Imagine if three Palestinian policemen executed an Israeli youth
New Video of Fatal Shooting at West Bank Checkpoint Shows Officer’s Final Shot
Jonathan Cook writes at his Facebook page:
The unedited video of an Israeli soldier shooting dead 17-year-old Muhammad Awad Salaymeh at a Hebron checkpoint earlier this month has finally surfaced, thanks to what looks to have been a misjudgment by an Israeli journalist.
It shows conclusively, as I and others argued even based on the edited footage, that the soldiers executed the unarmed youngster. He was shot at least three times, including when he was already bent over and incapacitated from the first shot.
It’s good that the New York Times has published the video, though a shame that it has relegated it to a blog entry rather than the news pages. It would surely have been given far greater prominence had a Palestinian policeman been filmed executing an Israeli minor.
Interestingly, it seems that some in the Israeli media have had the unedited footage for a while but decided to release only the misleading, edited footage. Channel 10 reporter Roy Sharon, who uploaded the full video to his private Youtube channel, says it had been provided by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Just a facile expression of “I couldn’t give a stuff and you’re a wanker Morrissey because you do……now indulge me while I Mr Andre perform like a smartarse teenager”.
I endorse your highighting of the utter evil of the oppressed turned oppresser situation in Palestine.
Thanks for your kind words, North. Yes, Andre’s response was a little on the facile side, I guess, but it was still wittier than what we’ve had to put up with over the last few days from poor old Te Reo Putake, Populuxe1 and McFliper.
Not to get into a bun fight ,But the only people who will make peace over there is the ordinary people .Not Iran Saudi or America or even little old Morrisey. We need to help not dictate .Facile .. some might say its not brain surgery.
With the climate projections. The near east and south med are likely to be without water and food by 2130 Best we can do is maybe address the loss of there homeland {who ever owned it.}
If you actually cared about the situation over there, you would fly over there and become hands on, instead of writing away on various pages on the internet.
Youn can comment on it all you like, but for the fact that you havent actually flew over there and helped out, shows me you probably dont really care about it.
He probably wouldn’t be allowed to. Israel has been cracking down on that sort of thing.
We don’t have it bad here with media coverage. The US media is ridiculously pro Israel such that some of the things that get printed in the Israeli media would be career ending if an American journalist published them. At least we don’t have the Israel mafia here.
Actually, my friend, we do have it that bad here. Our radio and television reporters simply parrot the same distortions and propaganda slogans that the foreign networks do. During the recent escalation of Israel’s daily attacks against the population of Gaza, some New Zealand newsreaders looked embarrassed, or even disturbed, when they were forced to recite nonsense like the standard “but Israel has denied this” after every hit on a civilian, but most of them didn’t even seem to understand what they were reading out. Greg Boyed was so robotic on Television One that he almost morphed into Peter Jennings.
The US media is ridiculously pro Israel such that some of the things that get printed in the Israeli media would be career ending if an American journalist published them.
Don’t forget there ARE some courageous and determined journalists in the US, like Glenn Greenwald, Seymour Hersh, and Matthew Lee…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFGjQqmADYI
At least we don’t have the Israel mafia here.
Again, sadly, I must disagree with you. In April 2002, when the New Zealand Herald cartoonist Malcolm Evans dared to criticize the Holy State for its depradations in the Occupied West Bank (this was just after the Jenin massacre) the Israeli embassy, in concert with the likes of David Nathan, Dame Lesley Max and David Zwarz, mounted a sustained campaign of character assassination and vilification against Evans, combined with snarling threats against the Herald‘s editor, Gavin Ellis, a weak character who needed little more than a few swear words down the telephone to frighten him. He sacked Evans eventually, replacing him with the pisspoor Rod Emmerson. http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/protest-against-former-herald-editor/5/141168
Cunlifffe no3? I would have thought that Shearer should have been up there? Having shown what a tough guy he is by smearing Cunliffe and manufacturing a coup that never was, shouldn’t Shearer be doing better than he is?
