there are two pieces of (involuntary) comedic-writing in the herald today..
..one is from the editorial writer roughan..
..where he has decided to ignore keys’ admonition not to gloat..
..to throw that caution to the wind..
..and he almost orgasms all over the page..in his gloating delight..
..the prose gets quite purple..
..and funny story..in doing so he reveals so much for one who hides behind the anonymity of the editorial-writer..
..and of course he also reveals so much of the ethos/imperatives of that rag he writes for..
..and roughan sees no dirty politics..
..(and we can presume no need for the cavalcade of inquiries underway as a result of that book..inquiries that urgent the chief ombudsman called the allegations..if proven..an attack on our democracy..
..but yeah..nah..eh..?…roughan sees none of that..to his eyes it is all so clean..
..it sparkles…)
..roughan also sees no problems with mass-surveillance..
..the list goes on and on..
..and his far-right beliefs..and the prescriptions of that rag he editorialises in..
..are laid bare..
..but the laugh-out-loud/guffaw of the morning is in the latest pile of steaming horse-shit from john armstrong..
..it comes at the end..
..when after this long list of moans about labour/cunnliffe..
..like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top-hat..
..he presents his solution to labours’ woes..
..and..steel yrslves…!
..it’s shearer…!
(i know..!..i know..!..bloody hilarious..!..eh..?..)
@BM. The only thing missing from Bradbury’s article was the /sarc at the end. Now did you actually read it? Or like most Trolls did you just skim the title?
Why is it that the right wingers continuously tell the left who our leaders should be. We do not do the same to them. It is a waste of precious broadband having to download their idiot comments.
They really, really want Cunliffe gone and either mumbleface back or Robertson who does not command wide support. Why? They don’t care about Labour so it has to be something else.
I see Roughan is letting his erection do the writing again today. Were those “Democracy Under Attack” headlines all those years ago actually a declaration of their intent to manufacture opinion?
The herald needs taking out of circulation. Are they stalking David Cunliffe.? How much did Jason Eden get paid to disappear? Do all dear leaders famous sportspeople who tweeted on election day to vote natz get fined?
I hope Cunliffe gets to stay. If he can weather all the crap thrown at him over the last few months and not descend to gutter politics to try and counter key then he has shown great fortitude. He’s not perfect, but who is. Some of Labour’s policies were good and the country has lost out.
John key gloated some time ago that he only been pm for so many years and had already’ seen off’ Goff and Shearer.
Cunliffe going will only add to this perception that he is all powerful. It would be keys worst nightmare for Cunliffe to get back in with full support of EVERYONE!
Yep, Cunliffe should stay, otherwise the whole circus starts again. Nash is a bit player in the Dirty Politics book, god knows what kinda dirt Slater has on him. Opinion.
Just confirms it – John Armstrong has advanced dementia! Cos Shearer was so sparkling and effective the last time right? Shearer is the most dire leader that Labour ever had, no wonder Armstrong wants him back!
Watched Prime Time with Sean Plunket last night. Was very interesting with 3 Labour supporters/experts and Sean looking at a positive future for Labour.
Unable to link to any replay but hope someone else can. It was good.
i watched that..i thought how it was quite amusing how plunkett tried to trot out the handbag of cliches he and the corporate-media have been riffing on..
..and each of them was logically unpacked/dismantled by one of those three guests..(one of whom was rob salmond..)
..i got the feeling it didn’t go at all how plunkett wanted it to..
..and the takeaway fact for me came from the labour historian..
..who noted the labour pm’s who had faced defeat on their first attempt..
..and really..cunnliffe must hang tough..
..and not allow himself to be the whipping boy for all that was/is wrong with labour..
..in their campaign-strategy/f.p.p-thinking/policy-under-delivering..
..’cos the fact still remains..
..cunnliffe is labours’ best hope of/for victory in 2017…
..robertson is just another running-dog for the right..
..one who national/the media want..
..the right are scared of cunnliffe/a re-born labour…
..so you hang tough there..!..mr cunnliffe..
..this too will all pass…
..and then you can get on with doing what you do best..
..dismembering the bullshit of/from national in parliament..
..hanging key up on a hook..
..a task robertson has proven himself hopeless at..
I don’t like Plunket politics normally but am glad I watched the sanity of the experts. And yes Sean looked a bit miffed that the guests politely rubbished Sean’s negative talking points. It was interesting that he did not bring in Mr Hooten or his ilk in the false name of balance. No shouting down of common sense.
David Cunliffe is expected to stand down as Labour leader when he fronts the party’s ruling council today.
He has been under pressure to resign since a brutal caucus showdown this week…..
If true, this is terrible news, and an undermining of the democratic will of the membership by a right wing cabal prepared to risk the destruction of the Labour Party for personal advancement.
I knew that the ABC dominated caucus would make it impossible for David Cunliffe to lead them. And that they would do there very best to over undermine the democratic decision of the Labour membership.
And the fact that this scum has leaked the possibility of his resignation today, to the media shows that they want to cement it in, ‘He who can shape the argument, wins the argument’.
Faced with this total right wing revolt
What should David Cunliffe do?
Respect the democratic decision of the membership?
Give in? Overturning the democratic decision of the membership?
Or stick it out?
The caucus have made the situation impossible.
If David Cunliffe wants to continue, he has to abandon his revolting caucus and seek support somewhere else.
No one can continue when they are completely isolated, effectively without support, so David Cunliffe needs to seek it outside of his caucus. He has a few options.
Tracey Watkins lays out what she thinks they should be.
His options are to resign and seek a fresh mandate by standing again; resign and pull out of the race; or resign and take time to consider his position by leaving the timing of a leadership race in the hands of the council.
The third option would give the council room to delay a leadership contest till after a formal review into the party’s disastrous electionperformance has been held.
Cunliffe’s deputy, David Parker, would be the obvious caretaker leader in the interim.
David Parker is the black prince behind all the anti Cunliffe feeling in the Labour caucus, in my opinion there is no way that this right wing back stabber should be allowed anywhere near the leadership, even on an interim basis.
Cunliffe needs to take a hard line with his mutinous caucus.
If I was in Cunliffe’s shoes I would walk into that meeting and say, “I have decided to form a shadow cabinet with the Greens. Are you in, or out?”
If Robertson-Ardern is the ticket, then it may be prudent for political expediency for Robertson to quickly propose to Ardern with a ring, have an urgent drive-by hetero sexual wedding and come out singing Kumbaya for popular votes. Otherwise, it could be an arduous uphill task going simply by my instincts.
But on the contrary, being gay could actually be an advantage in the modern world. Not sure, though.
Personally, I have no problem. I am just thinking practically of the ‘real’ world.
Being progressive makes NZ feel good about ourselves I think. His being gay probably has as many pluses as minuses and is not the reason for him not being the one right now (the reason for me is that I am not over Cunliffe). It would be like saying the Democrats shouldn’t have gone with Obama as he wouldn’t appeal to racists.
The Paul Henry show journalist (Penfold) was pretty pathetic, making it all about what the LP caucus want, and ignoring the NZLP members’ freferences. She also was superficial in saying election results showed the electorate had rejected Cunliffe.
Early morning clarity bought a revelation of sorts to me. I finally realised why people don’t vote,.
By last night I had come to terms with the fact that if Robertson prevails that I could not vote for him or Labour and that’s after 45 years and thousands of dollars in donations.
I will not vote at all.
I could not live with myself for voting Nat, the Greens are one-dimensional and while I admire Winston’s longevity he does attract serious space-cadets.
I have been proud that Labour has been on the right side of all the big issues in my lifetime, United Nations, workers rights, Vietnam, nuclear testing, apartheid,gay rights etc etc.
I have bought my children up with the belief that it is a duty to support those less fortunate than ourselves and fortunately they have adopted those principles.
But if Grant Robertson thinks he is the answer after being comprehensivly beaten 14 months ago then I will walk away.
He did not get a majority in caucus, that is a myth, he got 16 votes out of 32 on the first ballot, I don’t know what he got on the second but it would not have been resounding.
I have heard that he is rude and dismissive towards those he does not agree with.
Winning bloody expensive elections unfortunately requires corporate donations, Robertson and Barnett as openly gay men will not get a cracker.
Jacinta Ardern as his proposed deputy will be subject to even more disgusting vitriol than Helen Clark had to put up with over her childlessness, ( mid-thirties, no kids, no husband or partner ) the arseholes are waiting in ambush.
A Labour Party with a gay Leader, gay smeared deputy, gay fundraiser and organiser, the Gay Party
Electoral fucking suicide.
Hullo sub 10%, if lucky.
BM are you dense or can you not read? For the umpteenth time Nash ONLY got in because McVicar split the right vote. And as for Shearer yeah right, been there, and tried him.
Now I wrote this really slow, so you shouldn’t have trouble understanding it this time around.
