Open mike 28/05/2015

66 comments on “Open mike 28/05/2015 ”

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1. dv 1

   28 May 2015 at 7:52 am

   http://pundit.co.nz/content/yes-at-long-last-we-have-a-plan-–-its-a-secret-but-it-is-working

   Really worth the read.

   Ganesh Nana
   Writing about “the plan thats working” and his search for the plan.

   “I got to work, spending the next 90 minutes trawling through the documents searching for a plan”

   He found the plan, I won’t spoil what he found
   • T Chris 1.1

     28 May 2015 at 8:18 am

     I don’t get the point of the article.

     The first half is pointless and the second doesn’t actually say anything.
     • dv 1.1.1

       28 May 2015 at 8:20 am

       “The first half is pointless and the second doesn’t actually say anything.

       Sort of like “The plan is working”

       Pointless and doesn’t say anything
       • T Chris 1.1.1.1

         28 May 2015 at 8:25 am

         The person has a problem with a slogan and spends paragraphs saying they don’t get it.

         Every major organisation, corporation, political party uses slogans when announcing things. Labour and National at elections for example.

         I think the most valid point in the thing is this.

         “Perhaps illustrating my somewhat naive experiences in these matters,”
         • Tracey 1.1.1.1.1

           28 May 2015 at 8:32 am

           Is that you Bill? Bill, is that you?

           I think you will find that your response proves his point. You have been duped and that you instantly spit out a vacuous response showing that you are duped or colluding only makes you look, well, foolish.
         • dv 1.1.1.1.2

           28 May 2015 at 8:47 am

           OK then Chris what is the actual plan?
           • T Chris 1.1.1.1.2.1

             28 May 2015 at 8:51 am

             Don’t ask me. I don’t know.

             Political parties use buzz words. This is hardly a new phenomenon.
             • Tracey …

               28 May 2015 at 8:56 am

               Is it working?
               • dv …

                 28 May 2015 at 9:03 am

                 Is there a plan?

                 If there is a plan how come you don’t know Chris?
                 And why are we not told.

                 That was whole point of the Nana article
                 • Tracey …

                   28 May 2015 at 9:33 am

                   some nat supporters start to be exposed for supporting something they don’t know about or understand… they BELIEVE the government is doing a good job but why, when you scratch beneath the repeated slogans of their chosen team, they don’t know…
               • ianmac …

                 28 May 2015 at 9:10 am

                 Yes the plan to hatch a plan some day will happen. However Commercial sensitivity forbids the release.
                 • dv …

                   28 May 2015 at 9:19 am

                   Garesh found it

                   The plan was clearly there for all to see in the Budget speech. And I quote:

                   “Looking beyond our present circumstances, our future depends on our ability to export.”

                   Yes, there it is – on page 7, Budget Speech, delivered by the Minister of Finance, to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 01 June, 1978.
         • weka 1.1.1.1.3

           28 May 2015 at 9:57 am

           “The person has a problem with a slogan and spends paragraphs saying they don’t get it.”

           No, the person uses the whole article to write a satirical piece on the extent to which we are being screwed by the National Govt. The Emperor has no clothes. If you believe the Emperor when he says he has this beautiful new coat you won’t be able to understand what Ganesh Nana is saying.
           • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.3.1

             28 May 2015 at 2:16 pm

             +1

             T Chris obviously believes that the Emperor has a shiny coat.
     • Tracey 1.1.2

       28 May 2015 at 8:34 am

       see below for an explanation of why you might not get it… but in case you don’t scroll down. You and NZ are being lied to. Because you have chosen to believe everything you are being told about the economic management of this country, you don’t think we are being lied to. That means you are being duped.
     • mickysavage 1.1.3

       28 May 2015 at 9:21 am

       T Chris

       The first half is pointless and the second doesn’t actually say anything.