I’d like to dispute the idea that Shearer won public support via his behaviour towards Cunliffe. In my experience, Shearer is a non-entity. This despite relentless cheerleading from the msm.
His non-entity status was only confirmed by the whanau bbq season, in which I couldn’t get any kind of decent conversation going about him with anyone. No-one was interested, yet, as always politics was the number one topic. Labour in general, however, was much discussed, mainly in the context of particular policies and its non-appearance as the opposition.
One family member has gone down his own political ‘road to damascus’ and has joined us on the left, with some passion, after many years with the right. Coincidentally he went right through school with Shearer and knew him well, he played sport with him and they were often in the same classes. He was very keen to talk politics, but when I asked him about Shearer as a he had almost nothing to say. When I asked directly about what he thought of him he said “not much”. When I asked what Shearer was like as a kid he said “he was okay”. With further questioning I found two things; he was an average student academically, and he was “pretty good” at rugby.
Anyway, this may be what the Paganiists want, a leader who makes almost no impression. (I was surprised and expected the sort of jeering that Goff attracted).
McCarten seems to have changed his tune a bit in this piece. He seems to no longer be claiming that Cunliffe staged a coup.
IF.. I were into “conspiracy”Most” media liked Mr Shearer . Seems like ,with the state of the MSM ….. Mr Cunliffe will be a good choice for the leader?
My own gathered family in Wanaka generally cancel each other out blue-red. But this time blue-green. The German tourists can’t understand the southern loathing for the Greens here. even American tourists are mystified on that.
Cunliffe knows he was outplayed. Can’t understand the radio silence from him. After all if Chippie and Jones can … And Cunliffe should stop relying on supporters here on this site to do his heavy lifting for him.
Tell you what, anyone 55 or over here is mystified that Labour hasn’t got a plan for the country. Not communicating it is as bad as not having one.
Even the hard core Nats here see nothing is making any money (even real estate here) and surprisingly many compare Key’s Sky City deal far worse than Clark’s speeding to the Rugby. Just absolutely evident here the Nat’s desire to weaken the state has not dimmed the idea of the nation itself.
Karol, it’s a list of those who have had a bad year. Like Shearer or not, he’s had a good year. He’s cemented his leadership, destroyed the only challenge to his authority in caucus and risen in the polls personally and taken the party up as well. He knows he will be PM in less than two years. That’s a good 12 months for a politician.
Actually believe politics to be real eh, and because you support Labour blindly, and have invested yourself into the the theatre, can’t/won’t see the reality, whats up with that?
The comment made above, is an example of the reason this country goes down the toilet a little more each day.
Thanks for that TRP!
Edit: JS -agree with what you say, except that Shearer is certainly not, a non-entity, he is in fact the polar opposite. As the NACT move further right, so the LP can be moved further center, all while some still believe they represent the left!
Right on karol! Cunliffe’s “allies” hardly showed themselves in a good light. “Without any internal backlash” claims McCarten – who, of course, does not mention the enormous external backlash!
The internal backlash has been stifled and hasn’t had a chance to manifest itself, but will appear in Feb if there is a leadership challenge. To date shearer has bullied everyone into silence by demanding allegiance and blind following. There could be a swift surgical coup shortly.
Matt is wrong when he say there was a boost in the polls from shitting on Cunliffe. The polls went back to where they were in August and to where they have been ever since Phil & Annette took over. No change, despite an atrocious year from Key.
Matt is swallowing a line fed to him and Young an Trevett.
Labour is doing SHITE in the polls.
Saying otherwise is like polishing a turd.
If you say something with enough repetition if will be assumed to be true therefore becomes fact to a host of people, ie the Cunliffe leadership challenge.
IMHO it appears that’s what he trying to do.
Cunliffe is not in politics for the money. As I understand it, he and his wife are wealthy in their own right. Makes for an interesting point of difference between him and some in the ABC club.
