Open Mike 29/09/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:02 am, September 29th, 2018 - 104 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

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 …

104 comments on “Open Mike 29/09/2018 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ed 1
    29 September 2018 at 6:39 am

    Brilliant journalism.

    “A CIA lucky break? How the death of the ‘Smiling Pope’ helped Washington win the Cold War.
    The sudden death of Pope John Paul I, exactly 40 years ago today, stunned the world. The ‘Smiling Pope’ had only served for 33 days. His demise and replacement by John Paul II marked an important turning point in the old Cold War.
    The year 1978, as I argued in a previous op-ed, was the year today’s world was made.

    There was nothing inevitable about the ascendancy of Reagan and Thatcher, the rise of groups like Al-Qaeda and IS, and the downfall of the Soviet Union. The neoliberal, neoconservative world order and its associated violence came about because of key events and decisions which took place 40 years ago. The Vatican was at the heart of these events.”

    The drama which unfolded there in the summer of 1978 would have been rejected as being too far-fetched if sent in as a film script. In a space of two and a half months, we had three different Popes. There was no great surprise when, on August 6, the first of them, Pope Paul VI, died after suffering a massive heart attack. The Supreme Pontiff, who had served since 1963, was 80 and had been in declining health. But the death of his much younger successor, John Paul I, a radical reformer who wanted to build a genuine People’s Church, has fuelled conspiracy theories to this day.”

    Read the whole article here.

    https://www.rt.com/op-ed/439831-john-paul-smiling-pope/amp/

    • Jenny 1.1
      29 September 2018 at 7:34 am

      From that great source of investigative journalism, RT. Not

      (Well at least not since the departure of Abby Martin)

    • millsy 1.2
      29 September 2018 at 11:01 am

      John Paul I was replaced by the reactionary John Paul II who backed the CIA created Solidarity “union” that managed to turn Poland into a Catholic theocracy after the wall came down.

  2. Ed 2
    29 September 2018 at 6:41 am

    Craig Murray nails it.

    “#BoycottTheGuardian Because it is a neo-con rag that deliberately promotes false left identity politics to undermine horizontal solidarity between the exploited ordinary people”

    • Jenny 2.1
      29 September 2018 at 7:23 am

      What on earth are you talking about?

      How about a link, or something.

      • Jenny 2.1.1
        30 September 2018 at 10:38 am

        So I googled “#BoycottTheGuardian” And came up with links to Mint Press and The Canary, partisan supporters of the Assad regime, both caught circulating or fabricating false stories about the civil war in Syria.

        It doesn’t surprise me, that two virulently pro Assad websites would be leading a campaign to boycott the Guardian.

        The Canary

        Mint Press

    • mauī 2.2
      29 September 2018 at 8:11 am

      Brilliant Ed, I gave up on the Guardian some time ago.. because of people like yourself who outlined its flaws.

      • marty mars 2.2.1
        29 September 2018 at 9:02 am

        Yep – ed has warned us for years and I wish he’d taken his own advice. Stop your msm watching ed (I mean Duncan garner really?) it is not good for you – I worry that this may have become an addiction for you.

    • solkta 2.3
      29 September 2018 at 8:26 am

      I heard of the new left, and the old left, but this false left sounds interesting. What is that again?

    • greywarshark 2.4
      29 September 2018 at 9:49 am

      Your eagle eye Ed has brought forward some interesting things to ponder in Nos.1 and 2.

  3. Ed 3
    29 September 2018 at 6:45 am

    More US neocon wars on the way.

    “In an interview to The National newspaper, US Deputy Secretary of State Tim Lenderking announced that the White House plans to unite the Arab states in a coalition against #Iran by December.”

    https://t.co/uDIszGgLU3?amp=1

    • millsy 3.1
      29 September 2018 at 11:09 am

      The US won’t invade Iran. They simply do not have the will power or the resources to invade and occupy that country. Afghanistan was easy to invade because they were fighting a bunch of goatherds with AK47 and clapped out MiG 21’s, Iraq’s military was pretty much worn out by 2 wars and 12 years of sanctions, while Iran’s forces have access to the latestcutting edge Chinese and Russian technology and tactics, even more so with the Revolutionary Guards. The neo-cons are just sabre rattling, they know they cannot fight another war, having maxed the credit cards out on the last two.

  4. Ad 4
    29 September 2018 at 6:49 am

    Kavanagh is recommended. Vote on party lines 11-10.

    Senate vote probably next week.

    Hellava tilt to the US Supreme Court.

    • joe90 4.2
      29 September 2018 at 10:14 am

      Vox made a chart.

      There were several noticeable differences between the Senate testimony of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford.

      The most obvious was the tone each took. Ford was polite and quiet in recounting her accusation against Kavanaugh; he was angry and loud in his denials of the allegations against him.

      Beyond the style of their testimonies, there was a striking difference in the content of their words. Both Ford and Kavanaugh fielded questions from senators and the prosecutor hired by Republicans, Rachel Mitchell.

