From buying furniture and cars, to communicating with friends and relatives, much of our personal dealings are online these days. As Edward Snowden revealed mining this Metadata can tell you a lot about any persons of interest to your investigation.
Uncovering war crimes. Unmasking war criminals. Bellingcat.
In response to the military setbacks suffered by Russian forces in Kharkiv and Kherson and in particular the bombing of the bridge linking Crimea to Russia, Russian Federation operatives have been conducting revenge attacks against civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. These revenge attacks that have no military purpose or agency, other than terrorising and causing hardship to the civilian population.
Revenge terror attacks against civilian infrastructure and civilians are a war crime.
Bellingcat set out to identify the individuals orchestrating these missile and drone strikes against civilians.
War criminals be warned. No one is untouchable
The 10 October attacks marked Russia’s largest coordinated missile strikes since the beginning of the war….
….Bellingcat and its investigative partners The Insider and Der Spiegel were able to discover a hitherto secretive group of dozens of military engineers with an educational and professional background in missile programming. Phone metadata shows contacts between these individuals and their superiors spiked shortly before many of the high-precision Russian cruise missile strikes that have killed hundreds and deprived millions in Ukraine of access to electricity and heating….
….Most members identified by Bellingcat and partners are young men and women, including one husband-and-wife couple, many with IT and even computer-gaming backgrounds….
….Others are recipients of various military awards, including from Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Bellingcat approached each identified member of this clandestine GVC unit with an offer to confirm or deny our findings, and with a list of questions including who selects the targets and whether the civilian casualties are the result of computational error or intentional targeting of civilians….
….The identification of this clandestine group within the Ministry of Defence was made by parsing through open-source data of thousands of graduates of Russia’s leading military institutes that focus on missile engineering and programming,…
Of course they would. The Russian's requirements are very simple. They only require a single sentence, of just three words, to be announced by the Ukraine Government.
"We surrender unconditionally".
The problem is that President of theirs. He refuses to say it. How unreasonable of him.
"I'm pretty sure the Russians would readily agree to peace talks, if only the Ukrainians would agree." mikesh
Putin had his chance to accept a negotiated peace, but turned it down.
Putin should have taken Ukraine's generous peace offers when they made them back in March. Instead Russian Federation negotiators kept mindlessly repeating demands for Ukraine's surrender, and 'denazification' i.e. Putin's euphemism for regime change.
During the March negotiations Ukraine made two concessions to the Russian Federation to try and achieve a negotiated peace.
The Ukraine government in Kiev offered to hold a referendum to try and get a binding mandate from the Ukrainian people for Ukraine neutrality.
Zelensky says Ukraine prepared to discuss neutrality in peace talks
Published 28 March 2022
Ukraine's president has said his government is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia.
In an interview with independent Russian journalists, Volodymyr Zelensky said any such deal would have to be put to a referendum in Ukraine.
…..The news comes as the negotiations between the two countries are set to resume this week in Turkey….
…The possibility of Ukrainian neutrality is not new. It's been discussed by Russian and Ukrainian officials for at least two weeks.
But President Zelensky's reference is perhaps the most explicit so far.
Clearly, there's no room for Nato membership in such a vision of Ukraine's future.
Removing that aspiration from Ukraine's constitution (it was added in 2019) will need to be put to a referendum. With support for membership at an all-time high, it will be a bitter pill for many Ukrainians to swallow….
For a referendum to proceed it is obvious that a ceasefire would firstly had to have been agreed to.
The bloody minded Russian negotiators refused to even consider Ukraine's offer of a ceasefire during the negotiations. Instead pressing ahead with their invasion while attending 'peace talks'.
In a recognition of the situation on the ground, Ukraine also offered the Russia Federation, a concession that Ukraine would not forcibly try to retake Ukrainian territory in the Donbas occupied by Russia before February 24, 2020.
On occupied territories
Zelensky told the journalists his goal was to “minimize the victim count, end the war as soon as possible and withdraw the Russian troops to ‘compromise’ territories… I realize that it is impossible to make Russia leave these territories. It would lead to World War Three,” he said.
….President Zelensky says Russian troops must retreat to positions held before Moscow's full-scale invasion began on 24 February.
He says Ukraine will not try and retake the Donbas or Crimea by force,….
If they are not prepared to talk peace, they cannot complain about the damage that is Russia is effecting. Why should Russia stop the bombing? What’s in it for them?
Arse. The arrival of mechanised warfare certainly saw numbers rise but the Thirty Years War killed more than a third of Germany's population, a tenth of France's population died during the Napoleonic wars and who the fuck knows how many civilians died during Russia's imperialist expansion and assorted global uprisings, revolutions and conquests.
Russia has shown by their actions and threats that they have no interest in peace.
So have the Ukrainians. So they need to get over themselves and stop complaining about the damage that Russia is doing. Do they not realise that they are involved in a war.
Putin has said recently that he will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. But of course he's a liar, isn't he, so the Ukrainians had better watch out, hadn't they.
Well he lied about invading didn't he? So he cannot be trusted.
But it's more that he's a despotic genocide with a list of warcrimes that wouldn't fit in your tiny mind that's the issue. Putin is a very bad man – not in theory, but in practice. Nor are these incidents isolated, it is a sustained and frequent practice. Putin has more form than Harold Shipman – which you would know if you bothered to inform yourself properly instead of lying your ignorant arse off and whining about "propaganda".
You know full well that there will be nothing on the internet that either proves or disproves that Yeltsin was a Western stooge. If I ever meet the guy I will certainly not apologise for calling him that;
If he is a very bad man he's probably the best person to rule Russia; certainly an improvement on the drunken sot who preceded him, and probably better than Gorbachev, whom I respect, even if Putin doesn't think much of him. Good guys probably don't last long at the top in Russia.
I usually don't talk about Putin himself. I prefer to talk about Russia, and where I think her interests lie.
there will be nothing on the internet that either proves or disproves that Yeltsin was a Western stooge.
Nevertheless, the search for anything even suggesting the kite you have flown would be a salutary lesson for you in not letting your reckons get ahead of available evidence – these vagrant prejudices you leave loitering without means of support do nothing to inform debate.
I prefer to talk about Russia, and where I think her interests lie.
Perhaps you should do that then – think about how Russia can recover from decades of kleptocracy, a humiliating defeat, and loss of standing with all the neighbouring countries. The present despot only obstructs the kind of change Russia has needed since Tsarist times. It was not coincidence that Russia had a revolution – it's really very poorly run.
"Do they not realise that they are involved in a war."mikesh
Ukrainians do realise that they are involved in a war,
Russians do not realise they are involved in a war, because they have been lied to by their government that they are involved in a 'Special Military Operation'.
Possibly, part of the reason why Russia is losing, the 'WAR'.
Unlike you I don't bother playing around with semantics. There is a war going on in Ukraine, not a game of tiddly winks. Russia is trying to regain the territory given away by Western stooge, Boris Yeltsin.
"Russia is trying to regain the territory given away by Western stooge, Boris Yeltsin." mickesh
That's a weirdly distorted take on history there mikesh.
The breakaway of the former Soviet controlled territories occurred, when the whole population of the old Soviet Union, including the people in Russia itself, rose up against the Soviet empire, and tore it down.
After Gorbachev, Yeltsin became the fall guy for the unstoppable dissolution of the Soviet Union that had already begun under Gorbachev.
Boris Yeltsin had very little to with it, he just happened to be the one in the hotseat when it happened.
