Interesting fact considering the way the Azov fighters in Mariupol were portrayed as freedom fighters by media in New Zealand, and raises the question why we support these people in Ukraine at the same time as call them terrorists in New Zealand:
"It was the first thing I noticed as news of the Christchurch shooting came in — the patch on the back of the shooter's rucksack, something that was also emblazoned on the cover of the rambling manifesto.
It's a sonnenrad (sunwheel) or black sun: a symbol commonly used by the far-right, including outright neo-Nazis, originally adapted from a mosaic on the floor on the SS Generals' Hall.
Seeing it in the context of Christchurch reminded me of just how interconnected the global far-right has become.
A manifesto was sent to police believed to be sent from the Christchurch shooter.
A wade through the swamp that is the manifesto shows a peculiar imagined version of Eastern Europe.
And it is clear the shooter matters to some in that region's far-right."
and:
"But there's another country mentioned in the manifesto, the one I'm in right now: Ukraine.
Ukraine is home to a resurgent far-right that uses the same symbolism as the Christchurch shooter, but it hasn't been mentioned much over the past few weeks.
To some extent, this is fair — despite some speculation, we don't yet know for sure if he was even in Ukraine.
Ukraine is home to the Azov movement, a far-right movement originally formed in 2014 as the Azov Battalion to fight Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine. It quickly earned controversy as a place that accepted open neo-Nazis into its ranks."
We don't know for sure if he was in Ukraine, but its on public record that he told his mother he wanted to move to Ukraine.Yes, every country has its far right problem, but in Ukraine these groups have gained a disproportionate amount of power, and not by democratic means , but by sheer violence and the backing of Avakov, head of the Ministry of internal affairs, who has survived every change of govt since Yanukovich
What Varchenko and the Interior Ministry assiduously avoid mentioning are the compelling grounds for concern about any cooperation between far-right vigilante groups and law enforcement bodies. Such grounds include the views at the basis of the National Corps and previous activities of groups linked with the Azov Civic Corps.
C14, a group whose members have openly expressed neo-Nazi views and been involved in the recent violent attacks on Romany camps in Kyiv, and the far-right affiliated Svoboda political party, are the recipients of Youth and Sports Ministry grants for "national-patriotic education projects," according to a June 13 report by Hromadske Radio.
So deplore the Russian invasion if you will, but portraying Ukraine's fight as one for democracy against autocracy, while ignoring and whitewashing Ukraine's encouragement of far right ideology comes with huge risks to us all
That this is a fight between two white race nations with their own identity issues seems to have escaped you.
We are witnessing the ethnic cleansing of nova russia regions of Ukrainians so those Russian identified can have their land – and this is what you notice.
I didn't and still don't get any sense that they were portrayed as heroes holding out. More that they were soldiers who had been cut off from support and were in a untenable position running out of food and ammunition.
While the resistance of Ukraine as a whole has been portrayed as heroic against larger odds the commentary around the Azov battalion has been less emotive and the connection to the far right has been well discussed and documented and commented on.
It is both possible to be a right wing supporter and bravely fight against an invading country just as it is to be a communist and bravely fight against an invading country. These things aren't contradictions.
Overall I find the commentary on Azov doesn't shy away from their right-wing links nor in fact the right-wing influence in both Ukraine and Russia generally. Europe as a whole has much stronger, louder, visible – to suggest a phrase – "white-wing" groups and politics than we have. /This is just as true in Russia where many see themselves as the last great white Christian country. Again oft written about well before the current invasion.
What you suggest is a fact is really only an opinion. That is part of the problem today – opinions are being described as facts and facts as opinions.
It is primarily about a clash of values between authoritarian closed societies that treat their people as a population who exist only to serve the interests of the power elites – and open liberal societies in which the state exists to serve and protect the interest and freedoms of a people who are it's citizens.
There are extremist ideologues on both the left and the right who openly embrace the closed authoritarian society because they fantasise this is the only way to impose their failed dreams on a captive population – so they can bully, coerce and murder their way to the utopia they believe is always for the greater good.
Events of the past few years have flushed out plenty of left wing examples infesting this site.
That picture should be on the bedroom wall of every young Lefty. On the opposite wall should be a picture of Tonga. In the middle should be a sign saying" New Zealand is heading in one direction, you should head in the other and enjoy the fruits of your labour if you are willing to work for it and change your mindset.