Another good poll result for the left, Micky. If even the HOS poll shows National falling short of a majority at the end of 2012, then we can be pretty happy going into 2013. Time for Labour to start calling for a snap election, methinks.
Don’t know TRP. Labour’s gain is at NZF’s expense and last election it is clear that some of NZF’s support came from Labour voters trying to give the party an ally.
And I don’t think the tactic of Shearer trashing the party’s best and brightest to “cement” his leadership is one with any long term benefits.
You’re right about the Labour support going Winston’s way, but at the next election, I think National supporters are more likely to make that tactical choice. Tories would would see Labour/NZF as more palatable than Lab/Greens, so the English effect may re-appear.
As for trashing the best and brightest, Cunliffe is bright, but he’s been bested. It’s over for him and like the plucky contender picking himself up from the canvas, he never saw it coming.
Um TRP if the party is going to be run in such a way it is not going to improve its position and the best and brightest activists will go off to the greens. This idea of maintaining power at all costs is very dangerous.
Tempted as I am to rerun Muldoon’s joke about emigration to Oz, I don’t see any signs that Labour activists are moving to the Greens, other than a few grumpy comments here. I’m not a fan of power at all costs either, but if power comes at the cost of sidelining the unproven David Cunliffe, I’m not too bothered. The task from here on in is to see a left coalition Government elected and its the policies I care about, not the pollies.
I guess it depends who you’re talking to, TRP when it comes to what way Labour supporters will vote. If you’re talking mostly with people who supported Labour in the last election, then you’ll find that they’re not at all happy with the way the Labour caucus/Shearer is going at the moment and they’re looking at future voting alternatives. If you’re talking to Nat supporters, well – they”ll be happy with whatever the Nats do so they won’t leave their ship! No Nat supporter that I’ve ever come across has ever voted Labour – not even last election when Key said they’d sell SOEs did the Nats around where I live change their vote and then expressed shock, horror at the thought of SOEs being sold !
Seasons Greetings TRP. I wouldn’t write off Cunliffe just yet.
Cunliffe may be only keeping his silence as a tactical move until February. Win or lose, Cunliffe, unlike Shearer, has something to offer the Labour Party and the country.
Greetings to you too, Jenny, hope the new year is a good one for you and yours.
You are dead right about Cunliffe having something to offer and I hope he gets given some real responsibility before the election and a cabinet post after it. I also have a sneaking suspicion Shearer will surprise us all in election year by having a total cleanout of the dead wood, including the leaders of the ABC club. It would be a tactical masterstroke to go into the next election making a clean break with the people who cost Labour the last election.
Indeed TRP. I’ve heard rumours that just such a move is under consideration. It would be good to see a rejuvenated front-bench. One of the things that has upset me most about the infighting is that is has divided some of the party’s best up and coming talent. Robertson, Hipkins, Adern, et al should be working with Cunliffe, Wall, Moroney, et al to forge a new, competent, and assertive parliamentary Labour Party but instead have been put on separate sides by the wealth of ill-feeling created by Mallard, Goff, King, et all. Then there’s the non-aligned (or less aligned?) new blood such as Andrew Little and David Clark who are doing good things but would be able to perform even more effectively if their talents were nested in a more functional caucus.
I think that Shearer’s difficulty with members would disappear overnight if he dealt with the old toxic elements of the caucus.
I also think that we’d see more political successes from Labour and with them, more courage to push harder and lefter. As far as I can tell most of the younger caucus members hold very similar solid left views regardless of the “camp” they are in – it’s the older lot that are still locked into the third-way belief that the electorate won’t tolerate social democratic initiatives (this may be the last remnant legacy of the fourth Labour govt) .
You give me hope. I think the clean-out needs to start with the re-shuffle coming up soon, and be well and truly complete before the end of this year so we go into election year with a tried and true fresh slate. Shearer hasn’t earned my support yet, but if he pulls this one off I’ll happily rescind my criticisms – fully and publicly on The Standard blog site!