      But only Ford made an effort to answer every single question.

      Kavanaugh actively dodged questions. He often repeated the same non-answer over and over. Other times, he insisted on answering a question with “context” — which inevitably was a long story about his childhood — but never actually answered the question.

      https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2018/9/28/17914308/kavanaugh-ford-question-dodge-hearing-chart

    • millsy 4.3
      29 September 2018 at 10:58 am

      As expected.

    • Macro 4.4
      29 September 2018 at 11:21 am

      Here is all the news on the Kavanaugh situation neatly summed up by Matt at WTF. Full quote because lots of happenings and changes of opinion over the past 24 hours:

      1/ The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to approve the Kavanaugh nomination, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. Jeff Flake asked that the full Senate “delay the floor vote […] in order to let the FBI continue to do an investigation,” suggesting that he would not vote for Kavanaugh on the Senate floor without an investigation. He suggested that there were other Republicans who felt the same. Chairman Chuck Grassley abruptly adjourned the committee citing the “two-hour rule” despite confusion by senators about what they had voted for, including Dianne Feinstein, who asked: “What?” (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

      Dianne Feinstein described Kavanaugh’s testimony as “aggressive and belligerent,” adding that she’s “never seen a nominee for any position behave in that manner.” (CNBC)

      Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee plan to investigate Kavanaugh if they retake the House majority in November. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) would become chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, which has the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents related to Kavanaugh. (HuffPost)

      Leaked emails show a Republican aide declined to take phone calls from Deborah Ramirez and her legal team, who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a party in college. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee claimed that they had “made eight requests” for evidence from Ramirez only to be “stonewalled” by her attorneys. Mike Davis, the senior Republican committee staffer, demanded that Ramirez produce evidence in written form before any conversation about her testifying would be allowed to proceed. (New Yorker)

      2/ Trump agreed to order the FBI to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. “I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,” Trump said in a statement released by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.” (CNN / Reuters / Axios)

      Statement from President @realDonaldTrump: “I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”

      — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 28, 2018
      3/ Mark Judge said he will cooperate with an FBI investigation. Judge is Kavanaugh’s high school friend, who Ford alleges was in the room during the assault. Judge previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he didn’t want to testify in public. (Associated Press)

      4/ The Senate will take a procedural vote on Saturday to keep the nomination on track pending the outcome of the investigation. (Washington Post)

      🔥 Earlier Today.
      Trump told senators “to do what they think is right” regarding Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation vote. “I’m going to let them handle that.” He added that he is “totally reliant” on Senate leaders to determine whether or not to have the FBI investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. “I don’t know if this is going to continue onward or if we’re going to get a vote.” He called Christine Blasey Ford a “compelling” and “very credible witness.” (Daily Beast / BuzzFeed News / Axios / CBS Philly / CNBC)

      Senate Republican leaders agreed to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote one week to allow for a “supplemental” FBI background investigation into sexual assault allegations. Mitch McConnell formally asked the White House to instruct the FBI to do a supplemental background check. Trump is the only person who can direct the FBI to do the additional background investigation of Kavanaugh. (Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / NBC News)

      Lisa Murkowski said she supported Flake’s call for a delay and an FBI investigation. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, making it difficult for Mitch McConnell to push ahead with two defecting Republican senators. (Washington Post / Politico / Talking Points Memo)

      The American Bar Association called on the Senate to postpone a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation until the FBI can complete an investigation into Ford’s allegations of sexual assault. “The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI,” the ABA wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The ABA previously gave Kavanaugh its highest rating of unanimously “well-qualified” for the Supreme Court. (CNN / CBS News / New York Times / Washington Post)

      The Jesuit Review rescinded its endorsement of Kavanaugh and called for his nomination to be withdrawn, stating that it “is no longer in the best interests of the country.” Kavanaugh repeatedly referenced the Jesuit education he received at Georgetown Prep in yesterday’s hearings. (America: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture)

      The dean of Yale Law School called on the Senate to postpone Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote until the allegations against him can be investigated. In a statement, Dean Heather Gerken said: “I join the American Bar Association in calling for additional investigation” and that “proceeding with the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the best interest of the Court or our profession.” Yale Law School is Kavanaugh’s alma mater. (BuzzFeed News)

      Senators Joe Donnelly and Jon Tester, two red-state Democrats, said they would vote against Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation. Donnelly, Joe Manchin, and Heidi Heitkamp were the three Democrats to support Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation. Heitkamp’s stance on Kavanaugh remains unclear. (Washington Post / CNN/ Reuters)

      The White House can’t say “for certain” that they have enough Senate votes to confirm Kavanaugh. “We’re getting there,” Raj Shah said. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, as well as Democrat Joe Manchin, have not yet said how they will vote on the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation. (Politico)

      https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/

  5. Ed 5
    29 September 2018 at 6:58 am

    From Media Lens, an excellent UK organisation.

