Open mike 28/01/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 28th, 2024 - 53 comments
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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53 comments on “Open mike 28/01/2024 ”

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  1. Dennis Frank 1
    28 January 2024 at 7:28 am

    Half a century on, I've just got around to reading The Crack in the Cosmic Egg. The author seems onto it, very deep insight.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Chilton_Pearce

    I usually put a marginal sign alongside significant usable points in any book, with a pencil: < . The sign is an arrowhead pointer, and an excellent book ends up featuring oodles of such pointers. This editorial method gives you key points for writing a summary of what the book's primary messages are, which may or may not also motivate an essay blending these with your own thoughts.

    This morning I'd like to share one such initial point of his:

    "Robert Frost saw civilisation as a small clearing in a great forest. We have hewn our space at no small cost, and the dark out there seems ever ready to close in again – a collapse into chaos should our ideation fail. In my book I shall consider Frost's clearing to be the disciplines of mind, reality-adjusted thinking, reason, logic, civilisation, society, culture. I shall consider the dark forest to be the primal stuff, the unconscious, the unknown potential—perhaps just an "empty category."

    Collective ideation collapse seems a suitable description of our random walk into the 21st century that has since ensued, powered by fossil fuels, orchestrated by neolibs of the left/right. Within the banality of this whole you can always find diverse interesting clever stuff happening, fortunately. Frost's small clearing is too long ago – population explosion since has driven the spread of cities until the forest shrinkage became a global crisis, yet as metaphor the dark in the collective mind looms still.

    The cosmic egg is nowadays represented by niche in evolutionary theory, and the crack is the path to the future out of that which featured as quest in legend, so its a nifty binary image in the signal becoming a triad when enacted by stepping onto that path & heading for the realm of possibility in the beyond. Doing so collectively is how humans make progress, so while neolib sheeple circle mindlessly in the middle of the paddock, those averse to terminal boredom gradually converge in synch heading for the open gate…

    Internet Archive

    https://archive.org › stream › Joseph-Chilton-Pearce-Crac…

  2. Dennis Frank 2
    28 January 2024 at 9:43 am

    Stuff reporter provides a useful primer for allocating blame, using the technique `spray & walk away': https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-01-2024/who-should-i-blame-for-wellingtons-water-shortage-a-users-guide

    This will suit punters of all shapes & sizes, who have been produced by our neocolonial education system. More experienced blamers will go for the CEO of the org nominally responsible: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/about-us/governance/wellington-water-committee-3/

    Nobody in their right mind would expect a lawyer to be capable of regenerating a neocolonial water distribution! All lawyers ever do is administer conformity to laws.

    From about 1950 until the 70s, Wellington built most of its pipes with asbestos cement. It’s not dangerous to public health, but it turns out asbestos cement is a crappy material that only lasts half as long as ceramic pipes. So now they’re all breaking.

    Seems like a resilience/governance problem. So here's the governance structure: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/about-us/governance/wellington-water-committee-2/

    They put a Labour dude in charge of the thing! A perpetual recipe for evasion of the problem. All the guy needs to do to retain tenure is tell everyone the problem's underground, so out of sight out of mind is the way to retain normalcy.

    • Louis 2.1
      28 January 2024 at 2:13 pm

      The dude is not Labour.

      Nicholas Oliver Leggett (born 1979) is a former New Zealand politician and, as of 2016, a member of the New Zealand National Party.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leggett#:~:text=Nicholas%20Oliver%20Leggett%20(born%201979,the%20New%20Zealand%20National%20Party.

      • alwyn 2.1.1
        28 January 2024 at 2:57 pm

        He certainly used to be a Labour man. He was a Porirua Councillor and then Mayor from 1998 until 2016. During that time he was a member of the Labour Party. He then ran for Mayor of Wellington City but, because Labour had picked an official candidate in the form of Justin Lester he had to resign from the Labour Party or be expelled.

        Unfortunately Lester won and proved to be a terrible Mayor for his only term before he in turn got dumped.

        Still, our current and at least in my opinion even worse Mayor in Wellington has a solution to our problems.

        Trumpet flourish for her solution "Water Meters". In Tory's own words "Water meters will help us take a smarter approach to identifying leaks and reduce waste".

        I can suggest an even simpler solution, and one that they can start doing immediately. Start fixing the ones people report. There is one in my street that has been wasting water for at least 3 months. The water comes out in the middle of the road, runs down the hill and then follows the gutter for a few hundred meters before going down a drain. Not a terribly big flow but assuming 10 litres/minute it will have wasted about 1.3 million litres in the last 90 days.

