Will Simon Bridges also dismiss ol' Chester as a "wokester"
"While it is politically attractive to pretend we can arrest our way to success with methamphetamine, we need to see the same passion for providing rehabilitation, understanding, and pre-emptive strategies across society to try and turn the tap off in this burgeoning trade.
Chester Borrows is a former police officer, and served as Courts Minister in the Key government. He currently sits on the Parole Board."
Good to see something is being done. In particular I would like attention on how the changes to welfare either completely skipped disabled, or in many cases made their situation worse (remember the PM saying that nobody would be worse off? Not true).
I wish them well, I truly do, but I fear it will be a waste of time and effort.
No government in NZ has ever committed to addressing inequities and inequalities for disabled people. Neither of the Big Two give a shit, and minor parties lack the power and influence to move the mountains more than a few millimetres.
The single digit salute given to the advice from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group by this Current Mob is a dead giveaway…
And speaking about death…and because NZ tends to trot behind the Motherland in social policy…pesky disabled are going to be less of a drain on the UK economy by virtue if the fact that Te Virus kills them off at a horrifyingly higher rate than the rest of the population.
(Cue the resident euthanasia promoters here on TS…just what is needed is another lecture about the ethics of spending more $$$ on disabled people at the expense of the poor.)
I saw on Aljazeera TV a few weeks back that 3 out of 5 in the UK who died were disabled. It was confronting that many in the disabled group had a do not resuscitate on their medical file which they were not aware of.
We could put this simply: Humans are animals and resources on this planet are finite.
Reaction: aggression, defensiveness, me me me, no compassion. its is the same story since the ape started to stand upright. Very, very few will raise above that. NZ is no different. With Euthanasia a door has opened to justify to end the suffering…. this, not even animals do.
From day 1 the classification of contacts at Papatoetoe College gave the wrong impression of who was more at risk. Being in the same year class or travelling on a school bus with a student who was infectious without knowing.
I would like to know the failure rate for a nasal swab not picking up Covid-19 when it is in the lungs?
Were it known where the first community case of this outbreak became infected this would have been an advantage.
It is about dealing with the situation as it is at this time and the required information being given clearly so it understood and followed.
Hi Treetop, I looked that up ie the failure rate of the nasal swab. It’s 96% accurate, which is great, but when you think of that every four in 100 are false negatives.
I am no expert but it would seem the most obvious explanation is case M and N caught it off their family member who was at PapatoetoeHS and she returned three negative tests.
the geonome is the same in case m and n as the papatoetoe cluster
Unlikely to be 3 false positives on all of the nasal swabs so other reasons for not showing a positive. Could be a combination, not infectious yet, in the lung (not sure if would show being symtomatic), or a case outside the home is the likely source of contact for the older sibling and his mother and nothing to do with the household.
Genome sequencing is helpful to tie it to a cluster.
Unlikely to be 3 false positives on all of the nasal swabs …
Well, just on the straight numbers of 1 in every 25 tests of a positive person returning a false negative test result, that would be one in every roughly 15,000 covid-positive people returning 3 false negative results.
Given that our total case count is now up to around 2400, it's not wildly implausible that we have had enough instances of infection for the very rare event of repeated false negatives to have actually occurred. Just like your individual chance of winning Powerball is almost indistinguishable from zero, yet someone in New Zealand does in fact win Powerball every few weeks.
That's without considering the nuances of what conditions make false negatives more likely, or the possibility of timing issues that the first negative test might have been so early in the infection that it would be very unlikely to produce a positive, and so on.
All of which highlights that it's a very complex business. And that's without getting into the intricacies of what the virus does in bodies or the involved, problematic things around communities and transmission.
Wasn't it brilliant a year ago that overnight we developed a couple of million microbiologists and epidemiologists who could tell everyone what could and should be done.
The theme today in some places is more base of course. Ardern resigning, (and Hipkins and Bloomfield,) seems the minimum. Funny how those who so rapidly advanced through the ranks of the scientifically knowledgeable and qualified could just as instantly turn into lynch mob morons.
14 day isolation and retesting in that time prevents a community outbreak and ensures more accurate results when it comes to a series of swabs in an individual.
Agreed, but short of putting all contacts irrespective into MIQ we will never have 100% safety and even MIQ is not watertight. However, this is neither necessary nor desirable nor realistic.
I think the system is now reasonably robust although they keep on improving things, as they should. The new contact categories is a recent change and I think it is a sensible one.
I think that more improvements can be made in the messaging & communication, or education, if you prefer. They need to consider and apply psychology more. Poission just gave an informative link with a wealth of data: https://thestandard.org.nz/level-3-again-be-kind/#comment-1781177.
I didn’t mean you to read it all, just to be aware that there is a lot more data & info out there that Government could use to improve its handling of the pandemic 🙂
I don’t get your point. Depending on the type of contact AKA Contact Category, this is exactly what is expected and happening. Unless somebody does not follow the rules such as this Casual Plus Contact.
Any person who receives a yellow QR notification for a location of interest via the NZ COVID Tracer app where the notification says ‘Casual Plus Contact’. The notification will provide brief advice and a link for more information.
Personally, this omnishambles adds another major point of evidence discrediting Amnesty International's judgement, along with their really clueless adoption of Mumia Abu-Jamal as a poster boy.
Along with how it highlights how readily convergence moonbats happily amplify Kremlin propaganda without any attempt at critical examination, or consideration of nuance of the big picture.
As Martin Luther King once observed, ‘Though it may take a long time, the arc of history bends towards justice’
Despite all the lies and propaganda it is only a matter of time before Russian officers and soldiers in Syria complicit in aiding and abetting the Assad regime to carry out atrocities against the Syrian people will also brought to justice.
Navalny is by no means a simple criminal – and reinstating a suspended sentence because the convict could not meet contact requirements while recovering from novichok poisoning is a pretty sketchy basis for reimprisonment.
@ Brigid, these guys are so malleable I seriously believe if we were living in 1941 they would get in behind the Nazi invasion of Russia in a flash if they were told too, they seem to have absolutely no critical thinking facility for processing any new incoming information whatsoever.
Of course they will willfully either ignore or justify this…
I don’t believe there has been a bombing, a sanction, an assassination, a droning, or in fact any sort of aggressive foreign action from western countries directed outwardly across the planet, that you bunch of mindless fucking maniacs haven’t supported if told it’s OK by Liberal media…and that is why I often compare you to camp guards, because there is a long sad history of people like you lot of brainless arse lickers who end up being actually really dangerous to fellow citizens when/if shit ever hits the fan.
Like I said a couple of weeks ago, when someone comes along, who you guys think is the right authority, and that authority says jump, and you lot instantly yell back…HOW HIGH SIR…..no questions asked, ever…it’s really quite scary and unsettling to watch in real time.
And BTW, you have proved time and again here on this site, that if they told you dog shit was chocolate ice cream, you would shovel that down your throat as quick as you could. of that I am sure.
Yes, you are sure of many scary and unsettling things.
The relationship of those things to reality, however, seems tenuous and ephemeral. If only you could form a coherent, rational argument to support the reality of those things, rather than merely producing flecks of froth around the mouth.
I don’t believe there has been a bombing, a sanction, an assassination, a droning, or in fact any sort of aggressive foreign action from western countries directed outwardly across the planet, that you bunch of mindless fucking maniacs haven’t supported if told it’s OK by Liberal media
With that statement you not only show you haven't read what people have posted in opposition to some western military actions, you admit to having no real clue about politics – especially global insight, and then self confess to being the sort of moron wiser heads think you are. Well played.
when someone comes along, who you guys think is the right authority, and that authority says jump, and you lot instantly yell back…HOW HIGH SIR
That’s exactly what you do.
You’re like one of those Trump supporters who believes the voting machines were hacked because the my pillow guy told you.
Could you please do all of us here on TS a favour and rinse your mouth out with soap and tone it down, thanks. The three of you love to fight here, and who am I to judge, but your personal insults keep crossing the admittedly fuzzy boundaries of robust debate and it is a tad embarrassing.
