See also….
No. 12: UK Min. of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of …the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question”
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013)
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Once again, where is your evidence that the drones have not saved lives?
Obviously, killing people is costing a life. But on the flip-side, if you don’t kill a terrorist, they may go on to kill many many other people later on. Obviously the US believes they have evidence that this is the case.
Now, you’re free to call him a liar, but equally I am free to call you on that and ask for the evidence upon which you make that accusation. Without any evidence provided on your part, myself and others will have to judge your claim as simply a matter of “he-said she-said”.
Finally, I see that you use Barack Obama’s full name, including his middle name Hussein, when you have not done so for anyone else on your list, including the previous mention of Obama. I can only presume you’re trying to highlight his surname for the same sorts of reasons that nutbag righties do in the US.
who is which and who is what? Who kills the most people? Who kills the most civilians? Who has the biggest bombs? Who has the most weapons? Who has set off the most and biggest bombs? Who is an occupying force? Who has let off nuclear bombs? Which countrys populations are most at risk?
One “Lanthanide” is indulging herself, and no doubt irritating the rest of us, with her vile little games of cod-logic….
“Obviously, killing people is costing a life.”
But that is not so obvious, according to what you go on to assert, as you obediently channel the president of the United States.
“But on the flip-side, if you don’t kill a terrorist, they [sic] may go on to kill many many other people later on.”
You mean, if you don’t kill a Pakistani child, it may go on to kill many many other people later on. Following your logic, when these remotely operated drones kill an entire wedding party, as they have on several occasions in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, they are saving (using your obscene multiplier) hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. Ergo, the more of them we kill, the more of us (times five or six) we save.
The math is irrefutable! Madam, you are a cut-price A.C. Grayling! You are a Kiwi Christopher Hitchens! You are an Antipodean Alan Dershowitz! You should join the Sensible Sentencing Trust immediately; they think just like you.
“If you don’t kill a Pakistani, he or she may go to kill many many other people later on.” You could, of course, say the same thing about killing an American child. So why don’t you?
““If you don’t kill a Pakistani, he or she may go to kill many many other people later on.” You could, of course, say the same thing about killing an American child. So why don’t you?”
Ah you sad, straw man manipulating boobie – Lanth said “terrorist”, not “Pakistani”. Most of us understand those to be separate categories even if the sets overlap.
Ah you sad, straw man manipulating boobie – Lanth said “terrorist”, not “Pakistani”.
The Professor made it clear that he was translating Lanthanide’s weasel words into plain English.
Most of us understand those to be separate categories even if the sets overlap.
The sets overlap far more substantially and far more obviously when they are sets labelled “Terrorists” and “Americans”; using Lanthanide’s way of thinking, we should be sending unmanned drones into the mountains of West Virginia and the poorest parts of Texas, from where many of the young men carrying out things like the following are drawn…..
“No evidence”? “No evidence” of WHAT? Are you saying there is “no evidence” that the United States has killed, and continues to kill, civilians in these countries with unmanned drones?
You’re making a habit of this.
I make a point of correcting your silly and invalid complaints. That’s a chore, not a habit.
Also no hint as to why you suddenly changed tradition and mention Obama’s middle name.
Ahhhh…. we have a conspiracy theory! The ol’ “Mention the Middle Name” trick! Do you think I’m working for the Tea Party folks, perhaps? Or is it Donald Trump? Maybe I’m a Mossad operative! Whatever, it’s sinister, all right. No doubt about it….
I mean duh. You called him a liar, where’s the evidence that he’s lying. Where is the evidence that him saying “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.” is a lie?
Ahhhh…. we have a conspiracy theory! The ol’ “Mention the Middle Name” trick! Do you think I’m working for the Tea Party folks, perhaps? Or is it Donald Trump? Maybe I’m a Mossad operative! Whatever, it’s sinister, all right. No doubt about it….
So no explanation as to why you did it then. Obviously you must have had a reason, or you wouldn’t have done it. Unless you just do things for no reason at all, like call people liars.
Poor, desperate Lanthanide is choking on conspiracy theory overload. Better watch yourselves, fellow Standardistas, for we have a master of semiotics on the case, deconstructing every suspicious move we make….
Obviously you must have had a reason, or you wouldn’t have done it.
Let us know when the Space Shuttle returns to Planet Earth, will you, Lanthanide? Then we can send you off on your next assignment: parsing the suspicious way that John Key dresses…. http://static.stuff.co.nz/1233108507/577/246577.jpg
That exceptionally dark charcoal suit. That eggshell blue necktie—and did you notice how it’s suspiciously off-centre? Just a little bit, but there’s obviously a reason for it. And you’re JUST THE PERSON to ferret out the ugly truth!
Agree, felix. I saw Moz’s comment this morning but ignored it because it was so dull and obvious. But I’m really glad that Lanth pointed out the Tea Partyish use of the middle name, which I hadn’t spotted. Says a lot about Morrissey that he’s too chicken to defend himself for using a right wing meme. Because I’m charitable, I imagine it was an unthinking use of that tired old racist dog whistle.
And accusing others of conspiracy theories? Pot, meet world’s most self deluded kettle. That’s almost as funny as Moz saying the other day that he takes care to be accurate in his contributions.
Anyhoo, Moz. I’m keen to hear the answers to Lanth’s perfectly reasonable questions. Over to you.
Morrissey why won’t you put Lanth’s criticism to rest by putting up your evidence?
You and Lanthanide both know there is ample evidence that U.S. drones, operated in perfect safety by young men sitting in air-conditioned offices in Colorado, have killed and continue to kill, hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen. You say I can “put Lanth’s criticism to rest” by posting up evidence of something she and everybody else on this forum knows is widespread and irrefutable. Has she heard of the word “Google”, perchance?
Filibustering is not criticism. Our dear friend is merely trying to take some control of this exchange by having me waste my time looking up links which are known and understood. Her tactic is as ridiculous as it is reprehensible.
Agree, felix. I saw Moz’s comment this morning but ignored it because it was so dull and obvious.
Good, you recognize that reminding people that Pres. Hopey Changey is a liar was a reiteration of the obvious. The rather mean “dull” slur is a matter of opinion; I’ll leave others to judge how much they respect yours on this matter.
But I’m really glad that Lanth pointed out the Tea Partyish use of the middle name, which I hadn’t spotted.
“Hadn’t spotted”!?! Oh, come ON, Te Reo! Is it drink? Have you been “mixing your medications”? Oh my God, please tell me you’re not experimenting with that marihuana!
While we’re on the topic of you not spotting things, you also failed to spot my use of a Sarah Palin zinger. Come ON, Te Reo!
Says a lot about Morrissey that he’s too chicken to defend himself for using a right wing meme. Because I’m charitable, I imagine it was an unthinking use of that tired old racist dog whistle.