Shearer’s at 25% preferred PM in the poll, Cunliffe and Ardern 0.6%, just behind Goff on 0.8% and just ahead of Colin Craig on 0.5% and Hone Harawira on 0.4%. Shearer’s numbers are up 50% from the last Reid Research poll, so starting to look respectable. Key is still holding National up all by himself – the accompanying article says that if National’s partners hold Epsom and Ohariu they can still govern. That’s pretty tenuous this far out from 2014. And New Zealanders still oppose asset sales by two to one.
The ‘system’ inside and organisation including a political party can turn itself around. It probably can’t happen as fast as we would like but, believe it or not, I actually believe the Clark government was carefully putting the building blocks in place. Bear in mind, they had two conservative minor parties to contend with (and that was delivered them by the voters) so progress was slow. There’s no reason why a Labour/Green government-elect in 2014 can’t complete the job.
Actually a majority of delegates at the Labour conference started the ball rolling, and it was directly responsible for the ABC club hissy fit. The last throes of a dying third way belief ?
Could you elaborate on your comments about the Clark governments building blocks ?
Your last sentence, remains to be seen, although decades of negative trending would offer very long odds, and personally I do not believe that Cunliffe is anything different to Shearer, other than having some more experience inside the local machine. I interperet the *hissy fit* as more of the theatre I have referred to many times previously, not any final death rattle, so much as yet another act in the play!
Until the critical issue of NZ’s monetary control is addressed, and examination/auditing, and public showing of the debt situation, are demanded by those who are *playing politician*, then optimism has NO place, as it will simply allow the deterioration/theft to continue!
If there’s a clean out of the “old guard” I hope it includes Shane Jones, in the light of his attacks of Green policies.
It would be great to see some of the very able Labour MPs brought back in – but I hope it doesn’t mean a re-selection of John Tamihere (truly a relic from the past). I also hope more women are given prominent front bench positions, like Cunliffe, Wall, Moroney, Chauvel, etc. Under Shearer so far, thew LP has looked too macho male-dominated for me, and I would not like to see that kind of leadership in the next government.
Andrew Little has delivered some very good speeches in the House: e.g. on ACC.
I have so far had mixed responses to Ardern and Hipkins. Ardern has shown some fiery sparks of sincere advocacy for those in poverty. At other times she looks less sincere and more of a managerialist-style politician. But these two are young, so there’s time to develop. I’ll wait and see how they go.
I also have a sneaking suspicion Shearer will surprise us all in election year by having a total cleanout of the dead wood, including the leaders of the ABC club. It would be a tactical masterstroke to go into the next election making a clean break with the people who cost Labour the last election.
Firstly, hope is not suspicion, unless you have some sort of evidence leading you to believe it. What signs are there of this? Shearer has shown, if nothing else, that he is loyal to those who are loyal to him. If you are in his camp, you can get away with all sorts of damaging shit, leaking to the press, bagging potential coalition partners, general internet idiocy, none of it matters.
Secondly, the reality of the permanent campaign means that if something like this is a good idea for an election year, you should be doing it now. By the time the year rolls around it is too late. If a clean break is needed, why for god’s sake would you not make it now?
Oh yeah, personal loyalty to the people fucking up. So he’ll let them fuck up for another year, let those fuck ups continue to feed narratives, and then hope for a ‘clean break’.
A clean break, is an admission that what you were doing, sucks. That’s not the sort of admission you make a year out from an election. You should be doing it in the first year after. that gives 2 years + to build that narrative of a ‘government in waiting’. But that narrative isn’t building because the break hasn’t been made yet.
In the short term, Shearer needs the current coterie. Past the February caucus, his standing as leader will be confirmed and the LP’s hopes at the election (and the MP’s jobs) then rely on him to a large extent. The ABC club consequently have less power and less power means less influence. They will become, ahem, lame ducks. Tactically, a clean out nearer the election means the ABCers will not have time to mount a coup in response and Shearer can go into the election as his own man, beholden to none. He will gain a personal poll boost as he did when he finished Cunliffe off, being seen as a strong leader making his mark. The timing is the masterstroke I was talking about, I think it’s better later than earlier.
