Yep. According to some, the roman geographer Strabo’s travels stretched from circumnavigating Brittania to the Hindu Kush during relative peace under Augustus. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zr11t
There was certainly contact using the technologies of the time, slow by current standards. I flew directly from Bangkok to Kolkata (*) and took a while to adapt.
Ancient Greek and Greek influenced coins have been found almost as far east as Bengal.
(*) While the city’s name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.
So Andrew Little gets a 8/10 for his performance thus far (just that thing about Goff holding him back from a 9) and Labour gets a 7/10 which would have been 8 as well but for Goff (he really should know better)
John Key gets a 3/10 which would have been 2/10 but for Goff and National gets a 4/10 for weak exonerations but still exonerations
Littles doing well so far, Key needs to up his game and end this distraction quickly
Unless Keys strategy is to hope that the public get very bored of it all and stop listening, it worked for the election but its a high risk game hes playing now
Most of the people don’t pay much attention but the press are warming to Little and the people will go were the press take them.I had hoped he would resign but now I want him to tuff it out so he can take nats to it’s biggest defeat in 2017.
“the people will get bored” seems to be the right’s best defense at the moment, but as you point out a fairly hopeless one because it’s the media that runs the show and Little will keep them interested for quite some time I imagine. How long until the RWNJs realise the game has changed?
“Key needs to up his game and end this distraction quickly”
Completely wrong analysis chris. This isn’t a ‘distraction’. It’s a fundamental crisis for NZ’s governance. It’s also the most overt manifestation of the long term fight between good and evil that NZ has seen in a long time, probably since the 80s.
I’m not sure it’s possible for Key to up his game in the face of being finally proven a bare face liar who’s been taking the piss with the PM hat for quite some time.
True, but I think there is a limit to that working and Key has just reached it. When the MSM stop believing him he’s pretty much screwed. See, the emperor has no clothes.
Transcripts of some of his texts. Let us not presume it is the full text exchange, uneditted.
He also released docs last week of the election which he said proved something they didnt. In that instance he relied on people not reading them, espesh in the media.
You’re missing the point, it doesn’t matter what you think, what I think, what the moderators or anyone lese on this blog thinks, its what the voters think and at the moment the headlines are:
Key cleared
Collins cleared
Banks likely to be cleared
I was thinking that about the US corporate types. The atmosphere has changed and people will be asking “Why now? What’s in it for them? We know Key doesn’t like Dotcom. Has he promised them something?”
Have a computer today and am trying to give this clip as much exposure as poss.(especially to the unenlightened like Chris73…hope he sees it this time)
Great to see Ferguson the ex-head of the GCSB come out hard against the new SIS-enabling bill on National Radio.
However I don’t think this whole issue will hurt Key in the polls much.
LIttle needs to start to turn to housing. Labour said almost nothing about Hamilton City’s decision to sell off its entire public housing portfolio yesterday – at least nothing with cut-through.
With migration set to be sustained at high levels for the next few years, house prices in Auckland are going to escalate to places never yet seen in New Zealand. LIttle needs to get set to attack the rentier class, and decent the public housing sector – citizens need shelter.
Post scheduled on Labour and housing. Actually, it’s one of the first issues off the block under Little’s leadership. It’s just been overshadowed by other goings on this week.
And re the need to get the bill passed before the house rises.
IF the bill is so damned important why not DELAY the house rising for say a month for a full investigation.
What is more important the National security or the polis holidays!!!!
+100…”Great to see Ferguson the ex-head of the GCSB come out hard against the new SIS-enabling bill on National Radio.”…Ferguson very good …reminded the listeners of J.Edgar Hoover and his ability to blackmail just about all USA politicians
…ALL political parties should strenuously oppose this bill!….. which will be used against them and any individuals and groups who opposes or questions John Key and the Nacts and friends….we are heading into a police state
( Morning Report is getting better and better imo..becoming a bit of a watchdog)
This week marked a long overdue turning point in NZ politics, and in media coverage of events. Bryce Edwards’ round-up of the week’s links could be helpful for future reference.
Bryce Edwards: The Democratic Deficit of Dirty Politics http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11365448
Thanks Manuka AOR. A big read. And a bit unusual from Edwards as he usually puts all the good news for Key’s Government first and tacks on a bit of contrary stuff at the end. Not this time!
It may be true that the huge detail available will kill the interest of the general public. Perhaps the next poll will have National riding higher? Dammit!
+100 Manuka AOR….that comprehensive article by Bryce Edwards is a wake up call for the danger now facing democracy in New Zealand ….It is a MUST READ for everyone!
In a year’s time Bill English will be National Party leader and PM.
Someone more dependable upon to push through that the financial elites want Especially ‘reforms’ to health and superannuation. Remember: this was the guy who oversaw dozens of hospital closures in the 1990s.
John Key will be given the US Ambassadorship which becomes vacant next year and a knighthood as compensation, so he can focus on the Washington cocktail circuit.
English has been plotting his utu for years. His hands clean from dirty politics and busy with the economy, he will want to present himself as one who “gets on with it”.
Women vote in first general election 28 November 1893. Interesting voter stats.
New Zealand women went to the polls for the first time, just 10 weeks after the governor, Lord Glasgow, signed the Electoral Act 1893 into law, thereby making this country the first in the world to give all adult women the vote.
Despite the short timeframe for voter registration, 109,461 women – about 84% of the adult female population – enrolled to vote in the election. On polling day 90,290 of them cast their votes, a turnout of 82% (far higher than the 70% turnout among registered male voters). There were then no electoral rolls for the Māori seats, but women cast perhaps 4000 of the 11,269 Māori votes that year.
Despite warnings from opponents of women’s suffrage that ‘lady voters’ might be harassed at polling booths, election day passed off in a relaxed, festive atmosphere. According to a Christchurch newspaper, the streets ‘resembled a gay garden party’ – ‘the pretty dresses of the ladies and their smiling faces lighted up the polling booths most wonderfully’.
In fairness, there were a few comments from non-Nats, who took umbridge at what Toby had written (thought he was being serious), or else just read the by-line and commented without reading at all. I am shocked/bemused that people (on both sides) don’t even realise its satire……which just reinforces the critical role of MSM, soundbites, headlines and how important they are as influencers over what people think…..It kind of frightens me, how reality for some people is so different to reality for others……we read the same piece of news and take polar opposite messages from it. Is it intellectual laziness, low literacy levels or what? From a political perspective, if you want to gain support for your point of view, if you want to try to get people to see the world how you see it (like accepting a new policy), it begs the question of how you reach people (who see the world through completely different eyes).
Yeah I know, some on the left are also not intellectually blessed, but Blue hadn’t mentioned them.
As for why, somehow we seem to have built a culture of instant gratification. People want information, and pleasure, in short bursts and right now. They seem to just want their preconceptions fulfilled, so if a headline does that, they stop. There’s a lot to be said for slowing down and smelling the kowhai flowers.
“Sanson hoped the decision wouldn’t tarnish Newman, and said she had made a “youthful mistake.”
“When you’re 20 or 21 everything is black and white and when you’re 61 you realise there is a hell of a lot of grey and I can put it down as a youthful mistake [on her part].”
Sanson said he would still rehire Newman. However, the 23-year-old declined the offer.
“No, he’s creeping me out with that. No, I definitely [do] not feel safe to be anywhere near him.”
There is no difference. They are both workplaces. Richie is an authority figure, just like the boss. They are both subject to the same law. Richie has the same defence as the boss, which is that, in context, it’s not sexual harassment.
Strange reply, weka. It’s not me defining reality. It is reality. It’s hundreds of years of jurisprudence, the laws of NZ, the common law and case law.
In a nutshell, you don’t appear to like the outcome. And therefore, you are willing to completely dismiss the sound legal reasons for the outcome. That’s an attempt to define reality, right there. Let’s see how well that works, eh?
Sound legal reasons for the outcome were arrived at by a new era member based on, in my opinion (allegedly known as fact by me)*, false testimony by witnesses.
*Trying really hard not to call a spade a spade in order to protect TS.
“In a nutshell, you don’t appear to like the outcome. And therefore, you are willing to completely dismiss the sound legal reasons for the outcome. That’s an attempt to define reality, right there. Let’s see how well that works, eh?”
I don’t have an opinion about the outcome, as I haven’t read the report.
Go back and reread my comments on this topic TRP. You will see that right from the first one I have been commenting on the meta issues. I’ve stated twice that my point is in addition to or separate from the legal issues.
You insist on making this conversation solely about the legal issues, hence my comment about defining reality. There are at least 3 subthreads going on here. The Al1en’s, which is a mix of the legal and direct experience/anecdote and covers law and ethics. Ergo’s, which I haven’t followed closely enough to accurately summarise. And mine, which is about the necessity of clear messages beyond legalities from organisations like the ERA and Stuff. I think we’ve all talked about the importance of culture in addition to law.
Trying to define this solely in terms of the strict law of this case is like trying to talk about roastbusters solely in terms of the police investigation and their legal parameters.
Hundreds of years of jurisprudence, the laws of NZ, the common law and case law is no the only way to understand reality.
Mention st richie all you like, but the joking around is a red herring.
A laugh and a joke is not a pre cursor to an unwanted sexual advance that, as was stated but not accepted by the hearing, was the last in a sequence of similar events.
If his ‘witnesses’ had told the era what I know them to know, the result would be very different.
I have accepted that because of the false statement from one of his witnesses (same one as in Newman’s case), and despite having a list of dates, times and places, I can’t win my own case unless I pay to forensically expose the lies (which I can’t), so I have to cough up for the bill I’ve run up and let it go.
Still, got two and a half years left before the cutoff date to proceed, so plenty of time for the dirty old man’s stories to unravel.
Gutted though, cause the guy is fuckstick and needs to be stopped.
All this case has done, so far, is bolster his sense of impunity. Knowing the man, it won’t last. He won’t be able to help himself, though with a mail order bride on the way he may be occupied enough at home.
I have, as a final clutch at a straw, sent a request to Campbell live to have a little look at things, but I don’t hold out much hope.
Fair enough, Al1en, that must be a bitter pill to swallow. I don’t know either you or the boss, but I know who’s version sounds the most likely. Particularly after his Benny Hill style comments in the media.
Regarding the witnesses, don’t be too hard on them. There’s all sorts of reasons why they might say things that don’t align with your understanding. They might be intimidated, afraid of losing their jobs. Or they might not understand or care. Or they simply might have seen it differently from you (the Rashomon effect).
It is a bitter pill and it’s lodged about halfway down my throat at the moment, but it’s nice to be considered a reliable witness by someone.
As for the witnesses, who I know to have been less than honest, I feel nothing but scorn and contempt.
For the record, I was intimidated and afraid of losing my job too, yet stood up for what’s right – It was a no brainer as far as I was concerned. In my opinion, women who ignore, deny, mitigate and/or cover up this sort of behaviour, for any of those reasons listed, I say fuck ’em, which may be extremely harsh, but these women allowed this dirty old coot to get away with it.
When this behaviour is allowed or ignored by one, this just makes sure it will happen to someone else. There are all sorts of reasons why people don’t speak up, but I wish they would. I knew a woman years ago who worked in a petrol station and copped all sorts of garbage off the boss. For about an hour. After telling him to stop 3 or 4 times and being laughed at, she put a screwdriver through his hand. That stopped him.
Rubbish. The manly bonding between sweating giants of our national sport necessitates a few slaps on the well muscled buttocks of a comrade. This is both encouragement and reward and is understood by manly men in all the changing rooms and on all the ritual battlefields of the land. When John Key, captain of the All Blacks, pats another player on the bum, it is for encouragement and promise of knighthoods to come.
When a dirty old man of a boss does it to a young female worker, it’s a statement of power over her. It cannot be compared to joking about whatever stupid hat he was wearing.
Murray, I’m sure you understand that the same action in different situations can have different meanings. The action of the boss in this case is not as insignificant as those in the rugby player analogy, but it is not sexual harassment as it is defined in NZ. It is not repeated and it is not sufficiently severe to meet the threshold, in the circumstances as we know them. If you don’t like the law, by all means campaign to have the definition tightened.
If the complainant was able to provide any corroboration at all of repetitive harassing behaviour or a witness that confirmed the incident was more severe than it was said to be by the boss, then there would be a different outcome. The actual outcome seems consistent with the proven facts.
I’m not trying to give a legal opinion here. I’m not qualified. What I am qualified to do is write what I think about the situation. In any case, it just confirms once more that the courts and tribunals are stacked against workers.
And if you haven’t got the money to hire the professionals, and let’s face it, most low paid workers don’t, one is always going to be up against it.
Justice costs, and those without go without.
She wasn’t, she resigned.
