Open mike 29/10/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 29th, 2023 - 59 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 …

59 comments on “Open mike 29/10/2023 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Adrian 1
    29 October 2023 at 8:31 am

    You know things are desperate when an ED nurse of 40 years experience complains “ What’s going on, the games gone soft” over to much TMO interference.

  2. Ffloyd 2
    29 October 2023 at 9:41 am

    Wayne Brown and T-MO winning by a goldmine.

  3. Adrian 3
    29 October 2023 at 10:11 am

    That’s what bloody happens when you change the government. Useless bloody Nats it’s all their fault.

    • Jack 3.1
      29 October 2023 at 10:55 am

      Send a losing minister from a losing government to a RWC final and look what happens 😁

      • Mike the Lefty 3.1.1
        29 October 2023 at 11:06 am

        NZ elected a National-led council of thieves on October 14.

        The All Blacks are beaten in the Rugby World Cup final two weeks later.

        God is punishing us for our sins.

        Penance has been paid.wink

        • Jack 3.1.1.1
          29 October 2023 at 11:09 am

          All is not lost. We’ll have at least two further chances to win the RWC under our new government.

          • Mac1 3.1.1.1.1
            29 October 2023 at 4:16 pm

            Politics and sport do mix.

            There are a few parallels with the 2023 election result and the All Black loss over the weekend. First, we all lose at times. Second, sometimes there's not much in it, and what will the TMO say as the results are reviewed on November 3? Third, how will the new coach/captain/new players perform? Fourth, look what happens when players don't perform, are sin-binned, are seduced into playing overseas or just plain drop the bloody ball or miss the posts.

            Well, at least we weren't beaten by the Aussies!

            Oh…… the Black Caps just were.

            And we, the crowd, we just have to go back home and get on with it, each other and whatever it is that the world, weather and wars dish out to us.

      • Blazer 3.1.2
        29 October 2023 at 9:00 pm

        With his gf called 'susie'..what do you..expect?

  5. Ffloyd 5
    29 October 2023 at 10:34 am

    Wayne Barnes. Slip of the digit. Correction to my previous comment.

    • newsense 5.1
      29 October 2023 at 12:52 pm

      Heard rumours that the TMO can now go back so far in advance to rule out an ABs try, Wayne Barnes has finally called the forward pass from 2007…

      • Morrissey 5.1.1
        29 October 2023 at 8:47 pm

        Which forward pass do you mean—the one by the All Blacks before McAlister's try or the one by the Tricolours before Jauzion's?

  6. Anne 6
    29 October 2023 at 10:43 am

    https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67246761

    Darkness and almost total silence. All forms of communication has ceased.

    6 million Jews died under a fascist regime. Millions more dying or going to die under a new fascist regime – a Jewish regime.

    My support for the right of Israel to exist in its present form has run out.

    • Rolling-on-Gravel 6.1
      29 October 2023 at 11:00 am

      Yeah I don't know what to think about Israel anymore tbh. My only certainty in all of this is to get rid of Netanyahu and Likud & their fellow travellers and from there we need to proceed.

      I just hope all the innocent civilians from both sides are okay and that they live to try to establish something new from the ashes of all of this.

    • SPC 6.2
      29 October 2023 at 11:08 am

      Do you question the right of Russia to exist?

      Millions ….(remember the saying about new MP’s in parliament) …

      • Rolling-on-Gravel 6.2.1
        29 October 2023 at 11:11 am

        By that what do you mean?

      • Anne 6.2.2
        29 October 2023 at 11:40 am

        I'm talking about the millions (anything from 1 to 6 ) who will die if Israel continues on its present path under the current administration.

        Russia? A false dichotomy.

        • SPC 6.2.2.1
          29 October 2023 at 11:44 am

          Why would that happen on their current path?

            • SPC 6.2.2.1.1.1
              29 October 2023 at 12:48 pm

              No more than some rebel held cities in Syria.

              • Muttonbird …
                29 October 2023 at 7:43 pm

                It is more. Gaza is supposed to be, practically, a separate state.

                But, as with all power holders, Israel is able to dictate when the West Bank and Gaza are considered autonomous, and when they are not. It changes depending on their interests.

