Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Yet there are people who still care and who are unselfish.
Manurewa Marae represents the best of New Zealand.
A government that does not house its citizens adequately represents the worst of New Zealand.
Manurewa Marae is one step closer to opening its doors to the homeless. While preparations for the move are under way, Māori youth onsite are upskilling in financial literacy.
New furniture for the Manurewa Marae kitchen is expected to arrive shortly and will help prepare food for those in need. ……………
Christine and Doug Banks face an $81,000 debt for legal costs after losing court action taken by the Grey District Council that ended in the Supreme Court.
The couple own a house in Blaketown on council land, and were taken to the High Court in a dispute over the lease renewal after refusing to pay rent increases.
Doug and Christine Banks owe the Grey District Council almost $81,000.
Councillors asked for 5 per cent interest and repayments of $80 a week, increasing by $5 a week annually. They want the full balance paid by October 30, 2020.
The couple agreed to pay $80 a week, but say they cannot pay interest, which will cost up to $22,000.
………………”It doesn’t make sense. It will cost them more money to bankrupt us and they will get less in return. We want to pay and we are happy to enter into an agreement that we pay in full or forfeit the house,” she said.
In the following, I paraphrase, condense and crystallise the key points in a number of UK articles on the precise mechanics of this building coup against Corbyn:
Today (Monday), the UK Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) are to discuss a No Confidence motion in Corbyn’s leadership (after MPs Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey submitted the motion). Anti-Corbyn plotters are convinced they have the numbers to pass the No Confidence motion. There will be a secret ballot on Tuesday.
Former Shadow Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn, has told Labour MPs that he will challenge Corbyn for the leadership should the latter lose this vote of confidence.
Passing that no confidence motion, however, would in itself be purely symbolic. It wouldn’t formally trigger either (1) Corbyn’s resignation or (2) a Leadership challenge.
To trigger a leadership challenge, his opponents would need to go one step further and get the backing of at least 50 MPs/MEPs (yep, the latter, for the time being, still exist). Labour’s Parliamentary rebels, however, are convinced they have the numbers not only to pass the No Confidence motion but also the 50 names needed to endorse a leadership challenger and thus trigger a contest.
Even if that happens, Corbyn’s inner circle are certain he’ll triumph over whoever ran against him – winning easily with the Labour membership just as he did in September last year. Indeed, a fairly recent YouGov poll of members suggests that, if anything, his support has grown. The exodus of Blairites and Brownites and other anti-Corbynite members and their replacement with a whole swathe of his supporters since his rise to the leadership has clearly shifted the Party Left.
There is, however, a key problem for Corbyn and his backers. The leadership electoral rules are, at best, murky. While it’s certainly clear that Corbyn’s challengers would need to collect the 50+ signatures from Labour politicians in order to obtain a place on the ballot, it’s significantly less clear whether Corbyn himself would need to. Would he automatically be guaranteed a place on the ballot as of right given he’s the current leader ? (as Corbyn and his supporters expect) Or would he also need to mount the hurdle of finding 50 nominees first ? (as his critics would hope)
Unfortunately, the relevant clause in Labour’s rulebook is unhelpfully vague.
Lawyers asked to look over the wording by media organisations believe Corbyn would indeed have an automatic place on the ballot. On the other hand, though, legal advice obtained by Corbyn’s critics in the PLP suggest the opposite.
Crucially, the definitive interpretation will come from the Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). They make the final decision. And, according to at least one journo, a well placed source suggests the NEC is pretty likely to come down on the side of Corbyn’s critics on this one. So, no automatic place on the ballot.
This is partly why Corbyn’s critics have been so keen to strike at this moment. Control over the NEC is apparently finely balanced (there is a fragile Corbynite majority on some issues but not on others) and this balance may well shift decisively towards the Corbyn Left faction after this year’s NEC elections, given the broad change in the size and ideological direction of the membership.
If that happened, Corbyn’s allies believe they’d easily secure the 50 nominees needed and the coup would quickly crumble, with senior figures falling into line. But with the present NEC line-up, that’s considerably less certain.
And, it appears that UK Labour’s General Secretary, Iain McNicol, has – like the plotters (of which he may well be one) and (possibly) like the current NEC – received legal advice that Corbyn only gets a place on the ballot if he has the backing of the requisite number of MPs/MEPs and it seems this is advice he is willing to put his job on the line to follow.
Thanks for the summary, swordfish. It will be very interesting what move tens of thousands of Corbyn supporters will make if the Labour Caucus exclude Corbyn’s nomination on the basis of a fragile technicality.
Thanks from me too for clearing up this whole opaque muddle, Swordfish. I actually trust you so much that I don’t feel compelled to do my own research to see if your summary is accurate. That is not something I’d say of many online commenters!
The most reasonable course of action would seem to be for the Labour NEC to defer a decision until after their own election (even if that had to be brought forward). But this is bare-knuckle politics, I’m not holding out much hope for reason.
An “expert” commentator on breakfast television this morning said that Corbyn was “not popular”, except with the overwhelming majority of Labour Party members.
Unbelievable isn’t it. The overwhelming majority of Labour Party members don’t count. I think they may have to start a new party “New Labour”. Or should it be: New Old Labour. Better still: New Old Young Labour. 😡
I think what you really want is a insightful, unbiased, straight talking man like Mike Hosking’s opinion and in depth analysis of the British Labour Party, and why Boris Johnson who looks and walks similar enough to Churchill, that having him leader of the Tories should be plain to see for all normal all black watching pony tail pulling kiwi’s. /sarc
Getting the right leader to take them through is so crucial watch them implode over a power grab.
Someone just threw a cat on the table this time they decided to play last man standing over it.
It really does read like a script for a sort of farce. Not credible of course.
Thanks Swordfish for the update.
The rebel front bench will go where if Corbyn wins?
I Imagine they will be deselected by their local party in many cases. But honestly what do they really hope to achieve?
If they win, they won’t be getting much support from the Jezza wing of the labour party (which is pretty large) and they won’t get back the labour voters who have already departed nor the voters who think Brexit is a good idea and who are sick of their MP’s talking at them not with them so the voters will move them on.
They also seem to be overlooking the fact that the by-elections held since Jezza took the post have been won pretty handily and he gets great turnouts when he talks.
And if they lose then they will get moved on too – maybe a little faster.
If they now have no safe seats north of Islington then they are the ones largely responsible for that state of affairs.
There is no recession on the horizon for the UK and euro craplands..
This week the UK will export the same amount of cheese and Austin Princesses to euroland..
and euroland will export the same amount of Skodas and foi gras to the UK..
and the Brits will drink the same amount of tea for breakfast, drive the same distance to work, smoke the same number of cigarettes and drink the same amount of piss..
nothing will bloody change
don’t listen to the mainstream vested interests
the mainstream vested interests have ramped the bullshit spinner to red-line, such is their panic over their privileged position in London city
never in the 21st century has so much bullshit been spoken by so few people
I don’t think it is too early,…. some simple questions…
How many UK exports will be banned from Europe, or hit with tariffs?
How many euro imports will be banned from UK, or hit with tariffs?
How much tea have people had for breakfast the last 2-3 days?
How much beer has been poured over the weekend?
How much fuel has been sold over the weekend?
