Open mike 30/04/2021
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6:00 am, April 30th, 2021 - 89 comments
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- Precious Little Excitement: Warner Brothers, Peter Jackson, and Gollum
Back in February 2023, I made the cardinal mistake of getting my hopes up. Warner Brothers declared that fresh Middle-earth movies were in the works: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-warner-brothers-and-impending-tolkien-adaptations/ My assumption, based on which rights were available, and what had already been done, was that this was a stab at either the Angmar ...4 hours ago - Do We Need a Population Census?
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...5 hours ago - No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...7 hours ago - The Treasury and productivity
Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...10 hours ago - The Controller and Auditor-General’s rolePeter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...10 hours ago
- More harm than goodHow Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...10 hours ago
- Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons ChhourAnd why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...10 hours ago
- Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ electionsBryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...11 hours ago
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Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...11 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on miserly school lunches, and the banning of TikTok’s Gaza coverage
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...13 hours ago - Weekly Roundup 10-May-2024
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...15 hours ago - The Hoon around the week to May 10Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...16 hours ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2024
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Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...1 day ago - Pretending to talk other people’s languages
Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...1 day ago - What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...1 day ago
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- Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of EducationAlwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...1 day ago
- Fashionable folliesEric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...1 day ago
- Justice for Bainimarama!
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...1 day ago - March for Nature in JuneDon't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...1 day ago
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Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...2 days ago - The non-woke $3 Lunch.
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...2 days ago - Labour’s chickens come home to roostThe Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...2 days ago
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Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...2 days ago - Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day, and it seems we've entered the slowdown as things emerge from select committee. First up is the committee stage of Greg O'Connor's Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the second readings of Stuart ...2 days ago
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- Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law studentsThe tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied… Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...4 days ago
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A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...4 days ago - Get Your Webworm Merch!
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I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...5 days ago - The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 12 and beyond
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- A prerequisite for Vulture Capitalism.
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...6 days ago - Early evening, April 30
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...6 days ago - Do Newsroom’s staff think they’re culturally superior to the rest of us? Are they arguing that A...Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...6 days ago
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Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...9 hours ago - Release: Support for climate adaptation inquiry
Labour supports a Notice of Motion in the House today to move the Finance and Expenditure Committee to conduct an inquiry on climate adaptation. ...12 hours ago - Greens welcome cross-party approach to climate adaptation
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...18 hours ago - Release: Sexual violence prevention among hundreds of job cuts at ACCThe National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...1 day ago
- Government shows allergy to evidence in benefits crackdownThe Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...1 day ago
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- Release: Backtrack on school lunches a win for Kiwi kidsDavid Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...2 days ago
- Release: Hon Willie Jackson to debate at the Prestigious Oxford UnionHon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...3 days ago
- Members Bill will prevent Māori land confiscationsGreen Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...3 days ago
- TIKANGA IS NOT LAW. IT IS CULTURAL INDOCTRINATION.A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...3 days ago
- Release: National won’t commit to full Nelson Hospital upgradeThe Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour calls for fast track list to be releasedMinisters must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...5 days ago
- Release: National gaslights women fighting for equal payNational has scrapped the pay equity taskforce that fights for equal pay for women and looks at ethnic pay gaps. ...1 week ago
- Release: More job cuts, fewer houses under NationalThe Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...1 week ago
- Release: Children fall deeper through the cracks in Govt cutsWith Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour honours memory of Sir Robert MartinThe Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...1 week ago
- Release: 130,000 cattle saved from live exportLabour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...1 week ago
- Central Bank makes clear Government is pouring fuel on housing crisis fireToday’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...1 week ago
- New unemployment figures paint bleak pictureThe Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...1 week ago
- Release: National’s job cuts already starting to bite as unemployment risesUnemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...1 week ago
- Release: National hiking transport costs for families and young New ZealandersWeekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour welcomes EU free trade agreementThe New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...1 week ago
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- Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...2 weeks ago
- Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summonsTonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery fundingIt appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...2 weeks ago
- Further environmental mismanagement on the cardsThe Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environmentThe Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management systemLabour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise PalestineThe Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kindThe Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...3 weeks ago
- Three strikes has failed before and will fail againResurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...3 weeks ago
- Speech to the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...8 hours ago - $571 million for Defence pay and projectsDefence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...13 hours ago
- Climate change – mitigating the risks and costsNew Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...13 hours ago