The point is that on the evidence presented, if I as a co-worker had slapped her bum, I would have been dismissed or disciplined for it, yet he gets off scot free.
She wasn’t dismissed, weka. She resigned, then unsuccessfully claimed constructive dismissal. That’s the concept that the resignation was forced by the employer’s behaviour. ie. that the worker had no reasonable alternative but to resign. It’s usually very hard to prove.
What were Cameron Slater’s links (if any) with the Israeli State back in 2011?
Was the attack on (then) Leader of the Labour Party Phil Goff, to help stop his asking ‘hard’ questions in the House about the strange circumstances surrounding the deaths of three Israelis in the Christchurch earthquake?
Three Israelis were among the 181 people who died when the earthquake struck on February 22.
An SIS officer told the Southland Times there were fears Israeli agents had hacked the police national computer, compromising highly sensitive files. Police have since said their systems are subject to regular security audits and are secure.
The investigation centred on a group of four people in a van in the city centre. Driver Ofer Benyamin Mizrahi, 23, was killed instantly and the other three left the country within 12 hours. The newspaper reported Mizrahi was found with five passports.
Key refused to answer questions about the revelations when he was grilled by reporters this morning, saying it was not in the “national interest.”
…….
______________________________________________________________________________________
In WHOSE ‘national interest’?
The national interest of New Zealand or Israel?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Cameron Slater made a trip to Israel which was partially paid by the Israeli Embassy in Wellington in August 2014.
But the Israeli Embassy in Wellington is relaxed about picking Slater – a climate change denier – to cover the World Science Conference in Israel. Despite the bad publicity, it believes Slater is “fair-minded” and “spiritual”.
The embassy picked Slater to be part of a media delegation to the conference a long time ago. He had a reputation for controversy even before the release of Dirty Politics, a book based on his leaked emails and revealing deep cynicism and some nasty communications between Slater and some people in politics and PR.
The embassy’s cultural and public affairs director, Patricia Deen, stands by its choice, and said Slater’s fairness showed in his coverage from Israel so far. Israel has been part-funding Slater and other writers to the conference, which was scheduled to run from August 17 to 21. While it never went ahead because of the war on Gaza, Slater has stayed on to write about Israel.
The Israeli Government paid part of his costs, and he paid extra to extend his visit to cultural places, said Deen. “Cameron is a very spiritual person,” she said.
Like other countries, Israel pays for journalists to visit so they can get media to see their side of the story. NZ does much the same thing in helping journalists visit our “100 per cent pure” nation. In Israel’s case, though, such delegations are often designed to counter what it believes is an anti-Israel bias on the part of international media.
+100 … great post Penny…and thought provoking questions!
…i also think i remember a whole lot of passports at issue with those Israelis after the Christchurch Earthquake when the remaining surviving Israelis were spirited out of the country very fast by their fatherland…this all deserves much wider investigation
….eg what exactly is New Zealand’s relationship with Israel?…we know where Helen Clark stood ….but since it seems to have got very murky ….where do the GCSB and the SIS stand on these issues?…are there hidden agendas both in New Zealand and Australia…eg ex Jesuit Priest Tony Abbott….what is his stance?…given the concerns of United Nations on human rights violations and genocide against the Palestinians….i think the Labour Party, Greens , Mana/Int and NZF parties should looking at these questions as a priority
…especially with new warrantless spy legislation proposed by John Key and Nact on New Zealanders…will there be any accountability ….and if so to whom?!
…these questions are crucial for our democracy and sovreignty
Tony Abbott was never a Jesuit priest. He wanted to be, but he was booted from the seminary for lack of empathy.
As for ngati poaka saying their systems are secure……..what are the odds that a good part of the IT comes from companies with links to Israel? The Zionists have shown great willingness and ability to access the computer systems of other countries.
On Slug Boy – he has no credentials whatsoever to report on a science conference. It’d be like sending a deaf reporter to report on a symphony.
thanks for that correction re Tony Abbott….well that is interesting…he got the boot from the seminary for “lack of empathy”! ( my respect for the Jesuits goes up …and respect for Aussies voting him in… after all… goes down)
…what is “ngati poaka” ?…SIS?
lol…re “Slug Boy”…science credentials …but what about Slater being “a very spiritual person”?!…
(See Penny’s post :- “Israeli Embassy in Wellington is relaxed about picking Slater – a climate change denier – to cover the World Science Conference in Israel. Despite the bad publicity, it believes Slater is “fair-minded” and “spiritual”….said Deen. “Cameron is a very spiritual person,” …)
Ngati poaka are the tribe of pigs. They wear blue and have different rules and customs to the rest of us. Some people have objected to my use of this name, but I’m relaxed about it. Not in a Key way, though, I have sought advice.
In August, Banks was sentenced to two months’ community detention after being found guilty of knowingly filing a false return in relation to the donations, which were declared as anonymous.
I hope crim.con is charged with perjury, Banks spent a fortune on clearing his name he would not have done that if he could not prove crim.con was lying.
Yep, a fright alright. That’ll probably be the last time a prominent candidate puts his hand out directly for a cheque. It’ll be ‘see my campaign manager while I look away’ in future. Though I saw somewhere recently that they are now finding alternative ways to channel the big bucks, via intermediary organisations. And really, the only crime is getting caught, eh.
Mr Banks had appealed and introduced affidavits from two US-based businessmen who had been at the same lunch at which Mr Dotcom claimed donations were discussed. The pair – David Schaeffer and Jeffery Karnes – both said donations were not discussed at that lunch.
It’s entirely possible to be at the same lunch and not in the same conversation and thus not hear or see what was actually taking place.
Yes it is, but Dotcom and his wife gave evidence that there were no other parties present that day, so undoubtedly since the two businessmen have said in an affidavit that they were there and donations were not discussed it would have unquestionably have had a major impact at the trial.
Am pleased for his wife who has been dragged through this.
Interestingly John Banks may get a not guilty on the basis that wilfully not reading a form can absolve you from responsibility and accountability. Ironic from the party that preaches accountability and responsibility. Imagine if you will, a beneficiary taking money after signing a form they didnt read and thereby didnt know what they had agreed to. Banks and ACT would be squealing like stuck pigs.
Good riddance. It is just a shame there are more with his lack of ethics and accoubtability ready for the trough.
So the murdering pedo is on his way back to NZ. Unbelievable that he was collecting
a student accommodation allowance while being kept by the tax payer.
10 mins with Slavoj Zizek thinking about the situation of so many being ‘disposable people’. How do we live full lives in a world where capitalism creates a two part world – inner and outer. Where the ratio is 20:80 the smaller number that are wanted and the vast majority who are disposable. University students study and pass exams knowing that there is no job available.
He suggests they do not shy away from being creative, artistic. If we concentrate our endeavours only on the utilitarian then too many firstly are unemployed, and then become unemployable.
Where life is like the inside of The Truman Show for the 20% and they cannot see the fringes of their elite bubble. If you feel edgy watching him, then just listenn
One thing that young men can do is play cricket and other sports. There you are disposable as in the recent cricket death of Abbott in Australia. (Unfortunately it wasn’t their vicious RW PM. Here is what he had to say about it. No promise to request humane treatment with a ban on this type of bowling.)
The thought that a player in his prime should be killed playing our national game is shocking and sobering. We should be conscious of the risks that our sportspeople run to give us the pleasure that they do. What happened has touched millions of Australians.
Very Emperor-like viewing the gladiatorial contest.
So they could now have the greatest memorial for this young guy Hughes and the
bowler ‘s state of mind by requesting a ban on this type of bowl, and making people in sports and their officials, likely for charges of manslaughter. Because this is what they bring about by their own actions and agreement with a disgraceful practice.)
Oh I understand the issues all right. There is a blind drive to worship some activities from war to sport and to rush off in a group to participate ignoring that pain, injury, crippling even or death may follow. There is groupthink at work here. And it drags everyone along into a black hole. Learning how to behave like an intelligent humane human is always up against this ‘great’ idea of risking injury or causing a sacrifice to serve whatever the project is. And the aggression raised by sport spills over from the teams facing each other, to the parents at the sideline attacking their child’s opposition, or the ref.
The unions want to protect foresters and miners from being killed and injured at work. Yet the power of sport to attract people into its midst and encourage them to think it is manly to accept that they may be badly injured or killed is very strong. Rugby have their spear tackles.
The dirty play and dangerous play becomes acceptable when there is mana or money for winning and if there are bad, careless rules of attack and people die because of them, who cares. You obviously don’t, you are callous and unthinking.
The primary function of a bowler is to attack the wickets, not the man. The bouncer does that. It is meant to attack the man’s head, face or body in order to intimidate. So, I agree, the bouncer should be banned. If the bouncer is above a certain stipulated height, it should be deemed illegal, with serious consequences to the bowler and his/her team.
There would be 1000’s of bouncers bowled every year to change the game for one freak accident is ridiculous I bet more cricket players die from melanoma each year than have ever been killed buy a ball ffs
This from Wikipedia on bouncers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncer_%28cricket%29
There have been several occurrences of injurious bouncers in recent times. In 2006, Australian opener Justin Langer, was struck on the head in his 100th Test from a bouncer from Makhaya Ntini and hospitalised.
In 2008 West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was knocked out for several minutes after being hit by a bouncer from Australian fast bowler Brett Lee during a test match.[7] Shoaib Akhtar was a regular offender; he injured both Gary Kirsten (2003) and Brian Lara (2004) with fast bouncers. Both batsmen had to be taken off the field.[8]
NZ Herald finds excuses for throwing an object – violence – in the name of sport. They say the Hughes tragedy is a rarity and perhaps death is but in recent years batsman have been hit as above. The Herald article shows that the bouncer is part of the expectation of fans, it wouldn’t be so interesting a game without it. Heaven save us from the morality of fans!
There is some good technical discussion about bowling and the difficulties that changing the rules might cause that cricket fans will enjoy and want to think about.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11365898 But one of the reasons the Hughes’ tragedy has hit home so hard is its rarity. It was described by one commentator as a one in 10 million occurrence. I would suggest those odds are too skinny. At the elite level, in the helmet age, this is unprecedented.
Banning the bouncer aimed at the head could actually be counterproductive and more dangerous. If lawmakers draw the line, say, at the batsman’s shoulders, this would give those on strike a greater level of comfort only if cricket had no variables. As anybody who has played the game will tell you, it is hard to think of a sport with more variables.
It is ‘illegal’ if it’s too tall. It’s a no-ball. It costs a run and has to be re-bowled. At amateur level, the height is often lower (shoulder height when I last played) to discourage bouncers.
btw, the primary function of the bowler is to get the batsman out. Bowling him is just one way of achieving that. Less than a quarter of test dismissals are out, bowled, nearly half are out, caught fielder.
If you listen to the audio, apparently the only reason he hasn’t released proof is due to the continuing Police investigation.
He has been known to be as credible as Winston Peters on matters like this though.
And no, I haven’t asked him, if I ever meet him (which is highly unlikely) I will though, just for you Tracey. Maybe you could ask Matt McCaten if he is involved in a conspiracy?
Tracey, you clearly did not listen to the interview, he states several times the the Labour Party were not behind Dirty Politics or part of the far fetched conspiracy around him topping himself.
Thanks Bob. I did listen and decided that Cam has similar dislocated thinking/justifications as Key. No wonder they are soul mates. He certainly says he believes that there is a conspiracy to “get him.’ Maybe it is just his guilt tormenting himself.
” ..Narcissism, in lay terms, basically means that a person is totally absorbed in self. The extreme narcissist is the center of his own universe. To an extreme narcissist, people are things to be used. It usually starts with a significant emotional wound or a series of them culminating in a major trauma of separation/attachment. No matter how socially skilled an extreme narcissist is, he has a major attachment dysfunction. The extreme narcissist is frozen in childhood. He became emotionally stuck at the time of his major trauma of separation/attachment
Some narcissists may have the ability to change into a variety of identities according to the situation. The wounded child inside may choose to present a front as a “bad ass” and tough individual. He may look, by appearance, intimidating and scary to the average person. He could also play the “nice guy/person” whom everyone likes. A corporate type version can be one that is diplomatic, proper, and appearing to care but in reality does not. Another very likeable extreme narcissist can be the one that chooses the comedian role. He is the life of the party and has everyone in stitches, making them laugh constantly. Everyone wants to include this person because they are a lot of fun.
So Slater is claiming to have proof! But he can’t show it right now…
Gosh. An unprecedented turn of events.
I remember when he had ‘proof’ that Karol who posts here and Tania Billingsley were in cahoots as part of a Green party conspiracy to embarrass National with her sexual assault claim. His evidence turned out to be that Karol wrote here in one of her comments that she thought that Billingsley would agree with her about some point or other. Yep.
