“There is good reason to confine these elections to a party caucus. MPs are generally well briefed on policy issues and aware of the national interest. They also work closely with leadership contenders and are best-placed to assess their character and capabilities.”
Saarbo @ 1. This is great really. Granny showing the depth of her true colours. Perfect justification to scorn and lambast the meddlesome, clutching of the pearls hypocrisy she launches against democracy. Dismiss, dismiss, dismiss !
The Herald [of big money interests] refers to good governance:
“This carries risks not just for Labour but for the good government of New Zealand… ~ The Herald [Propaganda]
What good governance is that referring to?
This comment appears to entirely ignore the way that our legislation is being ‘rushed through’ at every turn and how we have recently incurred a massive lost to our democratic rights and principles.
It appears to ignore that there is an increasing yawning gap between the most wealthy and the least in this country.
These two issues alone prove that the governance in our country over, really, a very long time is a complete failure.
This carries risks not just for Labour but for the good government of New Zealand if the consensus between the two major parties on economic fundamentals is undermined by a leader’s public commitments in a campaign for the party’s vote.
The consensus? Does Granny mean selling New Zealand legislation to campaign donors? Or subsidising Rio Tinto?
There is no alternative? Really, Granny? Are you sure?
The NZ Herald is effectively stating that the wishes of the people of New Zealand must be subordinated to some other structure. The Herald is promoting some form of higher power than that of the people.
The Herald has lost the plot.
The Herald can go wander down to the local turgid creek and drown itself all alone.
Even Brian Edwards doesn’t want a democratic process to select the leader. No wonder National has managed to erode so many democratic rights, the media actually don’t much like democracy either.
perhaps its because many will have to leave wellington to cover the contest?
There were also rumours that Mr Cunliffe was offering positions to some MPs in return for their support. Mr Cunliffe has denied that but the rumours indicate the campaign might not be as clean as the party hierarchy is hoping.
So Labour’s own dirty tricks brigade is back in full swing? Where’s Trevor Mallard? Or could it be closer to Cunliffe’s home city this time?
Yesterday you were supporting Jones. To quote you said “Shane Jones should lead labour, he’s the only guy out of the three who has the goods.” and now you are supporting Robertson.
Provided the candidates in the contest behave like adults during the contest, the media will have no option but to write substance…
I switched from TV1 news some years ago but after Gowers “coverage” yesterday I may leave that channel too.
To my mind his job is to advise me what is going on and who is saying what. He sees his job as giving me his opinion not facts. Why do political jounos and politicians think we are all too stupid to make up our own minds.
They also havent caught on that selection via a party wide vote is how the greens have elected their leaders for ages. They talk as if its some new crazy thing
They are also heavily editing comments on John Armstrong’s piece this morning .. I wrote a fairly innocuous comment ( innocuous in terms of needing moderating) and it has failed to appear … in fact there are zero comments showing.
Just ban the printed Herald from our lives. I bought it in the 70s and 80s to see what the bosses were up to today. But have not plunked down loose change for two decades now, yes I admit scanning it online and if the paper version goes totally down the web version would be pay to read or disappear too. Yay.
The dirty filthy Eastern Suburbs toffs that kept the rag going all the 20th century lying, misleading and distorting reality for New Zealanders. Yay. Truth has gone too. Don’t buy the Herald and if there is one at work or a cafe–bin it, do us all a favour.
You can see the fear in granny and the other MSM outlets when the potential for genuine change to rock their isolated and priviledged world appears.
They are part of the problem and don’t want the solution.
Funny thing is if TVNZ hadn’t been so anti charter and waged war against it they could’ve been an outlet not so easy to flog as it stands now under the nats but then Ellis didn’t take over $1m p.a. to strengthen the nations voice but to bark it’s owners tune.
It seems odd how little coverage at stuff and herald brownlee’s loss in the High Court yesterday has taken.
Despite spending lots of time in the media and their original defence talking about the drawback to rewarding people who didn’t take out insurance according to Cameron (Lawyer for owners) it never came up in the case.
Brownlee says he will consider an Appeal.
The point is the High Court has found that Brownlee and CERA did not apply the law as stated.
Isn’t this just more bullying type behaviour by brownlee? 50% or nothing. Take it or leave it we are bigger than you. brownlee spending our money on trying to uphold his belief that Insurance companies will be harmed if the law is upheld.
Maybe he is drafting a bill under urgency to overturn the Court.
Thank God for the Courts. No wonder the nats don’t like the judiciary at the moment.
Note that key’s promise that no one would be worse off because of the govt’s offer for their land is currently a lie. It remains a lie until he can overturn the decision or bring in urgent legislation to make himself right.
LABOUR’S GOT TALENT: just love this little put down line from Key and Whaleoil about our selection process: that kind of smug sneer at something everyday NZers love and want to celebrate- good people getting up and having a go- is just what you’d expect from an elite so out of touch they dont recognise real emotion and public feeling: either pain or, in this case, determination and passion. Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.
Nah too busy worshipping the National “talent” or lack of it in fools like N. Guy, H. Parata, P. Bennett, G. Brownlee, J. Collins, J. Keystroke et al, bottom of the barrel stuff.
Despite being a stone’s throw from the end of a main runway at Fiumicino, Europe’s sixth largest airport, which handles 37 million passengers a year, Mr Basili said there was no cause for fear over flight safety. “This is a limited phenomenon – it will not have created alarm at the airport,” he said.
Ye Gods. I just read Brian Edwards take on things regarding the Labour leadership contest. I wish he had never started a blog. Better to keep your mouth shut and the reputation forged in your youth intact than retiring, writing a blog, and presenting for all to see your sad descent into a bewildered old age. The poor old bugger is stuck in New Zealand circa 1973, he clearly has no idea of the dynamics of New Zealand in 2013.
Why are we so obsessed with people like Edwards. Yes of course he is getting old and wanders a bit but he is also allowed to have an opinion. So many on this forum seem to see him as some sort of enemy and I am sure that is not correct. He has expressed certain opinions and that should be end of it.
Can we not just accept differences and stop using these forums for personal attacks on people
The right/corporate media looks set to go full retard on Labour. It’ll be a rerun of the response that we got from the electricity policy announcement.
It would be best if the Cunliffe/Robertson/Jones camps coordinated their media to frustrate the likes of Paddy Gower et al.
And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too. (that’s a joke! not advocating violence!) 😀
….When the announcement was made, anticipating a move of this nature, it occurred to me briefly that I should go and download as many ‘Shearer pages’, as many speeches as I could. You never know when such documents might become useful, and I remembered how difficult it was for me to track down some of the things that John Key said when he was deputy leader of National, simply because as soon as he became leader his comms people decided that his record had to be reset, and all previous statements in service of another master deleted.
So: I knew about this, I fully expected this, and yet I was surprised at how quickly it happened, almost as if a measure of glee was being taken in scrubbing off the old leader’s likeness. Were I in the appropriate mood, I might reach for such historical precedents as the chiselling off of the symbols of a hated dictatorship or, more pointedly, the removal from the photographic record of the people who could no longer be seen to have been close to comrade Stalin. After all, with no hyperbole whatsoever, it’s the exact same logic at work: one that negates history, or rather that asserts the prerogative of power to continually write and re-write the past according to the needs of the present…
..they dance around the english language like constipated dogs trying to work it out..
..bridges totally over-masticates his words..and then sprays surrounding environs with the remains..
..and tremain and guy..(who i call heckle and jeckel..(old cartoon..look it up..and wonder at the spooky similarites..)
..both of them are glottal/strangled-word disasters..(tremain in particular..)
..and of course guy when on his own is called ‘clutch cargo’..(once again..old cartoon..look it up..be spooked again..(and be really spooked how guy has that whole clutch thing of just the lips moving when speaking down just so..
..and really..for everyones’ peace of mind..guy should be asked to disrobe..to prove there are no wires sticking out/plugged into him..
..and then of course there is jonathan ‘cigar-boy’ coleman..and his peculiar habit of tossing a handful of marbles into his mouth..before speaking..(so if you listen carefully…you can hear them rolling/bouncing off each other)
..and of course todd (‘pompadour’) mclay..doesn’t toss marbles into his mouth..