I am not the least bit embarrassed, why should I be, I stand behind everything I said today, and say whenever I am on The Standard.
As I have always said, I am very easy to find, so if anyone wants this debate face to face, that’s fine with me.
Will try and tone the swearing down a bit though if that is a problem.
Adrian doesn’t like me “micro managing” you (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2021/#comment-1776224 and https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2021/#comment-1776230), which I think is fair enough and I rely on you self-moderating. However, that doesn’t seem to be working so well for so long so soon I will resort to ‘macro managing’ and I personally don’t give a toss who are going to be caught in that when it happens. When you treat other commenters with obvious disdain, you severely diminish your demands to and of Moderators.
Trouble was, when I tried ignoring most commenters I have disdain for, it's fine. But with one or two, sooner or later they drop something along the lines of the lack of response "speaks volumes", which is a flat-out lie.
So sometimes it feels like the old rock and hard place.
It's not the morbid drunks who are a problem for other people – it's the one who's taking swings at random folk and calling them the c-word in lieu of being able to form a rational position.
By the way, he’s been doing it for over a year now so yeah, I’m getting tired of it.
Indeed, it is frustrating when people offer no argument or (political) analysis but only ad homs and cheap labels ‘supported’ with meaningless and distracting YT clips.
With respect, Incognito, my choice of that Keith Olbermann montage was hardly meaningless. All of the ad homs and cheap labels in this thread come from Andre; I placed them in context.
It has been a while since anybody here received a ban. You’re currently in pole position and the nearest competition is not even in sight, I’m pleased to say.
They're not any good as insults because they are either worn out or they have no basis in reality.
Worn out insults: 1) Stalin's "useful idiots" crack. This is no more than a cliché and it has no power at all; Andre and a few others use it on this forum quite a bit. It usually says nothing about the target, but a great deal about the attacker.
2) "clueless"–same as for "useful idiots."
Insults with no basis in reality: 1) The flaccid "convergence moonbat" slur is an invention of one of the beleaguered propagandists who churns out copy for the faux-liberal Clintonista rump of the tedia, AKA “the blogosphere” (Daily Kos, Daily Beast, Vox, Huff Po). It is predicated on the nonsensical idea that, since principled people on the left criticised the Democratic Party's "leadership" and right wingers from Fox News railed, often incoherently, against Democratic "leaders", then both left and right must be the same. They converge, in other words. To quote Noam Chomsky, in order to accept that theory, you need a very expensive education.
2) "Kremlin propaganda"—sane and reasonable people will of course realize that if the Russian government happens to agree with one on a point of principle—for example, that supporting the Al-Nusra Front in Syria is not a good idea—that does not necessarily mean that one is a supporter of the Russian government.
,,, without any attempt at critical examination, or consideration of nuance of the big picture."
…here is some of the 'critical examination' you so rightly point out is sorely missing in coverage of this topic, and from actual Russians on the ground in Russia, who would ever have thought actual Russian citizens might have their own diverse opinions about their own affairs?
For Russian leftists, Western favorite Navalny represents same corrupt elitism
" Two Russian leftists, Katya Kazbek and Alexey Sakhnin discuss why they don't see Navalny as a genuine alternative to Vladimir Putin, and instead as a representative of a different faction of the ruling Russian elite — one more willing to cater to Western counterparts."
In Navalny poisoning, rush to judgment threatens new Russia-NATO crisis
Guest: Fred Weir, veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.
The thing is Adrian, all you do is repost trash like this.
You never entertain the obvious questions – like, "How legitimate can a person who declares himself president for life be?" – a question Xi also needs to answer.
The lack of critical thinking lies with you Putin dupes.
Find yourself a few primary sources on Russia instead of what Putin's PR machine spoonfeeds you, and you'll be less of a public embarrassment.
The second fellow is a very poor commentator also. You should be aware that Russia has a significant intellectual culture – these people wanted, in the post Gorbachov era, to have an actual democracy.
They are absolutely furious with Putin reverting to the corruption that characterized the late Soviet era. When that autocrat took power, Russian presidential terms were limited to five years – specifically to keep scoundrels like Putin out. He has betrayed the reform of the post-Soviet era – and his management has been economically disastrous as well as deadly to journalists and industrialists that were not part of his clique.
And of course you have not answered the question. How can a leader who pretends to be a democratic president declare himself president for life? This is the act of an autocrat – and autocrats are not legitimate.
“You have selected them for their subservience to the corrupt Putin regime. You need to balance such perspectives” FFS!!!
I don't want to be rude here Stuart, but it really looks like you are either being willfully stupid or are desperately trying to just remain ignorant of other facts around this issue, so you can, for some unknown reason, only ever talk or comment on it in half truths and rhetoric….try actually putting a pin into that bubble of yours once and awhile, the fresh air might do you some good my friend.
Aaronn Mate' interviews from the above clips…
Interviewee 1; Alexey Sakhnin is a Russian activist and a member of the Left Front. He was one of the leaders of the anti-Putin protest movement from 2011 to 2013. He later emigrated to Sweden and lived as an exile there, before returning to Russia to continue his work as a left oppositional activist and journalist. He is also a member of the Progressive International Council. https://jacobinmag.com/author/alexey-sakhnin
Interviewee 2: Katya Kazbek is originally from Russia. She is a feminist and an LGBTIQ issues freelance writer. Her work has been published in Creative Times Report, Russian GQ and Vogue. Katya’s main fields of interest include the post-colonial struggle in the ex-USSR territories, race, migration, class, sexual violence and queer identities https://www.guernicamag.com/katya-kazbek-discourse-in-danger/
Interviewee 3; Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998. He's traveled over much of that vast territory, reporting on stories ranging from Russia's financial crash to the war in Chechnya, creeping Islamization in central Asia, Russia's demographic crisis, the rise of Vladimir Putin and his repeated returns to the Kremlin, and the ups and downs of US-Russia relations.
Fred is the co-author of Revolution from Above: Russia's Path from Gorbachev to Putin, Routledge, 2007. https://www.csmonitor.com/About/People/Fred-Weir
Then don't. Go and find yourself some credible Russian sources (you'll recognize them easily enough – they won't have a bar of RT) or stop flaunting your ignorance.
I have no problem with listening to and gathering perspectives and opinion from people like Galina Timchenko, even if it is from the BBC who are far from impartial, in fact the BBC have just been proved through leaked documents to be actively impartial, and ironically….
“These revelations show that when MPs were railing about Russia, British agents were using the BBC and Reuters to deploy precisely the same tactics that politicians and media commentators were accusing Russia of using,”
From NZ Herald: "The new case – "Case M" – attends the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) and is the older brother of a Papatoetoe High School student. The man, who also works at Kerry Logistics (Oceania) Limited, went to MIT for three days and to the gym twice – including once after taking a Covid test – when he should have been isolating at home".
He is not going to be popular with his work mates at Kerry Logistics or MIT!
Some months ago on the radio I heard the account of a bloke who was feeling unwell and thought he might have covid, that chap got a test and immediately voluntary self isolated. I felt gratitude toward him for doing the right thing and helping ensure the virus remained under control.
We have heard similar a number of times since. So and so recorded a positive test however the risk is low as they person had been self isolating for so many days before infection.
Fest forward to this past week. Ardern has said it was right to drop levels last week as those who posed a risk had been identified and had been told to isolate. If people had done the right thing we would have a firewall around the virus.
The problem of course if that some people DIDN'T do the right thing. And for all the reasons they might have felt 'compelled' or 'needed' to go out, there was an element of choice in them not doing the right thing, they chose so. Now thousands of people are at risk; at risk of contracting covid19, at risk of seeing a precarious business going under, at risk of missing a mortgage payment, at risk of missing bills, at risk of losing a job.