I was working on the assumption that Slater was just a compulsive BS artist, but I’m starting to think that he actually believes a significant amount of his own manure. If so Key must be racking his brains on how to get rid of him – it’s rather dangerous and risky to trust such a person. If he can’t he must figure out how to mollify him, and thus remain under his grip, or else his position will become untenable sooner or later, when he be forced to simply leave.
Bryce Edwards suggested today that Key cannot afford to cut Slater loose for fear of him going nuclear and spilling what dirt he has on Key.
It’s more likely he knows what dirt Key’s got in his top drawer. He also probably knows how Key obtained it which could be the more dangerous info. should it ever become public knowledge.
Whatever the motivation, the raid, like the Australian anti-whistle-blower laws and President Obama’s anti-leak investigations, is certain to have a chilling effect. Of course, such steps are always explained as a result of a careful balancing between national security and civil liberties. What is becoming increasingly clear is that political self-interest — which serves no one except the powers that be — is just as important a factor.
I said he’d be found not guilty (I admit I got the time frame slightly wrong) and its looking more likely thats whats going to happen, they might not even bother with the re-trial
Thats what happens when you listen to nut bars like McCready and Dot Con
I read that the affidavits of the two American gentlemen in question differ on the details of the day. If they couldn’t even get their story straight after being coached by Banks’ wife then how is this evidence admissible?
I’d love for the whole truth to be known. Unfortunately, the actions of Banks and other right-wing politicians such as John Key over the last few years would indicate that they’ll be lying and generally trying to hide the truth as much as possible.
Do you know why they werent subpoened at trial? Dotcom must have known who they were and mr and mrs banks would have recalled their names. Interesting ruling that this was new evidence given their existence was known.
Banks will be vindicated and (once again) Dot Con will have found to be talking porkies and all the leftards that supported and praised him will have egg on their faces (again)
That is not what I asked. No one has lied in this case except Banks and his wife. They are liars, and the court has said so. That a judge would find testimony from Kim Dotcom and his wife more reliable than from Banks and his wife must really sting for you and for them.
You and Banks and all your type are deceitful liars and should not be close to positions of power.
From my own experience not getting them to give evidence and not knowing they exist to give e idence are very different things. Remember the recent case with the crown against one SCF…
IF these guys were known to all parties then they are not strictly speaking new evidence but as I wrote I havent read the decision.
The Court of Appeal said that although Banks’ defence could have tracked the businessmen down before the trial, it was satisfied that if their evidence had been known at the trial the outcome might have been different.
Well, I guess only Banks and his wife knew they existed. If they had been mentioned in the trial, surely we would have heard about it. I guess Team Banks didn’t want to talk about these witnesses until they tracked them down and learned what the witnesses had to say about what went down re-the donation discussions.
Understood. Odd thing is they arent hard to find. I guess Banks wasnt listening when he was introduced to them.
I get the part that their evidence could change the judges view, its the couldnt find them bit. I guess banks spent his money on all the appeals and strike outs instead.
You ok with people signing forms without reading them, even when they preach accountability and responsibility to others?
He took money to be ED of Hujlich and his defence was that he didnt know anything about operations… Executive director who takes BIG fee but knows nothing about Ops.
Has any journalist actually asked John Key why he organised his office so that political operatives, such as Phil de Joux, were the people who talked to the SIS rather than himself.
From what I can gather this was an unprecedented move, all previous Prime ministers spoke to the SIS directly, in secret.
By organising his office this way it was inevitable that something like the SIS/Whaleoil leak would occur.
Pretty obvious why. He decided to use Slater as part of the Black ops. brigade he set up within his office – Slater was the conduit through which the ‘information’ could be picked up by the MSM. Lets face it, as a wheeler/dealer Key would have been well versed in the art of undercover operations and deceptions.
The MSM journos would have known what was going on, and were more than happy to go along with it. I suspect that is what some journos are worried about. They know their reputations will be badly tarnished if the truth was ever revealed. I bet that’s what Slater has over them.
Yeah I know it is obvious why he did it, it’s clear as day to anyone who has been watching National and its appendages for any length of time. But has any journalist actually asked him why?
Are you suggesting that no journalist would ask him this because it would endanger their career??
Are you suggesting that no journalist would ask him this because it would endanger their career??
No, they’re implicated to a degree. It’s common knowledge that many in the MSM read Slater’s blog on a daily basis looking for scraps of info. It’s also known Slater gave some of them a heads-up (privately) on what was coming. The journos knew where most of the info. was coming from – the Black Ops brigade in Key’s office and in that sense they were part of the Dirty Politics conspiracy.
Fall foul of Slater and he’ll dob them in. My god, the more one thinks about it, the more dirty/sleazy it becomes.
Agreed. I haven’t heard every interview (or question in Parliament) but there seems to have been little attention on the unprecedented use of a party hack in the PM’s office to deal with the SIS.
The Nats have banked too much on Kiwis’ lack of interest in civil liberties and process. it’s a bit early to tell, but my sense is that people like to think they don’t have to worry about this stuff, but now it all seems a bit dodgy.
He did it because he thinks the way to govern a country is the same as the way they ran Merrill Lynch. Rules and integrity do not apply if you can get away with it.
Anne reckons it’s not so much what Slater has on Key (because in reality Key is a very boring person), but what Slater has about the dirt Key hold in his draw and more to the point, how he got it.
Which is kind of the crux of this whole SIS/PMO thing at the moment and has always been my biggest fear about Key: that he’d have no problem using state apparatus to maintain power.
So – is this UNSC Resolution 2178 (which is behind this Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill) – going to help the formation of a ‘greater Israel’ – by ‘weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of an Israeli expansionist project’?
Regulatory Impact Statement
Foreign Terrorist Fighters – Targeted review of relevant legislation
…………………………………..
‘Status quo and problem definition’ :
2. The threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and other violent extremists is evolving rapidly. The most immediate and latest manifestation of the FTF issue is seen with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). fighters invloved with ISIL are responsible for widespread use of indiscriminate and extreme acts of violence primarily in the Iraq and Syria region. there are an estimated 15,000 – 20,000 FTFs associated with ISIL of which an estimated 3,000 hold western passports. these fighters threaten to return to their countries of origin radicalised and with military training.
______________________________________________________________________________________
This article was published on Global Research April 29, 2013.
Global Research Editor’s Note
The following document pertaining to the formation of “Greater Israel” constitutes the cornerstone of powerful Zionist factions within the current Netanyahu government, the Likud party, as well as within the Israeli military and intelligence establishment.
According to the founding father of Zionism Theodore Herzl, “the area of the Jewish State stretches: “From the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.” According to Rabbi Fischmann, “The Promised Land extends from the River of Egypt up to the Euphrates, it includes parts of Syria and Lebanon.”
When viewed in the current context, the war on Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing war on Syria, not to mention the process of regime change in Egypt, must be understood in relation to the Zionist Plan for the Middle East. The latter consists in weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of an Israeli expansionist project.
“Greater Israel” consists in an area extending from the Nile Valley to the Euphrates.
The Zionist project supports the Jewish settlement movement. More broadly it involves a policy of excluding Palestinians from Palestine leading to the eventual annexation of both the West Bank and Gaza to the State of Israel.
Greater Israel would create a number of proxy States. It would include parts of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Sinai, as well as parts of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. (See map).
So what they mean is air and sea port passport control will have as chronically impaired recall as john banks that they won’t recognise an eight foot tall man with a germanic accent who has been all over the news for a few years.
That’s a worrying development for the nations border security.
I thought that was funny too. Almost as funny as the Crown alleging that KDC has been playing too many video games based on what he has said on twitter.
How hard would it be to get out of NZ? I think he’s not allowed to travel very far and no helicopters, so that limits it to leaving on a private boat from near Auckland right?
Stowaway on a super yacht parked up in the viaduct, or rowing boat out of the mangroves to a waiting u-boat in Manakau harbour. Ridiculous reasoning and spiteful in intent. Which department or office did the ‘get Dotcom email come from?
As for video games, I’m not hard core and I do have to play on easy these days (no more legendary master chief for me), and though taking a wild, but non sexist guess that shooters wouldn’t really be your thing, I saw a trailer for call of duty advanced warfare Exo zombies add on content today, and my trigger fingers have been itching ever since.
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The New Zealand Government has made arrangements to charter a flight for New Zealanders stranded in Peru to depart the country, following agreement with the Chilean government to allow the necessary transit through Chile, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. “Like many travellers around the world at the moment, ...
Hospital preparations for COVID-19 are well advanced says Health Minister David Clark. “Hospitals across New Zealand are repurposing buildings and training staff to get ready for COVID-19 patients. This gives me confidence that we are well prepared for any potential increase in COVID-19 patients needing hospital level care,” said David ...
The Government will be introducing legislation to make changes to the Companies Act to help companies facing insolvency due to COVID-19 to remain viable and keep New Zealanders in jobs. The temporary changes include: Giving directors of companies facing significant liquidity problems because of COVID-19 a ‘safe harbour’ from insolvency ...
The Government’s plan to cushion the blow of COVID-19 by supporting incomes, jobs and businesses, and position the economy to recover has been backed by another international report. International credit rating agency Moody’s today reaffirmed its highest Aaa credit rating on New Zealand, saying the economy is expected to remain ...
National sports organisations have been given certainty of funding to ensure they can remain viable through the COVID-19 pandemic, Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “The global spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on sport and recreation in New Zealand, including the cancellation or postponement of ...
Changes have been made to allow butchers to process pork, only for supply to supermarkets or other processors or retailers that are open, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “We carefully weighed the risk of allowing butchers to open their shops for retail customers, but the risk of spreading COVID-19 ...
Essential workers who take leave from work to comply with public health guidance are being supported with a leave scheme to ensure they will continue to receive income, say the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni. A number of essential businesses ...
A Government WhatsApp channel has been launched to help make information more easily accessible and shareable in the fight against COVID-19. Govt.NZ, which is free to use on any mobile device, will carry information and news for the public, businesses, healthcare providers, not for profits and local government. It can ...
The Government has announced a plan to enable the safe, orderly exit of tens of thousands of stranded foreign nationals from New Zealand during the current COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said. “When we moved into lockdown a week ago, the ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says the Government is delivering on its commitment to support general practice doctors and nurses, and pharmacies on the front-line of our fight against COVID-19. "For us to overcome COVID-19, we need community health services such as general practice and community pharmacy to step up ...
Justice Susan Thomas has been appointed Chief High Court Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. She replaces Justice Geoffrey Venning who has resigned from the position. David Parker paid tribute to Justice Venning, who he said had stewarded the High Court very capably over the last five years. “On behalf ...
Businesses can start applying to their banks for loans under the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme set up to support the New Zealand economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re moving quickly to protect New Zealand businesses, jobs and the economy during this unprecedented global economic shock,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. ...
Work is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...
Advance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects which will be vital to New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. He said keeping the workforce required to build ...
The Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The Infrastructure ...
Work to scale up the health system in preparation for COVID-19 was today outlined by Health Minister David Clark, as he reported back to the new Epidemic Response Committee. “We are well placed to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have taken early and decisive action at our borders, and ...
The Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...
The Government is ensuring supermarkets can open on Easter Sunday so we can buy groceries, but stay closed on Good Friday allowing workers to take a break. This provides a balanced approach and ensures we avoid large queues that two days closure may cause. “Supermarkets will be able to open ...
Following the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...
The State of National Emergency to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for a further seven days, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare said. The initial declaration on March 25 lasted seven days and can be extended as many times as necessary. “Since we went into isolation ...
New Zealand’s ability to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19 has been underpinned by strong Government finances and the growing economy heading into this global pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown financial statements for the eight months to the end ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says 36 new intensive care beds at Christchurch Hospital’s new Hagley building are being fast tracked so they are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health is working with contractor CPB and Canterbury DHB to enable access to the hospital’s ICU, ...
