What is the purpose of the Suppression of Terrorism Act?
Surely as the name suggests its purpose is to suppress terrorism before it happens
The only people to be arrested and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act are a self admitted white supremacist who murdered 51 people. And Tuhoi activists. (Though the charges against the Tuhoe activists were later dropped through lack of evidence, mainly wire tapped conversations in Maori, that were supposed to show intent to commit terrorism, but showed no such thing.)
The point is, the purpose of the Suppression of Terrorism Act (supposedly) is to protect the community by suppressing terrorism. Ideally, before it happens.
Which is why charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act were brought against Tuhoi, even though they had not committed any acts of terrorism. The prosecutors believed that the Tuhoe activists had an intent to commit acts of terror.
Which brings us to Phillip Arps.
Why hasn't Phillip Arps been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism.Act?
.
Philip Arps the self identified Christchurch 'fascist' and "white supremacist", who gloried in the Christchurch massacre, reportedly telling the police and other witnesses the video of the slayings was "awesome".
After viewing the video of the massacre. Phillip Arps had tried to get gun sights and a kill count added to the video to, quote; "make it funnier"
Phillip Arps is a danger to the community at large in a way that few criminals are. Philip Arps has been sentenced to 21 months for circulating the video of the Christchurch massacre.
At his sentencing the Judge said… Arps has a high risk of re-offending, shows no remorse and the prospects of changing his views on religion were "virtually non-existent".
In my opinion Arps "high risk of re-offending" will not be for a minor act.
This is a man who openly supports acts of terror as defined under the Act.**
Christchurch attack: The dark truth about New Zealand’s white supremacists
12/05/2019
Patrick Gower
……He's a white supremacist – and Newshub has obtained a video of him delivering a box containing a severed pig's head to the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch in 2016.
“White power," he can be heard saying in the video. "Don't go to a mosque often. Like I said, it should be molotovs.”
In the Islamic faith, pork is considered unclean and eating it is prohibited.
In the video, Arps holds the pig's head and says: "Our Muslims gonna love this. See? You see that?" His delivery came complete with Nazi salutes at the door of the building….
Philip Arps has openly threatened to commit an act of terror, the fire bombing of a mosque.. This is not an allegation, this is a proven fact.
It is an unproven allegation that the Tuhoe activists ever threatened to commit an act of terror, against anyone, Why were they charged and Phillip Arps has not been?
Philip Arp. says he models himself on Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy.
(Rudolf Hess spent 46 years in prison. Modeling yourself on Rudolf Hess suggests that you deserve to be jailed as long as he was).
Hitler himself spent 9 months in prison for organising an attempted coup, the so called Beer Hall Putsch…
Hindsight suggests that Hitler and his compatriots should have been kept in prison..
**The Terrorism Suppression Act defines terrorism, in New Zealand or elsewhere, as an act that "is carried out for the purpose of advancing an ideological, political, or religious cause" and with the following intention: to induce terror in a civilian population…
P.S. In a debate over Syria someone asked me on these pages what my definition of a 'fascist' was. I replied that my definition is simple, someone who commits acts of genocide, or supports the committing of acts of genocide. (Including, knowingly covering up, and denial of acts genocide).
This would also be my definition of terrorism, A terrorist is someone who commits acts of terror, or who supports committing acts of terror. Phillip Arp fits the second category. But not only only by his words, but by his actions as well, Phillip Arps demonstrates that he himself is at high risk of committing a serious act of terror.
If Phillip Arps is not tried under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, the question must be asked, what other useful purpose than the suppression of terrorism does it serve?
One of the reasons given by legal experts as to why charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act were not initially not brought against the Christchurch shooter was that it would not add anything to the charges of multiple counts of murder that he was already facing.
If the Suppression of Terrorism Act does not add much to charges against someone who has committed an act of terror, and is not applied to someone at high risk of committing an act of terror. What purpose does the Suppression of Terrorism Act serve?
Too many horrendously difficult and sensitive issues packed together with a whiff of binary thinking, which is sure to conflate and confuse.
IMO as non-legal expert, the Terrorism Act is a legal tool, which means it can be used but not it must be used. When a screwdriver suffices, there is no need to charge up the power drill.
Incognito 2.1
29 June 2019 at 11:02 am
Too many horrendously difficult and sensitive issues packed together….
So let’s unpack them….
It seems that reaching for a 'screwdriver suffices', if the suspect is a self described fascist and white supremacist with an expressed interest in firebombing mosques.
The power drill is charged up for Maori for no good reason at all.
As I said, too many things in one to unpack. Why don’t you focus on one at the time? For example, Phillip Arps and the Terrorism Act and argue why he should have been charged under that particular Law instead? As I see it, he’s been charged and this is sufficient. In other words, start a proper debate, make your points, listen to other counter-points, and discern a new truth. Best wishes.
….start a proper debate, make your points, listen to other counter-points, and discern a new truth. Best wishes.
Thanks for the best wishes.
I really would like to hear your counter points, let's have a proper debate. So far Incog. you have only raised a vague objection around me including too many things to unpack. Pick one point you disagree with and let's look at it. Maybe we can, as you say, discern a new truth.
We might discern that Taika Waititi claim that New Zealand is ‘racist as f***’ is true. And that this is especially true of our Justice System. Self described fascists and white supremacist extremists get an easy ride in our justice system.
While Maori have the full weight of the law descend on them for the smallest transgression.
Maybe the revealed bias in the justice system accounts for the much higher arrest rates, conviction rates, imprisonment rates, for Maori over the (white), European population.
Maybe this bias in the establishment, is where white supremacy and racism finds fertile ground to grow.
Maybe when we acknowledge it, we could go on to address it.
To begin with; We should charge Phillip Arps the way we would, if he were Maori.
If the translations of Tama Iti's wire tapped conversations had recorded him saying;
“Don’t go to a parliament often. Like I said, it should be molotovs.”
There would have been no police apology. Tama Iti would, instead of being charged and convicted and jailed, for relatively minor firearms offences, under the misuse of Firearms Act, would have been charged and most likely convicted under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and currently still be serving 14 years to life.
I really would like to hear your counter points, let's have a proper debate. So far Incog. you have only raised a vague objection around me including too many things to unpack. Pick one point you disagree with and let's look at it. Maybe we can, as you say, discern a new truth.
I’d like healthy intelligent debate flourish here and there are things that make this easier and there are things that make it harder. Pointing out these things is not an objection per se more of an observation. Whether it is taken as such, as constructive criticism, or elicits an evasive or defensive response depends on the recipient.
I did pick one point (i.e. the charging of Phillip Arps under Suppression of Terrorism Act), which appeared to be the main gist of your rather convoluted and conflated comment @ 2. It was merely a suggestion for you to lead off the debate that you desire and debate in good faith. If you would like to do a Guest Post here then please let us know.
Here’s a brief selection of key words from your comment @ 2:
Suppression of Terrorism Act, white supremacist, fascist, Tuhoi [sp] or Tūhoe, Māori, Christchurch massacre, Phillip Arps, Rudolf Hess, Hitler, Syria, genocide.
You felt it necessary to redefine the definition of “fascist” in your terms and expect other commenters to debate on your terms.
Indeed, the Tūhoe raids were a monumental cock up by NZ Police and they did give a belated apology. However, none of the activists was ever charged in Court under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and thus none was found guilty of terrorism. They were arrested under the Act as far as I know.
Getting back to Phillip Arps, it seems to me that you want him charged as if he were Māori, despite the Tūhoe activists being falsely and wrongly ‘accused’ and suspected of being terrorists, and/or because he’s said and done vile things that in your opinion meet the legal standard of “terrorism” but may well fall short of this deliberately high bar when tested in Court.
The mass starvation of up to 14 million people is an unfathomable crime against humanity. All parties to the conflict are responsible for creating these conditions, but the Saudi coalition and its Western patrons bear the largest share because they have been the ones blockading the country, systematically targeting food production and distribution, wrecking civilian infrastructure, and devastating the economy https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/14-million-yemenis-are-at-risk-of-dying-in-man-made-famine/
The West's medieval client, Saudi Arabia – to which the US and Britain sell billions of dollars' worth of arms – is at present destroying Yemen, a country so poor that in the best of times, half the children are malnourished.
The coalition isn’t accidentally attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure – it’s doing it deliberately.
That’s evident from the kind – and volume – of civilian targets documented. They include places that are generally protected against attack even under the lax rules of international humanitarian law: Residential areas, vehicles, marketplaces and mosques as well as boats, social gatherings and camps for internally displaced persons.
Loss of life from fighting should be easier to record and publicise, and the fact this has not happened in Yemen is a sign of the lack of interest by the international community in the conflict.