Most people will do the right thing. With those who choose not to the question that came to my mind is – do we from now on have to go to a level 3 or similar each and every time, rather than rely in contact tracing and isolation for some, to give no option to those who cannot make the right choice. Everyone goes to level 3 because some people cannot do as asked an cannot do the right thing. Due to a few placing us all at risk, we take away the option of doing the right thing, and automatically apply a blanket level 3 across everyone
In terms of covid and employers, have been musing on the "not being popular with workmates" bit. Someone may have been exposed to covid and was instructed to self isolate. They however chose to go to work (as opposed to the employer demanding they go to work). So the person goes to work and is then confirmed as having covid. The employer is required to close their business, clean it, and send a number of staff home to isolate and get a test. The risk the employee created might lead to discipline action. I am not saying it will automatically lead to punitive action however I think the employer has open to them initiating discipline action on the employee for the chaos created by not self isolating.
Fear of losing your job if you do not go to work is a concern. This also applies if you told your employer you had been tested and the employer said you had to come to work.
It needs to be made an offence if an employee is being coerced.
indeed, workers AND businesses need to do the right thing. Coercion to come to work is as equally bad as someone deciding the self isolate rules don't apply to them. The cost to the employer is such a case as you mention is closure, loss of income and the need for a deep clean. Plus paying staff full pay due to the employers stupidity.
That said, I am not aware how a gym can coerce someone to go in for a workout after getting a covid test.
As I recall the outcome of this case was not clear. I do not know what the final decision was. Possibly it was miscommunication with both the employer and the employee.
Even the writer of that soppy article agreed that gang numbers and confidence and visibility were increasing. Check out multiple hundreds of gang bikes rolling through Auckland yesterday. You could hear them for miles. I've not seen that done on that scale for many years.
As for last week, the Commissioner did ok, but Bridges is onto a total winner.
Covid won't camouflage this government forever, and the weaker ministers like Williams who haven't played defence well will be the most vulnerable.
I'm sure it's much smaller for regular users. But the relationship between gangs growing in smaller towns and regions of New Zealand, and massive rises in meth use, is pretty clear.
"Kawerau is a small town with a population of around 7000 people. Locals Newshub spoke to said you could find P in one in every two homes here, and if you don't already have it, your next hit is only a phone call away. "
In the 8 years we've lived in Australia I cannot recall the last time we saw a gang presence in public. I know they exist, but to suggest they enjoy any kind of extra legitimacy here strikes me as implausible.
"Right now this Government and the Police aren't convincing anyone that they're taking gangs seriously, and it will cost both of them in popularity and respect."
One could argue that Bridges is something of an expert when it comes to losing popularity and respect, but that's yesterday's news. Just when it seemed the former National party leader couldn't go any lower, he plumbs new depths. Whatever next?
With schools unable to have galas and other fund raising since late 2019, the drop off of international students and a dramatic reduction in school donations being received for those schools D7+, (that the labour govt decided not to keep its promise to fund ALL schools in lieu of dropping donations). Just listen out to schools following Heath boards with deficits and boards under severe pressure (like Health Boards) to work within inadequate funding levels.
I see, take a scattergun, shoot at something, then connect the thousands of dots into a coherent self-consistent narrative to discern and communicate ‘the truth’, and come up with ‘solutions’. That’s called constructive criticism and rational debate. It is in short supply, here and everywhere else.
I see continual under funding by ALL governments creating stress at a local level and the acceptance that under funding is to be compensated by the goodwill of teachers, nurses etc fund raising, parking fees, with anything that can makeup shortfalls any options to source funds. With covid many areas of alternative funding has greatly diminished or disappeared, and my comment was directed to Schools experiencing this so early on in the year. Other examples St Johns.
All policies are human constructs and not set in stone, follow natural laws etc. This can be changed. It takes a strong willed government and enough people fed up with all that BS we are being fed daily to act.
I would have thought if there is a provable drop in revenue, in this case through fundraising, the schools can apply for Covid-19 subsidy assistance just like anyone else?
As we have had Covid 19 schools that declined the option (Decile 1-7) in some cases are now worse off. I know that local primary schools are already having to operate under restricted budgets and asking teachers to teach with reduced resources e.g. art supplies.
I don't know when they first started telling people about the shutdown but they were certainly doing so last Wednesday, 24 Feb. It never rains but it pours.
Of course the iwi themselves have signed on to it.
I'm just marking that this is a damnably small settlement for the scale of injustice perpetrated against them by the Crown.
In 1865 this iwi had control of about 220,000 hectares, from the sources of the Waitakere to Stratford and to Whanganui.
As always the Crown's reps recognise it's not enough …. "While no redress can ever fully compensate for the destructive and demoralising effects of Crown actions, I hope this settlement will allow Ngāti Maru to realise their aspirations for a vibrant economic and cultural future, and restores a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and cooperation." – Minister Little
But TBH if that had happened to my family I wouldn't be letting Minister Little off with it. I'd just keep fighting until I was good and done.
If they manage to acquire any cutting rights, I sure hope they cut them fast before the Chinese locally-grown glut collapses our log prices. Because if they don't they won't be worth much.
Looking forward to the post-settlement entity going from strength to strength.
Also looking forward to visiting the Parihaka village upgrade once it's all done.
This seems to be a very quick turnaround by the PM.
On Tuesday last she seemed to be saying she was in no hurry to get vaccinated.
"Asked whether she is willing to be vaccinated publicly, Ardern said she will, when it's her turn." ….. "Ardern's decision is a move away from other world leaders who have chosen to receive the vaccination early and in public, in the hopes of inspiring confidence in the vaccine."
"However, she told the Weekend Herald that she would not wait until the middle of the year, when the wider public rollout begins." …. " However, a vaccine will potentially allow Ardern to travel overseas again in the near future, and try to reinvigorate trade talks." …. "The timing and order of any trips would depend on how easy it was to travel. However, global leaders are working on a "vaccine passport" to try to open up travel again."
Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet the only inconvenience would seem to be the need to quarantine. Does she know that a vaccination provides immunity from carrying the disease or do our leaders plan to excuse themselves from obligations we have to bear?
If it is the former it would seem to me that the first group to be vaccinated should be anyone planning to come to this country. After all, if the vaccination is fully effective we could wipe quarantine for anyone who is fully vaccinated. If it doesn't work that way is out PM planning to bypass quarantine for herself but keep it on for everyone else?
[lprent: Would you care to substantiate “Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet…” since you have made it as an assertion of fact. However I strongly suspect that you are merely lying (again) for effect. But hey, if you make the assertion, then you own it and are expected to substantiate it. Or you could apologise to the people reading this site for making up false facts?
Substantive links only please. Possibly comparing it with John Key and/or Bill English broken down by roles.
Incidentally, as far as I am aware, the most common reason for her (like all previous prime ministers, MFAT ministers, and trade ministers) to use a Air Force 757 jet is to carry trade or diplomatic missions – not specifically for her own travel. If you were being rigorous, then you’d exclude those when they are far larger than her and assisting staff members – but I suspect you might have data issues.
The nearest viable alternative for the numbers of people on those trips especially to low traffic destinations in the pacific, would be to charter a plane for the people invited or required for those missions. Even then I vaguely remember comments in Hansard by the head of the AF, that it was usually an opportunity to send aid and diplomatic freight as well.
I’ll put you on auto-moderation for a day or two until you assemble your facts and/or apology. If I don’t hear back from you then I’ll make a sentencing decision. ]
I don't have any opinion on whether she travels on an Air Force plane. It is normally the most convenient way to do it, particularly when there is a large group of people going to some out of the way place.
[Irrelevant twaddle deleted. ]
[lprent: Read my note again and stop wasting my time. Doing searches isn’t a rare skill these days. I did that in the couple of minutes after I read your assertion.
But that wasn’t what I moderated on. You didn’t state your sentence as an opinion – you stated it in a way that claimed it to be a fact. I wouldn’t have bothered to moderate on an opinion expressed as an opinion.
What you said about Ardern was that “Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet the only inconvenience would seem to be the need to quarantine.”. Showing that she sometimes flies on air force planes or jets isn’t ‘generally’. By your apparent definition of ‘generally’, my few flights on air force planes and helicopters decades ago could be expressed that the air force are my personal airline that I generally use. Something that is false to fact.