        Twice we have been advised it would be fixed during the "next week". On neither occasion did anything happen.

        And yes I did report it on several occasions but nothing happens.

        Quote from Tory are from the printed Post of 27/01/2024. I don't have access to the on-line paper.

        Material about Leggett is from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leggett

        • Louis 2.1.1.1
          1 February 2024 at 7:36 pm

          I had already included a link, where I got the quote from Legget's wiki page, which pointed out he switched to the National Party, so I don't know why you have linked to it again.

          " In August 2016, Labour Leader Andrew Little accused Leggett of being a "right-winger", alleging that his campaign manager for the Wellington Mayoral election was a well-known Act Party figure."

          "Leggett then changed allegiance to the National Party later that year citing ideological differences with Labour's leadership"

          The National Party was obviously a better fit for Legget.

          If memory serves, Tory Whanau was supportive of Labour's Three Waters reforms that would have addressed long-standing water infrastructure issues that existed long before she had become mayor.

          National binned the reforms without a replacement solution, so maybe your anger should be directed to Luxon's National led government.

          • alwyn 2.1.1.1.1
            1 February 2024 at 8:32 pm

            " I don't know why you have linked to it again."

            Experience has told me that there is a tendency on the part of one of the moderators to insist on a link to anything I say as a fact. I quoted additional material from the Wiki entry on Leggett so, discretion being the better part of valour, I included a link to the source.

            In a comment today, on a different post, I included a comment on something that John McEnroe said. "You cannot be serious". I even included a link to that spectacular rant of his, in case I was said to be inventing it.

            I have no idea on whether Tory was, or was not, in favour of the 3 waters scheme. I thought it was a terrible idea though, if anyone is interested. It appeared to allow an unelected group to borrow large amounts of money which would become the responsibility of the ratepayers of the area if they could make no provision for paying of the loans.

    • mac1 2.2
      28 January 2024 at 4:48 pm

      Eight years a Nat. Calling him a 'Labour dude' is like calling Shane Jones a Labour dude. There is a reason why we have the term 'former'; and also the term 'waka-jumper'.

  3. dv 3
    28 January 2024 at 9:55 am

    I don't recall this in NATZAZ campaign'
    Pay off for support?

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/26/plans-to-scale-back-ministers-powers-over-foreign-investment/

    National and Act’s coalition agreement says the Government will amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to restrict ministerial decision-making to national security concerns only and make these decisions “much more timely”.

    National and Act’s coalition agreement says the Government will amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to restrict ministerial decision-making to national security concerns only and make these decisions “much more timely”.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 3.1
      28 January 2024 at 12:06 pm

      NZ put on the block to the highest bidder.

      NZ citizens the low-cost labour under our wealthy overlords.

      All to plan, I would think!

    • SPC 3.2
      28 January 2024 at 2:33 pm

      It would appear that NZF has compromised its long held position to enable this, something either TPM or United blocked under the Key led government (or was further than Key would go).

      It means investment not in our national interest will go ahead – all so someone who owns something can get a higher price selling to a foreigner (attracted by our lack of CGT).

  4. Anne 4
    28 January 2024 at 10:30 am

    Robert G Patman has upended the Luxon Govt.’s confused announcements in relation to the Houthi Red Sea attacks and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/27/new-zealands-red-sea-deployment-points-to-a-selective-concern-over-international-law

    “Not only does the dispatch of the NZDF team to the Red Sea strengthen the impression of a diplomatic U-turn in Wellington, it also points to a selective concern about maintaining international law.

    By agreeing to send an NZDF team to the Red Sea without demanding the US end its opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza, the New Zealand government seems to have retreated from an independent foreign policy based on principles and values.”

    And this is only the start of the unwinding of NZ's “principles and values”. The future looks bleaker by the day.

    • Subliminal 4.1
      28 January 2024 at 11:10 am

      The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen but this will be increasingly difficult especially with the ICJ ruling and the consequence that all nations are obliged to now intervene to ensure Palestinians are protected.