    “A must-read article. Especially note this crucial suggestion:
    ‘We should now start the ball rolling and complain whenever the corporation’s coverage omits climate change when it is a legitimate part of another story…
    ‘Good luck and keep watching the news, closely…’

    Media Lens refer to this story.

    “What did it take for the BBC to admit that its coverage of climate change was fundamentally flawed? Ofcom this year ruled that the Radio 4 Today programme breached its own accuracy guidelines. The same programmed was previously censured by the BBC’s own complaints unit in under similar circumstances and was criticised for not fully implementing the findings of a review in 2011 by the BBC Trust of the “accuracy of the BBC’s coverage of science”. Then, last month, dozens of environmentalists wrote an open letter in which they said they would refuse to appear on programmes in which climate sceptics had been invited on to provide ‘balance’.

    Faced, in effect, with an interviewee strike, something finally shifted. The BBC’s director of news and current affairs, Fran Unsworth, sent a memo to staff admitting that, “Climate change has been a difficult subject for the BBC, and we get coverage of it wrong too often.” She went on to say that, “To achieve impartiality, you do not need to include outright deniers of climate change in BBC coverage, in the same way you would not have someone denying that Manchester United won 2-0 last Saturday. The referee has spoken.” This admission is long overdue and welcome, even if the Sunday Times still managed to report it as the BBC ‘freezing out’ climate sceptics. It’s easy to forget that the basic physics and chemistry of climate change has been known for centuries, and its link to the economic exploitation of fossil fuels for over a hundred years…….

    ……We should now start the ball rolling and complain whenever the corporation’s coverage omits climate change when it is a legitimate part of another story. An example from recent days might be when City traders were reportedly ‘braced’ for the impact of high oil prices driven by the impact on supply of Hurricane Florence, itself an extreme weather event fuelled in part by global warming, a consequence of burning fossil fuels like oil. There’s an irony wrapped inside a paradox. A further irony of course is that when the price of oil rises, oil companies make windfall profits.

    We should also call-out when there simply is not enough coverage of the deeper implications of our changing climate. The watching, reading and listening public have a right to be informed about the likely consequences of the choices we are making in the economy, in our lifestyles, and in the world we are building around us. To make it easier, you can find out everything you need to know about making a complaint to the BBC here: https://bbcwatch.org/complaints/

    Good luck and keep watching the news, closely…”

    The whole article is here.

    https://t.co/n7hlZ3Bk4m?amp=1

  6. bwaghorn 6
    29 September 2018 at 8:32 am

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12133319
    National wrote the film industry a blank cheque the fucking idiots.

    • SaveNZ 6.1
      29 September 2018 at 8:54 am

      @ bwaghorn – from his/her link, weird Kiwi taxpayers are paying 25% of some film industries costs… more redistribution from the poor to the rich multinational under the idea of ‘competitivness… oh but we can’t pull out because then they can sue us…

      “In 2013 the National government signed a memorandum of understanding with Lightstorm Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox committing the government to paying for a quarter of the costs of the upcoming Avatar sequels.

      Parker said any changes to the subsidy scheme would expose the government to legal risks.

      “The advice we had is that the last government had agreed to an uncapped liability for future subsidies for the Avatar film series. If we were to cancel that and to pull out of that deal there would have been litigation issues,” he said.

      Parker said the costs to government from that deal would be significant. The 2013 agreement suggests the Avatar films will cost a minimum of $500m, of which a quarter – or $125m – will be paid by government.

      “I’m somewhat surprised that the prior government agreed to an uncapped liability for that – particularly when they didn’t budget for it,” he said.

      Briefings to Parker, obtained under the Official Information Act, detail officials’ concerns that despite having paid out around $1 billion over the past decade to attract international film productions, government officials were still unable to prove the spending was worthwhile.”

      • greywarshark 6.1.1
        29 September 2018 at 10:07 am

        Parker said the costs to government from that deal would be significant. The 2013 agreement suggests the Avatar films will cost a minimum of $500m, of which a quarter – or $125m – will be paid by government.

        Actual spending on the films – and the accompanying subsidy – is likely to substantially exceed this minimum as two films are already in production with the prospect of two more in the pipeline.

        The first Avatar film cost $360m to produce in 2009, and Hobbit trilogy of films, also filmed in Wellington under the subsidy scheme, ended up costing a total just over $1b.

        Parker sheeted this exposure, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to the taxpayer, back to the previous National government.

        No cap, the excesses of neo liberal spending on its favoured projects, matched by the excessive limitation of spending available to modern requirements for health, management of reliable employment and housing for livable wages.
        We are being bled by National Party supporters who are akin to a NZ Mafia.
        The mafia of course has advanced its core business from just prostitution and protection.

        (Just watching Jonathan Pie’s latest and he is on about Brexit, gonnohroea and the shortage of sperm. What would we do without the opportunity to laugh at these stupendous rants. Saying what we all are, or haven’t got round to, thinking.)