There was no ‘opinion’ in the first part of that sentence, the second part was opinion – and ludicrously false if the fact it was based on was false. It was also the kind of ‘fact’ that some moronic trolls would repeat like parrots for ever after. That irritates me.
If you claim a fact as part of a debate here, then the responsibility is yours to prove it or even have a decent argument for saying it was correct. That is the core of having a robust debate. Now you appear to be now attempting weasel it down a mere opinion. Doesn’t work.
You will either prove your assertion was at the very least to be something that can be argued about on the basis of verifiable facts, apologise to readers, or get a long arbitrary ban (that goes up each time that you waste my time). Which as a matter of fact becomes your choices because I won’t tolerate any others.
I really don’t like people making claims of fact that are extremely unlikely. You can’t throw opinion off as being fact here without challenge and without sanction if you can’t support it. This is a place for robust debate and expressing peoples own opinions. It is not maintained for inventing magic ‘facts’ for political advantage and payment. In NZ that was known as the departed whaleoil site. ]
I am very impressed. I certainly wasn't capable of coming up with all the information you ask of me. To find that you are capable of, in just a few minutes, coming up with details of all the trips on Air Force planes taken by Key, English and Ardern was beyond my skills.
That was even more beyond my meagre skills when you appear to have wanted me to break them down by type of trip and to be able to identify, at least by role, all the people who went on the trip including, I suppose, whether they were part of the PM's department, another department, the Press or private organisations. Even if you didn't want to know who they were you would seem to be capable of coming up with the number who were in each classification
Is this really what you managed to do in a few minutes? How do you do it? Enlightenment would be much appreciated. What were the queries that you used?
[lprent: Pointless diversion that doesn’t address the question of how you can show that your assertion of fact was in any way correct or arguable. My task was way simpler than your one because all I had to do was to seek any information that vaguely supported your made up garbage. Where as you appear to have to manufacture more idiotic bullshit arguments. I guess another day before I deal with you.
BTW: I just scanned the first 4 pages of google on RNAF 757 and 40 squadron, had a quick search at Wikipedia site, a read through the 2019 NZDF report, and a search of Hansard on the parliamentary site.
Plus of course I’ve been reading about the search for a replacement for the 757 and C-130s for quite a few years now in general background reading on the maintenance issues like this. ]
Watched tovid obrine alternatively trying to skewer the PM and then playing gossip columnist on newshub nationals yesterday. groomed to the max in black and red lippy. this morning she back on the telly trying to make out that her opinion on covid lockdowns carries more weight than the pm and the director of health. this time dressed in white no lippy and against a black backdrop so last nights excesses were not so obvious. my apologies for being so petty but if she wants to put herself up as a model of virtue and probity then it works both ways
Republican have regularly been breaking rules 3 to 10 of the 10 commandments;
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, Honour thy father and thy mother, Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour, Thou shalt not covet
But now it looks like they have found a way to get a full bingo of breaking all the10 Commandments by treating Trump as their god and worshiping idols of him.
I think someone might have sent this as a joke, but those who claim to be Christians missed the fact they where breaking Rules 1 and 2 with it because most of them have never actually really read the bible, they just quote parts of it they have been told justify their bigotry.
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Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
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Will Simon Bridges also dismiss ol' Chester as a "wokester"
"While it is politically attractive to pretend we can arrest our way to success with methamphetamine, we need to see the same passion for providing rehabilitation, understanding, and pre-emptive strategies across society to try and turn the tap off in this burgeoning trade.
Chester Borrows is a former police officer, and served as Courts Minister in the Key government. He currently sits on the Parole Board."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/124369962/we-cant-pretend-that-we-can-arrest-our-way-to-success-with-methamphetamine
Good to see something is being done. In particular I would like attention on how the changes to welfare either completely skipped disabled, or in many cases made their situation worse (remember the PM saying that nobody would be worse off? Not true).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300238233/disabled-kiwis-plan-hikoi-of-hope-to-parliament
I wish them well, I truly do, but I fear it will be a waste of time and effort.
No government in NZ has ever committed to addressing inequities and inequalities for disabled people. Neither of the Big Two give a shit, and minor parties lack the power and influence to move the mountains more than a few millimetres.
The single digit salute given to the advice from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group by this Current Mob is a dead giveaway…
And speaking about death…and because NZ tends to trot behind the Motherland in social policy…pesky disabled are going to be less of a drain on the UK economy by virtue if the fact that Te Virus kills them off at a horrifyingly higher rate than the rest of the population.
https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/6-out-of-10-people-who-have-died-from-covid-19-are-disabled
Of course that article fails to mention this quiet little initiative that has been going on for some time…
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2020/april/fury-over-do-not-resuscitate-notices
(Cue the resident euthanasia promoters here on TS…just what is needed is another lecture about the ethics of spending more $$$ on disabled people at the expense of the poor.)
I saw on Aljazeera TV a few weeks back that 3 out of 5 in the UK who died were disabled. It was confronting that many in the disabled group had a do not resuscitate on their medical file which they were not aware of.
Point well made Rosemary.
We could put this simply: Humans are animals and resources on this planet are finite.
Reaction: aggression, defensiveness, me me me, no compassion. its is the same story since the ape started to stand upright. Very, very few will raise above that. NZ is no different. With Euthanasia a door has opened to justify to end the suffering…. this, not even animals do.
Whats the difference between nipping down to the vape store during isolation and loading up the car and heading to Coromandel to avoid lockdown?
Or bailing Auckland midday two weekends in a fortnight to make a late evening lock down announcement for Auckland from Wellington.
From day 1 the classification of contacts at Papatoetoe College gave the wrong impression of who was more at risk. Being in the same year class or travelling on a school bus with a student who was infectious without knowing.
I would like to know the failure rate for a nasal swab not picking up Covid-19 when it is in the lungs?
Were it known where the first community case of this outbreak became infected this would have been an advantage.
It is about dealing with the situation as it is at this time and the required information being given clearly so it understood and followed.
I am no expert but it would seem the most obvious explanation is case M and N caught it off their family member who was at PapatoetoeHS and she returned three negative tests.
the geonome is the same in case m and n as the papatoetoe cluster
Thanks for that.
Unlikely to be 3 false positives on all of the nasal swabs so other reasons for not showing a positive. Could be a combination, not infectious yet, in the lung (not sure if would show being symtomatic), or a case outside the home is the likely source of contact for the older sibling and his mother and nothing to do with the household.
Genome sequencing is helpful to tie it to a cluster.
Unlikely to be 3 false positives on all of the nasal swabs …
Well, just on the straight numbers of 1 in every 25 tests of a positive person returning a false negative test result, that would be one in every roughly 15,000 covid-positive people returning 3 false negative results.
Given that our total case count is now up to around 2400, it's not wildly implausible that we have had enough instances of infection for the very rare event of repeated false negatives to have actually occurred. Just like your individual chance of winning Powerball is almost indistinguishable from zero, yet someone in New Zealand does in fact win Powerball every few weeks.
That's without considering the nuances of what conditions make false negatives more likely, or the possibility of timing issues that the first negative test might have been so early in the infection that it would be very unlikely to produce a positive, and so on.
All of which highlights that it's a very complex business. And that's without getting into the intricacies of what the virus does in bodies or the involved, problematic things around communities and transmission.
Wasn't it brilliant a year ago that overnight we developed a couple of million microbiologists and epidemiologists who could tell everyone what could and should be done.
The theme today in some places is more base of course. Ardern resigning, (and Hipkins and Bloomfield,) seems the minimum. Funny how those who so rapidly advanced through the ranks of the scientifically knowledgeable and qualified could just as instantly turn into lynch mob morons.
I still love the if these trends continue comments from some of the ebola-era google-trained epidemiologists. Total zombie apocalypse territory.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/assessment-and-testing-covid-19/covid-19-test-results-and-their-accuracy
14 day isolation and retesting in that time prevents a community outbreak and ensures more accurate results when it comes to a series of swabs in an individual.
This is not fail safe.
Again, what do you mean? Do you want a system that is 100% safe?
No system can be a 100% safe.