Yep, as I pointed out to Lanthanide yesterday, I might be a Mossad spy as well. Be very afraid, Te Reo. And Lanthanide, I’d change my daily routine for the next fortnight or so, just to be safe….
L, forgive me, but you’re a bore. A Beltway bore. Dispositionally you and Morrissey are light years apart. Don’t let it worry you so. Seems Morrissey don’t give a fuck. Emulate that.
more Morrisey sock puppets … fuck you Breen you turd.
[lprent: nope, and don’t speculate. Next person I see doing it gets a weeks ban, and I will double it for each successive instance. I am tired of writing these notes. ]
Not sure how I’m a beltway bore, living in CHCH and having nothing more to do with politics than posting on this blog and voting in elections…
And yes, I realise Morrissey is much better in the words and thoughts department than I am – I freely admit it. But that doesn’t mean he gets to spout nonsense wherever he likes and then get away without backing up any of this thoughts or words with a skerrick of evidence.
Not sure how I’m a beltway bore, living in CHCH and having nothing more to do with politics than posting on this blog and voting in elections…
I don’t think you’re a bore, Lanthanide. In fact I find your posts to be interesting and very well argued, usually.
And yes, I realise Morrissey is much better in the words and thoughts department than I am – I freely admit it.
Actually, I don’t think you are being fair on yourself. I have never, ever thought that I am superior to you; if I had thought that, I would not bother to argue with you like I occasionally do.
But that doesn’t mean he gets to spout nonsense wherever he likes and then get away without backing up any of this thoughts or words with a skerrick of evidence.
I think you should look at my posts again, and then think again about whether I don’t back up what I write. I’m sure that what you say holds true in many instances, but in respect to what we’ve been disputing over the last few days, I think you’re being a little harsh.
Mana has shown the way small parties can successfully operate in government. Building a large campaign about an issue that they care about, both inside and outside parliament to pressure the main parties.
This pattern of operation is one that the Green Party has followed in their campaign against the partial privatisation of state assets. Which in my opinion has put the Nats programme under a lot of pressure.
National, in introducing their programme to “Feed the Kids”, were forced to address the question of childhood poverty under pressure from Mana and their allies, inside and outside parliament.
It is not a state run programme that Harawira outlined in his private members bill, (due to come up in July), being instead based on private and corporate charity rather than government aid. But still it is a major concession.
This is how with few MPs and little money, Rod Donald’s campaign for MMP won through, against a powerful and well funded conservative lobby with millions of dollars behind them.
The other strategy that small parties can adopt. Is the one followed by the Alliance and the Maori Party. That is trading principals away for influence, and so called, “seats at the top table”.
Your fundamental mistake is believing that CB and Reid reflect reality. They don’t, they reflect Tory wishful thinking (and in the last two elections, wish fulfilment). Labour and the Greens will be the next Government.
It’s not hope, it’s fact. Reid and CB always overestimate the right and minimise the left. The intention is to convince voters that elections are a ‘done deal’ so they don’t threaten the status quo. Sorry to see you buying in to it. The only poll that is even close to correct is the Roy Morgan and in recent months that has shown that a change is coming. Over to you now. Are part of the movement for change or are you just concern trolling?
Hmm, I don’t really think so. You’re basically saying that these media outlets go out of their way to commission a dodgy poll. I don’t think they do.
It doesn’t have to be blatant or outlandish manipulation. Anything from wording of the questions, to time of day calls are made, to areas called, will skew poll results. Also changing criteria for which responses might be kept and which might be discarded.
Notice how none of these polling companies release a detailed methodology of how each poll was actually conducted.
CV & Co,
Forget the semantics.
Stop the nit picking who/how of Pollsters.
Labour is doing no better under Shearer and Robertson that they did under Goff and King.
Labour cannot get over 33% with the current leadership coterie.
Many gigs people in the party are working hard on the policy and organisation change plans.
The public, the active voters and the lapsed voters will “like” some of our policies but never vote for Labour or vote at all al long as the leadership is seen to be playing a safe centrist “beltway” strategy rather than being strong gutsy leaders of the PAYE worker, the Maori, the Islanders, the new immigrants, the alienated and dispossed and the environmentalists.
As opposed to a statement that is completely correct (but only if we ignore those 2x% results for labour in the first half of the term, and the 34-35% labour results in the second half).
Reid polling in particular gives all the impression of simply reflecting the wishes of the National party acolyte that owns that particular polling organization,
National will have the numbers to govern alone is the ongoing constant message from Reid, the underlying ‘massage’ being that for those not wanting a National Party Government it’s a waste of time turning up at the polling booths on election day,
How well such ‘messaging’ works in the minds of those subjected to such ‘conditioning’ via their televisions is a matter of opinion,
I would this far out from November 2014 dare suggest that National’s chances of a third term of Government will be reliant upon the whim of NZFirst who themselves are hardly guaranteed 5% of the vote in 2014…
Pretty much – like their graph of poll results.
All through 2010/2011Reid put National at well above 50%. But for me the indicator of intentional bias is the chart itself – stops in feb 2013 as nats raise just above 50% on a slow decline since the election.
The last couple of results have been below 50%, haven’t they? Yet the chart on their website looks like they’re on an upswing. And the page has been like that for a while.
Shearer is lurching to the left to appease party activists (and keep his position) and is trying out a political civil union with a red headed Aussie.
The net effect of this you have Labour, Greens, Mana dancing around in the far left corner chasing the same votes.
This leaves the soft left and center voters drifting back into the Nats camp and keeping the Nats consistently high in the polls.
If Shearer wants to head further left that is fine. It is the same sex marriage with Norman that is killing Labour – every fruit loop pronouncement by Norman and Turei is seen as being automatically endorsed by Shearer.
This is scary for voters who are looking for economic stability and growth not a lurch to the luddite left.
Clark didn’t keep the Greens in a far and distant corner for no reason.
Careful. When the “far Left” win the election and the sky fails to fall on our heads, and in fact people start to prosper more (you must have heard that Labour-led governments always make a better job of the economy, according to the facts that is – debt down productivity up etc etc), they’ll start to say to themselves “this far Left business isn’t the hell Jimmie said it would be”.
The same sentiments were made prior to 2008 & 2011 – didn’t affect the outcome.
2014 looks to be heading the same way as the left can’t acknowledge that their policies are irrelevant to the current world economic climate.
Voters will vote for parties that cut their cloth to economic reality – not a harking back to a perceived golden yester year or uncontrollable social spending.
This is what is shown in the polls and Shearer would be better off to present an alternative policy platform that reflects this.
The GFC was to political economics what 9-11 was to the military – terrorist outlook, a game changer that needs to be factored in by political parties.
Aaah the right, constantly trying to make the GFC into a war type conflict, if that is the case, where are the war criminals that allowed it to happen?
