Open Mike 28/04/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 28th, 2017 - 48 comments
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48 comments on “Open Mike 28/04/2017 ”

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  2. saveNZ 2
    28 April 2017 at 8:57 am

    Sounds like reasonable requests, unless there is to be a cover up…

    Pike River families reject Solid Energy plan for re-entering mine

    “We have been dictated to and our opinion doesn’t matter,” said Anna Osborne, who lost her husband Milton in the mine.

    She said their requests were reasonable. They wanted a deadline for the work to be undertaken, to have their own experts on site during any operations, and to get access to any footage of the mine held by Solid Energy or police.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11846385

  3. saveNZ 3
    28 April 2017 at 9:04 am

    Gosh! stop press, an article in Granny has signs of dissent on the government’s rhetoric. (Probably drove to work that day, and hearing Joyce’s chest beating on National’s incredible infrastructure, sent him over the edge).

    Barry Soper: Construction workforce not big enough

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11846471

  4. joe90 4
    28 April 2017 at 9:13 am

    So, the Macedonian parliament elected an Albanian as speaker.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39738865

    Re #Macedonia. If bare chested hooligans are easier to spot among "the people" than women, it's a right wing coup not a revolution. pic.twitter.com/DCZ5NrnIfk— Jasmin Mujanović (@JasminMuj) April 27, 2017

    Former Amb. of #Macedonia to US and Netherlands fearful of a full on coup d'etat tonight. A catastrophic development for whole of #Balkans. https://t.co/17z1RIbuqX— Jasmin Mujanović (@JasminMuj) April 27, 2017

    .@BalkanInsight One of the guys who stormed #Macedonia's parliament today is wearing a HOS shirt; a Croatian far-right paramilitary. Extremist solidarity?! pic.twitter.com/BmyRfqp5dr— Jasmin Mujanović (@JasminMuj) April 27, 2017

    #Macedonia .

    • joe90 4.1
      28 April 2017 at 10:01 am

      Talking points are out.
      /

      Land-locked #Macedonia in peril; partially due to #Soros funding and fueling socialist … #Lockhimup.@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/vCqRC3V3jh— Ann Marie Whalen (@whalen_annmarie) April 27, 2017

      Russia accused Albania, NATO and the European Union on Thursday of trying to impose a pro-Albanian government on Macedonia, gripped by political crisis.

      A day earlier Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov refused to allow a coalition of Social Democrats and parties representing the country’s big ethnic Albanian minority to form a government because of their pledge to allow wider official use of the Albanian language.

      Ivanov’s move, made during protests of Macedonians against the coalition in the capital Skopje and towns where ethnic Macedonians are a majority, was criticized by the European Union.

      “With active cooperation of the EU and NATO officials, an ‘Albanian platform’ created in Tirana, in the office of the (Albanian) prime minister, is being imposed on Macedonians,” a statement by the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-macedonia-idUSKBN169262

      • Bill 4.1.1
        28 April 2017 at 11:08 am

        That reuters piece is largely referring to wider and historical political positions and is from March the 3rd.

        So not about yesterday’s election or appointment of an Albanian speaker – or the reaction to it.

        • joe90 4.1.1.1
          28 April 2017 at 11:12 am

          Yes Bill, I know when it was reported.

          Did you miss the / below my talking points jibe?.

    • Bill 4.2
      28 April 2017 at 10:04 am

      A smallish group of violent and fairly clueless old farts and bigots who ‘lucked it’ and got into the parliament? Or something more serious?

      At the moment, in spite of all the arm waving coming from some quarters who’re going for “the sky’s falling in” scenario, I’m thinking the former.

  5. joe90 5
    28 April 2017 at 9:31 am

    Can a mod dig out my earlier post about the violent storming of the Macedonian parliament. The machine ate it.

    Utterly terrible scenes as a mob attacks Radmila Sekerinska of LSDM. Inside the Parliament. #Macedonia pic.twitter.com/AfiMMxefft— Xhemajl Rexha (@xhemajl_rexha) April 27, 2017

    #Macedonia

    [done]

  6. Morrissey 6
    28 April 2017 at 9:50 am

    Noam Chomsky: “The Republican Party is the
    most dangerous organization in human history”

    “Has there ever been an organisation in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organised human life on Earth?”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/noam-chomsky-republican-party-most-dangerous-organisation-human-history-us-politics-mit-linguist-a7706026.html

  7. Halfcrown 7
    28 April 2017 at 10:24 am

    Another Tui advert by Joyce for this incompetent pack of shit of a government.

    “This Government is New Zealand’s infrastructure government,” Yeah Right.