Uniting fascism old and new is the cult of superiority. "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fibre of my being," said Obama, evoking declarations of national fetishism from the 1930s.
The common thread in fascism, past and present, is mass murder. The American invasion of Vietnam had its "free fire zones", "body counts" and "collateral damage". In the province of Quang Ngai, where I reported from, many thousands of civilians ("gooks") were murdered by the US; yet only one massacre, at My Lai, is remembered.
someone asked me on these pages what my definition of a ‘fascist’ was. I replied that my definition is simple, someone who commits acts of genocide, or supports the committing of acts of genocide. (Including, knowingly covering up, and denial of acts genocide).
Yep. Fascism's become most famous for something that was peripheral to, and certainly not unique to, fascism. It makes for a lot of really stupid definitions of fascism out there.
Yep. Fascism's become most famous for something that was peripheral to, and certainly not unique to, fascism……
Hi Psycho,
Extreme nationalism with notions of racial superiority and race purity. And genocide which is the practical application of these theories, is not "peripheral" to fascism, as you claim Psycho, it is fascism's central identifying feature.
I might ask you Psycho, if you think the theory of racial superiority and its practical application, genocide is only peripheral to fascism, what do you think fascism's main features are?
Just to clarify your statement SHG, are you saying that Josef Stalin was not guilty of committing genocide?
Or are you saying that Stalin wasn't a fascist?
By my definition anyone who commits genocide is a fascist.
To argue the opposite is a semantic argument, of petty definitions. That there are good genocides and bad genocides, (pretty much the argument of the Assad apologists).
Fascists are extreme right, prone to be racist. If you know anything of history, that does not describe Stalin. He was paranoid and despotic – destroyed anyone he feared was a threat to his authority and system regardless of race. Shifted entire populations (almost) based on practical considerations like communal property, economic 5-year-plan policy. I have read quite a bit of history, and the only racist bone I can think of in Stalin would be his anti-German feelings, after the misery the racist, anti-Slavonic Nazis inflicted upon his country.
If Stalin committed genocide, I would suggest that he did not do it for racist reasons. He had only practical considerations in his warped, paranoid mind. Unlike Hitler.
Was Stalin racist? Not in the strict meaning of the word, but what you miss, In Vino, is that despite being from Georgia and being the leader of a multi-national state, (the old USSR). Is that what Stalin shared with Hitler was that they both exploited notions of extreme nationalism to consolidate their power. The war against fascism was termed by Stalin the 'The Great Patriotic War', ' The war for the Motherland' etc. Posing the war against Germany in this way was objected to by many old socialists.
But Stalin could hardly have termed that titanic struggle the war for freedom and liberty in case his own people got ideas.
Jenny – Hitler always believed in his extreme nationalism/racism. He wrote Mein Kampf back in the 1920s. Stalin had no such views, and had thoroughly consolidated his position of power long before WW2. His official party line was that the international proletariat would eventually take over the world, and patriotism would go the way of religion. (Opiate of the masses, etc.)
Stalin resorted to appealing to Russian patriotism only when Hitler had invaded, and Russia was staring defeat in the face. Stalin had to resort back to patriotic appeal etc to get the utmost effort out of his people and soldiers. Once it proved to be of help, he stayed with it. But he had established his personal power long beforehand, and did it all much more cynically than Hitler, who really believed in the Aryan Master-race.
To push my point, Jenny, I think you are pushing a very sloppy definition of Fascism much too far. Looking at definitions, most dictionaries describe Fascism as far right. Millions of Russians who died opposing Fascism would revile your calling their leader a Fascist.
Fascists tend to crush political opponents; but they do so because these are political opponents, not because they belong to a particular race. Benito Mussolini was clearly a fascist, but I don't think he was genocidal.
…….Benito Mussolini was clearly a fascist, but I don't think he was genocidal.
Hi Mikesh, all empires are genocidal by their very nature.
Genocide is how empires go about their business of invasion and conquest and subjugation of new territories.
The expanding Italian fascist empire, set on conquering and occupying Greece, Yugoslavia and North Africa and turning them into Italian colonies, was no different.
There was no Nuremberg for Italian criminals.
Given the evidence against them, it must rank as one of the great escapes. General Pietro Badoglio's planes dropped 280kg bombs of mustard gas over Ethiopian villages and strafed Red Cross camps. He died of old age in his bed, was buried with full military honours and had his home town named after him. General Rudolfo Graziani, aka the butcher of Libya, massacred entire communities; his crimes included an infamous assault on the sick and elderly of Addis Ababa. His men posed for photographs holding severed heads. General Mario Roatta, known to his men as the black beast, killed tens of thousands of Yugoslav civilians in reprisals and herded thousands more to their deaths in concentration camps lacking water, food and medicine. One of his soldiers wrote home on July 1 1942: "We have destroyed everything from top to bottom without sparing the innocent. We kill entire families every night, beating them to death or shooting them."….
……There remains in Italian culture and public opinion the idea that basically we were colonialists with a human face."
Another historian, Angelo Del Boca, says those guilty of genocide were honoured. "A process of rehabilitation is being organised for some of them by sympathetic or supportive biographers." He says that for decades his research was obstructed – an accusation echoed by Focardi. Vital documents are "mislaid" or perpetually out on loan. Just one example: 11 years ago a German researcher found documents and photographs of Italian atrocities in Yugoslavia in the central state archive, a fascist-built marble hulk south of Rome. No one has been able to gain access to them since…..
……Last month workers digging in northern Ethiopia stumbled on yet another Italian arms depot suspected of containing mustard gas. Addis Ababa asked Rome to respect an international weapons treaty by revealing the location of stockpiles and helping to clear them…..
P.S.Resembling somewhat the cone of silence around New Zealand’s past colonial and imperial history. In which ideas of white superiority find fertile ground. (Not looking at you, Hobson’s Pledge)
"Kamala Harris: The California Senator gave the strongest performance not just of Thursday night's debate but of either nights' debate. She was calm, poised, knowledgeable and, yes, presidential."
And on TDB, Curwen Rolinson makes a statistical case for an unknown leaping into prominence: "Below, we’ve got search analytics data for the Congresswoman both during and after the debate. I’ve also seen immediate post-match polling which has Gabbard a clear ‘winner’ – in fact, the clear Winner – edging out even predicted ‘people’s-choice-but-establishment-bete-noir’ Elizabeth Warren." https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/06/28/tulsi-gabbard-blazes-impressive-trail-at-first-democratic-primary-debate/
"At one point, the moderators deliberately attempted to stop Gabbard from speaking about Saudi Arabia and its role in financing terrorism." Understandable, eh? Moderators want everyone to be moderate. Democrats trying to tell the truth are swimming against that tide…
Harris. She took control and cut through the bullshit. Castro and Warren looked good, too. Next debate, ditch Ryan, Inslee, Gabbard, Williamson, and De Blasio and give the rest more time to articulate policy.
“Dove”? She’s an ex-soldier in the U.S. Army. You’re probably the first person in the world to call her a “dove”. Do you even know what that word means, in political/military terminology?
You support the U.S., Britain, and France arming and funding Al Qaeda in Syria, then, do you?
Ha! There are many humane, highly educated and intelligent Palestinian commentators. And then there is Rula Jebreal. With unerring, even comical, panache, you went straight to that MSNBC drone to support your broadside against one of the few principled and decent politicians in the U.S.
Word of advice: MSNBC is as credible a source as its mirror image, Fox News. Of course, just as with Fox, there is occasionally something that looks like informed, rigorous journalism; Rula Jebreal is never going to be the occasion for such a deviation. You'd know that, of course, if you ever bothered to do anything other than post up complacent tweets from the extreme right of the Democratic Party machine.
How’s that hunt for the Russian masterminds and their evil control of the U.S. elections going, by the way? Any evidence yet?
“Since moving to the United States in 2009, Rula has been an on-air foreign policy analyst for MSNBC and a contributor to the Daily Beast, Newsweek and Salon.com,….. Rula has appeared frequently on CNN and Bloomberg……. ”
That's enough for me, "propaganda" is her middle name.
Yeah, I s'pose if she keeps she keeps the support of all the Drudge Report and David Duke – type deplorables, she just might make it up into mid-single digits support.
There are several people in that depressingly untalented line-up of primary cannon-fodder that would endorse David Duke's crackpot theories—Biden being the most openly racist of them. Tulsi Gabbard is neither a racist nor a supporter of endless war, which makes her an uncomfortable presence in a party dominated by the likes of Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi.
Feel free to carry on with your name calling and lies, however—-witless abuse from you is nothing new, it adds nothing to the discussion, but nobody with a whit of common sense takes your paranoid rubbish seriously.