No, Jimmie. You don’t get to change the reasons people vote one way or another. People (for the most part) vote for the party they feel will leave them better off. That’s why NZPower is such a vote winner: it will leave the vast majority better off – and the boost to the economy will even lift dullards like you.
Oh, and reality check, Labour = lower public debt, so blithering about “cutting the cloth” or whatever witless excuse for austerity you’re pushing this week won’t help you.
National are shit economic managers and the lying Prime Minister is dead meat.
The GFC was proof positive that mainstream economists have HFI WTF they’re talking about. Hell, the idiots couldn’t even predict excessive debt while it was happening in front of their eyes.
The ‘far left’, as you label the politics you fear, doesn’t ‘do’ parliamentary politics Jimmie. And last time I looked, the Greens, Labour and Mana were all making a tilt at being parliamentary representatives.
You are amusing, ”economic stability and growth”???, you mean the game of smoke and mirrors that the Member from Dipton is currently playing with the Government accounts is economic security,????, borrowing billions of dollars of monies in fiscal year 2011/2012 which will be spent into 2015/1016 is your view of ‘economic stability’,???
The only growth in the system is brought about by the earthquake recovery and the ongoing Auckland housing inflation which despite all the Member from Dipton’s weasel words is set to continue unabated and the blind among us have their heads buried in the sand over this National Governments ‘growth’ of an 80 odd billion dollar debt mountain…
Spot on, its all about keeping people out of the booths in 2014, a tactic that allowed them a very narrow victory in 2011 using a cup of tea and plenty of consistent MSM themes run by granny, tvnz and joyces former employ mediawonks radio live and tv3.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5
Gormless you missed the results when that specific question was asked.
According to Paddy Gower when asked “Do you support the Labour/Greens policy to reform the power market?” a clear majority, 54 percent, said yes. Thirty-nine percent said no. The rest didn’t know.
Early days. See how it plays out. Getting all excited or despondent about polls in the middle of an electoral cycle is a fools game. But you asked a rhetorical question above: “Time to question the up-until-now unquestioned assumption that nationalising the power is electoral gold? “, in reply to which I pointed out that nearly a third of Nationals own supporters thought that, actually, NZ Power is electoral gold..
Here is a lift from Gowers commentary on the poll you reference.
Asked “Do you support the Labour/Greens policy to reform the power market?” a clear majority, 54 percent, said yes. Thirty-nine percent said no. The rest didn’t know.
But out of National voters, 29 percent said yes, supporting the Opposition’s policy.
So with these silly house value increases that are going on……
where has all the extra money come from to pay for this?
… let’s say 500,000 houses in Auckland alone, average value $500,000, equals $250,000,000,000 (that’s $250billion). And let’s say they have increased 10% in value = $2.5billion.
10% increase in value equals $25 billion (not 2.5). Let’s say 10% of houses sell each year. That equals $2.5 billion extra – where has all of that come from?
It’s mostly all mortgage debt created money. The amount of money released into the community is the same as the debt generated in the same instant. Of course, that debt starts accumulating interest immediately…basically we have a monetary system that our economy can never keep up with, and which we have to continuously grow just to keep still.
Just keep kicking that can down the road…with more money printing, bail outs, austerity for the poor, monetizing of debt, raising debt ceilings, treating debt as collateral you can loan more against, etc
The banks simply print it then lend it to you, as they hold an asset against it, your house is collateral.
Of-course they can only now lend out 5 times the money they have on deposit, so they must attract deposits, increasing the amount of money in circulation will work as people will cash up assets and put money in the bank later in life, around and around it goes, what a scam.
Of-course they can only now lend out 5 times the money they have on deposit, so they must attract deposits
Almost…my understanding is that they can lend as much as they want NOW, but have to go out and find the reserves required by regulations to sustain that lending within a month or two.
Hence occasionally you get the banks putting up posters saying Limited time only 90 days term deposits special rates!!! Because they are meeting some short term reserves shortfall.
What this means in practical terms is that if the private banks are short then the reserves are made up by the RB. That’s what the Overnight Rate (OCR) is all about. The banks will never be short on reserves ergo there is no limit to their lending.
So national party fixer Simon Lusk in yestrerdays SST has only just discovered the sort of people he is dealing with.
Lowbrow atavistic thugs. People with no ethcis, morals, principles or scruples.
Nobodies with money who want to be somebody.
People who need money to beat up on others.
They would prefer it if the law allowed them free reign with no comebacks but fortunately we live in a society governed by the rule of law.
Lusks cronies whaleoil and feeder hav self evident personality disorders such as avarice, gluttony and projecting their own foul desires on to others.
Its time to get shot of them and their party and the sooner the better.
Put dear DS up on a roof with a paintbrush and let him find out what real work is about. And make it a beneficiaries house he is painting but first clean the rust and old paint off by hand and brush, not high pressure water, and then he will have personally done some real good work in this world. The UN stuff was mainly for m-t-a (more than adequate) pay.
You should have said “there may be dead beat parents out there but FFS we are talking about 5 and 6 year old kids. We owe it to them to make sure they have enough food to at least be able to get an education at school. And if they are not being fed at home then we will get their home situation checked out. But how could you refuse to feed a 6 year old kid? What have they done to deserve this?”
On a more serious note, as lprent has alluded to…every soft Nat voter you gain this way, you’ll get a hardcore Labour voter stay at home or go to Greens/Mana.
It’s the leaking sieve strategy of electoral math.
Listening to RNZ radio political spot this morning. Matthew Hooton expounded, clearly and succinctly, the concerns expressed by many here re-the new GCSB legislation. He is now on record calling for an independent investigation as per that requested by Labour and the Greens.
I found their old website hard to navigate and confusing, and I’m a long-time netizen. I guess there’s a reason MSM websites look the way they do – because it’s functional.
hmmm, I think it’s less accessible, but maybe I was just used to the old site. To get to today’s Nine to Noon audio takes how many clicks? And having to manualy search through a whole page of programmes A to Z is pretty daft.
“I thought ipads, phones etc accessed different versions of websites.”
Only if the website designer has specifically made alternative versions of their websites (many cut-down ‘automatic’ mobile sites are terrible and people prefer to use the full site). This can add quite a bit of expense. It’s easier just to design a site that is mobile-friendly up-front and then not have the added expense of having to make a whole different one for mobile.
This site works fine on a iPad and my nexus7 in normal mode. But it is bloody difficult to make it work on any phone smaller than those oversized samsungs. I think that currently for anything with high text content, you do need a two modes.
‘Re-imaging’.
Nothing wrong with the old format – actually I preferred it. And the redevelopment was necessary (not) at a time when they’re tight on funds.
Sometimes I wonder who is running the place these days.
Once again the polls have shown, that parties that move to far from the centre will lose every election, labour and the greens are digging their own grave by playing the type of politics that they have over the past few months.
This is the most centred National government there has been in my life time. Labour and the greens are moving more to the left every day. They are making the same mistake the gop did in the usa election, trying to appeal to the extremists.