The Government has fast-tracked up to $1 million to help Air New Zealand move urgent freight to and from New Zealand, with the first flight to Shanghai leaving tonight, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says it’s crucial that trade in vital goods such as medical supplies and ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
By RNZ News Social media misinformation about Covid-19 is putting Pacific communities in New Zealand at particular risk, government advisers say. The government announced a $17 million package toward building an awareness campaign in Pacific languages, as well as support for health providers. Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa identified ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marilyn McMahon, Deputy Dean, School of Law, Deakin University A distinctive feature of the prosecution of Cardinal George Pell is that the former choirboy who accused him of sexual abuse (known in the High Court as Complainant “A”) was regarded as a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Palmer, Associate professor, Deakin University The law on what we can and can’t do during the coronavirus outbreak is changing on an almost hourly basis. Some of what is written now might be overtaken by the shifts in the pandemic powers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Mudgway, Senior Lecturer in Law, Auckland University of Technology As millions of people are moving work and social interactions online to protect themselves from COVID-19, existing online safety measures may not be enough to deal with a surge in harassment and ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the primary sector will play a critical role in NZ’s economic recovery once the country emerges from the Covid-19 lockdown. It is the first time (at least within Point of Order’s close surveillance of the issue) that a coalition minister has acknowledged how the pandemic ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Doughney, Emeritus professor, Victoria University The loss of international students due to COVID-19 restrictions, and predicted second semester declines, will see universities lose between A$3 and 4.5 billion, according to Universities Australia. The higher education sector was dealt another blow this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brian Oliver, Research Leader in Respiratory cellular and molecular biology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney Harry Potter author JK Rowling says a breathing technique has helped her coronavirus-like respiratory symptoms, a ...
8 April 2020 This media release summarises changes to the operation of the courts entering week of COVID-19 alert level 4. It also looks ahead to how the courts will operate in the short and medium term under alert restrictions. Courts to function ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Glasziou, Professor of Medicine, Bond University Should members of the public be wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? It’s a controversial question, with different countries and authorities giving different advice. We have reviewed the results of more than a dozen ...
The Government is moving to safeguard businesses from insolvency with 'safe harbour' legislation for directors’ liabilities and a business debt hibernation regime. Practically, the business debt hibernation regime will see company directors seeking ...
This Passover, we won’t be attending synagogue, we won’t be participating in large raucous dinners and sharing our food with our extended family and friends, we won’t be welcoming strangers into our homes, as Jewish people are instructed to do, writes Juliet Moses.Tonight, on what is hopefully the halfway point ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brad Elphinstone, Lecturer in psychology., Swinburne University of Technology The same week social distancing measures were announced in Australia (March 16 – March 22), sales of game consoles leaped 285.6%. Prior to this, sales were declining month on month. We’ve also seen ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Harris, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, UNSW As part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all elective surgeries across Australia have been temporarily cancelled. Elective surgery is non-urgent surgery people choose (elect) to have: things like cataract surgery, joint replacement, ...
Infratil and Wellington Council are preparing to lend Wellington Airport funds to help it cope with a traffic collapse because of Covid-19 restrictions, DIleepa Fonseka reports from Infratil's update to investors Wellington City Council and listed investment firm Infratil are preparing a loan to support Wellington Airport, which has seen ...
The latest in our new series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersThese posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes data updates in the early ...
After two weeks of lockdown, police are no longer taking "I didn't know the rules" as a valid excuse, Marc Daalder reports Two weeks into the nationwide lockdown, the police are starting to take non-compliance seriously. The number of prosecutions nearly tripled in 24 hours and 76 new breaches of ...
As the Ministry of Social Development struggles to cope with unprecedented inquiries due to Covid-19, Child Poverty Action Group is calling for the Government to fix our broken welfare system and redesign it so all New Zealanders, but particularly ...
Fijian authorities are scrambling to ensure Cyclone Harold doesn’t make the country’s Covid-19 crisis worse, Teuila Fuatai reports. As Cyclone Harold hits Fiji, authorities have issued physical distancing and sanitation guidelines for evacuation centres. Lashing rain and strong winds caused widespread flooding, power outages and damage to homes and buildings ...
The Government has announced a $88 million package to help students adjust to the new normal of learning from home Thousands of modems and internet-ready devices are being sent to households around the country, in a bid to bridge the digital divide before children resume their studies at home next ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Jenkins, Professor, Respiratory Medicine, UNSW Sydney and Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney, George Institute for Global Health The new respiratory coronavirus COVID-19 is particularly worrying for the 2.7 million Australians who already suffer from asthma. That’s roughly one in ...
By Maggie Boyle of FBC News Fiji disaster authorities have put the whole of Viti Levu island on restricted movement due to TC Harold. Director for National Disaster Management Vasiti Soko confirmed the step had been taken as a precautionary measure. Soko said everyone except emergency services were to ...
By Wansolwarastaff Fiji now has 15 coronavirus cases after a single new case has been confirmed by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama. The new case was one of 25 samples that were tested at the molecular lab and is the husband of an existing patient from Lautoka – the Zumba ...
Māori will likely make up the worst unemployment figures in the forthcoming economic recession. Things can’t go back to the way they were, writes Joshua Hitchcock.Our world has changed. While it is too early to know with any certainty what the full impact of this crisis will be on Māori, ...
‘New Zealand leads world in public perception of Covid-19 response,’ says pollster Colmar Brunton.Public support for the official New Zealand response to the Covid-19 outbreak remains high, and well ahead of the world’s richest coutries, new polling suggests.The numbers show New Zealanders’ backing for measures “far outstrips the response in ...
People waiting a week or longer for the results of their Covid-19 tests say the delays are making them anxious, even as the Government says they're nothing to worry about, Marc Daalder reports Anand Rama says the worst part wasn't the waiting, it was that he had no idea how ...
In any crisis, large or small, people usually rally round those in control so long as they convey a sense of knowing what they are doing. If those in charge lose that sense, start to waver, or are otherwise deflected, then their authority quickly starts to erode, warns Peter Dunne ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa O’Donnell, Senior Research Fellow, University of Western Australia Tackling a health crisis such as COVID-19, with society in lockdown can’t help but place families under strain. It’s been reported family violence notifications to police nearly tripled in some areas of China’s ...
A new study released today by Colmar Brunton shows the public’s response to Government measures to tackle COVID-19 far outstrips the response in any of the G7 nations. The Colmar Brunton COVID Times is a study of over 600 New Zealanders surveyed from ...
Launching a new series, 60 Seconds with Siouxsie, the inimitable Dr Wiles has a few sharp words for anyone thinking they might catch up with neighbours for a drink or a chat, even at a couple of metres apart.In our first video, made possible by the support of Spinoff members, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bekessy, Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning, Leader, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT University Intriguing things sometimes happen in places deserted by people. Plants creep back, animals return, and slowly, birdsong fills the air. The coronavirus pandemic means ...
What’s an Ōamaru sweet maker doing giving away a product remarkably similar to the late, lamented Snifter? Amanda Thompson searches for the truth behind a minty mystery.I’m not in this for laughs, people. I’m not playing. At the time of writing, things are bad, they don’t seem to be getting ...
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority is calling for a total ban on the private sale of fireworks following the latest fire at Maungarei / Mt Wellington on Tuesday 7 April. Fire and Emergency crew in attendance advised Authority management they received reports of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geetanjali Saluja, Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Governments everywhere face the challenge of getting people to stay home so they can limit the spread of coronavirus. In order to make their messages more effective, governments must ensure these appeals resonate with the ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Government has no plans to end New Zealand’s four-week lockdown ahead of schedule, despite acknowledging there are signs the country is “starting to turn a corner” in its fight against coronavirus. Ardern’s comments came as Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield reported there had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Blakely, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Melbourne Australia is on track to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases, which will allow our health system to cope with increasing demand for intensive care unit (ICU) beds, recently released modelling confirms. The modelling, ...
Today, dozens of peace groups, academics and human rights campaigners are calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to withdraw from RIMPAC, the world’s largest, US-led military exercise due to begin in June. The text of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meredith Rossner, Professor of Criminology, Australian National University In the past, the courts were ideal breeding grounds for spreading disease. In what became known as the “Black Assize”, a deadly fever that swept through prisons and courts in England in 1586, 11 ...
Returning nutrients to the soil was once part of every culture, and now, more than ever, it’s time we restore its valuable role in everyday life.Like keep cups, organic cotton tote bags and eco-friendly cleaning products, composting can at times seem like a new trend latched on to by sustainability-obsessed ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening.The following charts are based on numbers shared at the daily press conference. These may vary from the full day's numbers released in the Ministry of Health's spreadsheet ...
The Prime Minister’s chief science adviser Juliet Gerrard says the next few days will be key to determining when the country can come out of lockdown at the end of four weeks. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Trauer, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia is effectively in lockdown. Public gatherings of more than two people are banned and people are only permitted to leave home for a limited set of reasons. The recent tough measures appear to be ...
She’s not a teacher or a fluent speaker – she just wants to practise with you. Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy.Today we’re asking and answering: how many?E hia te roa o te rāhui e toe ana? How long have ...
Jacinda Ardern has pushed back on calls to lift New Zealand out of lockdown early - but businesses say we need a roadmap for how and when we come out the other side Business leaders have urged the Government to provide greater clarity about how New Zealand will move out ...
It looks like troughers should go back to the drawing board before submitting – or re-submitting – their claim to a serving from the Provincial Growth Fund. Shane Jones, the Minister of Munificence, has announced that the Provincial Development Unit is working through applications and projects ” … to see ...
E tū members at Fletcher Building Ltd are opening up about how they expect their pay cut to affect them and their families. The company has announced that most workers are in line for a wage cut of up to 70%, while the top executives on millions of ...
A simple, long overdue change in New Zealand’s policy for blood donations would benefit everyone, writes Dr. Oliver Armstrong-Scott. The New Zealand Blood Service recently pleaded for Kiwis to continue donating blood during the Covid-19 lockdown to ensure supplies do not run out. As a medical doctor, I have seen ...
Tonight New Zealand marks the halfway point of alert level four. Assuming, that is, it ends on schedule. What will determine the decision to lift the strictest restrictions, and what comes next? Kate Newton of RNZ asks the experts.Covid-19 researchers in New Zealand are optimistic that the level four restrictions ...
If crisis point was met, there is little doubt that the Bay of Plenty regions District Health Boards and hospitals could not cope with a severe outbreak of COVID-19. Medical staff would be stretched to their limits, resulting in deaths, and iwi and hapu in ...
The creators of a commercial property clause that may exempt tenants from paying all or some of their rent say it is working as intended. Clause 27 of the Auckland District Law Society (ADLS) Deed of Lease includes a "no access in emergency clause", which the Property Councilwarned could lead ...
As New Zealand enters day 14 of a scheduled four-week lockdown, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield says New Zealand can be ‘increasingly confident’ . ...
The On the Rag team meet one more time to talk about how the Covid-19 crisis affects women and what you can do to cope. It’s our last podcast for a little while so crack open a bottle of something fizzy and join us as we undergo what is basically a ...
Former Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet … emergency powers up to controller alone. Video: EMTV NewsBy Martha Louis in Madang Papua New Guinea’s former Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet says the state of emergency (SoE) in the country means that no other authority has any ability or powers ...
By Florencio Miranda Ximenes and Antónia Gusmão in Dili Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak has explained the decision to dismiss the vice-health minister, saying he lost trust in her to do the job. The President dismissed Élia António de Araújo dos Reis Amaral from her post on Friday, following ...
Farrowing crates, which confine mother pigs kept on factory farms, violate the Animal Welfare Act 1999, and for the first time in New Zealand history the Act will be tested in court. SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) filed court proceedings ...
‘Yes, it’s endearing that the PM said that the Easter Bunny is an essential service but I wondered how many kids had a hope in hell of seeing three good meals a day let alone a chocolate egg.’Read more Lockdown Letters here.Bob Dylan’s latest, Murder Most Foul, is an interesting ...
Covid 19 coronavirus: Expert professor says no blanket quarantine at border risks a longer lockdown; and Covid-19: 387 Air NZ pilots look set to lose jobs. ...
Amid COVID-19, New Zealanders disregard privacy concerns for convenience – 1.2m affected by cybercrime, 600k by identity theft Over a third of New Zealanders estimated to have experienced cyber crime in the past 12 months Highlights: More than half ...
The National Party leader intends to continue commuting between Tauranga and Wellington so he can do his job effectively in an unprecedented situation. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand. Today’s contentPublic health strategy, exiting lockdown Thomas Manch (Stuff): A path out of lockdown is being charted, but experts say ...
US death toll catching Italy's fast; Johnson on oxygen in ICU, but not intubated; US threatens India, Canada over mask and drugs; Germany accuses America of 'piracy' as China, Russia send supplies to New YorkUS cases spiral: The United States leads the world in total cases, but not yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meead Saberi, Senior lecturer, UNSW Traffic jams may have disappeared from our roads as people stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can be confident they will be back. Scientists have studied traffic and congestion for decades. We know a lot ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Lindsey, Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, University of Melbourne Almost no one thinks Indonesia is handling the COVID-19 pandemic well. Until early March, the government claimed it had no ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod Lamberts, Deputy Director, Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University Good news: COVID-19 is not the only thing going on right now! Bad news: while we’ve all been deep in the corona-hole, the climate crisis has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Waters-Lynch, Lecturer Entrepreneurship and Innovation, RMIT University If you’re working from home for the first time, you might be asking yourself why you didn’t get to do this years ago. The benefits of remote work have been discussed for nearly half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roslyn Petelin, Course coordinator, The University of Queensland When a literary luminary such as Thomas Kenneally declares so early in 2020 that he is certain a “more original” novel “will not be published this year”, the reviewer faces a challenge. The book ...
