Open mike 28/05/2023
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6:00 am, May 28th, 2023 - 37 comments
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Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...18 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
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AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...6 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
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- Thank You
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
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All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...3 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
- Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...4 days ago
- Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...4 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...5 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...5 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...6 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...6 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...6 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...7 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...7 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132153124/national-doesnt-care-about-ai-wait-til-it-starts-mocking-them
There needs to be a cross party moratorium on all a1 content in politics and elections, with severe penalties for any person or entity faking and content to with politicians and political parties
Elon pulls twitter out of voluntary EU code on removal of election mis-disinfo in EU. Free speech and all that. With the election faff in Türkiye and his skylink satellites, who needs the US military industrial complex anymore to shape the world stage? One man and his tech is all it takes.
Yip it's gonna be a sad day when no corner is left unconnected
Reports of the death of patriarchal values may be premature.
https://twitter.com/CinC_AFU/status/1662451731261796353
Patriarchal values.
1Valdimir GD of Kiev converting his followers to Christianity so he can marry the Byzantine Emperors daughter.
2KGB operative of the USSR, Vladimir Putin, on becoming President – returns the Russian Orthodox Church to the state cult role it had under the Tsar's. And then receives support from it for the actions in Ukraine. And to pose Putin as a champion of white race Christian identity nationalism.
3.Is defence of the nation state (and multi-lateral collective security) really patriarchy in action? Or resistance to abuse of power/acts of aggression?
You see the concept of patriarchy, is hierarchy, not democratic equality and a rules based society order (within and between nations).
Which is why Charles 2nd to Oliver Cromwell changed nothing.
Arrgh Warning – will not be worth the click
Damien Grant taking the 'moral and competency' highground?! on Stuff's home page
link please.
The link is https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132157503/damien-grant-chris-hipkins-fails-the-moral-and-competence-tests-to-be-pm
I think the paper's editor will get a very hard rap over the knuckles for letting this story get into the paper. This really isn't like their standard of We love Chippie.
Written by a convicted fraudster act fan boy, it's hardly surprising its biased
I can't see how your conclusion follows. Besides, I am a person who believes that people can reform and make something useful of their lives.
Peter Fraser did a year in jail of course. Then, about 25 years later he made an excellent war leader for New Zealand. The best Labour PM we've ever had in fact. His objections to conscription obviously had vanished by 1940.
Reading Grant's article seemed to me to be a perfectly fair evaluation of Hipkin's record. He has, in fact, failed at everything he has attempted. It only surprised me that Stuff had published it.
As act and its supporters think tax is theft I doubt grant is reformed, he was just dumb enough to get caught,
Having a left wing principle of not fighting in an imperial war was seen as sedition (the working class left in the UK was offered the vote in return for fighting – the locals already had the vote).
Fraser's support for conscription in WW2 was based on left wingers being prepared to fight right wing fascists to defend democracy.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/future-prime-minister-peter-fraser-charged-with-sedition
Sorry mate but if you are going to oppose conscription to fight a war that you do not approve of you have to oppose it for wars you are in favour of or else you are a hypocrite.
The other way is like the people who approve of free speech only when the person is going to say something they approve of. If you want free speech it also has to apply to people who are saying things you don't like. The is true for approving or disapproving of conscription. If you oppose it in one situation but not in another you are a fraud.
First the strawman
Claiming the right of conscientious objection is not the same thing as opposing conscription.
Then the rest of the spurious narative.
1Your argument makes no moral distinction between war of aggression, or self defence/security alliance.
Imperial power struggle, or collective security of democratic nation states.
This speaks to moral cause. Which is a principle within both religion and politics.
2There was religious exemption in WW1 (conscience) , why not a political one as well?
3The right of free speech is more synonymous with right of refusal to serve, than a requirement to serve.
4Religious and political freedom of speech and conscience should be seen as equivalent.
First we have your strawman. "conscientious objection". I never mentioned, nor talked about, conscientious objection.
Then you go into other things. "moral distinction" Just who do you think should have the right to make any such distinction?
When you allow such arguments as "I think this is a moral war" and therefore I can conscript you and send you off to kill, or be killed because I think it is a good thing to fight here but also "I don't think you should be allowed to conscript me" because I don't approve of this war you are allowing one person's moral views, those of the person in power, to override another person's, the resident of the state.
The person in power is then always right. Now tell me. Should the Pope be allowed to set the rules on abortion because his moral views don't allow it?
What we had was me noticing your failure to notice the difference between conscientious objection of an individual and government adopting a policy of conscription. As to Fraser's personal position in WW1 and later government policy in WW2 (and why Fraser's party supported that war is obvious).