- Getting new job seekers on the pathway to workJobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...2 days ago
- Accelerating Social InvestmentA new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...2 days ago
- Getting Back on TrackCheck against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...2 days ago
- NZ – European Union ties more critical than everYour Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...2 days ago
- Therapeutic Products Act to be repealedThe Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...2 days ago
- Decisions on Wellington City Council’s District PlanThe Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...2 days ago
- Rape Awareness Week: Government committed to action on sexual violenceRape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...2 days ago
- Smarter lunch programme feeds more, costs lessAssociate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...2 days ago
- Report provides insights into marine recoveryNew research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...3 days ago
- NZ to send political delegation to the PacificDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...3 days ago
- Low gas production threatens energy securityThere has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...3 days ago
- Defence industry talent, commitment recognisedDefence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...3 days ago
- Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for IndustryWelcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...3 days ago
- Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data SummitIt is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...3 days ago
- Ceasefire agreement needed now: PetersNew Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...3 days ago
- Daily school attendance data now availableA new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...3 days ago
- Ambassador to United States appointedForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...4 days ago
- New permit proposed for recreational gold miningThe Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...4 days ago
- NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiationsMinister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...4 days ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to signNew Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...4 days ago
- Next stop NASA for New Zealand studentsSix tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...4 days ago
- $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crimeNew Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...4 days ago
- OECD reinforces need to control spendingThe OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...4 days ago
- Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for AucklandThe Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...5 days ago
- Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with GermanyForeign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...6 days ago
- Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of PlentyThe Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...1 week ago
- Speech to New Zealand China CouncilThank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...1 week ago
- Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi householdsThe Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...1 week ago
- Government recommits to equal payThe coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...1 week ago
- Transforming how our children learn to readStructured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...1 week ago
- NZ not backing down in Canada dairy disputeTrade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...1 week ago
- Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable childrenThe rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...1 week ago
- Streamlining Building Consent ChangesThe Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...1 week ago
- Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...1 week ago
- Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...1 week ago
- Accelerating airport security linesFrom today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...1 week ago
- Community hui to talk about kina barrensPeople with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...1 week ago
- Pacific journalists are world’s ‘eyes and ears’ on climate crisis, says EU envoy
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...21 mins ago - Why the Defence Force has been calling for a Budget boost
Failing accommodation, tarmac problems and a deteriorating naval base were all laid bare before a $571 million spend-up was unveiled today. ...36 mins ago - Back in Black: Aldora’s year gets even better
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...1 hour ago - ‘Who’s actually governing this city?’The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...1 hour ago
- The return of .. Raw PoliticsExhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...1 hour ago
- New Caledonia marks Armistice Day with new NZ war memorialBy Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...1 hour ago
- High Court dismisses key challenge to indefinite immigration detention. What does it mean?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...4 hours ago
- A brief history of found footage video art – and where Macklemore’s Hind’s Hall fits inSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...4 hours ago
- Transmission Gully could need new bulider – Infrastructure Commission reviewFailing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...5 hours ago
- Proposed repeal of Oranga Tamariki Act section 7AA breaches Treaty of Waitangi – TribunalThe government is planning to repeal Treaty obligations from the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...5 hours ago
- Committee Silences Majority Of Submitters On Fast-track Bill
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...5 hours ago - Sky-high vanity: constructing the world’s tallest buildings creates high emissionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skyline AleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...6 hours ago
- How can we measure the size of Australia’s illegal cannabis market – and the billions in taxes t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Williams, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne Canna Obscura/Shutterstock At the end of this month, a senate inquiry by the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee is due to hand down its report on a bill to legalise cannabis. ...6 hours ago
- Wearable devices can now harvest our brain data. Australia needs urgent privacy reformsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/Shutterstock Recent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...7 hours ago
- Labour Up, Greens Down But Centre-Right Remains AheadThis is the first time since February that voters have had a net positive view of the country direction. ...7 hours ago
- RNZAF Hercules, NZDF Personnel Arrive In Papua New Guinea To Help Distribute Relief SuppliesPapua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...8 hours ago
- Sleep wrinkles are real. Here’s how they leave their markSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...8 hours ago
- Week in Politics: Triumph and disaster, but no austerityAnalysis - A big announcement about Auckland's water woes was overshadowed by a chaotic press conference about prisons, Peter Wilson writes. ...8 hours ago
- Community Groups Furious That Government Silencing Hundreds In Fast-Track HearingsThe Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...9 hours ago
- Review: Swan Lake is a reminder of how much work it takes to look effortless
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell? Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...9 hours ago - The Friday Poem: ‘High Tide at Local Maxima’ by Eamonn TeeA new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...9 hours ago
- The plastic-heavy drinks industry is in for a shake-upThe New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...9 hours ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 10The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...9 hours ago