On 21 September 1993, in breach of the constitution, Yeltsin announced in a televised address his decision to disband the Supreme Soviet and Congress of People's Deputies by decree. In his address, Yeltsin declared his intent to rule by decree until the election of the new parliament and a referendum on a new constitution, triggering the constitutional crisis of October 1993. On the night after Yeltsin's televised address, the Supreme Soviet declared Yeltsin removed from the presidency for breaching the constitution, and Vice-President Alexander Rutskoy was sworn in as acting president.[113]
Between 21 and 24 September, Yeltsin was confronted by popular unrest. Demonstrators protested the terrible living conditions under Yeltsin. Since 1989, GDP had declined by half. Corruption was rampant, violent crime was skyrocketing, medical services were collapsing, food and fuel were increasingly scarce and life expectancy was falling for all but a tiny handful of the population; moreover, Yeltsin was increasingly getting the blame. By early-October, Yeltsin had secured the support of Russia's army and ministry of interior forces. In a massive show of force, Yeltsin called up tanks to shell the Russian White House (parliament building). The attack killed 187 people and wounded almost 500 others.[113]
As the Supreme Soviet was dissolved, elections to the newly established parliament, the State Duma, were held in December 1993. Candidates associated with Yeltsin's economic policies were overwhelmed by a huge anti-Yeltsin vote, the bulk of which was divided between the Communist Party and ultra-nationalists. However, the referendum held at the same time approved the new constitution, which significantly expanded the powers of the president, giving Yeltsin the right to appoint the members of the government, to dismiss the prime minister and, in some cases, to dissolve the Duma.[115]
That seems to be how the Soviet empire was dissolved.
Here's a clue for you mikesh; It wasn't Gorbachev, it wasn't Yeltsin, it wasn't the communist hardliners who tried to oppose the popular revolt against the Soviet union with tanks and military force.
The same people who deny the agency of the people in the fall of the Soviet Union and try to blame secret agents of the West conspiring inside the Duma.
Are the same people who claim that the Arab Spring was a CIA plot.
That the Maidan popular revolt against Viktor Yanukovych was a Nazi coup.
The East German authorities could have prevented the fall of the wall had they wanted to. They chose not to. Certainly, there was was public pressure, protests, etc, and there was also an alternative route to West Germany, apparently, via Prague. I think "the people" were encouraged by the apparent softening of Soviet attitudes exemplified by Gorbachev's advocacy of glasnost and perestroika.
Unless Helen you truly believe that all of the wests declared enemies are irredeemably bad , inhumane,barbaric and backward, and that is why we are enemies, and the west represents all that is superior in the human world, and we can believe everything that our intelligence agencies tell us via their paid for journalists.
1, Why is it bellingcats responsibility to investigate all war crimes? They have identified these ones. Perhaps they will identify the others.
2. War crimes by one side don't justify them by the other. You can just agree that Russia bombing civilian homes and infrastructure is bad. Trying to pull whataboutisim doesn't make dead civilians any less dead.
3. Russia has been aggresive to its neighbours for decades. It invaded Chechnya in 1999. They invaded Georgia in 2008. They invaded Ukraine in the Crimea in 2014. In all those cases the West did not intervene. They chose appeasement. Russia responded by continuing to invade and harm its neighbours. Now they threaten nuclear escalation if they don't get their way.
Ukraine has real issues internally that were theirs to sort out. This current crisis is of Russia's making and it is disgusting the amount of people on the left who will support their imperialism and war crimes just to be able to try and show how much they hate the US and the west.
Consistency is what I'm about .What you call whataboutism(that old trope from the cold war)is what I refer to when calling out hypocrisy. The fact that Bellingcat for the vast majority of its reports amplifies western geopolitical aims does not instil confidence in their impartiality
By the way Chechnya is not a neighbour, its a republic within the Russian federation, and furthermore, even the EU recognises that Sashkavilli initiated the short Georgia war by sending troops to kill the Russian peacekeepers in breakaway South Ossetia
You don't understand. Poor little South Osettia would not be able to look after itself if it wasn't part of the Russian federation. It is really in their best interest to be ruled by Russia. They are reliant on the benevolent rule of Mr Putin.
Hold on, that sounds a lot like the justification the British and other empires used during colonisation. Must be a coincidence.
There is no requirement on Bellingcat to do Russia research on Ukrainian war crimes. Of course they will focus on those committed by Russia. That doesn't make them any less valid.
If a union finds cases of bad employers but doesn't go through and investigate all of the bad employees, does that invalidate their research? Do those employers suddenly become good? If animal rights activists find cases of farmer abuse but don't report on good farmers does that make the abuse go away?
Whataboutisim is weak arguments that try to ignore one sides failings by blaming the other side of also not being perfect. All it results in is everyone's failings being ignored.
That doesn't mean context has to be ignored. I can say that Ukraine has done bad things and so has Russia. Apparently you can't. This is what makes you seem so blinded by your hatred of the west. You would rather ignore Russia's war crimes or act like they are acceptable.
Give it a try. See if you can admit that firing missiles into civilian houses, as Russia have, is bad and should not happen.
I can do whataboutisim too though. Funny how when Chechnya want independence its OK for Russia to bomb them to hell, support war lords, and make sure they are "a republic within the Russian federation". Yet when Ukraine tries to maintain Crimea or the Donbass it totally justifies Russian invasion. Weird that. Oh that's right, Nazis. Cause there are no Nazis in the Russian military. Hell we just had a story about NZ Neo-Nazis trying to join the NZDF. Hope Australia or someone doesn't try to de-nazify us. Terrible argument but on the level of what you have offered to justify Russian war crimes.
The fact that Bellingcat for the vast majority of its reports amplifies western geopolitical aims does not instil confidence in their impartiality
So that's the end run that allows you to consistently ignore their evidence – it doesn't gel with the world according to Putin. Not much does – it's not much of a standard. Russia is still fighting to suppress the revolutions of 1848, absent a monolithic creed like Stalinism, it can only hold together by heavy-handed use of surveillance and brute force.
Of course, Ukraine is also running an international propaganda war, very deftly, I might add. But that seems fair enough, given its existential crisis, and the fact it did not start this conflict.
Putin's forces shun international media and agencies like the Red Cross. What are they hiding? In comparison, Ukraine allows reasonable acess to these agencies. It simply cannot afford to alienate international support by committing anti-Russian atrocities. Plus, maybe also, Ukraine is taking a more ethical stance…
I see you're using your usual selective ethics jawty everything russia does is bad and a war crime as of course ukraine would never commit a war crime nooooooo !!
Worth pointing out that over half according to wiki of ukraine's railway system is electric so prob some advantage to Russia if it can limit the supply dont you think ???
I see you're using your usual selective ethics jawty…..
Accusing me of using selective ethics, is an unwarranted personal attack unsupported by facts. To accuse me of this being my usual practice is a dirty slur.
Following the bombing of the Kerch Bridge. Members of the Russian government said there would be retaliation, the Russian president said there would be a harsh response to any attack on Russian targets.
The threat made by the Russian President and members of his government of a Harsh response, and of Retaliation against Ukraine, – threats made following the attack on the Kersk Bridge, were carried out with missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament's lower house, said "consequences will be imminent" if Ukraine was responsible.
Leader of the Just Russia faction Sergei Mironov said Russia should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure…
…..Mr. Putin said the strikes were in response to a blast that hit a key Russian bridge over the weekend, which he called a “terrorist attack.’’ He threatened further strikes if Ukraine continued to hit Russian targets.
The Russian President has blamed Ukraine for the bombing of a vital bridge that links Russia and Crimea, which he has previously described as an ”act of terrorism”. Vladimir Putin has said the widespread missile attack on Ukraine was in retaliation for "terrorist action" against Russia…..
……President Putin spoke at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council and said: "If attacks continue against Russia, the response will be harsh."
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says there is no evidence suggesting banks are making unreasonable profits as inflation and the cost-of-living crisis impact on New Zealand families.
Robertson told Morning Report hikes in bank loans, including mortgage rate loans, were set off what the Reserve Bank did and that banks' profits were not excessive.
Why the need for different plattforms, they are all very much the same. Are people really going to leave Twitter because Elon Musk is now the 'owner'. Would these same people refuse to drive a Tesla and rather get a Volkswagen cause Elon Musk? I find this strange.
it's not because Musk is the owner, it's because of what he says he is going to do to twitter. Can you see the difference?
the thing that made me reactivate my mastodon account yesterday wasn't so much Musk as the appearance of Superfollow, where you can pay to access premium content of popular accounts. The account gets $, and I assume twitter does as well. If it takes off, it's going to change twitter a lot. It's already complicated enough with so much of MSM behind a paywall now.
Mastodon is a bit different from twitter. It doesn't hurt to have two short form platforms. And it's good to have something up and running in case twitter does turn to shit.
I was thinking about finding a cluster of women on mastodon. Don't know yet what M is doing with GC content.