..he stuffs his full of plums…
..is it a basic requirement of being a young(er) tory male mp..?
..to talk weird..?
..(the evidence is overwhelming..)
..and i can hear you asking:..’but what about craig ‘the hapless one’ foss..?..you’ve left him out..’
..the thing is with foss..i am still so dazzled by his haplessness..
Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?
If true (and I read it on “other” blogs so I’ll concede it may be wrong) he’ll have to watch comments like that because people can see right through things like that, if true of course.
Should have just said hes worked hard to get to where he is and wants to give everyone else the same opportunity for success or something similar
Crikey, when did you become concerned about political leaders lying? Or are you concerned for him that he doesn’t lie well enough to beat the current King (Key)?
All politicians lie, John Key lies, Helen Clark lied, whoever becomes the leader of Labour will lie, everyone lies especially politicians
What interests me is that there are some lies the voting public accept and some they don’t. It appears to me that the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.
In regards to the labour leadership I’m more the interested neutral party in that while I have opinions on who should lead I’m trying to see from the viewpoint of whats best for labour
Putting aside the obvious hilarity of your last paragraph (!!!), you’re onto something with this:
“the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.”
although I’d look at it through a slightly different lens. I don’t think it’s the size of the lie per se, but rather the point of it.
I’ve been thinking about corruption lately. I think as a society we’ve become accustomed to the idea that we’re all competing individuals seeking advantage over one another. Only a short while ago this would have been considered highly anti-social thinking, but now it’s the norm. A few decades of user-pays free-marketing has made selfishness acceptable, and greed admirable.
When someone is caught lying to further their own interests, instead of judging the behaviour as anti-social and corrupt we understand that that’s just what you do these days. You look after number one. And while we might not always openly praise someone for lying and scheming in their own interest, we grudgingly accept it. We say “who can blame them?” We say “they’d be silly not to”.
And in this selfish, individualistic, dog-eat-dog paradigm, it’s true. We’ve all become corrupt to one degree or another, we’ve done so simply by following the rules of the game. And the rules are look out for number one and never give a sucker an even break. And because we’ve all become corrupted to an extent, we accept the same corruption in others. We expect people to be trying to do us over at every turn.
So when John Key looks down the barrel of the camera and flat out lies about, for example, how many shares he owns, and then gets caught, and then immediately changes his story, we don’t even blink. Because he’s just doing exactly what we expect everyone to be doing, being dishonest in service of his own interests.
And I think that’s why we let these “big” lies go. Because it’s the norm. It’s what you’re meant to do according to the rules of the game. As long as it’s obvious that you’re lying to protect or advance yourself, it’s totally understandable.
Just don’t ever get caught lying for no good selfish greedy dog-eat-dog reason, or we’ll start wondering what flaw in your character you’re trying to cover up.
Yes I’d agree theres some truth to that but I’d go further and suggest it also depends on what has been said before
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers so when JK lies (maybe) about his shares thats no big deal but when Shearer “forgot” about his 50 000 plus that was a big deal
However if JK (whos portrayed himself as a good family man) had been cheating on his missus and tried to cover it up I think the public wouldn’t forgive him
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers
This by W Smith is a telling point, really the nub of our problem in NZ. Between NACT for Big Business and the battlers supposedly Labour’s congregation, there is a huge yawning gap where most NZs are. That’s those who are able and willing to build and create and contribute and support a vital economically sound NZ. Most of Big Business is looking over their heads to international interests, the battlers and strugglers are at their feet pecking over the trickle down droppings, and wondering what the hell is going on up there, because it sure is hell down here.
Most NZ is by Winston’s summary, unpolitically unrepresented. Who they gonna call – Ghostbusters? Now those fellas really stuck it to the green slime.
He’ll never fall on his sword. He’ll have to be hounded out of the village with pitchforks, torches and rough music.
We’ve accepted that he lies about money and business and that it’s normal. It’s now considered part of his charm. It’s part of his brand that he’s wiley and cunning and no-one gets one over him.
He can lie his lying arse off and we’re all ok with it because in the world we live in that’s no longer considered an undesirable trait.
Which is why Key is so happy to call Cunliffe a liar any chance he gets. If he and Winston Smith keep on spreading the meme that all politicians lie, then he can merrily carry on being a liar himself. If he gets caught out who’s gonna care except Blip and a few other lefties on the Standard?
“Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.” Bob Dylan
“Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?”
Only what I’ve read on ts, but he apparently said that his wife was breastfeeding and needed to live closer to her work. That is a completely valid reason for choosing where to live.
Sure it is *insert any vague reference to buying a bridge*
Look theres nothing wrong with being successful and having the money to choose where you live but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game
ie Are your kids still brest feeding, when you will be moving back closer to the people you purport to represent and if not why not etc etc
I’m not commenting on Cunliffe’s choices. I’m stating that moving so you are closer to work while breastfeeding is a completely valid reason. Some people here seem to be saying it’s not.
Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi
John Key reckons its fine to live and holiday far away from the electorate he represents; Cunliffe on the other hand is actually IN the electorate he represents all the time.
“Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi”
Do you have any evidence that Cunliffe lives where he lives in order to avoid living next to some people in his electorate (as opposed to the ones he does live near of course)? Or any evidence that the reason Cunliffe gave (his wife’s breastfeeding needs) was a lie?
“A heavy shower sweeps across Auckland as the Herald heads towards the College Rifles Sports Club. It’s late June and the rain has been coming and going all day, and all month. It’s the sort of weather that’s killed off many a sports event, but there’s no need to worry on this occasion. In 2009 the club installed synthetic turf on its two rugby fields, rendering cancellations a thing of the past.
Located a couple of hundred metres off Remuera Rd in a flood-prone valley, the playing surfaces at the historical club have traditionally been terrible.
‘It was a s***hole,” says club manager Derek Rope.
Synthetic turf has come a long way. Up close it looks and almost feels like real grass, with little black rubber balls and flakes mimicking dirt. The lush carpet cost the club $2 million, $500,000 of which came from gaming trusts.
Synthetic turf also covers the scrum practice area and the netball and tennis courts. There’s a brand new pavilion, state-of-the-art gym and 32-bed accommodation block for touring sports teams.
The club’s bad days are well and truly behind it, thanks in part to its success in accessing gaming trust money. Seven trusts have kicked in over $1 million to help fund the redevelopment projects, and there is more to come. The club has already secured $300,000 of trust money to put towards the final phase of its development, a swimming pool complex, and is hoping to raise that figure by another $200,000.
Clubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard RobinsonClubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard Robinson
Given that just 23 of the country’s 17,534 pokies are situated in Remuera, it’s hardly a surprise that a club that began life in 1897 with a membership of military personnel drawn from Auckland’s schools has been held up as the poster child for the dubious wealth redistribution that accompanies the gaming trust model.
“Why should poor people in Mangere be supplying first-class facilities in Remuera?” Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell asked when he launched his ill-fated Gambling Harm Reduction Bill.
It’s a fair question, and one Mr Rope doesn’t duck. “People say it’s a Remuera rich club – it’s not,” he says.
For something completely different Charter schools in the UK a complete failure after years: of trialing charter schools which have the advantage of new buildings and public and private funding have shown an initial burst of achievement all be it less than public schools then a continual decline the independent uk reported today.
Looking forward to seeing a front bench reshuffle under DC. Parker should keep finance, but I suspect the others will be up. Ardern for all her promise has allowed Bennet to sail on, Hipkiss a failure V Parata, and who does housing, and health??
Key looking desperate even as he claims Cunliffe will be desperate to be PM at all costs and take Norman on as deputy of finance minister. Typical rightie that Key – manages to project all his shortcomings on to the opposition.
PS: The comments below the article mostly say Key is the desperate liar.
I would prefer to see Gerry Brownlee as the next Natz leader in opposition. Even though they’re both vindictive snakes, big Ger is a bit better at hiding it. Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered.
might want to send a memo to Collins about that. It’s all very well being personally popular, but that doesn’t help her keep her cabinet post if Nats only get 45% in 2014.
“Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said he paid for taxis and accommodation himself, but his airfare was covered by taxpayers.
“As a parliamentarian I am able to use parliamentary resources to fly wherever I like in the country, that’s part of the arrangement we have.