… compared with pre-vote
go to the local service station and see how much diesel got pumped and compare it with the same period pre-vote
look up the eu rules around imports and exports with non-eu countries like swisserland
go to the local pub and ask the guv’ how much ale he poured and compare it with the same period pre-vote
…..
or, you know, wait for the boffins
depends how you want to live your life I guess
because of course the people who are crying “recession recession” are the same people who cried “the wealth trickles down” and also cried “we will all have more jobs and greater prosperity in the EU”
watch the capital flows and you will be able to determine whether the trade will remain unchanged or not…..me, I think its a certainty activity will reduce in the short/medium term…..and we know who bears the brunt of that.
why….unstable political situation, self fulfilling prophecy, reluctance to commit investment in the face of uncertainty, better option presented elsewhere…..there isn’t a lot to recommend the UK as a place to do business at the moment.
Potentially a lack of private investment could be overcome by a government investment program and that in turn would reattract private interest but given the existing trade and political circumstances do you see that as likely?
But the UK is really not unstable. In fact if anything, the exit will increase stability for them because they are no longer under the whim of Brussels and all them other nations tossing their 2c in on everything.
And there is no uncertainty. The exit vote provides absolute certainty. The uncertainty was last week. What is there that is uncertain about the time from here onwards??
The only “why” there that has any cred imo is the self-fulfilling prophecy one…
Re private investment – I haven’t seen a lot of businesses upping tools and heading for Calais… Haven’t even seen any threats of that ….
My view is that the now unique, more stable and controllable, and special status of the UK will see it seen as desireable, as it is outside of the marauding politics of the EU. Like the swiss.
The EU average brought the UK down..
The UK now reverts to its long term position – above the average for Europe..
Methinks once the financial markets settle down after the initial flurry of woebetide wailing, they will signal better things for the UK… lets keep a watch…
reread that statement and then read the UK news and ask yourself….does this statement hold true?
“Re private investment – I haven’t seen a lot of businesses upping tools and heading for Calais… Haven’t even seen any threats of that ….”
the referendum occured on friday….give them time….how many orders have been cancelled or put on hold, and its not just big business moving offshore, its all the small medium business that won’t or can’t fund that new machine, hire those few extra people or launch that new product /service.
VTO …. One of my dreams is to own a special live steam model locomotive made in the UK …. cost around NZ$8000 with GST etc. Fall in pound makes it a better option… but will I waste my money in that direction … not on your nellie … too risky at the moment if ever 🙂
Will continue perhaps to make the one I already have started 🙂
When I was there a pint cost 87p LCL(leg collapsing lager) lol, at the Comrades club, with huge full size snooker tables, events all the time, dominoes, quizzes, everything. massive community spirit, buy, sell anything at the pub. Pub landlords doing well.
Even Mr ‘oh no Brexit won’t trigger a recession’ Farage admits a recession is on the horizon… nothing to do with Brexit though. Strange how he wasn’t saying this last week,
yeah, too many vested interests all over the whole place to believe anything…
I did notice our own ex-pat Eric Watson considered the opportunities the exit opens up to be immense and exciting… so I guess from that business person’s view the exit is anything but a recession…
which is my instinct too fwiw… the UK is now special and unique and removed from the deadweight of eurobureau
too many vested interests all over the whole place to believe anything…
Pretty much and all the ‘experts’ are coming out in support of one faction or another and happen to be ignoring reality. But, then, they’ve been doing that so long that they probably think that their delusions are reality.
Auckland Coal Action activists enter Solid Energy’s new coal mine development at Maramarua on the weekend to announce the beginning of a campaign to keep the mine from opening.
The Maramarua K1 open cast pit mine was shut down in the mid ’90s and the pit left to flood.
Solid Energy which is supposedly bankrupt and up for sale, has launched a $multi million program to rehabilitate the mine to produce coal again. Pumping out the pit and buliding new infrastructure.
Nobody seems to question the insanity of a bankrupt company spending money it doesn’t have, to rehabilitate an old mine to dig up coal we can’t afford to burn.
There was a tweet going the rounds a few months back with a picture of him & Key & he was all googly eyes at Key & the message was about Key being the most amazing Prime Minister NZ has ever had. I think we can see why he got the job. Smooch.
I also liked how the bi-line had ‘But he’s a good boss’ & the quote was from Foster-Bell talking about himself!
Have a drive around the North Shore – Albany and Greenhithe. Streets like Golden Morning Drive and the new end of Admirals Court Drive. You could drop a bomb on both those streets and the chances of you blowing up anything not built by Chinese developers would be almost minimal.
Max Blumenthal: Do you plan to enlist? Hero No. 1: Why am I not fighting over there? Because I’m in college right now. Max Bumenthal: Do you plan to enlist? Hero No. 1: I haven’t ruled it out.
Max Blumenthal: Are YOU gonna serve? Hero No. 2: I’ve thought about it, thought about it. I’m undecided. Max Blumenthal: “Undecided.” Why aren’t you serving currently? Hero No. 2: Well, I’m a new graduate right now and I have a scholarship for Fulbright Futures and I just didn’t have any strong urge…
Hero No. 3: Why am I not serving? I dunno, I mean, I really support this country strongly and I, ah, I didn’t enlist. I mean, there’s not much else I can say. I don’t think you can’t talk about this issue if you’re not serving.
Hero No.4: What would convince me NOT to join is if somehow I become a like a really good speaker and stuff like that.That’s what would convince me NOT to join. But what would convince me to join is if something, like, even BIGGER happened.
Max Blumenthal: If you support the war, why are you not serving? Hero No. 5 (Josh Bellis, Wabash ’08): I’m in school. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Why is the left fractured, its less about the Brexit, and more than its being by assimilated by Feminism. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, son of a famous leftist, describes himself as a Feminist. Think about Star Treks Borg, resistance is futile.
The Left is essentially about the economics of the working poor and social class.
Feminism is about privilege, and socialism of state rewards, (hence they have lobby power next to corporations) fighting the so called, male privilege, but is not able to exist without it, proven by its existence in mostly British colonized countries.
How many first wave feminist went to prison for being pacifists =0, Im happy to be proven wrong, if it wasnt a very small handful. Study that one.
The Tories may crow, but they are leading the West to rising neo fascism, evidenced by Trumpism, and a blind obedience to mythical free market ideology, why being feted by the rich and elite and companies, believing in there own propaganda, and ignoring the poverty of the peasantry.
My points are just a generalism, you lose by criticizing me.
oooo but you criticized him, therefore the Lords of the Internet will rule pwnage to the mighty Greg.
You fool, DTB, you fell into his masterful trap. Never before have the arguments against identity politics been so eloquently or comprehensively expressed. Corsets and bras are now de rigueur. In fact, even males who are sympathetic to the feminist cause should embra their saggy man-boobs.
Level 4 MTGOW: “Short brief: the MGTOW drops out of society altogether. He minimises contact with the blue-pill world and seeks to further his own ends on his own terms. For all intents and purposes, he does not exist.”
Hilarious that someone would declare themselves a level-4 MTGOW by writing it in a public comment on a social media website…
Why would I risk my security and being made homeless on the whim of a unhappy partner, or worse be in jail, if she was insecure, or had mental health issues, =conditions of which are rising for women,
Men have less rights in a relationship than a woman in psychiatric care.
I had my opportunities in my 30’s n 40’s, just no one to consider long term.
Life is what we make it, its not defined by someone’s unhappiness.
Single women constantly say what they want and expect, and nothing on what they have to offer, some wonderful gift of emotional transference, or fantasy, Yeah Nah,
Don’t get me wrong – I’m single at the moment, and pretty happy with what I’ve got going on. But I would also have to say that some of the happiest times of my life involved having a deep emotional connection with a partner. Shit doesn’t work out sometimes, and that’s cool too.
