problems with the commercialisation of these programmes (or should I now call them ‘shows’) is that the continuity is destroyed often by the NEED to ‘take a break’ at as close to set times as is possible – and regardless of interrupting participants trying to make a point.
You’ll notice it on FUX NEWS often – when the left are getting any sort of advantage in an argument….. “we gotta get a break”, etc.
That’s just ONE of the problems! The platform is insidious: whether intended or not – you’ll find Brown, Chapman, Christie et al become victims of the ‘stardom mentality’ that seems to be a necessity in operating on this commercially driven platform.
In both cases (Prime BB, and MW M3), the defense is – it’s better than no BB or M3. I’m afraid not for me.
Probably more entertaining to read your take on the programme anyway!
It would be followed by an lowering of our credit rating, and a devaluation in currency.
The oil prices being kept artificially high as a deterrant to flirting with currency devaluation, because the inflationary pressure threat would be rammed down everyones throat!
Interest rates would rise, and whats left of the NZ economy will fall out the backdoor. Even with more competitive exports, the current account deficit will keep widening, with a higer cost of borrowing to service the lesser credit rating, leading to higher taxes to service the gowing debt costs!
The NZ Power policy as no chance of getting off the ground,
Because the global banking cartel, has NZ, by the balls!
Since 1961
The effect of NZ Power on private shareholders dividends will be 3 to 4.5% (not accounting for revenue increasing, + 18.6% in 2012). You’re saying that because of a potential 3 to 4.5% reduction in value of dividends going to private shareholders the NZ economy will fall out the backdoor? Get off the grass muzza.
If that’s all it reduces shareholder dividends by, NZ Power is only scratching the surface of what it should be doing.
I have to agree with you there CV… After crunching a few numbers it appears NZ Power won’t have much if any affect on power companies profitability or the dividends they payout. However there are savings to be made through better management of current infrastructure, which I think is just as much a problem as the current bidding system that means consumers are paying far too much for electricity that’s relatively cheap to produce.
It appears that Labour and the Greens perhaps knew there would be howls of anger from the right wing regarding NZ Power and so devised a very moderate policy. It certainly isn’t far left “economic vandalism” that some have claimed. Let’s hope that when NZ Power gets up and running (mid to late 2016) they will push the envelope a bit on how much is actually able to be saved for consumers.
Actually Jackal, my intent was aimed at what would likely happen to the housing/retail markets, should interest rates rise from their current. *lows* ??? following a devaluation in our currency, via a ratings mark down!
My commentary was a high level overview of what would happen, as was pointed out, if *a signal that NZ was no longer a safe place to invest*, went out!
Which is what NZ Power will have to contend with, and its creators contend with, before it stands any chance to become airborne!
A ratings downgrade because of a potential 3 to 4.5% decrease in dividend values for private shareholders… Are you out of your mind?
A wee bit surprised you didn’t zone in on the comment made by one of those ( I don’t know one from the other) aforementioned clowns Morrissey. Never mind. I’ll do it. Came after a quick fire question to the pollies relating to Boston.
Where were the alleged bombers from? Answer given was Chechnya. Answer queried on the grounds (I guess) that Kyrgyzstan had been mentioned in connection to them and their family. And the clown, not remembering the name ‘Kyrgyzstan’ deemed it an an opportunity to pop out the racially loaded ‘Wogistan’ alternate answer.
And no-one batted an eyelid.
Not surprised you don’t know one clown from another. After all, they’re all make-uo (courtesy of whatever brand of face paint that’s in vogue these days).
I was just thinking though (after witnessing a hipkins on some Beck Benchas ‘show’ – constructed by a Chapman and a Christie – where the credits were at pains to tell us all who ‘dressed them’) – I was going to suggest he should ‘Moisturise!…. Moisturise!…. Moisturise”.
It may well be his greatest contribution to the Labouring Party
A wee bit surprised you didn’t zone in on the comment made by one of those ( I don’t know one from the other) aforementioned clowns Morrissey.
I heard it, but I didn’t write it down in my transcription notebook, so I’d forgotten it by the time I came to type it up. The clown that said it was (surprise, surprise) the National Party lout Aaron Gilmore.