- Puna calls for Pacific ‘journalistic vigilance’ in face of climate crisisBy Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...9 hours ago
- Downsizing Of ERO Inconsistent With Govt Priority Of Lifting Student AchievementThe PSA is concerned that Government spending cuts have forced ERO to downsize at a time when student achievement is a significant challenge. ...9 hours ago
- Education Review Office set to cut 13 jobs, union saysThe Education Review Office is set to cut 13 jobs, the Public Service Association says. ...10 hours ago
- Judith Collins announces $571 million Defence spend-upAn extra half a billion dollars is going to Defence in this year's Budget for pay and equipment upgrades, the Defence Minister has announced. ...10 hours ago
- This new TVNZ anthology is Motherhood as you’ve never seen it beforeTara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...11 hours ago
- LGNZ Supportive Of Cross-party Approach To Climate AdaptationLocal Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...11 hours ago
- SBC And CLC Welcome Bipartisan Climate Adaptation InquiryThe Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...11 hours ago
- Another Victory For Free Speech: DIA Abandons Proposals For Online CensorshipThe Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...11 hours ago
- Confused or playing for time? 3 possible reasons NZ is taking so long to make a call on AUKUSSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago Getty Images New Zealand governments have been actively exploring the option of joining pillar two of AUKUS for over a year now. But according to foreign minister Winston Peters, the government ...11 hours ago
- Archives NZ says it has enough space – for nowIts new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...12 hours ago
- Consensus WelcomedBusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...12 hours ago
- How many lives is that tax cut worth?Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...12 hours ago
- How the Phoenix went from wooden spoon favourites to title contendersThe club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors. “There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...12 hours ago
- Ministry cuts will harm Pacific health, wellbeing – unionThe PSA is warning cuts at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples will have severe consequences for the health and wellbeing of Pasifika families. ...13 hours ago
- Power shortages: What's being done to keep the lights on?Officials are looking at better ways of choosing who gets the power during shortages amid relentlessly growing demands. ...13 hours ago
- No more bad accents, stereotypes or cringe: why the rise of multilingual TV is good news for everyon...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...13 hours ago
- It’s time to ditch Berhampore Golf CourseThe under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...14 hours ago
- Women in rich countries are having fewer kids, or none at all. What’s going on?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...14 hours ago
- We looked at over 166,000 psychiatric records. Over half showed people were admitted against their w...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...14 hours ago
- Feral horses in Australia’s high country are damaging peatlands, decreasing carbon storesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...14 hours ago
- Andrew Tate’s extreme views about women are infiltrating Australian schools. We need a zero-tolera...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Wescott, Lecturer in Education, Monash University RDNE Stock Project/ Pexels , CC BY Earlier this week, two students were expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in creating a spreadsheet that ranked girls using sexist and violent categories ...14 hours ago
- Yes, spending on health is growing, but new research shows we’re getting more for itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...14 hours ago
- Govt must regulate to smooth EVs and data centres' demand on power grids – VectorNew Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...15 hours ago
- Could you be about to lose your power?New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...15 hours ago
- What actually are the Ockhams?Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams? The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...18 hours ago
- Selling Wellington Airport would be colossally carelessWellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...18 hours ago
- Two senior publishers axed at Penguin Random House amid major restructureNew Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...18 hours ago
- All trained up and nowhere to writeIn 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...18 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 10 MayThe post Daily crossword, Friday 10 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
- Black Ferns Sevens: The greatest team of allThe Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...18 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 10 MayLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 10 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
- Government hypes gas crisis ahead of restarting drillingAnalysis: Solar power is the cheapest form of energy in the Pacific but the Government says NZ’s only choice is gas or coal The post Government hypes gas crisis ahead of restarting drilling appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
- NZ sanctions needed to back Myanmar resistance – ministerAn exiled Myanmar politician says NZ must continue to place pressure on the country’s military junta The post NZ sanctions needed to back Myanmar resistance – minister appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
- There’s still time to avoid a ‘crime school’ at WaikeriaOpinion: Liam Martin examines the pitfalls of building a mega-prison twice the size of any other in the country in a remote area with few resources The post There’s still time to avoid a ‘crime school’ at Waikeria appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
- Government looks for a better way to count MāoriSuccessive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...18 hours ago
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Makes for good reading, especially for all the Cassandras around here who spend all day renting their clothes and gnashing their teeth that Labour hasn't immediately declared a people’s proletariat and (after suitable show trials) shot the landlords.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/audrey-young-labours-manifesto-now-has-the-teeth-it-lacked-last-term/EXXECPHAV3ILAZH25USQ3D4L44/
"…This term, because there is nothing holding back Labour, the manifesto is its pre-eminent policy document. Policies implemented so far:
• Increased the minimum wage to $20 an hour.
• Increased abatement thresholds before benefits are affected to $160 a week.
• Expanded access to flexi-wage and increase subsidy to fund up to 40,000 New Zealanders into supported work.
• Required Commerce Commission to do market study into supermarket sector.
• Restarted the refugee quota programme.
• Introduced new tax rate of 39 per cent on incomes over $180,000.
• Begun to expand free lunch in schools programme.
• Rolling out free period products to all primary, intermediate, secondary school and kura from June 2021.
• Rolling out targeted funding for mental health services for Rainbow young people.
• Introduced clean car import standard to reduce emissions and fuel costs.
• Supporting councils to decarbonise the public transport bus fleet by 2035.
• Reinstated the 100 per cent funding band for ECEs.
• Introduced a progressive procurement policy around Māori businesses.
• Launched $55 million fund for public interest journalism.
• Established Just Transition Unit to prepare for closure of Tiwai.
• Announced first date for Matariki public holiday.
• Opened quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia.
• Ending the installation of new low and medium temperature coal-fired boilers.
• Expanding sick leave entitlements to 10 days…"
Not bad for six months in the face of a pandemic and a hostile press!!
Let’s talk about housing. Grant feed the fire that is destorying this market and contributing to all these worsening social conditions and then he walks away and leaves the reserve bank to fix his screw up.