But I would be profoundly worse off without these relationships, even the absolute worst one that would cause me more pain than a slight wince at recollection today if she hadn’t been such an utterly deplorable human being (but I was young and dumb and didn’t see the flags).
I just hope I never get into the place you are now.
I’m content, have some goals, minimizing stress and chaos, need to get my teeth fixed in Thailand. The murder house really stuffed them, need the filings out. My managers husband get his done in Thailand.
So just working as hard as i need to, n enjoying what I have.
I’m not against a relationship, and mowing someones lawns,
it just needs to be more mutually beneficial,
and not a one way crazy crazy power trip.
And with eggs popped is probably better, +1 cat?
Sigh.
er premises, not points, The Canadian PM is a feminist, he isnt a leftist,
so that does prove my premise he has been assimilated by feminism.
If you want to argue that he isnt a self declared feminist, take it up with him
Feminism has won what for equality, nothing is equal in the justice system
and certainly not within Labour,
and workers economics has declined since Kiwisaver and working for families was introduced, both are employer levee’s on workers to keep wage growth below inflation =inequality has increased, not decreased.
but hey, we might get there in another 50 years,
fyi, yous are all entertaining, until i get some beer,
Well that was a wild weekend for sure. Only the rugby in Dunedin helped steer it back towards normality.
So the Poms are out of Europe, but the Scots want to stay, but a year or so back, the Scots wanted to stay British, so now the Scots want to have another vote on whether they really really want to be British.
Meanwhile the Remain folk want a re-vote because the other guys won. In a worse case scenario, the Scots may re-vote to leave Britain, and then the British may re-vote to stay in Europe. And somebody else started an online petition to for the London separatists to cede and join Europe
John Cleese for PM of Britain or England or London,
And Corbyn looks like hes toast in the UKLP.
Meanwhile we are on the outside looking in, missing out and looking bewildered.
For the sake of inclusiveness, I propose that the South Island (except Gore) go for independence from the North Island. You can have Gore, we are nice like that.
From what I read, they arent keen on being told what to do by non-Texans in Washington, and they claim they pay about $3-4b to Washington and only get about half of that back.
They figure they can use that extra couple of billion to sort out Texan issues, rather than the admin costs of Washington.
Really it may not be that different an argument from that used by the “Leave” folk
I don’t know whether being in or out of the EU is good for the UK but the way it’s come about it really terrible politics as
1) having a near 50/50 split in the country is not a good thing,
2) England is going to be investing a lot of time and money in new process building that is going to divert resources away from future planning – just like Auckland going to a super city and
3) the Conservative are likely to do a half-arsed job because they never wanted to be in this position anyway.
Two weeks ago, Ombudsman Ron Patterson released his report critical of the Government. Today he ‘resigns’, two years before the end of his term. I’m sure it is a total coincidence /sarc.
Yeah very strange, the guy had another 2 or so years to go? My understanding the Office needs all the hands it can get clearing the backlog, what else is lurking in there.
“If people want to retain credibility, transparency is the way to go”. -Good, maybe he can tell us why he has left early as he’s “not going to resile from saying things publicly in a considered, measured way when I think that’s justified. That’s what I did as the principal court judge and that’s what I’ll bring to this job,”.
it could well be,
his wife saying, why are you talking this sh/t from Pony tail puller Key, we are not being paid enough, take the golden handshake,
and we can spend the winter in Fiji,
Sure does bud, i was told yesterday by a guy that he hadnt survived 40 years of a happy marriage by ignoring his wife when she called him,
dinners ready,
What sexist rants, i said feminism has liberated me,
and that the left is just a bunch of old men.
have yougot a problem that feminism has taken the place of the left,
then why dont you send a letter to the PM of Canada, he has seen the light and converted.
ps,and didnt the bachelor show teach you what its all about,
even playboy has given up on nudes now, though Hugh Hefner may just be getting a tad tired of hypergamy female with big breasts wanting a rich husband,
The Ombudsman who released a damning report into the Government’s handling of an inquiry into leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has suddenly resigned.
I think we may be confusing individuals here. Ron Patterson the author of this report is/was an ombudsman.
Peter Boshier, former Chief Family Court Judge, is the recently appointed Chief Ombudsman. It is he whom signalled an intention to speed up Ombudsman responses and it is he whom found no justified privacy attaching to Rachel Glucina’s texts with Key. Once the former set about deceiving Amanda Bailey in the aftermath of Key’s assaults upon Amanda Bailey.
I may have it wrong but this is as per my recollection of people and events.
From the benighted, cowardly, backward thinking experts at NZTA and AT. Rail from the country’s international gateway to its largest city and economic hub is scrapped.
The Brisbane train from the airport is amazingly wonderful, for a stranger to the city all I had to do was jump on a train, so easy & convenient. As a stranger to AK flying into the city & trying to find buses it’s very confusing & dumb.
This is the thing. We are determined to have tourism as a major plank in our economy and I don’t have a problem with that but we are woefully bad at putting in infrastructure to support that tourism.
This is a continuation of 25 year thinking instead of 125 year thinking which has held this country back for so long.
As for who is going to pay for it. Tourists will pay for it, FFS! It’s a no-brainer, surely?
We are determined to have tourism as a major plank in our economy and I don’t have a problem with that but we are woefully bad at putting in infrastructure to support that tourism.
We’re woefully bad at putting any of the infrastructure to do pretty much anything. We always seem to want to do things the cheap and easy way. Things that we don’t think needs spending on infrastructure and then we get bitten on the arse when we find out it does. This is the problem of doing things competitively and without a fucken overall plan.
As for who is going to pay for it. Tourists will pay for it, FFS! It’s a no-brainer, surely?
But that would require taxes in specific places that are earmarked for that specific purpose. In other words, the government stepping in building up our economy which is fully against everything that our governments have believed about economics for the last 30+ years.
Yep. All very well waiting for private enterprise to do it but what I’m hearing is that as this drags on, the corridor is closing all the time making the venture less achievable and more expensive but the day.
Another case of Wellington Public Servants deciding how Auckland will be managed, they know best they think.
Same old Same old, Robbies Rail dream, Auckland Harbour Bridge just to name two cases of their inept decision making , not to mention the last minute agreement to help with dollars for the inner city loop.
Time for an AUXIT referendum methinks.
Given, I don’t know, 50% of the revenue gathered by a rail link between AKL International and the city with be from foreign travellers using foreign currency, surely a business case for a significant central govt input could be made.
Imagine the dividends on $20 plus per trip before concessions!
Also, consider that Ihumatao is undergoing significant development, both commercial and industrial – and one of the stations was planned for this location.
If this goes the way I think is likely, the SHA will stay and the opportunity for considered infrastructure – not only for tourists but for local residents and workers will be lost.
Yes. The SHA process meant that all the usual considerations for a Private Plan Change – environmental, archaelogical, and consultation with all members of the local iwi (including the talking heads), and public consultation did not have to happen before the decision was made. So it didn’t, and it was presented as a fait accompli.
It’s a beautiful site, worth the visit if you are out that way and of great significance to those interested in NZ’s full history.
(As a rail supporter, I would want the station there regardless. AT often ignores South Auckland, and justifies this by saying that no-one uses PT. My response is that they need to spend some of their budget on changing behaviours and facilitation. This would go some way to address the decades of bad development and transport planning).
The same report is to be presented to the AT board today in a session closed to the public. The meeting’s agenda lists the reason for privacy as commercial sensitivity.