    That’s why they removed the over road bridge on State Highway 4 on the Taumarunui to Stratford line for the trucking lobby, so bigger trucks can go down this road cutting off the rail to the centre of the King Country. A real bit of future proofing that eh. (My comment)

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11846472

    • mary_a 7.1
      28 April 2017 at 2:22 pm

      @ Halfcrown (7) … yes, I read that piece and for a moment there, I thought Steven Joyce had resorted to doing stand up comedy! Then I realised it’s election year and he’s spewing the usual misinformation (read fraudulent lies/bullshit)! Bet he’s got a sore gut, because that one would have taken some retching to throw up!

  8. adam 8
    28 April 2017 at 10:53 am

    Funny how the Panama Papers keep giving and giving. Anyone would think that we have this corrupt government hell bent on helping the insanely wealthy feed that particular insanity.

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/world/91999096/malta-scandal-exposes-new-zealand-trusts-again

    • John up North 8.1
      28 April 2017 at 2:19 pm

      Love how the caption under FJK’s pic implies he leapt into action to get to the bottom of any possible skulduggery by loosing the IRD dogs on the first whiff of any impropriety. We all know the truth of the fact, deny, deny, deny – deflect then when the rat was finally cornered, a toothless inquiry by a hand picked yes man and a long drawn out process to make cotton wool changes that as the news item implies….. do fuck all to stop these thieving bastards!

  9. joe90 9
    28 April 2017 at 10:59 am

    I guess the premium that the law placed on the vulnerability of children versus the “exceptional circumstances” applies to the right people like me.
    /

    His father eventually found him but failed to contact emergency services immediately.

    Justice Sally Fitzgerald entered manslaughter convictions and issued a first strike against the pair.

    Neil’s lawyer Roger Laybourn said his client had never tried to minimise his failings.

    “He knows it will haunt him for the rest of his life, he’s devastated,” Laybourn said.

    The pair were on bail and would reappear in the Rotorua High Court in May for sentencing.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/91998393/parents-plead-guilty-to-manslaughter-after-son-dies-in-hot-car-in-rotorua

    • McFlock 9.1
      28 April 2017 at 11:26 am

      not sure I take that message from the article – they’ve yet to be sentenced.

      • joe90 9.1.1
        28 April 2017 at 11:36 am

        they’ve yet to be sentenced

        .

        The good ****** from Whanganui was discharged without conviction because exceptional circumstances.

        • McFlock 9.1.1.1
          28 April 2017 at 11:49 am

          oh, missed your first link. Fatigue was a contributing factor in the other one?

          Also, note two parents sharing charge of sprog at dwelling vs one parent forgetting to drop sprog at daycare.

          I mean, I’d be surprised if they got ten years apiece, but different circumstances get judged accordingly. Except by McCroskie, of course – but he’s a known jerk.

          • joe90 9.1.1.1.1
            28 April 2017 at 11:54 am

            Fatigue was a contributing factor in the other one?

            Power couple and as everyone knows, a power couple’s fatigue is exceptional fatigue.

            • McFlock 9.1.1.1.1.1
              28 April 2017 at 12:13 pm

              Yeah whatever dude.

              Exceptional or otherwise, fatigue wasn’t mentioned in the BoP incident. and there were two of them there at the time.

    • saveNZ 9.2
      28 April 2017 at 4:20 pm

      @Joe, Yep I wondered about if that was a ‘class’ decision. Other parents do not get a criminal conviction when this happens and there was the prosecution of the father with the quad bike who was also found not guilty.

      The parents pleaded guilty, so saved a trial and the father apparently did not even know the child was in the car. Yep they did not call 111 straight away probably because the child was already dead.

      Maybe because they were ‘young’, ‘maori’ and ‘poor’, the book is being thrown at them.

      Anyway I felt for them losing their child like that.

      You wonder what the point of jail time would be. They are no danger to the community. They have already had the worse thing happen.

  10. ianmac 10
    28 April 2017 at 11:00 am

    Bryan Gould gets stuck into the ignorance of Don Brash. How do Banks create money?
    His last line is a bit naughty:
    “That concern is surely heightened if a former Governor seems not to understand what is really happening.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11845670

  11. gsays 11
    28 April 2017 at 11:40 am

    Quite revealing on rnz this am, release of a report into banking practices, hard selling ‘products’ to customers.
    The listener feedback damning.

    I wonder if any/many other ‘news’ outlets will place much emphasis on this story?

  12. Muttonbird 12
    28 April 2017 at 12:01 pm

    How indeed is rental housing not an election issue?

    http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-what-about-the-renters

    The Greens are the only ones serious about this.