       Are you talking about the article or National’s economic strategy or both?
       • Tracey 1.1.3.1

         28 May 2015 at 9:34 am

         He doesn’t know what Nat’s strategy is, and he didn’t understand the article… so is there a third option?
         • T Chris 1.1.3.1.1

           28 May 2015 at 9:58 am

           The whole article is about the author not understanding it. And nothing else
           • thatguynz 1.1.3.1.1.1

             28 May 2015 at 10:18 am

             So in that case perhaps you could clearly elucidate what YOU believe the plan to be?
           • dv 1.1.3.1.1.2

             28 May 2015 at 10:23 am

             Ganesh also had a close look through the budget docs and he was in the lock up.
             He couldn’t FIND the plan. Not that he didn’t understand it. He couldn’t find IT!!!!
             Chris have you found the plan – if so help by telling us please.
   • b waghorn 1.2

     28 May 2015 at 8:23 am

     “”What with the foundation economic forecasts resting on an assumed 60% rebound in export dairy prices over the next 18 months,””
     I can 100% bet that not one farmer in nz is budgeting on a 60%rebound in dairy and people still believe these idiots are a safe pair of hands.
     • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1

       28 May 2015 at 2:18 pm

       Yep, I guffawed when I read that. Considering the way the rest of the world is ramping up dairy production I’d expect a continuing decline in world dairy prices.
     • Bob 1.2.2

       28 May 2015 at 2:44 pm

       “I can 100% bet that not one farmer in nz is budgeting on a 60%rebound in dairy”
       Of course they wouldn’t! They will be forecasting based on a far more conservative figure to give themselves room for the unexpected, however this forecast will be built on long term trends and modelling (think weather vs climate).

       “and people still believe these idiots are a safe pair of hands”
       Far safer than the idiot that doesn’t understand the concept above!
       • b waghorn 1.2.2.1

         28 May 2015 at 2:59 pm

         I believe the main reason the nats missed surplus this year is because old trader john gambled on the futures of dairy and lost ,still when its not his money I’m sure he shrugs his shoulders and thinks better luck next time.
       • Draco T Bastard 1.2.2.2

         28 May 2015 at 3:05 pm

         Far safer than the idiot that doesn’t understand the concept above!

         You, along with National, appear to be that idiot.
2. Tracey 2

   28 May 2015 at 8:30 am

   He must be an extreme left wing activist, right?
3. Puckish Rogue 3

   28 May 2015 at 10:28 am

   https://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/andrew-little-judith-collins-vying-for-top-job-2015052718

   🙂

   I’d suggest he might to watch his own back but then I’m sure theres no one in the Labour caucus that’d want to knife Little
   • Skinny 3.1

     28 May 2015 at 10:41 am

     I have no doubts Collins is undermining Key’s leadership by first pulling the strings behind Williamson’s little tantrum the other day. And now she defiantly openly discusses talk at the caucus table. Key is being criticised for being too conservative which gives Judy doll an opening to apply pressure right up Johnny boys arse. The crack is starting to show.
   • vto 3.2

     28 May 2015 at 10:57 am

     Sheesh, I just cannot picture Collins as PM material…. she is more of the rabid dog scrapping and snarling…. and none of the mana that is required for the top job …. mind you that didn’t stop that piece of nothing John Key in the National Party
     • Puckish Rogue 3.2.1

       28 May 2015 at 11:06 am

       I wouldn’t worry about Key getting rolled anytime soon unless his personal ratings drop and Nationals drop
4. Charles 4

   28 May 2015 at 10:40 am

   No one often asks me about the revolution, and when it might come.

   It’s been coming a long time. Marx himself estimated 400 years, starting sometime last century. Don’t ask which year we’re at on that timeframe: it’d be like trying to pinpoint a Muslim event on the Roman calendar, with no recourse to events in the zodiac.

   But some serious dudes, and even more serious dudettes, have been pushing the revolution for all their lives. Ben Morea was one of many in a constantly evolving American anarchist group in the late sixties called, at times, Black mask, The Family and later, as a collective, “Up Against the Wall Motherfucker!”.

   Here’s an interview with him in 2006 , which, at least theoretically, gave him plenty of time to reflect on the past.

   https://libcom.org/history/against-wall-motherfucker-interview-ben-morea

   On the subject of his understanding of societal revolution, he says,

   “From my perspective and that of the people I worked with we saw a need to change everything from the way we lived to the way we thought to the way we even ate. Total Revolution was our way of saying that we weren’t going to settle for political or cultural change, but that we want it all, we want everything to change. Western society had reached a stalemate and needed a total overhaul. We knew that wasn’t going to happen, but that was our demand, what we were about.