      • Bewildered 6.1.2
        29 September 2018 at 11:51 am

        Kept a lot of lefty artist and Champaign socialist in work can’t be a bad thing

        • greywarshark 6.1.2.1
          29 September 2018 at 12:01 pm

          Bewildered
          You are a creepy pretender. You know how to spell the whine but pretend to be one of the lower classes, who you spy for you sly howlow man.

          • Bewildered 6.1.2.1.1
            29 September 2018 at 7:58 pm

            Nup sorry to disappoint you greywarshark just agood old boy from working class Upper Hutt Just been around long enough see bs when I see it

        • Dukeofurl 6.1.2.2
          29 September 2018 at 1:38 pm

          “Kept a lot of lefty artist and Champaign socialist in work”

          And national wanted that ? Like any business like tha,t 20% goes to ordinary workers and 80% to the management tier and the financiers- Nows thats a demographic national can love.

          • Bewildered 6.1.2.2.1
            29 September 2018 at 8:01 pm

            you obviously have not looked at many business pnls or balance sheets then, just pulled that stat out of your rear end

      • Gabby 6.1.3
        29 September 2018 at 6:00 pm

        Was that an MBIE masterstroke? Just seems like it might be.

  7. SaveNZ 7
    29 September 2018 at 8:45 am

    Gordon Campbell on Elizabeth Warren’s plan to save capitalism from itself

    Warren is not offering the left’s usual solutions i.e. new and costly government programmes to compensate those left behind by unfettered market capitalism. Instead, and as set out in the Accountable Capitalism Act she launched in August, Warren aims to rein in those market forces. In future, large firms and multinationals will no longer be able to act as sociopaths with no obligations to anyone (or anything) but their own shareholders. Here’s Vox’s Matthew Yglesias:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1809/S00160/gordon-campbell-on-elizabeth-warrens-plans.htm

  8. joe90 8
    29 September 2018 at 9:42 am

    Of course cooperatives are the thin end of the creeping socialism wedge, unless you’re a dairy farmer.

    /

    Dr. James Peter Warbasse opined in the journal Co-operation, “Once the people of New York City lived in their own houses, but those days have gone. … The houses are owned by landlords who conduct them, not for the purpose of domiciling the people in health and comfort, but for the single purpose of making money out of tenants.” That was in 1919.

    A century later, things have gone from bad to worse. A quarter of U.S. households pay more than half their income in rent. In New York City, homelessness has hit record levels.

    […]

    Today, more than 100,000 New Yorkers live in apartments built by the labor movement between 1926 and 1974, mostly through an organization called the United Housing Foundation. Roughly 40,000 still-affordable cooperative housing units—Amalgamated Houses, Concourse Village and Co-op City in the Bronx; Penn South in the heart of Manhattan; 1199 Plaza in East Harlem; Rochdale Village and Electchester in Queens; Amalgamated Warbasse in Brooklyn—stand as monuments to what an organized working class can achieve. This housing provides a bulwark against gentrification and a blueprint for ending the housing crisis. Let’s look at how it all got started, how it came to an end and what it would take for labor to build again.

    http://inthesetimes.com/features/unions-housing-crisis-labor-coop-apartments-new-york-homeless-rent-control.html

    • SaveNZ 8.1
      29 September 2018 at 1:47 pm

      In NZ the houses built by the labour movement are being demolished to make way for apartments – of which many will be privately owned – but the ratepayers will be expected to provide the insurance via councils for the new builds, not the builders or developers profiting from them… who are rarely held to account…. something is wrong with the NZ picture… why is there not a separate charge made to developers that is insurance against any future problems so that the ratepayers don’t pick up the bills…

      https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367531/auckland-council-report-reveals-600m-surplus

  9. greywarshark 9
    29 September 2018 at 10:15 am

    Trying to understand our times? A fan or not of Obama? Where is the ordinary person in this present morass? Follow this woman I suggest. I think she is following the trail of the evoslution of ordinary man and woman in a revealing way – she is studying a small dying town fighting for survival at the local level and how they are getting on and their ways. (I think this is referred to at the end of the interview but can’t remember.)

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday
    8:09 Jeanne Marie Laskas – To Obama, with Love, Joy, Hate and Despair
    Jeanne Marie Laskas is the New York Times bestselling author of Concussion and her 2009 GQ article ‘Game Brain’ inspired the Golden Globe-nominated movie, Concussion, starring Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. She is the author of seven books, including Hidden America and The Exact Same Moon. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, the New York Times Magazine and many other publications. She is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, where she teaches creative writing, and lives on a horse farm in Pennsylvania with her family.

    Laskas speaks to Kim about her latest book, To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair, which looks in detail at a small number of the approximately seven million letters sent to Barack Obama during his years as US President. She also looks at the writers, including Bobby Ingram, pictured above, whose letter made a huge impression on Obama.

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018664665/jeanne-marie-laskas-to-obama

  10. Ffloyd 10
    29 September 2018 at 11:01 am

    Who is Larry Williams? Just curious.