And yet Gabbard has zero chance of winning the Democrat nomination, which is at least consistent, as polling shows she has, unlike Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris and Mayor Pete, zero chance of beating Trump, too.
Who said anything about enjoyment? That's you just poorly attempting a narrative set up, but surely the only hoping is yours, given the public support on here, how those polls will completely reverse or all other candidates step down or die.
I meant "enjoy" in the most technical sense, of course—as in "I read those polls religiously, and I trembled with excitement at their promise of a Biden-Buttiegieg administration, but I didn't enjoy it. No sir, I didn't enjoy it."
Personally, Alien, though I want him gone immediately, I think the Penguin will be re-elected with an increased majority. And I have a record of being right about this matter….
It is ridiculous to suggest Biden is a racist. Perhaps not always at the forefront of combating racism. But with 40 years in the Senate he inevitably had to work with southern Democrats who were probably first elected in the 1950’s. And some of them would have been racist. That doesn’t make Biden a racist.
As ridiculous as "suggesting", leave alone exhaustively documenting, that New Zealand troops under your watch invaded Afghan villages, strapped dead bodies to the front of their vehicles to terrorize the local women and children, and handed over captives to be tortured.
Nah, she's all for funneling money to big defense contractors so the US can drone the fuck out of brown people whose religion she doesn't like. Torture is all tickety-boo with her, too.
Tulsi Gabbard is opposed to the U.S. and its vassals carrying on endless illegal war, whether in the devastated Middle East, or Venezuela. That's why the war-mongers of the Democratic Party "leadership" hate her, and that's why their media mouthpieces ridicule her. Which is why people like you, who take their views from their narrow and largely uncritical consumption of those media mouthpieces, are so happy to recycle them on fora like this one.
With respect, 99 percent of the population do not have the chance to see her speak. How often is she on television compared to Biden? How often is she accorded even minimal respect when she appears on television?
In Morrissey-speak, does respect mean "goes all gooey-eyed and brain-dead when she says a few key catch-words so the viewer becomes unable to comprehend the really unsavory aspects of her actual positions"?
What "unsavory" positions does she hold? She's opposed to bombing other countries for no good reason; that's not the same as supporting the governments of those countries.
In contrast, many of those other Democratic "leadership" candidates are open supporters of the most unsavory regimes on the planet. Saudi Arabia is a key funder of many of them, as are weapons manufacturers. One of them, Pete Buttigieg, is an enthusiastic supporter of the Israeli Army, which he reckons is a "model" for the U.S. Army of the future.
But of course you'll carry on pouring filth on Tulsi Gabbard in the same way you pour filth on political prisoners.
Excellent article from Bryce Edwards today on the coalition's approach to fixing the housing crisis, with interesting stats on the number of state houses being built compared to that requried
Not only was KiwiBuild an ill-thought-out policy, it was something of a right-wing policy masquerading as a left-wing one, which made it ill-suited to a government trying to satisfy a public looking again for the state to step up to solve problems in society, rather than use market-oriented "solutions"..
Despite promising 100,000 houses, economist Shamubeel Eaqub estimated there was a need for 500,000 affordable houses to be built by the state.
What the Labour Party never wanted to do was to spend any capital – political or actual – on housing.
A sweet irony, the right have been hounding Kiwibuild since before it's inception, yet it's a right wing idea, maybe Labour will actually turn left and come up with something that doesn't line developers pockets, then the right wingers will be wishing for Kiwibuild again!
Personally speaking, I'm just glad Labour have ideas and are trying something, anything.
Why would Standardistas be interested in watching a video that’s 49’17’’ long? Because of the catchy title?
Because it features Max Blumenthal, one of the best journalists and activists in the United States. Because it's an eloquent deconstruction of the motivations behind the ludicrous and dangerous "Russiagate" fantasy that's been recycled by some dedicated followers of the DNC* on this mostly excellent site.
I take your point about its length, though. Here's some equally astute analysis that should take only a few minutes of our colleagues' valuable time….
The credibility of the recommender is more than enough.
[Do you want to add anything useful to this site? If yes, please stop the personal jibes or balance them with something useful if you must ridicule the commenter’s thinking because otherwise it looks like you just want to start another flame war instead of contributing to robust debate – Incognito]
The question is not whether one reads anything, but rather whether one filters content by source before investing time and energy to consume and consider it.
Now, that’s not helpful at all. In fact, it is condescending. You didn’t need to have taken the bait by Sacha. Instead, you could have explained to those of us who are not familiar with those names who they are, what they stand for, and what they have in common or what binds them contextually together in your opinion.
Oh mozzie do STFU Shapiro may not be to your liking but he is no idiot or racist You don’t get into Harvard law school and finish top of your class being and idiot Basically any one who does not agree with you and your RT contributors , left or right is an idiot I suggest this makes only one idiot being yourself
He's fine when spewing out, without anyone contradicting him, his brutal attacks on Palestinians and other untermenschen, but to anyone who has watched his embarrassing demolition at the hands of Andrew Neil, it's obvious Shapiro has not got the chops for intellectual debate.
Your appeal to credentials is misplaced. A lot of fools have made it to the top of the academic ladder. That discredited liar, plagiarist and hate-propagandist Alan Dershowitz was top of his Harvard Law School class too.
Back in this country, the late not so great Roger Kerr, who was head of the Employers' Federation for far too long, never failed to mention that he got the highest total marks in School Certificate in 1960—yet he hardly ever made a coherent or memorable statement. Kerr "featured" in one of the very worst traincrash interviews by Kim Hill; when she challenged his lazy and complacent statements, he had nothing to offer other than repeating incessantly: "Are you a communist, Kim?"
Half of society would be liberated, and that's worthy of top billing.
2: Survival under a Modern Economy
Self-reliance is impossible in a modern economy.
In ages past, it was possible to live by hunting/gathering, or by practicing subsistence farming in some unclaimed territory. This is no longer practical. Not only are we not trained to do so, the population is far too large to sustain by hunting, and all the land is claimed (either by big agricultural concerns, or as wilderness reserves).
People can only survive through participating in the economy, paying farmers for produce (usually via logistics chains).
The economy is assumed to provide jobs for a good number of people. However, let's be real: even under normal conditions, most people aren't in the conventional workforce. Children. Students. Mothers and other homemakers. Invalids. Retirees. Incarceratees. This adds up to most people. And all of them have to buy toilet paper. (Kidding, it's usually the women.)
Even within the group of those able to work, not all of them can do so. An economy with 0% unemployment has no slack, and cannot easily grow or innovate – or even cope with seasonal work like harvesting. You need people to be available for new opportunities. Some proportion of unemployment is necessary for the system to work.
From a utilitarian point of view, then, society needs a strong guarantee that its members can survive without permanent employment. The UBI delivers that guarantee.
3: Dignity has Value
I can drop your IQ by 20 points. First, hand me your wallet.
Economic anxiety has a real, measurable cognitive load. It is thus a really bad motivational tool, like most forms of negative reinforcement. When we talk about a "poverty trap", it is this kind of negative effect that keeps people from doing their best.
But I hear you cry: Why do you see this as negative? Shouldn't we treat 0 income as the baseline, and regard any income over and above that as positive?
No, because there are non-negotiable expenses. Rent, power, food, medication, and communications are all considered fundamental human requirements today. Things like transport to work sites, suitable clothing, one nice thing per week, and socially acceptable narcotics like alcohol are practically required to be a worker, but aren't necessary for survival. And debt is an economic reality for an increasing number of people.
There are various income thresholds, but the two most significant are the Living Wage and the Happiness Maximum.
The Living Wage is well known. It varies by region thanks to real estate factors, but could be in the 12K-20K range. This is the low end of any effective UBI.
The Happiness Maximum (my term, not sure if there's an official summary for it) is the point at which you feel secure, and further income gains do not contribute to your wellbeing. This is somewhere around 70K. Happymax is interesting for two reasons: it's a nice target for UBI in fully automated luxury space communism e.g. Star Trek utopia; and it's a reminder that the rich don't get that much out of their wealth, so they won't really miss it. Happymax isn't a serious proposal right now, but it's something important to bear in mind.
Somewhere between Living Wage and Happymax, you get more out of people. They can be happier, healthier, and more productive. This tends to provide the biggest boost to the most disadvantaged; see experiments in Africa, where it allowed people to start small businesses and increase the capacity of entire communities.
Dignity is valuable. If people can live with confidence, they will.
4: Opposition is Desperation
"It'll never work. The Man will keep us all in our place."
Bold statements have power. They're very convincing.
But you're smarter than that. You can see through bold declarations of fact, and see the agenda behind them. You are your own person, and you will be defined on your own terms.