Never mind. I’ll do it. Came after a quick fire question to the pollies relating to Boston.
Thanks, Bill. You’re a trooper—in the good sense.
Where were the alleged bombers from? Answer given was Chechnya. Answer queried on the grounds (I guess) that Kyrgyzstan had been mentioned in connection to them and their family. And the clown, not remembering the name ‘Kyrgyzstan’ deemed it an an opportunity to pop out the racially loaded ‘Wogistan’ alternate answer.
And no-one batted an eyelid.
It’s not that nobody noticed, or cared. The problem is the format of the show. To remonstrate with that halfwitted National Party thug would have been counter to this show’s enforced mood of frivolity. Earlier in the evening, over on TV3, the same determined dumbing down occurred when Prof. Damon Salesa tried to say something serious during the moronic laugh-fest The Vote.
It wasn’t Gilmore came out with that shit Morrissey. It was one of the presenters – the one who tended to do the wandering around eliciting opinion from attendees.
Gilmore answered with “Chechnya”. One of the presenters was a bit unsure of that as an answer and the other clown kind of dismissively (barely conceiled undertones of ‘they’re all the same and who the fuck cares anyway’) suggested “Wogistan”. Racially, ethnically and religiously fucked up as all hell imo.
Really? Thanks for that, Bill.
Aaron Gilmore, sorry. Call off your lawyers now.
Damian Christie: you are so much better than that.
Even John Armstrong is taking not-so-much an anti Labour line this morning.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10880014
I’m not sure if this is a good thing.
John Armstrong is the Peter Dunne of the NZ Herald. Always trying to position himself in the vaccuous centre because he thinks that will may him look sensible, balanced and fair. In reality he’s just another self-serving journo.
Everyone should see the the film ‘Shadows of liberty’; it was on at documentary festival and hopefully will come back to cinemas once finished the festival cycle.
Here it trailer http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=_SAUborWbPw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_SAUborWbPw
It does show what has happened to the media and examples can be found in New Zealand of all the same issues mentioned in the film.
“John Armstrong is the Peter Dunne of the NZ Herald.”
heh.
It’s a thing. “High Broderism” it’s called, after David Broder who dominated the Washington press corp for lo, many years.
The basic conceit is that some journalists develop a identity of being the caretakers of the discourse. The content of policy, the actual business of politics, becomes a side issue at best; the protection of order, and form, take over. Disputes are seen not as politics functioning as it ought, but as threats to be resolved. ‘Bold policy’ is just a move in a game. They are positioning statements aimed at voter blocks, rather than policies aimed at problems.
What that leads to, though it is never admitted, or even realised I suspect, is that much of the political analysis we see is not analysis of policy, or even of politicians, but of the polis.
The question “How will this policy play in the electorate in terms of votes” is not answered by looking at the effects of a policy, or the reasoning behind it. ie, it cannot be answered by reporting on policy or politicians. It is answered by discussing whose votes might shift, and what it might do in the polls.
The advantage for journalists here is that this is a non partisan endeavor; they aren’t pontificating about whether the policy is good/bad, or whether the politician is honest/mendacious.
The whole area gets a good working over here:
http://pressthink.org/2010/06/clowns-to-the-left-of-me-jokers-to-the-right-on-the-actual-ideology-of-the-american-press/
lovely article there.
interesting; well they are not very good at looking after the polis
having just re-read the Armstrong piece, conclude it is disgusting (and patronising as well).
Nice link, PB. I think Colin Espiner fits that description too. When many had pegged him as a friend of the left he let loose with the article on Green/Labour policy.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/bull-dust/8568124/Labours-crazy-new-energy-policy
These pretend journalist types are determined to make the news and be the news, not report and analyse it.
And like Peter Dunne, he’s prone to let the whole facade drop and throw a hissy fit when he thinks he’s not being given the obeisance he’s due.
Poor old Armstrong is still licking his wounds after being comprehensively humiliated by the superior Gordon Campbell last year.
Armstrong’s piece is all about strategy – about The Game. And nothing about what is actually the right thing to do for the majority of Kiwis, and especially for those struggling on low incomes.