Ask people out there after all these announcements are their living conditons improving or going backwards. And after reading your list that is the bottom line, how are peoples lives ?
Let me tell you Herodotus, that his list has not been compiled to talk about housing. That list was compiled for people to feel good about a government that is failing many.
Funny how housing is being excluded. For the umtenth time much of our social ills are a result of inadequate housing. Whilst we have the green co leader distancing herself from her responsibilities, Megan and co gone MIA that for me sums it up for any real solutions.
Marama Davidson is Associate Minister of Homelessness. Without the minister of housing, Labour Person Wood she can't do much. So frankly as i said the other day, she did not get the job to win, she got the job to fail. My advice to her would be, run – not walk – away and be excellent outside this government on the opposition bench.
Being on the Opposition bench is worse than being a lame possum caught in the headlights on a RONS.
Audrey Young and the NZ Herald want to make us feel good about this Government? How Machiavellian of them.
That’s comedy gold
Yes, the next comedic line will be to assert that the government has got it all wrong because the Herald supports it.
It's the converse of the old saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Here it has become, "Who doesn’t attack my enemy's actions is also my enemy."
That line of laughable logic surfaced most recently with critics of our government in the 5 Eyes issue saying that we support the Chinese government in its actions against the Uighur because they assert we haven't criticised it in public recently.
Indeed, if a Minister doesn’t show their face in the 24-hour news cycle they are MIA. The logic of simpletons and the great unthinking. Many can’t read between the metaphorical lines and absorb nuance and context, which makes all the difference. To them, life is like a box of Roses chocolates: it’s all crap.
Yei! you learned about chocolate. I am so happy! Really i wuz worried you would waste your hard earned money on milkpowder, palmoil, refined sugar, chocolate flavoring and chocolate coloring. You made my day.
Belgium chocolate is the best; Swiss chocolate has got too many holes in it and makes me hear Alphorns and yodelling.
Good, then i can now expect no more bad faith offers of bad crappy chocolate to keep me sweet. I generally am not sweet, don't want to be sweet, and have stopped being sweet in order to please some people a long time a go.
thanks.
I actually like Sauerkraut but your Teutonic temperament spoils it. A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. I highly recommend chocolate fondue.
Mm chocolate – chocolate fondue Mmmmm. Chocolate mousse is good too. Some chocolate is good for one's health apparently, oh bliss! No doubt in small, regular amounts enough to keep us going and smiling as well.
Whittakers Chocolate. We can be proud of that!!
Bullshit , no one person can exert that much power, even Gates or Musk havent got enough money to buy enough houses to force that much demand. It is simply pent up demand and fear of missing out and stupidity. If people stopped buying the market would collapse.
Adrian so a shortage of 80,000 dwellings is going to be solved by no one buying houses.
Because of the demand house construction permits have reached 15,000 in the last 1/4 2020 . The under supply has made it profitable for developers to build more houses ,to fix the under supply this level of construction needs to be maintained for at least 6 years.
So where are these people going to live.
In a ditch or in a motel under the guise of emergency housing?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/podcast-the-detail/page/our-construction-crisis
@ Herodotus, Audrey didnt "include extra things like housing policies & Maori wards" See 1.2
"doesn't include extra things like housing policies & Maori wards"
https://twitter.com/ClintVSmith/status/1387912277932666880
Good stuff…and my unreserved praise goes to Min wage boost, Local Democracy Reporting, Period products, and qualified approval to the rest, but…
…WEAG (Welfare Experts Advisory Group Report) remains unimplemented in the main particularly re raising Benefit levels, Fair Pay Agreements are not going to happen in any shape significantly useful to unions–workers should ideally get pay boosts from the employing class not other taxpayers e.g, WFF. A public housing mega build has barely crossed the Labour Caucus conciousness, middle class people are now having to scrape together deposits for their kids in the overheated property scene–need I go on?
This Govt. retains heavy structural neo liberalism in legislation and methodology re funder/provider splits, contracting out, PPPs, managerialism and free in and outflow of capital. This majority MMP Govt. retains absolute support for the 36 year monetarist consensus amongst main Parliamentary political parties.
These are basic issues for the NZ working class that need urgent attention, and NZ Labour is in for a significant arse bite in 2023 if they do not raise benefits, start building houses and apartments, and control rents.
+1
You know, every mistake made by this government in relation to covid has been forensically examined and represented hysterically in the media as a "massive failure" or a "border blunder" or MIQ "shambles."
However, if you are the NZ Herald and you rely almost excuslively on real estate and travel advertising to stay in business then a cock up at Brisbane airport is characterised as a gentle "hiccup"
"..Live: Bubble hiccup – warning for NZ travellers after airport breach in Australia.."
The Herald knows which side it's toast is buttered.
Audrey Young of the NZ Herald certainly knows which side her toast is buttered. Her ratings of the ministers yesterday were laughable. I felt sorry for Damien O'Connor only receiving a 4/10 which was the lowest (he must be in her bad books). Even Marama got a 5/10!