“I think you should refer those inquiries about what we are allowed to do to Parliamentary Services because they set the rules.”
He said MPs’ salaries were reduced years ago on the basis that the ability to fly around the country was provided.
“My judgement is that I will not be using any other resources apart from that.” ”
Cool, more sense of entitlement.
” Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 179,300
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 610
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 340 ”
Love and hate – both emotional and highly excitable states. I guess that volatility could result in reversal. What would make the complacent hate Key? It would have to be something that would hurt them personally.
“Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 182,800
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 360 ”
That any of them cant pay for anything associated with their latest job application is beyond me.
CV, ‘Native Affairs’ my friend, i found that quite an enlightening interview of the 3, Native Affairs for some strange reason seems to always elicit a better view of the people it interviews than the mainstream,
Shane Jones didn’t say anything there which would raise my opinion of Him, the reverse in fact, Jone’s faux ‘one of the boys in the smoko room’ line is simply cringe worthy,
David Cunliffe scored best with His ‘governments have the right to change gambling legislation and SkyCity better be prepared’ line and while i am not a gushing groupy Cunliffe leads in my opinion of who should win this contest,
Jones seems haughty for all his common man claims: often with his head tilted back and looking down his nose. Robertson looks like he’s doing a job interview – too wordy and sounds more like a backroom worker than someone to front for the party. Cunliffe is composed, clear, and has some short sharp answers – looks like a leader.
“..bloody hell..!…ruth dyson is actually doing better than any of the three contenders..up against key..
..(dyson is expressing potent disgust at keys’ laughing/sneering at/saying that screwing vacant land owners out of 50% of their land values was ‘fun’..)
..and the strength of dysons’ performance is because of the fire in her belly..(and cunnliffe/robertson could do worse than take note of that..and spark up..!..)..”
+1 Dyson really kicked arse in the house today. The news at six even covered the story reasonably well so that the National voters with a few brain cells to rub together will be thinking twice about continuing their support.
It’s bad enough that the government is trying to force people in Christchurch to sell their land at half its value, but to say that it’s their fault because they didn’t have land insurance is despicable! There is no land insurance available, which is something a Prime Minister with even half a brain would comprehend.
What is the point in the current government appealing the courts ruling when they will surely lose? What a god damn waste of taxpayers money.
that these guys claim to champion the poor but think if parliamentary services says they can charge something to us they will… at least so far robertson will.
Bollocks. We live in a democracy and parliamentary representation is one of the guarantees of that. All parties get funded the same way from parliamentary services and the deal is that MP’s get free flights on our taxpayer owned airline. It’s been that way, or similar, for decades. Railways before that. A few weeks ago, the taxpayer paid for every Nat MP to fly to Nelson to have their conference. Did you complain then? Remember, the Tories also claim to champion the poor. Ask Appaller Bennett, she’s all about giving the poor a helping hand round the head and a loving boot up the arse.
The 3 candidates are flying around the country in an exercise in democracy. This is not only historic, it’s an entirely appropriate use of the Parliamentary budget. Don’t buy into the right’s meme ‘o’ the day, Tracey.
That’s a hopeless, contextless quote. This one is better:
Mr Cunliffe responded to Mr Key’s comments this morning, saying: “Mr Key probably ought not make statements about other people telling lies because his record might not be entirely clean.”
Mr Cunliffe again ruled out appointing Dr Norman as finance minister under a Labour government.
“But I have said that he is an able and senior politician with whom we would have a good relationship and there could be a place for him within our economic team. It would not be as minister of finance.”
War! more war!
US forces to strike Syria (pending).
If Key sends troops — he is nothing more than his ulta ego
Obama.
The Smiling Assassin and the Mass murderer.
What a combination.
Robert Reich is very good, but in my opinion he doesn’t go as deep as Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff in explaining how this has all come about.
Essentially, the civil movements which were crucial in pressuring and forcing the politicians to create the New Deal were, over decades, deliberately dismantled, co-opted, undermined and destroyed.
It pays to remember how much pressure was required to make Roosevelt and the corporate/banking elite agree to the New Deal. Hundreds of workers, unemployed, activitists were killed in the process, during the Great Depression.
Today the Democrats are just as much friends of big oil, big pharma and big banking, as the Republicans. The civil movements which used to pressure for political economic change for the working class and underclass are long dead.
And so, the corporate and banking elite have the whole playing field their way now.
“That voter, in my judgment,” he claims, “will be more likely to vote his economic interests than he will anything else. And that is the voter that I think through a fairly slow but very steady process, will go Republican.” Because race no longer matters: “In my judgment Karl Marx [is right]… the real issues ultimately will be the economic issues.” He continues, in words that uncannily echo the “47 percent tape” (nothing new under the wingnut sun), that “statistically, as the number of non-producers in the system moves toward fifty percent,” the conservative coalition cannot but expand. Voila: a new Republican majority. Racism won’t have anything to do with it.
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Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Prisons are places of unceasing emotional and physical violence, unrelieved despair and unforgivable human waste.IT WAS NATIONAL’S Bill English who accurately described New Zealand’s prisons as “fiscal and moral failures”. On the same subject, Labour’s Dr Martyn Findlay memorably suggested that no prison ...
This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
. . American Burlesque As I write this (Wednesday evening, 6 January), the US Presidential election is all but resolved, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the (Dis-)United State of America. Trump’s turbulent political career has lasted just four years – one of the few single-term US presidents ...
The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
In a recent column I wrote for local newspapers, I ventured to suggest that Donald Trump – in addition to being a liar and a cheat, and sexist and racist – was a fascist in the making and would probably try, if he were to lose the election, to defy ...
When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
When I went to bed last night, I was expecting today to be eventful. A lot of pouting in Congress as last-ditch Trumpers staged bad-faith "objections" to a democratic election, maybe some rioting on the streets of Washington DC from angry Trump supporters. But I wasn't expecting anything like an ...
Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President respectively for the US 2020 Election, may have dispensed with the erstwhile nemesis, Trump the candidate – but there are numerous critical openings through which much, much worse many out there may yet see fit to ...
I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the ...
Frances Williams, King’s College LondonFor most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”. Scientists are ...
Last night, a British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. Unfortunately, its not because all he is "guilty" of is journalism, or because the offence the US wants to charge him with - espionage - is of an inherently political nature; instead the judge accepted ...
Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
So, Boris Johnson has been footering about in hospitals again. We should be grateful, perhaps, that on this occasion the Clown-in-Chief is only (probably) getting in the way and causing distractions, rather than taking up a bed, vital equipment and resources and adding more strain and danger to exhausted staff.Look at ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to ZeroThat’s one of several recent ...
The situation in the UK is looking catastrophic.Cases: over *70,000* people who were tested in England on 29th December tested positive. This is *not* because there were more tests on that day. It *is* 4 days after Christmas though, around when people who caught Covid on Christmas Day might start ...
by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Bartlett, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle Reports of about 30 deaths among elderly nursing home residents who received the Pfizer vaccine have made international headlines. With Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) expected to approve the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Culum Brown, Professor, Macquarie University How do gills work? Tully, aged 7 Great question, Tully! Animals on land breathe air, which is made up of different gasses. Oxygen is one of these gases, and is made by plants (hug ...
Dairy prices increased by 3.9% across the board at the latest Fonterra global auction. The lift followed rises of 1.3% and 4.3% in the December auctions which took dairy prices to their highest level in 11 months, defying those analysts who believed Covid-19 had disrupted dairy markets. In the latest ...
America's Cup team American Magic has spoken publicly after their boat Patriot capsized when on its way to their first win of the Challenger Selection Series yesterday. Patriot dramatically capsized yesterday, becoming temporarily airborne before crashing back into the water and tipping. The boat, helmed by New Zealander Dean Barker, could not be ...
It’s a seemingly age old question: why do Auckland’s beaches become unswimmable after every single downpour? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates.Ah, the beach. A staple of the New Zealand summer. Unless, of course, you’re based in Auckland and it’s raining. The start of 2021 has been a lot like every other New ...
We have opened a book, among members of the Point of Order team, on how long it will be before the PM offers to sort out the land dispute at Wellington’s Shelly Bay and (to win the double) how much the settlement will cost taxpayers. Just a few weeks ago ...