Apparently Ardern told the Paul Henry show that she is not interested in being leader – not now nor at any time in the future.
Sexuality has got nothing to do with who is best leader.
The Greens are multi-dimensional – they campaign on 3 planks, covering a range of issue: economy, fair society (issues of income, fairness at work); environment. it includes a focus on local issues re governance, transport, etc, plus international issues, GCSB, TPPA, asset sales, etc, etc. If they increase the number of MPs, it will strengthen the range of the areas they work on.
Hi Karol, sorry but for many sexuality and politics do matter. And if you want the majority concentrating on politics its best to not have any focus on sexuality. Agree?
Adrian, agreed with reservations about your gay comments.
I think the final caucus vote after Jones dropped out was something like 18-16* Robertson/Cunliffe but the incredibly biased msm NEVER report this because it doesn’t suit their agenda.
*somebody out there will remember the actual numbers.
Dear David Cunliffe
Many of the points above cover the points I wish to raise.
I differ from Adrian in one major respect, until last week I have not voted labour since 1984.
I voted in the hope that we would get a progressive Left coalition whose compromise of common Policy would urgently address the failings of 30 years of regressive thinking.
The massively funded Dirty tricks machine came after you continuously since the leadership contest.
The lack of support and sharing of load by your caucus has been criminal, but not unexpected as the desire by the membership to be rid of the centrist career caucus is pervading.
The increased intensity of media attacks post-election by the dirty tricks machine is your greatest compliment and the abiding reason why you should retain the leadership.
Why?
Its patently obvious that its you& your supporters the Right fears the most .
Those of us blessed with an IQ that exceeds room temperature can see clearly the shower of S***t that 19th century economic theory and 20th century “Growth” mindset is doing globally and the client state ,’yes its all for sale’ mentality of Brandkey is accelerating the demise of our society.
To you and the doubters , reflect on the fact that you & you alone in the Party are capable of managing an electoral triumph in 2017 .
Reflect also ,if that if every member of the caucus found themselves in that most hypothetical situation – out of a job and seeking new employment , you & you alone would be recruited instantly by any number of Business or NGO organisations , locally or internationally , whilst the rest would languish amongst the formerly employed for considerable time.
One more thing , Andrew Little , pick up the phone and call the EPMU and use your formidable skills to garner the support that Cunliffe needs.
Your leadership ambitions need a term or two in Government before the electorate & the media will consider you without a similar derision to the Gays & non-breeders.
No they’re not but I’m sure that National are happy that you think that they are as it’s the fallacious message that they’ve been spreading about the Greens over the last few years.
( boldsirbrian ….previously known as brian …. conflicting with other “Brian”s )
@ Rosie (5.1.1)
First an acknowledgement. I consistently refer to the Prime Minister as Dirty John. I will continue to do so until an inquiry (with terms of reference accepted by the Opposition) into Dirty Politics is completed, and in the event that he is exonerated. (btw, Where IS Jason Ede?)
However, I would prefer that Seymour be left alone from name calling. He is sincere, and believes in the policies he promotes. He has done nothing wrong. He has got his position as a gift from Dirty John.
I cannot recall any policy he has promoted that I agree with. The only positive I can say about the ACt party is that it is a couple of millimetres up from the bottom rung of a long ladder, where the Conservatives reside.
But Seymour is not the enemy. If he went, there would be others like Jamie Whyte who would fill the vacuum with equal nonsense. The policies that Seymour promotes are what should be targeted.
David Cunliffe needs to take his inspiration for his way forward from what he would have needed to have done if Labour had won the election and form a shadow cabinet with the Greens. Caucusing with the Greens would be the best way for David Cunliffe to counter and sideline the ABC creeps and also be very good practice for the future Left wing Labour/Green Government.
Never fear, The Herald panders to the Key groupies, it’s a third at best, rate newspaper, I certainly read it for sheer entertainment concerning their political posts. What a Joke, they are the main NZ paper? it is remarkable and boy do they talk shit. Really, what a joke of a newspaper, I’d rather read the UK Sun.
Reading Armstrong is like reading the writings of an insane man going through a bad patch. In touch with reality, one wonders, I watched him skulking around the Hagar book launch, looking like Gollum seeking his precious. Pathetic fellow, and O’Sullivan thinks she’s NZ press royalty, views clearly pro hard right philosophy.
Honestly all we read in the Herald is attacks on all other parties except Act and Nats. I mean they give Rodney Hyde and Bob jones opinion pieces to spout whatever they want. It’s a joke.
The rich have to much of a disproportionate representation for policy direction and access to government. they control the media, therefore controlling the population. Democracy? FJK, I think not.
“There are some really, really vile people out there.”—Mary Beard
Most of them work for the Murdoch empire
Radio New Zealand National, Saturday 27 September 2014
In a mostly excellent interview with Cambridge Univ. Professor of Classics Mary Beard, Kim Hill let herself down when she carelessly stated that the online trolls who abused Mary Beard’s physical appearance were “much viler” than the likes of A.A. Gill, who instigated the abuse. Normally, Gill reserves his venom for hapless but anonymous waiters and chefs; his attitude to powerful and intelligent people is normally one of groveling and toadying. Something about Mary Beard led him to go to his (rather limited and uninteresting) grab-bag of misogynistic smears. Ostensibly, it was her long grey hair and imperfect teeth that enraged him, but I suspect the real seat of his hatred was her principled opposition to the war-mongering U.K. government, which she expressed forcefully in the London Review of Books in October 2001. [1]
I sent Kim the following email, which I am pleased to say she read out on air straight after the interview….
“There are some really, really vile people out there.”—Mary Beard
Dear Kim,
You said that the trolls who swore at Mary Beard online were “much viler” than A.A. Gill, who had used his Sunday Times platform to mock her hair, teeth and general appearance. In fact, it is people like Gill, that buffoonish, ignorant, malicious restaurant critic-cum-political commentator, carefully constructing their insults from positions of power and privilege, protected by the media organizations that employ them, who set the tone of these campaigns of abuse.
As Mary Beard pointed out in her interview, “There are some really, really vile people out there.” And the fact is: we know who they are.
So three more years, it’s sinking in now, such a long time, he’s already has 6 years of promises, and excuses and lies all the way, what happened to his dream of a brighter future, easy to say, hard as hell to achieve eh Key.
This years low Fonterra pay out, which NZ seems to run on, small businesses will suffer, a lot of cash flow lost. Man we are in for rough times. Rough I say, batten down the hatches, Car and farm equipment dealerships will become rare as rocking horse shit. it’s all going to get very dire for rural NZ farming towns soon.
The backlash will start eventually, I have faith Key will get rid of himself as his failed ideology will see NZ slide ever further downhill on most measurements of government performance. Expect more outrageous crimes, 25% off benefits they promised.
National caring for their wallets business as usual.
Karol, of course sexuality has nothing to do with leadership ability but it has everything to do with perception, and politics is all perception.
The perception that the leader favours their own particular private politics mostly, be they a gay, a woman,an Aucklander, a South Islander, a righty, a lefty, a unionist.
The problem is when the perception is that they have surrounded themselves with others of similiar persuasion.
Then you have CAPTURE.
And voters do not like that, particularly if it does not reflect their own circumstances.
It makes them uncomfortable and they won’t vote for you.
Hi can anyone supply me with the link to the Keep David Cunliffe page on face book?
I don’t go on face book as such, but do have a profile, so maybe I should just log on myself. If anyone can help me let me know.
If people on this site want to keep Cunliffe, best thing is to join Labour its not that expensive and vote (hopefully we will get the chance) and sign the facebook page.
I finally became a financial member of Labour after waiting many months to see if they would become unified enough to be strong in the election. Eventually, I thought they had done this to a reasonable degree and joined. Now I want my money back if Cunliffe is rolled.
I like Shearer where he is. He is good at what he knows. Grant Robertson would be open to every muck raking, lying innuendos that key and his rabble could find. They would end up making him into the George Michael of NZ. Nothing would be too low for them to stoop to.
Leave Cunliffe in charge.
If the Labour Caucus dumps Cunliffe I’ll be switching to the Greens next election, because you can guarantee if Cunliffe is rolled Labour will swing back to the right to chase the “centre”. Instead of building more robust policy and going back to Clark’s strategy of targeting the party vote and start campaigning earlier in the three year cycle.
I guess the leadership wouldn’t be too unhappy with that if they are able to hoover up some votes from Winston and National. But how a chap who’s whole life has been in parliamentary and political circles and comes third in the party vote in his electorate is going to be able to present as a better option than Winston Peters or Key to the right of the party will be interesting, considering that has been all we’ve heard from Cunliffe opponents.
