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6:00 am, June 29th, 2023 - 68 comments
Categories: open mike -
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
What is it with women these days?
https://twitter.com/rugbyintel/status/1673826425936441344
Another short gem from Christopher Luxon! You can almost hear him grinding his teeth!
And from General Debate yesterday:
https://twitter.com/rugbyintel/status/1673912345234673664
Apparently, ChrisPenkMP retweeted this parody account as genuine!
Excellent Veitchy…these should all be shown again a week before voting starts.
A response from the first twitter link:
When the story broke the same day Hipkins left for China, my reaction was:
These stories about 'inappropriate' conduct by govt. ministers is an attempt at character assassination for public consumption a few months out from the election.
Some people have been very busy sifting through paper work. How do we know whether all of them were legally obtained?
I put nothing past National and ACT.
I think this story pretty much sums it up… a storm in a teacup.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/cabinet-minister-kiri-allan-confirms-relationship-break-up-with-mani-dunlop-returns-to-parliament-after-mental-health-break/EMPHKSGC5RFJTFV7SV4OYE37RU/
Jealousy, racism, misogyny, spite and a generous helping of dirty politicking. I didn't think they would stoop so low as to rub the target's nose in the muck during a very difficult personal time.
They'll go as low as they possibly can to win the election.
The cunliffe smear etc.
Yet again RNZ shows it's no longer trustworthy.
On the RNZ news just now I got the gist of their view: smoke but no fire. No formal complaints means the discord didn't reach the threshold for action.
I guess a public servant has to balance the likelihood that they may reduce their employability if they complain, against their perception of harm done to them personally – as in trauma.
If so, the system incentivises leaking of discord to the Opposition in such instances. Abuse cannot be proven without supportive witnesses, and colleagues have to balance the threat to their own career from supporting victims. That said, all this is hypthetical since the system prevents transparency…
From Anne's link, posted @1.2.1
“But I’ve never, ever had any allegations put to me that I’ve had to deal with on a staffing front – none.”
Yeah I know – I thought it a good idea to scout out the reasons why staffers might be too scared to complain. We can only speculate because the system is designed to prevent them issuing such explanations themselves.
An experienced staffer of many years would not be scared to speak out.
Well now reporters know how Luxon will treat their questions.
And those “creating news have had a failure imo.
Penk has form for punching down against people of colour, and that includes someone having a mental health break. .
Many of National's policies seem to be focused on creating another housing bubble rather than funneling capital into productive investment.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132432229/national-would-scrap-reserve-banks-sustainable-house-price-requirements
"Economist Shamubeel Eaqub was critical of National’s plan, saying the requirements made it explicit that sustainable house prices were integral to a stable financial system, and that the Reserve Bank had an obligation to take house prices into consideration."
Space bus passing close by tomorrow – 100 times closer than the moon:
I blame Klandathu. Must we wait until Buenos Aires is destroyed before we act?
Buy the T-shirt here: https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/89117908/im-from-buenos-aires-and-i-say-kill-em
Hmmm do they move the satellites out of the way of it's flight path to reduce the risk of impact with one?
Never heard of such tech capability being designed into their systems so I suspect it's just a lottery. Bit like a pinball machine, eh? Space rock hits satellite, is orbitally deflected onto a new trajectory, then hits New York (or Beijing or Moscow). Bugger.
They can certainly shift the orbit of satellites, including the Space Station to avoid collisions with space debris. They have done it quite a lot.
You need a very accurate knowledge of the orbit of the space debris to do it though which they probably wouldn't have for this asteroid.
Here is a collection of Q&A on the topic
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/FAQ_Frequently_asked_questions
Oh yeah, good one: "As of 2021, each of ESA’s Earth-orbiting satellites is conducting, on average, two collision avoidance manoeuvres per year."
Automated evasion? Primitive AI? Or subject to ground control? One can imagine the controller's job title: Space Invader Evasion Officer.![cool cool](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/shades_smile.png?x42494)
Liang Shi has failed their ue exam 27 times over that 40 year period, so the state ought to give him an award for perseverance. Excellent role model!