Breakfast TV news is back for 2021, and Tara Ward got up early to watch. “Thank god it’s almost Christmas,” John Campbell said during the opening minutes of Breakfast’s premiere episode of the year. “2021’s been rough so far. I’m buggered”. We’re all buggered, to be fair, but I’m worried that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism and Social Media, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Griffith University The blame for the recent assault on the US Capitol and President Donald Trump’s broader dismantling of democratic institutions and norms can be ...
Despite a popular and unifying leader of the governing party, divisions both in policy and culture will test the progressive movement, writes Peter McKenzie.‘I think we’re confused.” Marlon Drake is an organiser for the Living Wage Movement. His job takes him all over Wellington, trying to convince businesses to increase ...
Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins says vaccinations should be available to the public by the middle of the year, but other countries are prioritised. ...
It’s as true now as it ever has been: nowhere else offers an education experience like that of Dunedin. But rather than resting on their laurels, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic have plans to make the city an even more inspiring place for students.From high in the summit ...
Haggis, neeps and tatties and whisky may not be a traditional spread for a summer gathering in NZ, but trust Auckland city councillor and Kiwi-Scot Cathy Casey on this one. Gie it laldy! Rule one: Hold it on (or near) January 25Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759. Since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University It could be argued artificial intelligence (AI) is already the indispensable tool of the 21st century. From helping doctors diagnose and treat patients to rapidly advancing new drug discoveries, it’s our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Health workers are at higher risk of COVID infection and illness. They can also act as extremely efficient transmitters of viruses to others in medical and aged care facilities. That’s why health workers have been prioritised to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Orchard, Adjunct Lecturer, Monash University Last week, somewhat overshadowed by the events in Washington, the Democrats took control of the US Senate. The Democrats now hold a small majority in both the House and the Senate until 2022, giving President-elect Joe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mittul Vahanvati, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Heatwaves, floods, bushfires: disaster season is upon us again. We can’t prevent hazards or climate change-related extreme weather events but we can prepare for them — not just as individuals ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University Starting school is an important event for children and a positive experience can set the tone for the rest of their school experience. Some children are excited to attend school for the first ...
Some families in emergency housing are reporting their children are becoming emotionally distressed because of their living conditions. Demand for emergency accommodation has escalated this past year with the number of emergency housing grants increasing by half. Data showed nearly 10,000 people were given an Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant between ...
Summer reissue: Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden are back for a second season of On the Rag, and where better to start than with the mysterious, exhausting world of wellness?First published June 23, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
With few Covid-19 infections and negiligible natural immunity, New Zealand faces being a victim of its own success when it is left till last to get the vaccines, argues Dr Parmjeet Parmar. ...
Steve Braunias reports on a literary cancelling. The Corrections department has refused to allow Jared Savage's best-selling book Gangland inside prison on the grounds that it "promotes violence and drug use". An inmate at Otago Corrections Facility in Dunedin was sent a copy of the book – but it was ...
New data from the CTU’s annual work life survey shows a snapshot of working people’s experiences and outlook heading out of 2020 and into the new year. Concerningly 42% of respondents cite workplace bullying as an issue in their workplace - a number ...
An international player, selector and self-confessed cricket stats nerd, Penny Kinsella has now played a hand in recording the rich history of the women's game in New Zealand. Penny Kinsella’s cricketing career was perched on the cusp of change for the White Ferns. “My first tour to Australia, we ...
The dramatic capsize of American Magic brought out the best in the America's Cup sailing fraternity. But, Suzanne McFadden asks, what does it mean to the crippled New York Yacht Club campaign and to the Prada Cup? It was a scene as unreal as it was calamitous. Right at the moment the ...
The current number of members of parliament is starting to get too low for the job we expect them to do, argues Alex Braae. As a general rule, with the possible exception of their families, nobody likes backbench MPs. But it’s nevertheless time we accepted that parliament should have more of ...
The experience in the Brazilian city of Manaus reveals how mistaken, and dangerous, the herd-immunity-by-infection theory really is. As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop ...
As New Zealand gears up to fight climate change, experts warn that we need to actually reduce emissions, not just plant trees to offset our greenhouse gases. ...
A nationwide poll has found majority support for the government to continue to closely monitor abortions in New Zealand and the reasons for it, despite the Ministry of Health recently suggesting that there is not a use for collecting much of this information. ...
The out-of-control growth in gangs, gun crime, and violent gang activity is exposing our communities to dangerous levels of violence that will inevitably end in tragedy, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The recent incidents of people being shot and ...
Successive governments have paid lip service to our productivity challenge but have failed to deliver. It's time to establish a Productivity Council charged with prioritising efforts. ...
Understanding the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long Covid’ might be helpful in treating symptoms that doctors will find all too easy to dismiss.When people began to report signs of “long Covid”, characterised by a lack of full recovery from the virus and debilitating fatigue, I recognised their stories. ...
Nadine Anne Hura, who never considered herself an artist, reflects on what art and making has taught her.I couldn’t clean or cook or wash the clothes, but I could sew. That’s a lie, I’m a terrible sewer, but I left work early to fossick around in the $1 bin of ...
Summer reissue: In the final episode of this season of Bad News, Alice is joined by Billy T award winner Kura Forrester to look at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2020.First published September 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The ...
Lucy Revill’s The Residents is a blog about daily life in Wellington that has morphed into a stylish, low-key coffee-table book featuring interviews and photographic portraits of 38 Wellingtonians. In this extract, Revill profiles Eboni Waitere, owner and executive director of Huia Publishers. The Residents features names like Monique Fiso ...
Pacific Media Watch correspondent The pro-independence conflict in West Papua with a missionary plane reportedly being shot down at Intan Jaya has stirred contrasting responses from the TNI/POLRI state sources, church leaders and an independence leader. A shooting caused a plane to catch fire on 6 January 2021 in the ...
“Last year ACT warned that rewarding protestors at Ihumātao with taxpayer money would promote further squatting. We just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it is in Shelly Bay” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The prosperity of all ...
Our kindly PM registered her return to work as leader of the nation with yet another statement on the Beehive website, the second in two days (following her appointment of Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council on Wednesday). It’s great to know we don’t have to check with ...
A Pūhoi pub is refusing to remove a piece of memorabilia bearing the n-word from its walls. Dr Lachy Paterson looks at the history of the word here, and New Zealand’s complicity in Britain’s shameful slave trading past.Content warning: This article contains racist language and images.On a pub wall in ...
Supermarket shoppers looking for citrus are seeing a sour trend at the moment – some stores are entirely tapped out of lemons. But why? Batches of homemade lemonade will be taking a hit this summer, with life not giving New Zealand shoppers lemons. Prices are high at supermarkets and grocers that ...
You’re born either a cheery soul or a gloomy one, reckons Linda Burgess – but what happens when gene pools from opposite ends of the spectrum collide?In our shoeboxes of photos that we have to sort out before we die or get demented – because who IS that kid on ...
Summer reissue: Prisoner voting rights are something that few in government seem particularly motivated to do anything about. Could a catchy charity single help draw attention to the issue?First published September 1, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Hundreds more Cook Islanders are expected to begin criss-crossing the Pacific, Air NZ will triple the number of flights to Rarotonga next week, and about 300 managed isolation places will be freed up for Kiwis returning from other parts of the world. When Thomas Tarurongo Wynne took a job in Wellington at ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Ena Manuireva in Auckland It seems a long time ago – some 124 days – since Mā’ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80. The local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral research associate, UNSW A global coalition of more than 50 countries have this week pledged to protect over 30% of the planet’s lands and seas by the end of this decade. Their reasoning is clear: we need greater protection ...
The Reserve Bank Governor’s apology and claim he will ‘own the issue’ is laughable given the lack of answers and timing of its release. Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union said: “It’s been five days since they came clean, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Kokshagina, Researcher – Innovation & Entrepreneurship, RMIT University Are too many online meetings and notifications getting you down? Online communication tools – from email to virtual chat and video-conferencing – have transformed the way we work. In many respects they’ve made ...