   It also meant seeing that you need all types of people involved, not just political activists. Poets and artists are just as important. Revolution comes about as a cumulative effect and part of that is a change in consciousness, a new way of thinking.”

   Sound familiar? The whole interview is illuminating for those who either believe change will come from the top down, the bottom up, or from the street. It’s not clear whether he believes any of that, anymore, but what is most important is that the process continues. People often ask who will save them, who will provide the new answer, who will become the next leader of XYZ party – and if they can’t, then to hell with them. It’s missing the point: Start Something. Anything. Begin your revolution today.

   How? Where’s the plan?

   What fucking plan?

   Where’s the bunting and trumpets?

   What fanfare?

   Where’s the heavily-armed tribe?

   You’re most likely on your own, armed only with what you have.

   Do anything that matches your style of politics. Like a good religion, you have to live it. Start small and easy.

   Nothing will turn out the way we think. And nothing turned out the way Ben Morea thought, but Jesus, he had one hell of a life. Some of the things he remembered don’t match recorded moments of the actual event. That also sounds familiar, and that’s important too. We have to risk looking a bit dumb, to observers, sometimes. Ben says,

   “…We believed in what we were doing, but we didn’t want to be too serious. We could laugh at ourselves. The best influence we felt we could have was not just to inject militancy, but also joy and humour into the struggles of the time…”.

   And they didn’t scrimp on the militancy. Seriously. The people who he calls the “fighters” of his group were fist-fighting armed police and street gangs, and he openly supported the attempted murder of Andy Warhol – for reasons clear to them,

   “After she shot him I wrote a pamphlet supporting her. I may have been the only person who did that publicly. I went up to MOMA and handed it out there. Everybody I met was very negative about it, but, hey, I disliked Andy Warhol immensely and I loved Valerie. I felt she was right in her anger and that he was way more destructive than she was because he was helping to destroy the whole idea of creativity in art. Some people dislike the term, but I feel that creativity is a kind of spiritual act, a profound thing for people to do. Warhol was the exact opposite, he tried to deny and purge the core of creativity and put it on a commercial basis. As a person he was really despicable, as well, and that’s why Valerie hated him. He used and manipulated people.

   …Even the people who liked her feminist approach couldn’t deal with the fact that she would harm Andy. Black Mask and The Family drove the political people nuts because we didn’t fit into any of their blueprints, because we were loose cannons, so you can imagine how they looked upon Valerie…”

   He is clear that in including anyone, they weren’t just looking for the shouty-punchy types with a chip on their shoulder. If you weren’t a fighter, you were under no obligation to get your ass-whipped in a situation far above your abilities. Getting beat up for the sake of it wasn’t the point, or a point of honour.

   “…Whoever felt inspired would come along and we’d all collaborate. People who have reprinted our work, both at the time and since, often failed to appreciate our sense of humour. …

   We had our own mimeograph machine so people were constantly running off leaflets and posters. A lot of the time I would see one on the street that I didn’t even know had come out. The beauty of our family was that it was multi-armed and had no central brain so people were often doing actions and producing things that the rest knew little about…”

   If we accept his version of events, they were compassionate people too. Their compassion for what he called the “runaways” and homeless that crowded into the Lower East Side during the sixties, that were harassed and beaten by the good polite people and vigilantes of mainstream society, his “affinity groups” supported their basic needs and artistic (spiritual) requirements and finally, when things got too hot, found safe homes for as many as they could, out of the danger zone.

   One of the “doesn’t quite match the actual” recollections, is the time they “assassinated” the… what would now be called, Hipster Poet… Kenneth Koch. Ironically, his second name is pronounced, Coke,

   “…Koch was a symbol to us of this totally bourgeois, dandy world. Myself, Dan Georgakas, Alan Van Newkirk and some of the other Black Mask people went to one of his readings. I think I came up with idea to shoot him with a blank pistol. Alan looked like the classic image of the bomb throwing anarchist. He was about six foot three, long and thin with a gaunt face and always dressed in black – the anarchist incarnate. So we decided “You’re the one, you’re going to shoot him.” (laughter) We printed a leaflet and all it had on it was a picture of Leroi Jones with the words `Poetry is revolution.’ On the night when Alan shot the blank Koch fainted and everyone in the audience assumed he was dead and started screaming . Some people threw the leaflet from the balcony into the crowd and then we all left.