    • Anne 10.1
      29 September 2018 at 11:24 am

      He’s a loudmouth ZB presenter. Used to work in the late afternoon slot but since I haven’t tuned into the station for years, not sure if he still does.

      • Dukeofurl 10.1.1
        29 September 2018 at 12:23 pm

        yes . Still Drivetime, not that I would ( or even could) listen. I think hes even more right than Hosking

  11. Incognito 11
    29 September 2018 at 11:09 am

    Recently, I criticised Stuff’s coverage (for want of a better word) of the launch of a book written by Craig Heatley. Compare and contrast that with the much more subtle plug of the new book by Max Rashbrooke.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107316253/national-portrait-max-rashbrooke

    • Dukeofurl 11.1
      29 September 2018 at 12:29 pm

      The points about labours ‘top down reviews’ was interesting.

      Couldnt be more stark with the Little Justice Summit budget disclosures.
      nearly $1 mill for ‘consultants”.

      I think Little made the mistake of leaving it up to officials to organise who then run to PwC and other big names who probably have no real idea what to do either but charge like wounded bulls for the privledge of using them.

  12. greywarshark 12
    29 September 2018 at 11:56 am

    Billy Bragg coming to NZ in November Auckland only.

    Quite a man. Good interview with Kim.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgPHwLSMEiY

    Here:
    Hollywood Cinema Avondale

  13. Muttonbird 13
    29 September 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Here is the other side of the Massey University issue. Professor Huia Jahnke suggests opponents of Jan Thomas are using the Don Brash thing as an excuse to push back on plans to integrate Maori practice and Te Reo into it’s structure. She says:

    I’ve been in meetings where mainly male, white academics, middle aged who have come out and made it quite clear we ought to drop the idea.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107444484/embattled-massey-university-vice-chancellor-jan-thomas-backed-by-mori-staff-and-students

    So it’s not surprising Brash and his supporters inside the University and outside the university are outraged because there’s nothing worse for them than more Maori culture and more Te Reo.

    They want to assimilate Maori in order to dilute their customs, culture, voice and language. Make no mistake, this is the end game for Brash and co. His peculiar rant on hearing Te Reo on RNZ is a stark and recent reminder of this, not to mention the infamous Orewa speech.

    Then there’s this from the same article:

    (Jahnke) claims Thomas hesitated about allowing Brash on campus after an incident with Hobson Pledge members in May.

    Don Esslemont and Mike Butler represented Hobson’s Pledge at the university at a debate on Māori ward representation for councils. Esslemont walked out on the Māori greeting and karakia (prayer) at the start.

    Jahnke insists the walkout and statements made during the debate by both men distressed Māori staff and kaumatua (elders) who were there. They felt abused by the pair and culturally unsafe. She says after the event staff raised their concerns with Thomas.

    Gardiner was also present during the debate. “I thought he (Esslemont) was being intentionally rude,” he says. “I didn’t think it was necessary behaviour at all.

    “The idea someone’s ears are too sensitive to hear another language? I thought it was provocative as well. I’m not sure why he insisted on doing that but it certainly didn’t endear him to much of the audience.”

    So there’s a history there where Brash’s Hobson’s Choice echoed Brashs’ RNZ rant and were being deliberately rude and provocative while guests on campus. Not surprising Thomas didn’t want a repeat.

    • greywarshark 13.1
      29 September 2018 at 11:05 pm

      Observable – old white men Don Esslemont and Mike Butler.
      What other information do we have about their judgments and adaptability to new ideas of cultural norms? I guess reading on may provide some.
      https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/103807738/full-house-at-massey-university-for-mori-wards-forum

      More detail about the actions of the determinedly Anti-Maori culture behaviour that was OTT.
      https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=C3BB5E37-A904-4FA0-A09F-08747A06A44C

      The forum on Māori wards at Massey University last week provided an opportunity for students and staff to hear from both sides. The speakers for the establishment of Māori wards were Wiremu Te Awe Awe and Teanau Tuiono, while Don Esslemont and Mike Butler spoke against it.

      Prior to the commencement of the debate, Esslemont, the organiser of the campaign to overthrow the Palmerston North City Council’s decision to establish Māori wards, walked out of the MUSA student lounge because he refused to listen to a mihi – a short welcome in te reo Māori that lasted for less than 30 seconds.

      He stood on the other side of the glass doors until the mihi was finished and then returned to take his seat.

      Esslemont didn’t leave the room to take a phone call or for any other reason – he had told the staff member who welcomed everyone that he wasn’t going to listen to a mihi or anything else in te reo Māori. This was relayed to the audience.
      Esslemont confirmed his exit was an intentional act when he was challenged by Wiremu Te Awe Awe during the debate. Esslemont said the proposal for Māori wards was “evil”.