He’s never been a minister of anything, though I suppose he can say that if he’s doesn’t become leader he might never be the minister of anything…
Still it will be a completely fresh party. It will make 4 leaders in four years and begin to put Labour in some dangerous territory. If things start to go wrong? Changing the leader again would just continue the revolving door…I guess if Grant has got it he’s got at least until the next election. However, he should be spending a long time in South and West Auckland if he has, and in the Maori seats. Otherwise it comes across as this (Wellington) city liberal with a leadership team whose constituencies heavily supports the Greens, and who has avoided a vote from the party after being rejected by them the first time. Not having that support in my book, is just as bad or actually much worse than not having the support of Mallard, Shearer, Goff and Cosgrove, say.
Also, and I hate to say it- it is all about the fundraising. Seemed like they did start earlier, but couldn’t keep up the spend. Business is good for businesses, so there isn’t a lot of cash for Labour. Did think the two advertising campaigns presented a stark contrast as well. I liked Vote Positive and the posters that went up with policy, but the TV presentations seemed a bit weak and not flashy enough.
You seem to think that Robertson is bad.
I also see that the newspapers seem to be pushing Arden for deputy. She would seem to be even worse. At least Robertson managed to win in the electorate.
Can anyone tell me why Arden seems to attract supporters? What has she ever done, inside or outside Parliament?
Where did I say he was bad? Fresh start was the word I used.
However he needs to connect with the base that voted for Labour at this election and make sure they are happy. Is it any better a leader with an unhappy base than one with an unhappy caucus? Obvious statement I would have thought.
To also restate, this doesn’t seem like a move to the right like all the knowledgable pundits have been saying.
I think Cunliffe should stay firm and continue as leader or go for a fresh mandate from the membership. Those MPs who are not happy, are free to resign and be independent or start a new party.
After that, Labour should review their policies. Discard some, fine tune others and bring out new ones.
In my opinion, Labour needs to move to the centre in economic matters, but left in social justice matters and pragmatic in environmental policies.
Capital Gains Tax and Retirement Age Change : Rethinking, debate and public input (through online submissions or indicative referendum) is very necessary for these two policies before the public can feel comfortable to accept the required changes, if any.
A lot of comments seem to pander to week knee syndrome. It seems to be rather so that Mr Cunliffe must have hit a raw nerve with the opposition, why else do they have to go after him all guns blazing even if it costs a nat ministers job before the election? The fact that the rank and file labor caucus reacts as they are just shows learned behaviors. Think about it. Something must have scared the pants off the opposition who in turn paid in kind and the ABC’s where just falling for it. Perhaps the logic of sustainability was just too much as it would allow the country to remain in charge of its own destiny?
I don’t want to spoil the revelations of “This American Life”: It’s far better to hear the actual sounds on the radio, as so much of the meaning of the piece is in the tones of the voices — and, especially, in the breathtaking wussiness of the people at the Fed charged with regulating Goldman Sachs. But once you have listened to it — as when you were faced with the newly unignorable truth of what actually happened to that NFL running back’s fiancee in that elevator — consider the following:
1. You sort of knew that the regulators were more or less controlled by the banks. Now you know.
2. The only reason you know is that one woman, Carmen Segarra, has been brave enough to fight the system. She has paid a great price to inform us all of the obvious. She has lost her job, undermined her career, and will no doubt also endure a lifetime of lawsuits and slander.
So what are you going to do about it? At this moment the Fed is probably telling itself that, like the financial crisis, this, too, will blow over. It shouldn’t.
Fascinating.
Advice to Carmen. I want to help you with your career, I want you to be successful.
It’s really about how you are perceived. You have more sharper elbows, you are breaking eggs. Have a sense of humility. If I was a new person I would say Carmen you are very arrogant. You use ‘definitely’ too often. A lot of it is consensus building, ‘hey what do you think.’
I’m not questioning your knowledge-base.
But she needed to be more relational, quickly, in order to be (Carmen) ‘Not fired.’
Conflicts of interest were common and not handled properly.
Carmen complains about push-back. Peers – She asked direct questions, that needed to be asked, that weren’t wrong to ask. She is told that notes she took at meetings were wrong. That things written down were not said, or were not meant as definite statements. She is forced to put a small recording device on her wrist to ensure that her notes are correct.
The other business-line employees are in group-think it seems. They feel uncomfortable to state what they think before they know what their senior management think, not to be too different from their peers.
Carmen thought – The Fed had the authority to be a good regulator but was afraid to use its own power.
Many of the Fed regulators who leave go to work for the banks they are overseeing.
Carmen was fired. She has taken legal recourse and been turned down. One report on her firing says that it was because of her own faults not because of her unpopular findings by the Fed conciliators.
Given that parliament seems to be on a path to deliver a bigger surveillance state and less means for whistleblowers to expose its abuses or for journalists to scrutinise it, a bit of push back from the community might have been expected. This is, after all, a pretty important principle: public interest disclosure and press freedom.
Yet nobody, apart from the industry, the Greens and a couple of crossbench parliamentarians stood up for press freedom. The freedom warriors of the Coalition, and the accountability merchants of the ALP, waved the restrictions through without a backward glance. The community as a whole declined to be outraged.
[…]
But what I am saying is: wake the hell up. I have never been more resolved, in 18 years of practising journalism, of the absolute importance of our function in a democracy. I have never been more sure that the opportunity cost associated with doing this job is, actually, worth it.
I believe we matter. I know I’m not alone in that belief. Yet we act as though we don’t matter, and facts don’t matter, and truth doesn’t matter. Call this Dispatch this particular weekend a love letter to my profession, and an outpouring of grief at its failings.
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Q: Will the COVID-19 vaccines prevent the transmission of the coronavirus and bring about community immunity (aka herd immunity)? A: Jury not in yet but vaccines do not have to be perfect to thwart the spread of infection. While vaccines induce protection against illness, they do not always stop actual ...
Joe Biden seems to be everything that Donald Trump was not – decent, straightforward, considerate of others, mindful of his responsibilities – but none of that means that he has an easy path ahead of him. The pandemic still rages, American standing in the world is grievously low, and the ...
Keana VirmaniFrom healthcare robots to data privacy, to sea level rise and Antarctica under the ice: in the four years since its establishment, the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund has supported over 30 projects.Rebecca Priestley, receiving the PM Science Communication Prize (Photo by Mark Tantrum) Associate Professor ...
Nothing more from me today - I'm off to Wellington, to participate in the city's annual roleplaying convention (which has also eaten my time for the whole week, limiting blogging despite there being interesting things happening). Normal bloggage will resume Tuesday. ...
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weaponscame into force today, making the development, possession, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons illegal in international law. Every nuclear-armed state is now a criminal regime. The corporations and scientists who design, build and maintain their illegal weapons are now ...
"Come The Revolution!" The key objective of Bernard Hickey’s revolutionary solution to the housing crisis is a 50 percent reduction in the price of the average family home. This will be achieved by the introduction of Capital Gains, Land, and Wealth taxes, and by the opening up of currently RMA-protected ...
by Daphna Whitmore Twitter and Facebook shutting down Trump’s accounts after his supporters stormed Capitol Hill is old news now but the debates continue over whether the actions against Trump are a good thing or not. Those in favour of banning Trump say Twitter and Facebook are private companies and ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Democrats now control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives for the first time in a decade, albeit with razor thin Congressional majorities. The last time, in the 111th Congress (2009-2011), House Democrats passed a carbon cap and trade bill, but it died ...
Session thirty-three was highly abbreviated, via having to move house in a short space of time. Oh well. The party decided to ignore the tree-monster and continue the attack on the Giant Troll. Tarsin – flying on a giant summoned bat – dumped some high-grade oil over the ...
Last night I stayed up till 3am just to see then-President Donald Trump leave the White House, get on a plane, and fly off to Florida, hopefully never to return. And when I woke up this morning, America was different. Not perfect, because it never was. Probably not even good, ...
Watching today’s inauguration of Joe Biden as the United States’ 46th president, there’s not a lot in common with the inauguration of Donald Trump just four destructive years ago. Where Trump warned of carnage, Biden dared to hope for unity and decency. But the one place they converge is that ...
Dan FalkBritons who switched on their TVs to “Good Morning Britain” on the morning of Sept. 15, 2020, were greeted by news not from our own troubled world, but from neighboring Venus. Piers Morgan, one of the hosts, was talking about a major science story that had surfaced the ...
Sara LutermanGrowing up autistic in a non-autistic world can be very isolating. We are often strange and out of sync with peers, despite our best efforts. Autistic adults have, until very recently, been largely absent from media and the public sphere. Finding role models is difficult. Finding useful advice ...
Doug JohnsonThe alien-like blooms and putrid stench of Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the corpse flower, draw big crowds and media coverage to botanical gardens each year. In 2015, for instance, around 75,000 people visited the Chicago Botanic Garden to see one of their corpse flowers bloom. More than ...
Getting to Browser Tab Zero so I can reboot the computer is awfully hard when the one open tab is a Table of Contents for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and every issue has more stuff I want to read. A few highlights: Gugler et al demonstrating ...