See what I did there? I used the same psychological weapon on you, set in reverse. I hope it works.
A lot of people feel threatened by UBI and what it means. They should be. Their fear means they know they can lose. Well, "losing" in this context ain't so bad.
5: It's the Right Thing
UBI helps the vulnerable. It's the right thing to do.
I'm closing with this statement for the same reason I opened with women. The start and the end stick in the mind. These two ideas are simple, and important, and nobody else talks about them. I want to change that.
A neanderthal skeleton was found with long-term deformities. This individual could not have survived on their own. But they lived with this condition for decades. Neanderthals, with nothing but sharp rocks and a fire in a cave, cared for their fellows.
When it involves free speech, culture warriors on the right aren’t afraid to invoke victimhood when it suits them. It’s all part of a majoritarian identity politics – one based on race and religion, and on sex and sexuality – aimed at reinforcing a hierarchy of voice and position. It’s no accident the demands for more free speech tend to come not from those lacking power, but those who fear the erosion of their power.
We can expect to see more iterations of these battles, especially in the realms of popular culture. It has become part of the contemporary conservative mindset to believe that if you want political power, you must first change the culture – that “politics is downstream from culture”.
well i guess its time to quickly invest in prisons for profit. they have found the new criminal and it is the migrant – be it economic, environmental reasons or simply to get away from gangs and death.
Wootan and her colleagues calculated that in the contract awarded to Jesco, the government describes enough daily food for about 850 people for a year: about 200,000 bologna sandwiches, 300,000 burritos and between 48,000 and 96,000 ramen cups. (“Ramen soup cups are on our list of the most unhealthy foods you could eat,’’ she said.) But it’s unclear how many people are being held at the five centers supplied by the contract on any given day.
Processing centers like the one at McAllen are supposed to hold detainees for no longer than 72 hours. Yet Gialluca said she spoke with detainees who’d been there for about two weeks. “Children aren’t supposed to spend any significant time in these processing facilities,’’ she said.
Contractors that serve the centers are seeing increased revenue this year. Jesco, which provides other services in addition to food and beverages, has done 26 transactions worth $5.1 million thus far in 2019, including janitorial services, preventive maintenance and fencing construction. Last year, the company had $4.2 million in government contracts; in 2017, it was $3.9 million.
Another company, Deployed Resources, of Rome, New York, has 2019 contracts worth $52 million, up from $3.8 million last year and $26.3 million in 2017. In addition to feeding detainees, the company provides such services as equipment leasing, building installation and temporary housing. A co-owner of Deployed Resources hung up on a Bloomberg News reporter when reached by phone.
Hardly an addition to "wellbeing".
Couples are taxed on individual income, which makes for an large variation on how households are taxed on the same income, disadvantaging women, usually, who have to stay at home for disabled children or other relatives. One of the few things they could access was the non qualifying spouse share in super, if their older partner retired.
And. They are using this to fund an effective increase for those who already get overseas pensions/super.
It's cool that the housing market has cooled down that phenomenon is letting our first home buyers into the market.
The fuel tax is what is needed to protect your offspring future boy your national m8 made a big mess of Aotearoa just like trump is doing makeing a mess.
I say a Maori health organization is needed run by Maori for Maori. I say that the 7 years shorter life expectancy for Maori than non Maori is a under estimate by a long way.
Its good that all Aotearoa rentals have to be insulated ka pai What I see is a lot of houses being built without taking into consideration the phenomenon that gives us life the SUN heaps of whare being shaded out by trees or bad design this is what happens when a society forgets about the natural environment we come from we need to respect each other and our environment and build houses designed to maximize passive solar gain .
Time for a change to laws that are logical and not political as is the situation now.
Some illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis and cannabis resin, were evaluated up to 30 years ago or have never been evaluated, Dreifuss said, which seriously undermines their international control.
Asked whether these drugs should be reclassified, Juan Manuel Santos, the former president of Colombia, replied “yes”. “The scientific basis is non-existent,” Santos told journalists at an online briefing to discuss the commission’s report.
“It was a political decision. According to the studies we’ve seen over past years, substances like cannabis are less harmful than alcohol,” he said. “I come from Colombia, probably the country that has paid the highest price for the war on drugs
After 50 years, the war on drugs has not been won, Santos said. It had caused “more damage, more harm” to the world than a practical approach that would regulate the sale and consumption of drugs in a “good way”.
The commission’s recent report looks into how “biased” historical classification of substances, with its emphasis on prohibition, has contributed to the world drug problem. Under the current system, in place since 1961, decisions on classifying drugs are taken by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a body of UN member states established by the UN Economic and Social Council. The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence provides recommendations to the CND. However, the recommendations are then voted on by the CND members, leaving them open to political decisions
Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, said the WHO should make decisions on drug classification based on health and wellbeing. More harmful drugs would require a higher level of intervention, she said.
“The international community should recognise that the system is broken,” said Clark. “They should recognise the inconsistencies and it should trigger a review.”
The campaign for a 'drug-free world' is costing lives
Louise Arbour and
Risk thresholds, such as those used for alcohol, should be used for illegal drugs rather than the “absolute precautionary principle”, she said.
The commission called on the international community to move towards the legal regulation and use of drugs. In January, the WHO recognised the medical benefits of cannabis and recommended Ka kite ano link below
I say that the changes to Oranga tamariki is good the reporting the success is great.
Including 17 year old in the youth court is over due to Eco Maori say some people don't grow up till they are 30 years old.
Kahanunui whanau services is needed to help get tangata whenua whare as a landlord will choose other people before Maori for their houses I know what that feels like.
Health care by Maori for Maori who have heaps of Aroha for Maori.
There you go that is how I see them you look stunned.
I don't think a apologies is going to change anything in Maori health I would like to see improvements in Maori health up Te taiwhiti it's a scenario of the ambulances at the bottom of the hill literally.
The housing short caused by national it is hard and expensive to get a whare
The rightneck who are attacking Our Winston and The United Nations needs to be reigned in a stopped .
That was mighty hail storm in Mexico caused by Global warming climate change.
Kate Bullock's Our Government has done more for the Lowe classes in 2 years than the other lot did in 9 years this is to the person who Duncan read out there email.
I have worked many days while I was sick and worked hard for my employers and still got discriminated against because Eco Maori is Maori some lost big time because of their discriminatory behavior.
This is a great start into our future of sustainable ways to give our tamariki and mokopuna a healthy happy
Single-use plastic bag ban only a start – Minister
Banning single-use plastic bags is only a start, and there's a strategy to toughen product stewardship rules, increase the landfill levy, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says.
The plastic bag ban comes into force today, and affects businesses from markets and retailers through to large department stores and supermarkets, and includes online sales.
To coincide with the ban, the government has announced a $40 million investment in facilities that recycle waste plastics into materials businesses and consumers can use.
"[The ban] doesn't go far enough, but what is really great is it's started the conversation," Ms Sage told Morning Report.
"People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out.
"Supermarkets like Countdown and Foodstuffs are now offering people the chance to take reusable containers to the deli counter instead of having plastic containers. People are now thinking about phasing out plastic straws Ka kite ano link below.
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
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Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
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The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
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Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
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The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
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Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Now, making up for lost time…
Here's the podcast link for the interview I did on Otago Access Radio on Thursday, on the topic of climate emergency.
http://www.accessradio.org/ProgrammePage.aspx?PID=d6c5fa93-1644-4811-acef-71386373b70a
Cheers!
What is the purpose of the Suppression of Terrorism Act?
Surely as the name suggests its purpose is to suppress terrorism before it happens
The only people to be arrested and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act are a self admitted white supremacist who murdered 51 people. And Tuhoi activists. (Though the charges against the Tuhoe activists were later dropped through lack of evidence, mainly wire tapped conversations in Maori, that were supposed to show intent to commit terrorism, but showed no such thing.)
The point is, the purpose of the Suppression of Terrorism Act (supposedly) is to protect the community by suppressing terrorism. Ideally, before it happens.
Which is why charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act were brought against Tuhoi, even though they had not committed any acts of terrorism. The prosecutors believed that the Tuhoe activists had an intent to commit acts of terror.
Which brings us to Phillip Arps.
Why hasn't Phillip Arps been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism.Act?
.
Philip Arps the self identified Christchurch 'fascist' and "white supremacist", who gloried in the Christchurch massacre, reportedly telling the police and other witnesses the video of the slayings was "awesome".
After viewing the video of the massacre. Phillip Arps had tried to get gun sights and a kill count added to the video to, quote; "make it funnier"
Phillip Arps is a danger to the community at large in a way that few criminals are. Philip Arps has been sentenced to 21 months for circulating the video of the Christchurch massacre.