Fraser exercised conscientious objection – however the government of that day did not recognise it because they only allowed it for those of religion, and so he was imprisoned. Their differentiation between religious and political objection was dubious.
That is either an argument against conscription or one against imprisonment for failure to serve.
Today society tends to try and avoid that dilemma.
Governance of nations is not determined by religious leaders, and thus the impact of their declarations on matters of doctrine and morality on society is in their behaviour and impact on their voting.
Those of their churches adhere, or they do not. Some Catholics have abortions, some use contraception and fertility services, some have sex before and outside of their marriages – and some do not do any of these things. Many Catholic run health services seek religious exemptions, as do some medical practitioners.
No you don't. That makes no sense.
Not a huge fan of Grant per se, but I'm not seeing anyone list out any great achievements from Hipkins
Try Google.
I'm more surprise that no-one has challenged such a stupidly nonsensical statement as " He has, in fact, failed at everything he has attempted."
Since the writer does use that phrase "in fact", I challenge him to read a Google summary of Hipkin's career and then justify his 'in fact" opinion.
Kissinger has hit 100. Fuck him.
Dark. But funny.
The Grim Reaper is only an agent of death. And you make a pact with the Devil … Kissinger may never die.
And he probably doesn’t like salmon mousse.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/132086947/investor-will-sell-fourth-property-if-labour-wins-and-buy-another-if-national-does
The battle of the haves versus the have nots.
Problem is the have nots don't generally vote in as high proportions
“””National Party spokesman Chris Bishop had a simple justification for why the party would reinstate mortgage interest deductibility: “It’s a core principal of the tax system that you tax profits, not income.”
Bishop mustn’t be aware of a little thing called income tax
Investors get ready to harvest profits from the class war if National and rabble get in. Led by the man with 7 houses. The cutting of the fairly lame medium density accord should really set off violence, after the wealth transfer we’ve seen and the way young folk are marginalised in the process. But we’re a country that took the employment contract acts fairly civilly. We don’t fight like the Aussies do.
NZ was fundamentally a property owning democracy. This corporate yank inspired lackey should end that notion.
Lest we forget what Rogernomics was like
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Caygill
If we forget we need only look at ACT Party policies.
If Bishop said that then he is a Dickhead Beyond Belief.
Andrea Vance teases National about AI but then asks some serious questions regarding Labours' possible relationship with TMP.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132153124/national-doesnt-care-about-ai-wait-til-it-starts-mocking-them
Never. Drink. The. Tea.
Valery Tsepkalo, Belarusian opposition leader, said that after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was taken to the Central Clinical Hospital of Moscow in critical condition.
https://news.yahoo.com/president-belarus-hospitalised-meeting-putin-204642610.html
The original meme might come from the mining industry where if you are on a remote FIFO site and fuck up badly enough, you will be offered, "Window or aisle?"
Look forward to putin getting offered the window
He won't get the choice. Window it is.
Third floor window? Defenestration and accidents from a height seem popular with Russian oligarchs too.
https://www.newsweek.com/every-russian-oligarch-who-has-died-since-putin-invaded-ukraine-full-list-1700022
Anyone else ever wondered why pollitoomsns have to shout? Not anti Hlpkins. They all do. Been there and you can just talk.
Ukraine looking more and more like a libertarian love fest. Act party must be wetting themselves. With all the drooling, before disgusting minds kick in.
Kill lists for journalists the run from Kiev. The city that gave us the Church of St. Sofia. She'd understand, before she came a Christian. https://rokfin.com/LeeCamp
Is it radically different from how pom's have journalist in HMP Belmarsh and slowly kill them?
Hard to tell the truth in the middle of a war. Seems our leaders are not up to it.
Now THAT is a quality link! Direct from a comedian who had his last job with russian state propaganda channel RT. He certainly has some interesting "theories" on russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine.
I would have thought that he thinks it was a war crime, would have been the one you'd mention?
So the real question is, you think he should be on a kill list as a comedian, because of what he has said? And all the other people?
The real question is, why would anyone listen to a russian propagandist?
"I would have thought that he thinks it was a war crime,"
…yeah right. Here is an interview with him, less than one month after russia sent its tanks across the border. Says "I am opposed to Russia's invasion, but…" and after these 7 words, spends paragraph after paragraph excusing and justifying russia's actions, blaming every other party than russia, then repeating ad nauseum all russia's fabricated nonsense about ukraine ("they're nazis!", "Ukraine biolabs!", "2014 was US coup!").
Just another one of russia's useful idiots.