When it comes to the 14 day isolation and retesting can this be improved?
The same can be said for the classification of contact people fall into.
Agreed, but short of putting all contacts irrespective into MIQ we will never have 100% safety and even MIQ is not watertight. However, this is neither necessary nor desirable nor realistic.
I think the system is now reasonably robust although they keep on improving things, as they should. The new contact categories is a recent change and I think it is a sensible one.
I think that more improvements can be made in the messaging & communication, or education, if you prefer. They need to consider and apply psychology more. Poission just gave an informative link with a wealth of data: https://thestandard.org.nz/level-3-again-be-kind/#comment-1781177.
I did open the link, a lot of reading is required.
I didn’t mean you to read it all, just to be aware that there is a lot more data & info out there that Government could use to improve its handling of the pandemic 🙂
I don’t get your point. Depending on the type of contact AKA Contact Category, this is exactly what is expected and happening. Unless somebody does not follow the rules such as this Casual Plus Contact.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/contact-tracing-covid-19#casual-plus
A Casual Plus Contact is not required to isolate for 14 days and to undergo a re-test.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/contact-tracing-covid-19#actions
On the topic of Navalny, Kremlin propaganda campaigns, western useful idiots, Amnesty International:
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/540815-wests-wokeness-helped-russia-to-redefine-a-prisoner-of-conscience
Personally, this omnishambles adds another major point of evidence discrediting Amnesty International's judgement, along with their really clueless adoption of Mumia Abu-Jamal as a poster boy.
Along with how it highlights how readily convergence moonbats happily amplify Kremlin propaganda without any attempt at critical examination, or consideration of nuance of the big picture.
Same sort of thing happened to James Le Mesurier
As Martin Luther King once observed, ‘Though it may take a long time, the arc of history bends towards justice’
Despite all the lies and propaganda it is only a matter of time before Russian officers and soldiers in Syria complicit in aiding and abetting the Assad regime to carry out atrocities against the Syrian people will also brought to justice.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/24/first-verdict-expected-in-germanys-landmark-syria-torture-trial
Prisoner of conscience?
Jesus Andre do get a grip.
Navalny is a simple criminal who is now serving jail time for numerous violations of his suspended sentence.
And you talk of propaganda.
fuksake
The original charges do seem pretty sketchy.
Navalny is by no means a simple criminal – and reinstating a suspended sentence because the convict could not meet contact requirements while recovering from novichok poisoning is a pretty sketchy basis for reimprisonment.
But since you are repeating Putinist propaganda, it seems only fair that the other side of the story be put. (1) Why Putin wants Alexei Navalny dead – YouTube
Andre did not coin the term “prisoner of conscience”; you are taking aim at the messenger.
No. The article did.
\shrug
ditto shrug
Did you do a left or a right semi-shrug or a full shrug? I reckon my shrug was bigger and better than yours
"Did you do a left or a right semi-shrug or a full shrug"
Not telling
" I reckon my shrug was bigger and better than yours "
Not even
@ Brigid, these guys are so malleable I seriously believe if we were living in 1941 they would get in behind the Nazi invasion of Russia in a flash if they were told too, they seem to have absolutely no critical thinking facility for processing any new incoming information whatsoever.
Of course they will willfully either ignore or justify this…
Reuters, BBC in Covert UK Program to Push Western Agenda
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/02/22/reuters-bbc-in-covert-uk-program-to-push-western-agenda/
Godwin.
meh. He's not usually so explicit in his accusations about which camps commenters he doesn't agree with would willingly staff.
Just because they [checks notes] think Putin is a totalitarian, murdering, kleptocrat.
I'd be offended, but only if I thought Adrian's opinion was worth more than dogshit.
You have to wonder about someone who repeatedly refers to concentration camps to defend a losing point of view.
Now if camp guard meant Charles Hawtrey or Kenneth Williams in carry on sergeant, that would be much less barking and, of course, somewhat amusing.
OMG it's an ancestor of Police Academy!
No oral under the lectern though, it was 1958 after all, and that didn't arrive in the UK until 1974.
I don’t believe there has been a bombing, a sanction, an assassination, a droning, or in fact any sort of aggressive foreign action from western countries directed outwardly across the planet, that you bunch of mindless fucking maniacs haven’t supported if told it’s OK by Liberal media…and that is why I often compare you to camp guards, because there is a long sad history of people like you lot of brainless arse lickers who end up being actually really dangerous to fellow citizens when/if shit ever hits the fan.
Like I said a couple of weeks ago, when someone comes along, who you guys think is the right authority, and that authority says jump, and you lot instantly yell back…HOW HIGH SIR…..no questions asked, ever…it’s really quite scary and unsettling to watch in real time.
And BTW, you have proved time and again here on this site, that if they told you dog shit was chocolate ice cream, you would shovel that down your throat as quick as you could. of that I am sure.
Thank you.
Also note they won't/can't counter the reasonable content you provide that falls outside the establishment narrative they vehemently hold on to.
Yes, you are sure of many scary and unsettling things.
The relationship of those things to reality, however, seems tenuous and ephemeral. If only you could form a coherent, rational argument to support the reality of those things, rather than merely producing flecks of froth around the mouth.
With that statement you not only show you haven't read what people have posted in opposition to some western military actions, you admit to having no real clue about politics – especially global insight, and then self confess to being the sort of moron wiser heads think you are. Well played.
That’s exactly what you do.
You’re like one of those Trump supporters who believes the voting machines were hacked because the my pillow guy told you.
Could you please do all of us here on TS a favour and rinse your mouth out with soap and tone it down, thanks. The three of you love to fight here, and who am I to judge, but your personal insults keep crossing the admittedly fuzzy boundaries of robust debate and it is a tad embarrassing.
I am not the least bit embarrassed, why should I be, I stand behind everything I said today, and say whenever I am on The Standard.
As I have always said, I am very easy to find, so if anyone wants this debate face to face, that’s fine with me.
Will try and tone the swearing down a bit though if that is a problem.
Yes, I think that would be appreciated all around, thank you.
Because it's the naughty words that are a problem, not calling people "camp guards"? Especially now he's made it clear precisely which camps he means?
It’s all of it.
Adrian doesn’t like me “micro managing” you (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2021/#comment-1776224 and https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2021/#comment-1776230), which I think is fair enough and I rely on you self-moderating. However, that doesn’t seem to be working so well for so long so soon I will resort to ‘macro managing’ and I personally don’t give a toss who are going to be caught in that when it happens. When you treat other commenters with obvious disdain, you severely diminish your demands to and of Moderators.
Fair call.
Trouble was, when I tried ignoring most commenters I have disdain for, it's fine. But with one or two, sooner or later they drop something along the lines of the lack of response "speaks volumes", which is a flat-out lie.
So sometimes it feels like the old rock and hard place.
When your drunk uncle at a party starts whaling that nobody loves him it is better to call a taxi for him than to beat him even more senseless.
It's not the morbid drunks who are a problem for other people – it's the one who's taking swings at random folk and calling them the c-word in lieu of being able to form a rational position.
By the way, he’s been doing it for over a year now so yeah, I’m getting tired of it.
Noted, thanks.
"Useful idiots", "Convergence moonbats", "Kremlin propaganda", "clueless". Lots of epithets, zero argument. Reminds one of this thoughtful analyst:
Indeed, it is frustrating when people offer no argument or (political) analysis but only ad homs and cheap labels ‘supported’ with meaningless and distracting YT clips.
With respect, Incognito, my choice of that Keith Olbermann montage was hardly meaningless. All of the ad homs and cheap labels in this thread come from Andre; I placed them in context.
When I limit myself to one thread I generally state that
You upset cos the best insults have been used already?
It has been a while since anybody here received a ban. You’re currently in pole position and the nearest competition is not even in sight, I’m pleased to say.
They're not any good as insults because they are either worn out or they have no basis in reality.
Worn out insults: 1) Stalin's "useful idiots" crack. This is no more than a cliché and it has no power at all; Andre and a few others use it on this forum quite a bit. It usually says nothing about the target, but a great deal about the attacker.