Michael Cowling, CQUniversity AustraliaWe’ve probably all been there. We buy some new smart gadget and when we plug it in for the first time it requires an update to work. So we end up spending hours downloading and updating before we can even play with our new toy. But ...
Timothy Ford, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Charles M. Schweik, University of Massachusetts AmherstTo mitigate health inequities and promote social justice, coronavirus vaccines need to get to underserved populations and hard-to-reach communities. There are few places in the U.S. that are unreachable by road, but other factors – many ...
Israel chose to pay a bit over the odds for the Pfizer vaccine to get earlier access. Here’s The Times of Israel from 16 November. American government will be charged $39 for each two-shot dose, and the European bloc even less, but Jerusalem said to agree to pay $56. Israel ...
Orla is a gender critical Marxist in Ireland. She gave a presentation on 15 January 2021 on the connection between postmodern/transgender identity politics and the current attacks on democratic and free speech rights. Orla has been active previously in the Irish Socialist Workers Party and the People Before Profit electoral ...
. . America: The Empire Strikes Back (at itself) Further to my comments in the first part of 2020: The History That Was, the following should be considered regarding the current state of the US. They most likely will be by future historians pondering the critical decades of ...
Nathaniel ScharpingIn March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shut down major cities in the U.S., researchers were thinking about blood. In particular, they were worried about the U.S. blood supply — the millions of donations every year that help keep hospital patients alive when they need a transfusion. ...
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
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 focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Zero emission buses, cleaner cars and environmentally-friendly biofuels will soon be hitting New Zealand’s roads, as the Government delivers on its election promise to make our transport network more sustainable. ...
The Green Party is already delivering on its commitment for cleaner, climate-friendly transport through our Cooperation Agreement with the Government. ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
Prudence Steven QC, barrister of Christchurch has been appointed as an Environment Judge and District Court Judge to serve in Christchurch, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Steven has been a barrister sole since 2008, practising in resource management and local government / public law. She was appointed a Queen’s ...
The Government is delivering on its first tranche of election promises to take action on climate change with a raft of measures that will help meet New Zealand’s 2050 carbon neutral target, create new jobs and boost innovation. “This will be an ongoing area of action but we are moving ...
The Government is investing up to $10 million to support 30 of the country’s top early-career researchers to develop their research skills. “The pandemic has had widespread impacts across the science system, including the research workforce. After completing their PhD, researchers often travel overseas to gain experience but in the ...
A Waitomo-based Jobs for Nature project will keep up to ten people employed in the village as the tourism sector recovers post Covid-19 Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “This $500,000 project will save ten local jobs by deploying workers from Discover Waitomo into nature-based jobs. They will be undertaking local ...
Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw spoke yesterday with President Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. “I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Mr. Kerry this morning about the urgency with which our governments must confront the climate emergency. I am grateful to him and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta today announced three diplomatic appointments: Alana Hudson as Ambassador to Poland John Riley as Consul-General to Hong Kong Stephen Wong as Consul-General to Shanghai Poland “New Zealand’s relationship with Poland is built on enduring personal, economic and historical connections. Poland is also an important ...
Work begins today at Wainuiomata High School to ensure buildings and teaching spaces are fit for purpose, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Minister joined principal Janette Melrose and board chair Lynda Koia to kick off demolition for the project, which is worth close to $40 million, as the site ...
A skilled and experienced group of people have been named as the newly established Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis today. The Board will provide independent advice and assurance to the Minister for Children across three key areas of Oranga Tamariki: relationships with families, whānau, and ...
The green light for New Zealand’s first COVID-19 vaccine could be granted in just over a week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today. “We’re making swift progress towards vaccinating New Zealanders against the virus, but we’re also absolutely committed to ensuring the vaccines are safe and effective,” Jacinda Ardern said. ...
The Minister for ACC is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to join the Board of ACC on 1 February 2021. “All three bring diverse skills and experience to provide strong governance oversight to lead the direction of ACC” said Hon Carmel Sepuloni. Bella Takiari-Brame from Hamilton ...
The Government is investing $9 million to upgrade a significant community facility in Invercargill, creating economic stimulus and jobs, Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson and Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene have announced. The grant for Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc to make improvements to Murihiku Marae comes from the $3 billion set ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
Upscaling work already underway to restore two iconic ecosystems will deliver jobs and a lasting legacy, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The Jobs for Nature programme provides $1.25 billion over four years to offer employment opportunities for people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 recession. “Two new projects ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
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 New Zealand public sector and judiciary has again been ranked the least corrupt in the world. The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released today by global anti-corruption organization Transparency International ranks New Zealand first equal ...
New Zealand is again ranked first equal with Denmark in the Transparency International annual index of perceived levels of public sector corruption. Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has welcomed New Zealand’s position in the 2020 index. He says New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kaufman, Research Fellow, Vaccine Uptake Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute The federal government’s A$23.9 million COVID-19 vaccination information campaign, launchedyesterday, aims to reassure the public about vaccine safety and effectiveness. It will also provide information about the vaccine rollout. We’ve ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Hongi Luo, brand director at TikTok.In terms of cultural reach and impact, the ...
After Covid devastated its 2020, Basement Theatre comes roaring into 2021 with its Summer Season. Here’s the rundown of shows in-store, with some comments from programmer Nisha Madhan.Pre-FringeLust IslandWhen’s it on: February 2-6, 8pmWho’s involved: The women of improv troupe Hearthrobs (McKenzie’s Daughters, Salem Bitch Trials), including Brynley Stent, Alice ...
The whānau of Te Ahikaiata Turei supported by Māori and non-Māori staff at Unitec will take back a portrait of the Tūhoe leader who led the establishment of Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae and the values that brought the institute back from the brink of ...
A poll across the Early Childhood Education community found 93% in favour of pausing the ‘lunchbox rules’, or the Ministry of Education’s new Food Safety/choking changes to the Licensing Criteria, which came into effect on 25 January. “The message ...
Cycling advocates are calling for the transformation of urban transport, as New Zealand races to cut carbon. The Climate Change Commission will release its initial advice on Sunday 31 January. “Bikes and e-bikes are perfect for many local trips, ...
Three Ministers, led by the PM, joined in chorus today to warble about a bunch of measures aimed at helping to meet New Zealand’s 2050 carbon neutral target, create new jobs and boost innovation. Mind you, the measures mentioned seem to be more matters of decisions yet to be made ...
Michelle Kidd defines her role at Auckland’s specialist family violence court as te kaiwhakatere – the navigator. It’s a one-of-a-kind job, helping guide defendants through the court system. And there’s no one better suited to it than Whaea Michelle.First published November 24, 2020.Whaea Michelle is part of Frame, a series of short ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sallie Yea, Associate professor & Principal Research Fellow, La Trobe University Each year, thousands of men and boys labour under extremely exploitative conditions on commercial fishing vessels owned by Taiwanese, Chinese and South Korean companies. The Taiwanese fleet, which operates in all ...
Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis believes the Crown should maintain responsibility for the care and protection of at-risk and vulnerable children, regardless of their race. Moreover, he is confident his all-Maori team of advisers will not be taking race into account as they help to improve Oranga Tamariki’s care and protection of ...
It’s easy to sacrifice John Banks. It’s a lot harder for brands, sports organisations and government to truly stop funding racism. Are they willing to try?Yesterday John Banks, the former Auckland mayor and MP, became subject to one of the fastest firings in media history when audio covering his approving ...
A community is outraged after Auckland Council granted consent for a row of trees planted by local kids to be removed along a revitalised waterway in South Auckland, reports Justin Latif. An Auckland Council decision to give contractors the all-clear to chop down 12 mānuka and kānuka trees shading Māngere’s Tararata ...
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu hopes that the recent changes to Oranga Tamariki leadership present an opportunity for a long overdue paradigm shift that will place whānau at the heart of the child welfare sector. Pouārahi Helen Leahy says that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rice, Professor of Management, University of New England Elon Musk is now the world’s richest person, edging out previous title holder Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. His rocketing fortune is due to the booming share price of Tesla, the maker of electric vehicles ...
There are now three returnees who contracted the virus in the Auckland isolation facility then left into the community while positive. These are some of the questions that need to be resolved. At 10.20pm last night the Ministry of Health confirmed that the two cases they’d been treating as probable ...
Having a hard time remembering to scan in on the NZ Covid Tracer app when you’re out and about? Get this song stuck in your head and you’ll never forget again.Learn the lyrics:Aotearoa, it’s time to get scanning!I mean if you think about it, it never really wasn’t time we ...
We conclude our week-long examination of New Zealand writer Roderick Finlayson with a review of his stories by John Newton Roger Hickin’s Cold Hub Press is one of the small miracles of contemporary New Zealand publishing. Over the last decade, on what can only be a shoe-string budget, the ...