There is no such thing as ‘commercial sensitivity’ when you’re dealing with the public.
Agency regional director Ernst Zollner confirmed further investigations for rapid transit connecting the city to Mangere would be limited to light rail or a busway.
“This is based on evidence from Auckland Transport that a heavy rail option to the airport would present poor value for money.”
Because goods just aren’t carted to and from the airport.
/sarc
/facepalm
I think it’s because they’ve spent too much on roads over the decades and now they’re seeing the benefits of rail they’re having to keep justifying what’s already been spent on roads. In other words, they’re using the previous spend on roads to justify not putting in place the best option now.
Today Prime Minister John Key said he was not surprised at the decision to favour a different – and cheaper – form of mass transit to and from the city’s airport.
Yeah. Doesn’t surprise me either. NZ keeps going for the far more expensive ‘cheap’ option.
Looks like Ombusdman, Professor Ron Paterson has been given the heave-ho for daring to produce a well deserved damming indictment of Paula Rebstock and the government? He has suddenly announced his resignation with affect from Thursday.
“Tania Shailer and David Haerewa have been sentenced to 17 years’ jail each. Justice Sarah Katz said this was the highest sentence imposed in New Zealand for manslaughter against a child.” Moko.
About the same sentence had they been charged with murder?
@ ianmac (17) … and I hope they are not segregated or isolated either for their own protection, away from mainstream prisoners! I don’t advocate violence or thuggery in any shape or form, but considering inoffensive, vulnerable little Moko suffered the most horrendous violence imaginable …
A message from Idiot Savant. Any others wanting to help?
“Thank you for signing the petition Withdraw the financial veto certificate against the paid parental leave bill. I’m planning to submit the petition to Bill English on Wednesday morning. It would be useful to have a few more signatures on it, so can you help spread the word by forwarding the link below to your friends?
Wonder how Key will respond to his previous confidence in the system. Labour’s fault?
Report: Inquiry into Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules
Conclusions (first two)
1.2 The Inquiry concludes that the existing foreign trust disclosure rules are inadequate. The rules are not fit for purpose in the context of preserving New Zealand’s reputation as a country that cooperates with other jurisdictions to counter money laundering and aggressive tax practices.
1.3 The Inquiry considers that a significant increase in information disclosed when a foreign trust sets up, annual reporting and increased enforcement, will satisfactorily address the issues identified. Banning foreign trusts or removing the current tax exemption is not considered to be necessary or justified. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1606/S00318/report-inquiry-into-foreign-trust-disclosure-rules.htm
“The majority vote by Britons to leave the European Union was an act of raw democracy. Millions of ordinary people refused to be bullied, intimidated and dismissed with open contempt by their presumed betters in the major parties, the leaders of the business and banking oligarchy and the media.
This was, in great part, a vote by those angered and demoralised by the sheer arrogance of the apologists for the “Remain” campaign and the dismemberment of a socially just civil life in Britain. The last bastion of the historic reforms of 1945, the National Health Service, has been so subverted by Tory and Labour-supported privateers it is fighting for its life.”
“The UK vote to leave the European Union came as a shocking surprise to the British establishment, with Prime Minister Cameron announcing he’ll step down from his post. Meanwhile the UK decision is emboldening continental Euroskeptics to demand similar referendums from their governments. How will London go about parting ways with the EU? Who will reap the benefits of that decision – and are there any to reap? Sophie Shevardnadze asks former mayor of London and Labour party veteran Ken Livingstone.”
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TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Yet there are people who still care and who are unselfish.
Manurewa Marae represents the best of New Zealand.
A government that does not house its citizens adequately represents the worst of New Zealand.
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/manurewa-marae-step-closer-opening-doors-homeless
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/81234898/west-coast-couple-owing-grey-district-council-81000-must-pay-interest–council
Quote and run is weak Paul.
Step it up.
Well done again Paul ………. bear witness.
I often click through on the links ………….
In the following, I paraphrase, condense and crystallise the key points in a number of UK articles on the precise mechanics of this building coup against Corbyn:
Today (Monday), the UK Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) are to discuss a No Confidence motion in Corbyn’s leadership (after MPs Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey submitted the motion). Anti-Corbyn plotters are convinced they have the numbers to pass the No Confidence motion. There will be a secret ballot on Tuesday.
Former Shadow Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn, has told Labour MPs that he will challenge Corbyn for the leadership should the latter lose this vote of confidence.
Passing that no confidence motion, however, would in itself be purely symbolic. It wouldn’t formally trigger either (1) Corbyn’s resignation or (2) a Leadership challenge.
To trigger a leadership challenge, his opponents would need to go one step further and get the backing of at least 50 MPs/MEPs (yep, the latter, for the time being, still exist). Labour’s Parliamentary rebels, however, are convinced they have the numbers not only to pass the No Confidence motion but also the 50 names needed to endorse a leadership challenger and thus trigger a contest.
Even if that happens, Corbyn’s inner circle are certain he’ll triumph over whoever ran against him – winning easily with the Labour membership just as he did in September last year. Indeed, a fairly recent YouGov poll of members suggests that, if anything, his support has grown. The exodus of Blairites and Brownites and other anti-Corbynite members and their replacement with a whole swathe of his supporters since his rise to the leadership has clearly shifted the Party Left.
There is, however, a key problem for Corbyn and his backers. The leadership electoral rules are, at best, murky. While it’s certainly clear that Corbyn’s challengers would need to collect the 50+ signatures from Labour politicians in order to obtain a place on the ballot, it’s significantly less clear whether Corbyn himself would need to. Would he automatically be guaranteed a place on the ballot as of right given he’s the current leader ? (as Corbyn and his supporters expect) Or would he also need to mount the hurdle of finding 50 nominees first ? (as his critics would hope)
Unfortunately, the relevant clause in Labour’s rulebook is unhelpfully vague.
Lawyers asked to look over the wording by media organisations believe Corbyn would indeed have an automatic place on the ballot. On the other hand, though, legal advice obtained by Corbyn’s critics in the PLP suggest the opposite.
Crucially, the definitive interpretation will come from the Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). They make the final decision. And, according to at least one journo, a well placed source suggests the NEC is pretty likely to come down on the side of Corbyn’s critics on this one. So, no automatic place on the ballot.
This is partly why Corbyn’s critics have been so keen to strike at this moment. Control over the NEC is apparently finely balanced (there is a fragile Corbynite majority on some issues but not on others) and this balance may well shift decisively towards the Corbyn Left faction after this year’s NEC elections, given the broad change in the size and ideological direction of the membership.
If that happened, Corbyn’s allies believe they’d easily secure the 50 nominees needed and the coup would quickly crumble, with senior figures falling into line. But with the present NEC line-up, that’s considerably less certain.
And, it appears that UK Labour’s General Secretary, Iain McNicol, has – like the plotters (of which he may well be one) and (possibly) like the current NEC – received legal advice that Corbyn only gets a place on the ballot if he has the backing of the requisite number of MPs/MEPs and it seems this is advice he is willing to put his job on the line to follow.
“The People’s Liberation Front of Palestine!”
Someone find me the Monty Python clip pleeeeeease.
Much obliged there Anne.
Seemed rather urgent. 😯
Ad, I think we are seeing why the regions and industrial/post industrial areas of England have turned against pro-EU parties like Labour.
Thanks for the summary, swordfish. It will be very interesting what move tens of thousands of Corbyn supporters will make if the Labour Caucus exclude Corbyn’s nomination on the basis of a fragile technicality.
It’s going to be a blast.