2) "clueless"–same as for "useful idiots."
Insults with no basis in reality: 1) The flaccid "convergence moonbat" slur is an invention of one of the beleaguered propagandists who churns out copy for the faux-liberal Clintonista rump of the tedia, AKA “the blogosphere” (Daily Kos, Daily Beast, Vox, Huff Po). It is predicated on the nonsensical idea that, since principled people on the left criticised the Democratic Party's "leadership" and right wingers from Fox News railed, often incoherently, against Democratic "leaders", then both left and right must be the same. They converge, in other words. To quote Noam Chomsky, in order to accept that theory, you need a very expensive education.
2) "Kremlin propaganda"—sane and reasonable people will of course realize that if the Russian government happens to agree with one on a point of principle—for example, that supporting the Al-Nusra Front in Syria is not a good idea—that does not necessarily mean that one is a supporter of the Russian government.
Chomsky inspired me to use 'useful idiots' without even making the Stalin connection. I'm sure that says lots about me.
,,, without any attempt at critical examination, or consideration of nuance of the big picture."
…here is some of the 'critical examination' you so rightly point out is sorely missing in coverage of this topic, and from actual Russians on the ground in Russia, who would ever have thought actual Russian citizens might have their own diverse opinions about their own affairs?
For Russian leftists, Western favorite Navalny represents same corrupt elitism
" Two Russian leftists, Katya Kazbek and Alexey Sakhnin discuss why they don't see Navalny as a genuine alternative to Vladimir Putin, and instead as a representative of a different faction of the ruling Russian elite — one more willing to cater to Western counterparts."
In Navalny poisoning, rush to judgment threatens new Russia-NATO crisis
Guest: Fred Weir, veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.
The thing is Adrian, all you do is repost trash like this.
You never entertain the obvious questions – like, "How legitimate can a person who declares himself president for life be?" – a question Xi also needs to answer.
The lack of critical thinking lies with you Putin dupes.
Find yourself a few primary sources on Russia instead of what Putin's PR machine spoonfeeds you, and you'll be less of a public embarrassment.
And what is your problem with the people that Aron Mate' interviews in those two clips exactly?
It's not obvious to you?
You have selected them for their subservience to the corrupt Putin regime. You need to balance such perspectives – you might start here: Blowing up Russia: the secret plot to bring back KGB power Download (236 Pages) (pdfdrive.com)
The second fellow is a very poor commentator also. You should be aware that Russia has a significant intellectual culture – these people wanted, in the post Gorbachov era, to have an actual democracy.
They are absolutely furious with Putin reverting to the corruption that characterized the late Soviet era. When that autocrat took power, Russian presidential terms were limited to five years – specifically to keep scoundrels like Putin out. He has betrayed the reform of the post-Soviet era – and his management has been economically disastrous as well as deadly to journalists and industrialists that were not part of his clique.
And of course you have not answered the question. How can a leader who pretends to be a democratic president declare himself president for life? This is the act of an autocrat – and autocrats are not legitimate.
“You have selected them for their subservience to the corrupt Putin regime. You need to balance such perspectives” FFS!!!
I don't want to be rude here Stuart, but it really looks like you are either being willfully stupid or are desperately trying to just remain ignorant of other facts around this issue, so you can, for some unknown reason, only ever talk or comment on it in half truths and rhetoric….try actually putting a pin into that bubble of yours once and awhile, the fresh air might do you some good my friend.
Aaronn Mate' interviews from the above clips…
Interviewee 1;
Alexey Sakhnin is a Russian activist and a member of the Left Front. He was one of the leaders of the anti-Putin protest movement from 2011 to 2013. He later emigrated to Sweden and lived as an exile there, before returning to Russia to continue his work as a left oppositional activist and journalist. He is also a member of the Progressive International Council.
https://jacobinmag.com/author/alexey-sakhnin
Interviewee 2:
Katya Kazbek is originally from Russia. She is a feminist and an LGBTIQ issues freelance writer. Her work has been published in Creative Times Report, Russian GQ and Vogue. Katya’s main fields of interest include the post-colonial struggle in the ex-USSR territories, race, migration, class, sexual violence and queer identities
https://www.guernicamag.com/katya-kazbek-discourse-in-danger/
Interviewee 3;
Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998. He's traveled over much of that vast territory, reporting on stories ranging from Russia's financial crash to the war in Chechnya, creeping Islamization in central Asia, Russia's demographic crisis, the rise of Vladimir Putin and his repeated returns to the Kremlin, and the ups and downs of US-Russia relations.
Fred is the co-author of Revolution from Above: Russia's Path from Gorbachev to Putin, Routledge, 2007.
https://www.csmonitor.com/About/People/Fred-Weir
I don't want to be rude here
Then don't. Go and find yourself some credible Russian sources (you'll recognize them easily enough – they won't have a bar of RT) or stop flaunting your ignorance.
Politkovskaya had many friends you know – and the survivors still work to bring the truth out. This lady seems promising for example. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/russian-journalist-galina-timchenko/id494517111?i=1000430864222
I have no problem with listening to and gathering perspectives and opinion from people like Galina Timchenko, even if it is from the BBC who are far from impartial, in fact the BBC have just been proved through leaked documents to be actively impartial, and ironically….
“These revelations show that when MPs were railing about Russia, British agents were using the BBC and Reuters to deploy precisely the same tactics that politicians and media commentators were accusing Russia of using,”
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/02/22/reuters-bbc-in-covert-uk-program-to-push-western-agenda/
Well it's a start.
But to understand Putin, one does well to look at the beginning of his political career. Two Decades On, Smoldering Questions About The Russian President's Vault To Power (rferl.org)
From NZ Herald: "The new case – "Case M" – attends the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) and is the older brother of a Papatoetoe High School student. The man, who also works at Kerry Logistics (Oceania) Limited, went to MIT for three days and to the gym twice – including once after taking a Covid test – when he should have been isolating at home".
He is not going to be popular with his work mates at Kerry Logistics or MIT!
Its all very well for Seymour to blame Ardern for this lock down, but how the hell do you stop idiots like this! (other than locking them up or something).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-auckland-in-level-3-lockdown-rest-of-new-zealand-at-level-2-latest-developments/KQD6V5VYWFFYSJUNAAZNI4K2LU/
If Seymour was our leader he would be like Trump no masks no lock down.
The UK variant is much more easily spread we need to be much more careful and be prepared for sudden lockdown.
If Seymour was our leader…
Now there's a dystopian vision, if ever there was one.
Some months ago on the radio I heard the account of a bloke who was feeling unwell and thought he might have covid, that chap got a test and immediately voluntary self isolated. I felt gratitude toward him for doing the right thing and helping ensure the virus remained under control.
We have heard similar a number of times since. So and so recorded a positive test however the risk is low as they person had been self isolating for so many days before infection.
Fest forward to this past week. Ardern has said it was right to drop levels last week as those who posed a risk had been identified and had been told to isolate. If people had done the right thing we would have a firewall around the virus.
The problem of course if that some people DIDN'T do the right thing. And for all the reasons they might have felt 'compelled' or 'needed' to go out, there was an element of choice in them not doing the right thing, they chose so. Now thousands of people are at risk; at risk of contracting covid19, at risk of seeing a precarious business going under, at risk of missing a mortgage payment, at risk of missing bills, at risk of losing a job.
Most people will do the right thing. With those who choose not to the question that came to my mind is – do we from now on have to go to a level 3 or similar each and every time, rather than rely in contact tracing and isolation for some, to give no option to those who cannot make the right choice. Everyone goes to level 3 because some people cannot do as asked an cannot do the right thing. Due to a few placing us all at risk, we take away the option of doing the right thing, and automatically apply a blanket level 3 across everyone
I sent someone a text this morning to say that MPs need to be tested. An hour later on Q+A Collins was on, she attended the Joseph Parker fight.
At some point an MP is going to test positive.
Seymour now wants a police state?