In fact I would amend my above comment and say ''mind set'' is more important than work. Mindset covers a lot of ground. From changing subconscious beliefs that hinder one's life, to working magic in pursuit of your goals.
OK – let's replace these straw men you have thrown out there with some actual 'left' opinions:
"I don't deserve it." Nobody deserves it if it is irrationally disproportionate to talent, effort and the social value created, which it commonly is. Complementing that, nobody deserves to be extremely poor either.
"Money is dirty". Not intrinsically. It depends on how it is obtained and how it is used.
"You need money to make money" – you don't, but you need it to turbocharge and accelerate the growth of your wealth
"Rich people live off the backs of poor people" – see previous reply. Not always or entirely, but enormous and accelerating wealth is based on having the market power to extract from others a portion of the value they create.
"Being wealthy means being selfish." The economic system itself requires selfishness. Individuals can be privately unselfish but systemically selfish. It's a mistake to focus on personal morality. The most we can say about personal morality is that becoming wealthy may make someone more selfish than they were before as their mind turns to retaining it. Or it may not do that.
"God hates rich people" . We can't know if a personal God exists or not, let alone what his/her opinions are. We do know that human cultures and religions have always been suspicious of great wealth – and that worship of it is a fairly recent cultural phenomenon.
You can't rationalise irrational subconscious fears. You can only remove the complex. It matters not what I think, or you think. Some people don't even know they have such beliefs. And those that have some realisation of what they believe still have to have an opposing belief entered into their mind until the problem complex loses its charge.
You may be under the mistaken belief I think only Lefties have wrong beliefs about money. Not true, many Righties have the same problem.
New Zealanders respect genuine inventers, entrepreneurs, and those who made their money through real hard work.
Those who stumbled into lucrative bullshit jobs as financial "consultants”, housing speculators, inheriters of "Daddies money", and Ponzi scheme originators, not so much.
It is the latter who tend to keep blethering about "Tall poppy syndrome".
Those who genuinely "work hard for their money" share the general Kiwi contempt for blowhards.
I can't remember the last time there was an article in the news about a Ferrari owning teacher or nurse upset at the 'tall poppy syndrome' thing they were going through.
You reckon they should have worked harder? Or more effectively? Or charged each and every client $50, 508 like the subject of the current story?
Imagine, 30 kids in my class x $50, 508 = $1,515,250. Ah, get rid of the Ford, get a Ferrari.
I expect she can afford a chauffeur to drive her so you wont be needed. If you work hard and save up, maybe you will one day be able to afford a Ferrari too. Just cause she has done well, doesn't me you or I cant also do well.
Yep, sensible wealthy people know to keep a low profile in New Zealand. Those who flaunt it soon learn the hard way, especially if they go broke.
While the attitude towards wealth isn't as bad as it used to be, it still there. Labour relies on the ''envy factor'' as part of its political strategy. Sir Michael Cullen and David Parker are two fine examples of what the Left think about wealth.
Sir Bob Jones said he used to get the finger about four times a week when he was in his Roller. I think Tui Teka got a pass when he drove his Roller because he was a bro… and he deserved it because of colonisation.
From the link:
''Government officials have estimated 50,000 New Zealanders will leave the country over the next year to head off on an OE or for work as the borders reopen after two years of Covid-19 restricting travel.''
More the question: How many are coming back? Talkback says not many.
I can't see much improving under National, so I'm seriously thinking of moving to Perth. I went to an international removal company site online. They all have calculators for pricing container transport to your destination. I stopped at the beginning when a figure of $16,500 came up on the calculator. I think it's best to buy new in Australia.
Jones is a prime example of those who made money by pushing up land prices. While he tried to shaft the people who he was making money from, and benefit himself by playing political games. No wonder why he got the finger.
Keep listening to National Socialist Radio, and be lead astray. I'm listening to real people from the street. People who have first hand knowledge from all types of industries and government departments. People who have been involved in all types of incidents that make the news.
You meanwhile listen to random streams of thought within your limited intellect, and then have a cheek to say I live in a bubble.
Will do. But first I'm waiting to see how National shapes up after assuming office in 2023.
''And I'm sure you'll be right at home with the Labor government of Western Australia.''
Tells you something about the state of NZ, eh?
BTW – will you be able to hack four or five terms of a Tory government? Just think, in that time some of the old timers on this blog will have passed on. The remaining posters will become more spiteful and frustrated as Labour fail time and again. In fact, it's possible this blog may not be around to enjoy a future Left leaning government. That's what happens when you create a blinkered loop and start believing your own bs instead of facing reality.