To be fair i am currently blocked for suggesting that certain people who may not identify as 'women' still need to make sure they get appropriate healthcare for certain body parts in response to an article that lamented the loss of a transman to cervical cancer.
How bad do you think it could get under Elon Musk? Seriously, what do you think is going to happen? The sky falling on our heads? I don't understand the need for 'safe spaces' and 'echo chambers'. Twitter is actually quite good for what it should do, some persons who work for Twitter may have a heavy hand as to what they consider 'hate speech' now already, so really what is to worry? Oh that he may give the orange menace their twitter account back? Or that people just can't report others whom they disagree with off the platform via malicious mass reporting? Or that there might now be different opinions?
there's lots of speculation about what Musk will do, but for me the pertinent point is that he's a fuckwit with a massive ego who thinks he knows best and who belongs to the death cult that is killing the planet despite some attempt at greenwashing.
Will he be better or worse than Jack? I don't know, but my guess is his particular world view alongside his ego will make it worse. But then as I said, twitter already made things worse with teh Superfollow thing.
Maybe things will get better for GC debate, I don't know (plenty of GC seem to think it will). We will see if that outweighs the downsides.
Elon Musk has completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, according to an investor in the firm.
Twitter's chief executive and finance boss have reportedly left with immediate effect … working at Twitter may become more onerous. The Tesla chief executive has previously tweeted that employees should anticipate work ethic expectations that are "extreme".
In a tweet addressed to Twitter advertisers Mr Musk said that the platform could not become a "free-for-all hellscape" and must be "warm and welcoming for all".
Many analysts argued the price Mr Musk is now paying for the company is too high given the decline in the values of many tech stocks and Twitter's struggle to attract users and grow.
The entrepreneur has also posted that his plans for Twitter include "X, the app for everything".
Some suggest this might be something along the lines of the hugely successful Chinese app WeChat, a kind of "super app" that incorporates different services including messaging, social media, payments and food orders.
It's hard to make payments on margin calls if the bonds have crashed in value, so share sales it is. And funds paying out money as people retire will be selling stocks high in value not delivering much dividend flow.
Bonds have an inverse relationship with value as the price decreases with liquidity.If the asset is deleveraged it maintains still has a coupon value.
There have been losses with large funds in the bond markets,mostly due to positions,but reversed some what now as both large banks and sovereign funds dump high PE'S for value.
Mostly though it is companies returning to fair value,not expected value,as the world contracts into a normative state (post covid) and wealth destruction in the on demand bourgeois set,as costs move to reality.
I made the point in one of my posts about Tuhoe and wider Treaty Settlements that Tuhoe & the results of these settlements are not the problem.
I said that those of real concern and posing a real threat to the way of life of all NZers whether Maori or Pakeha are those belonging to the Sovereign Citizen movement.
The SIS has commented on the Sov Cit movement here.
Added to these there are the likes of VFF*, Counterspin and various other 'disgruntlers'.
The concern at the Sov Cit threat is that this could be started by a legitimate act, say vehicle stop or similar, which may be a seen as bringing the power of the State upon the Sov Cit triggering an OTT response.
it will be interesting to see if those elected backed by VFF are able to get over their one issue interest and become those with useful alternate viewpoints or whether they will remain mired in anti public health or anti wide general measures to help the widest group. We needs lots of diverse thinking in our local governments and one issue wonders are not really very useful.
I did link I thought to the SIS report. I did comment that a flare-up of anti authority from Sov Cits movement could come from a routine and non threatening, to most of us, action by the Police or other law enforcement, say a traffic stop.
'Increasingly, it is also seen as a vehicle for retribution. Some element of this has existed for a while, Hattotuwa said: “This is not something that is parenthetical, peripheral or marginal; this is not something that is occasional. This is something that has increasingly defined the anti-vax community.”
It includes fantasies about Nuremberg trials for people who support vaccination, and mass arrests of politicians and media figures, as advocated by the likes of Counterspin Media.
Now, with the announcement that vaccination mandates would end, these groups have increasingly turned their attention to vengeance.
“Now the whole conversation writ large is around holding the PM and the government accountable for genocide. And that's where you find this heightened discussion around, you know, self appointments of sheriffs and marshals – they now want to hold the individuals they think were responsible for the genocide accountable under sovereign citizen and common law frameworks,” Hattotuwa said.'
‘Also, because some have engaged in armed confrontations with law enforcement,[2][14] the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies “sovereign citizen extremists” as domestic terrorists.[15] Terry Nichols, one of the perpetrators of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, subscribed to a variation of sovereign citizen ideology.[12] In surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015, representatives of U.S. law enforcement ranked the risk of terrorism from the sovereign citizen movement higher than the risk from any other group, including Islamic extremists, militias, racist skinheads, neo-Nazis and radical environmentalists.[16][17] The New South Wales Police Force in Australia has also identified sovereign citizens as a potential terrorist threat.[18]’
I suggest that bringing in their odd rules and trying to enforce them on others who are unwilling to accept them will heighten the potential for violence. And just because we haven't heard from Counterspin, Arps, Sivell et al recently it does not mean they have all gone to paint their houses and grow potatoes.
[Wiki text converted to text-only without all (too many) the hyperlinks that triggered Auto-Moderation – Incognito]
Well if I am 'handwringing' it is supported by NZ Govt agencies and other western governments. I am happy to be in such company as often over the years I have found myself not supporting the govt in power eg all through neo lib times, Vietnam War, Springbok tour etc.
Nothing wrong with 'concern' I would have thought.
'Speculation' is not part of this, see SIS report. My knowledge of these and other groups has been built on my observations of this group, and many of the dissent groups involved. In particular, having worked my whole life looking at land and constitutional issues their basic premise, relating to Admiralty law is tosh.
Admiralty law, law of discovery and the sea precedes the actual signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The ToW, whether you like it or not, is the closest thing we have to a founding document framing the constitutional rights of all NZers. It is being relied on by Maori, through various statutes on the Treaty giving redress against the other partner.
If some group convinces flammable others that this is incorrect then we will have people fomenting trouble for those, and Maori in particular, who believe/rely on the Treaty.
I would have thought the possibility of uncalled for and wrongful death or injury when this is inflicted by a 'nutter' organisation with fringe ideas would be abhorrent.
In NZ's very recent past we have had first-hand experience of the harm that be wreaked by a fringe person on a mission (Christchurch) would come high up on the list of things that are a threat. NZ agencies with their role of intelligence took their eyes off the ball with tragic results. I think it is significant that US agencies have classed this group as a terrorist organisation.
The upsetting of the rule of law based on a Westminster style of government
This article discusses and approves of the SIS keeping an eye on dissidents such as the Sov Cit movement saying their beliefs are
'The pseudo-law arguments are a collection of motifs that sound like law and often involve legal terminology, but which lead to legally incorrect results. Most pseudo-law is designed to defeat or bypass state, police, court and institutional authority.' Quoted from a Canadian Court case.
The article also says quoting Prof Spoonley
'So what is to be done about this threat of overthrow by such extremists? Spoonley suggests police and the SIS need to be more public about the resources being deployed and the information being obtained about local activists.
We need to be better informed, he says. He points out that police are enhancing existing systems to better record hate crimes which should be an important source of information and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will be announcing some of the details of the new centre of excellence that will provide evidence of local developments.
The author of the aritcle, Ret Judge David Harvey, concludes 'One hopes these investigations will not be restricted to extremists on the Right but to other extremist groups that are threats to our society.
It is doubtful, in my opinion, that sovereign citizens fulfil that criterion. They are a nuisance.'
This is where I disagree. We seem to have looked on people such as the Chch gunman and others looking at 4chan and 8chan, Telegram as fringe people and not pondered what may happen should they or a group let some trigger go to their head.
Nothing wrong with watchful waiting and pondering the threat to us all and what we can do, ourselves, to counter this. As we saw during Covid, groups with a beef at the Govt & our system of Govt, took the chance to attempt to destabilise. Much of this was done with the bombardment on many media channels by mis & disinformation.
My view is that dissident groups got away for so long because of NZers' natural reticence in challenging, our propensity to give everyone a fair go (with tragic results in Christchurch). We don't need to couple those traits with another one…that of burying our heads in the sand because 'it won't/can't happen here'.