In terms of covid and employers, have been musing on the "not being popular with workmates" bit. Someone may have been exposed to covid and was instructed to self isolate. They however chose to go to work (as opposed to the employer demanding they go to work). So the person goes to work and is then confirmed as having covid. The employer is required to close their business, clean it, and send a number of staff home to isolate and get a test. The risk the employee created might lead to discipline action. I am not saying it will automatically lead to punitive action however I think the employer has open to them initiating discipline action on the employee for the chaos created by not self isolating.
Fear of losing your job if you do not go to work is a concern. This also applies if you told your employer you had been tested and the employer said you had to come to work.
It needs to be made an offence if an employee is being coerced.
indeed, workers AND businesses need to do the right thing. Coercion to come to work is as equally bad as someone deciding the self isolate rules don't apply to them. The cost to the employer is such a case as you mention is closure, loss of income and the need for a deep clean. Plus paying staff full pay due to the employers stupidity.
That said, I am not aware how a gym can coerce someone to go in for a workout after getting a covid test.
It already is.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/123382917/worksafe-notified-over-auckland-covid19-case-who-went-to-work-after-being-tested-and-advised-to-selfisolate
As I recall the outcome of this case was not clear. I do not know what the final decision was. Possibly it was miscommunication with both the employer and the employee.
Well, that wasn’t quite the point of this thread but anyway: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300226268/covid19-worksafe-wont-investigate-shop-linked-to-auckland-november-cluster
On the plus side, thanks to case M, the traffic around Saint Heliers and Mission Bay should be fine due to no Round the bays!
I'm off to YouTube to watch the Monty Python Life of Brian tune "Always look on the bright side of life"
You really are a little ray of sunshine, aren't you?
QFT
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300240628/poverty-desperation-social-exclusion-this-is-the-soil-in-which-gangs-grow
The silence of Minister Poto Williams when her own Commissioner was attacked this week was reprehensible. She's just weak.
Bridges should be able to make good inroads with gang issues this year.
I think he handled Bridges fine on his own and in fact made him look even more reactionary and stupid.
She probably felt it was best to stand back and let Simon damage himself.
Even the writer of that soppy article agreed that gang numbers and confidence and visibility were increasing. Check out multiple hundreds of gang bikes rolling through Auckland yesterday. You could hear them for miles. I've not seen that done on that scale for many years.
As for last week, the Commissioner did ok, but Bridges is onto a total winner.
Covid won't camouflage this government forever, and the weaker ministers like Williams who haven't played defence well will be the most vulnerable.
I live near Headhunters HQ in Auckland. The road is permanently deep carbon black with burnout marks.
Gangs are trying to mimic here the higher profile and greater legitimacy they enjoy in Australia.
It's all about marketing.
That marketing is effective and goes hand in hand with actual market control.
From the Otago Uni study last year, 28% of middle aged New Zealanders have tried methamphetamine
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/409889/study-finds-28-percent-of-middle-aged-kiwis-have-tried-meth-and-reveals-the-drug-s-links-with-violence
I'm sure it's much smaller for regular users. But the relationship between gangs growing in smaller towns and regions of New Zealand, and massive rises in meth use, is pretty clear.
"Kawerau is a small town with a population of around 7000 people. Locals Newshub spoke to said you could find P in one in every two homes here, and if you don't already have it, your next hit is only a phone call away. "
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/11/new-zealand-s-growing-meth-crisis-ruining-people-s-lives-frontline-staff.html
NZPolice track this meth+dealer+violence growth relationship (among other ways) by trend-line responses from their informants:
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/online-version/recent-changes-methamphetamine-scene-new-zealand-page-4
In the 8 years we've lived in Australia I cannot recall the last time we saw a gang presence in public. I know they exist, but to suggest they enjoy any kind of extra legitimacy here strikes me as implausible.
I have noticed some bikie gangs cover their patches with a vest when on their bikes.
Lead by invisible hand or not lead at all?
One could argue that Bridges is something of an expert when it comes to losing popularity and respect, but that's yesterday's news. Just when it seemed the former National party leader couldn't go any lower, he plumbs new depths. Whatever next?
With schools unable to have galas and other fund raising since late 2019, the drop off of international students and a dramatic reduction in school donations being received for those schools D7+, (that the labour govt decided not to keep its promise to fund ALL schools in lieu of dropping donations). Just listen out to schools following Heath boards with deficits and boards under severe pressure (like Health Boards) to work within inadequate funding levels.
https://www.education.govt.nz/school/funding-and-financials/fees-charges-and-donations/#what
So in other words schools can only survive with donations and foreign students. This means NZ has no functioning school system in place.
Similar situation for the Health system. Not far off for the vulnerable in society.
But millionaires and billionaires made a bundle, some with the money that should be going to the need of the community. How telling.
I see, take a scattergun, shoot at something, then connect the thousands of dots into a coherent self-consistent narrative to discern and communicate ‘the truth’, and come up with ‘solutions’. That’s called constructive criticism and rational debate. It is in short supply, here and everywhere else.
I see continual under funding by ALL governments creating stress at a local level and the acceptance that under funding is to be compensated by the goodwill of teachers, nurses etc fund raising, parking fees, with anything that can makeup shortfalls any options to source funds. With covid many areas of alternative funding has greatly diminished or disappeared, and my comment was directed to Schools experiencing this so early on in the year. Other examples St Johns.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/121808945/ambulance-service-should-not-be-dependent-on-charity
All policies are human constructs and not set in stone, follow natural laws etc. This can be changed. It takes a strong willed government and enough people fed up with all that BS we are being fed daily to act.
I am for one not optimistic.
I would have thought if there is a provable drop in revenue, in this case through fundraising, the schools can apply for Covid-19 subsidy assistance just like anyone else?
That unfilled promise means that 30% of schools were not covered, and most schools have galas etc to top up shortfalls Not happening.
Do you have a link to that “promise” so that we know what you’re talking about?
Of course, not many did foresee this pandemic.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/113426993/decile-810-schools-to-wait-for-another-day-for-shift-in-governments-150-voluntary-donations-scheme
As we have had Covid 19 schools that declined the option (Decile 1-7) in some cases are now worse off. I know that local primary schools are already having to operate under restricted budgets and asking teachers to teach with reduced resources e.g. art supplies.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/07/20/39419/school-donations
"Part of that funding would go toward giving schools that don't ask for donations $150 per student"
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/10/what-labour-promised.html
Oh yeah. I knew this was coming because I saw the alert when paying GST on Friday (forgive me a little indulgent virtue signalling there).
But, perfect timing, right?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/covid-19-coronavirus-ird-website-down-businesses-cant-apply-for-support-payment/ZCN3DBXBPBHQFC7JLY7P3PHRGA/
On this one I really feel sorry for the IRD.
I don't know when they first started telling people about the shutdown but they were certainly doing so last Wednesday, 24 Feb. It never rains but it pours.
https://media.ird.govt.nz/articles/ir-online-services-and-phone-lines-closed-during-this-weekend/
If they have planned ahead for a weekend outage it is likely that they can’t bring anything up until they have done the lot.
This Ngati Maru settlement seems pretty small for all the Waitara wrongs of the 1860s and Parihaka on top of that.
$30m plus a few reserves, and rights to buy a bit more: the full set of settlement documents is here:
https://www.govt.nz/browse/history-culture-and-heritage/treaty-settlements/find-a-treaty-settlement/ngati-maru-taranaki/
Of course the iwi themselves have signed on to it.
I'm just marking that this is a damnably small settlement for the scale of injustice perpetrated against them by the Crown.
In 1865 this iwi had control of about 220,000 hectares, from the sources of the Waitakere to Stratford and to Whanganui.
As always the Crown's reps recognise it's not enough …. "While no redress can ever fully compensate for the destructive and demoralising effects of Crown actions, I hope this settlement will allow Ngāti Maru to realise their aspirations for a vibrant economic and cultural future, and restores a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and cooperation." – Minister Little
But TBH if that had happened to my family I wouldn't be letting Minister Little off with it. I'd just keep fighting until I was good and done.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/crown-apologises-leaving-ng-ti-maru-virtually-landless-30m-settlement-signed
If they manage to acquire any cutting rights, I sure hope they cut them fast before the Chinese locally-grown glut collapses our log prices. Because if they don't they won't be worth much.