Puff piece by the Herald to promote limited tax cuts to the hard pressed middle, to enable large ones (removing the top rate, limiting the bright-line test and restoring tax deductibility for interest to landlords) to the deserving few.
Presumably hoping this middle class does not realise they had better put it and more into health insurance because cutting taxes and underfunding public health will impact them too.
Rule of thumb: anyone complaining about the "tall poppy syndrome" is suffering from narcissistic dejection – they are sad, hurt and surprised to find that other people don't view them as self-evidently a superior being.
There may be exceptions – I'm yet to encounter one.
Why then are you not living in Russia? You love the place so much – yet here you are living in one of those nasty open liberal democracies you hate and you do nothing about it.
BTW twisting someone’s words like that is a deeply dishonest bit of fuckery. But like all tankies you have no conscience so why should I be surprised.
There could be stories in the paper each day about gang members being arrested with images of guns, money, drugs and vehicles confiscated yet the supporters of National and ACT will say nothing is being done about gangs and they're being given free licence.
Arrests….so what? The gangs are growing like weeds. Police are hamstrung by a liberal police commissioner. The justice system is broken. All those arrested are basically replaced overnight, while each week jailed gang bangers are released from prison after serving inadequate sentences.
Meanwhile police become more jaded. The Justice system breaks down that little bit more. Winz and social housing breeds the next generation thugs in an endless cycle.
And what's Labour doing? Putting in bollards.
Here's a reality check, boys. This is happening in the real world, and not in your heads.
Correct. And I said the money would have been better spent on policing. The shortfalls of the governments 6 million spend is clearly spelt out in the clip, along with the problems of lack of police and police attendance times to crime scenes
The clip heading say's 70 % of attacks are unreported. That's staggering if true. I can tell you in my city, a WestPac bank ram raid( enclosed ATM machines) never made the headlines, along with two dairy raids that were only reported locally.
[It’s common courtesy here to start a new thread if you want to divert away from the discussion topic. This avoids the attention of Mods, as it could raise suspicion that you might be a diversion troll, which could see you accidentally banned – Incognito]
My reply was direct and relevant to your comment. You referred to an announcement about government spending. I replied giving examples of previous announcements of spending by this government that have failed to produce results. There was no need to attract the attention of the the moderators, unless they are showing an unhealthy sensitivity to criticism of government around crime.
[Well, well, well, what a surprise, you had to argue against moderation again.
Let me spell it out again for you. Blade and I were discussing the spending or lack of spending on Police and more specifically the $6 million on those bollards.
Your comment diverted away from that with a list of unrelated and thus irrelevant topics.
As I said, you’re free to start your own threads. You’re not entitled to argue with Mods after a warning and attack the Mod. Since you’re already on your last warning I’ll just double the ban if you choose to go down that path, which is quite likely, knowing you – Incognito]
Having more prisons, bigger prisons, cops on every corner with guns, police with extreme powers?
God, I should start a political party with those as my policies. Or just join ACT or National and go with those flows there.
Bollards aren't the ultimate surrender or signs of it. The ultimate surrender is more prisons, bigger prisons, cops on every corner with guns and police with extreme powers.
Quite right, Peter. The ultimate surrender is some NRA nuts calling for teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom to be ready for the next mass shooting!
Our police and police minister are doing a sterling job in difficult times.
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More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
Interesting fact considering the way the Azov fighters in Mariupol were portrayed as freedom fighters by media in New Zealand, and raises the question why we support these people in Ukraine at the same time as call them terrorists in New Zealand:
"It was the first thing I noticed as news of the Christchurch shooting came in — the patch on the back of the shooter's rucksack, something that was also emblazoned on the cover of the rambling manifesto.
It was far from the first time I'd seen it.
I'd seen it on t-shirts sold by far-right fashion brands in France. I'd seen it in photos of shields held by white supremacists at the violent "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017. And, here in Ukraine, I'd seen it on the paraphernalia of the far-right Azov movement.
It's a sonnenrad (sunwheel) or black sun: a symbol commonly used by the far-right, including outright neo-Nazis, originally adapted from a mosaic on the floor on the SS Generals' Hall.
Seeing it in the context of Christchurch reminded me of just how interconnected the global far-right has become.