The Reserve Bank acknowledges information about some of its stakeholders may have been breached in a malicious data hack. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has commissioned an independent inquiry into how stakeholders' information was compromised when hackers breached a file sharing service used by the bank. “We ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland This story contains spoilers for Ammonite Palaeontologist Mary Anning is known for discovering a multitude of Jurassic fossils from Lyme Regis on England’s Dorset Coast from the age of ten in 1809. ...
A tribute to the sitcoms of old? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yup. Sam Brooks reviews the audacious WandaVision.Nothing sends a chill up my spine like the phrase “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Since launching in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has become a shambling behemoth, with over 23 films (not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University The alt-right, QAnon, paramilitary and Donald Trump-supporting mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 claimed they were only doing what the so-called “founding fathers” of the US had done in ...
The Point of Order Ministerial Workload Watchdog and our ever-vigilant Trough Monitor were both triggered yesterday by an item of news from the office of Conservation Minister Kititapu Allan. The minister was drawing attention to new opportunities to dip into the Jobs for Nature programme (and her statement was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Kupz, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University In July 1921, a French infant became the first person to receive an experimental vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), after the mother had died from the disease. The vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is ...
The first Friday Poem for 2021 is by Wellington poet Rebecca Hawkes.While you were partying I studied the bladeI your ever-loving edgelord God-emperorof the bot army & bitcoin mine subsistingon an IV drip of gamer girl bathwaterfinally my lonelinessis your responsibility………. you seeI need a girlfriend assigned to me by the ...
The arming of police officers in Canterbury was inevitable with the growing numbers and brazenness of the gangs across the country – this should be a permanent step, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is unfortunate that we have come to the point ...
Celebrations in Aotearoa New Zealand to mark the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin on Thursday 21 January with ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand’s Wellington and online event, and continue on Friday ...
Hardly anyone is using their Covid Tracer app. Something needs to change.As the mercury approaches 30°C in Aotearoa, there is a good deal of slipping and slopping, but, let’s face it, piss-all scanning. As few as around 500,000 QR codes are being scanned by users of the NZ Covid Tracer ...
On the East Coast, a group of Māori-owned enterprises is innovating to create new revenue streams while doing what they love.New Zealand’s remote and sparsely populated regions are typically not the best places to create thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. In small communities miles away from any major centres, there are so ...
As we reach the height of summer, it’s not too late to do a safety check on your gas bottle. The Environmental Protection Authority’s Safer Homes programme has some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you fire up the grill. "If you’ve ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold by Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph, $37)If you’re in any way unsure about ...
“We may as well knock on the gang headquarters around this country and tell them we all give up," says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is simply outrageous that violent offender, James Tuwhangai, has been released from ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Ireland, Israel, and Lebanon. Chart by Keith Rankin. The countries with the most recent large outbreaks of Covid19 are those with large numbers of recent recorded cases, but yet to record the deaths that most likely will result. In this camp, this time, are Ireland, Israel ...
RuPaul is in Aotearoa, kicking back in managed isolation to await the filming of an Australasian version of her hugely popular reality show Drag Race. But not everyone is happy about, explains Eli Matthewson. The world’s most famous drag queen, RuPaul, is in New Zealand, the government confirmed earlier this week ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Melleuish, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong What can we make of Clive Palmer? This week, he announced his United Australia Party (UAP) would not contest the upcoming West Australian state election on March 13. After a ...
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NZ Herald – Editorial today
Arguing the case AGAINST democracy.
“There is good reason to confine these elections to a party caucus. MPs are generally well briefed on policy issues and aware of the national interest. They also work closely with leadership contenders and are best-placed to assess their character and capabilities.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11114759
Jeeez…I guess the Herald just wants their BORN TO RULE beloved National Party to run things…unbelievable.
Also from granny herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114788
So much for secret voting eh…
Saarbo @ 1. This is great really. Granny showing the depth of her true colours. Perfect justification to scorn and lambast the meddlesome, clutching of the pearls hypocrisy she launches against democracy. Dismiss, dismiss, dismiss !
True colours alright.
The Herald [of big money interests] refers to good governance:
What good governance is that referring to?
This comment appears to entirely ignore the way that our legislation is being ‘rushed through’ at every turn and how we have recently incurred a massive lost to our democratic rights and principles.
It appears to ignore that there is an increasing yawning gap between the most wealthy and the least in this country.
These two issues alone prove that the governance in our country over, really, a very long time is a complete failure.
Good governance – what utter rot.
The consensus? Does Granny mean selling New Zealand legislation to campaign donors? Or subsidising Rio Tinto?
There is no alternative? Really, Granny? Are you sure?
That is astounding.
The NZ Herald is effectively stating that the wishes of the people of New Zealand must be subordinated to some other structure. The Herald is promoting some form of higher power than that of the people.
The Herald has lost the plot.
The Herald can go wander down to the local turgid creek and drown itself all alone.
Even Brian Edwards doesn’t want a democratic process to select the leader. No wonder National has managed to erode so many democratic rights, the media actually don’t much like democracy either.
perhaps its because many will have to leave wellington to cover the contest?
Well clearly then, Brian Edwards and the Herald need to be put out to pasture and some fresh air blown through the place.
They have become stale, bereft of clarity, empty of history, …..
Brian
Edwards
is
a
classic
waste
of
space
.
.
.
It seems there’s been an “economic consensus” between National and Labour that we haven’t been told about until now. (But we’ve all seen operating…)
So Labour’s own dirty tricks brigade is back in full swing? Where’s Trevor Mallard? Or could it be closer to Cunliffe’s home city this time?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114788
Does that mean don’t tell the public what you will do, so you can do what you like when elected?
Looks like a win to Robertson.
Excellent.
Hey BM changed your mind?
Yesterday you were supporting Jones. To quote you said “Shane Jones should lead labour, he’s the only guy out of the three who has the goods.” and now you are supporting Robertson.
Changed your mind?
He is an unofficial member of the ABC
ABC -ftw
ftw?
For The Win
Hey BM, I think it’s really brave of you to talk so openly about your fear of Cunliffe.
Well done.
You are obviously talking about for a National win.
“For Tory Win”?
An internet mannerism…stuck next to a comment or quip which is supposed to seal the argument.
Eg. Cunliffe has the experience to lead the country. And he does a great beard, FTW!
Moderators hate the comment as it can turn into “pwned” style trolling/flaming pretty quick.
Provided the candidates in the contest behave like adults during the contest, the media will have no option but to write substance…
I switched from TV1 news some years ago but after Gowers “coverage” yesterday I may leave that channel too.
To my mind his job is to advise me what is going on and who is saying what. He sees his job as giving me his opinion not facts. Why do political jounos and politicians think we are all too stupid to make up our own minds.
You must really hate Campbell Live.
I don’t watch it. If someone posts a clip here or elsewhere I might watch but as a rule I don’t.
They also havent caught on that selection via a party wide vote is how the greens have elected their leaders for ages. They talk as if its some new crazy thing
They are also heavily editing comments on John Armstrong’s piece this morning .. I wrote a fairly innocuous comment ( innocuous in terms of needing moderating) and it has failed to appear … in fact there are zero comments showing.
Censorship stinks.
perhaps they have been swamped with comments?
They always take ages to show comments on the herald.
That’s also my experience ..
Just ban the printed Herald from our lives. I bought it in the 70s and 80s to see what the bosses were up to today. But have not plunked down loose change for two decades now, yes I admit scanning it online and if the paper version goes totally down the web version would be pay to read or disappear too. Yay.
The dirty filthy Eastern Suburbs toffs that kept the rag going all the 20th century lying, misleading and distorting reality for New Zealanders. Yay. Truth has gone too. Don’t buy the Herald and if there is one at work or a cafe–bin it, do us all a favour.
You can see the fear in granny and the other MSM outlets when the potential for genuine change to rock their isolated and priviledged world appears.
They are part of the problem and don’t want the solution.
Funny thing is if TVNZ hadn’t been so anti charter and waged war against it they could’ve been an outlet not so easy to flog as it stands now under the nats but then Ellis didn’t take over $1m p.a. to strengthen the nations voice but to bark it’s owners tune.
Sums it up nicely.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11114755
It seems odd how little coverage at stuff and herald brownlee’s loss in the High Court yesterday has taken.
Despite spending lots of time in the media and their original defence talking about the drawback to rewarding people who didn’t take out insurance according to Cameron (Lawyer for owners) it never came up in the case.