Looking forward to the post-settlement entity going from strength to strength.
Also looking forward to visiting the Parihaka village upgrade once it's all done.
This is just the first bite, as I am sure you are aware.
"Full and final settlements" are no such thing.
It is unavoidable.
Great to see a 'funeral for a river' done with such panache and also with lots of local farmer support.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/28/its-a-funeral-march-french-artist-jrs-powerful-homily-for-australias-murray-darling
It's one of the first times in a long time I've seen art and activism intersect really well.
Maybe those artists can come over here and do the same.
Good to see there are some farmers who actually care about water quality.
This seems to be a very quick turnaround by the PM.
On Tuesday last she seemed to be saying she was in no hurry to get vaccinated.
"Asked whether she is willing to be vaccinated publicly, Ardern said she will, when it's her turn." ….. "Ardern's decision is a move away from other world leaders who have chosen to receive the vaccination early and in public, in the hopes of inspiring confidence in the vaccine."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-jacinda-ardern-says-she-will-be-publicly-vaccinated-but-not-yet/K7LDPTQCUTD2YW65D5TKYQJUDA/
By Saturday she was saying
"However, she told the Weekend Herald that she would not wait until the middle of the year, when the wider public rollout begins." …. " However, a vaccine will potentially allow Ardern to travel overseas again in the near future, and try to reinvigorate trade talks." …. "The timing and order of any trips would depend on how easy it was to travel. However, global leaders are working on a "vaccine passport" to try to open up travel again."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/coronavirus-covid-19-pm-jacinda-ardern-plans-to-get-vaccinated-before-public/R4DTBWN3Q5QUQZ634O3XHNBBMQ/
Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet the only inconvenience would seem to be the need to quarantine. Does she know that a vaccination provides immunity from carrying the disease or do our leaders plan to excuse themselves from obligations we have to bear?
If it is the former it would seem to me that the first group to be vaccinated should be anyone planning to come to this country. After all, if the vaccination is fully effective we could wipe quarantine for anyone who is fully vaccinated. If it doesn't work that way is out PM planning to bypass quarantine for herself but keep it on for everyone else?
[lprent: Would you care to substantiate “Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet…” since you have made it as an assertion of fact. However I strongly suspect that you are merely lying (again) for effect. But hey, if you make the assertion, then you own it and are expected to substantiate it. Or you could apologise to the people reading this site for making up false facts?
Substantive links only please. Possibly comparing it with John Key and/or Bill English broken down by roles.
Incidentally, as far as I am aware, the most common reason for her (like all previous prime ministers, MFAT ministers, and trade ministers) to use a Air Force 757 jet is to carry trade or diplomatic missions – not specifically for her own travel. If you were being rigorous, then you’d exclude those when they are far larger than her and assisting staff members – but I suspect you might have data issues.
The nearest viable alternative for the numbers of people on those trips especially to low traffic destinations in the pacific, would be to charter a plane for the people invited or required for those missions. Even then I vaguely remember comments in Hansard by the head of the AF, that it was usually an opportunity to send aid and diplomatic freight as well.
I’ll put you on auto-moderation for a day or two until you assemble your facts and/or apology. If I don’t hear back from you then I’ll make a sentencing decision. ]
Well she's probably planning to come back into this country after leaving it.
Do you know how long it takes after the first and second shot of vaccine to achieve full immunity?
Do you know how many days between the two shots?
Do you know how long new arrivals are mandated to stay in MIQ?
see my moderating note.
Travel on an Air Force plane.
I don't have any opinion on whether she travels on an Air Force plane. It is normally the most convenient way to do it, particularly when there is a large group of people going to some out of the way place.
[Irrelevant twaddle deleted. ]
[lprent: Read my note again and stop wasting my time. Doing searches isn’t a rare skill these days. I did that in the couple of minutes after I read your assertion.
But that wasn’t what I moderated on. You didn’t state your sentence as an opinion – you stated it in a way that claimed it to be a fact. I wouldn’t have bothered to moderate on an opinion expressed as an opinion.
What you said about Ardern was that “Given that she generally travels on an Air Force jet the only inconvenience would seem to be the need to quarantine.”. Showing that she sometimes flies on air force planes or jets isn’t ‘generally’. By your apparent definition of ‘generally’, my few flights on air force planes and helicopters decades ago could be expressed that the air force are my personal airline that I generally use. Something that is false to fact.
There was no ‘opinion’ in the first part of that sentence, the second part was opinion – and ludicrously false if the fact it was based on was false. It was also the kind of ‘fact’ that some moronic trolls would repeat like parrots for ever after. That irritates me.
If you claim a fact as part of a debate here, then the responsibility is yours to prove it or even have a decent argument for saying it was correct. That is the core of having a robust debate. Now you appear to be now attempting weasel it down a mere opinion. Doesn’t work.
You will either prove your assertion was at the very least to be something that can be argued about on the basis of verifiable facts, apologise to readers, or get a long arbitrary ban (that goes up each time that you waste my time). Which as a matter of fact becomes your choices because I won’t tolerate any others.
I really don’t like people making claims of fact that are extremely unlikely. You can’t throw opinion off as being fact here without challenge and without sanction if you can’t support it. This is a place for robust debate and expressing peoples own opinions. It is not maintained for inventing magic ‘facts’ for political advantage and payment. In NZ that was known as the departed whaleoil site. ]
I am very impressed. I certainly wasn't capable of coming up with all the information you ask of me. To find that you are capable of, in just a few minutes, coming up with details of all the trips on Air Force planes taken by Key, English and Ardern was beyond my skills.
That was even more beyond my meagre skills when you appear to have wanted me to break them down by type of trip and to be able to identify, at least by role, all the people who went on the trip including, I suppose, whether they were part of the PM's department, another department, the Press or private organisations. Even if you didn't want to know who they were you would seem to be capable of coming up with the number who were in each classification
Is this really what you managed to do in a few minutes? How do you do it? Enlightenment would be much appreciated. What were the queries that you used?
[lprent: Pointless diversion that doesn’t address the question of how you can show that your assertion of fact was in any way correct or arguable. My task was way simpler than your one because all I had to do was to seek any information that vaguely supported your made up garbage. Where as you appear to have to manufacture more idiotic bullshit arguments. I guess another day before I deal with you.
BTW: I just scanned the first 4 pages of google on RNAF 757 and 40 squadron, had a quick search at Wikipedia site, a read through the 2019 NZDF report, and a search of Hansard on the parliamentary site.
Plus of course I’ve been reading about the search for a replacement for the 757 and C-130s for quite a few years now in general background reading on the maintenance issues like this. ]
Watched tovid obrine alternatively trying to skewer the PM and then playing gossip columnist on newshub nationals yesterday. groomed to the max in black and red lippy. this morning she back on the telly trying to make out that her opinion on covid lockdowns carries more weight than the pm and the director of health. this time dressed in white no lippy and against a black backdrop so last nights excesses were not so obvious. my apologies for being so petty but if she wants to put herself up as a model of virtue and probity then it works both ways
If you don't like what someone does, why even bring her appearance into it?
Republican have regularly been breaking rules 3 to 10 of the 10 commandments;
But now it looks like they have found a way to get a full bingo of breaking all the10 Commandments by treating Trump as their god and worshiping idols of him.
I think someone might have sent this as a joke, but those who claim to be Christians missed the fact they where breaking Rules 1 and 2 with it because most of them have never actually really read the bible, they just quote parts of it they have been told justify their bigotry.
22,000 seasonal workers needed within days in By of Plenty.
Minimum picking wage for Kiwifruit is now $22.10.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/kiwi-fruit-pickers-have-simple-message-growers-cry-labour-pay-us-more
Sometimes markets work ok. The pressure on this rate can only go up now.
This is what is stipulated by government as the living wage hrl. rate.
That would be the full time rate which would also have annual leave and sick days.
I assume the kiwifruit picking is a casual contract. This hourly rate should be higher.