Since Covid and the rise of these groups we do however have interesting, well read and informative people who are unafraid to counter disinformation publicly.
oh the problem with our hospitals delivery is not a dangerously low number of health professionals who are burnt out. It’s that they need performance indicators (targets). And expectations. …..
I don’t know how or why the health workforce puts up with this on going insult fron this Govt.
but of course the reason that ED wait times have got worse is that the staff are a bunch of slackers sitting around the staff tea room chatting away(sarc)
I hold Little and Rob Campbell with the deepest contempt
I'd also be providing support bursaries for studying health (nurses, radiographers, allied health workers) – to encourage people to choose this career.
And, removing the artificial 'caps' on numbers allowed to study.
Doesn't solve the 'right now' problem, but makes a start on solving the 'in 10 years' problem.
And, no, I don't have a problem with the 'unfairness' of people being paid to study in certain fields. As a country, we need medical workers a heck of a lot more than we need lawyers, social anthropologists or accountants.
There have been performance indicators (nurse to patient ratios, wait times) agreed upon and enacted for the last few pay rounds. They get busy, authoritive titles, and not much changes.
No prizes for guessing our local ED has been failing in them for the last decade and a half.
Poverty underpins a lot of it. Few choices for too many, waiting till it is an emergency before seeking treatment. Especially mental, dental and drugs and alcohol.
Poverty of courage and imagination in those that set direction and allocate the $ too.
I accept that Michelle Boag is caught up as a victim in a case in Auckland where a convicted 'prominent businessman has had his name suppressed.
The lines about her reputation being put in “serious jeopardy” and "reputational damage" bring a smile though. Michelle Boag? Reputation? Amongst whom?
"In 2020, Boag resigned as the president of the National, leaving the political party after 47 years.
Her resignation came after revelations she'd passed on private information to the National health spokesperson, after previously passing on the private information of Covid-19 cases.
In 1996 during the Winebox Inquiry, the Commissioner, Sir Ronald Davison, ruled that Boag, who was the director of TVNZ and a Fay Richwhite PR executive, had deliberately deceived the Commission and was guilty of contempt."
Should I contact Nikki Kaye, Michael Woodhouse or Cameron Slater to find if they've heard who the Auckland businessman is? I wouldn't bother checking with Hamish Walker.
The lines about her reputation being put in “serious jeopardy” and "reputational damage" bring a smile though. Michelle Boag? Reputation?
Some Gnat loyalists no doubt feel that Boag did the right thing – her only mistake was getting caught. Having covered herself in dirt, she had to take one for the strong team.
"Is it an honest mistake? Deliberate? I don't know, they'll have to look back down the chain of where it comes from. Perhaps Michelle Boag shouldn't have passed on information that was supposed to be kept to her … but young Hamish, if he's an honest mistake, then he probably shouldn't be prosecuted for it," Kevin said.
He didn't agree with Walker's decision not to contest his seat in the upcoming election.
"That would be a big shame for such a young person that would have, I would say, a pretty good future in politics."
The identity of the 'prominent businessman' is one of the worst-kept secrets in Auckland (no, I'm not going to say it here, as TS would then be liable for breach of court suppression orders).
It is outrageous that minor figures in this case have been publicly identified while he continues to fight to protect his identity.
I think that, once someone is convicted – unless innocent victims in the case (e.g. family sexual abuse) request name suppression – the criminal should be automatically identified. The shame you and your family may feel, and any consequential social or financial penalties, are part of the sentence for your criminal offending.
And, victims, witnesses, or associated figures, who are discussed in the trial, should have automatic suppression of names and any identifying details (unless they choose to waive suppression).
[People who are not convicted, should also have automatic suppression of their names, unless they choose to waive the right]
I think our law and our media – have the 'rights' the wrong way around. Victims should not have to appeal to the courts for their right to privacy. The media should have to appeal, and demonstrate a legitimate public interest, before the appeal is granted.
While I agree that Boag has performed many an own-goal in terms of her media profile and/or reputation (her involvement with the release of the covid information, was then, and remains, indefensible); in this case, she actually had nothing to do with the businessman at all – and her name and identity were used blatantly without her knowledge, let alone permission.
Actually, we don't need to know.
And the media don't need to report now, and didn't need to report during the trial about a "well-known political figure" – when it was immediately evident (and admitted by one of the defendants) that he'd lied about her involvement. It was pure media-story-beat-up for click-bait headlines.
Hating Boag for what she's done, is one thing. Smearing her because someone lied about her involvement, (in what is a very nasty sexual assault and intimidation case), is quite another.
Not sure if this is what the court meant. True, its a surprise somebody would lie about her involvement. Boags reputation appears intact, we know she did do the dodgy things she resigned positions over.
If Bolsonaro wins we all lose – the rain forests depletion needs to end, its now at the tipping point towards permanent decline.
The campaign has descended into a holy war as the candidates vie for millions of religious votes. Lula has traditionally had the support of Catholics, while Bolsonaro is allied to the ever-growing evangelical church. Their support could make – or break – a candidate.
Pastor Valdinei Ferreira says Brazil has imported 'conspirituality' from the US
It's become so extreme that even the Pope spoke out this week, asking Brazil's patron saint to free Brazilians from hate, intolerance and violence ahead of the elections.
Pastor Valdinei Ferreira, from Sao Paulo's Evangelical Cathedral, rejects this politicisation of religion.
"Faith has been seized upon as a political identity and people end up validating the Christian faith of someone based on the political choices they make," he says. "In my opinion, Bolsonaro has caused that – if you don't vote for him, you're written off as a person who's gone against God. I vote for Lula because he just wants to be president – Bolsonaro is a candidate to be God."
Pastor Valdinei uses a special term for what he sees happening in Brazil – conspirituality.
"It's something that came from the US and is happening here – this fusion of spirituality and conspiracy theories," he explains. "You mobilise people because you mess with the religious sentiment of good and evil – but it's guided by a conspiracy theory."
If the GOP in its current form win Congress on November 1, there will be consequences for the future of democracy, not just in the USA (and Americans are now discussing a future where the nation divides permanently) but in the wider world (as to credibility and unity on foreign policy).
Forget the politics – this was the number one water-cooler discussion at work today (I work with lots of mums and/or grandmas with kids).
“Tip Top has discontinued two of its most popular flavours, the 2-litre tubs of Cookies and Cream and Goody Goody Gumdrops, causing outrage among Kiwis online.”
Opinion was fairly equally divided between family loyalty to the 2 flavours – but the outrage was real!
The responsibility avoiding right don’t have to be the only voices in the conversation!
Beginning to think I’m a member of the Hayden Donnell left…
This Wayne Brown is just another bs austerity Tory, with a touch of Trump blitzkrieg- announce a crisis and then cut cut cut. Skirt the council and try to govern by pronouncement. Nothing new or innovative.
But the Trussites aren’t gone, her ideology has just gone looking for a better sales team to sneak through class warfare and wealth transfer. They just don’t want the electorate to see them profiteering so obviously. It’s no good to push it through if it sees a 30 point poll gap and criticism from the markets…
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes 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). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
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There are few secrets kept from the internet.
From buying furniture and cars, to communicating with friends and relatives, much of our personal dealings are online these days. As Edward Snowden revealed mining this Metadata can tell you a lot about any persons of interest to your investigation.
Uncovering war crimes. Unmasking war criminals. Bellingcat.
In response to the military setbacks suffered by Russian forces in Kharkiv and Kherson and in particular the bombing of the bridge linking Crimea to Russia, Russian Federation operatives have been conducting revenge attacks against civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. These revenge attacks that have no military purpose or agency, other than terrorising and causing hardship to the civilian population.
Revenge terror attacks against civilian infrastructure and civilians are a war crime.
Bellingcat set out to identify the individuals orchestrating these missile and drone strikes against civilians.
War criminals be warned. No one is untouchable
I'm pretty sure the Russians would readily agree to peace talks, if only the Ukrainians would agree.
Of course they would. The Russian's requirements are very simple. They only require a single sentence, of just three words, to be announced by the Ukraine Government.
"We surrender unconditionally".