At his sentencing the Judge said… Arps has a high risk of re-offending, shows no remorse and the prospects of changing his views on religion were "virtually non-existent".
In my opinion Arps "high risk of re-offending" will not be for a minor act.
This is a man who openly supports acts of terror as defined under the Act.**
Philip Arps has openly threatened to commit an act of terror, the fire bombing of a mosque.. This is not an allegation, this is a proven fact.
It is an unproven allegation that the Tuhoe activists ever threatened to commit an act of terror, against anyone, Why were they charged and Phillip Arps has not been?
Philip Arp. says he models himself on Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy.
(Rudolf Hess spent 46 years in prison. Modeling yourself on Rudolf Hess suggests that you deserve to be jailed as long as he was).
Hitler himself spent 9 months in prison for organising an attempted coup, the so called Beer Hall Putsch…
Hindsight suggests that Hitler and his compatriots should have been kept in prison..
P.S. In a debate over Syria someone asked me on these pages what my definition of a 'fascist' was. I replied that my definition is simple, someone who commits acts of genocide, or supports the committing of acts of genocide. (Including, knowingly covering up, and denial of acts genocide).
This would also be my definition of terrorism, A terrorist is someone who commits acts of terror, or who supports committing acts of terror. Phillip Arp fits the second category. But not only only by his words, but by his actions as well, Phillip Arps demonstrates that he himself is at high risk of committing a serious act of terror.
If Phillip Arps is not tried under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, the question must be asked, what other useful purpose than the suppression of terrorism does it serve?
One of the reasons given by legal experts as to why charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act were not initially not brought against the Christchurch shooter was that it would not add anything to the charges of multiple counts of murder that he was already facing.
If the Suppression of Terrorism Act does not add much to charges against someone who has committed an act of terror, and is not applied to someone at high risk of committing an act of terror. What purpose does the Suppression of Terrorism Act serve?
Too many horrendously difficult and sensitive issues packed together with a whiff of binary thinking, which is sure to conflate and confuse.
IMO as non-legal expert, the Terrorism Act is a legal tool, which means it can be used but not it must be used. When a screwdriver suffices, there is no need to charge up the power drill.
So let’s unpack them….
It seems that reaching for a 'screwdriver suffices', if the suspect is a self described fascist and white supremacist with an expressed interest in firebombing mosques.
The power drill is charged up for Maori for no good reason at all.
As I said, too many things in one to unpack. Why don’t you focus on one at the time? For example, Phillip Arps and the Terrorism Act and argue why he should have been charged under that particular Law instead? As I see it, he’s been charged and this is sufficient. In other words, start a proper debate, make your points, listen to other counter-points, and discern a new truth. Best wishes.
Thanks for the best wishes.
I really would like to hear your counter points, let's have a proper debate. So far Incog. you have only raised a vague objection around me including too many things to unpack. Pick one point you disagree with and let's look at it. Maybe we can, as you say, discern a new truth.
We might discern that Taika Waititi claim that New Zealand is ‘racist as f***’ is true. And that this is especially true of our Justice System. Self described fascists and white supremacist extremists get an easy ride in our justice system.
While Maori have the full weight of the law descend on them for the smallest transgression.
Maybe the revealed bias in the justice system accounts for the much higher arrest rates, conviction rates, imprisonment rates, for Maori over the (white), European population.
Maybe this bias in the establishment, is where white supremacy and racism finds fertile ground to grow.
Maybe when we acknowledge it, we could go on to address it.
To begin with; We should charge Phillip Arps the way we would, if he were Maori.
Arps wasn't suspected of planning, nor had he committed, a terrorist act. Had he?
Okay, so how does that square with the suppression of terrorism act?
If the translations of Tama Iti's wire tapped conversations had recorded him saying;
“Don’t go to a parliament often. Like I said, it should be molotovs.”
There would have been no police apology. Tama Iti would, instead of being charged and convicted and jailed, for relatively minor firearms offences, under the misuse of Firearms Act, would have been charged and most likely convicted under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and currently still be serving 14 years to life.
So under what section of the suppression of terrorism act would Tama Iti have been charged, in your scenario?
I’d like healthy intelligent debate flourish here and there are things that make this easier and there are things that make it harder. Pointing out these things is not an objection per se more of an observation. Whether it is taken as such, as constructive criticism, or elicits an evasive or defensive response depends on the recipient.
I did pick one point (i.e. the charging of Phillip Arps under Suppression of Terrorism Act), which appeared to be the main gist of your rather convoluted and conflated comment @ 2. It was merely a suggestion for you to lead off the debate that you desire and debate in good faith. If you would like to do a Guest Post here then please let us know.
Here’s a brief selection of key words from your comment @ 2:
Suppression of Terrorism Act, white supremacist, fascist, Tuhoi [sp] or Tūhoe, Māori, Christchurch massacre, Phillip Arps, Rudolf Hess, Hitler, Syria, genocide.
You felt it necessary to redefine the definition of “fascist” in your terms and expect other commenters to debate on your terms.
Indeed, the Tūhoe raids were a monumental cock up by NZ Police and they did give a belated apology. However, none of the activists was ever charged in Court under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and thus none was found guilty of terrorism. They were arrested under the Act as far as I know.
Getting back to Phillip Arps, it seems to me that you want him charged as if he were Māori, despite the Tūhoe activists being falsely and wrongly ‘accused’ and suspected of being terrorists, and/or because he’s said and done vile things that in your opinion meet the legal standard of “terrorism” but may well fall short of this deliberately high bar when tested in Court.
I'm not sure if it is helpful for everybody to come to their own definitions for words like Fascist.
In the case of Phillip Alps, 'fascist' is a word that he uses to define himself.
That he also supports the crimes of the Christchurch shooter, fits in with my definition of fascist, someone who supports genocide.
I find it strange, Solkta, that you think it is not helpful for people to try and define the meaning of this word.
By your definition the usa and the british are fascist …. Jenny
http://theconversation.com/us-complicity-in-the-saudi-led-genocide-in-yemen-spans-obama-trump-administrations-106896
University scholar Alex de Waal describes Yemen as “the greatest famine atrocity of our lifetimes.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-war-death-toll-saudi-arabia-allies-how-many-killed-responsibility-a8603326.html
Uniting fascism old and new is the cult of superiority. "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fibre of my being," said Obama, evoking declarations of national fetishism from the 1930s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pWlSMa2yAE
He might be braindamaged.
Is Phillip Arps mentally deranged? Possibly, but that doesn't mean that Phillip Arps is less dangerous. It might mean that he is more dangerous.
someone asked me on these pages what my definition of a ‘fascist’ was. I replied that my definition is simple, someone who commits acts of genocide, or supports the committing of acts of genocide. (Including, knowingly covering up, and denial of acts genocide).
See: Josef Stalin
Yep. Fascism's become most famous for something that was peripheral to, and certainly not unique to, fascism. It makes for a lot of really stupid definitions of fascism out there.
Absolutely right, PM
Hi Psycho,
Extreme nationalism with notions of racial superiority and race purity. And genocide which is the practical application of these theories, is not "peripheral" to fascism, as you claim Psycho, it is fascism's central identifying feature.
I might ask you Psycho, if you think the theory of racial superiority and its practical application, genocide is only peripheral to fascism, what do you think fascism's main features are?
Their great fashion sense, perhaps?
Or perhaps that they made the trains run on time?
Just to clarify your statement SHG, are you saying that Josef Stalin was not guilty of committing genocide?
Or are you saying that Stalin wasn't a fascist?
By my definition anyone who commits genocide is a fascist.
To argue the opposite is a semantic argument, of petty definitions. That there are good genocides and bad genocides, (pretty much the argument of the Assad apologists).
Fascists are extreme right, prone to be racist. If you know anything of history, that does not describe Stalin. He was paranoid and despotic – destroyed anyone he feared was a threat to his authority and system regardless of race. Shifted entire populations (almost) based on practical considerations like communal property, economic 5-year-plan policy. I have read quite a bit of history, and the only racist bone I can think of in Stalin would be his anti-German feelings, after the misery the racist, anti-Slavonic Nazis inflicted upon his country.
If Stalin committed genocide, I would suggest that he did not do it for racist reasons. He had only practical considerations in his warped, paranoid mind. Unlike Hitler.
Was Stalin racist? Not in the strict meaning of the word, but what you miss, In Vino, is that despite being from Georgia and being the leader of a multi-national state, (the old USSR). Is that what Stalin shared with Hitler was that they both exploited notions of extreme nationalism to consolidate their power. The war against fascism was termed by Stalin the 'The Great Patriotic War', ' The war for the Motherland' etc. Posing the war against Germany in this way was objected to by many old socialists.