Open mike 28/11/2014 
Open mike is your post.
We are seeing what has been termed “a greater challenge than the crash of 2008” by a growing number of economists and more rational, sane commentators, because whilst that was a shocking exposure of the levels to which hubris had sunk, right down to the blank cheque given those who ...2 hours ago
I am a Kiwi living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Jersey City is the second-largest city in the state and is located directly across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan. Locals call it New York’s sixth borough. More than 350,000 New Jersey citizens, including myself, commute to New York daily ...5 hours ago
It’s a beautiful autumn afternoon, we need to get out of the house, and so our bubble sets off on a bike ride around our local neighbourhood, Cambridge Park. The bikes come out of the garage, and, being really certain we have a front door key, close the garage door ...6 hours ago
. . April 7: Day 13 of living in lock-down… and unlucky for those who are superstitious. A day when there was a ray of sunshine from an otherwise bleak day of worrying signs. Today, as RNZ reported; Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield reported 54 new confirmed and probable cases ...8 hours ago
So far, universal basic income policies, which see people given a regular income without any conditions, have been trailed only on a small scale. But now, Spain is introducing one nationwide as a response to the pandemic: Spain is to roll out a universal basic income (UBI) “as soon as ...9 hours ago
Paul Connet, head of the anti-fluoride propaganda group, Fluoride Action Network, claims that the IQ of children bottle-fed in fluoridated areas drops by 9 points. But he misrepresented the research. There is no observable effect. For earlier articles in this series see: Part 1: Anti-fluoridation propaganda now relies on only ...12 hours ago
The Queen’s coronavirus broadcast, with its overtones of Winston Churchill and Vera Lynn, prompted me to reflect on the tribulations my parents’ generation suffered during the Second World War – and I imagine that those parallels, given her own wartime experience, were very much in the Queen’s mind as she ...13 hours ago
Imagination By-Pass: Had the Communications Minister, Kris Faafoi (above) taken a firm stand with Bauer, reminding them of their obligations to both their staff and the wider New Zealand public, then a much more favourable outcome may well have ensued. He should have made it clear to the Bauer board ...1 day ago
We all know that Simon Bridges has, at the best of times, an intermittent relationship with the truth. However you would think that during a pandemic and economic crisis the current opposition leader would pull his head in and start to do the right thing.Obviously leading by example should be ...1 day ago
Connett promotes Riddell et al (2019) as one of the only four studies one needs to read about fluoridation. But he misunderstands and misrepresents the findings of this study. Image credit: Fluoride Action ... 2 days ago
Last month I wrote my blog on covid-19 pointing out the in our pre Alert Level 4 days that a subject no one had heard here months ago was now dominating the media. An amazing feature of this crisis is how quickly it has swept every other issue aside worldwide. ...2 days ago
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... North Atlantic's capacity to absorb CO2 overestimated, study suggests Research into ocean’s plankton likely to lead to ...2 days ago
As the world economy slides rapidly towards deep recession there are growing calls for a Universal Benefit coming from some leftists and rightists. Now Finance Minister Grant Robertson is saying it is on the table. This article by a French party Workers Struggle provides analysis of various forms of universal ...3 days ago
This is the advice from the very top of the anti-fluoride movement – Paul Connett, director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). Don’t worry about reading up on all the scientific information “You only have ... 3 days ago
Comfortably, in the very first round, with an impressive 56% of the votes.I wonder, did members of the Shadow Cabinet start tweeting their resignations during Starmer's victory speech, or is that only a trick the right pull?It is odd how all the talk of how the next leader "needs to ...3 days ago
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation today about the decline in daylight New Zealand has been experiencing over the previous few months. She said “As many of you will notice, our attempts to stem the dwindling of the daylight over the last few months have been completely ...4 days ago
We must root out the traitors among us! ...5 days ago
I haven’t done a huge amount in the last few days. I’m reading The Poppy War and I’ve sort of poked at a couple of games – I started SOMA but I’m a wimp and I quit while in the first room after the brain scan. I might try it ...6 days ago
Image credit: Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ... 1 week ago
The following statement was released on March 28 by the National Network on Cuba, a coalition of 40 groups, based in the United States. In recent weeks, Cuba has deployed hundreds of medical providers to over a dozen countries in Europe, Asia, as well as to their neighbors in Latin ...1 week ago
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that New Zealand will enter into transit arrangements with a range of countries to make it easier for each other’s citizens to get home. “There are millions of people around the world stranded ...1 day ago
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Government has striven to provide calm, clear and consistent communication, including daily press conference updates from the Prime Minister. ...3 days ago
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The scale of what we face right now is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Overcoming it is our common purpose. ...2 weeks ago
Communities stepping up to help New Zealanders stay at home to break the transmission of COVID-19 and save lives have received Government support, said Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “Delivering groceries for the elderly who can’t shop online, providing data packs for low income families to keep them connected, and being ...5 hours ago
By RNZ News Social media misinformation about Covid-19 is putting Pacific communities in New Zealand at particular risk, government advisers say. The government announced a $17 million package toward building an awareness campaign in Pacific languages, as well as support for health providers. Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa identified ...54 mins ago
Business leaders are scrutinising the government's decision to only let essential businesses and those with essential goods operate. ...1 hour ago
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the primary sector will play a critical role in NZ’s economic recovery once the country emerges from the Covid-19 lockdown. It is the first time (at least within Point of Order’s close surveillance of the issue) that a coalition minister has acknowledged how the pandemic ...2 hours ago
8 April 2020 This media release summarises changes to the operation of the courts entering week of COVID-19 alert level 4. It also looks ahead to how the courts will operate in the short and medium term under alert restrictions. Courts to function ...3 hours ago
This Passover, we won’t be attending synagogue, we won’t be participating in large raucous dinners and sharing our food with our extended family and friends, we won’t be welcoming strangers into our homes, as Jewish people are instructed to do, writes Juliet Moses.Tonight, on what is hopefully the halfway point ...4 hours ago
Infratil and Wellington Council are preparing to lend Wellington Airport funds to help it cope with a traffic collapse because of Covid-19 restrictions, DIleepa Fonseka reports from Infratil's update to investors Wellington City Council and listed investment firm Infratil are preparing a loan to support Wellington Airport, which has seen ...5 hours ago
After two weeks of lockdown, police are no longer taking "I didn't know the rules" as a valid excuse, Marc Daalder reports Two weeks into the nationwide lockdown, the police are starting to take non-compliance seriously. The number of prosecutions nearly tripled in 24 hours and 76 new breaches of ...5 hours ago
Fijian authorities are scrambling to ensure Cyclone Harold doesn’t make the country’s Covid-19 crisis worse, Teuila Fuatai reports. As Cyclone Harold hits Fiji, authorities have issued physical distancing and sanitation guidelines for evacuation centres. Lashing rain and strong winds caused widespread flooding, power outages and damage to homes and buildings ...6 hours ago
The Government has announced a $88 million package to help students adjust to the new normal of learning from home Thousands of modems and internet-ready devices are being sent to households around the country, in a bid to bridge the digital divide before children resume their studies at home next ...6 hours ago
People waiting a week or longer for the results of their Covid-19 tests say the delays are making them anxious, even as the Government says they're nothing to worry about, Marc Daalder reports Anand Rama says the worst part wasn't the waiting, it was that he had no idea how ...6 hours ago
In any crisis, large or small, people usually rally round those in control so long as they convey a sense of knowing what they are doing. If those in charge lose that sense, start to waver, or are otherwise deflected, then their authority quickly starts to erode, warns Peter Dunne ...6 hours ago
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BLIPs famous list of Key’s porkies will have been extended by recent days’ events.
I once stood in the Kabul Museum and gazed in wonder upon a statue merging features of Buddha and Apollo.
I don’t know if it survived destruction by the Taliban.
Joyce & Key have played a similar role in this country.
Neither of them an original intellect, they have left an enduring legacy and contributed to the development of a new career – of undercover scientist.
Can I interest anyone in a cheap analysis ?
Such a fascinating ancient history, that land. In its own way, a “global civilisation” existed even way back then.
Yep. According to some, the roman geographer Strabo’s travels stretched from circumnavigating Brittania to the Hindu Kush during relative peace under Augustus.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zr11t
There was certainly contact using the technologies of the time, slow by current standards. I flew directly from Bangkok to Kolkata (*) and took a while to adapt.
Ancient Greek and Greek influenced coins have been found almost as far east as Bengal.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IndoGreekCampaings.jpg
(*) While the city’s name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata
Yes, go ahead.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/14/forex-rigging-investigation-george-osborne-sfo?
Remember when US forces got to the bagdad banks but not the museum?
Skeptical Science has put this very neat interactive together:
97 Hours
See if you can spot the kiwi.
Dr Jim Salinger
Crap – missed him. There’s another one at least.
So Andrew Little gets a 8/10 for his performance thus far (just that thing about Goff holding him back from a 9) and Labour gets a 7/10 which would have been 8 as well but for Goff (he really should know better)
John Key gets a 3/10 which would have been 2/10 but for Goff and National gets a 4/10 for weak exonerations but still exonerations
Littles doing well so far, Key needs to up his game and end this distraction quickly
I think ‘dirty politis’ will be gift that keeps giving, Key s getting a hunted look in his eyes.
Unless Keys strategy is to hope that the public get very bored of it all and stop listening, it worked for the election but its a high risk game hes playing now
Most of the people don’t pay much attention but the press are warming to Little and the people will go were the press take them.I had hoped he would resign but now I want him to tuff it out so he can take nats to it’s biggest defeat in 2017.
“the people will get bored” seems to be the right’s best defense at the moment, but as you point out a fairly hopeless one because it’s the media that runs the show and Little will keep them interested for quite some time I imagine. How long until the RWNJs realise the game has changed?
“Key needs to up his game and end this distraction quickly”
Completely wrong analysis chris. This isn’t a ‘distraction’. It’s a fundamental crisis for NZ’s governance. It’s also the most overt manifestation of the long term fight between good and evil that NZ has seen in a long time, probably since the 80s.
I’m not sure it’s possible for Key to up his game in the face of being finally proven a bare face liar who’s been taking the piss with the PM hat for quite some time.
what chris means is Key has to up his spinning and BS’ing as that’s been his game for as long as he’s been in parliamant
True, but I think there is a limit to that working and Key has just reached it. When the MSM stop believing him he’s pretty much screwed. See, the emperor has no clothes.
Perhaps chris meant to type ” Key needs to up his game and find this distraction quickly 😀
😀
Key really is scraping the bottom of the barrel when he has to release his own txts as a distraction.
Transcripts of some of his texts. Let us not presume it is the full text exchange, uneditted.
He also released docs last week of the election which he said proved something they didnt. In that instance he relied on people not reading them, espesh in the media.
There were no exonerations Chris no matter how much John Key lies about it.
You’re missing the point, it doesn’t matter what you think, what I think, what the moderators or anyone lese on this blog thinks, its what the voters think and at the moment the headlines are:
Key cleared
Collins cleared
Banks likely to be cleared
Thats what the voters are seeing
Well I haven’t seen any headlines for a while, but all the radio news has been
Key lying?
Key lying, says (x)
Did Key Lie again?
Why is Key lying?
Key defends lying
How many times has Key lied?
etc
No, the headlines are:
Dirty Politics: John Key’s office in gun over SIS
Dirty Politics saga: Andrew Little claims John Key ‘misled New Zealand’
Reports ‘prove John Key office was involved in Dirty Politics’
But you can keep telling yourself lies if you so choose.
BTW, Banks going back for retrial is really just going to have people asking why those US businessmen didn’t come forward earlier.
I was thinking that about the US corporate types. The atmosphere has changed and people will be asking “Why now? What’s in it for them? We know Key doesn’t like Dotcom. Has he promised them something?”
And remind people that Banks thinks its ok to sign official docs without reading them so he can avoid liability, just as he and brash did at Hujlich…
Appears to not be against the law is the rights definition of right… And many have kids being taught the same
@Chris73 5.03pm
How about you seeing this Chris – key lying. This is why we can say he lies:
PM John Key grilled on Fletcher’s GCSB appointment
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics-videos/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503464&gal_cid=1503464&gallery_id=131968
Have a computer today and am trying to give this clip as much exposure as poss.(especially to the unenlightened like Chris73…hope he sees it this time)
Dont you vote? I do.
Great to see Ferguson the ex-head of the GCSB come out hard against the new SIS-enabling bill on National Radio.