They should leave all extremist crap to united and act and TeMana.
Once again the polls have shown, that parties that move to far from the centre will lose every election, national are digging their own grave by playing the type of politics that they have over the past few months.
THE NEXT CANDIDATE for King Johnkey’s “Fuck you, I do what I want” dictatorial legislation?
Can they resist the urge to simply validate unlawful Legal Aid practises with a “nga nga nga can’t take me to court” act under urgency? Is anyone dumb enough to take bets on that?
Justice Tipping – 26 years as a judge of the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court. Look at what he had to say about this government’s fucking around with legal aid:
TV3 poll shows that 66% of National supporters are in favour of the Mana Movement precipitated Food for Kids programme the government is introducing, ShonKey Python cares to deny that Cabinet was split over the move. But good on that 66%.
34% of National Party supporters are OPPOSED ON PRINCIPLE.
Shonkey Python – “I can understand………that point of view” – or words to that effect.
Say that again – opposed to feeding starving kids – ON PRINCIPLE !
Karma, karma, karma, please, please, please deal to those bastards and their FUCKING PRINCIPLES in the cruellest fashion !
I wonder how many of the 34% delight in turning up at church on Sunday for their weekly wank ?
curiously, the same percentage 26% that were opposed to this is also the same percentage 26% that were opposed to legalising marijuana in that tv3 Vote programme last week.
Are these the same people?
Is it a solid immoveable core, sitting on their couch shaking their monstrous head saying “nope, not listening, don’t care, you’re wrong, I know, go away and get a real job.”
Yes North I agree – they have principles all right the bastards – the principle of moaning when something affects them otherwise everyone else can just fuck off.
In short, fuckwits, hardheads, no brains, “done well” white trash, scum really notwithstanding their ludicrous pretensions to style and class.
I so well recall a glowing sense of satisfaction, a sense that it was all so poetic, a sense that it was so just, when the Ceaucescus got theirs.
And this 34% are the societal apes who mouth cruelly against beneficiaries, denying this “underclass” human status. History has their travel well mapped.
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David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
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LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 13: Barack Hussein Obama
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
—President Hopey Changey defends the use of unmanned drones in Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/obama-drones_n_3327094.html
See also….
No. 12: UK Min. of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of …the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question”
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013)
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Once again, where is your evidence that the drones have not saved lives?
Obviously, killing people is costing a life. But on the flip-side, if you don’t kill a terrorist, they may go on to kill many many other people later on. Obviously the US believes they have evidence that this is the case.
Now, you’re free to call him a liar, but equally I am free to call you on that and ask for the evidence upon which you make that accusation. Without any evidence provided on your part, myself and others will have to judge your claim as simply a matter of “he-said she-said”.
Finally, I see that you use Barack Obama’s full name, including his middle name Hussein, when you have not done so for anyone else on your list, including the previous mention of Obama. I can only presume you’re trying to highlight his surname for the same sorts of reasons that nutbag righties do in the US.
.
terrorist
guerilla
freedom fighter
resistance
opposition forces
defence forces
attack forces
coalition forces
who is which and who is what? Who kills the most people? Who kills the most civilians? Who has the biggest bombs? Who has the most weapons? Who has set off the most and biggest bombs? Who is an occupying force? Who has let off nuclear bombs? Which countrys populations are most at risk?
One “Lanthanide” is indulging herself, and no doubt irritating the rest of us, with her vile little games of cod-logic….
“Obviously, killing people is costing a life.”
But that is not so obvious, according to what you go on to assert, as you obediently channel the president of the United States.
“But on the flip-side, if you don’t kill a terrorist, they [sic] may go on to kill many many other people later on.”
You mean, if you don’t kill a Pakistani child, it may go on to kill many many other people later on. Following your logic, when these remotely operated drones kill an entire wedding party, as they have on several occasions in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, they are saving (using your obscene multiplier) hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. Ergo, the more of them we kill, the more of us (times five or six) we save.
The math is irrefutable! Madam, you are a cut-price A.C. Grayling! You are a Kiwi Christopher Hitchens! You are an Antipodean Alan Dershowitz! You should join the Sensible Sentencing Trust immediately; they think just like you.
“If you don’t kill a Pakistani, he or she may go to kill many many other people later on.” You could, of course, say the same thing about killing an American child. So why don’t you?
Grayling. sigh
Dershowitz. deeper sigh.
““If you don’t kill a Pakistani, he or she may go to kill many many other people later on.” You could, of course, say the same thing about killing an American child. So why don’t you?”
Ah you sad, straw man manipulating boobie – Lanth said “terrorist”, not “Pakistani”. Most of us understand those to be separate categories even if the sets overlap.
Ah you sad, straw man manipulating boobie – Lanth said “terrorist”, not “Pakistani”.
The Professor made it clear that he was translating Lanthanide’s weasel words into plain English.
Most of us understand those to be separate categories even if the sets overlap.
The sets overlap far more substantially and far more obviously when they are sets labelled “Terrorists” and “Americans”; using Lanthanide’s way of thinking, we should be sending unmanned drones into the mountains of West Virginia and the poorest parts of Texas, from where many of the young men carrying out things like the following are drawn…..
http://morallowground.com/2012/04/18/us-82nd-airborne-soldiers-posed-for-photos-with-body-parts-of-dead-afghan-resistance-fighters/
So no evidence then, Morrissey. You’re making a habit of this.
Also no hint as to why you suddenly changed tradition and mention Obama’s middle name.
So no evidence then, Morrissey.
“No evidence”? “No evidence” of WHAT? Are you saying there is “no evidence” that the United States has killed, and continues to kill, civilians in these countries with unmanned drones?
You’re making a habit of this.
I make a point of correcting your silly and invalid complaints. That’s a chore, not a habit.
Also no hint as to why you suddenly changed tradition and mention Obama’s middle name.
Ahhhh…. we have a conspiracy theory! The ol’ “Mention the Middle Name” trick! Do you think I’m working for the Tea Party folks, perhaps? Or is it Donald Trump? Maybe I’m a Mossad operative! Whatever, it’s sinister, all right. No doubt about it….
Evidence that he is lying, obviously.
I mean duh. You called him a liar, where’s the evidence that he’s lying. Where is the evidence that him saying “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.” is a lie?
So no explanation as to why you did it then. Obviously you must have had a reason, or you wouldn’t have done it. Unless you just do things for no reason at all, like call people liars.
Poor, desperate Lanthanide is choking on conspiracy theory overload. Better watch yourselves, fellow Standardistas, for we have a master of semiotics on the case, deconstructing every suspicious move we make….
Obviously you must have had a reason, or you wouldn’t have done it.