Brownlee says he will consider an Appeal.
The point is the High Court has found that Brownlee and CERA did not apply the law as stated.
Isn’t this just more bullying type behaviour by brownlee? 50% or nothing. Take it or leave it we are bigger than you. brownlee spending our money on trying to uphold his belief that Insurance companies will be harmed if the law is upheld.
Maybe he is drafting a bill under urgency to overturn the Court.
Thank God for the Courts. No wonder the nats don’t like the judiciary at the moment.
finally
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114975
Note that key’s promise that no one would be worse off because of the govt’s offer for their land is currently a lie. It remains a lie until he can overturn the decision or bring in urgent legislation to make himself right.
Yet another judge that will not be appearing in the honours list
Interesting piece about the role and power of political blogs ..
http://inside.org.au/the-war-the-bloggers-won/
Everybody knows that politicians don’t read blogs… 🙂
What do you mean by that, Winston?
I think it’s a joke! (referring to Shearer saying that voters don’t read blogs, and that he doesn’t read blogs).
Yup
some like Jones (takere) post on them!
JOKE
Very funny – I put ‘takere’ into a meta-search engine and found nothing by Jones.
… and another.
http://inside.org.au/winning-the-battle-of-ideas/
LABOUR’S GOT TALENT: just love this little put down line from Key and Whaleoil about our selection process: that kind of smug sneer at something everyday NZers love and want to celebrate- good people getting up and having a go- is just what you’d expect from an elite so out of touch they dont recognise real emotion and public feeling: either pain or, in this case, determination and passion. Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.
“Yep, damn right Labour’s got talent: and one way or another, you are going to feel it.”
– lol! Cunliffe, Jones and Robertson sure but who else?
Open your eyes, Winny. Or actually go meet ’em!
Nah too busy worshipping the National “talent” or lack of it in fools like N. Guy, H. Parata, P. Bennett, G. Brownlee, J. Collins, J. Keystroke et al, bottom of the barrel stuff.
In news not covered by The Herald or Stuff….
Public told volcanic geyser’s sudden eruption on a public road 900m from Rome airport nothing to be concerned about:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10265372/Volcanic-geyser-erupts-close-to-Rome-airport.html
Despite being a stone’s throw from the end of a main runway at Fiumicino, Europe’s sixth largest airport, which handles 37 million passengers a year, Mr Basili said there was no cause for fear over flight safety. “This is a limited phenomenon – it will not have created alarm at the airport,” he said.
Ye Gods. I just read Brian Edwards take on things regarding the Labour leadership contest. I wish he had never started a blog. Better to keep your mouth shut and the reputation forged in your youth intact than retiring, writing a blog, and presenting for all to see your sad descent into a bewildered old age. The poor old bugger is stuck in New Zealand circa 1973, he clearly has no idea of the dynamics of New Zealand in 2013.
Yeah true what was Dear Leader thinking keeping him on…
Eh? I don’t think he’s ever worked for the Nats has he?
I gave up on him when he posted something about the weather forecast always being different from what he could see out of his own window.
Why are we so obsessed with people like Edwards. Yes of course he is getting old and wanders a bit but he is also allowed to have an opinion. So many on this forum seem to see him as some sort of enemy and I am sure that is not correct. He has expressed certain opinions and that should be end of it.
Can we not just accept differences and stop using these forums for personal attacks on people
The right/corporate media looks set to go full retard on Labour. It’ll be a rerun of the response that we got from the electricity policy announcement.
It would be best if the Cunliffe/Robertson/Jones camps coordinated their media to frustrate the likes of Paddy Gower et al.
And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too. (that’s a joke! not advocating violence!) 😀
“And maybe gag Trev and throw him in a cupboard for a month would help too”
– That would probably help Labour gain a couple of percentage points
Giovani Tiso:
http://bat-bean-beam.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/the-leader-vanishes.html
revisionism… sigh
it explains why key gets caught in lies, he has no access to his previous statements to try and be consistent.
Just like they did with Saddam…
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2003/04/29/PD3282877.jpg
The National Library regularly archives NZ sites for posterity. Here’s its archive for Labour
i just heard bridges on nat-rad..
..what is it with those younger male tory mp’s..?
..and their issues with the spoken word..?
..they dance around the english language like constipated dogs trying to work it out..
..bridges totally over-masticates his words..and then sprays surrounding environs with the remains..
..and tremain and guy..(who i call heckle and jeckel..(old cartoon..look it up..and wonder at the spooky similarites..)
..both of them are glottal/strangled-word disasters..(tremain in particular..)
..and of course guy when on his own is called ‘clutch cargo’..(once again..old cartoon..look it up..be spooked again..(and be really spooked how guy has that whole clutch thing of just the lips moving when speaking down just so..
..and really..for everyones’ peace of mind..guy should be asked to disrobe..to prove there are no wires sticking out/plugged into him..
..and then of course there is jonathan ‘cigar-boy’ coleman..and his peculiar habit of tossing a handful of marbles into his mouth..before speaking..(so if you listen carefully…you can hear them rolling/bouncing off each other)
..and of course todd (‘pompadour’) mclay..doesn’t toss marbles into his mouth..
..he stuffs his full of plums…
..is it a basic requirement of being a young(er) tory male mp..?
..to talk weird..?
..(the evidence is overwhelming..)
..and i can hear you asking:..’but what about craig ‘the hapless one’ foss..?..you’ve left him out..’
..the thing is with foss..i am still so dazzled by his haplessness..
..i am yet to move on to his verbal-tics..
phillip ure..
It’s a result of being a thicko.
No doubt though, after 2014 – there’ll be “learnings” in all of this
Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?
If true (and I read it on “other” blogs so I’ll concede it may be wrong) he’ll have to watch comments like that because people can see right through things like that, if true of course.
Should have just said hes worked hard to get to where he is and wants to give everyone else the same opportunity for success or something similar
Crikey, when did you become concerned about political leaders lying? Or are you concerned for him that he doesn’t lie well enough to beat the current King (Key)?
All politicians lie, John Key lies, Helen Clark lied, whoever becomes the leader of Labour will lie, everyone lies especially politicians
What interests me is that there are some lies the voting public accept and some they don’t. It appears to me that the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.
In regards to the labour leadership I’m more the interested neutral party in that while I have opinions on who should lead I’m trying to see from the viewpoint of whats best for labour
good laugh for the day
You should try it some time, impartiality can give you a different viewpoint
are you claiming impartiality now?
Only for the leadership battle and thats because it doesn’t impact on me, once the leader is decided its back to full-on impartiality
So yeah I’m thinking that the best chance for Labour winning the next election is Cunliffe leading but personally speaking I’d vote for shane Jones
I’ll let you handle it, Solomon the Wise
Putting aside the obvious hilarity of your last paragraph (!!!), you’re onto something with this:
“the smaller the lie the less likely the voting public is to accept it.”
although I’d look at it through a slightly different lens. I don’t think it’s the size of the lie per se, but rather the point of it.
I’ve been thinking about corruption lately. I think as a society we’ve become accustomed to the idea that we’re all competing individuals seeking advantage over one another. Only a short while ago this would have been considered highly anti-social thinking, but now it’s the norm. A few decades of user-pays free-marketing has made selfishness acceptable, and greed admirable.
When someone is caught lying to further their own interests, instead of judging the behaviour as anti-social and corrupt we understand that that’s just what you do these days. You look after number one. And while we might not always openly praise someone for lying and scheming in their own interest, we grudgingly accept it. We say “who can blame them?” We say “they’d be silly not to”.
And in this selfish, individualistic, dog-eat-dog paradigm, it’s true. We’ve all become corrupt to one degree or another, we’ve done so simply by following the rules of the game. And the rules are look out for number one and never give a sucker an even break. And because we’ve all become corrupted to an extent, we accept the same corruption in others. We expect people to be trying to do us over at every turn.
So when John Key looks down the barrel of the camera and flat out lies about, for example, how many shares he owns, and then gets caught, and then immediately changes his story, we don’t even blink. Because he’s just doing exactly what we expect everyone to be doing, being dishonest in service of his own interests.