It’s a heartless piece. But that’s what “neoliberalism” has done to mainstream political commentary.
The coldness of the writing comes from the coldness in the heart.
small question (and I understand folks are busy)
Why is there no banner/promotion on The Standard for the Day of Action ?
There is just yesterday’s reminder. Seems like a missed opportunity is all.
anyways . . .
You may have voted National, Maori Party, United Future or even Act. That does not deny you your right to voice opposition to their actions as a Government. In fact to succeed in their crimes, they count on your silence and your complicity. Today is your chance to let them know you matter.
If you are not working today, little has greater significance to the future of New Zealand than this simple walk down the street amongst friends.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10879994
The crowning of Maurice Williamson as a ‘gay icon’ (by the media at least) has left me somewhat bemused.
Nothing against Williamson. He voted yes for marriage equality and as a result I applaud him. Even more so, he is a member of a conservative party in a rather blue neighbourhood. I have no doubt the pressure on him from those opposing equality was fierce.
His speech was good. Great? That’s debatable. It was loud. It had a few amusing turns of phrase. But it wasn’t necessarily any better than any of the other pro-speeches. Mojo Mathers, for example, gave one of the most stirring speeches I’ve ever seen. So why isn’t she being lauded as a ‘gay icon’?
Perhaps because she isn’t male, white and heterosexual? She doesn’t possess that holy triumvirate that many in society ascribe as being ‘preferable’ or ‘powerful’ or even ‘acceptable’.
Williamson voted down Civil Unions. He says it’s because they didn’t go far enough. That doesn’t wash with me. By that same logic you would deny a starving person a hamburger because it wasn’t steak. Back then those of us who needed legal protection were happy to get it any way we could. We saw civil unions as a secondary class, but it was a class nonetheless. No Maurice, you don’t get a pass on that. You voted tactically there, not with your conscience. Be honest.
Maurice, you’re not an ‘icon’ to this ethnic gay man. You’re a straight white man who voted progressively. You’re not worthy of the kudos that the media is heaping on you for marriage equality. That belongs to those politicians who worked tirelessly for years, decades, to achieve this. Kevin Hague. Louisa Wall. Those are gay icons. Those are the people who should be invited on Ellen. Not you, Maurice.
Stop the interviews. Don’t go on Ellen. Get on with doing your job. Because feeding this ‘gay icon’ fire is just sad to those who know it’s all puffery. You did a good thing. A very good thing. But there’s nothing worse than someone taking credit that isn’t due.
But won’t Mr Key be livid. He had to boyishly grin as he gave approval for the Ellen visit.
But why wasn’t it him! John Key is the man for centre stage, the limelight, the adulation, the autograph hunters, and international spotlight. To have to step back for a lowly Maurice for heavens sake! Hell will blaze for a man back-benched!
My conspiracy theory is that Maurice nixed the trip (I seem to remember him saying he wouldn’t go at first) but that Key pushed him to promote NZ. His talk about the trip now has tourism speak all over it.
But we can assume Key is pissed someone else is getting the limelight…
+1
Boyfriend just yesterday was wondering why Louisa Wall didn’t get the invite, since she actually did the work.
Some people I know took it upon themselves to inform Ellen de Generes of Williamson’s history on the issue. He was pretty much promoted by the Herald etc because he’s a Tory – just hijacking kudos for NAct. I didn’t think his speech was anything great and the fact that it was lauded all round the world just goes to show oratory has died.
I can see how Ellen might think Williamson would help get the white male heterosexual conservatives in the US onside for the same sex marriage campaign in the US.
However, she totally ignores the impact within NZ.
I agree, Tigger. Mojo Mathers gave the best speech in the 3rd reading of the Bill, as far as I’m concerned – it was about an inclusive family and wider whanau.
By US political standards, Williamson is a card carrying communist. I don’t think he’ll help get their conservatives onside.
From the US point of view, that so many National MPs voted for marriage reform basically identifies them as God-despising family hating bleeding heart liberals who are all going to hell.
A few upgrades running. Site may be a bit slow for an period.