However I don’t think this whole issue will hurt Key in the polls much.
LIttle needs to start to turn to housing. Labour said almost nothing about Hamilton City’s decision to sell off its entire public housing portfolio yesterday – at least nothing with cut-through.
With migration set to be sustained at high levels for the next few years, house prices in Auckland are going to escalate to places never yet seen in New Zealand. LIttle needs to get set to attack the rentier class, and decent the public housing sector – citizens need shelter.
That’s where the new electoral gold is.
Post scheduled on Labour and housing. Actually, it’s one of the first issues off the block under Little’s leadership. It’s just been overshadowed by other goings on this week.
And re the need to get the bill passed before the house rises.
IF the bill is so damned important why not DELAY the house rising for say a month for a full investigation.
What is more important the National security or the polis holidays!!!!
+100…”Great to see Ferguson the ex-head of the GCSB come out hard against the new SIS-enabling bill on National Radio.”…Ferguson very good …reminded the listeners of J.Edgar Hoover and his ability to blackmail just about all USA politicians
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/20159007/former-gcsb-director-critical-of-new-terrorist-fighters-law
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/20159006/mps-warned-new-anti-terror-laws-allow-fishing-expeditions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover
…ALL political parties should strenuously oppose this bill!….. which will be used against them and any individuals and groups who opposes or questions John Key and the Nacts and friends….we are heading into a police state
( Morning Report is getting better and better imo..becoming a bit of a watchdog)
This week marked a long overdue turning point in NZ politics, and in media coverage of events. Bryce Edwards’ round-up of the week’s links could be helpful for future reference.
Bryce Edwards: The Democratic Deficit of Dirty Politics
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11365448
Thanks Manuka AOR. A big read. And a bit unusual from Edwards as he usually puts all the good news for Key’s Government first and tacks on a bit of contrary stuff at the end. Not this time!
It may be true that the huge detail available will kill the interest of the general public. Perhaps the next poll will have National riding higher? Dammit!
+100 Manuka AOR….that comprehensive article by Bryce Edwards is a wake up call for the danger now facing democracy in New Zealand ….It is a MUST READ for everyone!
UK Tory MP Andrew Mitchell comes a cropper in the ‘plebgate’ libel case: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/27/pleb-andrew-mitchell-loses-libel-case
Anyone come up with John and Cam’s celeb name yet?
Camkey?
Something with oil in it seems appropriate.
Keymoran?
jam..or con…
they cd go all hip-hop..
..k-oil..
KY-oil the lubricant used by neolibs everywhere.
heh..!
Slonkater
Slakey – rhymes with Flaky.
Weka @ 8 ? (W)ronKey ????
ErKey
Sla-key
Slakey
In a year’s time Bill English will be National Party leader and PM.
Someone more dependable upon to push through that the financial elites want Especially ‘reforms’ to health and superannuation. Remember: this was the guy who oversaw dozens of hospital closures in the 1990s.
John Key will be given the US Ambassadorship which becomes vacant next year and a knighthood as compensation, so he can focus on the Washington cocktail circuit.
English has been plotting his utu for years. His hands clean from dirty politics and busy with the economy, he will want to present himself as one who “gets on with it”.
You heard it here first.
Not if Judith Collins has anything to do with it.
Q. Who are Barry and Faye Kurren?
A. _______
Why should we care?
Are they corrupt Hawaiian friends of our dear leader?
Corrupt – Yes
Friends – Same ilk
Hawaiian – Ideology over nationality
Why should we care (TRP) – Because it’s important and illustrative
Women vote in first general election 28 November 1893. Interesting voter stats.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/women-vote-first-general-election
This is the sort of life-saving medicine Labour so sorely needed:
Toby Manhire brilliant in todays NZH.
The funniest part is the comments. Most of them have completely missed the satire and are wholeheartedly ‘agreeing’ that Key can do no wrong.
Friday lolz:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11365588
More evidence for the theory that NAct supporters really are as thick as pigshit.
In fairness, there were a few comments from non-Nats, who took umbridge at what Toby had written (thought he was being serious), or else just read the by-line and commented without reading at all. I am shocked/bemused that people (on both sides) don’t even realise its satire……which just reinforces the critical role of MSM, soundbites, headlines and how important they are as influencers over what people think…..It kind of frightens me, how reality for some people is so different to reality for others……we read the same piece of news and take polar opposite messages from it. Is it intellectual laziness, low literacy levels or what? From a political perspective, if you want to gain support for your point of view, if you want to try to get people to see the world how you see it (like accepting a new policy), it begs the question of how you reach people (who see the world through completely different eyes).
Yeah I know, some on the left are also not intellectually blessed, but Blue hadn’t mentioned them.
As for why, somehow we seem to have built a culture of instant gratification. People want information, and pleasure, in short bursts and right now. They seem to just want their preconceptions fulfilled, so if a headline does that, they stop. There’s a lot to be said for slowing down and smelling the kowhai flowers.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/63625960/job-offer-after-bum-slap-by-boss-ruled-ok.html
“Sanson hoped the decision wouldn’t tarnish Newman, and said she had made a “youthful mistake.”
“When you’re 20 or 21 everything is black and white and when you’re 61 you realise there is a hell of a lot of grey and I can put it down as a youthful mistake [on her part].”
Sanson said he would still rehire Newman. However, the 23-year-old declined the offer.
“No, he’s creeping me out with that. No, I definitely [do] not feel safe to be anywhere near him.”
Newman plans to appeal the decision.
Presumably the grey is when you can touch one of your young female employees whenever you feel like it.
Oddest thing is if he’d been an employee and did it to a co-worker, he’d be up for dismissal and all sorts without a leg to stand on.
But do remember that face those women who shop for plants in Hamilton.
Nope. The same rules apply to both employers and employees. Context, remember.
Not what I’ve been told, but if you want to volunteer a slap on a co-workers arse, go ahead and let me know how you get on.
Edit:
Just remember to laugh and joke first and only say you did it once.
Can I just mention Richie McCaw for the 6th time? Context, Ai1en. And remember, both parties agree that they were joking at the time, so, um, context.
Except that everyone else in the conversation can tell the difference between playing rugby and working in a plant shot.
There is no difference. They are both workplaces. Richie is an authority figure, just like the boss. They are both subject to the same law. Richie has the same defence as the boss, which is that, in context, it’s not sexual harassment.
lolz, keep trying to define reality for everyone, see how well that works.
Strange reply, weka. It’s not me defining reality. It is reality. It’s hundreds of years of jurisprudence, the laws of NZ, the common law and case law.
In a nutshell, you don’t appear to like the outcome. And therefore, you are willing to completely dismiss the sound legal reasons for the outcome. That’s an attempt to define reality, right there. Let’s see how well that works, eh?
Sound legal reasons for the outcome were arrived at by a new era member based on, in my opinion (allegedly known as fact by me)*, false testimony by witnesses.
*Trying really hard not to call a spade a spade in order to protect TS.
“In a nutshell, you don’t appear to like the outcome. And therefore, you are willing to completely dismiss the sound legal reasons for the outcome. That’s an attempt to define reality, right there. Let’s see how well that works, eh?”
I don’t have an opinion about the outcome, as I haven’t read the report.
Go back and reread my comments on this topic TRP. You will see that right from the first one I have been commenting on the meta issues. I’ve stated twice that my point is in addition to or separate from the legal issues.
You insist on making this conversation solely about the legal issues, hence my comment about defining reality. There are at least 3 subthreads going on here. The Al1en’s, which is a mix of the legal and direct experience/anecdote and covers law and ethics. Ergo’s, which I haven’t followed closely enough to accurately summarise. And mine, which is about the necessity of clear messages beyond legalities from organisations like the ERA and Stuff. I think we’ve all talked about the importance of culture in addition to law.
Trying to define this solely in terms of the strict law of this case is like trying to talk about roastbusters solely in terms of the police investigation and their legal parameters.
Hundreds of years of jurisprudence, the laws of NZ, the common law and case law is no the only way to understand reality.
Mention st richie all you like, but the joking around is a red herring.
A laugh and a joke is not a pre cursor to an unwanted sexual advance that, as was stated but not accepted by the hearing, was the last in a sequence of similar events.
If his ‘witnesses’ had told the era what I know them to know, the result would be very different.
I have accepted that because of the false statement from one of his witnesses (same one as in Newman’s case), and despite having a list of dates, times and places, I can’t win my own case unless I pay to forensically expose the lies (which I can’t), so I have to cough up for the bill I’ve run up and let it go.
Still, got two and a half years left before the cutoff date to proceed, so plenty of time for the dirty old man’s stories to unravel.
Gutted though, cause the guy is fuckstick and needs to be stopped.
All this case has done, so far, is bolster his sense of impunity. Knowing the man, it won’t last. He won’t be able to help himself, though with a mail order bride on the way he may be occupied enough at home.
I have, as a final clutch at a straw, sent a request to Campbell live to have a little look at things, but I don’t hold out much hope.
Fair enough, Al1en, that must be a bitter pill to swallow. I don’t know either you or the boss, but I know who’s version sounds the most likely. Particularly after his Benny Hill style comments in the media.
Regarding the witnesses, don’t be too hard on them. There’s all sorts of reasons why they might say things that don’t align with your understanding. They might be intimidated, afraid of losing their jobs. Or they might not understand or care. Or they simply might have seen it differently from you (the Rashomon effect).
It is a bitter pill and it’s lodged about halfway down my throat at the moment, but it’s nice to be considered a reliable witness by someone.
As for the witnesses, who I know to have been less than honest, I feel nothing but scorn and contempt.
For the record, I was intimidated and afraid of losing my job too, yet stood up for what’s right – It was a no brainer as far as I was concerned. In my opinion, women who ignore, deny, mitigate and/or cover up this sort of behaviour, for any of those reasons listed, I say fuck ’em, which may be extremely harsh, but these women allowed this dirty old coot to get away with it.
When this behaviour is allowed or ignored by one, this just makes sure it will happen to someone else. There are all sorts of reasons why people don’t speak up, but I wish they would. I knew a woman years ago who worked in a petrol station and copped all sorts of garbage off the boss. For about an hour. After telling him to stop 3 or 4 times and being laughed at, she put a screwdriver through his hand. That stopped him.
Rubbish. The manly bonding between sweating giants of our national sport necessitates a few slaps on the well muscled buttocks of a comrade. This is both encouragement and reward and is understood by manly men in all the changing rooms and on all the ritual battlefields of the land. When John Key, captain of the All Blacks, pats another player on the bum, it is for encouragement and promise of knighthoods to come.
When a dirty old man of a boss does it to a young female worker, it’s a statement of power over her. It cannot be compared to joking about whatever stupid hat he was wearing.
Murray, I’m sure you understand that the same action in different situations can have different meanings. The action of the boss in this case is not as insignificant as those in the rugby player analogy, but it is not sexual harassment as it is defined in NZ. It is not repeated and it is not sufficiently severe to meet the threshold, in the circumstances as we know them. If you don’t like the law, by all means campaign to have the definition tightened.
If the complainant was able to provide any corroboration at all of repetitive harassing behaviour or a witness that confirmed the incident was more severe than it was said to be by the boss, then there would be a different outcome. The actual outcome seems consistent with the proven facts.
I’m not trying to give a legal opinion here. I’m not qualified. What I am qualified to do is write what I think about the situation. In any case, it just confirms once more that the courts and tribunals are stacked against workers.
And if you haven’t got the money to hire the professionals, and let’s face it, most low paid workers don’t, one is always going to be up against it.
Justice costs, and those without go without.
Why was she dismissed?
She wasn’t, she resigned.
The point is that on the evidence presented, if I as a co-worker had slapped her bum, I would have been dismissed or disciplined for it, yet he gets off scot free.
She wasn’t dismissed, weka. She resigned, then unsuccessfully claimed constructive dismissal. That’s the concept that the resignation was forced by the employer’s behaviour. ie. that the worker had no reasonable alternative but to resign. It’s usually very hard to prove.
ta.
What were Cameron Slater’s links (if any) with the Israeli State back in 2011?
Was the attack on (then) Leader of the Labour Party Phil Goff, to help stop his asking ‘hard’ questions in the House about the strange circumstances surrounding the deaths of three Israelis in the Christchurch earthquake?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5311491/Investigation-cleared-Israelis-of-spy-claims-PM
Three Israelis were among the 181 people who died when the earthquake struck on February 22.
An SIS officer told the Southland Times there were fears Israeli agents had hacked the police national computer, compromising highly sensitive files. Police have since said their systems are subject to regular security audits and are secure.
The investigation centred on a group of four people in a van in the city centre. Driver Ofer Benyamin Mizrahi, 23, was killed instantly and the other three left the country within 12 hours. The newspaper reported Mizrahi was found with five passports.