   Reactions after the event were split between people who thought it was the greatest thing they’d ever heard and those that thought we were a bunch of sophomoric assholes. Which was great because so much of what Black Mask and The Family was about was pushing people to decide “Do I belong with this group of people or this one?” We were determined to be outrageous in order to force people to decide where they stood on things. We wanted to push people, force them to think. “Why shoot Koch? He’s just a nice poet…”

   Here is an actual recording of that night. One version of this event has no visual evidence, but has sounds, and is clearly edited; the other version no sound and relies on memory. One claims symbolic victory, the other claims courage under fire. What do you think?

   http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/audioitem/30 (actual webpage)

   http://www.poetryfoundation.org/download-file?file=/audio/PoetryFoundation.orgPodcast.04.28.06.mp3 (podcast of the event)

   Embarrassment is nothing. The world wants us dead, the political opposition wants us living in fear and poverty, that much is clear. What useful advantage would it be to feel embarrassed in the face of that kind of enemy? To ourselves, we’ll always seem the very best of everything good… (a bit like GenXers thinking they’re better than Boomers… something for next time perhaps)… we will fall short, we’ll look dumb, feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t mean the end of our personal revolution. There is no way to know what it will start when we’re gone. No point squabbling over it.

   There aren’t many hippies any more, and modern-day anarchists are considered more delusional than teenage girls who say they’re feminists.

   The dramatically sounding “Up Against the Wall Mother Fucker!” finally splintered and literally disappeared off into the hills on horseback to discover new ways of living, for a few years, or a decade, before returning to whatever was left.

   They “failed” by our contemporary consumer standards, because they don’t now occupy the White House and drive Porsches. That wasn’t ever their goal.

   The reason our world is the way it is now was contributed to by what the people before us thought and did and lived. Like a hundred-thousand other unknown political groups, their influence is here, now. Their ideas aren’t a rigid design for today, they’re an enduring example of what happens when we do something. Revolution is slow and starts small. In politics, everything happens slowly. It can still be exciting.
5. millsy 5

   28 May 2015 at 10:45 am

   Hawkes Bay DHB votes to keep food preperation in-house

   Good to see one DHB drawing a red line on the creeping privatisation in our health sector.
   • AsleepWhileWalking 5.1

     28 May 2015 at 12:53 pm

     TG at least one DHB has seen reason.
6. Morrissey 6

   28 May 2015 at 10:49 am

   Ahead Of Israel Expulsion Vote U.S. Orders Raid On FIFA
   May 27, 2015
   http://www.moonofalabama.org/

   Today the U.S. ordered Swiss police to raid, incarcerate and extradite to the U.S. six FIFA officials for alleged corruption. The raid, with obviously pre-alarmed New York Times reporters on the scene, comes shortly before a FIFA vote to expel Israel from the association.

   This Friday the world football association FIFA is meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, for its 65th regular World Congress. One of the votes on the agenda (pdf) is about the “Suspension or expulsion of a member”. There is also an “Update on Israel-Palestine”.

   The Palestinian Football Association has called for a vote to suspend Israel from FIFA:

   The Palestinian group objects to Israeli teams playing in the West Bank. They also say Israel restricts movements of Palestinian players between the West Bank and Gaza as well as for international matches.
   “They keep bullying here and there, and I think they have no right to keep being the bully of the neighborhood,” Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub said of Israel. “If the Israelis are using the issue of security, I can say that their security concern is mine. I am ready to fix parameters for security concerns, but security should not be used … as a tool in order to keep this racist, apartheid policies.”

   He declared the situation in the West Bank far worse than apartheid that existed in South Africa because right-wingers and extremists in Israel want to “delete Palestine.” In the 1960s, FIFA suspended South Africa for decades after it failed to comply with the association’s nondiscrimination policies. The nation was also expelled from FIFA a month after the Soweto Youth Uprising of 1976.

   “I am not asking for the suspension of the Israeli association; I am asking to end the suffering of the Palestinian footballers,” Rajoub said. “I am asking to end the grievances, the humiliation we are facing.”