      Don Esslemont – Marketing Research with a commercial focus.
      https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Don_Esslemont

      Mike Butler – appears ready to argue on any statement made about Maori rights or grievances.

      https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/mike_butler
      Mike Butler is the author of Tribes Treaty Money Power, The First Colonist, and has produced Treaty Transparency, a project researching treaty settlements. He is a rental property manager in Hastings. He was chief sub-editor of the Hawke’s Bay Herald-Tribune from 1986 to 1999.

      https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/tags/mike_butler
      7 Sept 2018

      This piece from 2013 under the auspices of New Zealand Centre for Political Research.
      https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2013/03/mike-butler-historian-caught-twisting.html

      Why these two biased people as the ‘other side; at Massey? It could be expected to have some open-minded intelligent input which wouldn’t be forthcoming from this two.

    • Wayne 13.2
      30 September 2018 at 9:54 am

      You last point is complete wrong headed. Thomas had zero judgement in excluding Brash from the campus.

      If she had any knowledge at all about New Zealand (or even commonsense judgement) she would know you don’t do things like exclude a former leader of the opposition from a university. And then have an invented excuse to justify it.

      Brash is hardly in the category of an extreme alt right speaker.

  14. greywarshark 14
    29 September 2018 at 12:46 pm

    A NZ hurt or killed in London – the Court enquiring is told that he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. It has taken five years for authorities to care enough to pay attention to checking on real safety in the era of Health and Safety micro-control over everything that ordinary people do and attempt to run.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107475317/shop-sign-that-killed-kiwi-jacob-marx-in-london-was-dangerously-insecure
    “The sign had been dangerously insecure for a long period of time and could equally have fallen on any other passerby, customer or indeed employee.
    “Mr Marx was spectacularly unlucky to be in just the wrong place at just the wrong time.”

    The bookmaker had enlisted various subcontractors to carry out the fittings, with work starting on the sign in 2006, the court heard.
    William Hill had the overriding and overall duty that what was done on its behalf was safe and did not present a risk to the public, Ageros QC said.

    http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3655053-135/gisborne-mans-death-in-london-goes

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270707/Jacob-Marx-Lawyer-killed-falling-sign-Camden-holiday-lifetime-New-Zealand-girlfriend.html

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12131397

  15. joe90 15
    29 September 2018 at 1:02 pm

    Oh dear.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu addressed this year’s UN General Assembly. As he does every time he makes one of these addresses, he had visual aids. Today’s were pictures of Iran’s secret atomic warehouse.

    […]

    There’s only one problem, it’s a Persian carpet cleaners. Apparently Israel does not know what Iran is doing.

    https://www.balloon-juice.com/2018/09/28/prop-humor-is-really-not-bibi-netanyahus-forte-un-general-assembly-edition/

  16. greywarshark 16
    29 September 2018 at 1:11 pm

    Money creation – something to chew on.


    Richard Werner
    Monetary Institute
    Published on Apr 23, 2018
    The Monetary Institute’s “Our Money, Our Banks, Our Country – Money Creation in the Modern Economy” conference was held in Zurich, Switzerland on February 5, 2018.

    Quote “Centralised decision making has failed”. Listen for that and other bits
    of info – in Germany there are lots of small banks and lots of small family
    businesses.
    High growth without bubbles.

    Lots of things to listen to.
    Let’s eliminate cash? More centralised control. Orwellian dystopian control.
    He is looking around and ahead and we should be aware of what is being planned.
    We need decentralisation – local people in local banks with local power!

    Also:

    Richard Werner: Economist dont understand banks or money.
    Richard Andreas Werner (born January 5, 1967) is a German economist who is a professor at the University of Southampton.

  17. Jum 17
    29 September 2018 at 2:01 pm

    https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxvzKktTLVbSWdpVZXZLqvlCZgSH

    This is what happens when we allow the greedies to steal our water.

    ‘Asahi-Schweppes has been bottling up Stanley’s only source of fresh water, selling it off, and making millions at the expense of the people who depend on it.

    This small Australian town has been fighting back — but after two years the community has racked up a whopping $90,000 in legal costs. It’s facing a terrible choice: give up or face bankruptcy.’

  18. Ankerrawshark 18
    29 September 2018 at 2:11 pm

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12133451

    The secret diary of Derek Handley…. classic Steve braunias I lol +++++

    • bwaghorn 18.1
      29 September 2018 at 2:46 pm

      I would love to know how involved in his selected charity he is .

      • Muttonbird 18.1.1
        29 September 2018 at 3:21 pm

        I know. I read the donation was to ‘the tech sector’ whatever that means.

        Hardly the charity some parties are claiming here.

  19. Chris T 19
    29 September 2018 at 4:46 pm

    The thing I find probably the weirdest about the whole UN trip is why here Ardern’s attitude to Neve with the press is refusing to allow so much as a photo of her, round parliament, to the point of the speaker threatening to boycott anyone who takes a photo of her, changing to display her to the worlds cameras every time she did a speech.

    But then I’m a cynic

    • Incognito 19.1
      29 September 2018 at 4:55 pm

      Not that weird when you consider that NY or UN is not NZ.