The problem is that President of theirs. He refuses to say it. How unreasonable of him.
Revanchist idiocy.
'
"I'm pretty sure the Russians would readily agree to peace talks, if only the Ukrainians would agree." mikesh
Putin had his chance to accept a negotiated peace, but turned it down.
Putin should have taken Ukraine's generous peace offers when they made them back in March. Instead Russian Federation negotiators kept mindlessly repeating demands for Ukraine's surrender, and 'denazification' i.e. Putin's euphemism for regime change.
During the March negotiations Ukraine made two concessions to the Russian Federation to try and achieve a negotiated peace.
The Ukraine government in Kiev offered to hold a referendum to try and get a binding mandate from the Ukrainian people for Ukraine neutrality.
For a referendum to proceed it is obvious that a ceasefire would firstly had to have been agreed to.
The bloody minded Russian negotiators refused to even consider Ukraine's offer of a ceasefire during the negotiations. Instead pressing ahead with their invasion while attending 'peace talks'.
In a recognition of the situation on the ground, Ukraine also offered the Russia Federation, a concession that Ukraine would not forcibly try to retake Ukrainian territory in the Donbas occupied by Russia before February 24, 2020.
Now that the Ukraine has seized the initiative, Russia wants to negotiate a ceasefire?
The escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure, indicate that the Russian Federation has no interest in making peace.
Any ceasefire now would be used by Russia to properly train and equip the hundreds of thousands of conscripts to regroup for another attack.
The best hope for a timely end to this conflict is for Ukraine to press their advantage, to push the Russians back across the border.
If they are not prepared to talk peace, they cannot complain about the damage that is Russia is effecting. Why should Russia stop the bombing? What’s in it for them?
They should stop the bombing because the egregious murder of inoffensive civilians is, outside the strange world of Putin dupes, a Bad Thing.
If the rules favour your enemy, why abide by them.
Civilians are not your enemy – unless you're from before the 19th century.
No. I'm from the 0gth century. That was when civilians started dying in, for example, the battle of Britain, Dresden, Cologne, etc.
Arse. The arrival of mechanised warfare certainly saw numbers rise but the Thirty Years War killed more than a third of Germany's population, a tenth of France's population died during the Napoleonic wars and who the fuck knows how many civilians died during Russia's imperialist expansion and assorted global uprisings, revolutions and conquests.
If you are walking down the street, and you are attacked. You have no choice but to do your best to defend yourself
If you stop defending yourself you could be badly hurt or even killed.
The attacker can stop attacking you or you can overcome your defender.
If no one comes to your aid, the only way the person being attacked can stop the attack is by overcoming their attacker.
The onus is on the aggressor to stop the attack, not the defender.
The same with war.
Russia has shown by their actions and threats that they have no interest in peace.
Only in regrouping to continue the their attack on Ukraine.
Russia has shown by their actions and threats that they have no interest in peace.
So have the Ukrainians. So they need to get over themselves and stop complaining about the damage that Russia is doing. Do they not realise that they are involved in a war.
So they need to get over themselves and stop complaining about the damage that Russia is doing.
Oh – I thought the Putin dupe line was that it's not a war, only a special military operation? Liars need better memories.
A non sequitur but, from your point of view, good propaganda.
Putin has said recently that he will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. But of course he's a liar, isn't he, so the Ukrainians had better watch out, hadn't they.
Well he lied about invading didn't he? So he cannot be trusted.
But it's more that he's a despotic genocide with a list of warcrimes that wouldn't fit in your tiny mind that's the issue. Putin is a very bad man – not in theory, but in practice. Nor are these incidents isolated, it is a sustained and frequent practice. Putin has more form than Harold Shipman – which you would know if you bothered to inform yourself properly instead of lying your ignorant arse off and whining about "propaganda".
You know full well that there will be nothing on the internet that either proves or disproves that Yeltsin was a Western stooge. If I ever meet the guy I will certainly not apologise for calling him that;
If he is a very bad man he's probably the best person to rule Russia; certainly an improvement on the drunken sot who preceded him, and probably better than Gorbachev, whom I respect, even if Putin doesn't think much of him. Good guys probably don't last long at the top in Russia.
I usually don't talk about Putin himself. I prefer to talk about Russia, and where I think her interests lie.
there will be nothing on the internet that either proves or disproves that Yeltsin was a Western stooge.
Nevertheless, the search for anything even suggesting the kite you have flown would be a salutary lesson for you in not letting your reckons get ahead of available evidence – these vagrant prejudices you leave loitering without means of support do nothing to inform debate.
I prefer to talk about Russia, and where I think her interests lie.
Perhaps you should do that then – think about how Russia can recover from decades of kleptocracy, a humiliating defeat, and loss of standing with all the neighbouring countries. The present despot only obstructs the kind of change Russia has needed since Tsarist times. It was not coincidence that Russia had a revolution – it's really very poorly run.
"Do they not realise that they are involved in a war." mikesh
Ukrainians do realise that they are involved in a war,
Russians do not realise they are involved in a war, because they have been lied to by their government that they are involved in a 'Special Military Operation'.
Possibly, part of the reason why Russia is losing, the 'WAR'.
Unlike you I don't bother playing around with semantics. There is a war going on in Ukraine, not a game of tiddly winks. Russia is trying to regain the territory given away by Western stooge, Boris Yeltsin.
Liar.
Yeltsin was a useless alcoholic with few or no redeeming features. But there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that he was a western stooge.
You really ought to come up with some substance to support your mindless ranting – or better yet, desist.
'There are two kinds of knowing, fact and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.' – Hippocrates
But there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that he was a western stooge.
He may not have been. He may just have conducted himself like one.
He may not have been. He may just have conducted himself like one.
Spare us your vacuous speculation, and produce something to support your contention.
"Russia is trying to regain the territory given away by Western stooge, Boris Yeltsin." mickesh
That's a weirdly distorted take on history there mikesh.
The breakaway of the former Soviet controlled territories occurred, when the whole population of the old Soviet Union, including the people in Russia itself, rose up against the Soviet empire, and tore it down.
After Gorbachev, Yeltsin became the fall guy for the unstoppable dissolution of the Soviet Union that had already begun under Gorbachev.
Boris Yeltsin had very little to with it, he just happened to be the one in the hotseat when it happened.
He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata
On 21 September 1993, in breach of the constitution, Yeltsin announced in a televised address his decision to disband the Supreme Soviet and Congress of People's Deputies by decree. In his address, Yeltsin declared his intent to rule by decree until the election of the new parliament and a referendum on a new constitution, triggering the constitutional crisis of October 1993. On the night after Yeltsin's televised address, the Supreme Soviet declared Yeltsin removed from the presidency for breaching the constitution, and Vice-President Alexander Rutskoy was sworn in as acting president.[113]
Between 21 and 24 September, Yeltsin was confronted by popular unrest. Demonstrators protested the terrible living conditions under Yeltsin. Since 1989, GDP had declined by half. Corruption was rampant, violent crime was skyrocketing, medical services were collapsing, food and fuel were increasingly scarce and life expectancy was falling for all but a tiny handful of the population; moreover, Yeltsin was increasingly getting the blame. By early-October, Yeltsin had secured the support of Russia's army and ministry of interior forces. In a massive show of force, Yeltsin called up tanks to shell the Russian White House (parliament building). The attack killed 187 people and wounded almost 500 others.[113]
As the Supreme Soviet was dissolved, elections to the newly established parliament, the State Duma, were held in December 1993. Candidates associated with Yeltsin's economic policies were overwhelmed by a huge anti-Yeltsin vote, the bulk of which was divided between the Communist Party and ultra-nationalists. However, the referendum held at the same time approved the new constitution, which significantly expanded the powers of the president, giving Yeltsin the right to appoint the members of the government, to dismiss the prime minister and, in some cases, to dissolve the Duma.[115]
That seems to be how the Soviet empire was dissolved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Yeltsin#Confrontation_with_parliament
Meanwhile, outside in the real world. Where history is really made.
What is the most important thing in the world?
Here's a clue for you mikesh; It wasn't Gorbachev, it wasn't Yeltsin, it wasn't the communist hardliners who tried to oppose the popular revolt against the Soviet union with tanks and military force.