   The vote requires a 75% majority of the 209 FIFA members. There was a good chance that it was going to be successful.

   But now, just by chance, the U.S. government ordered the Swiss police to raid the hotel where the main FIFA functionaries are residing to arrest some of them on corruption charges going back to the early 1990s. The U.S. wants these to be extradited to face a U.S. court.

   Also, just by chance, reporters and photographers of the New York Times happen to be in that very Swiss hotel lobby, at 6 am, to capture the incident live….

   Read more….
   http://www.moonofalabama.org/
   • aj 6.1

     29 May 2015 at 6:15 pm

     The intersection between NSA, sports and politics. A very interesting article, and it’s hard not to agree with both his summary of human nature and his conslusions.

     http://motls.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/raid-on-fifa-extradition-timing-are.html?m=1

     Excerpt:

     “Imagine that someone knows about almost every case of corruption in the world, and given NSA’s programs we recently heard about, it is not such a complete fantasy. This “someone” could easily use this information to remove inconvenient people, and keep or install convenient ones, almost everywhere. At least, he could change 10% of the composition of all similar bodies “immediately” and replace additional heads through the officials’ responsibility for their subordinates.
     Is it right that the arrests took place two days before the selection of the new FIFA head?
     I think that the timing suggests that it’s no coincidence. It surely looks like someone wanted to maximize the impact of the theater. In other words, someone apparently wanted to reduce the chances of Mr Blatter to be reelected. He had some information about the bribery and decided to use it at the optimum time. I don’t have a proof of this motive but you would have to present a rather accurate and complete alternative explanation if you wanted me not to think that this is the most likely explanation of the timing.
     It also makes sense to think that the target isn’t necessarily Mr Blatter himself but the decisions that were made under his supervision, like the decision to move the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and especially the 2018 World Cup to Russia. If someone wanted to reverse those decisions, this could be an optimal strategy. No explicit charges related to these future world cups are known at this moment”
7. ianmac 7

   28 May 2015 at 10:52 am

   Is it possible that this Government is steadily and quietly restricting their exposure to scrutiny? Hidden in the Budget according to Myles Thomas:
   “…And in the Budget the Government has tightened the screws further. Just as NZ on Air was making noises about possibly funding more current affairs, the 2015 Budget introduces new targets that require 70 per cent of its prime-time programmes on TVOne, TV2 and TV3 to reach more than 200,000 viewers…..
   TV3 – their brand-new show 3D just scraped in over 200,000 viewers last Sunday.

   “….Our loss is the Government’s gain – the prevalence of government-friendly hosts and entertainment shows means it’s unlikely any government minister will face a series of awkward questions on prime-time television. Most people would agree that’s not a good thing either….”
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11455661
   • Chooky 7.1

     28 May 2015 at 12:22 pm

     I turned off Kathryn Ryan and nine-to-noon when i heard her interviewing ‘Cunliffe the Horrible’

     ( not the nice Labour Xian one that got crucified )

     ….and ‘Cunliffe the Horrible’ was telling nine-to- noon listeners what unhealthy sweet treats Media Works had in store for us New Zealanders

     ( “PUKE ” I thought …and click went my index finger on the button….and then I got myself a nice cup of tea….”I dont have to listen to that bilge” I thought. Amazing how a click of the button can make you feel good. Sorry Kathryn Ryan because i DO like your programme.)
8. Puckish Rogue 8

   28 May 2015 at 11:33 am

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11455774

   “Would he be at home speaking on a marae, to farmers or to trade unionists, Mr Hague asked, and could the wider population relate to a Wellington-based, metrosexual MP who doesn’t drive?”

   Really Kevin?
   • mauī 8.1

     28 May 2015 at 12:44 pm

     Instead people would be much more likely to get behind a homosexual, uncharismatic Green leader…
     • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1

       28 May 2015 at 1:33 pm

       Just thought that was a bit of howler like imagine if James Shaw had said something similar about Kevin Hague

       The media would be all over it
9. katipo 9

   28 May 2015 at 12:26 pm

   http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/27/corporations-paid-us-senators-fast-track-tpp
   From the Gaurdian
   “Critics of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership are unlikely to be silenced by an analysis of the flood of money it took to push the pact over its latest hurdle”
   …..
   • Chooky 9.1

     28 May 2015 at 1:25 pm

     I wonder if New Zealand politicians are also receiving money and bribes by the corporates to fast track the TPPA….against New Zealanders’ wishes and without New Zealand parliamentary democratic agreement

     Questions in the House?…Labour?….Greens? …NZF?
   • Tracey 9.2

     28 May 2015 at 1:33 pm

     Thanks katipo.