IB: cheers, some typically spot on analysis in your comment. Maybe a post in it?
Ok, so it looks like we were thinking about different things.
Correct me if I’m wrong, please, but what you outline looks to me to be something like this:
Shearer needs the support of some useless idiots in caucus to avoid facing a broader party vote in Feb. He needs to avoid that vote because he can’t count on the support of the broader party.
So he will allow the idiots to remain being idiots until the threat from his lack of support in the broader party has been circumvented, and then he will stab the idiots in the back and replace them with some of thee people who would rather have let the broader party have a say.
Everyone starts singing kumbayah.
Sorry, but that to me looks like a really good play for a leader who is shoring up personal support in a weak position. It ignores that fact that leadership of the party isn’t the main goal of politics.
TRP, I don’t think he does need the ABC. In fact I think if he did sweep them out and bring the younger MPs of the two camps together there’s no way the half dozen MPs that make up the old guard would have the numbers to make the February vote and Cunliffe and his supporters would have no need to. What are the old guard going to do? Put Trev or Phil up as their new champion?
IB, while I agree his doesn’t need them in the long term , he does need them now. If the Feb vote is unanimous, and it should be, then Shearer has the whip hand and can afford to make his move at a time of his choosing. But he’d be foolish to rock the boat now.
If the strategy is to consolidate power and set the scene for the future, the immediate tactic is to formalise his authority in caucus. That means looking to repeat the unanimous vote post conference, not merely get the 60% plus one majority, so a move now would be way too early.
Following on what PB has said, if Shearer does intend to burn off the ABC club, what sort of a leadership does he actually have in mind for himself? So far he has given no indication, and the only thing I have seen him do with conviction is demote and silence the man that he saw as his main challenger. Was the Rufus Painter speech, and his limp defence of it, a sop to supporters with whom he intends to break ranks? Does he really think that left and right are not fruitful ways of conceptualising issues, or was that another sop?
There have been a few comments over the past day or two that raise questions that run far deeper than poll results.
RedLogix cited a conversation with Michael Cullen, who “…took the pains to explain to me in my naivety that governments can only operate within what is considered the acceptable ‘paradigm’ of the day. That some things were possible and others were a step too far at the time.”
Elsewhere, Sanctuary said, in a tone of exasperation, “I don’t see a fear of ideological purity, I see a fear of losing the benefits of being part of the elite.”
Bearing these comments in mind, this is the question to which I would like a straight answer from whoever leads the Labour Party. If you are taken to one side after the election, and told that the Nats have run the economy into the ground, and that you must introduce measures that squeeze the most vulnerable even further, what are you going to do?
The crucial question is whether our government is there to protect foreign interests, to the career advantage of local representatives, or there to defend the interests of the citizens, including the most vulnerable citizens.
The problem goes deeper than leadership. Labour has during 2012 simply not presented itself as a credible “next government”/leading coalition partner to the electorate. While the talent and ideas are there there has also been persistent feeling that everything is still inchoate with Labour which a critical 10-15% of the electorate are probably picking up on. Its something that will need to be worked upon during 2013.
To Olwyn : Bearing these comments in mind, this is the question to which I would like a straight answer from whoever leads the Labour Party. If you are taken to one side after the election, and told that the Nats have run the economy into the ground, and that you must introduce measures that squeeze the most vulnerable even further, what are you going to do?
This is an important question you have asked. Perhaps the most important of all.
This is just the scenario faced by Lange/Douglas et al in 1984 which they used to go down the neo-liberal economic path. I would hope that Labour in 2014 would take us down a different track but until we know what Shearer really thinks, we cannot possibly guess what way they’d go.