A manifesto was sent to police believed to be sent from the Christchurch shooter.
A wade through the swamp that is the manifesto shows a peculiar imagined version of Eastern Europe.
And it is clear the shooter matters to some in that region's far-right."
and:
"But there's another country mentioned in the manifesto, the one I'm in right now: Ukraine.
Ukraine is home to a resurgent far-right that uses the same symbolism as the Christchurch shooter, but it hasn't been mentioned much over the past few weeks.
To some extent, this is fair — despite some speculation, we don't yet know for sure if he was even in Ukraine.
Ukraine is home to the Azov movement, a far-right movement originally formed in 2014 as the Azov Battalion to fight Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine. It quickly earned controversy as a place that accepted open neo-Nazis into its ranks."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-10/christchurch-shooting-far-right-groups-in-ukraine-eastern-europe/10983542
We don't know for sure if he was in Ukraine, but its on public record that he told his mother he wanted to move to Ukraine.Yes, every country has its far right problem, but in Ukraine these groups have gained a disproportionate amount of power, and not by democratic means , but by sheer violence and the backing of Avakov, head of the Ministry of internal affairs, who has survived every change of govt since Yanukovich
https://khpg.org/en/1517275970
Azov is not the only far right group getting govt funding C14 gets Ukrainian govt funding to hold summer camps for children
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-militia-behind-brutal-romany-attacks-getting-state-funds/29290844.html
So deplore the Russian invasion if you will, but portraying Ukraine's fight as one for democracy against autocracy, while ignoring and whitewashing Ukraine's encouragement of far right ideology comes with huge risks to us all
Putin has wrapped up his autocracy with that of the state with his alignment with the Russian Orthodox Church – the partner of Tsars.
He cultivated the support of the Njght Wolves.
His and their Duginite tendency's are as close to ethnic fascism as anything in Ukraine and these are ones in power.
That this is a fight between two white race nations with their own identity issues seems to have escaped you.
We are witnessing the ethnic cleansing of nova russia regions of Ukrainians so those Russian identified can have their land – and this is what you notice.
You making huge speculative leaps and not understanding how the internet mimetics works does not make an "interesting fact".
I didn't and still don't get any sense that they were portrayed as heroes holding out. More that they were soldiers who had been cut off from support and were in a untenable position running out of food and ammunition.
While the resistance of Ukraine as a whole has been portrayed as heroic against larger odds the commentary around the Azov battalion has been less emotive and the connection to the far right has been well discussed and documented and commented on.
It is both possible to be a right wing supporter and bravely fight against an invading country just as it is to be a communist and bravely fight against an invading country. These things aren't contradictions.
Overall I find the commentary on Azov doesn't shy away from their right-wing links nor in fact the right-wing influence in both Ukraine and Russia generally. Europe as a whole has much stronger, louder, visible – to suggest a phrase – "white-wing" groups and politics than we have. /This is just as true in Russia where many see themselves as the last great white Christian country. Again oft written about well before the current invasion.
What you suggest is a fact is really only an opinion. That is part of the problem today – opinions are being described as facts and facts as opinions.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/how-russia-became-a-leader-of-the-worldwide-christian-right-214755/
This conflict has very little to do with race.
It is primarily about a clash of values between authoritarian closed societies that treat their people as a population who exist only to serve the interests of the power elites – and open liberal societies in which the state exists to serve and protect the interest and freedoms of a people who are it's citizens.
There are extremist ideologues on both the left and the right who openly embrace the closed authoritarian society because they fantasise this is the only way to impose their failed dreams on a captive population – so they can bully, coerce and murder their way to the utopia they believe is always for the greater good.
Events of the past few years have flushed out plenty of left wing examples infesting this site.
"left wing examples infesting this site”.
C'mon don't be coy. Name one!
Let’s not. Let’s not start personal attacks and flame wars. Let’s address comments on their contents.
Thanks.
Bullshit. It's about (the prevention of) Western encroachment into territories which, at the very least, should remain neutral.
Good to read a positive story about someone working and being successful. So true what she says about the NZ tall poppy.
Lotto wins over business success: Entrepreneur decries NZ's tall poppy syndrome – NZ Herald
Diddums.
Two Ferraris, and a McLaren and a Porche and a Beamer etc etc…
That picture should be on the bedroom wall of every young Lefty. On the opposite wall should be a picture of Tonga. In the middle should be a sign saying" New Zealand is heading in one direction, you should head in the other and enjoy the fruits of your labour if you are willing to work for it and change your mindset.