     Money talked and the people’s representatives caved…

     Mind you, in a so-called confidential negotiation where the people cannot know (to preserve negotiating positions), the US had over 400 corporate agents at meetings to negotiate TPP so clearly it wasn’t a need to keep it secret from everyone, just the people.

     Dr Mapp tells us that receiving donations doesn’t make any difference to politicians, it doesn’t determine how they vote/work…

     http://thestandard.org.nz/nrt-there-is-too-much-money-in-our-politics/#comment-1010727

     Perhaps this is a form of evidence that he is wrong. And precisely because he knows he was talking BS when he wrote that he could confidently say that the congress would give Obama the fast-track…. I am sure he will say the money is just a coincidence.

     For those who cannot be bothered reading katipo’s link here is some of what it reveals.

     “Using data from the Federal Election Commission, this chart shows all donations that corporate members of the US Business Coalition for TPP made to US Senate campaigns between January and March 2015, when fast-tracking the TPP was being debated in the Senate:

     Out of the total $1,148,971 given, an average of $17,676.48 was donated to each of the 65 “yea” votes.
     The average Republican member received $19,673.28 from corporate TPP supporters.
     The average Democrat received $9,689.23 from those same donors.
     The amounts given rise dramatically when looking at how much each senator running for re-election received.

     Two days before the fast-track vote, Obama was a few votes shy of having the filibuster-proof majority he needed. Ron Wyden and seven other Senate Democrats announced they were on the fence on 12 May, distinguishing themselves from the Senate’s 54 Republicans and handful of Democrats as the votes to sway.

     In just 24 hours, Wyden and five of those Democratic holdouts – Michael Bennet of Colorado, Dianne Feinstein of California, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Patty Murray of Washington, and Bill Nelson of Florida – caved and voted for fast-track.
     Bennet, Murray, and Wyden – all running for re-election in 2016 – received $105,900 between the three of them. Bennet, who comes from the more purple state of Colorado, got $53,700 in corporate campaign donations between January and March 2015, according to Channing’s research.
     Almost 100% of the Republicans in the US Senate voted for fast-track – the only two non-votes on TPA were a Republican from Louisiana and a Republican from Alaska.
     Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who is the former US trade representative, has been one of the loudest proponents of the TPP. He received $119,700 from 14 different corporations between January and March, most of which comes from donations from Goldman Sachs ($70,600), Pfizer ($15,700), and Procter & Gamble ($12,900). Portman is expected to run against former Ohio governor Ted Strickland in 2016 in one of the most politically competitive states in the country.
     Seven Republicans who voted “yea” to fast-track and are also running for re-election next year cleaned up between January and March. Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia received $102,500 in corporate contributions. Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, best known for proposing a Monsanto-written bill in 2013 that became known as the Monsanto Protection Act, received $77,900 – $13,500 of which came from Monsanto.
     Arizona senator and former presidential candidate John McCain received $51,700 in the first quarter of 2015. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina received $60,000 in corporate donations. Eighty-one-year-old senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who is running for his seventh Senate term, received $35,000. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who will be running for his first full six-year term in 2016, received $67,500 from pro-TPP corporations.”
     • Chooky 9.2.1

       28 May 2015 at 10:15 pm

       Not even Americans like the TPP…because it is a takeover of Democracy by the corporates

       ‘TPP agreement will deal mortal blow to democracy in US – Nation magazine chief’

       http://rt.com/shows/sophieco/261033-obama-terrorist-threat-war/

       …”the big fight over TPP is really about corporate power and who’s going to write the rules about the global game, so to speak…the people who are most outspoken about being against this deal are trade unions and worker’s rights groups and environmentalists – those are the ones, the people who traditionally are on Obama’s side.