Thanks from me too for clearing up this whole opaque muddle, Swordfish. I actually trust you so much that I don’t feel compelled to do my own research to see if your summary is accurate. That is not something I’d say of many online commenters!
The most reasonable course of action would seem to be for the Labour NEC to defer a decision until after their own election (even if that had to be brought forward). But this is bare-knuckle politics, I’m not holding out much hope for reason.
An “expert” commentator on breakfast television this morning said that Corbyn was “not popular”, except with the overwhelming majority of Labour Party members.
Unbelievable isn’t it. The overwhelming majority of Labour Party members don’t count. I think they may have to start a new party “New Labour”. Or should it be: New Old Labour. Better still: New Old Young Labour. 😡
Hi Morrissey, after hearing what the expert on am TV said, I must find out what the contestants on the block have to say.
Scuse the sarcasm and cynicism.
I think what you really want is a insightful, unbiased, straight talking man like Mike Hosking’s opinion and in depth analysis of the British Labour Party, and why Boris Johnson who looks and walks similar enough to Churchill, that having him leader of the Tories should be plain to see for all normal all black watching pony tail pulling kiwi’s. /sarc
Getting the right leader to take them through is so crucial watch them implode over a power grab.
Someone just threw a cat on the table this time they decided to play last man standing over it.
Looks like Churchill errrr??? looks more like Trump to my ancient eyes.
Obviously not being popular with the rich is the only thing that counts to said “expert” commentator.
This attitude seems to have flavoured the entire Brexit argument.
It really does read like a script for a sort of farce. Not credible of course.
Thanks Swordfish for the update.
The rebel front bench will go where if Corbyn wins?
They should join their natural home – the Tories.
Maybe they will have a quiet chat with the ‘top brass’.
I Imagine they will be deselected by their local party in many cases. But honestly what do they really hope to achieve?
If they win, they won’t be getting much support from the Jezza wing of the labour party (which is pretty large) and they won’t get back the labour voters who have already departed nor the voters who think Brexit is a good idea and who are sick of their MP’s talking at them not with them so the voters will move them on.
They also seem to be overlooking the fact that the by-elections held since Jezza took the post have been won pretty handily and he gets great turnouts when he talks.
And if they lose then they will get moved on too – maybe a little faster.
If they now have no safe seats north of Islington then they are the ones largely responsible for that state of affairs.
That is really interesting – did not know that. Will be interesting to watch it play out.
There is no recession on the horizon for the UK and euro craplands..
This week the UK will export the same amount of cheese and Austin Princesses to euroland..
and euroland will export the same amount of Skodas and foi gras to the UK..
and the Brits will drink the same amount of tea for breakfast, drive the same distance to work, smoke the same number of cigarettes and drink the same amount of piss..
nothing will bloody change
don’t listen to the mainstream vested interests
the mainstream vested interests have ramped the bullshit spinner to red-line, such is their panic over their privileged position in London city
never in the 21st century has so much bullshit been spoken by so few people
Possibly a bit early to say it’s all fine. Good data not around for a few months.
I don’t think it is too early,…. some simple questions…
How many UK exports will be banned from Europe, or hit with tariffs?
How many euro imports will be banned from UK, or hit with tariffs?
How much tea have people had for breakfast the last 2-3 days?
How much beer has been poured over the weekend?
How much fuel has been sold over the weekend?
… compared with pre-vote
It aint no rocket science..
imo
It will take months to have trackable data.
But go ahead Mr Rocket Scientist. Show us your trading trends.
here’s a trick… (for those who can of course)
go to the local service station and see how much diesel got pumped and compare it with the same period pre-vote
look up the eu rules around imports and exports with non-eu countries like swisserland
go to the local pub and ask the guv’ how much ale he poured and compare it with the same period pre-vote
…..
or, you know, wait for the boffins
depends how you want to live your life I guess
because of course the people who are crying “recession recession” are the same people who cried “the wealth trickles down” and also cried “we will all have more jobs and greater prosperity in the EU”
I know who I will not believe
Interestingly the UK equivalent of the EFTPOS network provider could tell you all these things, day by day.
watch the capital flows and you will be able to determine whether the trade will remain unchanged or not…..me, I think its a certainty activity will reduce in the short/medium term…..and we know who bears the brunt of that.
Why would it reduce? There have been plenty claims on that, but no explanation as to why ….
why….unstable political situation, self fulfilling prophecy, reluctance to commit investment in the face of uncertainty, better option presented elsewhere…..there isn’t a lot to recommend the UK as a place to do business at the moment.
Potentially a lack of private investment could be overcome by a government investment program and that in turn would reattract private interest but given the existing trade and political circumstances do you see that as likely?
But the UK is really not unstable. In fact if anything, the exit will increase stability for them because they are no longer under the whim of Brussels and all them other nations tossing their 2c in on everything.
And there is no uncertainty. The exit vote provides absolute certainty. The uncertainty was last week. What is there that is uncertain about the time from here onwards??
The only “why” there that has any cred imo is the self-fulfilling prophecy one…
Re private investment – I haven’t seen a lot of businesses upping tools and heading for Calais… Haven’t even seen any threats of that ….
My view is that the now unique, more stable and controllable, and special status of the UK will see it seen as desireable, as it is outside of the marauding politics of the EU. Like the swiss.
The EU average brought the UK down..
The UK now reverts to its long term position – above the average for Europe..
Methinks once the financial markets settle down after the initial flurry of woebetide wailing, they will signal better things for the UK… lets keep a watch…
“But the UK is really not unstable”
reread that statement and then read the UK news and ask yourself….does this statement hold true?
“Re private investment – I haven’t seen a lot of businesses upping tools and heading for Calais… Haven’t even seen any threats of that ….”
the referendum occured on friday….give them time….how many orders have been cancelled or put on hold, and its not just big business moving offshore, its all the small medium business that won’t or can’t fund that new machine, hire those few extra people or launch that new product /service.
If Scotland gains independence and joins the EU, will they also join the Eurozone, or will they retain the pound, or set up their own Scottish pound?
VTO …. One of my dreams is to own a special live steam model locomotive made in the UK …. cost around NZ$8000 with GST etc. Fall in pound makes it a better option… but will I waste my money in that direction … not on your nellie … too risky at the moment if ever 🙂
Will continue perhaps to make the one I already have started 🙂
When I was there a pint cost 87p LCL(leg collapsing lager) lol, at the Comrades club, with huge full size snooker tables, events all the time, dominoes, quizzes, everything. massive community spirit, buy, sell anything at the pub. Pub landlords doing well.
I hear you VTO.
Even Mr ‘oh no Brexit won’t trigger a recession’ Farage admits a recession is on the horizon… nothing to do with Brexit though. Strange how he wasn’t saying this last week,
yeah, too many vested interests all over the whole place to believe anything…
I did notice our own ex-pat Eric Watson considered the opportunities the exit opens up to be immense and exciting… so I guess from that business person’s view the exit is anything but a recession…
which is my instinct too fwiw… the UK is now special and unique and removed from the deadweight of eurobureau
watch the pound rise above its previous position
Eric Watson??? but, but…. he’s a foreigner and a neo-lib. This referendum was meant to see the end of people like that in Britain.
(sorry, just a little bit of gallows humour there)
The way it’s been going in today though, I don’t think Clause 50 will be triggered anytime soon. Watching with interest.
Pretty much and all the ‘experts’ are coming out in support of one faction or another and happen to be ignoring reality. But, then, they’ve been doing that so long that they probably think that their delusions are reality.