Speaking of UE exams.
EileenJoy
@swintersections
I'm going to say this really slowly – there is NO university entrance 'exam'. And as someone who is involved in secondary education (Board) and tertiary education, if there was I'd say Luxon himself would fail it due to lack of preparation for … well just about anything.
https://twitter.com/swintersections/status/1673890483112902656
And the vampiric NZ media go with the main story nothing happened a year ago! Heck of a job…
The (National Party dominated) MSM could not allow Hipkins to have a diplomatic triumph in China so close to the election so they had to concoct something.
Shame on RNZ for joining in though.
Are they paying Allen back for her comments at her ex fiancees leaving do?
This is a very weird story I agree. Is there more to come? We will have to wait and see
RNZ just reported (about 12.14pm) that Allan told National to "put up or shut up" and she said that the Nats had been on a "fishing expedition". RNZ said Allan was arguing that there was "nothing to see here".
So refreshing this. So feisty.
But of course all Luxon wanted was to distract from Hipkins’ fine performance in China, and the compliant MSM did the job for him.
@bg..
Yes .a 'fine performance' would be one way of describing hipkins in china..
Others may use more salty terms… involving butts and the kissing of…
But yes..it was a 'performance'..
It followed a tight script… with all the difficult subjects covered in the meeting of mahuta..and her chinese counterpart…
All that was left to do was the waltz of happiness ..
And are you saying you don't feel at all uncomfortable with hipkins' 'performance'..?
No elephants also on the dance floor…?
Phillip….as I think you know I vote Green…. Hipkins is not really of my ilk…he has axed a few green things and I agree it is scandalous that he didn't give human rights a higher profile in China….but he is eloquent and a bit of a thug and not a rich prick so he should make mincemeat of Luxon in the campaign….I just hope the Greens get ten per cent
I think it is an easy prediction for both the greens and the maori party to do well..
I think the greens could well pick up some soft tory voters..who may well be as scared of act as any sensible biped would be…
And I am cheered by the reports of seme serious movement from the general role to the maori roll..
I see those votes going to the maori party…(a very different maori party from the last iteration..).
And my hope is that they will together give labour a spine…
Agree all of that
This is what Allan said:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/492831/kiri-allan-rejects-claims-she-treated-staff-badly
A well balanced article imo. Better than what else I have seen.
Thanks for that Anne and I agree.
I feel that Allan may be suffering from the association with both Nash and Wood who said 'nothing to see here, move on' only to turn out to have been hiding significant issues all along.
The more she protests her innocence (as they did), the more people wonder what she is hiding.
The put up or shut up option, is realistically the only one she has (and IMO she's using it effectively). She should pro-actively request that whichever department holds the email, release it, immediately. Of course, redacting any names or personal information of any staffers concerned.
Anker…you have run away with the conspiracy theory of the day award…
And you had stiff opposition..
Well done..!
I posed the question was Radio NZ paying Allen back for having a go at them at her ex fiancees leaving do.
I suggested this possiblity because the story doesn't make much sense i.e why is a work relations issue a year after the event.
You can call that a conspiracy theory if you like. Usually conspiracy theorists believe 100% what they postulate. But don't let that get in your way
@bg..
re you seriously suggesting that there was some sort of conspiracy by the msm…to kneecap hipkins in china..?
Got any evidence that claim is anything more than an orifice-pluck on your part..?
Did you not read Dirty Politics? Don't you keep up with the right's well documented continuing shenanigans on the dirty political front?
Read my link at 1;03pm. It might help.
Phillip, don't be naive. Some reporters love "gotcha" and any clickbait, even 12 month old stuff.
I'm not saying they don't love gotcha stories..but that is a bulls roar away from some conspiracy on the part of that media..to 'get' hipkins on his China trip…
If true..that would be the much bigger story..