LOL. She's giving ratings for ministers. What is she 15? Hope she also did a "who's hot and who's not" article, just to reinforce her 'style'.
It's about time we rated journalists – not many would reach the towering heights of a 3/10.
We’ve already done that, kinda.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018793371/we-ve-got-trust-issues-with-news
Yeah – we've made a broad negative observation – but we haven't brought it home to the worst performers just how poorly they serve the public, and how badly they are eroding their platform's bottom line.
Lady I know did her PhD on quality in journalism. The papers she worked with lifted circulation by around 70%. There's money in doing the job properly, as well as public service.
The public is fickle and with so much choice at their fingertips, they go for the low hanging fruit that gives an instant hit. It is like an addiction and they keep coming back for more. Even drug lords understand this.
Well, not everyone notices the satire implicit in La donna e mobile. The worst media chase the sugar hit. But over the medium term, the public tire of it – Tova's latest feigned outrage no longer gets the adrenaline flowing, and they start browsing elsewhere.
It's well known, and the demise of The Truth is a local demonstration that degrading content is a poor strategy.
Absolutely agree. I avoid many news sources as I'm not that keen on wasting my time – even when I'm wasting time.
Now that 'everyone's a content creator' the sea of mediocre and rubbish content that we're all awash in has become more than simply tedious, it's repugnant. Folk are aware, folk are looking for better.
Every day I block sites for life (of this computer at least). These sites use money and resources to get my attention yet have nothing but trivia to offer. Blocked for life. I hope the expense to wedge garbage onto the screens of myself and my peers hurts really bad. It's the least I can do.
I think that we ought to keep a closer eye on The Civilian. I haven't seen it mentioned much here. For news with a twist, you can't go past it I reckon. Look at The Herald quickly then glance over to The Civilian and imbibe it with your Cornflakes – they would go together well.
Who read about this amazing new approach to our housing problem in March? It seems as beautifully written as usual.
http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/scientists-begin-search-for-elusive-capital-gain-particle-to-explain-runaway-housing-market/
You could also say that calling it a gentle hickup is also a nice nice term to protect those here that opened the gates. Hopefully not to hell.
My partners company lost their first employee in India. One of the dispatchers called yesterday to querie a machine. The kid is 24 odd years old and is usually the kindest and sweetest person. He was kind, sweet and broken hearted yesterday.
We all don't know how lucky we are that his little hickup may not be the drop of water that breaches the floodgates.
In an incredibly powerful piece in the Guardian that also lays bare the poverty of so much of the prose of journalism these days Arundhati Roy says the number of dead in India could be 30 times the official figure:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/28/crime-against-humanity-arundhati-roy-india-covid-catastrophe
"…Where shall we look for solace? For science? Shall we cling to numbers? How many dead? How many recovered? How many infected? When will the peak come? On 27 April, the report was 323,144 new cases, 2,771 deaths. The precision is somewhat reassuring. Except – how do we know? Tests are hard to come by, even in Delhi. The number of Covid-protocol funerals from graveyards and crematoriums in small towns and cities suggest a death toll up to 30 times higher than the official count. Doctors who are working outside the metropolitan areas can tell you how it is…
So upwards of 25-30,000 a day – a massacre of the poor.
For what it is worth, my wife knows a doctor who spent decades in India working for aid programs and who only returned last year and she is hearing the same sort of thing.
honestly if you are of the praying kind, pray for India.
We have known this guy for 4 years, thought him how to pronounce Maori names so engineers would be send to the correct location and yesterday listening him, honestly i just sat there and cried.
Hopelessness, despair, and so so tired. that poor kid.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-coronavirus-democracy-in-india-under-microscope-as-hundreds-of-anti-government-accounts-censored/5WRF3F4DOP3NWFWCLNSJCIAKZQ/
I am really happy for Rainbow Youth to have been provided with something and i hope that they are to be provided with more then just a promise of money.
However if we take labels away, we learn that Children and teenagers (Youth) as of April 2021 is not getting the mental health when they need it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300271651/wait-times-for-youth-mental-health-services-balloon-out-under-labour-despite-huge-investment
But Mr. Little is growing a mental health workforce, he just needs a bit of manure (horse or sheep or chicken) and comfrey tea to help it grow a bit faster. The last 4 years of growing seems to have had no effect.
But then we don’t really get the stats we used to says Chloe Swarbrook, but then Mr. Little is comfortable with the data the they give us. Go figure?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300271515/greens-push-for-mental-health-statistics-to-be-required-by-law-as-prime-minister-appears-to-distance-herself-from-slimmeddown-report?rm=a
yep, mental health is in shambles. Nevermind.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300266892/huge-growth-in-use-of-last-resort-seclusion-indicates-mental-health-system-in-crisis-and-in-worse-shape-than-when-labour-elected-in-2017?rm=a
Sabine, I know a lot of the mental health field. Developing a new workforce is potentially a very long complicated task. The only country I am aware of who rolled out a mental health work force to serve people with mild to moderate mental health issues was the UK under Professor David Clark from Oxford University. In NZ there isn't wide spread support and training in CBT which is an evidenced based therapy. Various training institutes offer other models, most of which are lacking in any substantial evidence. So there is also an issue with training the trainers. People t teaching at these training institutes are deeply wedded to their model and can't be deployed to train in other more proven therapies. There is also the issue of providing culturally sensitive therapy.However the Min of Health doesn't appear to have adopted his model. Training therapists is a very complex issue. People have to have aptitude for the job
Unfortunately I am aware. that there are many therapists practicing who aren't effective therapists.
