Open mike 29/05/2023
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Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...18 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
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AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...6 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
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- Thank You
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
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All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...3 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
- Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...4 days ago
- Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...4 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...5 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...5 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...6 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...6 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...6 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...7 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...7 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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Well….absolutely. This is where we should have been 20 years ago. By now we would have had many fully qualified Tradespeople.
Hope these new apprentices vote Labour.
Nact dont give a shit about them…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/300891471/work-and-income-staffer-took-fake-meth-to-cultural-diversity-morning-tea
Not surprising. Years ago when general manager of NZISS George Hickton quit to become the CE of the TAB he said he's "taking his customers with him." Has been the same for decades.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2023/05/26/trans-women-banned-from-elite-races-by-british-cycling/
Oh so is this what trans rights activists mean when they talk about genocide against the trans population?
Emily Bridges a six foot plus male bodied cyclist has been banned from competing in the women's team at Olympic level.
Opps in case the link from The TElegraph is paywalled
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/this-is-a-violent-act-emily-bridges-slams-british-cyclings-trans-policy-banning-her-from-womens-competition
Maybe Grant Robertson should call the Cycling Association and tell them they are being “petty and small minded” in not letting poor old Emily compete. Or perhaps he could use Emily’s words and accuse them of violence and genocide.
Huge entitlement issue here from Emily. She should be able to use whatever bathroom she likes and compete in the women’s category even though she is a biological male, which confers significant competitive advantange on her
“British Cycling are supporting this, they are furthering a genocide against us. Bans from sport is how it starts, look at what is going on in America. It starts with sports bans, then youth and general healthcare and then bans from public life through bathroom bans. ”
Nobody is stopping her from competing, but she has to compete as a man. Same with bathrooms”
Putting on my evil overlord hat here – I'm not sure why anyone would bother with a trans genocide – they are not a viable population.
Untrue, trans men with working wombs can, and have, happily detransitioned to have kids, and then retransitioned.
A viable population would be one that replaces its natural mortality, probably with a margin for losses from predation or accidents.
The instances you chose rely on original sex – contemporary medicine is not up to performing gynogenesis in mammals as they do in farmed fish – or they consider the risks of trying it excessive.
These instances (for which you have no link) are relatively rare even within the trans population, and do not remotely approach replacement.
It is called "Transperbole". There is a lot of it about. Not giving them what they want the second they want it is "literal violence".
And it gets hysterical. Transgender rights activist injects testosterone in front of health officials in Florida
I note the 'empty podium' trend as well.
Women are simply refusing to take part in medal ceremonies – when the 'winner' is a trans-woman.
https://nypost.com/2023/05/19/trans-cyclist-alone-on-the-podium-after-winning-female-race/
Despite there being a non-binary category (which she chose not to enter) – she 'won' by over 17 minutes over the next (i.e. the first actual female) competitor.
Very reasoned position from British Cycling and I like their emphasis on fairness.
I hope more sporting bodies follow their lead. The world cycling body the UCI is currently reviewing their testosterone level-based policy.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/british-cycling-ceo-says-fairness-is-the-key-driver-for-new-transgender-policy
Pointing out again, that the recent reviews by most international sports associations give policies to exclude, at ELITE level only, those who have had a male hormone advantage during development. Excluded are cis women with androgenic hormonal conditions and transgender women who have gone through puberty.
There is no push for exclusion at lower levels, rather encouragement of inclusivity outside of high performance.
I know of no incidence of him doing this in New Zealand. Our own rules allow exclusion at international level on grounds of fair competition and safety in domestic sport.
This is what I was referring to SPC,
Mr Robertson thinks that women who don't want biological males in female sporting competitions are being petty and small minded
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/petty-and-small-minded-sport-minister-grant-robertson-responds-to-critics-of-sport-nz-transgender-guidelines/EHLQL6YAAFHDHI2WKMIREEOMMY/
This refers to guidelines for community sport – it has nothing to do with international sport (which have fair competition rules).
It was a throw away comment on my behalf, but a direct quote from Robertson talking about transgender (male bodied) atheletes in female sports.
Gold.
Stephen Schwartz
@AtomicAnalyst
This is not an interview. It's a colonoscopy
https://twitter.com/AtomicAnalyst/status/1662969806507655169
Why is it gold that a sex offender is in the position to fund a politician?
you do realise that is separate to the issue of whether Target is grooming children or not don’t you?
Someone who is funded by a groomer, accusing a box-store of 'grooming' because it sells rainbow flag onsies? I think that's called ‘applying hypocricy in the service of a manufactured moral panic’. 24 carat truth-saying.
Yes I understand what you are saying about hypocracy.
But surely it is not gold that a sex offender is in the position to fund any political party?
Point scoring on such a serious issue does you no good
tWiggle, when I clicked on your link about Stephen Schwartz it took me to a whole lot of info about a guy who seemed to be anti nuclear weapons. He is Stephen I Schawartz.
In googling the name Stephen Schwartz I have found two people of that name with a different initial, one a surgeon and one a teacher, who were found with child porn images. Can you please clarify? Who has funded the right wing dudes campaign? If it is the anti nuclear bomb guy can you please post any reference that shows he is a sex offender? I couldn't find any. If you are unable to post, I will just assume you are mistaken