Auckland Coal Action activists enter Solid Energy’s new coal mine development at Maramarua on the weekend to announce the beginning of a campaign to keep the mine from opening.
The Maramarua K1 open cast pit mine was shut down in the mid ’90s and the pit left to flood.
Solid Energy which is supposedly bankrupt and up for sale, has launched a $multi million program to rehabilitate the mine to produce coal again. Pumping out the pit and buliding new infrastructure.
Nobody seems to question the insanity of a bankrupt company spending money it doesn’t have, to rehabilitate an old mine to dig up coal we can’t afford to burn.
Auckland Coal Action activists wrap a large digger used to clear the overburden to get at the coal, in Climate Crime Scene tape.
,
https://aucklandcoalaction.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/2c8a5419.jpg
https://aucklandcoalaction.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/2c8a53911.jpg
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/81474280/high-turnover-of-staff-in-national-mps-office-and-claims-of-bullying
Not a good day for foster bell , he’s all love the tv news for his spending habits and in the paper for bullying.
There was a tweet going the rounds a few months back with a picture of him & Key & he was all googly eyes at Key & the message was about Key being the most amazing Prime Minister NZ has ever had. I think we can see why he got the job. Smooch.
I also liked how the bi-line had ‘But he’s a good boss’ & the quote was from Foster-Bell talking about himself!
Key’s last employer said he was a great smoocher, superficially charming for sure,
but a snake in the grass.
Did the sheeple miss this story, and why kiwi’s are missing out, why are migrants not building homes. Does this story prove anything.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11659765
But Greg don’t you understand National’s John & Bill are quite clear that it is NOT Chinese buyers that are active in the Auckland housing market?
It aint first home buyers either,
and now not foreign loan applicants to kiwi banks,
whatever that number was=0
Its all just how they manage to not say what is happening.
by saying what isnt.
Have a drive around the North Shore – Albany and Greenhithe. Streets like Golden Morning Drive and the new end of Admirals Court Drive. You could drop a bomb on both those streets and the chances of you blowing up anything not built by Chinese developers would be almost minimal.
Here’s a Horribly Hilary-ous Cavalcade of Cowards
Or does their failure to fight make them heroes and patriots?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGit_tZDqs
Max Blumenthal: Do you plan to enlist?
Hero No. 1: Why am I not fighting over there? Because I’m in college right now.
Max Bumenthal: Do you plan to enlist?
Hero No. 1: I haven’t ruled it out.
Max Blumenthal: Are YOU gonna serve?
Hero No. 2: I’ve thought about it, thought about it. I’m undecided.
Max Blumenthal: “Undecided.” Why aren’t you serving currently?
Hero No. 2: Well, I’m a new graduate right now and I have a scholarship for Fulbright Futures and I just didn’t have any strong urge…
Hero No. 3: Why am I not serving? I dunno, I mean, I really support this country strongly and I, ah, I didn’t enlist. I mean, there’s not much else I can say. I don’t think you can’t talk about this issue if you’re not serving.
Hero No.4: What would convince me NOT to join is if somehow I become a like a really good speaker and stuff like that.That’s what would convince me NOT to join. But what would convince me to join is if something, like, even BIGGER happened.
Max Blumenthal: If you support the war, why are you not serving?
Hero No. 5 (Josh Bellis, Wabash ’08): I’m in school. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
continues ad nauseam
jesus christ the world is completely awash with ignorance
combine that with also being awash with guns and mass communication….
GO AMERICA ! YOU’RE AMAZING ….. / sarc
Why is the left fractured, its less about the Brexit, and more than its being by assimilated by Feminism. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, son of a famous leftist, describes himself as a Feminist. Think about Star Treks Borg, resistance is futile.
The Left is essentially about the economics of the working poor and social class.
Feminism is about privilege, and socialism of state rewards, (hence they have lobby power next to corporations) fighting the so called, male privilege, but is not able to exist without it, proven by its existence in mostly British colonized countries.
How many first wave feminist went to prison for being pacifists =0, Im happy to be proven wrong, if it wasnt a very small handful. Study that one.
The Tories may crow, but they are leading the West to rising neo fascism, evidenced by Trumpism, and a blind obedience to mythical free market ideology, why being feted by the rich and elite and companies, believing in there own propaganda, and ignoring the poverty of the peasantry.
My points are just a generalism, you lose by criticizing me.
[RL: Off Topic. Moved to Open Mike]
The Left is fractured but not by Feminism.
And that’s a load of bollocks. Feminism is about treating everyone with respect and equality.
WTF that got to do with the price of fish?
Your points are generally wrong and you’re just stupid.
oooo but you criticized him, therefore the Lords of the Internet will rule pwnage to the mighty Greg.
You fool, DTB, you fell into his masterful trap. Never before have the arguments against identity politics been so eloquently or comprehensively expressed. Corsets and bras are now de rigueur. In fact, even males who are sympathetic to the feminist cause should embra their saggy man-boobs.
ps: /sarc
Dude’s ghow.
/
Level 4 MTGOW: “Short brief: the MGTOW drops out of society altogether. He minimises contact with the blue-pill world and seeks to further his own ends on his own terms. For all intents and purposes, he does not exist.”
Hilarious that someone would declare themselves a level-4 MTGOW by writing it in a public comment on a social media website…
no it means i work less for my own security, and entertain myself,
much more cheaply and have more fun,
if i was a woman, i’l have 5 or 6 cats.
and probably give up on personal grooming,
Are you sure this is an active decision on your part?
It’s just that you’re not really looking all that much like partner material anyway, with comments like that.
Why would I risk my security and being made homeless on the whim of a unhappy partner, or worse be in jail, if she was insecure, or had mental health issues, =conditions of which are rising for women,
Men have less rights in a relationship than a woman in psychiatric care.
I had my opportunities in my 30’s n 40’s, just no one to consider long term.
Life is what we make it, its not defined by someone’s unhappiness.
Single women constantly say what they want and expect, and nothing on what they have to offer, some wonderful gift of emotional transference, or fantasy, Yeah Nah,
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Western-World-Denis-Rougemont/dp/0691013934
wow.
I’m profoundly sorry for you.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m single at the moment, and pretty happy with what I’ve got going on. But I would also have to say that some of the happiest times of my life involved having a deep emotional connection with a partner. Shit doesn’t work out sometimes, and that’s cool too.
But I would be profoundly worse off without these relationships, even the absolute worst one that would cause me more pain than a slight wince at recollection today if she hadn’t been such an utterly deplorable human being (but I was young and dumb and didn’t see the flags).
I just hope I never get into the place you are now.
I’m content, have some goals, minimizing stress and chaos, need to get my teeth fixed in Thailand. The murder house really stuffed them, need the filings out. My managers husband get his done in Thailand.
So just working as hard as i need to, n enjoying what I have.
I’m not against a relationship, and mowing someones lawns,
it just needs to be more mutually beneficial,
and not a one way crazy crazy power trip.
And with eggs popped is probably better, +1 cat?
Sigh.
It’s a pretty screwed up way to look at relationships.
Still, I didn’t know I was such a romantic at heart, so there’s that I guess.
“Your points are generally wrong and you’re just stupid.”
+1 on the burn.
er premises, not points, The Canadian PM is a feminist, he isnt a leftist,
so that does prove my premise he has been assimilated by feminism.