Good therapists practicing evidence based therapy can not just be magically pulled of a hat.
I agree with all that you said. But it has been four years, and in stead of just staying bad, it got worse, and hey our stats are now so whitewashed that effectively they are useless. But then, if you don't count it don/t exist. Right?
You may want to change the polarity of your filter; it may shock you.
What i should not care? Don't give a fuck about the homeless, the hungry, the shoeless kids with empty bellies in preschool, the beatings women get form violent men, the glue sniffing kids, the poor huddled unwashed masses?
Sorry, but you know what? I am closer to those then i ever will be to the wellfed, wellhoused, well dressed doodas that you so cherish.
My view is excellent. Its neither Red nor Blue, it ain't partisan, it ain't based on wishful thinking.
And mental health under this government has gotten worse by their own admission. So don't take it too me, tell them to give you better news.
minus to plus
the people's poet
My wife is a Psychologist and has been involved with training Counselors. She is not impressed with how the training institutions are doing this. There is a huge risk of people being seen by people who are not properly trained to help them. This could make the situation worse not better.
My tongue is bleeding heavily …
Was your wife trained in NZ? She must be old school.
So, we should stop training these young and highly motivated bright people because they “could make the situation worse not better”?
Let’s not do anything and stay inside because we may make a mistake. FFS!
Incognito US universities pushed a style of psychology that was Christian moralist calvinism not scientific ie Otago University longitudinal study.
Looking at Gosmans comments and allegiance to reaganomics it all makes sense.
Tricledrown – The USA university mention made me think of Ruth Dudley Edwards novel Murdering Americans (politically incorrect title for a book having that theme.) What they teach in the university/college at which she is visiting professor is far from her expectations.
…Murdering Americans takes place in a solidly built, nice looking college in the abandoned steel town of New Paddington, Indiana. The college, Freeman State University, has deteriorated over the years from the principles on which it was founded, that is the teachings of math, science, and history, freedom of speech, diversity of thought and integration, and so on. Political Correctness (with a capital "PC") has become their crushing ideology. The only competition permitted by this college is who is the greater victim…
…Baroness "Jack" Troutbeck, though quite busy being a member of the House of Lords and the Mistress of St. Martha's College in Cambridge, is always eager to face a new challenge should one present itself. To her surprise and delight she has been invited to America as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. She readily accepts, leaves London and flies off to America, and on to Freeman State University. The Baroness imagined the American colleges to be as she had viewed them in the movies of the fifties. What a shock to find them bastions of the liberal elite who have contempt for all things Western…
She found that this college did not offer the standard courses in literature and science but instead an array of programs in political correctness. Because Christian Americans are at the root of the world's problems, students need only to study the backgrounds and cultures of blacks, gays and lesbians, Muslims, Jews, and other oppressed minorities to understand why all countries in the world hate America.
During her stay, the Baroness is involved in four murders of which she has been inconveniently accused. She immediately calls for her friend in need, Robert Amiss, who flies to her side to help her solve the crimes…
Why do you use a novel to support allegations about ‘intellectual derailment’ at US universities??
Please include a link next time, thanks.
What a load of nonsense! Firstly, it is a false dichotomy between “Christian moralist Calvinism” and science-based tertiary training and education, and a strawman. Secondly, which US universities and when did they supposedly push for a “style of psychology”, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Thirdly, I note you have not provided one shred of evidence for your assertions, not even a tiny little link. Lastly, the context is Aotearoa-New Zealand, not the USA.
Sorry about the link incognito. I think that the novel gives an example of the way that some of the second or third-grade universities have changed their focus in tertiary education, particularly in the USA.
And from the USA has come wokeness and an enhanced sensitivity to various groups making claims of unfairness, sometimes distantly connected to those who are actually battling huge inequality. The fact that it is fiction does not make it trivial. Matters taught in university in humanities and perhaps economics, may be more distorted than fiction I consider.
Gosman given your competency I wouldn't take your spin on any subject as truth.
You love lapping up what the media feed you.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/124843528/number-of-students-studying-mental-health-course-doubles-in-taranaki
And where are the services that were promised and funded to cover tough stress over COVID , still waiting. Another announcement with no action to follow. Now there are real needs out there and there are many who think that an announcement from the throne solves these issues , guess what ?? It doesn’t and our queen bee needs to be told of this . But then again after an announcement out on it ministers go missing they have got there RV spot whilst nothing changes for the masses.