Thursday 28th January, AUCKLAND: Drive Electric, the not-for-profit with one mission – making electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand mainstream, welcomes the announcement by the Government today as a sign of what’s to come through 2021, and we are confident ...
The Government announced today key policy decisions on the proposed clean car policies. The MIA has stated on many occasions that we support well thought out and constructive policies that will lead to an increased rate in the reduction of CO2 emissions from ...
Get wild, get cultured, get fed and then get to bed: the essential guide to a perfect few days in the southern city. There’s one thing that preoccupies the staff of The Spinoff almost as much as arranging popular food items into arbitrary lists, and that’s Dunedin. A quite remarkable ...
John Banks’ racist exchange with a Magic Talk listener on Tuesday was the latest in nearly 50 years of talkback controversies. Donna Chisholm has the receipts.John Banks axed over Māori ‘stone age culture’ comments on Magic Talk1972: On Radio I, sports talkback host Tim Bickerstaff launches a “Punch a Pom ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission.Two new community Covid-19 cases have been identified as the more infectious South African variant, but Auckland Mayor Phil Goff sayit would be "premature to go into lockdown now". The two new cases of Covid-19 identified in the ...
Today, for the second time in two months Dunedin climate protectors have locked themselves to the railway tracks outside the Dunedin Railway station to stop the KiwiRail coal train from Bathurst Resources’ Takitimu mine in Southland to Fonterra’s ...
KiwiRail STOP Hauling COAL Today, for the second time in two months Dunedin climate protectors have locked themselves to the railway tracks outside the Dunedin Railway station to stop the KiwiRail coal train from Bathurst Resources’ Takitimu mine ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Dunn, Associate professor, University of Sydney The government is rolling out a new public information campaign this week to reassure the public about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, which one expert has said “couldn’t be more crucial” to people actually getting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Therese O’Sullivan, Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University The COVID vaccine rollout has placed the issue of vaccination firmly in the spotlight. A successful rollout will depend on a variety of factors, one of which is vaccine acceptance. One potential hurdle to vaccine ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bernard Walker, Associate Professor in Organisations and Leadership, University of Canterbury Kiwis know what it’s like when life throws curveballs. We’ve had major quakes, floods, fires, an eruption, a terrorist attack and now a pandemic. In those situations, it’s the ability to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Irwin, Emeritus professor, Murdoch University While we continue to be occupied with the COVID pandemic, another life-threatening disease has emerged in northern Australia, one that’s cause for considerable alarm for the millions of dog owners around the country. This disease — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cath Ferguson, Academic, Edith Cowan University Almost half of Australian adults struggle with reading. Similar levels of struggling readers are reported in the United Kingdom and United States. This does not mean all struggling readers are illiterate. It means they often struggle ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abbas Shieh, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Design, Islamic Azad University The industrial revolution transformed cities, resulting in places of residence and work becoming more distant than ever before. This spatial segregation is still largely embedded in the design of our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Review: Occupation: Rainfall, written and directed by Luke Sparke Historically, when a sequel to a film was greenlit, you could rest assured this was because the first film made a ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 28, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tourism suffers in the shadow of Covid-19, two new positive cases in Auckland confirmed, and National will contest the Māori electorates.The front page of the January 4 Greymouth Star carried grim tidings for several of the glacier towns on the ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Two people who left managed isolation on January 15 have been confirmed as positive Covid-19 cases, with the Ministry of Health urging anyone who visited the same locations during the same time period as the infected pair in Auckland to ...
The watchlist of 'offensive or unreasonable' babies' names is to be reviewed, to include more names from other languages. Generations of the Īhaka family have played a meaningful role in bringing Te Reo and stories of Māori to our wider community. Archdeacon Sir Kīngi Matutaera Īhaka (Te Aupōuri, 1921-93) was known as the orator of ...
After Morocco’s flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire in Western Sahara on Friday 13 November 2020 war broke out between the two sides. In the midst of this war Tauranga based Ballance Agri-Nutrients has decided to carry on importing phosphate ...
Nicholas Agar suggests that our handling of the pandemic could be partly down to our distinctive Treaty of Waitangi relationship, and Māori ideas that enabled us to make it through without tens of thousands of deaths A mission for universities in the coming decade will be a deep understanding of the meaning ...
A young girl who once sent $5 to an embattled America's Cup team is now among the women on the water helping run the contest for the Auld Mug. As an eager and generous nine-year-old, Melanie Roberts posted a letter, with a $5 note, to OneAustralia’s America’s Cup team. It was 1995, ...
At 5am today, cock’s crow, the embargo lifted on the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist. Here are the books in the race, followed by thoughts from poetry editor Chris Tse and books editor Catherine Woulfe. A shortlist of four books in each category will be announced March 3, with ...
Ignoring those QR codes when you drop into the supermarket? Can’t be bothered when you grab a coffee? The people serving you notice, and you’re freaking them out.So far, New Zealanders’ use of the Covid-19 Tracer app has been notably woeful. Food industry workers who’ve watched streams of customers walk ...
Steve Braunias reveals the longlist of the 2021 Ockham New Zealand book awards Apart from one or two unfortunate omissions which cast doubt on the sanity and intellectual acumen of judges, especially the nobodies who judged this year's non-fiction, the longlist for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand book awards is ...
By Lulu Mark in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea’s biggest hospital is straining to provide medical services to the growing population of the capital Port Moresby – with an estimated growth rate of 3 percent annually, a medical executive says. Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Nationals who attend Thursday’s memorial service in Tweed Heads for Doug Anthony, who died last month aged 90, may muse on the contrast between the state of their party when he led it and now. ...
Returning to quarantine-free travel in 2021 doesn't just need a vaccine, but a way to check whether arriving passengers are actually immune to the virus. A smart Kiwi science start-up is working with a global biometrics giant to make that happen. A deal signed between Kiwi research and development company Orbis Diagnostics, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlyn Forster, PhD Candidate, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney This summer’s wetter conditions have created great conditions for flowering plants. Flowers provide sweet nectar and protein-rich pollen, attracting many insects, including bees. Commercial honey bees are also thriving: ...
Lotto scratchie tickets featuring the pop band Six60 are being withdrawn after a public backlash. In a statement, Lotto NZ said there had been a mutual decision made with the band to remove the tickets from sale following the negative feedback, and it offered an apology. The band faced criticism, both ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Russell Dean Christopher Bicknell, Post-doctoral researcher in Palaeobiology , University of New England Shell-crushing predation was already in full swing half a billion years ago, as our new research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals. A hyena devouring ...
Vodafone has suspended advertising on the radio station amid calls for talkback host John Banks to be taken off air after yet another racist outburst. Alex Braae reports. In an alarming segment of talkback radio, former Auckland mayor John Banks endorsed the views of a caller who described Māori as a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Welch, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland When a COVID-19 case was found in Northland last Sunday, Aotearoa’s second-longest period with no detected community case came to an end. ESR scientists worked late into Sunday night to obtain a whole genome sequence ...
He has the perfect moustache, an exceptional mullet, and he uses terms like ‘face hole’ on national TV. Who or what is Dr Joel Rindelaub?I was drawn in by the moustache, but it was the mullet that really kept me there. Watching TVNZ’s Breakfast yesterday morning I was fixated. Often, ...
We’ll never be royals with nearly a quarter of declined baby names featuring “Royal” in some form or another. Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs has released the list of names declined in 2020 by the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and ...
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there are two pieces of (involuntary) comedic-writing in the herald today..
..one is from the editorial writer roughan..
..where he has decided to ignore keys’ admonition not to gloat..
..to throw that caution to the wind..
..and he almost orgasms all over the page..in his gloating delight..
..the prose gets quite purple..
..and funny story..in doing so he reveals so much for one who hides behind the anonymity of the editorial-writer..
..and of course he also reveals so much of the ethos/imperatives of that rag he writes for..
..and roughan sees no dirty politics..
..(and we can presume no need for the cavalcade of inquiries underway as a result of that book..inquiries that urgent the chief ombudsman called the allegations..if proven..an attack on our democracy..
..but yeah..nah..eh..?…roughan sees none of that..to his eyes it is all so clean..
..it sparkles…)
..roughan also sees no problems with mass-surveillance..
..the list goes on and on..
..and his far-right beliefs..and the prescriptions of that rag he editorialises in..
..are laid bare..
..but the laugh-out-loud/guffaw of the morning is in the latest pile of steaming horse-shit from john armstrong..
..it comes at the end..
..when after this long list of moans about labour/cunnliffe..
..like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top-hat..
..he presents his solution to labours’ woes..
..and..steel yrslves…!
..it’s shearer…!
(i know..!..i know..!..bloody hilarious..!..eh..?..)
I’d say Stuart Nash with the aim being for 2020, but I’d have a care taker leader for the next 6 months or so.
Nash is fresh and isn’t tainted like the rest of Labours politicians so he’d probably get a much better reception by the public.