      The US, Canada, Australia and Italy have now ceased funding UNRWA simply on allegations by Israel of involvement of 12 workers in Oct 7 without waiting for the investigation findings. Even if all 12 were complicit, this would be 0.0004% of a staff of over 30 000. This will have huge ramifications for aid to Gaza. Are we about to follow?

      https://mondoweiss.net/2024/01/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-113-a-day-after-icj-ruling-u-s-and-allies-withdraw-funding-to-unrwa/

      • Subliminal 4.1.1
        28 January 2024 at 11:51 am

        My bad. As a percentage its 0.04

      • Anne 4.1.2
        28 January 2024 at 11:55 am

        "The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen… "

        Bald lies since the Houthis are on record as saying they will continue the attacks until the Israelis stop their attacks on Gaza. Luxon is also on record as repeating the mantra that there is "no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks". Unbelievable!

        I also note Luxon's latest buzz word is "values". He has been flinging it around a lot lately:

        "my government believes in upholding our values etc. etc…"

        when in fact they are dismantling them one by one.

        "Are we about to follow?"

        Of course. angry

        • Mikey 4.1.2.1
          28 January 2024 at 12:58 pm

          To be fair, Luxon is both dishonest and deeply stupid.

        • Michael P 4.1.2.2
          29 January 2024 at 1:10 am

          "…no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks"

          Obviously there is a link but it isn't what some people seem to believe (the Houthis support for the Palestinians), because they couldn't care less about them. The link between the two is Iran, who have been arming, training and supporting their fellow Shia groups the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas for years. There aim is to destabilize the middle east, with the ultimate goal being to destroy Israel.

      • Bearded Git 4.1.3
        28 January 2024 at 4:14 pm

        It's fine for the US to give billions to Israel to buy arms to carry out genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but when a small number of employees in a vast humanitarian aid organisation are accused of something the US doesn't like, funding for humanitarian aid is immediately shut off.

        No wonder young people are not going to vote for Biden.

        https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/07/joe-biden-youth-vote-gaza-climate-change

        • SPC 4.1.3.1
          28 January 2024 at 4:22 pm

          Like sheep into the arms of someone far, far worse.

          The GOP are more hardline on support for Israel, are anti-GW action, and would reduce protection for the environment and labour.

    • SPC 4.2
      28 January 2024 at 3:48 pm

      Defence of shipping is in accord with international law.

      A nation has a right in international law to take military action in response to an attack.

      Patman seems confused by the complexity of some diplomatic circumstances.

      The real issue of the moment is the ICJ wants some focus from Israel on the well being of civilians. Yet USA and now the UK have cut off funding to UNRWA, whose work Israel has been impeding – lack of safe areas for operating and lack of supplies getting through.

      New Zealand should say its funding will continue because the world should be helping here, not making things worse because of politics.

      The Israeli appointee supported 2 interim decisions – end to incitement and improved well-being for the civilians, so the least that Israel and those who support its right to self-defence can do, is not play politics and get more aid in.

      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68119268

      • Subliminal 4.2.1
        28 January 2024 at 6:16 pm

        Shipping that is in the service of the Israeli genocide is no longer legal. Nations are on notice that any support of the destruction of the Palestinian people will bring consequences. The UNSC resolution supporting free passage in the Red Sea has now been superseded by the ICJ ruling. The ICJ is in effect the supreme court of the UN. To have the UNSC resolution and the ICJ ruling effective at the same time would be ludicrous.

        A further consequence of the ICJ ruling is that the naval blockade of Gaza is now illegal. There are only two options that would allow the proper fulfillment of the protection orders given the infrastructure damages in Gaza. Either a complete ceasefire by Israel or a massive maritime aid convoy.

        • SPC 4.2.1.1
          28 January 2024 at 6:57 pm

          The ICJ did not mention any of that in its ruling. You've extrapolated a lot out of what it did say.

          • Subliminal 4.2.1.1.1
            28 January 2024 at 7:33 pm

            Israel has destroyed almost all hospitals. 85% of the Gazan population is internally displaced and at best, living in tents. It is winter. There is little to no access to food and no sanitation. Famine and disease are already taking hold. These kinds of deaths will now be tallied up in the list of genocidal behaviour. Famine and disease are not legitimate weapons of war. Neither is freezing to death. To prevent these kinds of deaths is exactly what the ICJ judgement is about and at this stage, it will take a massive humantarian effort. A naval blockade of Gaza makes this impossible. Continuing the destruction of Gaza makes this impossible. Israel is so far down the rabbit hole of destruction that these are the only options by which they can comply with the conditions that have been set

          • alwyn 4.2.1.1.2
            28 January 2024 at 7:48 pm

            You must consider his pen name and its meaning.