'The people united can never be defeated'
The same people who deny the agency of the people in the fall of the Soviet Union and try to blame secret agents of the West conspiring inside the Duma.
Are the same people who claim that the Arab Spring was a CIA plot.
That the Maidan popular revolt against Viktor Yanukovych was a Nazi coup.
The East German authorities could have prevented the fall of the wall had they wanted to. They chose not to. Certainly, there was was public pressure, protests, etc, and there was also an alternative route to West Germany, apparently, via Prague. I think "the people" were encouraged by the apparent softening of Soviet attitudes exemplified by Gorbachev's advocacy of glasnost and perestroika.
But why has Bellingcat never shown any interest in documenting the crimes of the Ukrainian govt against its own citizens from 2014 on.
The OSCE has noted these crimes, but does not go so far as naming names.Why has Bellingcat turned a blind eye to this?
Surely a truly investigative independent organisation would pursue all breaches of human rights
Unless they are totally partisan and funded largely by western agencies strongly connected to govt.
https://mronline.org/2021/10/11/bellingcat-funded-by-u-s-and-uk-intelligence-contractors-that-aided-extremists-in-syria/
Unless Helen you truly believe that all of the wests declared enemies are irredeemably bad , inhumane,barbaric and backward, and that is why we are enemies, and the west represents all that is superior in the human world, and we can believe everything that our intelligence agencies tell us via their paid for journalists.
Sorry,I'm not buying it
Even if everything you said is true:
1, Why is it bellingcats responsibility to investigate all war crimes? They have identified these ones. Perhaps they will identify the others.
2. War crimes by one side don't justify them by the other. You can just agree that Russia bombing civilian homes and infrastructure is bad. Trying to pull whataboutisim doesn't make dead civilians any less dead.
3. Russia has been aggresive to its neighbours for decades. It invaded Chechnya in 1999. They invaded Georgia in 2008. They invaded Ukraine in the Crimea in 2014. In all those cases the West did not intervene. They chose appeasement. Russia responded by continuing to invade and harm its neighbours. Now they threaten nuclear escalation if they don't get their way.
Ukraine has real issues internally that were theirs to sort out. This current crisis is of Russia's making and it is disgusting the amount of people on the left who will support their imperialism and war crimes just to be able to try and show how much they hate the US and the west.
Consistency is what I'm about .What you call whataboutism(that old trope from the cold war)is what I refer to when calling out hypocrisy. The fact that Bellingcat for the vast majority of its reports amplifies western geopolitical aims does not instil confidence in their impartiality
By the way Chechnya is not a neighbour, its a republic within the Russian federation, and furthermore, even the EU recognises that Sashkavilli initiated the short Georgia war by sending troops to kill the Russian peacekeepers in breakaway South Ossetia
https://euobserver.com/world/28747
Why has Russia not merged North Ossetia and South Ossetia together so they can be an independent nation state?
South Osettia has already been integrated within the Russian economy.It is entirely dependent on Russian help and finance
Taken from Georgia merely to be integrated into the borg to prevent autonomy for it, or a combined Ossetia?
Russia crushes Chechnya independence and now the vassal tyrant of Chechnya fights to expand Russian borders into Ukraine. There is a pattern.
You don't understand. Poor little South Osettia would not be able to look after itself if it wasn't part of the Russian federation. It is really in their best interest to be ruled by Russia. They are reliant on the benevolent rule of Mr Putin.
Hold on, that sounds a lot like the justification the British and other empires used during colonisation. Must be a coincidence.
….integrated into the Russian economy?
….entirely dependent on Russian help and finance?
Sounds like the definition of a colony.
There is no requirement on Bellingcat to do Russia research on Ukrainian war crimes. Of course they will focus on those committed by Russia. That doesn't make them any less valid.
If a union finds cases of bad employers but doesn't go through and investigate all of the bad employees, does that invalidate their research? Do those employers suddenly become good? If animal rights activists find cases of farmer abuse but don't report on good farmers does that make the abuse go away?
Whataboutisim is weak arguments that try to ignore one sides failings by blaming the other side of also not being perfect. All it results in is everyone's failings being ignored.
That doesn't mean context has to be ignored. I can say that Ukraine has done bad things and so has Russia. Apparently you can't. This is what makes you seem so blinded by your hatred of the west. You would rather ignore Russia's war crimes or act like they are acceptable.
Give it a try. See if you can admit that firing missiles into civilian houses, as Russia have, is bad and should not happen.
I can do whataboutisim too though. Funny how when Chechnya want independence its OK for Russia to bomb them to hell, support war lords, and make sure they are "a republic within the Russian federation". Yet when Ukraine tries to maintain Crimea or the Donbass it totally justifies Russian invasion. Weird that. Oh that's right, Nazis. Cause there are no Nazis in the Russian military. Hell we just had a story about NZ Neo-Nazis trying to join the NZDF. Hope Australia or someone doesn't try to de-nazify us. Terrible argument but on the level of what you have offered to justify Russian war crimes.
The fact that Bellingcat for the vast majority of its reports amplifies western geopolitical aims does not instil confidence in their impartiality
So that's the end run that allows you to consistently ignore their evidence – it doesn't gel with the world according to Putin. Not much does – it's not much of a standard. Russia is still fighting to suppress the revolutions of 1848, absent a monolithic creed like Stalinism, it can only hold together by heavy-handed use of surveillance and brute force.
Bellingcat has carried out investigations on Ukraine government in the recent past, e.g.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2019/10/21/how-to-mainstream-neo-nazis-a-lesson-from-ukraines-new-government
It's transparent about its funders, and investigates a wide range of topics world-wide, supported by citizen researchers.
https://www.bellingcat.com/about/
Of course, Ukraine is also running an international propaganda war, very deftly, I might add. But that seems fair enough, given its existential crisis, and the fact it did not start this conflict.
Putin's forces shun international media and agencies like the Red Cross. What are they hiding? In comparison, Ukraine allows reasonable acess to these agencies. It simply cannot afford to alienate international support by committing anti-Russian atrocities. Plus, maybe also, Ukraine is taking a more ethical stance…
"Revenge attacks etc "
I see you're using your usual selective ethics jawty everything russia does is bad and a war crime as of course ukraine would never commit a war crime nooooooo !!
Worth pointing out that over half according to wiki of ukraine's railway system is electric so prob some advantage to Russia if it can limit the supply dont you think ???
Accusing me of using selective ethics, is an unwarranted personal attack unsupported by facts. To accuse me of this being my usual practice is a dirty slur.
Following the bombing of the Kerch Bridge. Members of the Russian government said there would be retaliation, the Russian president said there would be a harsh response to any attack on Russian targets.
The threat made by the Russian President and members of his government of a Harsh response, and of Retaliation against Ukraine, – threats made following the attack on the Kersk Bridge, were carried out with missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
ANZ PROFIT 2.3billion
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300722132/anz-records-first-2b-profit-keeping-close-eye-on-recent-homebuyers
THAT is 10$ a week for EVERY person in NZ
Don't worry, the Minister knows best:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476953/cost-of-living-crisis-robertson-says-govt-to-support-low-and-middle-income-earners-banks-not-making-excessive-profits
On One News last night when questioned about 2B profit answered to the tune of:
'People need to realise we're very very big and have over 200B in assets.'
In other words: 2B isn't much you peasant, we've got 100 times that!
And somehow, that made it better?
They have 200 billion in loans recievable.
Not, Assets.
Don't those get recorded on the asset side of ANZs balance sheet?
Yes, they do.
Hence the comment.
Only "Assets" by accounting convention.
And by convention they account for deposits as liabilities.
And then the same pricks warn us to tighten our belt:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/477553/rising-interest-rates-spell-pain-for-mortgage-holders-anz
https://twitter.com/JulieAnneGenter/status/1585400231495356416
I'm on Mastodon if anyone else wants to connect there.
https://mastodon.nz/web/@weka
Mastodon trending on twitter ahead of the Musk take over of twitter.
https://twitter.com/search?q=Mastodon&src=trend_click&vertical=trends
Why?
why what?