Seems to get on really well with all sorts of people which is a real plus and he has a positive vibe to him.
Voters tend to like those sort of qualities.
hilarious..rightwinger bm comes out for/indicts..
..the rightwing outlier..nash..
(he who rode into parliament on the shoulders of far-right nutjob garth mcvicar..)
..i am sure the ever oleaginous nash will warm to yr words/endorsement..
..for others..it just confirms what they already know of him..
What, that he’s the best choice?
Even Martyn Bradbury agrees.
@ bm..
..really..?
..do u have a link for that..?
..and anyway..bradbury wants labour to move to the centre/right..
..his logic is that will leave room for more left parties to flourish..
..and there is a certain logic to that..
..but it would render labor down to a slightly larger nz first..
..the other imperative of course is that minor parties on the left can bang on about ending poverty..
..but if labour aen’t on board..
..it ain’t going anywhere..
..this forms the basis of my thinking..
..that labour can both end poverty..and look after the middle class..
..and getting back to yr point..
..nash is not the one to do that..
..and anyway..he will lose napier next election..
..he got no more votes than he did in ’11..
..and garth mcvicar carved-off 4,500+ from the tory side of the ledger..
..that won’t happen in 2017..
..nash will be riding his fire engine right outta town..
There you go.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/09/25/why-cunliffe-should-probably-just-let-nash-robertson-win/
not so much an endorsement from bradbury then..?
..more a surrender-letter..
..and definitely nuanced in yr claimed ‘endorsement’ of nash by him..eh..?
“..Stuart Nash has all the ambition of a piranha in a feeding frenzy..”
so..bm..you’re bullshitting yet again..eh..?
..is it a day ending in a ‘y’..?
@BM. The only thing missing from Bradbury’s article was the /sarc at the end. Now did you actually read it? Or like most Trolls did you just skim the title?
Why is it that the right wingers continuously tell the left who our leaders should be. We do not do the same to them. It is a waste of precious broadband having to download their idiot comments.
They really, really want Cunliffe gone and either mumbleface back or Robertson who does not command wide support. Why? They don’t care about Labour so it has to be something else.
Gee the other day, I asked who, in Labour, was actually better that Cunnliffe.
Perhaps I should apologise for wasting precious broadband with my idiot comments?? 🙂
yep i nearly lost my breakfast when he started talking about “honest journalism”.
Pleeeeese.
I see Roughan is letting his erection do the writing again today. Were those “Democracy Under Attack” headlines all those years ago actually a declaration of their intent to manufacture opinion?
The herald needs taking out of circulation. Are they stalking David Cunliffe.? How much did Jason Eden get paid to disappear? Do all dear leaders famous sportspeople who tweeted on election day to vote natz get fined?
I hope Cunliffe gets to stay. If he can weather all the crap thrown at him over the last few months and not descend to gutter politics to try and counter key then he has shown great fortitude. He’s not perfect, but who is. Some of Labour’s policies were good and the country has lost out.
John key gloated some time ago that he only been pm for so many years and had already’ seen off’ Goff and Shearer.
Cunliffe going will only add to this perception that he is all powerful. It would be keys worst nightmare for Cunliffe to get back in with full support of EVERYONE!
Cunliffe has shown he has amazing internal fortitude – he’s made of pretty sterling stuff – He MUST STAY!!
Yep, Cunliffe should stay, otherwise the whole circus starts again. Nash is a bit player in the Dirty Politics book, god knows what kinda dirt Slater has on him. Opinion.
+ 100
Just confirms it – John Armstrong has advanced dementia! Cos Shearer was so sparkling and effective the last time right? Shearer is the most dire leader that Labour ever had, no wonder Armstrong wants him back!
Watched Prime Time with Sean Plunket last night. Was very interesting with 3 Labour supporters/experts and Sean looking at a positive future for Labour.
Unable to link to any replay but hope someone else can. It was good.
i watched that..i thought how it was quite amusing how plunkett tried to trot out the handbag of cliches he and the corporate-media have been riffing on..
..and each of them was logically unpacked/dismantled by one of those three guests..(one of whom was rob salmond..)
..i got the feeling it didn’t go at all how plunkett wanted it to..
..and the takeaway fact for me came from the labour historian..
..who noted the labour pm’s who had faced defeat on their first attempt..
..and really..cunnliffe must hang tough..
..and not allow himself to be the whipping boy for all that was/is wrong with labour..
..in their campaign-strategy/f.p.p-thinking/policy-under-delivering..
..’cos the fact still remains..
..cunnliffe is labours’ best hope of/for victory in 2017…
..robertson is just another running-dog for the right..
..one who national/the media want..
..the right are scared of cunnliffe/a re-born labour…
..so you hang tough there..!..mr cunnliffe..
..this too will all pass…
..and then you can get on with doing what you do best..
..dismembering the bullshit of/from national in parliament..
..hanging key up on a hook..
..a task robertson has proven himself hopeless at..
+1000
I don’t like Plunket politics normally but am glad I watched the sanity of the experts. And yes Sean looked a bit miffed that the guests politely rubbished Sean’s negative talking points. It was interesting that he did not bring in Mr Hooten or his ilk in the false name of balance. No shouting down of common sense.
Thanks for the outline. I can never bring myself to watch Plunket. I understood Prime TV doesn’t do any ondemand of their shows.
They are owned by Sky, and hence you have to pay for their drivel if you want it on demand.
If true, this is terrible news, and an undermining of the democratic will of the membership by a right wing cabal prepared to risk the destruction of the Labour Party for personal advancement.
I knew that the ABC dominated caucus would make it impossible for David Cunliffe to lead them. And that they would do there very best to over undermine the democratic decision of the Labour membership.
And the fact that this scum has leaked the possibility of his resignation today, to the media shows that they want to cement it in, ‘He who can shape the argument, wins the argument’.
Faced with this total right wing revolt
What should David Cunliffe do?
Respect the democratic decision of the membership?
Give in? Overturning the democratic decision of the membership?
Or stick it out?
The caucus have made the situation impossible.
If David Cunliffe wants to continue, he has to abandon his revolting caucus and seek support somewhere else.
No one can continue when they are completely isolated, effectively without support, so David Cunliffe needs to seek it outside of his caucus. He has a few options.
Tracey Watkins lays out what she thinks they should be.
David Parker is the black prince behind all the anti Cunliffe feeling in the Labour caucus, in my opinion there is no way that this right wing back stabber should be allowed anywhere near the leadership, even on an interim basis.
UPDATE
Tracy Watkins is at it again:
Is Watkins a Labour caucus member?
Is she a fly on the wall?
Who is it, who keeps leaking the ABC narrative to her?
Cunliffe needs to take a hard line with his mutinous caucus.
If I was in Cunliffe’s shoes I would walk into that meeting and say, “I have decided to form a shadow cabinet with the Greens. Are you in, or out?”
If Robertson-Ardern is the ticket, then it may be prudent for political expediency for Robertson to quickly propose to Ardern with a ring, have an urgent drive-by hetero sexual wedding and come out singing Kumbaya for popular votes. Otherwise, it could be an arduous uphill task going simply by my instincts.
But on the contrary, being gay could actually be an advantage in the modern world. Not sure, though.
Personally, I have no problem. I am just thinking practically of the ‘real’ world.
Being progressive makes NZ feel good about ourselves I think. His being gay probably has as many pluses as minuses and is not the reason for him not being the one right now (the reason for me is that I am not over Cunliffe). It would be like saying the Democrats shouldn’t have gone with Obama as he wouldn’t appeal to racists.
Excellent and diplomatic responses from Marama Davidson on the Paul Henry show last night (sans Paul Henry) about Labour leadership – she said it was up to Labour and she hoped they would be a strong opposition like the Greens – or something like that.
The Paul Henry show journalist (Penfold) was pretty pathetic, making it all about what the LP caucus want, and ignoring the NZLP members’ freferences. She also was superficial in saying election results showed the electorate had rejected Cunliffe.
Early morning clarity bought a revelation of sorts to me. I finally realised why people don’t vote,.
By last night I had come to terms with the fact that if Robertson prevails that I could not vote for him or Labour and that’s after 45 years and thousands of dollars in donations.
I will not vote at all.
I could not live with myself for voting Nat, the Greens are one-dimensional and while I admire Winston’s longevity he does attract serious space-cadets.
I have been proud that Labour has been on the right side of all the big issues in my lifetime, United Nations, workers rights, Vietnam, nuclear testing, apartheid,gay rights etc etc.
I have bought my children up with the belief that it is a duty to support those less fortunate than ourselves and fortunately they have adopted those principles.
But if Grant Robertson thinks he is the answer after being comprehensivly beaten 14 months ago then I will walk away.
He did not get a majority in caucus, that is a myth, he got 16 votes out of 32 on the first ballot, I don’t know what he got on the second but it would not have been resounding.