            "subliminal"

            adjective

            PSYCHOLOGY

            1. (of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone's mind without their being aware of it."

            Of course he can make out these ideas.

  5. Ed 5
    28 January 2024 at 10:49 am

    Further evidence this government stands for nothing other than the money it receives from large corporate backers.

    New Zealand backs away from deep-sea trawling restrictions.

    https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350157805/new-zealand-backs-away-deep-sea-trawling-restrictions

  6. Johnr 6
    28 January 2024 at 11:59 am

    Waitangi is a long way for an old fart to drive.

    Does anybody know of a peaceful/silent protest happening closer to auckland to demonstrate our disgust at the governments treaty proposals

  7. joe90 7
    28 January 2024 at 12:15 pm

    Hoots on Nact's wilful disingenuity.

    .

    Act’s strategy seems to be to offer fake Treaty principles to the public, generate a few hundred thousand supportive online select-committee submissions, hold six months of heated hearings, hope for civil unrest, produce polls showing a majority wishes the Treaty had been written by Mill, and then accuse National of siding with Māori radicals against “mainstream New Zealanders”

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/national-and-act-are-failing-the-good-faith-test-over-treaty-principles-bill-matthew-hooton/MTKZFN6HPFBFDIT3GIYOKEFWAM/

    https://archive.li/eOrVe

    • Anne 7.1
      28 January 2024 at 1:50 pm

      And right on cue:

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350160501/acts-david-seymour-promises-real-change

      No. I didn't watch the video. Listening to 45 minutes of him was too much to ask.

      A small taster:

      ACT Party Leader David Seymour reiterated his stance and plans for “real change” from the new Government in his “state of the nation” address at Auckland’s Westhaven on Sunday morning…

      He outlined that New Zealand had become a “more divided” nation, and had experienced “lost decades” under previous Governments. “The good news is we have a Government prepared to accept reality and solve problems, with policies based on the right values,” he said.

      That word "values" again. We've got three years of values, values and more values.
      What values I hear you ask? We'll never know.

      • SPC 7.1.1
        28 January 2024 at 2:09 pm

        One rule for all (no Treaty, no UNDRIP), one income tax rate for all (no CGT, no wealth tax, no estate tax, no land tax, no stamp duty), one voucher to access (X Y and Z) providers. Only one party can provide liberty from other – those of ethnic or racial difference, those of lower income, those with less wealth.

        Majority values, just do not expect any morality. Epsom values, our school zone.

        Finish with a truth, lock out the underclass (when they cannot afford the rent).

        • Patricia Bremner 7.1.1.1
          28 January 2024 at 4:12 pm

          What a Charade this "Values" laden government is!! What they say, and what they do are two different planets. Unity and Values Tui Tui .. Forked tongues!!!

      • Muttonbird 7.1.2
        28 January 2024 at 4:12 pm

        Typical Randian nonsense from Seymour. The pinnacle of human achievement shall be the extraction and abuse of resources, environmental and human, for profit.

  8. SPC 8
    28 January 2024 at 3:01 pm

    The legal stuff

    Making Sense of the ICJ's Provisional Measures in South Africa v. Israel

    Chimène Keitner

    What the court ordered of Israel, where the judges came down, and what’s next for South Africa’s case alleging Israel’s violation of the Genocide Convention in Gaza

    The Ugandan justice’s opine that this is a matter for diplomacy and not the court explains her voting.

    https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/making-sense-of-the-icj%27s-provisional-measures-in-south-africa-v.-israel

    Benjamin Nethanyahu's reaction, is similar to that after Oct 7, which led to statements by Gallant and Herzog that the court found incitement to genocide. Reaction, rather that a considered response. The sort of thing one would expect of the Religious Zionists group (fascists) created by Netanyahu to pose Likud as of a new centre.

    The singular practice of a response by overwhelming force and then negation of any call for restraint.

    When the Ottoman empire practiced this in the region pre 1900, a ME legend was created, of the flea that bit a Turk and the camel which hosted the flea was killed. A reference to collective punishment.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350160567/netanyahu-defiant-after-un-court-ruling-deaths-gaza-offensive-continue

    It is past time, Gantz demonstrated that the decision to appoint Gallant ahead of him in 2010-2011 was wrong and why. Gallant’s Dahiya doctrine getting rewarded despite the international cost reprised here on steroids.