Work Hard : Unexpected (reddit.com)
In fact I would amend my above comment and say ''mind set'' is more important than work. Mindset covers a lot of ground. From changing subconscious beliefs that hinder one's life, to working magic in pursuit of your goals.
Common mental blocks concerning wealth are:
OK – let's replace these straw men you have thrown out there with some actual 'left' opinions:
"I don't deserve it." Nobody deserves it if it is irrationally disproportionate to talent, effort and the social value created, which it commonly is. Complementing that, nobody deserves to be extremely poor either.
"Money is dirty". Not intrinsically. It depends on how it is obtained and how it is used.
"You need money to make money" – you don't, but you need it to turbocharge and accelerate the growth of your wealth
"Rich people live off the backs of poor people" – see previous reply. Not always or entirely, but enormous and accelerating wealth is based on having the market power to extract from others a portion of the value they create.
"Being wealthy means being selfish." The economic system itself requires selfishness. Individuals can be privately unselfish but systemically selfish. It's a mistake to focus on personal morality. The most we can say about personal morality is that becoming wealthy may make someone more selfish than they were before as their mind turns to retaining it. Or it may not do that.
"God hates rich people" . We can't know if a personal God exists or not, let alone what his/her opinions are. We do know that human cultures and religions have always been suspicious of great wealth – and that worship of it is a fairly recent cultural phenomenon.
You missed the point by a wide mile.
You can't rationalise irrational subconscious fears. You can only remove the complex. It matters not what I think, or you think. Some people don't even know they have such beliefs. And those that have some realisation of what they believe still have to have an opposing belief entered into their mind until the problem complex loses its charge.
You may be under the mistaken belief I think only Lefties have wrong beliefs about money. Not true, many Righties have the same problem.
I've been internalising a really complicated situation in my head and now my head hurts.
If I were you I’d ask for my money back.
Are the mental blocks concerning wealth the same mental blocks concerning wellbeing or are the latter just bad habits?
Conceited nitwit nobody's ever heard of – RESPECT MAH PRIVILEGE!
/
Hey Joe, what the hell are you on about.. or on for that matter?
New Zealanders respect genuine inventers, entrepreneurs, and those who made their money through real hard work.
Those who stumbled into lucrative bullshit jobs as financial "consultants”, housing speculators, inheriters of "Daddies money", and Ponzi scheme originators, not so much.
It is the latter who tend to keep blethering about "Tall poppy syndrome".
Those who genuinely "work hard for their money" share the general Kiwi contempt for blowhards.
I can't remember the last time there was an article in the news about a Ferrari owning teacher or nurse upset at the 'tall poppy syndrome' thing they were going through.
You reckon they should have worked harder? Or more effectively? Or charged each and every client $50, 508 like the subject of the current story?
Imagine, 30 kids in my class x $50, 508 = $1,515,250. Ah, get rid of the Ford, get a Ferrari.
I'll happily drive her to the airport.
I expect she can afford a chauffeur to drive her so you wont be needed. If you work hard and save up, maybe you will one day be able to afford a Ferrari too. Just cause she has done well, doesn't me you or I cant also do well.
BG and KJT have the wrong mindset. Aiming for an electric scooter MAY be within their reach.
Beemer and boat, mate.
Don't get too envious.
I hope the BMW is electric.
That's the next one.
Probably be a Mazda though.
Better cars.
And here, Ladies and Gentlemen, and others, we have a typical example of New Zealand's right wing mindset.
Making statements without evidence.
Envy Blade? Nope, happy with my house…car…ebike…sailing boat… bank balance.
I just don't want that type of whinging privileged numbat in NZ.
Yep, sensible wealthy people know to keep a low profile in New Zealand. Those who flaunt it soon learn the hard way, especially if they go broke.
While the attitude towards wealth isn't as bad as it used to be, it still there. Labour relies on the ''envy factor'' as part of its political strategy. Sir Michael Cullen and David Parker are two fine examples of what the Left think about wealth.
Sir Bob Jones said he used to get the finger about four times a week when he was in his Roller. I think Tui Teka got a pass when he drove his Roller because he was a bro… and he deserved it because of colonisation.
From the link:
''Government officials have estimated 50,000 New Zealanders will leave the country over the next year to head off on an OE or for work as the borders reopen after two years of Covid-19 restricting travel.''