The whole mental health sector is under immense pressure and has been for years. In fact, the whole medical care sector is bending over backwards. They all need a long holiday, literally, before they burn out. Anybody with half a brain cell can see this.
that is nice, very nice, but of no help to anyone who needed mental health access and treatment yesterday and tomorrow. They are still shit outta luck.
I am looking forward to seeing these same excuses when National is next in line to fucking it up. Its a bit like, yeah, we don't build no houses, but there is a record number of building consents.
the quarantine free holidays are hopefully a thing of the past soon.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300289065/covid19-hundreds-in-melbourne-told-to-get-tested-after-unexpected-wastewater-detections
Yesterday's Deranged Ranting
This fellow is not interested in arguing his case, just in shutting people down.
https://markdoran.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/johnson-real.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0EZ2TuX0AI_vH1?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0IuZs7WQAIQL-9?format=png&name=small
Hoodat?
Go on Morrissey give us a clue so we can guess first before looking up the links, testing our shrewdness, during our busyness trying to keep up with this amorphous world we live in.
Australia have a low bar of entry for politicians.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/staffer-in-parliament-masturbating-video-files-police-report-over-revenge-porn-20210429-p57nnd.html
“I hope that enough people will see that Nathan is a victim here. He was stupid, he should get a kick up the arse for what he did … but I think he deserves his job,” Mr Entsch said.
Great that the guys boss believes he deserves his job back after doing that over a womans desk! Anyone can be an MP these days.
anyone can. Indeed.
i find it interesting that this is not considered sexual assault.
Are you serious, there appears to have been zero awareness of what had occurred until the video was posted and you want that treated as a criminal offence?
i don't know, have a bloke stand in front of your table to ejaculate all over it should be considered at least a 'biological' attack, you know should be treated like we would treat pissing and pooping in public. Unless of course men have so little control over their darker urges that spontaniously whipping it out to burn one is considered normal.
Revenge Porn is already a criminal act.
yep, they did pass some law to make that illegal https://www.zdnet.com/article/australia-passes-revenge-porn-legislation/
Public urinating and defecation :
you can get fined for this in OZ. https://www.criminaldefencelawyers.com.au/blog/woman-fined-for-offensive-conduct-after-defecating-in-public/
indecent exposure
https://www.criminalsolicitorsmelbourne.com.au/?what_we_do=obscene-exposure-lawyers-melbourne-indecent-exposure#:~:text=Section%2019%20states%20that%20%E2%80%9CA,penalty%20of%202%20years%20imprisonment.
What the prosecution must prove
In order to convict you, the prosecution must demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that you:
· Wilfully and obscenely exposed your genital area, and
· Did so in, or within the view of, a public place.
Well i think he could get around 2 years and maybe a few fines. Well he should get. and while we are at, we should add a charge for the idiocy of fiming such abhorrent behaviour. But i am no lawyer.
We should push for a prosecution of Paula Radcliffe at the same time?
And I would suggest MPs offices are not actually public spaces.
What she do? Did she ejaculate over someones desk? Then yeah, she should also be prosecuted.
She won the London Marathon 2005, but doing so involved an unscheduled and very public toilet stop.
One can draw ones own conclusions as to Mr Entsch's work habits.
Mr Entsch's work habits…
I'm sure I'm not the only person to notice that this gentleman's name is an anagram of "Stench".
So if I get this straight, the guy who filmed himself committing gross misconduct that got him fired after the video was aired is considering making a formal "revenge porn" complaint against his ex who had given the video to the media after their break-up.
Worthy of a soap opera. No idea which way the legal system might go on it, but sheesh.
Another day in the office.
Yep, that's how I understood it too. So "the perp" has become "the victim".
But I thought the funniest part was his boss Mr Entsch saying he should have his job back!
I wouldn't want to be a cleaner in that office!
Thing is, on the face of it, the pervert who got fired does have a point: an intimate visual recording shared in confidence was distributed for publication without his permission.
BUT
there is also the public interest in revealing that footage, given the guy's boss is obviously ok with such behaviour in the workplace
BUT public interest might not be a defense under the Aussie law, and how long did the other guy wait to send it to the media? Was it at the time, or did he really just do it as revenge for being dumped, rather than serving the public interest?
BUT I'm assuming the footage wasn't published unblurred, so does that count as intimate recording if the intimate bits are blurred out?
And other buts. Damned if I would be able to cut through that legal gordian knot.
As for pretty much everyone except the person whose desk was defiled and, as you say, the cleaner… yuck.
No reason they can't both be prosecuted.
Not sure the [literal] wanker did anything illegal as such.
Definitely deserved to lose his job though.
But yeah – very much a case of "throw everything at the courts and let them sort it out".
Bit of a sticky wicket, what!