  13. Molly 13
    28 April 2017 at 12:29 pm

    Bloody beer ads… I thought I was over them long ago.

    But this latest from Heineken is worth a watch.

    (Don’t know if it is staged – Heineken assures that it isn’t – but essentially this is an ad)

    • weka 13.1
      28 April 2017 at 12:49 pm

      They need to do a follow up ad 😉

      I can see them all having a beer, except the cc denier. How do you find common ground there?

      • Molly 13.1.1
        28 April 2017 at 1:34 pm

        I have an unlikely friend, ardent ACT supporter and strong Christian beliefs, whom I enjoy talking to because we do get to discuss our opposing viewpoints without falling into personal insults and open warfare…

        We don’t often get the chance to meet up, but she surprised me on her last visit with her dismay over Trumps election – and almost just as quickly reaffirmed our political disparity by referring to John Key’s great leadership.

        I don’t know what it is, but I sometimes have better conversations with her about politics than with others who are on my side of the political divide.

        (If I can bottle it, I’ll slap a Heineken sticker on it, and produce a follow up ad.)

        • weka 13.1.1.1
          28 April 2017 at 1:39 pm

          That makes sense. I’ve had some good conversations with people with very different politics too. I’m not sure what happens after that though. Are we really any closer to working together or making the world a better place?

          • Molly 13.1.1.1.1
            28 April 2017 at 3:56 pm

            Two other friends – ten years ago – were not interested in climate change. One is now a regular partner in marches and has submitted on select committee hearings for deep sea oil – the other – just busy getting on with her life.

            I don’t know if it makes much of a difference, being able to talk. Although, it helps if you have a mutual liking before you start, but I can recognise some changes even if they are small. Denying climate change costs you nothing, but accepting it – and the issues it carries with acceptance – requires a complete rethink of principles about self, community and successful living. It does not surprise me that many people avoid becoming aware. Is that not true of any truly progressive movement that requires a change to the status quo?

            My own interest in climate change came only after a random pickup of a book at the library – which resulted in a return and a devouring on all books to do with the subject – including the deniers as well as those wanting to inform.

            It seems that there is a noticeable difference in the number of people willing to talk about transition and climate change from ten years ago, and I hope this means that a momentum of knowledge and change is taking place.

            It doesn’t feel as if it is enough to me, but lasting change cannot be forced… and once it has gathered enough momentum – is hard to stop.

            • weka 13.1.1.1.1.1
              28 April 2017 at 6:46 pm

              I think the value in being able to talk is that we need at the very least not to enable the kind of polarising that is going on in some spheres. We need to retain our ability to be human with each other regardless the politics. But in terms of solving big picture problems I don’t know what is possible because I might be able to get on with someone who thinks differently but when we go to vote we are still reliant on a system that will allow the mob to decide.

              I took the guy in the vid to be a considered denier as in he’s thought it through and made a decision (I could be wrong). That being different from people who are unaware or shying away from the discomfit or challenge.

              “It seems that there is a noticeable difference in the number of people willing to talk about transition and climate change from ten years ago, and I hope this means that a momentum of knowledge and change is taking place.”

              I think so too, and that we need to focus on the people that want to change. The deniers are in the minority now and soon there will be significant social condemnation of that stance.

              “It doesn’t feel as if it is enough to me, but lasting change cannot be forced… and once it has gathered enough momentum – is hard to stop.”

              Ae, this is where my hope is. That we will reach a tipping point and then its game on with the small amount of time we have left.

        • Bill 13.1.1.2
          28 April 2017 at 6:25 pm

          I don’t know what it is, but I sometimes have better conversations with her about politics than with others who are on my side of the political divide.

          Genuine curiosity – how much of that do you reckon might be down to an authoritarian/non authoritarian divide as opposed to the right/left divide that we’re ‘supposed’ to tribally position ourselves around?

          • Molly 13.1.1.2.1
            29 April 2017 at 11:13 am

            TBH Bill I have a suspicion it is more to do with the fact that we are similar in social traits. I fall within the 1-2% of the population according to the Myers-Briggs personality types, and I think she is the same.

            We both take time to articulate our positions to each other, and listen in order to find some sort of common ground. Predisposed to find connection plays a big part. (Our sons are great friends, and we were involved in a couple of committees together over the years.)

            While she is heavily involved in church, her outlook on life is less authoritarian than would be expected. So, I don’t think it is an authoritarian outlook she has, I think it is more that there is a limit to the number of people that she can consciously care about, and make allowances for.

            (But that is only a casual supposition – like me – she is probably the usual mix of life experience, opinion and contradictions.)