    • marty mars 19.2
      29 September 2018 at 4:57 pm

      A cynic? Nah that isn’t the term I was thinking of…

      You’ve shown us with this comment what type of person you are.

      • Chris T 19.2.1
        29 September 2018 at 5:00 pm

        Personal attack rather than commenting on my point

        Thanks for that

        • Robert Guyton 19.2.1.1
          29 September 2018 at 5:25 pm

          ChrisT – you must know that the reason for Jacinda allowing the world media to see and photograph Neve, while at the same time asking NZ media not to do that, is because they will revel in the delight and wonder of it all, and here, we’ll bitch and gripe about Neve being “exploited” for political gain. That’s how cynical we’ve become. Sad. For us.

          • Chris T 19.2.1.1.1
            29 September 2018 at 5:39 pm

            Really?

            I would have thought it would be the other way round.

            The NZ press were pretty rampant over the baby stories, photos or not.

            It is no biggy. Just can see it might not go unnoticed amongst the press who have been pretty nicely respectful through the whole thing here, with the privacy of the baby

        • marty mars 19.2.1.2
          29 September 2018 at 5:35 pm

          “A cynic? Nah that isn’t the term I was thinking of…

          You’ve shown us with this comment what type of person you are.”

          What is the personal attack there Chris?

          • Chris T 19.2.1.2.1
            29 September 2018 at 5:41 pm

            Depends what type of person you think I am

            Your comment is pretty vague

            I assumed it was a derogatory type

            Do you mind clarifying?

            If it is that I am an awesome type, thanks in advance

    • Ankerrawshark 19.3
      29 September 2018 at 5:44 pm

      Chris T jacinda would have no control over international media. Likely Clark really wanted to hear her talk, so only option to go and accept media attention

      • Chris T 19.3.1
        29 September 2018 at 5:47 pm

        They are travelling with her nanny

        • Red Blooded One 19.3.1.1
          29 September 2018 at 6:10 pm

          Not calling you a liar Chris T but I haven’t seen reports of a nanny. Would you mind pointing to where the Nannies existence is identified. Thanks.

          • alwyn 19.3.1.1.1
            29 September 2018 at 6:23 pm

            From the Independent.
            “Last week the rules in New Zealand were adjusted to allow the prime minister or ministers to travel with a nanny on overseas jobs and for the taxpayer to cover this. ”
            https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-brings-baby-to-un-general-assembly-in-world-first/ar-AAACpnV

            • Anne 19.3.1.1.1.1
              29 September 2018 at 6:57 pm

              Don’t know what’s going on here but:

              JACINDA AND CLARKE DID NOT TAKE A NANNY.

              There was a function – must have been the Trump hosted event – when members of her staff looked after Neve while Jacinda and Clarke attended the function. The rest of the time little Neve was with her parents. Jacinda is still breastfeeding her baby and I guess she wasn’t going to let a conference get in the way of that.

          • Chris T 19.3.1.1.2
            29 September 2018 at 6:28 pm

            As Alwyn posted, it was reported she changed the rules to pay for her nanny and personally paid for Gayford.

            Have no issue with this at all, in fact it is just basic logistically a good idea.

            • Red Blooded One 19.3.1.1.2.1
              30 September 2018 at 9:55 am

              That article says nothing of the sort. There is no talk of a Nanny being taken on this trip. The rules have been changed for future members to take nannies if required. You and Alwyn are either being accidently ignorant or wilfully ignorant, which is it, or did you simply go to the Judith Collins school of Fake News?

        • Ankerrawshark 19.3.1.2
          29 September 2018 at 6:15 pm

          Yes I read about the nanny. But it may be they wanted their daughter there at the historic occasion

    • alwyn 19.4
      29 September 2018 at 6:18 pm

      She wants the publicity in New York and the only way to get it is to show off her fashion accessory.
      In New Zealand she knows the women’s magazines will pay for phot ops of the baby. In the US they certainly won’t. The payment here may be worded as a donation to something or other or perhaps just lots of very favourable publicity in the next election campaign and a promise not to publicise all the stuff-ups by the CoL but it’s a payment none the less.
      Am I cynical? Yes. Am I right in what I say? Yes.

      • marty mars 19.4.1
        29 September 2018 at 6:26 pm

        What payments are you muttering about al?

      • Robert Guyton 19.4.2
        29 September 2018 at 7:22 pm

        “fashion accessory”
        Do you think you’re funny, Alwyn? Clever? Hip?
        You don’t seem to be resonating with anyone here. Could it be you’re…lame? Perhaps on the wrong blog? Living in the wrong century?

      • Cinny 19.4.3
        29 September 2018 at 7:40 pm

        Wow alwyn, for reals with your comment, or are you just stirring?

        A breast feeding baby is not a fashion accessory, it is a tiny vulnerable human being who relies on another human being for breast milk.