Key refused to answer questions about the revelations when he was grilled by reporters this morning, saying it was not in the “national interest.”
…….
______________________________________________________________________________________
In WHOSE ‘national interest’?
The national interest of New Zealand or Israel?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Cameron Slater made a trip to Israel which was partially paid by the Israeli Embassy in Wellington in August 2014.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11312402
But the Israeli Embassy in Wellington is relaxed about picking Slater – a climate change denier – to cover the World Science Conference in Israel. Despite the bad publicity, it believes Slater is “fair-minded” and “spiritual”.
The embassy picked Slater to be part of a media delegation to the conference a long time ago. He had a reputation for controversy even before the release of Dirty Politics, a book based on his leaked emails and revealing deep cynicism and some nasty communications between Slater and some people in politics and PR.
The embassy’s cultural and public affairs director, Patricia Deen, stands by its choice, and said Slater’s fairness showed in his coverage from Israel so far. Israel has been part-funding Slater and other writers to the conference, which was scheduled to run from August 17 to 21. While it never went ahead because of the war on Gaza, Slater has stayed on to write about Israel.
The Israeli Government paid part of his costs, and he paid extra to extend his visit to cultural places, said Deen. “Cameron is a very spiritual person,” she said.
Like other countries, Israel pays for journalists to visit so they can get media to see their side of the story. NZ does much the same thing in helping journalists visit our “100 per cent pure” nation. In Israel’s case, though, such delegations are often designed to counter what it believes is an anti-Israel bias on the part of international media.
…..
______________________________________________________________________________________
hmmm…………………
Penny Bright
+100 … great post Penny…and thought provoking questions!
…i also think i remember a whole lot of passports at issue with those Israelis after the Christchurch Earthquake when the remaining surviving Israelis were spirited out of the country very fast by their fatherland…this all deserves much wider investigation
….eg what exactly is New Zealand’s relationship with Israel?…we know where Helen Clark stood ….but since it seems to have got very murky ….where do the GCSB and the SIS stand on these issues?…are there hidden agendas both in New Zealand and Australia…eg ex Jesuit Priest Tony Abbott….what is his stance?…given the concerns of United Nations on human rights violations and genocide against the Palestinians….i think the Labour Party, Greens , Mana/Int and NZF parties should looking at these questions as a priority
…especially with new warrantless spy legislation proposed by John Key and Nact on New Zealanders…will there be any accountability ….and if so to whom?!
…these questions are crucial for our democracy and sovreignty
Tony Abbott was never a Jesuit priest. He wanted to be, but he was booted from the seminary for lack of empathy.
As for ngati poaka saying their systems are secure……..what are the odds that a good part of the IT comes from companies with links to Israel? The Zionists have shown great willingness and ability to access the computer systems of other countries.
On Slug Boy – he has no credentials whatsoever to report on a science conference. It’d be like sending a deaf reporter to report on a symphony.
thanks for that correction re Tony Abbott….well that is interesting…he got the boot from the seminary for “lack of empathy”! ( my respect for the Jesuits goes up …and respect for Aussies voting him in… after all… goes down)
…what is “ngati poaka” ?…SIS?
lol…re “Slug Boy”…science credentials …but what about Slater being “a very spiritual person”?!…
(See Penny’s post :- “Israeli Embassy in Wellington is relaxed about picking Slater – a climate change denier – to cover the World Science Conference in Israel. Despite the bad publicity, it believes Slater is “fair-minded” and “spiritual”….said Deen. “Cameron is a very spiritual person,” …)
….definitely an Orwellian spin
Ngati poaka are the tribe of pigs. They wear blue and have different rules and customs to the rest of us. Some people have objected to my use of this name, but I’m relaxed about it. Not in a Key way, though, I have sought advice.
Q. What is the difference
1. Agent
2. Asset
3. Sayanim
Breaking on NZ Herald John Banks conviction overturned.
More to come.
Herald Breaking News!
John Banks’ conviction overturned
John Banks’ conviction has been overturned.
In August, Banks was sentenced to two months’ community detention after being found guilty of knowingly filing a false return in relation to the donations, which were declared as anonymous.
More to come.
And Stuff: In a judgment released this morning, the Court of Appeal set aside his conviction and ordered a retrial.
I hope crim.con is charged with perjury, Banks spent a fortune on clearing his name he would not have done that if he could not prove crim.con was lying.
Lying is appalling.
Yes he would as that’s what Banks has shown that he would do every time he’s been in court to deny he had any responsibility.
Off to a retrial, so not out of jail just yet. So to speak 😉
Another drag on the big germans resources coming up….
Nope. Dotcom doesn’t pay for the Crown to prosecute Banks. He is at most a witness.
These yanks suddenly appearing is just too convenient.
bit of a bugger, but the system will get there eventually.
Worst case is he gets off, but he and the rest of the tories would have had a mighty shock the first time 🙂
Yep, a fright alright. That’ll probably be the last time a prominent candidate puts his hand out directly for a cheque. It’ll be ‘see my campaign manager while I look away’ in future. Though I saw somewhere recently that they are now finding alternative ways to channel the big bucks, via intermediary organisations. And really, the only crime is getting caught, eh.
Hasnt this govt rushed a law change to make it a crime to sign a form you dont read?
only for poor people.
Touche
They normally rush to close loopholes, spesh for the sis
John Banks’ conviction overturned
It’s entirely possible to be at the same lunch and not in the same conversation and thus not hear or see what was actually taking place.
There’d be some short odds that Schaeffer and Karnes have received some anonymous donations too.
Yes it is, but Dotcom and his wife gave evidence that there were no other parties present that day, so undoubtedly since the two businessmen have said in an affidavit that they were there and donations were not discussed it would have unquestionably have had a major impact at the trial.
DotCom would have security cameras surely, which would show people arriving and leaving?
Am pleased for his wife who has been dragged through this.
Interestingly John Banks may get a not guilty on the basis that wilfully not reading a form can absolve you from responsibility and accountability. Ironic from the party that preaches accountability and responsibility. Imagine if you will, a beneficiary taking money after signing a form they didnt read and thereby didnt know what they had agreed to. Banks and ACT would be squealing like stuck pigs.
Good riddance. It is just a shame there are more with his lack of ethics and accoubtability ready for the trough.
So the murdering pedo is on his way back to NZ. Unbelievable that he was collecting
a student accommodation allowance while being kept by the tax payer.
And just think, a few years ago you were all upset about a hip-hop tour.
spluttered coffee at that one 🙂
There is a good article on stuff from Russell Norman about oia’s
10 mins with Slavoj Zizek thinking about the situation of so many being ‘disposable people’. How do we live full lives in a world where capitalism creates a two part world – inner and outer. Where the ratio is 20:80 the smaller number that are wanted and the vast majority who are disposable. University students study and pass exams knowing that there is no job available.
He suggests they do not shy away from being creative, artistic. If we concentrate our endeavours only on the utilitarian then too many firstly are unemployed, and then become unemployable.
Where life is like the inside of The Truman Show for the 20% and they cannot see the fringes of their elite bubble. If you feel edgy watching him, then just listenn
One thing that young men can do is play cricket and other sports. There you are disposable as in the recent cricket death of Abbott in Australia. (Unfortunately it wasn’t their vicious RW PM. Here is what he had to say about it. No promise to request humane treatment with a ban on this type of bowling.)
The thought that a player in his prime should be killed playing our national game is shocking and sobering. We should be conscious of the risks that our sportspeople run to give us the pleasure that they do. What happened has touched millions of Australians.
Very Emperor-like viewing the gladiatorial contest.
So they could now have the greatest memorial for this young guy Hughes and the
bowler ‘s state of mind by requesting a ban on this type of bowl, and making people in sports and their officials, likely for charges of manslaughter. Because this is what they bring about by their own actions and agreement with a disgraceful practice.)
I think that comment on the issues of bouncers in cricket should be left to those that actually play cricket and thus understand the issues.
Oh I understand the issues all right. There is a blind drive to worship some activities from war to sport and to rush off in a group to participate ignoring that pain, injury, crippling even or death may follow. There is groupthink at work here. And it drags everyone along into a black hole. Learning how to behave like an intelligent humane human is always up against this ‘great’ idea of risking injury or causing a sacrifice to serve whatever the project is. And the aggression raised by sport spills over from the teams facing each other, to the parents at the sideline attacking their child’s opposition, or the ref.
The unions want to protect foresters and miners from being killed and injured at work. Yet the power of sport to attract people into its midst and encourage them to think it is manly to accept that they may be badly injured or killed is very strong. Rugby have their spear tackles.
The dirty play and dangerous play becomes acceptable when there is mana or money for winning and if there are bad, careless rules of attack and people die because of them, who cares. You obviously don’t, you are callous and unthinking.
The primary function of a bowler is to attack the wickets, not the man. The bouncer does that. It is meant to attack the man’s head, face or body in order to intimidate. So, I agree, the bouncer should be banned. If the bouncer is above a certain stipulated height, it should be deemed illegal, with serious consequences to the bowler and his/her team.
There would be 1000’s of bouncers bowled every year to change the game for one freak accident is ridiculous I bet more cricket players die from melanoma each year than have ever been killed buy a ball ffs
This from Wikipedia on bouncers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncer_%28cricket%29
There have been several occurrences of injurious bouncers in recent times. In 2006, Australian opener Justin Langer, was struck on the head in his 100th Test from a bouncer from Makhaya Ntini and hospitalised.
In 2008 West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was knocked out for several minutes after being hit by a bouncer from Australian fast bowler Brett Lee during a test match.[7] Shoaib Akhtar was a regular offender; he injured both Gary Kirsten (2003) and Brian Lara (2004) with fast bouncers. Both batsmen had to be taken off the field.[8]
NZ Herald finds excuses for throwing an object – violence – in the name of sport. They say the Hughes tragedy is a rarity and perhaps death is but in recent years batsman have been hit as above. The Herald article shows that the bouncer is part of the expectation of fans, it wouldn’t be so interesting a game without it. Heaven save us from the morality of fans!
There is some good technical discussion about bowling and the difficulties that changing the rules might cause that cricket fans will enjoy and want to think about.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11365898
But one of the reasons the Hughes’ tragedy has hit home so hard is its rarity. It was described by one commentator as a one in 10 million occurrence. I would suggest those odds are too skinny. At the elite level, in the helmet age, this is unprecedented.
Banning the bouncer aimed at the head could actually be counterproductive and more dangerous. If lawmakers draw the line, say, at the batsman’s shoulders, this would give those on strike a greater level of comfort only if cricket had no variables. As anybody who has played the game will tell you, it is hard to think of a sport with more variables.
It is ‘illegal’ if it’s too tall. It’s a no-ball. It costs a run and has to be re-bowled. At amateur level, the height is often lower (shoulder height when I last played) to discourage bouncers.
btw, the primary function of the bowler is to get the batsman out. Bowling him is just one way of achieving that. Less than a quarter of test dismissals are out, bowled, nearly half are out, caught fielder.
Aussies should just go back to underarm. That’s where they shine.
Not sure if we heard the Tuesday Mary Wilson interview with John Key on his continued “contesting” the connection between his office and Slater’s OIA. This is classic Key denial! Wow! and Mary sounded incredulous.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/20158616/direct-link-between-pm%27s-office-and-blogger
Cameron Slater interviewed on Radio Live if anyone interested, not going to change anyones views, but he does make some big accusations around Dirty Politics being a big conspiracy by a number of left wingers (including Matt McCarten) for which he states he has proof: http://www.radiolive.co.nz/FULL-AUDIO-Cameron-Slater-in-studio-with-Willie–Ali/tabid/506/articleID/62929/Default.aspx
When will he publish his proof? Bob,have you asked him?
If you listen to the audio, apparently the only reason he hasn’t released proof is due to the continuing Police investigation.
He has been known to be as credible as Winston Peters on matters like this though.
And no, I haven’t asked him, if I ever meet him (which is highly unlikely) I will though, just for you Tracey. Maybe you could ask Matt McCaten if he is involved in a conspiracy?
Peters has more credibility in his little finger than Slater will every have.
And that’s coming from someone who thinks Peters ruined MMP.
Yes, of course Bob, and why not release his evidence that LP tried to kill him, or the evidence he has the LP pollies do dirty politics.
Let Slater make a dick of himself but have some pride man.
Tracey, you clearly did not listen to the interview, he states several times the the Labour Party were not behind Dirty Politics or part of the far fetched conspiracy around him topping himself.