                It's also why they will never win and will always consider themselves under threat, forever. I think they and they leaders simply prefer it this way.

                • SPC …
                  30 October 2023 at 7:02 am

                  Gaza is in that grey area of being self governing, but under border control because it is supposed to be part of a future Palestine state – one realised by some two state peace settlement (or otherwise they will be like the Korean peninsular is with two states).

                  The best course would be for Gaza to be a separate state (and control of its own borders – it would still need secure water and power sorted) and then merge with the WB when the PA gets control there.

                  UN administration is the best course, but expecting the UN to actually solve anything …

                • Michael P …
                  31 October 2023 at 4:17 am

                  "…will always consider themselves under threat,…"

                  That's because they are always under threat and if you aren't aware of that then I suggest you do some research and learn the facts about Israel and the surrounding states in the middle east.

        • SPC 6.2.2.2
          29 October 2023 at 12:51 pm

          Is Russia a false dichotomy?

          Generally the rule is – if a nation starts a war the regime is defeated, occupied and undergoes regime replacement.

          But Russia would still exist as a nation state.

    • AB 6.3
      29 October 2023 at 12:38 pm

      I feel that "right to exist" discussions are essentially meaningless and don't help. I'd start from the position that all extant states have a right not to be made non-existent, especially by force, which is already the case in international conventions. Whether any settler-colonial state ever had the right to be created is a different question and it's solely of academic interest – we have to deal with the cards history has dealt. None of this means that states have a right never to be pressured to change their constitution, laws and behaviour.

      • Anne 6.3.1
        29 October 2023 at 3:16 pm

        I'd start from the position that all extant states have a right not to be made non-existent, especially by force, which is already the case in international conventions.

        Fully agree. Israel does have a right to exist but not at the expense of trying to annihilate another nation's citizens, most of whom are innocent of any acts of terrorism.

        • SPC 6.3.1.1
          29 October 2023 at 3:44 pm

          So you believe that there is an attempt to annihilate Gaza residents, because of the military action there, but not so in Ukraine?

          Is this based on the number of deaths, the number of refugees, or the cut off of power etc compared to that in Ukraine?

          • Subliminal 6.3.1.1.1
            29 October 2023 at 7:41 pm

            Are you seriously holding up the war in Ukraine as sufficient reason to slaughter more than 6 thousand innocent civilians in Gaza? More than half of which are children? Israel has continued, from its inception, to find ways to eliminate the inconvenient native population. Beginning in 1948 with the murder and displacement of over 50 % of the population. The destruction of 50% of villages. The ruins of which some of the settler communities invaded by Hamas were built on.

            Its about the most pathetic excuse for supporting war crimes that I've come across

            • SPC 6.3.1.1.1.1
              30 October 2023 at 6:53 am

              Argue the point. Which was the absurd and indefensible claim made.

              To which you added your own

              Beginning in 1948 with the murder and displacement of over 50 % of the population.

              Risible. Few were killed, and some of the displaced left because of the coming Arab army invasion. Over 90% of Jews in Arab nations were displaced (most) or killed (few) at this time and all Jews either killed or displaced from the West Bank.

              Its about the most pathetic excuse for supporting war crimes that I've come across

              Another lie. I was challenging a false accusation. War does not create a license to slander.

              PS The death rate of children in war tome as a consequence of bombing is a function of the population demographics.

            • Michael P 6.3.1.1.1.2
              31 October 2023 at 4:30 am

              Rubbish. Learn some history. You should start by learning about what happened in 1948 especially when you're making comments about the supposed "inconvenient native population"

              Your comment is a pathetic excuse for supporting the murder and rape by scumbag terrorists of 1000's of innocent civilians including the cold blooded murder of babies. Hope you realize that Hamas views you as a useful idiot.

          • Anne 6.3.1.1.2
            30 October 2023 at 10:06 am

            So you believe that there is an attempt to annihilate Gaza residents, because of the military action there, but not so in Ukraine? (my bold)

            I made no such claim. An attempt to justify some petty fogging point for the sake of it?