But Stalin could hardly have termed that titanic struggle the war for freedom and liberty in case his own people got ideas.
Jenny – Hitler always believed in his extreme nationalism/racism. He wrote Mein Kampf back in the 1920s. Stalin had no such views, and had thoroughly consolidated his position of power long before WW2. His official party line was that the international proletariat would eventually take over the world, and patriotism would go the way of religion. (Opiate of the masses, etc.)
Stalin resorted to appealing to Russian patriotism only when Hitler had invaded, and Russia was staring defeat in the face. Stalin had to resort back to patriotic appeal etc to get the utmost effort out of his people and soldiers. Once it proved to be of help, he stayed with it. But he had established his personal power long beforehand, and did it all much more cynically than Hitler, who really believed in the Aryan Master-race.
To push my point, Jenny, I think you are pushing a very sloppy definition of Fascism much too far. Looking at definitions, most dictionaries describe Fascism as far right. Millions of Russians who died opposing Fascism would revile your calling their leader a Fascist.
Simply wrong, whatever parallels you find.
Fascists tend to crush political opponents; but they do so because these are political opponents, not because they belong to a particular race. Benito Mussolini was clearly a fascist, but I don't think he was genocidal.
Hi Mikesh, all empires are genocidal by their very nature.
Genocide is how empires go about their business of invasion and conquest and subjugation of new territories.
The expanding Italian fascist empire, set on conquering and occupying Greece, Yugoslavia and North Africa and turning them into Italian colonies, was no different.
P.S.Resembling somewhat the cone of silence around New Zealand’s past colonial and imperial history. In which ideas of white superiority find fertile ground. (Not looking at you, Hobson’s Pledge)
Why hasn't Phillip Arps been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism.Act?
I'm no lawyer, but several fairly obvious reasons stand out:
1. The authorities learned something from the Tuhoi fiasco and don't want to make themselves look that stupid again.
2. They would prefer to have him actually convicted of appropriate charges, rather than have terrorism charges laughed out of court and him walk free.
3. "Being a fascist" isn't a crime in this country and hopefully never will be.
Yeah. There'd be too many white people in prison.
CNN's Editor-at-large rated the performance of the Dem hopefuls competing with each other. Ten each on Weds/Thurs nights. Biggest loser: Joe Biden. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/27/politics/who-won-democratic-debate-night-2/index.html
Winners:
"Kamala Harris: The California Senator gave the strongest performance not just of Thursday night's debate but of either nights' debate. She was calm, poised, knowledgeable and, yes, presidential."
Julian Castro: "His net favorability rating increased 16.1 percentage points, more than even Harris’ did." https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/27/2020-democratic-presidential-primary-debate-winners-and-losers.html
And on TDB, Curwen Rolinson makes a statistical case for an unknown leaping into prominence: "Below, we’ve got search analytics data for the Congresswoman both during and after the debate. I’ve also seen immediate post-match polling which has Gabbard a clear ‘winner’ – in fact, the clear Winner – edging out even predicted ‘people’s-choice-but-establishment-bete-noir’ Elizabeth Warren." https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/06/28/tulsi-gabbard-blazes-impressive-trail-at-first-democratic-primary-debate/
"At one point, the moderators deliberately attempted to stop Gabbard from speaking about Saudi Arabia and its role in financing terrorism." Understandable, eh? Moderators want everyone to be moderate. Democrats trying to tell the truth are swimming against that tide…
I watched some of the debate and TBF, it looked like the moderators were trying to stop Gabbard talking about herself and her military service.
But hey, let the whinging begin.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1144058895863832577
https://nypost.com/2019/06/27/tulsi-gabbard-was-most-searched-candidate-after-democratic-debate/
Fair enough then. I noticed Beto failed to impress. Did you rate any obvious winners of either night?
BBC Rates it thusly
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48766635
Winners – Harris, Warren and Castro.
Losers – Biden, O'Rourke, everybody else not named Bernie Sanders or Pete Buttigieg, who has enough momentum to fight another day.
Harris. She took control and cut through the bullshit. Castro and Warren looked good, too. Next debate, ditch Ryan, Inslee, Gabbard, Williamson, and De Blasio and give the rest more time to articulate policy.
https://twitter.com/voxdotcom/status/1144415771512193024
Why ditch Tulsi Gabbard? The others you mention are little better than worthless, but she's not. Justify your contempt for her—if you can.
Some dove.
https://twitter.com/tulsigabbard/status/649615636088365058
“Dove”? She’s an ex-soldier in the U.S. Army. You’re probably the first person in the world to call her a “dove”. Do you even know what that word means, in political/military terminology?
You support the U.S., Britain, and France arming and funding Al Qaeda in Syria, then, do you?
You support assisting Assad and Putin's murderous assaults on Syrians in their own homes, then, do you?
https://twitter.com/rulajebreal/status/1143599820357214208
Ha! There are many humane, highly educated and intelligent Palestinian commentators. And then there is Rula Jebreal. With unerring, even comical, panache, you went straight to that MSNBC drone to support your broadside against one of the few principled and decent politicians in the U.S.
Word of advice: MSNBC is as credible a source as its mirror image, Fox News. Of course, just as with Fox, there is occasionally something that looks like informed, rigorous journalism; Rula Jebreal is never going to be the occasion for such a deviation. You'd know that, of course, if you ever bothered to do anything other than post up complacent tweets from the extreme right of the Democratic Party machine.
How’s that hunt for the Russian masterminds and their evil control of the U.S. elections going, by the way? Any evidence yet?
Yup, and a couple of dozen indictments, wasn't there? #Mueller
….Those would be the indictments that prove everything under the sun apart from any Trump – Russia collusion lol.
Wasn't it twenty Russians indicted? That's the involvement bit.
The report suggests that Trump's team tried to collude with Russia, but weren't any good at it.
“Since moving to the United States in 2009, Rula has been an on-air foreign policy analyst for MSNBC and a contributor to the Daily Beast, Newsweek and Salon.com,….. Rula has appeared frequently on CNN and Bloomberg……. ”
That's enough for me, "propaganda" is her middle name.
Of course, had she moved to Russia you'd lap up whatever she had to say.
But hey, when your go-to sources are Assad apologists Beeley and Johnston, WTF would an Israel born Palestinian women know.
/
Yeah, I s'pose if she keeps she keeps the support of all the Drudge Report and David Duke – type deplorables, she just might make it up into mid-single digits support.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/450597-drudge-instant-poll-shows-tulsi-gabbard-winning-first-democratic-debate-in
There are several people in that depressingly untalented line-up of primary cannon-fodder that would endorse David Duke's crackpot theories—Biden being the most openly racist of them. Tulsi Gabbard is neither a racist nor a supporter of endless war, which makes her an uncomfortable presence in a party dominated by the likes of Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi.
Feel free to carry on with your name calling and lies, however—-witless abuse from you is nothing new, it adds nothing to the discussion, but nobody with a whit of common sense takes your paranoid rubbish seriously.
And yet Gabbard has zero chance of winning the Democrat nomination, which is at least consistent, as polling shows she has, unlike Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris and Mayor Pete, zero chance of beating Trump, too.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/president/
General Election: Trump vs. Biden Emerson Biden 55, Trump 45 Biden +10
General Election: Trump vs. Sanders Emerson Sanders 55, Trump 45 Sanders +10
General Election: Trump vs. Warren Emerson Warren 53, Trump 47 Warren +6
General Election: Trump vs. Harris Emerson Harris 52, Trump 48 Harris +4
General Election: Trump vs. Buttigieg Emerson Buttigieg 52, Trump 48 Buttigieg +
Do carry on and enjoy those polls, Alien! Let's hope they are as prescient as you obviously think they are.
Who said anything about enjoyment? That's you just poorly attempting a narrative set up, but surely the only hoping is yours, given the public support on here, how those polls will completely reverse or all other candidates step down or die.
I meant "enjoy" in the most technical sense, of course—as in "I read those polls religiously, and I trembled with excitement at their promise of a Biden-Buttiegieg administration, but I didn't enjoy it. No sir, I didn't enjoy it."
Personally, Alien, though I want him gone immediately, I think the Penguin will be re-elected with an increased majority. And I have a record of being right about this matter….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/who-will-be-lead-mourner-at-obamas.html
No offence, but I barely get through your comments on here, so the last thing I'd do is click a link to your blog, but that aside, I'm all good, ta.
"No offence". Ha! I'm not surprised you're too idle to do any research to back up your prejudiced posts here.
Bait not taken. I'm still not bigging up your daily traffic ego 😉
Trouble is, you're obviously not doing any serious, leave alone extended, reading.