Why the need for different plattforms, they are all very much the same. Are people really going to leave Twitter because Elon Musk is now the 'owner'. Would these same people refuse to drive a Tesla and rather get a Volkswagen cause Elon Musk? I find this strange.
it's not because Musk is the owner, it's because of what he says he is going to do to twitter. Can you see the difference?
the thing that made me reactivate my mastodon account yesterday wasn't so much Musk as the appearance of Superfollow, where you can pay to access premium content of popular accounts. The account gets $, and I assume twitter does as well. If it takes off, it's going to change twitter a lot. It's already complicated enough with so much of MSM behind a paywall now.
Mastodon is a bit different from twitter. It doesn't hurt to have two short form platforms. And it's good to have something up and running in case twitter does turn to shit.
I was thinking about finding a cluster of women on mastodon. Don't know yet what M is doing with GC content.
To be fair i am currently blocked for suggesting that certain people who may not identify as 'women' still need to make sure they get appropriate healthcare for certain body parts in response to an article that lamented the loss of a transman to cervical cancer.
How bad do you think it could get under Elon Musk? Seriously, what do you think is going to happen? The sky falling on our heads? I don't understand the need for 'safe spaces' and 'echo chambers'. Twitter is actually quite good for what it should do, some persons who work for Twitter may have a heavy hand as to what they consider 'hate speech' now already, so really what is to worry? Oh that he may give the orange menace their twitter account back? Or that people just can't report others whom they disagree with off the platform via malicious mass reporting? Or that there might now be different opinions?
To weird.
do you mean your twitter account is locked?
there's lots of speculation about what Musk will do, but for me the pertinent point is that he's a fuckwit with a massive ego who thinks he knows best and who belongs to the death cult that is killing the planet despite some attempt at greenwashing.
Will he be better or worse than Jack? I don't know, but my guess is his particular world view alongside his ego will make it worse. But then as I said, twitter already made things worse with teh Superfollow thing.
Maybe things will get better for GC debate, I don't know (plenty of GC seem to think it will). We will see if that outweighs the downsides.
I will believe it when Megan Murphy and Graham Linehan get their Twitter accounts back.
and will all the kill terf accounts be let back in?
here ya go. He's a wanker who could have done good in the world and instead found a way to get liberals liking him making shitloads of money
https://twitter.com/Scott_Helme/status/1585618275647586304
Apparently, Tesla has an option for an in-built tee to rest your balls on while you drive, hence the logo.
It's a done deal.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728/photo/1
Tech rout in markets,as growth stocks punished for being overvalued, on imaginary assets.
https://twitter.com/business/status/1585735733263876097?cxt=HHwWgoCyje6P1YEsAAAA
3 trillion lost as FAANGS ,defanged.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/27/the-biggest-tech-stocks-have-lost-3-trillion-in-market-cap-the-last-one-year.html
Pausing expansions,and constraining headcounts are first moves as economy moves from growth to value.
Superfunds taking big hits with investments in companies with high PE'S, shrink,and collateral damage expected with zombie companies.
It's hard to make payments on margin calls if the bonds have crashed in value, so share sales it is. And funds paying out money as people retire will be selling stocks high in value not delivering much dividend flow.
Bonds have an inverse relationship with value as the price decreases with liquidity.If the asset is deleveraged it maintains still has a coupon value.
There have been losses with large funds in the bond markets,mostly due to positions,but reversed some what now as both large banks and sovereign funds dump high PE'S for value.
Mostly though it is companies returning to fair value,not expected value,as the world contracts into a normative state (post covid) and wealth destruction in the on demand bourgeois set,as costs move to reality.
I made the point in one of my posts about Tuhoe and wider Treaty Settlements that Tuhoe & the results of these settlements are not the problem.
I said that those of real concern and posing a real threat to the way of life of all NZers whether Maori or Pakeha are those belonging to the Sovereign Citizen movement.
The SIS has commented on the Sov Cit movement here.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/10/realistic-possibility-anti-government-activists-could-commit-spontaneous-act-of-extremist-violence-warned-spies.html
Added to these there are the likes of VFF*, Counterspin and various other 'disgruntlers'.
The concern at the Sov Cit threat is that this could be started by a legitimate act, say vehicle stop or similar, which may be a seen as bringing the power of the State upon the Sov Cit triggering an OTT response.
"real concern and posing a real threat to the way of life of all NZers whether Maori or Pakeha are those belonging to the Sovereign Citizen movement."
Care to give an example or two of the "real threat to the way of life of all NZers"?
I did link I thought to the SIS report. I did comment that a flare-up of anti authority from Sov Cits movement could come from a routine and non threatening, to most of us, action by the Police or other law enforcement, say a traffic stop.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300555020/the-selfproclaimed-sheriffs-who-want-to-arrest-the-authorities
'Increasingly, it is also seen as a vehicle for retribution. Some element of this has existed for a while, Hattotuwa said: “This is not something that is parenthetical, peripheral or marginal; this is not something that is occasional. This is something that has increasingly defined the anti-vax community.”
It includes fantasies about Nuremberg trials for people who support vaccination, and mass arrests of politicians and media figures, as advocated by the likes of Counterspin Media.
Now, with the announcement that vaccination mandates would end, these groups have increasingly turned their attention to vengeance.
“Now the whole conversation writ large is around holding the PM and the government accountable for genocide. And that's where you find this heightened discussion around, you know, self appointments of sheriffs and marshals – they now want to hold the individuals they think were responsible for the genocide accountable under sovereign citizen and common law frameworks,” Hattotuwa said.'
From Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_citizen_movement
‘Also, because some have engaged in armed confrontations with law enforcement,[2][14] the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies “sovereign citizen extremists” as domestic terrorists.[15] Terry Nichols, one of the perpetrators of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, subscribed to a variation of sovereign citizen ideology.[12] In surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015, representatives of U.S. law enforcement ranked the risk of terrorism from the sovereign citizen movement higher than the risk from any other group, including Islamic extremists, militias, racist skinheads, neo-Nazis and radical environmentalists.[16][17] The New South Wales Police Force in Australia has also identified sovereign citizens as a potential terrorist threat.[18]’
I suggest that bringing in their odd rules and trying to enforce them on others who are unwilling to accept them will heighten the potential for violence. And just because we haven't heard from Counterspin, Arps, Sivell et al recently it does not mean they have all gone to paint their houses and grow potatoes.
[Wiki text converted to text-only without all (too many) the hyperlinks that triggered Auto-Moderation – Incognito]
Mod note
I am sorry for not removing them.
All good, it was merely an explanation as to why it was held up in Auto-Moderation. We have managed to thin out the repeat offenders, for now.
So, you've referenced a lot of speculation, concern and hand wringing.
I am none the wiser as to "real threat to the way of life of all NZers"?
Well if I am 'handwringing' it is supported by NZ Govt agencies and other western governments. I am happy to be in such company as often over the years I have found myself not supporting the govt in power eg all through neo lib times, Vietnam War, Springbok tour etc.
Nothing wrong with 'concern' I would have thought.
'Speculation' is not part of this, see SIS report. My knowledge of these and other groups has been built on my observations of this group, and many of the dissent groups involved. In particular, having worked my whole life looking at land and constitutional issues their basic premise, relating to Admiralty law is tosh.
Admiralty law, law of discovery and the sea precedes the actual signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The ToW, whether you like it or not, is the closest thing we have to a founding document framing the constitutional rights of all NZers. It is being relied on by Maori, through various statutes on the Treaty giving redress against the other partner.
If some group convinces flammable others that this is incorrect then we will have people fomenting trouble for those, and Maori in particular, who believe/rely on the Treaty.
I would have thought the possibility of uncalled for and wrongful death or injury when this is inflicted by a 'nutter' organisation with fringe ideas would be abhorrent.
In NZ's very recent past we have had first-hand experience of the harm that be wreaked by a fringe person on a mission (Christchurch) would come high up on the list of things that are a threat. NZ agencies with their role of intelligence took their eyes off the ball with tragic results. I think it is significant that US agencies have classed this group as a terrorist organisation.
The upsetting of the rule of law based on a Westminster style of government
https://adls.org.nz/Story?Action=View&Story_id=504
This article discusses and approves of the SIS keeping an eye on dissidents such as the Sov Cit movement saying their beliefs are
'The pseudo-law arguments are a collection of motifs that sound like law and often involve legal terminology, but which lead to legally incorrect results. Most pseudo-law is designed to defeat or bypass state, police, court and institutional authority.' Quoted from a Canadian Court case.