       President Obama is essentially fighting the core elements of his own party. … This coalition has learned from history, workers have learned on their own backs, communities have died, jobs have gone, factories closed – but others are now standing up and saying: “enough! We want true enforcement mechanisms of labor and environmental protection; we want to know what’s in the agreement.” How is this truly American to have agreements, conceived in secret with private corporate courts overseeing and arbitrating agreements? No, enough!

       …TPP means loss of jobs and sinking middle class, extreme inequality…
       • Chooky 9.2.1.1

         28 May 2015 at 10:47 pm

         Where is the NZ Labour Party on leading the charge opposing the TPP …. loud and clear !… and not fence sitting?
10. Bearded Git 10

    28 May 2015 at 12:32 pm

    This from interest.co.nz today:

    “The RBNZ’s latest national breakdown of mortgage lending by borrower type for April showed that of the $5.66 billion loaned on houses, some $1.84 billion (32.5%) was advanced to property investors.”

    Almost $2b speculative house purchases in Auckland in April alone. Incredible. No bubble here then.
    • JanMeyer 10.1

      28 May 2015 at 1:54 pm

      NB “property investor” doesn’t necessarily mean property speculator. Investors, properly understood, are an important part of the mix in providing long term rental accommodation. Sensible policy should be designed to discourage speculation (eg. capital gains tax) but not long term investment. It would seem the term used by the Reserve Bank encompasses both in this instance so I’m not downplaying the issue.
11. Draco T Bastard 11

    28 May 2015 at 1:16 pm

    The media’s sickening Sanders double standard: How the socialist brings out their true colors

    It is, as you can guess, a look at the biased reporting of the MSM but this bit stood out:

    But is a 90 percent top rate “obviously too high”? Is it something one should instinctively “flinch” at? Not really, says Bryce Covert:

    Last year, economists found that the point at which the top tax rate is high enough to maximize government revenues but not so high that it discourages the rich from trying to earn more is quite high: about 95 percent for the 1 percent. History bears that out. Economists have pointed out that post-war American growth has been higher during periods with much higher top marginal tax rates and lower when tax rates were substantially lower. When the top rate was more than 90 percent in the 50s, economic growth averaged more than 4 percent a year. But recently when the top rate has been closer to 35 percent, growth has been less than 2 percent a year on average.

    So, yeah, all these RWNJs complaining that 30% tax is too high are just talking out their arse (as per normal) and history shows that we really do need that higher 90+ percent tax rate to boost growth.
12. Chooky 12

    28 May 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Washington kept tabs on the Scots

    ‘Secret US files reveal Washington’s interest in Scottish referendum – report’

    http://rt.com/news/219827-scottish-referendum-us-interest/

    …””The war in Iraq has never been seen as popular, especially in Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament in 2003 voted against British forces going into Iraq,” the classified briefing paper says.

    “The conflict in Afghanistan has more support, but that is also waning. Salmond is firmly against the war, and as both MSP and MP he has been quite vocal in his opposition in both Houses,” the paper says, adding that the fourth First Minister of Scotland was also opposed to the UN-sanctioned actions in Kosovo and Iraq, “so his opposition to Iraq and Afghanistan is not surprising.”
13. Draco T Bastard 13

    28 May 2015 at 3:12 pm

    Now this is going to be interesting:

    The motivation for this charge is a recent report about the monetary system by member of parliament Frosti Sigurjónsson, commissioned by the Prime Minister’s Office. The report states very clearly that banks have in fact been creating new money when they issue loans in the form of new deposits which add to the supply of money already in circulation.

    Anyone counterfeiting money for the purpose of putting it into circulation as legal tender and anyone acquiring counterfeit money for himself or others with the selfsame end in view shall be subject to imprisonment for up to 12 years.

    In case counterfeiting be performed in such a manner as to reduce the specific value of legal tender the penalty shall consist of imprisonment for up to 4 years.

    What happens when the bankers get put into jail for counterfeiting?
14. ianmac 14

    28 May 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Dita de Boni’s column excellent as usual. This comment from a reader was of interest to me. Wonder if it can be validated?
    “At a hui with Blinglish yesterday. He confirmed a few things.