I have heard that he is rude and dismissive towards those he does not agree with.
Winning bloody expensive elections unfortunately requires corporate donations, Robertson and Barnett as openly gay men will not get a cracker.
Jacinta Ardern as his proposed deputy will be subject to even more disgusting vitriol than Helen Clark had to put up with over her childlessness, ( mid-thirties, no kids, no husband or partner ) the arseholes are waiting in ambush.
A Labour Party with a gay Leader, gay smeared deputy, gay fundraiser and organiser, the Gay Party
Electoral fucking suicide.
Hullo sub 10%, if lucky.
I agree.
Which leaves Shearer or Nash.
BM are you dense or can you not read? For the umpteenth time Nash ONLY got in because McVicar split the right vote. And as for Shearer yeah right, been there, and tried him.
Now I wrote this really slow, so you shouldn’t have trouble understanding it this time around.
I can understand your anger.
Apparently Ardern told the Paul Henry show that she is not interested in being leader – not now nor at any time in the future.
Sexuality has got nothing to do with who is best leader.
The Greens are multi-dimensional – they campaign on 3 planks, covering a range of issue: economy, fair society (issues of income, fairness at work); environment. it includes a focus on local issues re governance, transport, etc, plus international issues, GCSB, TPPA, asset sales, etc, etc. If they increase the number of MPs, it will strengthen the range of the areas they work on.
They can’t get much more than 10%.
I put that down to their fundamentalist fervor and the lack of ability to compromise or negotiate.
The greens, my way or the highway approach to politics rather dooms them to political oblivion.
I put that down to their fundamentalist fervor and the lack of ability to compromise or negotiate.
Myths.
Exhibits A, B and C – MoUs, and the fact that National rejected any further MoUs last time round.
It was the Greens that asked to work with Labour.
Hi Karol, sorry but for many sexuality and politics do matter. And if you want the majority concentrating on politics its best to not have any focus on sexuality. Agree?
Adrian, agreed with reservations about your gay comments.
I think the final caucus vote after Jones dropped out was something like 18-16* Robertson/Cunliffe but the incredibly biased msm NEVER report this because it doesn’t suit their agenda.
*somebody out there will remember the actual numbers.
Another recruit. Welcome aboard.
Dear David Cunliffe
Many of the points above cover the points I wish to raise.
I differ from Adrian in one major respect, until last week I have not voted labour since 1984.
I voted in the hope that we would get a progressive Left coalition whose compromise of common Policy would urgently address the failings of 30 years of regressive thinking.
The massively funded Dirty tricks machine came after you continuously since the leadership contest.
The lack of support and sharing of load by your caucus has been criminal, but not unexpected as the desire by the membership to be rid of the centrist career caucus is pervading.
The increased intensity of media attacks post-election by the dirty tricks machine is your greatest compliment and the abiding reason why you should retain the leadership.
Why?
Its patently obvious that its you& your supporters the Right fears the most .
Those of us blessed with an IQ that exceeds room temperature can see clearly the shower of S***t that 19th century economic theory and 20th century “Growth” mindset is doing globally and the client state ,’yes its all for sale’ mentality of Brandkey is accelerating the demise of our society.
To you and the doubters , reflect on the fact that you & you alone in the Party are capable of managing an electoral triumph in 2017 .
Reflect also ,if that if every member of the caucus found themselves in that most hypothetical situation – out of a job and seeking new employment , you & you alone would be recruited instantly by any number of Business or NGO organisations , locally or internationally , whilst the rest would languish amongst the formerly employed for considerable time.
One more thing , Andrew Little , pick up the phone and call the EPMU and use your formidable skills to garner the support that Cunliffe needs.
Your leadership ambitions need a term or two in Government before the electorate & the media will consider you without a similar derision to the Gays & non-breeders.
No they’re not but I’m sure that National are happy that you think that they are as it’s the fallacious message that they’ve been spreading about the Greens over the last few years.
No it doesn’t as I’ve shown on here before.
Great shot illustrating Open Mike today. Good old Red Dwarf
Kryton: Mr Seymour, Sir, you’re a Smeeeeee.
Seymour: I’m a “Smeeeeee” ?
Kryton: Mr Seymour, you’re a Smeeeeee(g) heeeeee(ad)
Lols. I had a smile when I saw David “rimmer” Seymour on the cover of Open Mike today. David Seymour shall be known as Rimmer from now on.
Smeg head. Word of the day.
( boldsirbrian ….previously known as brian …. conflicting with other “Brian”s )
@ Rosie (5.1.1)
First an acknowledgement. I consistently refer to the Prime Minister as Dirty John. I will continue to do so until an inquiry (with terms of reference accepted by the Opposition) into Dirty Politics is completed, and in the event that he is exonerated. (btw, Where IS Jason Ede?)
However, I would prefer that Seymour be left alone from name calling. He is sincere, and believes in the policies he promotes. He has done nothing wrong. He has got his position as a gift from Dirty John.
I cannot recall any policy he has promoted that I agree with. The only positive I can say about the ACt party is that it is a couple of millimetres up from the bottom rung of a long ladder, where the Conservatives reside.
But Seymour is not the enemy. If he went, there would be others like Jamie Whyte who would fill the vacuum with equal nonsense. The policies that Seymour promotes are what should be targeted.
same Rosie, like twins, AND have you heard the way he speaks.
Dwayne Dibley ……..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6vU_Urxgbg
And Mr Rimmer as a Green Party activist…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WgUktfdDy4&list=PL84D1DB7FE317550A
David Cunliffe needs to take his inspiration for his way forward from what he would have needed to have done if Labour had won the election and form a shadow cabinet with the Greens. Caucusing with the Greens would be the best way for David Cunliffe to counter and sideline the ABC creeps and also be very good practice for the future Left wing Labour/Green Government.
Never fear, The Herald panders to the Key groupies, it’s a third at best, rate newspaper, I certainly read it for sheer entertainment concerning their political posts. What a Joke, they are the main NZ paper? it is remarkable and boy do they talk shit. Really, what a joke of a newspaper, I’d rather read the UK Sun.
Reading Armstrong is like reading the writings of an insane man going through a bad patch. In touch with reality, one wonders, I watched him skulking around the Hagar book launch, looking like Gollum seeking his precious. Pathetic fellow, and O’Sullivan thinks she’s NZ press royalty, views clearly pro hard right philosophy.
Honestly all we read in the Herald is attacks on all other parties except Act and Nats. I mean they give Rodney Hyde and Bob jones opinion pieces to spout whatever they want. It’s a joke.
The rich have to much of a disproportionate representation for policy direction and access to government. they control the media, therefore controlling the population. Democracy? FJK, I think not.
But Richard, Armstrong suggested Shearer as leader. What could possibly go wrong? (sarc)
“There are some really, really vile people out there.”—Mary Beard
Most of them work for the Murdoch empire
Radio New Zealand National, Saturday 27 September 2014
In a mostly excellent interview with Cambridge Univ. Professor of Classics Mary Beard, Kim Hill let herself down when she carelessly stated that the online trolls who abused Mary Beard’s physical appearance were “much viler” than the likes of A.A. Gill, who instigated the abuse. Normally, Gill reserves his venom for hapless but anonymous waiters and chefs; his attitude to powerful and intelligent people is normally one of groveling and toadying. Something about Mary Beard led him to go to his (rather limited and uninteresting) grab-bag of misogynistic smears. Ostensibly, it was her long grey hair and imperfect teeth that enraged him, but I suspect the real seat of his hatred was her principled opposition to the war-mongering U.K. government, which she expressed forcefully in the London Review of Books in October 2001. [1]
I sent Kim the following email, which I am pleased to say she read out on air straight after the interview….
“There are some really, really vile people out there.”—Mary Beard
Dear Kim,
You said that the trolls who swore at Mary Beard online were “much viler” than A.A. Gill, who had used his Sunday Times platform to mock her hair, teeth and general appearance. In fact, it is people like Gill, that buffoonish, ignorant, malicious restaurant critic-cum-political commentator, carefully constructing their insults from positions of power and privilege, protected by the media organizations that employ them, who set the tone of these campaigns of abuse.
As Mary Beard pointed out in her interview, “There are some really, really vile people out there.” And the fact is: we know who they are.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
[1] http://www.lrb.co.uk/v23/n19/nine-eleven-writers/11-september
Yep. Heard that. Agreed.
For instance we know who Armstrong & O’Sullivan are.
Vile ones in leading the Slater-like trashing of good people.
Good job too Morrissey.
So three more years, it’s sinking in now, such a long time, he’s already has 6 years of promises, and excuses and lies all the way, what happened to his dream of a brighter future, easy to say, hard as hell to achieve eh Key.
This years low Fonterra pay out, which NZ seems to run on, small businesses will suffer, a lot of cash flow lost. Man we are in for rough times. Rough I say, batten down the hatches, Car and farm equipment dealerships will become rare as rocking horse shit. it’s all going to get very dire for rural NZ farming towns soon.