If you want to argue that he isnt a self declared feminist, take it up with him
and resistance is futile;
-1 back to zero 🙂
Really, your talking about egalitarianism,
Feminism has won what for equality, nothing is equal in the justice system
and certainly not within Labour,
and workers economics has declined since Kiwisaver and working for families was introduced, both are employer levee’s on workers to keep wage growth below inflation =inequality has increased, not decreased.
but hey, we might get there in another 50 years,
fyi, yous are all entertaining, until i get some beer,
The grapes are sour.
lol
I think Mrs Pankhurst spoke out pretty strongly against WW1 and terrible loss of lives that that entailed.
Did she do jail time, and its just one then…
Well that was a wild weekend for sure. Only the rugby in Dunedin helped steer it back towards normality.
So the Poms are out of Europe, but the Scots want to stay, but a year or so back, the Scots wanted to stay British, so now the Scots want to have another vote on whether they really really want to be British.
Meanwhile the Remain folk want a re-vote because the other guys won. In a worse case scenario, the Scots may re-vote to leave Britain, and then the British may re-vote to stay in Europe. And somebody else started an online petition to for the London separatists to cede and join Europe
John Cleese for PM of Britain or England or London,
And Corbyn looks like hes toast in the UKLP.
Meanwhile we are on the outside looking in, missing out and looking bewildered.
For the sake of inclusiveness, I propose that the South Island (except Gore) go for independence from the North Island. You can have Gore, we are nice like that.
Your last paragraph is almost correct and has been apparent for quite some time amongst those in the know…….
namely, that Southland cedes and becomes its own nation, with Gore as the capital.
the place would fly, unencumbered by the deadweight of Wellington or Auckland.. and with fully one quarter of primary produce
Southland, the world’s newest nation
I guess President Shadbolt has a nice ring to it.
We of the South Island except Gore movement, would like to know if we can have Te Anau and a free trade agreement too.
You can lease Te Anau … (lol, old conservatives know the old tricks to longevity ..)
I humbly propose myself for the position of El Presidente
Lolz, that explains so much, you see yourself as Mike.
🙂
“it was bound to happen, sooner or later”
😉
Ha, missed both my legs!
VIVA EL PRESIDENTE!
Texans like the way you think. (Texit for the win)
They too, arent keen on paying the big money to Head Office (Washington) to fund non-Texans to tell them what to do.
They wish to compete with you Southlanders for “worlds newest nation” status also.
Last time they wanted out Texans whinged about their peculiar institution so what’s it to be this time around – taxes?.
They have refused to vote appropriations for protecting Texas against ruthless savages, for the sole reason that she is a slave-holding State.
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/secession/2feb1861.html
From what I read, they arent keen on being told what to do by non-Texans in Washington, and they claim they pay about $3-4b to Washington and only get about half of that back.
They figure they can use that extra couple of billion to sort out Texan issues, rather than the admin costs of Washington.
Really it may not be that different an argument from that used by the “Leave” folk
Seems they receive around $1.30 for every dollar paid in federal tax.
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/posts/2014/05/Slide3/966724856.jpg
details details
pesky stupid details.
Well that may be true but it dosnt support their “Leave” argument so must be ignored.
A “we are subsidising Washington” story get way more “leave” votes.
And if its on the internet, its must be true, and if Washington denies it, then its double true.
Texas can issue its own currency thanks.
It doesn’t have to rely on the run-for-private-interests Federal Reserve for USDs.
Yes, but will Mexico annex Texas when the red back collapses?.
It will never collapse, they will just issue more ……. or something.
No doubt Scotland will claim ownership of Stewart Island, thinking it must have belonged to the former Kings of Scotland.
I don’t know whether being in or out of the EU is good for the UK but the way it’s come about it really terrible politics as
1) having a near 50/50 split in the country is not a good thing,
2) England is going to be investing a lot of time and money in new process building that is going to divert resources away from future planning – just like Auckland going to a super city and
3) the Conservative are likely to do a half-arsed job because they never wanted to be in this position anyway.
Perhaps if half the people on each side changed their vote it would make the result more acceptable.
Two weeks ago, Ombudsman Ron Patterson released his report critical of the Government. Today he ‘resigns’, two years before the end of his term. I’m sure it is a total coincidence /sarc.
Yeah very strange, the guy had another 2 or so years to go? My understanding the Office needs all the hands it can get clearing the backlog, what else is lurking in there.
I laughed, hard, when I saw another ‘read more’ headline in the article I linked to below. This one…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/76038765/New-chief-ombudsman-promises-to-be-a-fearless-operator
“If people want to retain credibility, transparency is the way to go”. -Good, maybe he can tell us why he has left early as he’s “not going to resile from saying things publicly in a considered, measured way when I think that’s justified. That’s what I did as the principal court judge and that’s what I’ll bring to this job,”.
I read that, wondering why no reasons given, must have been a good golden handshake.
Managing Management rule 101
dont embarrass the management,
maybe it was teh feminism that got him in the end? (massive stonking sarc tag there)
it could well be,
his wife saying, why are you talking this sh/t from Pony tail puller Key, we are not being paid enough, take the golden handshake,
and we can spend the winter in Fiji,
that one sailed clean over your head didnt it
Er no, dee fems rule, especially after years of a ‘happy’ marriage,
its going to be a cold wet winter in kiwiland,
that plane just get higher and higher – hope the pilots got O2
Sure does bud, i was told yesterday by a guy that he hadnt survived 40 years of a happy marriage by ignoring his wife when she called him,
dinners ready,
you do get im laughing at your sad sexist rants right?
What sexist rants, i said feminism has liberated me,
and that the left is just a bunch of old men.
have yougot a problem that feminism has taken the place of the left,
then why dont you send a letter to the PM of Canada, he has seen the light and converted.
ps,and didnt the bachelor show teach you what its all about,
even playboy has given up on nudes now, though Hugh Hefner may just be getting a tad tired of hypergamy female with big breasts wanting a rich husband,
Hang on a sec.
The Ombudsman who released a damning report into the Government’s handling of an inquiry into leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has suddenly resigned.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/81480414/ombudsman-ron-paterson-cuts-short-fiveyear-term-as-office-deals-with-investigations-backlog
Is this yet another chapter in the National Government’s handbook on suppressing criticism?
Snap: Southern Man
I hope they didn’t apply some ugly leverage on that guy
Haha, if only walls could talk. But sometimes, the writing appears on them for rulers.
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin
jeez, this stinks, badly.
concerning, frightening, worrying!!!!
I think if he’s going to leave like this, he should front on TV to explain. I want to see his body language.
If the Nats can silence an ex principal court judge then we are in very big trouble.
I think we may be confusing individuals here. Ron Patterson the author of this report is/was an ombudsman.
Peter Boshier, former Chief Family Court Judge, is the recently appointed Chief Ombudsman. It is he whom signalled an intention to speed up Ombudsman responses and it is he whom found no justified privacy attaching to Rachel Glucina’s texts with Key. Once the former set about deceiving Amanda Bailey in the aftermath of Key’s assaults upon Amanda Bailey.
I may have it wrong but this is as per my recollection of people and events.
Dont forget rewriting history to reframe it, and disappearing two words Key doesnt want to hear, like with official treasury reports and tax havens.
From the benighted, cowardly, backward thinking experts at NZTA and AT. Rail from the country’s international gateway to its largest city and economic hub is scrapped.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11663865
I weep for my children’s future because of the blindness of decision makers today.
The Brisbane train from the airport is amazingly wonderful, for a stranger to the city all I had to do was jump on a train, so easy & convenient. As a stranger to AK flying into the city & trying to find buses it’s very confusing & dumb.