Let us know when the Space Shuttle returns to Planet Earth, will you, Lanthanide? Then we can send you off on your next assignment: parsing the suspicious way that John Key dresses….
http://static.stuff.co.nz/1233108507/577/246577.jpg
That exceptionally dark charcoal suit. That eggshell blue necktie—and did you notice how it’s suspiciously off-centre? Just a little bit, but there’s obviously a reason for it. And you’re JUST THE PERSON to ferret out the ugly truth!
🙄
Morrissey why won’t you put Lanth’s criticism to rest by putting up your evidence?
Until you do, the criticism stands.
Agree, felix. I saw Moz’s comment this morning but ignored it because it was so dull and obvious. But I’m really glad that Lanth pointed out the Tea Partyish use of the middle name, which I hadn’t spotted. Says a lot about Morrissey that he’s too chicken to defend himself for using a right wing meme. Because I’m charitable, I imagine it was an unthinking use of that tired old racist dog whistle.
And accusing others of conspiracy theories? Pot, meet world’s most self deluded kettle. That’s almost as funny as Moz saying the other day that he takes care to be accurate in his contributions.
Anyhoo, Moz. I’m keen to hear the answers to Lanth’s perfectly reasonable questions. Over to you.
Morrissey why won’t you put Lanth’s criticism to rest by putting up your evidence?
You and Lanthanide both know there is ample evidence that U.S. drones, operated in perfect safety by young men sitting in air-conditioned offices in Colorado, have killed and continue to kill, hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen. You say I can “put Lanth’s criticism to rest” by posting up evidence of something she and everybody else on this forum knows is widespread and irrefutable. Has she heard of the word “Google”, perchance?
Anyway, since I always like to be obliging, even for people trying to irritate and fluster me, I’ll provide her with a few links. I know you’re already on top of this one, felix, but you might like to refresh your knowledge of this scandalous issue as well….
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/mit-s-noam-chomsky-obama-s-running-global-assassination-campaign
http://tribune.com.pk/story/555117/unhcr-chief-profoundly-disturbed-on-use-of-armed-drones-in-pakistan/
As a bonus, here’s a clip on the issue by one of the few rock bands with any conscience or intelligence….
And, not that they count, of course, but here’s what those towel-heads think about their country being targeted by remote-controlled robot planes….
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/24/how-pakistanis-reacted-to-obamas-speech-on-drones/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57586008/angry-pakistanis-fight-to-end-u.s-drone-strikes/
Until you do, the criticism stands.
Filibustering is not criticism. Our dear friend is merely trying to take some control of this exchange by having me waste my time looking up links which are known and understood. Her tactic is as ridiculous as it is reprehensible.
Agree, felix. I saw Moz’s comment this morning but ignored it because it was so dull and obvious.
Good, you recognize that reminding people that Pres. Hopey Changey is a liar was a reiteration of the obvious. The rather mean “dull” slur is a matter of opinion; I’ll leave others to judge how much they respect yours on this matter.
But I’m really glad that Lanth pointed out the Tea Partyish use of the middle name, which I hadn’t spotted.
“Hadn’t spotted”!?! Oh, come ON, Te Reo! Is it drink? Have you been “mixing your medications”? Oh my God, please tell me you’re not experimenting with that marihuana!
While we’re on the topic of you not spotting things, you also failed to spot my use of a Sarah Palin zinger. Come ON, Te Reo!
Says a lot about Morrissey that he’s too chicken to defend himself for using a right wing meme. Because I’m charitable, I imagine it was an unthinking use of that tired old racist dog whistle.
Yep, as I pointed out to Lanthanide yesterday, I might be a Mossad spy as well. Be very afraid, Te Reo. And Lanthanide, I’d change my daily routine for the next fortnight or so, just to be safe….
himself*, his*, etc.
L, forgive me, but you’re a bore. A Beltway bore. Dispositionally you and Morrissey are light years apart. Don’t let it worry you so. Seems Morrissey don’t give a fuck. Emulate that.
more Morrisey sock puppets … fuck you Breen you turd.
[lprent: nope, and don’t speculate. Next person I see doing it gets a weeks ban, and I will double it for each successive instance. I am tired of writing these notes. ]
Not sure how I’m a beltway bore, living in CHCH and having nothing more to do with politics than posting on this blog and voting in elections…
And yes, I realise Morrissey is much better in the words and thoughts department than I am – I freely admit it. But that doesn’t mean he gets to spout nonsense wherever he likes and then get away without backing up any of this thoughts or words with a skerrick of evidence.
Not sure how I’m a beltway bore, living in CHCH and having nothing more to do with politics than posting on this blog and voting in elections…
I don’t think you’re a bore, Lanthanide. In fact I find your posts to be interesting and very well argued, usually.
And yes, I realise Morrissey is much better in the words and thoughts department than I am – I freely admit it.
Actually, I don’t think you are being fair on yourself. I have never, ever thought that I am superior to you; if I had thought that, I would not bother to argue with you like I occasionally do.
But that doesn’t mean he gets to spout nonsense wherever he likes and then get away without backing up any of this thoughts or words with a skerrick of evidence.
I think you should look at my posts again, and then think again about whether I don’t back up what I write. I’m sure that what you say holds true in many instances, but in respect to what we’ve been disputing over the last few days, I think you’re being a little harsh.
Congratulations to Hone Harawira and the Mana Party are due. They have wrung a major concession from the Nacts.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8719431/Food-in-schools-programme-imminent-PM
Mana has shown the way small parties can successfully operate in government. Building a large campaign about an issue that they care about, both inside and outside parliament to pressure the main parties.
This pattern of operation is one that the Green Party has followed in their campaign against the partial privatisation of state assets. Which in my opinion has put the Nats programme under a lot of pressure.
National, in introducing their programme to “Feed the Kids”, were forced to address the question of childhood poverty under pressure from Mana and their allies, inside and outside parliament.
It is not a state run programme that Harawira outlined in his private members bill, (due to come up in July), being instead based on private and corporate charity rather than government aid. But still it is a major concession.
This is how with few MPs and little money, Rod Donald’s campaign for MMP won through, against a powerful and well funded conservative lobby with millions of dollars behind them.
The other strategy that small parties can adopt. Is the one followed by the Alliance and the Maori Party. That is trading principals away for influence, and so called, “seats at the top table”.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein
What is Labour doing differently under Shearer that is any different from what it did under Goff?
National 48% on average between Colmar Brunton and Reid Polls.
Labour 33%.
No change.
Since 2008.
Your fundamental mistake is believing that CB and Reid reflect reality. They don’t, they reflect Tory wishful thinking (and in the last two elections, wish fulfilment). Labour and the Greens will be the next Government.
Tedium: TRP saying the same thing over and over again and hoping the polls are wrong.
It’s not hope, it’s fact. Reid and CB always overestimate the right and minimise the left. The intention is to convince voters that elections are a ‘done deal’ so they don’t threaten the status quo. Sorry to see you buying in to it. The only poll that is even close to correct is the Roy Morgan and in recent months that has shown that a change is coming. Over to you now. Are part of the movement for change or are you just concern trolling?