More poorly crafted narrative setting it is, then. lol
It is ridiculous to suggest Biden is a racist. Perhaps not always at the forefront of combating racism. But with 40 years in the Senate he inevitably had to work with southern Democrats who were probably first elected in the 1950’s. And some of them would have been racist. That doesn’t make Biden a racist.
It is ridiculous to suggest Biden is a racist.
??????
As ridiculous as "suggesting", leave alone exhaustively documenting, that New Zealand troops under your watch invaded Afghan villages, strapped dead bodies to the front of their vehicles to terrorize the local women and children, and handed over captives to be tortured.
Nah, she's all for funneling money to big defense contractors so the US can drone the fuck out of brown people whose religion she doesn't like. Torture is all tickety-boo with her, too.
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/05/tulsi-gabbard-president-sanders-democratic-party
Tulsi Gabbard is opposed to the U.S. and its vassals carrying on endless illegal war, whether in the devastated Middle East, or Venezuela. That's why the war-mongers of the Democratic Party "leadership" hate her, and that's why their media mouthpieces ridicule her. Which is why people like you, who take their views from their narrow and largely uncritical consumption of those media mouthpieces, are so happy to recycle them on fora like this one.
It's not just "the war-mongers of the Democratic Party "leadership"" who hate her, according to the polls, 99% of democrat voters do as well.
With respect, 99 percent of the population do not have the chance to see her speak. How often is she on television compared to Biden? How often is she accorded even minimal respect when she appears on television?
In Morrissey-speak, does respect mean "goes all gooey-eyed and brain-dead when she says a few key catch-words so the viewer becomes unable to comprehend the really unsavory aspects of her actual positions"?
Will that be the line you run when your pick bombs? At least you can say with confidence, for once, we heard it here first.
What "unsavory" positions does she hold? She's opposed to bombing other countries for no good reason; that's not the same as supporting the governments of those countries.
In contrast, many of those other Democratic "leadership" candidates are open supporters of the most unsavory regimes on the planet. Saudi Arabia is a key funder of many of them, as are weapons manufacturers. One of them, Pete Buttigieg, is an enthusiastic supporter of the Israeli Army, which he reckons is a "model" for the U.S. Army of the future.
But of course you'll carry on pouring filth on Tulsi Gabbard in the same way you pour filth on political prisoners.
Carry on.
At least you can say with confidence, for once, we heard it here first.
You read it here first that Trump would be president. This writer, i.e. moi, predicted it long before he started his campaign….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/who-will-be-lead-mourner-at-obamas.html
Gee, mozzie, you ever taken a good hard look at Gabbard views on Israel? Maybe you should.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2019/1/18/the-pro-palestine-lefts-curious-support-for-tulsi-gabbard
Why the animus—from you—against the only decent person at the "debate"?
https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/sam-clench-israel-folau-should-deliver-his-own-apology-not-demand-one-from-others/news-story/6989ea2ee06c4d87dd4dab8b5e7f7d25
Yup yup good article.
The late John McCain's idiot daughter could well be the stupidest person in the whole of the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyAsHX5gXYA
Excellent article from Bryce Edwards today on the coalition's approach to fixing the housing crisis, with interesting stats on the number of state houses being built compared to that requried
Not only was KiwiBuild an ill-thought-out policy, it was something of a right-wing policy masquerading as a left-wing one, which made it ill-suited to a government trying to satisfy a public looking again for the state to step up to solve problems in society, rather than use market-oriented "solutions"..
Despite promising 100,000 houses, economist Shamubeel Eaqub estimated there was a need for 500,000 affordable houses to be built by the state.
What the Labour Party never wanted to do was to spend any capital – political or actual – on housing.
A sweet irony, the right have been hounding Kiwibuild since before it's inception, yet it's a right wing idea, maybe Labour will actually turn left and come up with something that doesn't line developers pockets, then the right wingers will be wishing for Kiwibuild again!
Personally speaking, I'm just glad Labour have ideas and are trying something, anything.
Yes, one thing for certain is that Labour is much better than the last lot, but so constrained by right wing ideology.
If our friends "joe90" and "Andre" were serious, then they'd watch this.
They're not, of course, but other Standardisti may well be interested….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQMQezGyVos
Why would Standardistas be interested in watching a video that’s 49’17’’ long? Because of the catchy title?
Why would Standardistas be interested in watching a video that’s 49’17’’ long? Because of the catchy title?
Because it features Max Blumenthal, one of the best journalists and activists in the United States. Because it's an eloquent deconstruction of the motivations behind the ludicrous and dangerous "Russiagate" fantasy that's been recycled by some dedicated followers of the DNC* on this mostly excellent site.
I take your point about its length, though. Here's some equally astute analysis that should take only a few minutes of our colleagues' valuable time….
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/taibbi-trump-russia-mueller-investigation-815060/
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-russiagate-helps-israel-lobby
* No, don't ask me why New Zealanders would clamber on that doomed bandwagon; your guess is as good as mine.
That’s very helpful, thank you.
The credibility of the recommender is more than enough.
[Do you want to add anything useful to this site? If yes, please stop the personal jibes or balance them with something useful if you must ridicule the commenter’s thinking because otherwise it looks like you just want to start another flame war instead of contributing to robust debate – Incognito]
Still nothing of substance to say? Have you heard of Max Blumenthal? How about Ali Abuminah? Or Matt Taibbi? Do you actually read anything?
The question is not whether one reads anything, but rather whether one filters content by source before investing time and energy to consume and consider it.
Your recommendations are an excellent filter.
Verily.
Now, that’s not helpful at all. In fact, it is condescending. You didn’t need to have taken the bait by Sacha. Instead, you could have explained to those of us who are not familiar with those names who they are, what they stand for, and what they have in common or what binds them contextually together in your opinion.
heh
See my Moderation note @ 5:08 PM.
Done.
Ben Shapiros take on the Dems debate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y6-LjDnKD0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DU6jW1LLDE
Here are a few synonyms for "Ben Shapiro": idiot, racist, white supremacist, hate-monger, unintelligent, out of depth, chickenhawk.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/11/us-pundit-ben-shapiro-apologises-bbc-andrew-neil-interview
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ben-shapiro-andrew-neil-bbc-interview-absolutely-destroyed-a8908791.html
Oh mozzie do STFU Shapiro may not be to your liking but he is no idiot or racist You don’t get into Harvard law school and finish top of your class being and idiot Basically any one who does not agree with you and your RT contributors , left or right is an idiot I suggest this makes only one idiot being yourself
Might not be an idiot, but he's been identified as a gateway drug to joining the swastika crowd.
He has an interesting take on bussing. Interesting for this day and age, I mean.
Ben Shapiro might not be an idiot, but he is a piece of shit.
He's fine when spewing out, without anyone contradicting him, his brutal attacks on Palestinians and other untermenschen, but to anyone who has watched his embarrassing demolition at the hands of Andrew Neil, it's obvious Shapiro has not got the chops for intellectual debate.
Your appeal to credentials is misplaced. A lot of fools have made it to the top of the academic ladder. That discredited liar, plagiarist and hate-propagandist Alan Dershowitz was top of his Harvard Law School class too.
Back in this country, the late not so great Roger Kerr, who was head of the Employers' Federation for far too long, never failed to mention that he got the highest total marks in School Certificate in 1960—yet he hardly ever made a coherent or memorable statement. Kerr "featured" in one of the very worst traincrash interviews by Kim Hill; when she challenged his lazy and complacent statements, he had nothing to offer other than repeating incessantly: "Are you a communist, Kim?"
Arguments for Universal Basic Income
1: Women
Half of society would be liberated, and that's worthy of top billing.
2: Survival under a Modern Economy
Self-reliance is impossible in a modern economy.
In ages past, it was possible to live by hunting/gathering, or by practicing subsistence farming in some unclaimed territory. This is no longer practical. Not only are we not trained to do so, the population is far too large to sustain by hunting, and all the land is claimed (either by big agricultural concerns, or as wilderness reserves).
People can only survive through participating in the economy, paying farmers for produce (usually via logistics chains).
The economy is assumed to provide jobs for a good number of people. However, let's be real: even under normal conditions, most people aren't in the conventional workforce. Children. Students. Mothers and other homemakers. Invalids. Retirees. Incarceratees. This adds up to most people. And all of them have to buy toilet paper. (Kidding, it's usually the women.)
Even within the group of those able to work, not all of them can do so. An economy with 0% unemployment has no slack, and cannot easily grow or innovate – or even cope with seasonal work like harvesting. You need people to be available for new opportunities. Some proportion of unemployment is necessary for the system to work.
From a utilitarian point of view, then, society needs a strong guarantee that its members can survive without permanent employment. The UBI delivers that guarantee.