    • Johnr 9.1
      28 January 2024 at 4:47 pm

      Well, not until after he inherits. He's a silver spoon boy. Clearly evident by the whinging when someone disagrees with diddums

  10. SPC 10
    28 January 2024 at 4:03 pm

    The GOP on Capitol Hill explain that they are not hypocrites, they merely support the powerful against the weak – not international law, not collective security.

    They will cut off aid to Ukraine and provide hope to those in the Kremlin that want to rule to NATO borders and then wait for the USA to withdraw from co-operation with Europe in trade and security (Trump's isolationism).

    They will support Likud's rule over Palestinians from the river to the sea. Part of their Christian Zionism, or more simply God and mammon prosperity religion (belief where America is blessed, if they support Israel has become their imperial religion – outcome of their creationism and end time judgment fundamentalism cultural heritage).

    If you have any other explanation for this …

    https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-01-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/republicans-are-looking-at-netanyahu-for-how-to-combat-bidens-post-war-gaza-plans/0000018d-4162-d35c-a39f-eb7a4a6e0000?gift=77e2c95918264f3585e10ec0d656c57a

  11. Kat 11
    28 January 2024 at 4:08 pm

    Where have all the ram raids gone……..

    Just asking for a friend…

  12. calltoaccount 12
    28 January 2024 at 5:00 pm

    Great question re ram raids, love to know the answer. Seriously… All a campaign by dairy owners? Paid by their trade association? What was the role of the tobacco industry? Who set up any Facebook pages? Are ram raids still happening? Should be, its summer. Or was it great policing, social services?

    My guess, joking… the dairy owners kids diddit. Grabbed the gear, gave it back to the owners, insurance for the rest and a grant for security. And a new government. Win, win, win.

  13. joe90 13
    28 January 2024 at 7:46 pm

    If only the experts had warned someone, anyone….

    //

    24 hours of Brexit failures

    Collapsed trade deals, rising food prices, more border checks and not enough flowers for Valentine’s Day – thanks a bunch

    Edwin Hayward

    […]

    The UK government gave up trying to renew our temporary rollover trade deal with Canada

    […]

    Incoming border checks were deemed to increase the cost of our imported food and drink by £200 million a year

    […]

    There were warnings that the new incoming border checks could lead to flower shortages in the run-up to Valentine’s Day

    […]

    The EU is setting up an Entry-Exit System that will collect biometrics from every passenger

    […]

    France’s Constitutional Council blocked a preferential visa clause in a new French immigration bill

    […]

    Health sector professionals warned that the EU is planning to bulk buy key medicines and establish a shared stockpile for its 27 members

    […]

    Rishi Sunak’s pledge that all new laws will be screened to ensure they do not create trade barriers in the Irish Sea is causing ructions

    https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/24-hours-of-brexit-failures/

    https://archive.li/Q50tD

    ( links https://twitter.com/edwinhayward/status/1750673173069140381 )

    • Visubversa 13.1
      28 January 2024 at 8:48 pm

      I have a brother who lives in Ireland. He tells me that he used to buy a lot of stuff online from the UK when they were in the EU. It was easy and thigs would be delivered in one or two days.

      Now – it is hard, there is Customs stuff and a whole bunch of extra problems. So, he now buys from France, or Belgium, or Spain and still gets the same delivery times and none of the problems.

  14. joe90 14
    28 January 2024 at 8:22 pm

    It was always about the planes.

    .

    The State Department said it would allow the sale of some $23 billion worth of fighter jets and equipment to Turkey, among the final steps in a much delayed transaction that has severely strained the relationship between Ankara and Washington.

    The sale of the 40 F-16 fighter jets and upgrades to dozens of other jets became linked to Sweden's accession to NATO, with the U.S. postponing the transfer of the Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft until the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved Sweden's membership this past week.

    https://www.npr.org/2024/01/27/1227418505/f-16s-turkey-sweden-nato-kurds-greece

  15. Anne 15
    28 January 2024 at 8:55 pm

    Looks like Labour members have sent a strong message to the Labour Council – re introducing a CGT of some sort:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/michael-wood-among-familiar-faces-to-win-labour-election-as-party-mulls-tax-discussion/MB3XPAEYIBFULNDNCMEP7RD6YQ/

  16. Eco Māori 16
    30 January 2024 at 12:41 pm

    Kia ora whano .

    The sandflies can’t catch me legally so they cheat and use the mental health act to lock me up.

    and they have people going around spreading the lies about my mental health.

    In reality the sandflies have been shitting on my Mana for years .

    my mental health is and has always been perfectly fine

    ka kite ano