“The intention is to convince voters that elections are a ‘done deal’ so they don’t threaten the status quo. ”
Hmm, I don’t really think so. You’re basically saying that these media outlets go out of their way to commission a dodgy poll. I don’t think they do.
Also, the latest Roy Morgan is in line with the current results from Reid and CB, yet was taken before the budget.
It doesn’t have to be blatant or outlandish manipulation. Anything from wording of the questions, to time of day calls are made, to areas called, will skew poll results. Also changing criteria for which responses might be kept and which might be discarded.
Notice how none of these polling companies release a detailed methodology of how each poll was actually conducted.
CV & Co,
Forget the semantics.
Stop the nit picking who/how of Pollsters.
Labour is doing no better under Shearer and Robertson that they did under Goff and King.
Labour cannot get over 33% with the current leadership coterie.
Many gigs people in the party are working hard on the policy and organisation change plans.
The public, the active voters and the lapsed voters will “like” some of our policies but never vote for Labour or vote at all al long as the leadership is seen to be playing a safe centrist “beltway” strategy rather than being strong gutsy leaders of the PAYE worker, the Maori, the Islanders, the new immigrants, the alienated and dispossed and the environmentalists.
‘coterie’; it’s an ‘in’ word.
8-D
Hi Elizabeth
+1
http://www.roymorgan.com/morganpoll/new-zealand/voting-intention-summary
You naughty Roman TRP, the Roy Morgan figures show how National has been consistently on 44-47% while Labour has been between 30% and 33%.
You seem to take a Cosby-Textor approach to reiterating a false statememt hoping it will become an accepted “fact”.
Naughty boy.
As opposed to a statement that is completely correct (but only if we ignore those 2x% results for labour in the first half of the term, and the 34-35% labour results in the second half).
You wait to meet your Roy Morgan maker this week, McFlock.
🙂
Phew 🙂
Heh, Labour at 35% nice winning figure
In mmp, yes.
Hence the nats now being “well behind”. They are short of friends.
hey once the Greens are closer to 20% the winning figure for Labour can drop to 30%
I’m happy either way. Lab30 grn15 mana10 even merrier
Solipsism: do not adjust your perception, reality is at fault.
Reid polling in particular gives all the impression of simply reflecting the wishes of the National party acolyte that owns that particular polling organization,
National will have the numbers to govern alone is the ongoing constant message from Reid, the underlying ‘massage’ being that for those not wanting a National Party Government it’s a waste of time turning up at the polling booths on election day,
How well such ‘messaging’ works in the minds of those subjected to such ‘conditioning’ via their televisions is a matter of opinion,
I would this far out from November 2014 dare suggest that National’s chances of a third term of Government will be reliant upon the whim of NZFirst who themselves are hardly guaranteed 5% of the vote in 2014…
Pretty much – like their graph of poll results.
All through 2010/2011Reid put National at well above 50%. But for me the indicator of intentional bias is the chart itself – stops in feb 2013 as nats raise just above 50% on a slow decline since the election.
The last couple of results have been below 50%, haven’t they? Yet the chart on their website looks like they’re on an upswing. And the page has been like that for a while.
Lots of things different.
Shearer is lurching to the left to appease party activists (and keep his position) and is trying out a political civil union with a red headed Aussie.
The net effect of this you have Labour, Greens, Mana dancing around in the far left corner chasing the same votes.
This leaves the soft left and center voters drifting back into the Nats camp and keeping the Nats consistently high in the polls.
If Shearer wants to head further left that is fine. It is the same sex marriage with Norman that is killing Labour – every fruit loop pronouncement by Norman and Turei is seen as being automatically endorsed by Shearer.
This is scary for voters who are looking for economic stability and growth not a lurch to the luddite left.
Clark didn’t keep the Greens in a far and distant corner for no reason.
Careful. When the “far Left” win the election and the sky fails to fall on our heads, and in fact people start to prosper more (you must have heard that Labour-led governments always make a better job of the economy, according to the facts that is – debt down productivity up etc etc), they’ll start to say to themselves “this far Left business isn’t the hell Jimmie said it would be”.
And bang! Your bubble bursts and it’s empty. 😀
The same sentiments were made prior to 2008 & 2011 – didn’t affect the outcome.
2014 looks to be heading the same way as the left can’t acknowledge that their policies are irrelevant to the current world economic climate.
Voters will vote for parties that cut their cloth to economic reality – not a harking back to a perceived golden yester year or uncontrollable social spending.
This is what is shown in the polls and Shearer would be better off to present an alternative policy platform that reflects this.
The GFC was to political economics what 9-11 was to the military – terrorist outlook, a game changer that needs to be factored in by political parties.
Aaah the right, constantly trying to make the GFC into a war type conflict, if that is the case, where are the war criminals that allowed it to happen?
No, Jimmie. You don’t get to change the reasons people vote one way or another. People (for the most part) vote for the party they feel will leave them better off. That’s why NZPower is such a vote winner: it will leave the vast majority better off – and the boost to the economy will even lift dullards like you.
Oh, and reality check, Labour = lower public debt, so blithering about “cutting the cloth” or whatever witless excuse for austerity you’re pushing this week won’t help you.
National are shit economic managers and the lying Prime Minister is dead meat.
2008?
I think your mind is playing tricks on you.
The GFC was proof positive that mainstream economists have HFI WTF they’re talking about. Hell, the idiots couldn’t even predict excessive debt while it was happening in front of their eyes.
NFI
Yeah, yeah, typos happen.
😛
rarer when you type with two fingers in the air. 😀
Can you how spending more money on health, and keeping hospitals open is uncontrollable social spending?
What hospitals do you want to close?
Would you close hospitals to cut taxes?
What do you think of the US health system?
The ‘far left’, as you label the politics you fear, doesn’t ‘do’ parliamentary politics Jimmie. And last time I looked, the Greens, Labour and Mana were all making a tilt at being parliamentary representatives.
You are amusing, ”economic stability and growth”???, you mean the game of smoke and mirrors that the Member from Dipton is currently playing with the Government accounts is economic security,????, borrowing billions of dollars of monies in fiscal year 2011/2012 which will be spent into 2015/1016 is your view of ‘economic stability’,???
The only growth in the system is brought about by the earthquake recovery and the ongoing Auckland housing inflation which despite all the Member from Dipton’s weasel words is set to continue unabated and the blind among us have their heads buried in the sand over this National Governments ‘growth’ of an 80 odd billion dollar debt mountain…
LOL
All the changes that we’ve seen has come from the left. The conservatives want what was in the past.
It’s not the political-left that are the Luddites, it’s the political-right.
yes, that is what ‘conservatism’ is about. Lord, we need new stripped nuts!