And I think that’s why we let these “big” lies go. Because it’s the norm. It’s what you’re meant to do according to the rules of the game. As long as it’s obvious that you’re lying to protect or advance yourself, it’s totally understandable.
Just don’t ever get caught lying for no good selfish greedy dog-eat-dog reason, or we’ll start wondering what flaw in your character you’re trying to cover up.
Yes I’d agree theres some truth to that but I’d go further and suggest it also depends on what has been said before
For instance we know National are for big business and we know Labour are for the battlers so when JK lies (maybe) about his shares thats no big deal but when Shearer “forgot” about his 50 000 plus that was a big deal
However if JK (whos portrayed himself as a good family man) had been cheating on his missus and tried to cover it up I think the public wouldn’t forgive him
Thank you for the admission that National are for Big Business and not for the little people.
Not many of your lot admit that obvious truth anymore.
This by W Smith is a telling point, really the nub of our problem in NZ. Between NACT for Big Business and the battlers supposedly Labour’s congregation, there is a huge yawning gap where most NZs are. That’s those who are able and willing to build and create and contribute and support a vital economically sound NZ. Most of Big Business is looking over their heads to international interests, the battlers and strugglers are at their feet pecking over the trickle down droppings, and wondering what the hell is going on up there, because it sure is hell down here.
Most NZ is by Winston’s summary, unpolitically unrepresented. Who they gonna call – Ghostbusters? Now those fellas really stuck it to the green slime.
Which of Key’s lies or which kind of lies are the ones that if exposed will force Key to fall on his sword?
He’ll never fall on his sword. He’ll have to be hounded out of the village with pitchforks, torches and rough music.
We’ve accepted that he lies about money and business and that it’s normal. It’s now considered part of his charm. It’s part of his brand that he’s wiley and cunning and no-one gets one over him.
He can lie his lying arse off and we’re all ok with it because in the world we live in that’s no longer considered an undesirable trait.
Which is why Key is so happy to call Cunliffe a liar any chance he gets. If he and Winston Smith keep on spreading the meme that all politicians lie, then he can merrily carry on being a liar himself. If he gets caught out who’s gonna care except Blip and a few other lefties on the Standard?
“Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.” Bob Dylan
but wait, weren’t the national and ACT parties absolutely against lies by govt MPs when they were in opposition???? OH, I see, they were lying.
haha bingo
“Is it true that when someone asked him about where he lives he said some malarkey about because his wife wanted to breastfeed?”
Only what I’ve read on ts, but he apparently said that his wife was breastfeeding and needed to live closer to her work. That is a completely valid reason for choosing where to live.
Sure it is *insert any vague reference to buying a bridge*
Look theres nothing wrong with being successful and having the money to choose where you live but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game
ie Are your kids still brest feeding, when you will be moving back closer to the people you purport to represent and if not why not etc etc
I’m not commenting on Cunliffe’s choices. I’m stating that moving so you are closer to work while breastfeeding is a completely valid reason. Some people here seem to be saying it’s not.
Well its something he might want to watch out for…he might not want to give Robertson any ammunition
“but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game”
Really Winston? Are you applying that principle across the board to any mp who ever mentions their family?
Bill English’s family are fair game, are they? And John Key’s family?
(neither of whom live in their electorates either btw)
“but don’t drag your family into it because now his familys fair game”
Daft. Are you saying that he should lie?
I think he is telling him he needs to learn to lie better if he wants to be PM.
It’s the new standard our current PM has set..
If they use them as a defence as Cunliffe did then yes by all means
so, Key’s mum and sister are up for grabs… he used them as a defence of himself and his ability to l know how it is for the low income in NZ?
A defence against what? Being asked why he lives in a certain part of town?
Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi
Not a good look for a labour MP
John Key reckons its fine to live and holiday far away from the electorate he represents; Cunliffe on the other hand is actually IN the electorate he represents all the time.
Desperate righties must be desperate.
I doubt John Key has even driven through his electorate. Flown over it, maybe.
Pretty sure that photo of him with the prince at a BBQ was in the electorate
I thought that was at his Omaha beach house.
Does he “holiday”in New Lynn as well ?
Key? Are you having a laugh?
Nothing wrong with holidaying in New Lynn – do it myself.
“Why he feels he doesn’t live near those he represents, the inference being that hes using the people to further his own ends but doesn’t want to live near the hoi-polloi”
Do you have any evidence that Cunliffe lives where he lives in order to avoid living next to some people in his electorate (as opposed to the ones he does live near of course)? Or any evidence that the reason Cunliffe gave (his wife’s breastfeeding needs) was a lie?
isn’t having them on the hustings with you and so on “dragging” them into it. You are drawing a pretty long bow
“A heavy shower sweeps across Auckland as the Herald heads towards the College Rifles Sports Club. It’s late June and the rain has been coming and going all day, and all month. It’s the sort of weather that’s killed off many a sports event, but there’s no need to worry on this occasion. In 2009 the club installed synthetic turf on its two rugby fields, rendering cancellations a thing of the past.
Located a couple of hundred metres off Remuera Rd in a flood-prone valley, the playing surfaces at the historical club have traditionally been terrible.
‘It was a s***hole,” says club manager Derek Rope.
Synthetic turf has come a long way. Up close it looks and almost feels like real grass, with little black rubber balls and flakes mimicking dirt. The lush carpet cost the club $2 million, $500,000 of which came from gaming trusts.
Synthetic turf also covers the scrum practice area and the netball and tennis courts. There’s a brand new pavilion, state-of-the-art gym and 32-bed accommodation block for touring sports teams.
The club’s bad days are well and truly behind it, thanks in part to its success in accessing gaming trust money. Seven trusts have kicked in over $1 million to help fund the redevelopment projects, and there is more to come. The club has already secured $300,000 of trust money to put towards the final phase of its development, a swimming pool complex, and is hoping to raise that figure by another $200,000.
Clubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard RobinsonClubs like College Rifles in Remuera have developed programmes and facilities using gambling money. Photo / Richard Robinson
Given that just 23 of the country’s 17,534 pokies are situated in Remuera, it’s hardly a surprise that a club that began life in 1897 with a membership of military personnel drawn from Auckland’s schools has been held up as the poster child for the dubious wealth redistribution that accompanies the gaming trust model.
“Why should poor people in Mangere be supplying first-class facilities in Remuera?” Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell asked when he launched his ill-fated Gambling Harm Reduction Bill.
It’s a fair question, and one Mr Rope doesn’t duck. “People say it’s a Remuera rich club – it’s not,” he says.
Only 25 per cent of the club’s 5000 members across a sports portfolio that ranges from badminton to lacrosse are Remuera locals.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11114737
For something completely different Charter schools in the UK a complete failure after years: of trialing charter schools which have the advantage of new buildings and public and private funding have shown an initial burst of achievement all be it less than public schools then a continual decline the independent uk reported today.
link?
tricledown
This education in UK thing sounds interesting – where did you hear/see it?
Looking forward to seeing a front bench reshuffle under DC. Parker should keep finance, but I suspect the others will be up. Ardern for all her promise has allowed Bennet to sail on, Hipkiss a failure V Parata, and who does housing, and health??
Today, 3 News reports:
LOL!
Key looking desperate even as he claims Cunliffe will be desperate to be PM at all costs and take Norman on as deputy of finance minister. Typical rightie that Key – manages to project all his shortcomings on to the opposition.
PS: The comments below the article mostly say Key is the desperate liar.
typical transference karol? He thinks other are behaving how he behaves???
I chuckled… how quickly he sinks to the personality politics he claims to never sink to.
We’ll see who’s truly desperate when Key is forced to make a deal with Winston Peters, despite constantly dismissing him.
Judith Collins for Leader of the Opposition?
I would prefer to see Gerry Brownlee as the next Natz leader in opposition. Even though they’re both vindictive snakes, big Ger is a bit better at hiding it. Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered.
Brownlee as NACT leader…. at least that would swing the Chch vote to the left again.
“Whoever it is, Keys days are clearly numbered”
– Why, has his popularity dropped below 40% or something?
So <40% is the trigger point for a coup. Good to know, thanks for that.
Patrick Gower’s seen a letter, I’ve heard…
More like suggesting that the chances of Key getting rolled is highly unlikely based on how popular he is
might want to send a memo to Collins about that. It’s all very well being personally popular, but that doesn’t help her keep her cabinet post if Nats only get 45% in 2014.