    1. We’re officially in a recession – and recovery is dependent on the global economy which is in the toilet!

    2. From 2010 onwards, the government borrowed more than $40bn offshore and have spent it all and some and are still borrowing $300m/week

    3. The only way to pay for the benefit increase of $25 was to cancel kiwisaver contributions

    4. Plan for the future …. make it up as we go! I mean, he said they will manage the country prudently! Haha!”
15. Robert Atack 15

    28 May 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Must see climate change presentation ? maybe ??
    This presentation uses temperature data over three decades ending in 2011 to demonstrate the exponential nature of climate change and shows that climate change is now accelerating in an extremely dangerous way.
    https://vimeo.com/128141163
    Folks,
    This is one of the most clear and startling presentations on climate change that I have ever seen. The graphs presented are sort of intimidating at first, but it is thoroughly explained so even a math/statistics dummy like myself can understand. Run-time is a little over 12 minutes in length.
    Hamlet
    Alas Babylon co-owner
    • Chooky 15.1

      28 May 2015 at 10:44 pm

      +100 …very sobering
16. StarSpangledBallet 16

    28 May 2015 at 9:00 pm

    Reading “The Standard” these days is like looking at a deflated balloon. Once it was full of (hot) air, and could (in hope) rise above the ground. Now, it lies forlorn, unable to escape the force that weighs it down. Kinda like the the Labour Party and the Green movement.

    Oh but for the days when hope did flower
    Now wilted but the Right’s exalted power
    • Chooky 16.1

      28 May 2015 at 10:05 pm

      you are not jonkey in a pink tutu are you…or Joyce in sparkley tights?
    • b waghorn 16.2

      29 May 2015 at 7:30 am

      Why don’t you liven the place up by coming over to open mike and telling us all why this government is so good for the country.
17. JeevesPOnzi 17

    29 May 2015 at 8:49 am

    Where the hell is Ben Rachinger?
    Not a mention on TDailyBlog…
    Not a mention on WhaleFilth…

    CAn anyone help??
    • Chooky 17.1

      29 May 2015 at 9:46 am

      Daily Blog is still going strong…where have you been?!…under a rug ( whose ponytail are you pulling?)

      As for Whaleoil dirty politics filth …it is unsurprisingly quiet now that its source in jonkey nactional has dried up

      ….and who the hell is Ben Rachiner?
      • Colonial Rawshark 17.1.1

        29 May 2015 at 11:28 am

        Rachinger was a guy who came forward and said he had done some Dirty Politics stuff and been paid by Whale OIl
        • Chooky 17.1.1.1

          29 May 2015 at 1:15 pm

          thanx for the info…must be a good guy to admit it
      • Chooky 17.1.2

        29 May 2015 at 4:12 pm

        @ JeevesPOnzi…..ooops …i see i misunderstood/misread what you said ….sorry
    • lprent 17.2

      29 May 2015 at 1:55 pm

      His information was interesting, backed up by some moderately credible evidence, but Ben appeared too erratic to do much with. The chains of evidence weren’t that obvious, but quite intriguing and compelling. Clearly enough to warrant a criminal investigation against Cameron Slater.

      When I get some time, I’ll probably lay a complaint myself against that stupid arsehole Cameron Slater for attempting to hire someone to crack into my systems. That way I’d at least get some idea of if the investigation is ongoing.

      If the police don’t do something about it, then I’d have to assume that cracking into computers isn’t a criminal offence…. In which case the way that Nicky Hager was turned over by the police gets rather politically messy for the police.
      • JeevesPOnzi 17.2.1

        29 May 2015 at 3:52 pm

        Thanks L
        🙂
        • weka 17.2.1.1

          29 May 2015 at 4:01 pm

          He’s back on twitter. Use his real name account not the one with the odd characters in it.
          • adam 17.2.1.1.1

            29 May 2015 at 4:06 pm

            weka if you have a e-reader – whilst this is a bit heavy going, still a great book.

            https://libcom.org/files/Murray_Bookchin_The_Ecology_of_Freedom_1982.pdf

            This is a great resource too

            http://dorothyday.catholicworker.org/
            • weka 17.2.1.1.1.1

              29 May 2015 at 10:18 pm

              Thanks. It’s a bit too long for me at the moment, but have had a read of the various wikipedia pages. Interesing.

              What do you mean by anti-green rubbish?

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