        Breastfeeding can be challenging at times, but the feeling one has when breastfeeding their baby is one of the most magical experiences one can ever have.
        In a way is kinda sad that men can’t experience it, because it’s a feeling of pure love, warmth and magic.

        Kudos to our PM for being able to breastfeed Neve, kudos to all of those around her supporting her to do so.

        Fashion accessory far out… ignorant as thinking.

        PS. She dosen’t need a baby to get attention, haven’t you worked that out yet?

      • Ffloyd 19.4.4
        29 September 2018 at 10:20 pm

        Alwyn. You’re not cynical. That implies a sort of intelligence. You’re just stoopid. Mispelling intentional.

    • Muttonbird 19.5
      29 September 2018 at 6:35 pm

      I’d say as a new mum she just wants to be close to her baby. Some commenters obviously have no idea what that feels like.

      None of the photos of Neve I’ve seen are anything but incidental in NZ or the US. Nothing has been promoted, just a few visuals of an extraordinary family doing extraordinary things.

      I’m sure there will be features further down the track but I’d say there has been no leveraging of Neve for political purposes at this point – just a young family doing what they have to do in a high pressure environment, despite some people hating on them for doing just that.

      • Chris T 19.5.1
        29 September 2018 at 11:38 pm

        “I’m sure there will be features further down the track”

        Which I await with a certain amount of cynicism

  20. Ankerrawshark 20
    29 September 2018 at 6:21 pm

    Alywyn I understand that’s what you think

  21. R.P Mcmurphy 21
    29 September 2018 at 8:23 pm

    my fb page has become infested with cheeezy posts from nationals party mp’s.
    they want you to sign up!
    for gossip etc.
    you cannot comment.
    take a punt

  22. Jenny 22
    29 September 2018 at 8:28 pm

    Is the US heading toward a Constitutional Crisis, where democratic procedure is put aside, armed Right Wing vigilante thugs parade openly, and due process is suspended?

    Mike Moore thinks so.

    Bill Maher” asks Mike Moore whether “fascism” is coming to America

    “People who voted for Hillary were afraid that she would win, because of, he told ‘my Second Amendment people’ that ‘this is going to be a rigged election, get your guns, get ready.’ He was calling for an armed revolt if Hillary won,” Moore said.

    Michael Moore is not the only one. Not even the first one.

  23. joe90 23
    29 September 2018 at 8:38 pm

    heh

    Can someone please tell me who did this video, so we can give you every award until the end of time??? #KavanaughVote pic.twitter.com/cqHBhwcXeu— Amee KavaNOPE Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) September 28, 2018

    Funny as hell, but there’s nothing funny about his Lying Fratboy Ass!!! https://t.co/rSHcrMzMUM— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) September 28, 2018

    https://twitter.com/SamuelLJackson/status/1045815031928160256

  25. eco maori 25
    30 September 2018 at 9:23 am

    R&R We need to give te tangata Mahi housing and social services Mahi is good for the Wairua I see some councils moning about how much rates they are owed I say if they looked out side the square they would generate jobs for the people so the people can pay there rates. everyone need’s to focous on providing good jobs .
    . I say jobs could be Marae based industry’s we all pool together for Tangihana unavailing I’m pushing for that at OUR Marae .
    At the minute our industry’s work against tangata whenua the work based drug testing is not fair and weed is now a big part of Maori recreational culture. One can work perfectly when they indulged the nite before a test and get tested next minute no job .
    I say the tests should be raised so as to stop people using at work or just before they go to work this is why forestry can not get worker’s they don’t want to go through the bias tests thats how it works for alcohol and PEE.
    Ka kite ano

  26. eco maori 26
    30 September 2018 at 9:43 am

    The hui that is what we need to do to save Papatunuku and her creatures us as well recylcing our waste minimizing waste is going to be a big part of this problem modern socity’s waste .
    I say we need to keep Maori TV going this is a big part of raising maori te reo and culture I say IT need a regig to become a popular TV channel it wont be hard.
    Ka kite ano

  27. eco maori 27
    30 September 2018 at 12:36 pm

    This is a common Phononen Eco Maori find’s documentary’s on Maori book’s they all DON’T have Te Tairawhiti storys or one can not get the movies this is not a coincident.
    I know what it is suppression Kia Kaha ka kite ano Lost in Translation I can only get 6 episode

  28. eco maori 28
    30 September 2018 at 6:34 pm

    Kia ora Newshub I’m sure the boat owner’s can afford the extra price of fuel .
    There will less quick drives to the local shops so people will be walking more now and less carbon burned .
    There will be more Teslar car’s on the road in Aotearoa Elon.
    Yes we will be getting a rush of poor elderly people retiring in the near future.
    At the minute they benefited from the good time’s in the early day’s.
    Now every thing changed because of oversea advice user pay’s education and no low cost loan’s to buy a house sell our assets.
    There was not much footage on that Indonesian earth quake and tsunami Ruamoko has been active.
    Ka kite ano Gary is holding his long tooth well