  14. Bearded Git 14
    28 April 2017 at 12:45 pm

    My rolling average of the last 4 Roy Morgan’s:

    Lab/Gr 41.3
    Lab/Gr/NZF 50.0
    Nats 45.1
    Nats/ACT/MP 47.8
    Nats/ACT/MP/NZF 56.5

    It’s all down to Winnie.

    If he goes as part of the 4-headed monster it’s 56.5 versus 41.3

    If he goes with the Lab/Gr bloc it’s 50.0 versus 47.8

    Both would give safe majorities, especially as Hone will probably win TTT.

    What is clear is that the Nats are slowly moving down towards 40%…..the English honeymoon is now coming to an end which will exacerbate this.

    • Bearded Git 14.1
      28 April 2017 at 1:13 pm

      Spot the apostrophe error.

    • james 14.2
      28 April 2017 at 2:08 pm

      it could be the cleanest possible Nat / NZF at 53.8 vs the 3-headed monster at 50.

      And there is a big difference between going with a party on 45% than a party in the 20%’s

      • tuppence shrewsbury 14.2.1
        28 April 2017 at 2:26 pm

        No, no, no, no. you fool!

        The great sage WILD KATIPO has pointed out that “You show incredible gullibility in even thinking that Peters will hold ultimate power. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would know that Peters would support and be part of a Labour led coalition.”

        So it’s impossible that National and NZ First would govern with almost 54% of the cast vote

      • Bearded Git 14.2.2
        28 April 2017 at 3:17 pm

        @James

        Your maths is a little awry…it would be 53.8 versus 44.0 but that would assume ACT went with the Lab/GR bloc so you are all at sea.

        Your point about 45 versus 20’s is also wrong. The Lab/Gr bloc is 41.3. The Nats are 45.1 and the gap is closing.

        Do pay attention.

        • Wayne 14.2.2.1
          28 April 2017 at 3:40 pm

          Bearded Git,

          The public don’t think of Lab/Gr as a single party. So while they may be natural partners, they are two separate parties and the public see them as such.

          Labour need to get into the mid 30’s to regain serious credibility as the lead party in govt. Being in the 20’s won’t cut it.

          Mind you if Labour is in the 20’s, it is then credible for Winston to demand of them that he should be PM, for at least half a term.

          • Bearded Git 14.2.2.1.1
            28 April 2017 at 4:08 pm

            @Wayne

            I agree that it would help the Labour/Green bloc if Labour was above 30%. From memory all of the recent polls have had Labour 29.5 and above and the public is just coming to terms with English as PM. The man who has written NZ’s youth off as drug-addled lazy sods; the guy that voted against gay marriage etc etc .

            In the scenario I paint above if Winston prefers to work with the policies put forward by the Lab/Gr bloc rather than those of Nat/ACT/MP then that would form a stable coalition.

            There is no reason at all to suppose that a party with 30% plus would offer Winston the post of PM. It’s not going to happen. You are just trolling here.

            • Ad 14.2.2.1.1.1
              28 April 2017 at 5:06 pm

              I think PM Winston would be awesome for a term.

              Ardern as Deputy.

              Beauty and the Beast musical.

            • RedBaronCV 14.2.2.1.1.2
              28 April 2017 at 8:02 pm

              It would help if the Greens got 30% too.
              Nor is it impossible for the Greens Plus Winnie to be 30% together – now that would be interesting.

  16. Carolyn_nth 16
    28 April 2017 at 6:09 pm

    Went to a Media Futures conference (Agenda 2020) yesterday and today at AUT.

    Report by Mackenzie Smith about yesterday.

    Today spokespeople from the 4 biggest parties were invited to attend and talk to the conference. Nats didn’t send anyone. Gareth Hughes said this was a pattern of the Nats – they just refuse to engage in such discussions/debates. See this tweet at the hashtag #Agenda2020

    The MPs, or at least Clare Curran, said petitions that get to parliament do get to be discussed in Parliament. She praised the Coalition for Better Broadcasting and Action Station for keeping the public service media issue on the agenda, giving it political coverage and attention.

    Basically they were saying, the parties need us all to keep putting essential issues up for political, and hopefully also media discussion – especially difficult to get such issues given much public discussion these days.

    Academics produced evidence at the conference about the big decline in coverage of political issues in the MSM over the last decade or so. Also evidence shows how NZ is behind other countries like Aussie, the UK and Canada in having real current affairs and political coverage on TV on weekdays, and on demand, on media websites, etc.

    • RedBaronCV 16.1
      28 April 2017 at 8:00 pm

      That would be right – remember election nights – we used to get a bunch of experts, academics, former party members from across the spectrum – a real mix of people and opinions. Now we get Mike Hosking or the off button.