Oops – database just upgraded
hence the “database unavailable” shite a while back.
You should be commended lprent as I’m hoping you are from time to time.
The approach is obviously not the ‘suck it and see’ one found elsewhere.
The outages should have only been 10-20 seconds or so each time.
Upgraded and been through a good solid compacting including old versions of posts and comments. I have corrected all issues with orphaned comments (~200 all up). Deleted about 4 that were in a chain in 2010 where the original comment got deleted and the replies all referred to the original comment.
It is suck it and see some of the time. There are some issues that I can’t test on the development system because of loading differences.
To all marching today…thank you so very much. I can’t be there due to the on call nature of my work but I am with you in spirit and will be following the protests around the country with much interest. I marched up Queen Street with my 84yr old Dad last year and found it very helpful in so many ways. I trust you all will too. Once again, many thanks from those of us unable to be there in body, we are with you.
see, with these subsistence-labour factories like the one that collapsed in Bangladesh it is only the consumer, and their demand for price, that can make the difference; the consumer. A dilemma indeed.
They can be quite delayed and sensationalist these prime-time news bulletins; In context, the last bird-flu killed approximately 370 people world-wide, from memory. That is not to say that something unforeseen might happen if the current strain becomes transmitted human to human.
According to the agonising of the sheep and beef farmer, if they don’t find solutions “they may as well pack it in” according to one representativee.
So, the use of sarin is a “red-line”, a “game-changer” says Obama, yet the US and Co. are being a bit more cautious before rushing in this time it appears.
and according to a commentator on the Auckland transport bind; “cycling (if possible) really does blow all other forms of transport away”.
Latest spin from Rugby Union http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/8604494/Rugby-bad-boys-paying-the-penalty
No sympathy here. If psychological stress is a job issue then screen them for it before hiring them in the first place.
Doug Sellman is the man to go to concerning the addiction issues NZ faces.
“professional sports are just rife with mental health issues”-Karen Nimmo
“rugby administrators are inconsistent in their enforcement of ‘codes of conduct'”
Rob Nichol, an apologist for big-money sports investment effectively, nonetheless identifies the two big issues professional sports (and those who aspire to participation in the field) face;
-integrity
-mental health of athletes (just consider Susan Devoy; too many shuttles to the head).
I’d like to thank anyone who is marching today against the theft of our national assets. I am unable to be there, but am with you in spirit.
To the scum who wish to sell us out: Kaore e mau te rongo–ake, ake!
+100 Ditto, as above
Swaps and detivatives rate fixing investigation hits Bank of America Merrill Lynch
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-18/meet-isdafix-the-libor-scandals-sequel
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/everything-is-rigged-the-biggest-financial-scandal-yet-20130425
NB: Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch in 2009
Five questions about the CFTC’s Isdafix probe
The ISDA includes foreign exchange derivatives among its suite of products.
I read those links thanks Pete; too blown out to comment.
Zero Hedge does a brief out take from the story for those who want a summary.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-26/illuminati-were-amateurs-matt-taibbi-explains-how-everything-rigged
Another .5cent equivilant fine coming their way, and the system will remain unchanged!
Been caught stealing (the energy of the entire planet)
Shoddy standards continue to erode the integrity of TVNZ news
Why would anyone trust this television station?
Television One News, Saturday 27 April 2013
Thousands of people turned out on the streets this afternoon to protest against the Government’s plan to flog off our national assets. But not according to one crusty old newsreader on Television One. I switched on my television just after 6:30 this evening to hear this…
Peter Williams: “HUNDREDS of people turned out in marches all over the country today…”
Given the fact that there were hundreds of protestors in Tauranga alone, it seems certain that there were several thousand marchers over the whole country.
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/42694-marching-against-asset-sales.html
Yet someone gave that silly old fool Peter Williams a script that said there were only “hundreds” of marchers nationwide. Or maybe Williams adjusted the figure himself; in light of his many nasty, smug little comments over the years, I would not put it past him to do such a thing.
After that came the preview of the sports news. This was equally abject, equally foolish, equally contrary to reality….