I think, as Allan has said, they went "fishing" and once they had found something that the compliant media would report (even if there really was nothing to see) they made sure it was released during Hipkins' China trip.
I don't think the Nats have changed their spots by dumping Collins as leader.
A few people are making the comments (in that Twitter feed, here and elsewhere) that when Todd Muller and Jamie Lee Ross took time for "mental health", they were lauded by the media, the opposition, everyone. Kiri Allan does it and she gets shit and derision from all corners, including authors on here.
What's the difference? Woman? Left wing? Brown? Surely not a difference in credibility (ahem JLR).
Yes Ad's comments on TS were well out of line IMHO. See my post re Kiri Allan on RNZ above.
@bg..
Is that your rnz conspiracy that you speak of..?
Have you given it a name/acronym yet..?
Your new conspiracy..?
@ r c..
I don't recall any 'derision' being directed at allan..
The discussion has been about historical issues in her interactions with staff/consultants..with allegations of bullying..
And this story being broken by a doc official who had been seconded to allen's office..and who bailed early 'cos of toxic culture…
And you will note…no msm/nats in sight..
The propensity of some here to leap at shadows/see conspiracies everywhere..is laughable..
Phillip, toxic? I did not read that anywhere…???
Why else would she leave early…and then raise it with ministerial services…and now in the media…?..if it were not some variation on a toxic culture…bullying or whatever..?
Perhaps ? A guess then? Where is imo? For that is it really from your orifice
Have you skin in the game of pin the Minister? Do you know the Doc person?
Ben Thomas, hardly a Labour supporter, spoke on RNZ this afternoon about some people seconded to a parliamentary office being unsuited to the hotbed atmosphere. They move on pretty quickly.
And that, it appears, is all it is.
A quick glance at Dirty Politics would convince even the most sceptical that a lowlife like Cam Slater is quite capable of going on a fishing expedition and holding onto a snippet of information to release it at the most opportune moment.
Don't be naive, Phillip. It's election year and the Natz feel entitled!
Good news!![laugh laugh](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/teeth_smile.png?x42494)
Political scientist reckons it's Kiri's third strike:
Nifty framing from the youngster but maybe premature. Folks oughta keep in mind that mentally-challenged politicians aren't abnormal, that Hitler was democratically elected and Trump likewise. Democracy has no inherent bias against mental illness.
"Nifty", well that is one way of describing bile and bias I guess. More like “Shifty” imo
How is the matter anywhere a strike offence?
If this is how three strikes works, then its one based on malice and lack of due process.
How is the matter anywhere a strike offence?
It may not be. That's why it seemed nifty to me. Perception rules reality in politics. If media and political scientists frame things a particular way, it's because they believe such framing will be in accord with common views of a situation.
When players in the political game spin things, they expect that spin to acquire immediate traction. It works via resonance. Folks resonate with the notion. Doesn't mean things will play out accordingly, just that it becomes more likely they will…
Frank replace "spin" with "conspire" and you get stuff from the orifice Phillip mentioned. So sh…. perceptions
They are hardly even handed.
Does anybody still believe Edwards' shallow, consistently anti-left, rants have credibility?
Allan looks like a talent to me….could go far.
I heard Ben Thomas mention on RNZ's The Panel that she was going through a "break up". I don't know if this is true but anybody who has been in a break-up situation knows that it can be incredibly stressful.
Another lesson in highway robbery.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1674069163986366466.html
Power companies have been paying out billions more in dividends than they've been making in profits, driving up electricity prices, union researchers have found.
The report – co-authored by First Union, the Council of Trade Unions, and climate group 350 – calls for the payouts to instead be channelled into building renewable generating capacity.
From 2014 to 2021, Contact, Genesis, Mercury and Meridian paid shareholders $8.7 billion in dividends, the report said. That's despite recording a total profit of just $5.35b over that period.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/478672/household-power-bills-driven-up-by-retailers-paying-excessive-dividends-union
And shifting the cost from businesses to householders at the same time.