More the question: How many are coming back? Talkback says not many.
I can't see much improving under National, so I'm seriously thinking of moving to Perth. I went to an international removal company site online. They all have calculators for pricing container transport to your destination. I stopped at the beginning when a figure of $16,500 came up on the calculator. I think it's best to buy new in Australia.
"The envy factor".
“Talkback says”.
You really do live in a bubble, don't you?
Jones is a prime example of those who made money by pushing up land prices. While he tried to shaft the people who he was making money from, and benefit himself by playing political games. No wonder why he got the finger.
Keep listening to National Socialist Radio, and be lead astray. I'm listening to real people from the street. People who have first hand knowledge from all types of industries and government departments. People who have been involved in all types of incidents that make the news.
You meanwhile listen to random streams of thought within your limited intellect, and then have a cheek to say I live in a bubble.
First time I've heard talkback hosts and David Seymour referred to as "real people on the streets".
But. Carry on hanging yourself.
Talkback hosts.. Dave Seymour? Real people? What fuse have you blown this time?
Look, I will simplify it ( again) for you. This from my comment:
I'm listening to real people from the street.
Got it? A studio host isn’t on the street. Dave Seymour is a politician.
Exactly.
Funny how all your “real people on the street” mindlessly parrot them.
Coincidence?
"I'm listening to real people from the street"
You're talking out of your manhole.
Your turn for troll duty tonight?
If the shoe fits.
Yeah, but he's not very good. Popeye would run rings around him.
Did you do up the laces?
Blade likes to think he has servants, with the “wrong mindset” to "do up his laces"!
Be sure to close the door on your way out.
And I'm sure you'll be right at home with the Labor government of Western Australia.
Will do. But first I'm waiting to see how National shapes up after assuming office in 2023.
''And I'm sure you'll be right at home with the Labor government of Western Australia.''
Tells you something about the state of NZ, eh?
BTW – will you be able to hack four or five terms of a Tory government? Just think, in that time some of the old timers on this blog will have passed on. The remaining posters will become more spiteful and frustrated as Labour fail time and again. In fact, it's possible this blog may not be around to enjoy a future Left leaning government. That's what happens when you create a blinkered loop and start believing your own bs instead of facing reality.
So you believe that National will govern enzed for 4 or more terms after 2023 .. and so/and yet plan to live in Perth under a Labour government there.
Will you come back if the next Labour government applies a CGT and wealth/estate taxation and so can fully fund public health?
Very strange how Anti-socialism types, want to move to more Socialist States. LOL.
''And I'm sure you'll be right at home with the Labor government of Western Australia.''
Tells you something about the state of NZ, eh?
Yeah What happens after thirty years of Right Wing twits in Government. Eh?
Puff piece by the Herald to promote limited tax cuts to the hard pressed middle, to enable large ones (removing the top rate, limiting the bright-line test and restoring tax deductibility for interest to landlords) to the deserving few.
Presumably hoping this middle class does not realise they had better put it and more into health insurance because cutting taxes and underfunding public health will impact them too.
Rule of thumb: anyone complaining about the "tall poppy syndrome" is suffering from narcissistic dejection – they are sad, hurt and surprised to find that other people don't view them as self-evidently a superior being.
There may be exceptions – I'm yet to encounter one.
… and open liberal societies in which the state exists to only to serve the interests of the power elites
… so they can bully, coerce and murder their way to the utopia they believe is always for the elite's good.
FIFY. Describes the USA to a tee. Tweedle Dee / Tweedle Dum. It's all about money. Always has been, always will be.
Why then are you not living in Russia? You love the place so much – yet here you are living in one of those nasty open liberal democracies you hate and you do nothing about it.
BTW twisting someone’s words like that is a deeply dishonest bit of fuckery. But like all tankies you have no conscience so why should I be surprised.
Meanwhile the "useless" police and the "useless" police Minister carry on with the job of successfully doing something about gang related gun crime.
Auckland gang shootings: Two arrests, Police seize restricted firearms, ammunition at New Windsor house – NZ Herald
1500 firearms seized in police crackdown on gangs, organised crime – NZ Herald
Operation Tauwhiro sees 64 firearms seized in Northland, 42 arrested | New Zealand Police
Giving the lie to the bullshit flying around from our genuinely useless National politicians, the talking heads on TV and their parrots here..