Spot on, its all about keeping people out of the booths in 2014, a tactic that allowed them a very narrow victory in 2011 using a cup of tea and plenty of consistent MSM themes run by granny, tvnz and joyces former employ mediawonks radio live and tv3.
Time to question the up-until-now unquestioned assumption that nationalising the power is electoral gold?
http://www.reidresearch.co.nz/TV3+POLL+RESULTS.html
Gormless you missed the results when that specific question was asked.
According to Paddy Gower when asked “Do you support the Labour/Greens policy to reform the power market?” a clear majority, 54 percent, said yes. Thirty-nine percent said no. The rest didn’t know.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Poll-Labour-Greens-close-gap-on-National/tabid/1607/articleID/299191/Default.aspx#ixzz2UQssagj6
Well, it won’t matter if they never get elected.
But it will if they do. What is your point exactly?
My point, exactly, is that people do not like Labour and, therefore, will not vote for them.
I see you’ve ignored the result I’ve referenced below that nearly a third of National supporters think NZ power is a good idea.
But what does that matter, Clockie if, as a result, this will not induce them to vote for the Labour Party?
You’re absolutely right. The Left will implement the policy only after winning the election.
Early days. See how it plays out. Getting all excited or despondent about polls in the middle of an electoral cycle is a fools game. But you asked a rhetorical question above: “Time to question the up-until-now unquestioned assumption that nationalising the power is electoral gold? “, in reply to which I pointed out that nearly a third of Nationals own supporters thought that, actually, NZ Power is electoral gold..
Oh and by the way Gormless I left a reply on OM26/5 re your comment about Act and Mana.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26052013/#comment-638963
“My point, exactly, is that people do not like Labour and, therefore, will not vote for them.”
And some people do like Labour, and do vote for them. What was your point again?
So isn’t that a damnation on Shearer that voters still prefer National despite supporting Shearer’s flagship policy?
Seen the Pundit poll of polls? Familiar with the concept of a “trend”?
Keep up the smug confidence Toryboys, but get ready to spend election night sobbing in a corner.
Here is a lift from Gowers commentary on the poll you reference.
Asked “Do you support the Labour/Greens policy to reform the power market?” a clear majority, 54 percent, said yes. Thirty-nine percent said no. The rest didn’t know.
But out of National voters, 29 percent said yes, supporting the Opposition’s policy.
“Shearer, Shearer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBQf7prs9EM
Nice
How about this one
That works…
Or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViizSNV3fgs
Empty self out
“Culture sucks down words
Itemise loathing and feed yourself smiles
Organise your safe tribal war
Hurt maim kill and enslave the ghetto.”
Beautiful song marty.
So true mate one of my favorites.
“Life lies a slow suicide
Orthodox dreams symbolic myths
From feudal serf to spender
This wonderful world of purchase power”.
So with these silly house value increases that are going on……
where has all the extra money come from to pay for this?
… let’s say 500,000 houses in Auckland alone, average value $500,000, equals $250,000,000,000 (that’s $250billion). And let’s say they have increased 10% in value = $2.5billion.
Where has that $2.5 billion come from?
oops, me numbers are a bit up the buhai…
10% increase in value equals $25 billion (not 2.5). Let’s say 10% of houses sell each year. That equals $2.5 billion extra – where has all of that come from?
It’s mostly all mortgage debt created money. The amount of money released into the community is the same as the debt generated in the same instant. Of course, that debt starts accumulating interest immediately…basically we have a monetary system that our economy can never keep up with, and which we have to continuously grow just to keep still.
Yep. The world’s largest ponzi scheme.
If it is unsustainable, which it is, then where and when will it all end? And what happens to our savings? And what happens to our assets?
And why do our politicians never ever address this fatal flaw in our system, driving itself straight off the cliff?
Just keep kicking that can down the road…with more money printing, bail outs, austerity for the poor, monetizing of debt, raising debt ceilings, treating debt as collateral you can loan more against, etc
The banks simply print it then lend it to you, as they hold an asset against it, your house is collateral.
Of-course they can only now lend out 5 times the money they have on deposit, so they must attract deposits, increasing the amount of money in circulation will work as people will cash up assets and put money in the bank later in life, around and around it goes, what a scam.
Almost…my understanding is that they can lend as much as they want NOW, but have to go out and find the reserves required by regulations to sustain that lending within a month or two.
Hence occasionally you get the banks putting up posters saying Limited time only 90 days term deposits special rates!!! Because they are meeting some short term reserves shortfall.
The Reserve Bank is the lender of Last Resort.
What this means in practical terms is that if the private banks are short then the reserves are made up by the RB. That’s what the Overnight Rate (OCR) is all about. The banks will never be short on reserves ergo there is no limit to their lending.
Because anything with QE2 in it is suspect:
So national party fixer Simon Lusk in yestrerdays SST has only just discovered the sort of people he is dealing with.
Lowbrow atavistic thugs. People with no ethcis, morals, principles or scruples.
Nobodies with money who want to be somebody.
People who need money to beat up on others.
They would prefer it if the law allowed them free reign with no comebacks but fortunately we live in a society governed by the rule of law.
Lusks cronies whaleoil and feeder hav self evident personality disorders such as avarice, gluttony and projecting their own foul desires on to others.
Its time to get shot of them and their party and the sooner the better.
hookie, wheres da missing link. 😉
UK “6 hours of gas left in the country” shortage was artificial: corporates held back gas inventories and let prices double
Who would’ve thought eh.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/24/energy-suppliers-held-back-gas-uk
No, surely not.
The free market is always self-correcting and equilibrialising. Isn’t it?
Or is this yet another example of free market deregulation religious orthodoxy being completely blown apart?
Like Pike River, dairy farming, the NZX, housing, leaky housing, financial system, … what else is left?
It’s capitalism producing monopolies and oligopolies and cartels that remove power from the people and put it in private hands.
More proof that Labour is right-wing:
Pretty sure I’ve heard similar from National and National supporters as well, definitely heard it from Dunne.
FFS. Basically it’s Labour and National in lockstep. Same perspective, same framing, same assumptions.
Put dear DS up on a roof with a paintbrush and let him find out what real work is about. And make it a beneficiaries house he is painting but first clean the rust and old paint off by hand and brush, not high pressure water, and then he will have personally done some real good work in this world. The UN stuff was mainly for m-t-a (more than adequate) pay.
I think there is something wrong with your brain, Draco.
Thinking that the first place, the first opportunity, for children to be feed is at home during breakfast time is a right-wing position? Wow.
I agree.
Or at least I would if your comment bore any relation whatsoever to what Draco quoted.
Dear David Shearer
You should have said “there may be dead beat parents out there but FFS we are talking about 5 and 6 year old kids. We owe it to them to make sure they have enough food to at least be able to get an education at school. And if they are not being fed at home then we will get their home situation checked out. But how could you refuse to feed a 6 year old kid? What have they done to deserve this?”