That’ll explain Why Shearers gone then.
“Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said he paid for taxis and accommodation himself, but his airfare was covered by taxpayers.
“As a parliamentarian I am able to use parliamentary resources to fly wherever I like in the country, that’s part of the arrangement we have.
“I think you should refer those inquiries about what we are allowed to do to Parliamentary Services because they set the rules.”
He said MPs’ salaries were reduced years ago on the basis that the ability to fly around the country was provided.
“My judgement is that I will not be using any other resources apart from that.” ”
Cool, more sense of entitlement.
” Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 179,300
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 610
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 340 ”
plus expenses.
Why have you quoted from an expired document Tracey?
because I didn’t know it was expired????
I went here
and followed the links
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/MPP/MPs/Pay/
This is what happened when I tried to get 2012 one
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/presented/papers/50DBHOH_PAP24127_1/parliamentary-salaries-and-allowances-determination-2012
Love and hate – both emotional and highly excitable states. I guess that volatility could result in reversal. What would make the complacent hate Key? It would have to be something that would hurt them personally.
Keep cool, if the MP is entitled then he is entitled to a sense of entitlement.
here we go
“Deputy leaders
Each member of Parliament who is the deputy leader of a party whose members in the House of Representatives number not less than 25—
Base salary 182,800
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630
plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 35 up to a maximum of 45 360 ”
That any of them cant pay for anything associated with their latest job application is beyond me.
I think you’ve quoted from an expired document again Tracey. The Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2012 expired on 30 June 2013.
bugger.
Nonetheless my guess is the latest one wont be lower, so my point, I hope is made.
What point, Tracey?
“plus
For each additional member of the party in the House of Representatives over 25 up to a maximum of 35 630”
What does that mean?
John Key and MPs perks
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9026069/MPs-cling-on-to-a-free-ride
Maori affairs interview with the candidates
Not sure if someone has already posted this. Very interesting and good viewpoints from all 3. The interviewer doesn’t hold back!
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/politics/native-affairs–labour-panel
CV, ‘Native Affairs’ my friend, i found that quite an enlightening interview of the 3, Native Affairs for some strange reason seems to always elicit a better view of the people it interviews than the mainstream,
Shane Jones didn’t say anything there which would raise my opinion of Him, the reverse in fact, Jone’s faux ‘one of the boys in the smoko room’ line is simply cringe worthy,
David Cunliffe scored best with His ‘governments have the right to change gambling legislation and SkyCity better be prepared’ line and while i am not a gushing groupy Cunliffe leads in my opinion of who should win this contest,
Grant Robertson, disappointed me, full stop…
ahhhh yes Native Affairs it is.
Thanks, CV for the link.
Jones seems haughty for all his common man claims: often with his head tilted back and looking down his nose. Robertson looks like he’s doing a job interview – too wordy and sounds more like a backroom worker than someone to front for the party. Cunliffe is composed, clear, and has some short sharp answers – looks like a leader.
funny story!!..
if questiontime today was a talent-contest for labour…dyson got the gong..
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/new-zealand-parliament-list-of-questions-for-oral-answer-tuesday-27-august-2013/
(excerpt..)
“..bloody hell..!…ruth dyson is actually doing better than any of the three contenders..up against key..
..(dyson is expressing potent disgust at keys’ laughing/sneering at/saying that screwing vacant land owners out of 50% of their land values was ‘fun’..)
..and the strength of dysons’ performance is because of the fire in her belly..(and cunnliffe/robertson could do worse than take note of that..and spark up..!..)..”
phillip ure..
+1 Dyson really kicked arse in the house today. The news at six even covered the story reasonably well so that the National voters with a few brain cells to rub together will be thinking twice about continuing their support.
It’s bad enough that the government is trying to force people in Christchurch to sell their land at half its value, but to say that it’s their fault because they didn’t have land insurance is despicable! There is no land insurance available, which is something a Prime Minister with even half a brain would comprehend.
What is the point in the current government appealing the courts ruling when they will surely lose? What a god damn waste of taxpayers money.
Te reo putake
that these guys claim to champion the poor but think if parliamentary services says they can charge something to us they will… at least so far robertson will.
For once this is a cross-party rort with each party as bad as each other
not just on this issue WS
Bollocks. We live in a democracy and parliamentary representation is one of the guarantees of that. All parties get funded the same way from parliamentary services and the deal is that MP’s get free flights on our taxpayer owned airline. It’s been that way, or similar, for decades. Railways before that. A few weeks ago, the taxpayer paid for every Nat MP to fly to Nelson to have their conference. Did you complain then? Remember, the Tories also claim to champion the poor. Ask Appaller Bennett, she’s all about giving the poor a helping hand round the head and a loving boot up the arse.
The 3 candidates are flying around the country in an exercise in democracy. This is not only historic, it’s an entirely appropriate use of the Parliamentary budget. Don’t buy into the right’s meme ‘o’ the day, Tracey.
+1
So much for unifying the left.
Cunliffe rules out Norman as potential Finance Minister
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbpol/2086420229-cunliffe-rules-out-norman-as-potential-finance-minister
Greens co-leader Russel Norman won’t be the Finance Minister under a David Cunliffe or Grant Robertson-led Labour Government.
That’s a hopeless, contextless quote. This one is better:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11115155
It’s not entirely an open door invite to unite, but at least he didn’t completely shut the door in their face.
2 out of 10 for effort?
War! more war!
US forces to strike Syria (pending).
If Key sends troops — he is nothing more than his ulta ego
Obama.
The Smiling Assassin and the Mass murderer.
What a combination.
Sheeeezus.
Egyptian solders shoot and kill hundreds of unarmed protestors. Result: US continues billions in military aid.
Unknown, unproven party uses chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, killing hundreds. Result: war to take down Assad’s government.
“Unproven” bang bang.
Dann vs Gower-
Gower asks how Cunliffe is going to go man-to-man with Key, Dann asks if he would raise taxes on the rich-
Dann gets my vote…breath of fresh air
Links?
NZ GCSB Bill being covered on Al Jazeera tomorrow morning (19,30 GMT) I make that 6.30am NZ time, not around 7.30am as Selwyn Manning is tweeting.
Yes, 6:30 am Wednesday NZ time.
Robert Reich.
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-america-stopped-caring-about-the-public-good-2013-8?IR=T
Robert Reich is very good, but in my opinion he doesn’t go as deep as Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff in explaining how this has all come about.
Essentially, the civil movements which were crucial in pressuring and forcing the politicians to create the New Deal were, over decades, deliberately dismantled, co-opted, undermined and destroyed.
It pays to remember how much pressure was required to make Roosevelt and the corporate/banking elite agree to the New Deal. Hundreds of workers, unemployed, activitists were killed in the process, during the Great Depression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuGv3HsV-U
Today the Democrats are just as much friends of big oil, big pharma and big banking, as the Republicans. The civil movements which used to pressure for political economic change for the working class and underclass are long dead.
And so, the corporate and banking elite have the whole playing field their way now.
Atwater.
“That voter, in my judgment,” he claims, “will be more likely to vote his economic interests than he will anything else. And that is the voter that I think through a fairly slow but very steady process, will go Republican.” Because race no longer matters: “In my judgment Karl Marx [is right]… the real issues ultimately will be the economic issues.” He continues, in words that uncannily echo the “47 percent tape” (nothing new under the wingnut sun), that “statistically, as the number of non-producers in the system moves toward fifty percent,” the conservative coalition cannot but expand. Voila: a new Republican majority. Racism won’t have anything to do with it.
http://www.thenation.com/article/170841/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy#axzz2d8Jra8tt
Cheers. 🙂 I believe that as usual, the next election will be one or lost on the Economy.
Sorry about the shutdown. Was setting up a new cdn system.
Didn’t seem to last too long.
Seemed to last an eternity from my perspective. But then again, time is hardly a constant 😈
Episodes of The Good Wife to watch, makes time pass easily.
The Hustle followed by Stargate Atlantis.
Testing the updates. They look ok so far.
The re-edit still seems to be working.
Drat the nzonscreen images are not there. Odd.