Jenny-May Coffin: “The Blues and Hurricanes have both lost to Aussie opposition. Both games were superb spectacles but the Australian teams were WAY TOO STRONG.”
THE FACTS…
The Auckland Blues lost to Queensland by one point in a closely fought away game, in Brisbane. The Blues scored the only try, a beauty by Jackson Willison. The Reds were extremely fortunate to win.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10880055
In Palmerston North, the Hurricanes lost 16-18 to the Cape Town Stormers. Both sides scored two tries, and the Hurricanes were unlucky not to win.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10880001
Yet some genius wrote a script for Jenny-May Coffin to read out that claimed the Australians were “way too strong.” Perhaps it was the same person who claimed there were only “hundreds” of marchers nationwide today.
Are they testing the copy-writers at TVNZ for hallucinogenic drug use? And if not, why not?
I found it strange watching the news – no mention of the Stewart Island oil leaking fishing vessel country of origin – why it ended up on rocks. Just the name Sureste – and a seemingly relaxed Environment Southland – heavy weather had dispursed most of the oil away.
Is this the same Sur Este – one of the Korean-flagged fishing vessels recently in the news for abusing crew?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8266324/Fishing-crew-walk-off-ship-in-Timaru
mentioned on three news
Yes, it is
‘
Here’s an odd thing – an application from the FBI to hack a computer which was denied on the basis that the target computer is outside the territorial limit. I guess it just a Texas judge, so presumably the hacking of Kim Dotcom’s computers must have been issued by someone from the World Court, right?
http://cryptome.org/2013/04/tx-search.pdf
Dotcom’s house was raided by NZ authorities, not by American. (although the Americans instigated and supervised it). This is also why the NZ courts system has jurisdiction over the incident.
Too-big-to-fail banks implicated in $500 trillion fraud: biggest price-rigging scandal in history
Yeah, private banks – just so fucken trustworthy.
Remember that these private banks are empowered by the central banks, and that the top execs of both move freely between each others organisations at the highest levels.
A true “inside job”.
cheers, draco
Matt Taibbi of The Exile no less
What’s new? The whole 20th century was one of concentration of capital into giant industrial and banking trusts, combines and cartels.
Its called state monopoly capitalism.
Competition is for losers. You only survive by getting bigger. Once you are big enough you can corner any market, land, finance, oil etc and set up a cartel especially if you can buy the govt. Land is a natural monopoly, but in finance you buy the govt and get it to license you to print money, set interest rates, get bailed out blah blah.
Its not new, its not an aberration, its not corruption, its the way the capitalist system works by outgrowing its competitive origins and using state power to bully all and sundry to accept your monopoly as god’s gift.
The system has to run like this because that’s the only way it can continue to accumulate and concentrate private wealth at the top, i.e. by making sure that only those at the top can compete.
So competition is squeezed upward out of markets, out of national jurisdictions and into international trusts that use the power of their state machines to bully their rivals. Its also squeezed downwards into the surplus population to divide and rule the working class. The result is world wars. US vs China is the current world war in the making.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century such was the fusion of industrial capital and banking capital that Lenin coined the term ‘finance capital’ to express this fact.
Today the term ‘finance capital’ is used to mean ‘money’ or ‘banking’ capital, when in reality it is fused with industrial capital.
As I said none of this is new. The constant surprise expressed by these ‘players’ as to the depth of collusion in business and banking is evidence of their ignorance as to how the system really works.
This sort of learned stupidity is part of the process of legitimating capitalism.
It’s not new, it is how the capitalist system works and it is corrupt.
My latest thought on the matter is that the whole neo-liberal paradigm isn’t actually an economic theory (How can it be? It’s not even remotely explaining the reality) but is just a means to legitimate the continued accumulation of the communities wealth into fewer and fewer hands.
Agree DTB if you use a standard of ‘corruption’ external to capitalism. Capitalism is inherently corrupt compared to pre-capitalist standards of communal sharing of social resources, and compared to post-capitalist concepts of communal existence. It breaks what is a fundamental rule of social reproduction (i.e. survival) which is “from each according to their ability and to each according to their needs”. It’s transgression of this rule is what is driving it to destroy humanity and nature.