3: Dignity has Value
I can drop your IQ by 20 points. First, hand me your wallet.
Economic anxiety has a real, measurable cognitive load. It is thus a really bad motivational tool, like most forms of negative reinforcement. When we talk about a "poverty trap", it is this kind of negative effect that keeps people from doing their best.
But I hear you cry: Why do you see this as negative? Shouldn't we treat 0 income as the baseline, and regard any income over and above that as positive?
No, because there are non-negotiable expenses. Rent, power, food, medication, and communications are all considered fundamental human requirements today. Things like transport to work sites, suitable clothing, one nice thing per week, and socially acceptable narcotics like alcohol are practically required to be a worker, but aren't necessary for survival. And debt is an economic reality for an increasing number of people.
There are various income thresholds, but the two most significant are the Living Wage and the Happiness Maximum.
The Living Wage is well known. It varies by region thanks to real estate factors, but could be in the 12K-20K range. This is the low end of any effective UBI.
The Happiness Maximum (my term, not sure if there's an official summary for it) is the point at which you feel secure, and further income gains do not contribute to your wellbeing. This is somewhere around 70K. Happymax is interesting for two reasons: it's a nice target for UBI in fully automated luxury space communism e.g. Star Trek utopia; and it's a reminder that the rich don't get that much out of their wealth, so they won't really miss it. Happymax isn't a serious proposal right now, but it's something important to bear in mind.
Somewhere between Living Wage and Happymax, you get more out of people. They can be happier, healthier, and more productive. This tends to provide the biggest boost to the most disadvantaged; see experiments in Africa, where it allowed people to start small businesses and increase the capacity of entire communities.
Dignity is valuable. If people can live with confidence, they will.
4: Opposition is Desperation
"It'll never work. The Man will keep us all in our place."
Bold statements have power. They're very convincing.
But you're smarter than that. You can see through bold declarations of fact, and see the agenda behind them. You are your own person, and you will be defined on your own terms.
See what I did there? I used the same psychological weapon on you, set in reverse. I hope it works.
A lot of people feel threatened by UBI and what it means. They should be. Their fear means they know they can lose. Well, "losing" in this context ain't so bad.
5: It's the Right Thing
UBI helps the vulnerable. It's the right thing to do.
I'm closing with this statement for the same reason I opened with women. The start and the end stick in the mind. These two ideas are simple, and important, and nobody else talks about them. I want to change that.
A neanderthal skeleton was found with long-term deformities. This individual could not have survived on their own. But they lived with this condition for decades. Neanderthals, with nothing but sharp rocks and a fire in a cave, cared for their fellows.
It's what makes us human.
Arguments against:
Not everyone has the same need, which means the system would compromise projected efficiency or equity;
the cost is substantial and possibly unaffordable;
while it might address the difficulties of many or even most people in need, it might be inappropriate for others.
Concise reflection on how 'free speech' is being used in Australian social politics:
https://www.smh.com.au/national/let-me-speak-freely-our-freedom-of-speech-crisis-is-culture-warriors-codswallop-20190628-p5227g.html
(won't take 49 minutes to read, either)
well i guess its time to quickly invest in prisons for profit. they have found the new criminal and it is the migrant – be it economic, environmental reasons or simply to get away from gangs and death.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-28/slimy-sandwiches-unhealthy-ramen-on-appalling-detainee-menu
Sneaky cut to super, for a retiree whose spouse is too old to get a job, but too young to retire.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/factsheets/budget/factsheet-super-and-vp-modernisation-2019.pdf
Hardly an addition to "wellbeing".
Couples are taxed on individual income, which makes for an large variation on how households are taxed on the same income, disadvantaging women, usually, who have to stay at home for disabled children or other relatives. One of the few things they could access was the non qualifying spouse share in super, if their older partner retired.
And. They are using this to fund an effective increase for those who already get overseas pensions/super.
Again an inconsistent approach.
Kia ora Newshub
It's cool that the housing market has cooled down that phenomenon is letting our first home buyers into the market.
The fuel tax is what is needed to protect your offspring future boy your national m8 made a big mess of Aotearoa just like trump is doing makeing a mess.
I say a Maori health organization is needed run by Maori for Maori. I say that the 7 years shorter life expectancy for Maori than non Maori is a under estimate by a long way.
Its good that all Aotearoa rentals have to be insulated ka pai What I see is a lot of houses being built without taking into consideration the phenomenon that gives us life the SUN heaps of whare being shaded out by trees or bad design this is what happens when a society forgets about the natural environment we come from we need to respect each other and our environment and build houses designed to maximize passive solar gain .
Kia kite ano.
Time for a change to laws that are logical and not political as is the situation now.
Some illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis and cannabis resin, were evaluated up to 30 years ago or have never been evaluated, Dreifuss said, which seriously undermines their international control.
Asked whether these drugs should be reclassified, Juan Manuel Santos, the former president of Colombia, replied “yes”. “The scientific basis is non-existent,” Santos told journalists at an online briefing to discuss the commission’s report.
“It was a political decision. According to the studies we’ve seen over past years, substances like cannabis are less harmful than alcohol,” he said. “I come from Colombia, probably the country that has paid the highest price for the war on drugs
After 50 years, the war on drugs has not been won, Santos said. It had caused “more damage, more harm” to the world than a practical approach that would regulate the sale and consumption of drugs in a “good way”.
The WHO estimated in 2011 that 83% of the world’s population lived in countries with low or non-existent access to opioid pain relief.
The commission’s recent report looks into how “biased” historical classification of substances, with its emphasis on prohibition, has contributed to the world drug problem. Under the current system, in place since 1961, decisions on classifying drugs are taken by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a body of UN member states established by the UN Economic and Social Council. The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence provides recommendations to the CND. However, the recommendations are then voted on by the CND members, leaving them open to political decisions
Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, said the WHO should make decisions on drug classification based on health and wellbeing. More harmful drugs would require a higher level of intervention, she said.
“The international community should recognise that the system is broken,” said Clark. “They should recognise the inconsistencies and it should trigger a review.”
The campaign for a 'drug-free world' is costing lives
Louise Arbour and
Risk thresholds, such as those used for alcohol, should be used for illegal drugs rather than the “absolute precautionary principle”, she said.
The commission called on the international community to move towards the legal regulation and use of drugs. In January, the WHO recognised the medical benefits of cannabis and recommended Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/26/illegal-drugs-classifications-based-on-politics-not-science-cannabis-report-says
Kia ora Newshub
Good on the new fuel tax that will get people on to public transportation Julie .
Insulation makes a house the land lord have had plenty of warning about the deadline.
There you go the Gail case Show there true characters.
Let's hope that the American Cup will be a great big success.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora te ao Maori news.
I say that the changes to Oranga tamariki is good the reporting the success is great.
Including 17 year old in the youth court is over due to Eco Maori say some people don't grow up till they are 30 years old.
Kahanunui whanau services is needed to help get tangata whenua whare as a landlord will choose other people before Maori for their houses I know what that feels like.
Health care by Maori for Maori who have heaps of Aroha for Maori.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Am Show
There you go that is how I see them you look stunned.
I don't think a apologies is going to change anything in Maori health I would like to see improvements in Maori health up Te taiwhiti it's a scenario of the ambulances at the bottom of the hill literally.
The housing short caused by national it is hard and expensive to get a whare
The rightneck who are attacking Our Winston and The United Nations needs to be reigned in a stopped .
That was mighty hail storm in Mexico caused by Global warming climate change.
Kate Bullock's Our Government has done more for the Lowe classes in 2 years than the other lot did in 9 years this is to the person who Duncan read out there email.
I have worked many days while I was sick and worked hard for my employers and still got discriminated against because Eco Maori is Maori some lost big time because of their discriminatory behavior.
Ka kite ano.
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/SKprXO-f2pM
This is a great start into our future of sustainable ways to give our tamariki and mokopuna a healthy happy
Single-use plastic bag ban only a start – Minister
Banning single-use plastic bags is only a start, and there's a strategy to toughen product stewardship rules, increase the landfill levy, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says.
The plastic bag ban comes into force today, and affects businesses from markets and retailers through to large department stores and supermarkets, and includes online sales.
To coincide with the ban, the government has announced a $40 million investment in facilities that recycle waste plastics into materials businesses and consumers can use.
"[The ban] doesn't go far enough, but what is really great is it's started the conversation," Ms Sage told Morning Report.
"People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out.
"Supermarkets like Countdown and Foodstuffs are now offering people the chance to take reusable containers to the deli counter instead of having plastic containers. People are now thinking about phasing out plastic straws Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/393323/single-use-plastic-bag-ban-only-a-start-minister