This is the thing. We are determined to have tourism as a major plank in our economy and I don’t have a problem with that but we are woefully bad at putting in infrastructure to support that tourism.
This is a continuation of 25 year thinking instead of 125 year thinking which has held this country back for so long.
As for who is going to pay for it. Tourists will pay for it, FFS! It’s a no-brainer, surely?
3 Year thinking, election cycle. All that matters to the National Party is staying in power no matter what,
We’re woefully bad at putting any of the infrastructure to do pretty much anything. We always seem to want to do things the cheap and easy way. Things that we don’t think needs spending on infrastructure and then we get bitten on the arse when we find out it does. This is the problem of doing things competitively and without a fucken overall plan.
But that would require taxes in specific places that are earmarked for that specific purpose. In other words, the government stepping in building up our economy which is fully against everything that our governments have believed about economics for the last 30+ years.
Yep. All very well waiting for private enterprise to do it but what I’m hearing is that as this drags on, the corridor is closing all the time making the venture less achievable and more expensive but the day.
Adds to the economy?
According to SEEKS latest average wage statistic rises,
its a wonderful 0.6% thats right 0.6%, the workers sure aint creaming it.
How much of the tourist industry is owned offshore:
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=228378&cat=1005&fm=newsmain%2Cnarts
I read somewhere 80% of the wine industry is owned offshore.
Another case of Wellington Public Servants deciding how Auckland will be managed, they know best they think.
Same old Same old, Robbies Rail dream, Auckland Harbour Bridge just to name two cases of their inept decision making , not to mention the last minute agreement to help with dollars for the inner city loop.
Time for an AUXIT referendum methinks.
Fuck yeah. And do you know how to guarantee that an AUXIT referendum goes through?
Give everyone else in the country a vote in it.
Given, I don’t know, 50% of the revenue gathered by a rail link between AKL International and the city with be from foreign travellers using foreign currency, surely a business case for a significant central govt input could be made.
Imagine the dividends on $20 plus per trip before concessions!
Also, consider that Ihumatao is undergoing significant development, both commercial and industrial – and one of the stations was planned for this location.
Also, protestors have been highlighting the fact that Fletcher’s have been given an SHA in this area – despite the unique history of the land.
If this goes the way I think is likely, the SHA will stay and the opportunity for considered infrastructure – not only for tourists but for local residents and workers will be lost.
Unbelievable. That’s an archeological site of huge significance, not to mention a beautiful place.
They want to put houses for the elite on top of it.
Yes. The SHA process meant that all the usual considerations for a Private Plan Change – environmental, archaelogical, and consultation with all members of the local iwi (including the talking heads), and public consultation did not have to happen before the decision was made. So it didn’t, and it was presented as a fait accompli.
It’s a beautiful site, worth the visit if you are out that way and of great significance to those interested in NZ’s full history.
(As a rail supporter, I would want the station there regardless. AT often ignores South Auckland, and justifies this by saying that no-one uses PT. My response is that they need to spend some of their budget on changing behaviours and facilitation. This would go some way to address the decades of bad development and transport planning).
There is no such thing as ‘commercial sensitivity’ when you’re dealing with the public.
Because goods just aren’t carted to and from the airport.
/sarc
/facepalm
I think it’s because they’ve spent too much on roads over the decades and now they’re seeing the benefits of rail they’re having to keep justifying what’s already been spent on roads. In other words, they’re using the previous spend on roads to justify not putting in place the best option now.
Yeah. Doesn’t surprise me either. NZ keeps going for the far more expensive ‘cheap’ option.
shuttling a few million tourists between the airport and Central Auckland,
=$$$
Looks like Ombusdman, Professor Ron Paterson has been given the heave-ho for daring to produce a well deserved damming indictment of Paula Rebstock and the government? He has suddenly announced his resignation with affect from Thursday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11664063
!!!
well I hope he doesn’t just go in silence…I hope he speaks up about it!
What has the EU ever done for us? Thanks to Monty Python
“Tania Shailer and David Haerewa have been sentenced to 17 years’ jail each. Justice Sarah Katz said this was the highest sentence imposed in New Zealand for manslaughter against a child.” Moko.
About the same sentence had they been charged with murder?
out in less than 10, you can bet he wasnt their only victim,
shameful,
@ ianmac (17) … and I hope they are not segregated or isolated either for their own protection, away from mainstream prisoners! I don’t advocate violence or thuggery in any shape or form, but considering inoffensive, vulnerable little Moko suffered the most horrendous violence imaginable …
plenty of gangster buds inside,
A message from Idiot Savant. Any others wanting to help?
“Thank you for signing the petition Withdraw the financial veto certificate against the paid parental leave bill. I’m planning to submit the petition to Bill English on Wednesday morning. It would be useful to have a few more signatures on it, so can you help spread the word by forwarding the link below to your friends?
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/withdraw-the-financial-veto-certificate-against-the-paid-parental-leave-bill
Thanks
Idiot Savant
Thanks for the reminder ianmac all signed up.
Wonder how Key will respond to his previous confidence in the system. Labour’s fault?
Report: Inquiry into Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules
Conclusions (first two)
1.2 The Inquiry concludes that the existing foreign trust disclosure rules are inadequate. The rules are not fit for purpose in the context of preserving New Zealand’s reputation as a country that cooperates with other jurisdictions to counter money laundering and aggressive tax practices.
1.3 The Inquiry considers that a significant increase in information disclosed when a foreign trust sets up, annual reporting and increased enforcement, will satisfactorily address the issues identified. Banning foreign trusts or removing the current tax exemption is not considered to be necessary or justified.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1606/S00318/report-inquiry-into-foreign-trust-disclosure-rules.htm
Stuff has this story tucked away in Business News.
The Herald also has this story tucked away in Business News.
Mmm?
but no mention of tax haven, this is the message he is sending out to the EU and America,
compliance rules have already been prepared,
is also known as covering ones arse,
John Pilger on Brexit
‘A Blow for Peace and Democracy: Why the British Said No to Europe’
by John Pilger
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/24/a-blow-for-peace-and-democracy-why-the-british-said-no-to-europe/
“The majority vote by Britons to leave the European Union was an act of raw democracy. Millions of ordinary people refused to be bullied, intimidated and dismissed with open contempt by their presumed betters in the major parties, the leaders of the business and banking oligarchy and the media.
This was, in great part, a vote by those angered and demoralised by the sheer arrogance of the apologists for the “Remain” campaign and the dismemberment of a socially just civil life in Britain. The last bastion of the historic reforms of 1945, the National Health Service, has been so subverted by Tory and Labour-supported privateers it is fighting for its life.”
Cited by JAY1
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/06/27/guest-blog-david-cunliffe-brexit-what-why-and-what-next/#comment-343228
Ken Livingstone: Brexit fallout may tear both UK and EU apart
(Published time: 24 Jun, 2016 13:26)
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/348208-brexit-fallout-uk-eu/
“The UK vote to leave the European Union came as a shocking surprise to the British establishment, with Prime Minister Cameron announcing he’ll step down from his post. Meanwhile the UK decision is emboldening continental Euroskeptics to demand similar referendums from their governments. How will London go about parting ways with the EU? Who will reap the benefits of that decision – and are there any to reap? Sophie Shevardnadze asks former mayor of London and Labour party veteran Ken Livingstone.”
and…more on history behind Brexit
EU REFERENDUM- The Real Face of the European Union
Cited by CLEANGREEN
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/06/27/the-daily-blog-open-mic-monday-27th-june-2016/