The report, released this morning, said residential electricity prices had increased by 79 per cent but commercial rates dropped by 24 per cent in the past three decades.
The purge begins.
Russian General Sergei Surovikin has been arrested, The Moscow Times' Russian service reported Wednesday, citing two sources close to the Defense Ministry who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the alleged arrest of Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since Saturday, when Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against Russia's military leadership.
[…]
“Apparently, he [Surovikin] chose Prigozhin’s side during the uprising, and they’ve gotten him by the balls,” the source said.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/06/28/russian-general-arrested-following-wagner-mutiny-mt-russian-a81685
There is a global problem with the health workforce, Shortages are adding to the problem.
A problem only eased by more staff.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66047270
This is only anecdata, I know, but our workplace (around 100 staff) has had the worst winter, ever, for staff absences due to respiratory infections.
Very few are Covid (or not being claimed as such), but colds and other respiratory infections are at levels well above pre-Covid heights for staff sick leave. I've just had a week off work, myself, with a chest and sinus infection.
While some of this may be due to the Covid effect of 'if you're sick, stay home and don't infect anyone else' – a lot seems to be that people are getting sicker for longer with what used to be routine sniffles. It doesn't seem to be 'flu (or at least not a lot of it). Our workplace offers free 'flu vaccinations which have been taken up by more than 90% of staff (with many of the others getting a free vaccination at their GP, due to age or other medical conditions).
I have no clinical explanation – but it's interesting to note an on-the-ground parallel to the NHS data.
Virus infections leave markers in the body. Covid weakens the immune system, so yes more infections this winter. Hope you are over that Belladonna.
The perfect storm.
Anthony Costello
@globalhlthtwit
·
We are underestimating the impact of both global heating and Covid on the risk of inflation. Euro Central Bank analysis suggests that a one-degree temperature increase during El Niño historically raised global food prices by more than 6% after one year (1)
@globalhlthtwit
Eurostat and Germany data shows average hours worked has not recovered since pre-pandemic, sick leave has gone up, 60% attributed to Covid and other respiratory infections from insurance fund data. https://ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2023/html/ecb.sp230619_1~2c0bdf2422.en.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
(2)
https://twitter.com/globalhlthtwit/status/1673992931684896770
Plot thickens, reported by Andrea Vance:
Fun & games. Mandarin uses Muldoon's law to stymie the Nats!
Any bureaucratic investigation can be prolonged till after the election, right? Apparently it's vital for the public service to prove that non-transparency rules over false Labour claims to the contrary…
When I see 'Simeon Brown' my mind immediately sees 'Slimy.' He's on his campaign to prove he would be a great Minister in Government after October.
He would say he's just doing what an effective opposition politician should be doing. I see slimy.
Good news for Labour:
Accidentally creating the wrong impression in the minds of others is normal for humans. Looks like the committee has deemed the minister negligent despite this. The high degree they cite isn't quantified: how long is a piece of string? Do they mean 8 or 9 out of 10 or only 7.5?? The PM will consider options: are the rest of the motley crew likely to do any better? I suspect he will roll his eyes & keep her on.
So they managed to do some quantifying on that point, and it's a relief that parliament is seemingly viewed by the committee as the last remaining bastion of truth.
That is a very welcome decision for the Government. Not guilty of contempt. Who would have anticipated it? It is almost as if the Government and its "running dogs", in Mao's wonderful phrase, had a majority on the Committee.
I wonder what the vote was? 5-3 perhaps? Did they say?
https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/6/93a5dceb-337c-4eb7-de47-08db781492a7
To quote the report (p13):
Seems to have been unanimous in finding that while Minister Tinetti misled the House, she did not intentionally mislead the House.
Ah, now I get it. Jan Tinetti was merely grossly incompetent. The PM can keep her on then.
Different accountability line. The Privileges Committee has decided it wasn't contempt of Parliament but found that she should apologise for misleading Parliament.
Now that's complete, the PM gets to think about whether there should be any other consequences and balance that with the need to fill the portfolio close to the election.