The article also says quoting Prof Spoonley
'So what is to be done about this threat of overthrow by such extremists? Spoonley suggests police and the SIS need to be more public about the resources being deployed and the information being obtained about local activists.
We need to be better informed, he says. He points out that police are enhancing existing systems to better record hate crimes which should be an important source of information and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will be announcing some of the details of the new centre of excellence that will provide evidence of local developments.
The author of the aritcle, Ret Judge David Harvey, concludes 'One hopes these investigations will not be restricted to extremists on the Right but to other extremist groups that are threats to our society.
It is doubtful, in my opinion, that sovereign citizens fulfil that criterion. They are a nuisance.'
This is where I disagree. We seem to have looked on people such as the Chch gunman and others looking at 4chan and 8chan, Telegram as fringe people and not pondered what may happen should they or a group let some trigger go to their head.
Nothing wrong with watchful waiting and pondering the threat to us all and what we can do, ourselves, to counter this. As we saw during Covid, groups with a beef at the Govt & our system of Govt, took the chance to attempt to destabilise. Much of this was done with the bombardment on many media channels by mis & disinformation.
My view is that dissident groups got away for so long because of NZers' natural reticence in challenging, our propensity to give everyone a fair go (with tragic results in Christchurch). We don't need to couple those traits with another one…that of burying our heads in the sand because 'it won't/can't happen here'.
Since Covid and the rise of these groups we do however have interesting, well read and informative people who are unafraid to counter disinformation publicly.
Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/concern-candidates-not-being-upfront
and Byron C Clark
a NZer researcher and author
https://twitter.com/byroncclark/status/1556519417827442688
Marc Dalder has also commented
https://twitter.com/marcdaalder/status/1585704160020017152
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/health-nz-unveils-plan-te-pae-tata-to-tackle-wait-times-worker-shortages-with-range-of-performance-measurements/54L4HBPK2NAWHI2DXUNTNOHLEQ/
oh the problem with our hospitals delivery is not a dangerously low number of health professionals who are burnt out. It’s that they need performance indicators (targets). And expectations. …..
I don’t know how or why the health workforce puts up with this on going insult fron this Govt.
but of course the reason that ED wait times have got worse is that the staff are a bunch of slackers sitting around the staff tea room chatting away(sarc)
I hold Little and Rob Campbell with the deepest contempt
.
100% Peter. Very good starts.
The focus on Health NZ should be on retaining and recruiting health professionals. Now. Everything else can get bumped down the priority list
I'd also be providing support bursaries for studying health (nurses, radiographers, allied health workers) – to encourage people to choose this career.
And, removing the artificial 'caps' on numbers allowed to study.
Doesn't solve the 'right now' problem, but makes a start on solving the 'in 10 years' problem.
And, no, I don't have a problem with the 'unfairness' of people being paid to study in certain fields. As a country, we need medical workers a heck of a lot more than we need lawyers, social anthropologists or accountants.
Sure tweaks to encourage study in certain areas of health, or to increase pay to Oz levels sooner for specialists in scarce areas.
3. a national locum reserve to support provincial/rural GP's to have weekends off/holidays
There have been performance indicators (nurse to patient ratios, wait times) agreed upon and enacted for the last few pay rounds. They get busy, authoritive titles, and not much changes.
No prizes for guessing our local ED has been failing in them for the last decade and a half.
Poverty underpins a lot of it. Few choices for too many, waiting till it is an emergency before seeking treatment. Especially mental, dental and drugs and alcohol.
Poverty of courage and imagination in those that set direction and allocate the $ too.
For example, which one of the 101 recommendations in Reset and Restore Plan do you disagree with and why?
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-updates/planned-care-programme-will-make-lasting-differences-to-health-service-delivery/
I accept that Michelle Boag is caught up as a victim in a case in Auckland where a convicted 'prominent businessman has had his name suppressed.
The lines about her reputation being put in “serious jeopardy” and "reputational damage" bring a smile though. Michelle Boag? Reputation? Amongst whom?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/130297725/michelle-boag-loses-supreme-court-fight-to-keep-name-secret-from-highprofile-trial
Should I contact Nikki Kaye, Michael Woodhouse or Cameron Slater to find if they've heard who the Auckland businessman is? I wouldn't bother checking with Hamish Walker.
Some Gnat loyalists no doubt feel that Boag did the right thing – her only mistake was getting caught. Having covered herself in dirt, she had to take one for the strong team.
The identity of the 'prominent businessman' is one of the worst-kept secrets in Auckland (no, I'm not going to say it here, as TS would then be liable for breach of court suppression orders).
It is outrageous that minor figures in this case have been publicly identified while he continues to fight to protect his identity.
I think that, once someone is convicted – unless innocent victims in the case (e.g. family sexual abuse) request name suppression – the criminal should be automatically identified. The shame you and your family may feel, and any consequential social or financial penalties, are part of the sentence for your criminal offending.
And, victims, witnesses, or associated figures, who are discussed in the trial, should have automatic suppression of names and any identifying details (unless they choose to waive suppression).
[People who are not convicted, should also have automatic suppression of their names, unless they choose to waive the right]
I think our law and our media – have the 'rights' the wrong way around. Victims should not have to appeal to the courts for their right to privacy. The media should have to appeal, and demonstrate a legitimate public interest, before the appeal is granted.
While I agree that Boag has performed many an own-goal in terms of her media profile and/or reputation (her involvement with the release of the covid information, was then, and remains, indefensible); in this case, she actually had nothing to do with the businessman at all – and her name and identity were used blatantly without her knowledge, let alone permission.
Actually, we don't need to know.
And the media don't need to report now, and didn't need to report during the trial about a "well-known political figure" – when it was immediately evident (and admitted by one of the defendants) that he'd lied about her involvement. It was pure media-story-beat-up for click-bait headlines.
Hating Boag for what she's done, is one thing. Smearing her because someone lied about her involvement, (in what is a very nasty sexual assault and intimidation case), is quite another.
Not sure if this is what the court meant. True, its a surprise somebody would lie about her involvement. Boags reputation appears intact, we know she did do the dodgy things she resigned positions over.
Sunday 30 October, Brazil.
If Bolsonaro wins we all lose – the rain forests depletion needs to end, its now at the tipping point towards permanent decline.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63422128
Forget the politics – this was the number one water-cooler discussion at work today (I work with lots of mums and/or grandmas with kids).
“Tip Top has discontinued two of its most popular flavours, the 2-litre tubs of Cookies and Cream and Goody Goody Gumdrops, causing outrage among Kiwis online.”
Opinion was fairly equally divided between family loyalty to the 2 flavours – but the outrage was real!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/tip-top-discontinues-goody-goody-gumdrops-cookies-and-cream-2-litre-tubs/4UWN3S4A3GSN3JBG2BZTFQNVHA/?c_id=1&objectid=12561810&ref=rss
[I declare absolute neutrality. I don't eat much icecream at all, and prefer lemon if/when I do indulge. However, the teen is a C&C fan.]
Gumdrops? You mean smurf vomit – terrible flavour.
Apparently a big hit with 6-year-olds…..
Goodness me Stuart I've only just got over the Nat Tribes including the Pollutocrats and now we have smurf vomit!
This is a gift for tomorrow.
10 bs anti rail arguments on The Spinoff
High speed battery electric rail capable of running on NZ gauge and best of all it’s a kiwi design. Here it is, technological innovation that can help reduce our climate change bill.
The responsibility avoiding right don’t have to be the only voices in the conversation!
Beginning to think I’m a member of the Hayden Donnell left…
This Wayne Brown is just another bs austerity Tory, with a touch of Trump blitzkrieg- announce a crisis and then cut cut cut. Skirt the council and try to govern by pronouncement. Nothing new or innovative.
But the Trussites aren’t gone, her ideology has just gone looking for a better sales team to sneak through class warfare and wealth transfer. They just don’t want the electorate to see them profiteering so obviously. It’s no good to push it through if it sees a 30 point poll gap and criticism from the markets…