            Apart from both being being led by bloody minded right-wing politicians with fascist tendencies, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's invasion of Palestine are two different wars in two different places for [largely] two different reasons. A person is allowed to comment on one without reference to the other. FFS.

            • SPC 6.3.1.1.2.1
              30 October 2023 at 10:14 am

              You made the claim that Israel was

              trying to annihilate another nation's citizens,

              It's an outrageous slander, and without any evidence of similar outrageous claims against other nations engaged in war, it could be called one based on anti-Semitism.

              • Subliminal …
                30 October 2023 at 10:31 am

                Play the anti semitism card all you like. This isnt the UK. From Mondoweiss we know that current thinking of both an influential think tank linked to Netanyahu and Israeli Intelligence Ministry is to move the population of Gaza out of Gaza into tent cities in the Sinai. Do you know the correct name for these plans? It's called ethnic cleansing. It's a war crime and it has been continuous since before 1948.

                • SPC …
                  30 October 2023 at 11:06 am

                  Sure.

                  And even in the UK it is known that

                  1.Egypt does not want to see refugee camps in the Sinai (nor would Jordan want to see that).

                  2.As per the Mondoweiss report – Egypt is building residential apartments in 2 satellites cities off Cairo to cater for a growing population (and to modernise housing) not to house Palestinians.

                  Do you know the correct name for these plans? It's called ethnic cleansing. It's a war crime and it has been continuous since before 1948.

                  The stated plan is to end Hamas rule of Gaza and to hand over responsibility to someone else for that area.

                  How before 1948?

                  And from 1948, if there had been no threat from 5 Arab nations to destroy the state of Israel, there would have been no displaced people – just 2 states with an Arab minority in one and a Jewish minority in the other.

              • Subliminal …
                30 October 2023 at 10:47 am

                Would you call Jewish Voices for Peace anti semitic? Or are they just self haters? Their call for a cease fire and justice for Palestine shut down New York Grand Central

              • Anne …
                30 October 2023 at 10:56 am

                According to you "I was accusing Israel of attempting to annihilate Gaza residents, because of the military action there, but not so in Ukraine."

                Nonsense.

                Now you claim that my comment was an outrageous slander? Really? You mean that Israel didn't know that its current bombardment of Palestine was going to kill ordinary citizens by the thousands and adding more thousands on a daily basis until they have been severely depleted? Somebody please explain it to them. (sarc.)

                • SPC …
                  30 October 2023 at 11:21 am

                  Israel does have a right to exist but not at the expense of trying to annihilate another nation's citizens,

                  This is the comment I was an am objecting too. Stop evading.

                  And if bombing urban centres, civilian areas, was an attempt to annihilate the residents, then that would apply to near all use of air power in war for near a century.

                  This conflict is slightly unusual in that Hamas hides in bunkers below ground, in which it stores rockets and uses to move its forces.

  7. Rolling-on-Gravel 7
    29 October 2023 at 11:15 am

    Israel has a right to exist so does Palestine. Just without Netanyahu or his cronies and without Hamas controlling Palestine's future.

    That’s my hope and dream: that they can both be at peace.

  8. adam 8
    29 October 2023 at 11:53 am

    God Bless the UAW!!!

    More wins, this time a tentative deal with Stellantis.

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    29 October 2023 at 2:14 pm

    A look at the list of candidates for the Port Waikato by-election is disturbing for supporters of the left.

    Neither Labour, the Greens or Te Pati Maori are standing candidates. Although there is a Gordon Dickson standing as an independent. This might be the same Gordon Dickson who was a Labour candidate for Selwyn back in 2014 but later fell out with the party.

    The list is mainly made up of parties of the right, including the conspiracy theorists.

    The nearest one gets to anyone from the left is perhaps Jill Ovens of the Women's Rights Party but I don't know enough about them to make an informed comment.

    I can kind of understand that Labour doesn't want to, although its official reasons which basically is that it doesn't have the money are pretty damned weak, but the Greens not being interested in very disappointing to me.

    If you are a supporter of the left in Port Waikato you may as well stay at home.

    That no-one is prepared to put themselves up to give an alternative for the few voters that want to stand up against the NACT/conspiracy theorist alliance in this smug blue-arsed National fiefdom is sad.