We have to watch and be wary of cults as well as gangs, and also the pseudo churches and charities that slide in to the tax-reduction gap offered to so-called worthy entities. This tax exemption strategy should be wiped, and replaced with applications for tax reduction on specific projects supplying sufficient Samaritan-like aid to the needy which is supervised. That is to try and prevent the institutional nasties that we have a Commission for at present.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441479/ex-exclusive-brethren-accuse-church-of-tearing-families-apart-there-are-some-pretty-nasty-stories
…Wellington man Peter H… is starting life again at the age of 52…
"It's not true to say they 'wish those who leave all the best': They tell you 'you will fall apart, suffer financially, won't keep faith, your health will fail, you won't have relationships'..
"You're not allowed to think for yourself. One saying in there is from the leadership: 'You do the doing, we'll do the thinking'."
Investigative journalist Nicky Hager has uncovered widespread use of private investigators by senior Brethren against ex-members in New Zealand.
"If we as a society can't protect people in that very vulnerable state, escape from something like a cult where their lives were being controlled and then they find themselves still being harassed, if we can't protect them, then something is really wrong."
This is the latest on the long-running, really eternal, story of grievances and sadness resulting from the dictatorship of the Exclusive Brethren (has reverted to Plymouth Brethren I have read. Bad faith is inherent in the beliefs and practices of this cult). The authorities seem to find it difficult to show pastoral care for the citizens in such coercive groups, even from a business and taxation POV.
You can get between the Brethren and their God, but God help you if you get between the Brethren and their money.
Adrian
Much the same thing.
[deleted entire comment because of potentially harmful content]
[I’m deeply uncomfortable with your allegations about EB/PB and the inferences you make about connections between them and other groupings with political parties without one piece of supporting evidence!
Given that have shown repeatedly ignoring Moderation notes in the past, I have deleted your whole comment and have passed it on to other Moderators who have much better understanding of the possible legal implications of your seemingly baseless accusations.
If you can back up all your assertions AND if the other Moderators deem it harmless enough, I will restore your comment.
Please acknowledge that you have read and understood this Moderation note at your earliest convenience, thanks – Incognito]
That fits with what i have read Tricledrown. Agree with you.
See my Moderation note @ 1:27 pm.
edit
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/441390/new-zealand-donates-1m-as-india-covid-19-deaths-top-200-000
I agree with helping India as we can, perhaps some supplies to specific points as well as some money towards UN help. And careful rehoming of NZs, and families split, what about them especially where there are children? We have a large number of Indian people resident here now living, working, making their lives with us, and we must have cognisance of their needs and do what we can being concerned and reasonable, which doesn’t mean we can do everything that is wanted.
Our governments have not resisted the forces of the free market and open borders and cheaper goods made elsewhere. They chose to run down this country's internal economy and conditions in order to let foreign money (called investment) flood in. But that attitude has come back and bitten us in the bum. So we are bums, admit it, and attempt to do some good now it is needed, but without throwing away the good we have managed to retain and conserve here.
Also let us help Paprua New Guinea – they are beside themselves over there according to reports. And it seems, literally, anyone who can do good is trying to be in two places at once.
29/4 at 6.02 am – https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/pacific-waves/audio/2018793344/png-doctors-say-covid-19-outbreak-getting-worse
29/4 at 4.23pm – https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/441445/we-don-t-have-any-grasp-covid-19-crisis-pushes-png-hospitals-to-the-brink |Jamie Tahana
Doctors in Papua New Guinea say the coronavirus crisis is only getting worse as some hospitals shut their doors to patients and others struggle without supplies as basic as gloves.
Health officials and doctors interviewed by RNZ Pacific have described a health system teetering on the brink of collapse and a country that has no real grasp of just how widespread the virus really is.
Officially, the country has recorded 10,915 cases of Covid-19 and 107 deaths, according to government figures released on Wednesday night.
This in March – https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/2018789058/papua-new-guinea-battling-tb-crisis-amid-covid-19-pandemic
So Papua New Guinea – PNG has a TB outbreak as well. I think we need to airlift supplies to these people. Fly in, drop off, refuel and back. Be in constant touch and advocate for them as well from the PTB and authorities, could even see what Australia is doing and co-ordinate with them keeping our aid separate to minimise spread of anything between us.
Nothing new for PNG being under prepared. I heard a doctor say the other day that most day to day medical supplies run out. Covid was always going to impact on unprepared populations and large populations and the poorest in the population.
In NZ we create a bubble and wait for the impact. I have previously said that an airport is a hot spot for transmission.
fuck.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/124993291/covid19-red-zone-traveller-who-breached-brisbane-airport-green-zone-tests-positive
Not if but when the community spread is detected. Have Scooby-Doo and Ardern really considered the viability of a bubble. I have and everyday since it began.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concerns on Thursday about a parade that took place in Kiev to celebrate the creation of SS Galicia Division, calling on the Ukrainian government to condemn the glorification of Nazi collaborators.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian nationalists held the first march in the center of Kiev to commemorate the anniversary of the foundation of the SS division during the Second World War. Previously, such parades were held in the city of Lviv.
Now, I'm no fan of Israel, but I wonder if Blinken will address these concerns when he visits there next week, or will he support the SS Parade?
The Ukraine is weak Jerry.