The fact that we do not know what Shearer thinks looks ominous to me. Along with his tendency to sidestep rather than address criticisms, his previous status as an international elite, and the panicked response of his crew when Cunliffe had the temerity to suggest that Labour would not make do with amputating your leg a little lower than National would. I should throw in as well his fan club of right wing shills. It seems to me that if he had more to offer than managing NZ on behalf of its “investors” he would by now have said so, loud and clear.
It may or may not be ominous, Olwyn. But that’s the problem. Maybe it has been a strategy to win over the MSM etc first. However, during the last year, there has been an erosion of trust. So, now, even if Shearer comes out and sincerely advocates for a strong left/labour movement position, how do we know he will stick to that once in government?
I would prefer that Team Shearer does take leadership of a strong left agenda, but I will still be voting Mana or Green in order to have representation from parties that would be most likely to keep a Labour-led government “honest”.
Caving to what some might see as the media’s demands does not amount to winning them over. Clark won the media over, though she lost them, after seven or eight years, to Key. But she did so with forthrightness, friendliness and clear articulation, not by purporting to follow a centre-right line.
The most crucial question to me lies with the difference between having the representation of New Zealanders as your focus, including and especially the most vulnerable, and selling your brand to New Zealanders in order to manage them on behalf of the international elite. One cannot expect miracles when corporatism has rendered us a more-or-less occupied country, but one can distinguish between a politician who employs their energy and their wiles on our behalf, and one who simply facilitates our exploitation while enhancing their own career prospects.
Makes you wonder how much trashing of the country has to occur before people decide to switch.
There are no shortcuts, Micky. People will not vote Labour just because they aren’t National. The old saying that goes ‘Oppositions don’t win elections, Governments lose them’ does have an unspoken proviso that the Opposition needs to meet a minimum standard of competence.
At the moment, Labour is a complete fail. People don’t have any idea what they stand for, who their leader is, or any confidence in their day-to-day political management and performance. They’ve been overshadowed by the Greens and Winston all year.
To put it bluntly, no matter how much Key screws up, people won’t go for Labour in its current form. That leaves Key wide open to do whatever he likes.
The Greens are proving very competent, but they are still a minor party in most people’s eyes. To have a change of government, people need to regain confidence in the main Opposition party – Labour. And it doesn’t look like happening anytime soon.
Maybe the country isn’t being trashed the way you say it is. The Xmas receipts were well up from last year, indicating people had money in their pockets and weren’t worried about spending it ie confidence in their jobs and the way the country is going maybe.
Or were those just the rich pricks? If so there seem to be a lot of rich pricks around.
So, what changes will Labour/Watermelon make, and how will it improve things? Or will they start us backwards down the track to Greece and Zimbabwe?
Christmas retail up just 3.3%, after retail in general has been down all year. Unless the trend continues in January and February, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
Micky – thanks. This hardly endorses McCarten’s insistence of increased support for Labour since the crucifixion (“destroyed” is the word chosen by TRP) of Cunliffe by Shearer! Never mind, tons of time for a Cunliffe “resurrection” yet!!
Hi Doc. I think you are right, a Cunliffe “resurrection” should not be ruled out, in fact I think it is almost compulsory. In politics “resurrection” is the rule, rather than the exception.
Politics is almost exciting as war. In war you can only be killed once. But in politics many times.
Winston Churchill After Churchill’s expulsion from the Conservative Party in 1906
Big banks, FBI, Homeland Security and local law enforcement actively worked together to collect intelligence on Occupy activists, and violently crush Occupy protests right across the USA. Draw your own conclusions about what the melding of corporate and state power means to all of us. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/29/fbi-coordinated-crackdown-occupy
What do people think the *intelligence* networks do all day long, jesus it obviously took control of the *arab spring* and engineered it towards the desired outcomes across the board, why on earth would occupy have been any different, *intelligence* is not a new industry!
Disgusting what Russia did, using Orphans to score political points off the usa, funny how the green party and te mana and the labour party are silent over Russia’s repugnant actions, despite telling people how they’re the party that cares about childern.