…. and he has proof that the aliens who kidnapped him and gave him a rectal probe were all Labour Party caucus members, too. /sarc
Proof of lp trying to kill him only monday this week…
Thanks Bob. I did listen and decided that Cam has similar dislocated thinking/justifications as Key. No wonder they are soul mates. He certainly says he believes that there is a conspiracy to “get him.’ Maybe it is just his guilt tormenting himself.
” ..Narcissism, in lay terms, basically means that a person is totally absorbed in self. The extreme narcissist is the center of his own universe. To an extreme narcissist, people are things to be used. It usually starts with a significant emotional wound or a series of them culminating in a major trauma of separation/attachment. No matter how socially skilled an extreme narcissist is, he has a major attachment dysfunction. The extreme narcissist is frozen in childhood. He became emotionally stuck at the time of his major trauma of separation/attachment
Some narcissists may have the ability to change into a variety of identities according to the situation. The wounded child inside may choose to present a front as a “bad ass” and tough individual. He may look, by appearance, intimidating and scary to the average person. He could also play the “nice guy/person” whom everyone likes. A corporate type version can be one that is diplomatic, proper, and appearing to care but in reality does not. Another very likeable extreme narcissist can be the one that chooses the comedian role. He is the life of the party and has everyone in stitches, making them laugh constantly. Everyone wants to include this person because they are a lot of fun.
. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/08/04/how-to-spot-a-narcissist/
So Slater is claiming to have proof! But he can’t show it right now…
Gosh. An unprecedented turn of events.
I remember when he had ‘proof’ that Karol who posts here and Tania Billingsley were in cahoots as part of a Green party conspiracy to embarrass National with her sexual assault claim. His evidence turned out to be that Karol wrote here in one of her comments that she thought that Billingsley would agree with her about some point or other. Yep.
I was working on the assumption that Slater was just a compulsive BS artist, but I’m starting to think that he actually believes a significant amount of his own manure. If so Key must be racking his brains on how to get rid of him – it’s rather dangerous and risky to trust such a person. If he can’t he must figure out how to mollify him, and thus remain under his grip, or else his position will become untenable sooner or later, when he be forced to simply leave.
Bryce Edwards suggested today that Key cannot afford to cut Slater loose for fear of him going nuclear and spilling what dirt he has on Key.
Edwards stopped short of calling it blackmail but that is what it is, isn’t it?
Either way it appears Slater has power over Key and that puts this country in a very vulnerable position.
It’s more likely he knows what dirt Key’s got in his top drawer. He also probably knows how Key obtained it which could be the more dangerous info. should it ever become public knowledge.
This governments attacks on civil liberties goes international:
My bold.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63631562/John-Banks-I-m-an-innocent-man-today
I said he’d be found not guilty (I admit I got the time frame slightly wrong) and its looking more likely thats whats going to happen, they might not even bother with the re-trial
Thats what happens when you listen to nut bars like McCready and Dot Con
“Thats what happens when you listen to nut bars like McCready and Dot Con”
Could’nt agree more Chris 73 and also Penny Bright !~
*Couldn’t
I read that the affidavits of the two American gentlemen in question differ on the details of the day. If they couldn’t even get their story straight after being coached by Banks’ wife then how is this evidence admissible?
That’s a position I have some degree of sympathy for. It’s just too convenient.
My thoughts too Weepus.
That is because – according to Dotcom – they were two separate luncheons.
He hasn’t been found not guilty, he’s been sent for retrial.
Good, let the whole truth be known
I’d love for the whole truth to be known. Unfortunately, the actions of Banks and other right-wing politicians such as John Key over the last few years would indicate that they’ll be lying and generally trying to hide the truth as much as possible.
Mr and Mrs Dot Con might even be charged with perjury
Funny how lying by a PM is a shruggable thing from you… Yet here you are defending someone who signed a form he didnt read to avoid accountability.
KDC is disputing Banks’ new evidence. So, we’ll need to see how it plays out in court.
KDC said on 3 News tonight that the meeting on which this (today’s?) decision is based>/a>, was a few days before the actual donation meeting.
Do you know why they werent subpoened at trial? Dotcom must have known who they were and mr and mrs banks would have recalled their names. Interesting ruling that this was new evidence given their existence was known.
I havent read the decision.
Banks said his wife was very vigilant in tracking down the new witnesses. They weren’t available at the earlier court case.
Is Banks going to fly them out to testify at the retrial? Where will they stay? How will they be entertained? And other questions.
Banks will be vindicated and (once again) Dot Con will have found to be talking porkies and all the leftards that supported and praised him will have egg on their faces (again)
That is not what I asked. No one has lied in this case except Banks and his wife. They are liars, and the court has said so. That a judge would find testimony from Kim Dotcom and his wife more reliable than from Banks and his wife must really sting for you and for them.
You and Banks and all your type are deceitful liars and should not be close to positions of power.
Decision
[44] The appeal is allowed. The conviction is set aside. We order a new trial.
and thats all you need to know
Hopefully he won’t pick at his ear and eat it this time.
John Banks for mayor of Auckland has quite a ring to it
But seriously for someone claiming they’re broke hes not living to shabbily:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/63656649/Dotcoms-mansion-life-to-continue
@Weepus beard.
I hope this time John Banks won’t pick from his arse rather than from his ear…and EAT it like he did last time! Yuck!
From my own experience not getting them to give evidence and not knowing they exist to give e idence are very different things. Remember the recent case with the crown against one SCF…
IF these guys were known to all parties then they are not strictly speaking new evidence but as I wrote I havent read the decision.
According to the Stuff report of the court decision:
Well, I guess only Banks and his wife knew they existed. If they had been mentioned in the trial, surely we would have heard about it. I guess Team Banks didn’t want to talk about these witnesses until they tracked them down and learned what the witnesses had to say about what went down re-the donation discussions.
Understood. Odd thing is they arent hard to find. I guess Banks wasnt listening when he was introduced to them.
I get the part that their evidence could change the judges view, its the couldnt find them bit. I guess banks spent his money on all the appeals and strike outs instead.
You ok with people signing forms without reading them, even when they preach accountability and responsibility to others?
He took money to be ED of Hujlich and his defence was that he didnt know anything about operations… Executive director who takes BIG fee but knows nothing about Ops.
I’m ok with seeing what the courts decide
Then you’re ok with what Tracey laid out.
But without the courage to actually say it…
Has any journalist actually asked John Key why he organised his office so that political operatives, such as Phil de Joux, were the people who talked to the SIS rather than himself.
From what I can gather this was an unprecedented move, all previous Prime ministers spoke to the SIS directly, in secret.
By organising his office this way it was inevitable that something like the SIS/Whaleoil leak would occur.
Why did he do this?
Pretty obvious why. He decided to use Slater as part of the Black ops. brigade he set up within his office – Slater was the conduit through which the ‘information’ could be picked up by the MSM. Lets face it, as a wheeler/dealer Key would have been well versed in the art of undercover operations and deceptions.
The MSM journos would have known what was going on, and were more than happy to go along with it. I suspect that is what some journos are worried about. They know their reputations will be badly tarnished if the truth was ever revealed. I bet that’s what Slater has over them.
Yeah I know it is obvious why he did it, it’s clear as day to anyone who has been watching National and its appendages for any length of time. But has any journalist actually asked him why?
Are you suggesting that no journalist would ask him this because it would endanger their career??
No, they’re implicated to a degree. It’s common knowledge that many in the MSM read Slater’s blog on a daily basis looking for scraps of info. It’s also known Slater gave some of them a heads-up (privately) on what was coming. The journos knew where most of the info. was coming from – the Black Ops brigade in Key’s office and in that sense they were part of the Dirty Politics conspiracy.
Fall foul of Slater and he’ll dob them in. My god, the more one thinks about it, the more dirty/sleazy it becomes.
The herald or stuff this week wrote they knew of rumours about what Ede was doing… None of them investigated or shared.
Do you really need to ask?
The journalists need to ask this, not me!
I wanna hear the ‘official’ reason from Key why he did this.
I find it surprising that no journalist has asked him this. (if they haven’t)
Ah, fair enough.
Agreed. I haven’t heard every interview (or question in Parliament) but there seems to have been little attention on the unprecedented use of a party hack in the PM’s office to deal with the SIS.
The Nats have banked too much on Kiwis’ lack of interest in civil liberties and process. it’s a bit early to tell, but my sense is that people like to think they don’t have to worry about this stuff, but now it all seems a bit dodgy.
I wonder about this too. There are only three answers…
I am busier than previous PMs and needed to give up something so chose nat security over tourism
I am not up to the job, incompetent
I want it to be a political tool that cant taint me
Oh, and the fourth
I dont recall
He did it because he thinks the way to govern a country is the same as the way they ran Merrill Lynch. Rules and integrity do not apply if you can get away with it.
NY Times…
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/28/opinion/civil-liberties-in-peril-down-under.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Hmm an article on civil liberties under fire from the USA…I suppose the USA would know all about that
Well, at least the socially responsible people of America will now know what is happening down here and that can only be good for the future.
You sound scornful yet uncommenting on our own slide in that area
Thanks Weepus beard.
That’s an excellent rundown of events here and in Aussie. It deserves wide dissemination but It won’t get it of course.
What has Slater got on Key? Why else would Key be defending his involvement with Slater?
Anne reckons it’s not so much what Slater has on Key (because in reality Key is a very boring person), but what Slater has about the dirt Key hold in his draw and more to the point, how he got it.
Which is kind of the crux of this whole SIS/PMO thing at the moment and has always been my biggest fear about Key: that he’d have no problem using state apparatus to maintain power.
But, here I go again, this is the weekend…
So – is this UNSC Resolution 2178 (which is behind this Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill) – going to help the formation of a ‘greater Israel’ – by ‘weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of an Israeli expansionist project’?
Regulatory Impact Statement
Foreign Terrorist Fighters – Targeted review of relevant legislation
…………………………………..
‘Status quo and problem definition’ :
2. The threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and other violent extremists is evolving rapidly. The most immediate and latest manifestation of the FTF issue is seen with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). fighters invloved with ISIL are responsible for widespread use of indiscriminate and extreme acts of violence primarily in the Iraq and Syria region. there are an estimated 15,000 – 20,000 FTFs associated with ISIL of which an estimated 3,000 hold western passports. these fighters threaten to return to their countries of origin radicalised and with military training.
______________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.globalresearch.ca/greater-israel-the-zionist-plan-for-the-middle-east/5324815
This article was published on Global Research April 29, 2013.
Global Research Editor’s Note
The following document pertaining to the formation of “Greater Israel” constitutes the cornerstone of powerful Zionist factions within the current Netanyahu government, the Likud party, as well as within the Israeli military and intelligence establishment.
According to the founding father of Zionism Theodore Herzl, “the area of the Jewish State stretches: “From the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.” According to Rabbi Fischmann, “The Promised Land extends from the River of Egypt up to the Euphrates, it includes parts of Syria and Lebanon.”
When viewed in the current context, the war on Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing war on Syria, not to mention the process of regime change in Egypt, must be understood in relation to the Zionist Plan for the Middle East. The latter consists in weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of an Israeli expansionist project.
“Greater Israel” consists in an area extending from the Nile Valley to the Euphrates.
The Zionist project supports the Jewish settlement movement. More broadly it involves a policy of excluding Palestinians from Palestine leading to the eventual annexation of both the West Bank and Gaza to the State of Israel.
Greater Israel would create a number of proxy States. It would include parts of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Sinai, as well as parts of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. (See map).
______________________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/kim-dotcom-a-flight-risk—crown-2014112819
So what they mean is air and sea port passport control will have as chronically impaired recall as john banks that they won’t recognise an eight foot tall man with a germanic accent who has been all over the news for a few years.
That’s a worrying development for the nations border security.
I thought that was funny too. Almost as funny as the Crown alleging that KDC has been playing too many video games based on what he has said on twitter.
How hard would it be to get out of NZ? I think he’s not allowed to travel very far and no helicopters, so that limits it to leaving on a private boat from near Auckland right?
Stowaway on a super yacht parked up in the viaduct, or rowing boat out of the mangroves to a waiting u-boat in Manakau harbour. Ridiculous reasoning and spiteful in intent. Which department or office did the ‘get Dotcom email come from?
As for video games, I’m not hard core and I do have to play on easy these days (no more legendary master chief for me), and though taking a wild, but non sexist guess that shooters wouldn’t really be your thing, I saw a trailer for call of duty advanced warfare Exo zombies add on content today, and my trigger fingers have been itching ever since.
You shouldn’t click, but players should.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-new-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-exo-zombie/1100-6423847/
“The Crown’s case is based on two affidavits from special FBI agent Rodney Hays, who didn’t appear on the witness stand.”
A bit too many of these affidavits from seppos who can’t be cross examined, methinks. They should be given no weight whatsoever.