Triangulating on bigots will not work Labour.
Must…convert…National voters…must…
On a more serious note, as lprent has alluded to…every soft Nat voter you gain this way, you’ll get a hardcore Labour voter stay at home or go to Greens/Mana.
It’s the leaking sieve strategy of electoral math.
Len Brown is a fucking cunt !
[lprent: make a point to explain the abuse. Otherwise I tend to start making a moderators point about pointless abuse. ]
go away
Credit where credit is due:
Listening to RNZ radio political spot this morning. Matthew Hooton expounded, clearly and succinctly, the concerns expressed by many here re-the new GCSB legislation. He is now on record calling for an independent investigation as per that requested by Labour and the Greens.
Thanks Anne, but I don’t think I articulated it very well. Prefer this summary of the issues: http://www.nbr.co.nz/report
Anne I do hope you are right in this, and that it wasn’t a mistake of communication because of his de-reticulated articulation.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8719374/Couples-800-debt-spirals-into-70-000
Money lenders are exactly like drug dealers – get people hooked and when they can’t keep up move in and take all their shit.
They use the exact same strategy writ large on whole countries these days.
Yep, and with conservatives in power the country laps up the debt.
What has happened to RNZ’s website?
Looking more like an MSM website…. curious.
‘choo not pleased with the ‘new look’ karol?
I’m pleased with the access to content. The bright colours are a bit hard on my eyes – a bit tacky looking on my monitor.
I found their old website hard to navigate and confusing, and I’m a long-time netizen. I guess there’s a reason MSM websites look the way they do – because it’s functional.
Yes. The navigation has improved on the new look site. I also like their bit on transparency about audience research.
hmmm, I think it’s less accessible, but maybe I was just used to the old site. To get to today’s Nine to Noon audio takes how many clicks? And having to manualy search through a whole page of programmes A to Z is pretty daft.
Why are they not using drop down menus?
Their search engine still sucks majorly.
Don’t mind the actual look though 🙂
Drop down menus (especially hover-over ones) suck for touch-based devices.
Do you mean the drop down is not user friendly, or that they get in the way (so you can’t just ignore them)?
I thought ipads, phones etc accessed different versions of websites.
“I thought ipads, phones etc accessed different versions of websites.”
Only if the website designer has specifically made alternative versions of their websites (many cut-down ‘automatic’ mobile sites are terrible and people prefer to use the full site). This can add quite a bit of expense. It’s easier just to design a site that is mobile-friendly up-front and then not have the added expense of having to make a whole different one for mobile.
This site works fine on a iPad and my nexus7 in normal mode. But it is bloody difficult to make it work on any phone smaller than those oversized samsungs. I think that currently for anything with high text content, you do need a two modes.
Yes I find it difficult to use on my wee phone – so I stick to the laptop where the recent comments show.
Yeah. Drop down menu are kind of dead in a touch based world. I get irritated with the ones in the back end of WordPress.
But does that mean you can just ignore them? Or do they get in the way?
If the site is designed so that you *must* use the drop-down menus to do anything, then it basically becomes unusable with a touch-screen device.
If the drop-down menus simply speed things up, then if you can’t use them, you must logically do things the ‘slow way’ instead – which is irritating.
They should use sphinx search. That really works well for search…
‘Re-imaging’.
Nothing wrong with the old format – actually I preferred it. And the redevelopment was necessary (not) at a time when they’re tight on funds.
Sometimes I wonder who is running the place these days.
Once again the polls have shown, that parties that move to far from the centre will lose every election, labour and the greens are digging their own grave by playing the type of politics that they have over the past few months.
National must be grinning ear to ear.
you wish.
“Once again the polls have shown, that parties that move to far from the centre will lose every election,”
How do you explain the current government then?
This is the most centred National government there has been in my life time. Labour and the greens are moving more to the left every day. They are making the same mistake the gop did in the usa election, trying to appeal to the extremists.
They should leave all extremist crap to united and act and TeMana.
This is the most centred National government there has been in my life time.
IDIOT.
The guys an emotional infant, so maybe he’s speaking the truth.
FIFY
Why do I get the feeling, on every single Brett Dale post, that he knows nothing about ANYTHING?
cos you are discerning Morrissey
“pay rates rising slower than a year ago, job growth still down” etc etc
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8722531/Wages-up-job-down-growth-still-down
THE NEXT CANDIDATE for King Johnkey’s “Fuck you, I do what I want” dictatorial legislation?
Can they resist the urge to simply validate unlawful Legal Aid practises with a “nga nga nga can’t take me to court” act under urgency? Is anyone dumb enough to take bets on that?
Nope, and nope.
Justice Tipping – 26 years as a judge of the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court. Look at what he had to say about this government’s fucking around with legal aid:
http://my.lawsociety.org.nz/news/justice-andrew-tippings-final-sitting-speech
TV3 poll shows that 66% of National supporters are in favour of the Mana Movement precipitated Food for Kids programme the government is introducing, ShonKey Python cares to deny that Cabinet was split over the move. But good on that 66%.
34% of National Party supporters are OPPOSED ON PRINCIPLE.
Shonkey Python – “I can understand………that point of view” – or words to that effect.
Say that again – opposed to feeding starving kids – ON PRINCIPLE !
Karma, karma, karma, please, please, please deal to those bastards and their FUCKING PRINCIPLES in the cruellest fashion !
I wonder how many of the 34% delight in turning up at church on Sunday for their weekly wank ?
Overall, 74% say yes to Breakfast in Schools.
meanwhile, we have a massive crisis with suicide rates, youth suicide rate highest in the developed world.- Peter Dunne.
and, with the dollar climbing against the Aussie, our export sector relatively weak (Ganesh Nana) and interest rates on the rise to 7%…
they better be on their knees.
as OAK reminds us, “careful what you wish for”. 😎
curiously, the same percentage 26% that were opposed to this is also the same percentage 26% that were opposed to legalising marijuana in that tv3 Vote programme last week.
Are these the same people?
Is it a solid immoveable core, sitting on their couch shaking their monstrous head saying “nope, not listening, don’t care, you’re wrong, I know, go away and get a real job.”
Don’t forget the ’10 people’ ending their lives every day part, wonder why?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1305/S00150/unemployed-kiwi-youth-rate-no-cause-for-celebration.htm
Yes North I agree – they have principles all right the bastards – the principle of moaning when something affects them otherwise everyone else can just fuck off.
In short, fuckwits, hardheads, no brains, “done well” white trash, scum really notwithstanding their ludicrous pretensions to style and class.
I so well recall a glowing sense of satisfaction, a sense that it was all so poetic, a sense that it was so just, when the Ceaucescus got theirs.
And this 34% are the societal apes who mouth cruelly against beneficiaries, denying this “underclass” human status. History has their travel well mapped.