This is what happens when diplomatic relations between major powers deteriorate badly. Ordinary people get caught in the middle. Russia was always going to retaliate against the US Magnitsky Act which targets senior Russian officials.
You cannot be too disgusted, you are using those very same children whose treatment has very little to do with New Zealand politics, (unless you think we are simply a US proxy state), to score stupid political points against New Zealand political party’s…
International adoptions are a fraught area: there’s arguments for and against it. Some argue against it as encouraging the international marketing of children. Others think it is traumatic or the child to take them away from their home culture.
Opponents of international adoption, including UNICEF, suggest that the money and effort spent on giving homes to a few children would be better spent on improving conditions in the children’s native countries. The idea is that reducing poverty and disease would reduce the number of orphans. In most cases the children available for international adoption are in institutions or temporary foster care, without the possibility of domestic adoption in the near future. Even people who oppose international adoption in principle tend to agree that it’s preferable to a life spent in an orphanage.
Crikey! It’s the weekend?! Well it’s been a blur of heat and humidity all week. Nice breeze a blowing now though…. thank god.
Thank god (or ratepayers rather) for libraries too. Stocked up on reading matter on xmas eve including Mojo music mags. Quote of the week has to be from Don Letts speaking on John Lydon (Mojo, August 2012)
“People are scared when somebody else speaks up when they haven’t got the guts to. People want to squash it”
This made me think of the silence/cognitive dissonance/apathy we have in NZ during one of the most painful political times we have experienced in a awhile. Bring the noise I say!! (Apologies for being a bit political on the social pages)And on that note: Arohanui to the authors and moderators here at The Standard. You are a wise and strong collective,whose work is much appreciated by myself and many other commentors and readers for sure. I wish you well for your ongoing and increasing success in 2013.
To commentors and readers: The very best of health and happiness to you in 2013, especially to those of you whose path has not been easy – may you find the change you are looking for. Kia Kaha
PS: Moved this comment from weekend social as its semi social, semi political. Big ups all:-)
beginning with an Adneckdote;
-over a post S.A 😉 service cuppa tea the Lord led an itinerant “farmer” to engage with me. After the usual pissing comparison of our denominational journeys (his first step int the S.A, via marriage),we came around to politics; he asked if I belonged, I said I’m joining Labour, red (and black) through and through, whatta bout you, Blue?
His words-(now this is really funny)” No! John Key has done as much damage to this country as Helen Clark did” (he exclaimed from the heart of his airtex shirt and Tussock Creek moleskins).
then, then,”You should join the Conservative Party (assumed i’m conservative obviously; i don’t even look freakin’ conservative, i look a cross between John and Rasputin). You’re joining the Labour Party??? There are more gays in in there than anything”, and then he immediately got up before i could reply (well, spose i already had with my pierced eyes 🙂 ), saying I gotta go (probably to wash his mouth out), grabbed his “bible” and strode off; must have been the bright light hurting his briefly opened mind. Very sad, yet, something to bear in mind (bear, now that’s funny), cos it’s all about
impressions, and although i find David Clark interesting to listen to, and think Charles is well spoken,
Robertson worries me personally.
TOO MUCH MARIHUANA, PERHAPS?
Hollywood entertainment lawyer Mark Litwak interviewed by Simon Morris
Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 30 December 2012, 1:25 p.m.
A neat example of two minds: one just a bit too laid back and one razor-sharp…
MORRIS: You were talking about the ninety-day, errrrr—
LITWAK: Gap.
MORRIS: Gap, yes.
If Morris keeps on with the woolly-minded “errrrr” and “ummmm” stuff, Leighton (Ummmmm, Errrrrr, Ahmmmm) Smith and Larry (Lackwit) Williams had better look to their laurels; someone else could be contending for the title of dopiest person on the air….
anyway, the wave and a smile is my best friend, Amor fati
climbing up on Soulsbury Hill, Red Rain’s fallin’ down In Your Eyes
wherd ya’ leave the Delorean Marty, back in High School McFli?
government blacktop “binge”; there’ll be a toll to pay
no Transmission Lawrence…radio my Transmission
It won’t happen overnight Rachal, but it will happen
that’s the panting explosion. Esau I have loved
Yet, Esau must go-Rachel grew jealous
shairing in all the duplicity and falsehood of her gasoline alley family.