The backlash will start eventually, I have faith Key will get rid of himself as his failed ideology will see NZ slide ever further downhill on most measurements of government performance. Expect more outrageous crimes, 25% off benefits they promised.
National caring for their wallets business as usual.
Yep Richard, one of the few consolations of the result is that Key has inherited a self-inflicted poisoned chalice.
Karol, of course sexuality has nothing to do with leadership ability but it has everything to do with perception, and politics is all perception.
The perception that the leader favours their own particular private politics mostly, be they a gay, a woman,an Aucklander, a South Islander, a righty, a lefty, a unionist.
The problem is when the perception is that they have surrounded themselves with others of similiar persuasion.
Then you have CAPTURE.
And voters do not like that, particularly if it does not reflect their own circumstances.
It makes them uncomfortable and they won’t vote for you.
Hi can anyone supply me with the link to the Keep David Cunliffe page on face book?
I don’t go on face book as such, but do have a profile, so maybe I should just log on myself. If anyone can help me let me know.
If people on this site want to keep Cunliffe, best thing is to join Labour its not that expensive and vote (hopefully we will get the chance) and sign the facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/cunliffeforleader
Here is the link.
I finally became a financial member of Labour after waiting many months to see if they would become unified enough to be strong in the election. Eventually, I thought they had done this to a reasonable degree and joined. Now I want my money back if Cunliffe is rolled.
I like Shearer where he is. He is good at what he knows. Grant Robertson would be open to every muck raking, lying innuendos that key and his rabble could find. They would end up making him into the George Michael of NZ. Nothing would be too low for them to stoop to.
Leave Cunliffe in charge.
If the Labour Caucus dumps Cunliffe I’ll be switching to the Greens next election, because you can guarantee if Cunliffe is rolled Labour will swing back to the right to chase the “centre”. Instead of building more robust policy and going back to Clark’s strategy of targeting the party vote and start campaigning earlier in the three year cycle.
I guess the leadership wouldn’t be too unhappy with that if they are able to hoover up some votes from Winston and National. But how a chap who’s whole life has been in parliamentary and political circles and comes third in the party vote in his electorate is going to be able to present as a better option than Winston Peters or Key to the right of the party will be interesting, considering that has been all we’ve heard from Cunliffe opponents.
He’s never been a minister of anything, though I suppose he can say that if he’s doesn’t become leader he might never be the minister of anything…
Still it will be a completely fresh party. It will make 4 leaders in four years and begin to put Labour in some dangerous territory. If things start to go wrong? Changing the leader again would just continue the revolving door…I guess if Grant has got it he’s got at least until the next election. However, he should be spending a long time in South and West Auckland if he has, and in the Maori seats. Otherwise it comes across as this (Wellington) city liberal with a leadership team whose constituencies heavily supports the Greens, and who has avoided a vote from the party after being rejected by them the first time. Not having that support in my book, is just as bad or actually much worse than not having the support of Mallard, Shearer, Goff and Cosgrove, say.
Also, and I hate to say it- it is all about the fundraising. Seemed like they did start earlier, but couldn’t keep up the spend. Business is good for businesses, so there isn’t a lot of cash for Labour. Did think the two advertising campaigns presented a stark contrast as well. I liked Vote Positive and the posters that went up with policy, but the TV presentations seemed a bit weak and not flashy enough.
You seem to think that Robertson is bad.
I also see that the newspapers seem to be pushing Arden for deputy. She would seem to be even worse. At least Robertson managed to win in the electorate.
Can anyone tell me why Arden seems to attract supporters? What has she ever done, inside or outside Parliament?
Where did I say he was bad? Fresh start was the word I used.
However he needs to connect with the base that voted for Labour at this election and make sure they are happy. Is it any better a leader with an unhappy base than one with an unhappy caucus? Obvious statement I would have thought.
To also restate, this doesn’t seem like a move to the right like all the knowledgable pundits have been saying.
Then they must get Phil Geoff as a leader? He would fit that bill.
“If the Labour Caucus dumps Cunliffe I’ll be switching to the Greens next election,”
Same here. May not be the Greens but it certainly won’t be Labour. They can go and get fucked.
I think Cunliffe should stay firm and continue as leader or go for a fresh mandate from the membership. Those MPs who are not happy, are free to resign and be independent or start a new party.
After that, Labour should review their policies. Discard some, fine tune others and bring out new ones.
In my opinion, Labour needs to move to the centre in economic matters, but left in social justice matters and pragmatic in environmental policies.
Capital Gains Tax and Retirement Age Change : Rethinking, debate and public input (through online submissions or indicative referendum) is very necessary for these two policies before the public can feel comfortable to accept the required changes, if any.
A lot of comments seem to pander to week knee syndrome. It seems to be rather so that Mr Cunliffe must have hit a raw nerve with the opposition, why else do they have to go after him all guns blazing even if it costs a nat ministers job before the election? The fact that the rank and file labor caucus reacts as they are just shows learned behaviors. Think about it. Something must have scared the pants off the opposition who in turn paid in kind and the ABC’s where just falling for it. Perhaps the logic of sustainability was just too much as it would allow the country to remain in charge of its own destiny?
An official look at the Fed and Goldmans. One statement – For 100 years there has never been transparency.
http://www.propublica.org/article/carmen-segarras-secret-recordings-from-inside-new-york-fed
Where Key got ethicstraining?
Carmen Segarra was sacked because they had, quote –
“lost confidence in [her] ability to not substitute [her] own judgment for everyone else’s.”
Fuckers.
Also, the transcript of the tapes:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/TAL536_transcript.pdf
This too:
I don’t want to spoil the revelations of “This American Life”: It’s far better to hear the actual sounds on the radio, as so much of the meaning of the piece is in the tones of the voices — and, especially, in the breathtaking wussiness of the people at the Fed charged with regulating Goldman Sachs. But once you have listened to it — as when you were faced with the newly unignorable truth of what actually happened to that NFL running back’s fiancee in that elevator — consider the following:
1. You sort of knew that the regulators were more or less controlled by the banks. Now you know.
2. The only reason you know is that one woman, Carmen Segarra, has been brave enough to fight the system. She has paid a great price to inform us all of the obvious. She has lost her job, undermined her career, and will no doubt also endure a lifetime of lawsuits and slander.
So what are you going to do about it? At this moment the Fed is probably telling itself that, like the financial crisis, this, too, will blow over. It shouldn’t.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-09-26/the-secret-goldman-sachs-tapes
Fascinating.
Advice to Carmen. I want to help you with your career, I want you to be successful.
It’s really about how you are perceived. You have more sharper elbows, you are breaking eggs. Have a sense of humility. If I was a new person I would say Carmen you are very arrogant. You use ‘definitely’ too often. A lot of it is consensus building, ‘hey what do you think.’
I’m not questioning your knowledge-base.
But she needed to be more relational, quickly, in order to be (Carmen) ‘Not fired.’
Conflicts of interest were common and not handled properly.
Carmen complains about push-back. Peers – She asked direct questions, that needed to be asked, that weren’t wrong to ask. She is told that notes she took at meetings were wrong. That things written down were not said, or were not meant as definite statements. She is forced to put a small recording device on her wrist to ensure that her notes are correct.
The other business-line employees are in group-think it seems. They feel uncomfortable to state what they think before they know what their senior management think, not to be too different from their peers.
Carmen thought – The Fed had the authority to be a good regulator but was afraid to use its own power.
Many of the Fed regulators who leave go to work for the banks they are overseeing.
Carmen was fired. She has taken legal recourse and been turned down. One report on her firing says that it was because of her own faults not because of her unpopular findings by the Fed conciliators.
There is resistance.
Given that parliament seems to be on a path to deliver a bigger surveillance state and less means for whistleblowers to expose its abuses or for journalists to scrutinise it, a bit of push back from the community might have been expected. This is, after all, a pretty important principle: public interest disclosure and press freedom.
Yet nobody, apart from the industry, the Greens and a couple of crossbench parliamentarians stood up for press freedom. The freedom warriors of the Coalition, and the accountability merchants of the ALP, waved the restrictions through without a backward glance. The community as a whole declined to be outraged.
[…]
But what I am saying is: wake the hell up. I have never been more resolved, in 18 years of practising journalism, of the absolute importance of our function in a democracy. I have never been more sure that the opportunity cost associated with doing this job is, actually, worth it.
I believe we matter. I know I’m not alone in that belief. Yet we act as though we don’t matter, and facts don’t matter, and truth doesn’t matter. Call this Dispatch this particular weekend a love letter to my profession, and an outpouring of grief at its failings.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/26/the-acid-test-australian-journalists-must-ask-what-agenda-they-serve
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/22/australias-counter-terror-laws-will-restrict-our-free-speech-and-free-press