There could be stories in the paper each day about gang members being arrested with images of guns, money, drugs and vehicles confiscated yet the supporters of National and ACT will say nothing is being done about gangs and they're being given free licence.
Pretty much.
Arrests….so what? The gangs are growing like weeds. Police are hamstrung by a liberal police commissioner. The justice system is broken. All those arrested are basically replaced overnight, while each week jailed gang bangers are released from prison after serving inadequate sentences.
Meanwhile police become more jaded. The Justice system breaks down that little bit more. Winz and social housing breeds the next generation thugs in an endless cycle.
And what's Labour doing? Putting in bollards.
Here's a reality check, boys. This is happening in the real world, and not in your heads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROAggGjBJKI
Blade says:
Blade says here (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-05-2022/#comment-1890341):
What's your point, or my contradiction?
You wrote them, I read them.
Bollards and Raptor Squad are completely different things for completely different purposes.
I cannot read your mind nor can I do the thinking for you.
Correct. And I said the money would have been better spent on policing. The shortfalls of the governments 6 million spend is clearly spelt out in the clip, along with the problems of lack of police and police attendance times to crime scenes
The clip heading say's 70 % of attacks are unreported. That's staggering if true. I can tell you in my city, a WestPac bank ram raid( enclosed ATM machines) never made the headlines, along with two dairy raids that were only reported locally.
Government is investing over $562 million into Police – Budget 2022.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/05/budget-2022-government-announces-major-600m-package-aimed-at-tackling-new-zealand-crime.html
And all you can tell us is that you want to arm Police and spend on Raptor Squad.
Yes this government have a track record of announcing spending money. Not so good with results.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/03/health-minister-andrew-little-defends-government-s-billion-dollar-mental-health-boost-despite-report-finding-little-has-changed.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/464359/auditor-general-finds-failings-in-290m-tourism-support-scheme
Ministry of Social Development Zoom job expos: Taxpayers fork out more than $800,000, only 126 people attend – NZ Herald
[It’s common courtesy here to start a new thread if you want to divert away from the discussion topic. This avoids the attention of Mods, as it could raise suspicion that you might be a diversion troll, which could see you accidentally banned – Incognito]
Mod note
My reply was direct and relevant to your comment. You referred to an announcement about government spending. I replied giving examples of previous announcements of spending by this government that have failed to produce results. There was no need to attract the attention of the the moderators, unless they are showing an unhealthy sensitivity to criticism of government around crime.
[Well, well, well, what a surprise, you had to argue against moderation again.
Let me spell it out again for you. Blade and I were discussing the spending or lack of spending on Police and more specifically the $6 million on those bollards.
Your comment diverted away from that with a list of unrelated and thus irrelevant topics.
As I said, you’re free to start your own threads. You’re not entitled to argue with Mods after a warning and attack the Mod. Since you’re already on your last warning I’ll just double the ban if you choose to go down that path, which is quite likely, knowing you – Incognito]
Mod note
The bollards are the ultimate surrender, a sign that they've given up on stopping the crime wave and now are content with damage limitation.
Don’t get started on speed humps.
Having more prisons, bigger prisons, cops on every corner with guns, police with extreme powers?
God, I should start a political party with those as my policies. Or just join ACT or National and go with those flows there.
Bollards aren't the ultimate surrender or signs of it. The ultimate surrender is more prisons, bigger prisons, cops on every corner with guns and police with extreme powers.
Interesting policy suggestions. But we have Ministers paid to come up with solutions. So far, whatever they've been doing isn't working.
Quite right, Peter. The ultimate surrender is some NRA nuts calling for teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom to be ready for the next mass shooting!
Our police and police minister are doing a sterling job in difficult times.
We will forget that gang problems at the moment, are a consequence of an Australian RWNJ Government exporting their home grown problems to us.
The Minister has promised that the gun violence will go down. Unequivocal.
So now let's check back in 3 months and see.
Certainly wouldn't have worked if she'd made the promise any time last year.
Ambulance. Cliff.
Don't you think the Minister of Police should actually be concerned with preventing crime? Or do you think it's ok that Gang recruits have outstripped new police officers in almost all regions under Labour while police response times have grown longer.
US seizes Iranian tanker in Greek waters,offloads oil at sea.
In Retaliation Iran seizes 2 Greek Tankers.
https://twitter.com/Michellewb_/status/1530205277810745345?cxt=HHwWgoCzlfjlsLwqAAAA