Leah Laban Labia. Lamentations:the fate of the children
Suicide Blond in excess. Marvin Marvin Marvin
there are too many children crying
(heard it thru’ the grapevine) “Mine Mine Mine”
They’re all livin for the City
there’s too many children dying. Horn being train sets
In Vain. Manchester Brittle Indian cotton land. Return
of “the guardians”; tooth fairy and Bugs Bunny,
“eh wots up Doctorow. It’s one virus and calcium
deficit after another. Have you ever pulled a chain
Gang, been around or on The Block?
singin’ all day, singin’ ’bout nothin’ oh meow meow Mao
Oh Mao meow meow. The kingdom of God is near.
Apathy Agnosticism Atheism: Anarchy
Acquisition Acquiescence Appeasement: Anarchy
Behaviour Bleeding Belonging: Blessing
Saviour Sister Brother Blessing
Blessings from the Rock of our Salvation
Admit Believe Call. Concrete Blonde Always
God is a Bullet, have Mercy on us everyone.
To cut a long story short I lost my mind
(if you leave me, can I come too, and if)
You don’t, then I won’t too. Little Boys, big toys
each has a shiny “horse”, gayly they play
each summers’ day, “warriors” all of them of course
Father Father Father, there’s too many children dying
Father Father Father, men leave women cryin’
Eats, Roots and Leaves. Mama she has taught me well
Told me when I’s young, Son your life’s an open book
don’t close it ‘fore it’s done.
By the rivers of Babylon, there we set down
there air we wept
when we remembered Zion
Nothing Else Matters
never care for what they say
never care for what they do
Dare to be a Daniel, Red Blooded through and through.
Vegetarian soon she’ll be comin round the mountain
comin’ round the mountain, she’ll be comin round
the mounting when she comes.
(Driver 8 take a break, we’ve been on this “trip” too long)
The Bible is often overlooked tunneling under war monuments
We’re in his hands, Idle Hands and all that Sin City jazz
We can change the world, with our own Two Hands
A-men O-men, when I see your face again
Ben-Harper. The days I cannot see have all been planned.
enter No Plea. Barter. Paraclete will see you through.
scourged him to the bone The Romans did
Thank God for Joseph of Arimathea .
meanwhile, the church packed it’s bags
sat at the Bus Stop waiting for The Rapture
who shares their umbrella. A Long Cool
Women in a black dress, working for the FBI
at the time of Elisha, the more “wailers” you paid
the more sadness you weighed:Elisha had P.R
The Inheritance we have is the presence of God.
Billy Graham left the bus tours and knelt
After Wesley; wore that carpet out Side By Side
Onward Caritas Soldiers support and comfort
The Poor will always be with us; there is an increase.
Pirates.Radio Hauraki run up The Jolly Roger
-cheeky wink. Think Think Think.
the black the white, the dark the fair
your colour does not matter here
there’s every nation, every race
at The Standard we can all embrace
God Loves You All
Personally what baffles me is the sheer authoritarian nastiness the ABC clique has employed. If they had an honest argument they would have used it and while a few egos’ might of gotten bruised; we would not be where we are now with a weakened Labour party leader trying desperately to hose down this kind of damaging dissension … and long-time loyal activists openly contemplating leaving Labour behind.
Not dealing honestly with issues always makes them worse.
Infiltration of the LP began decades ago, why should it be a surprise that there are still such types who make up the *core* of the party, are the same who are forging such damage and giving the NACT such a free ride, because that’s whats really going on!
Same techniques rinse and repeat, and people still fall for it!
RL: Personally what baffles me is the sheer authoritarian nastiness the ABC clique has employed.
Yes, that, the bullying, the suppression of dissent from members, and the manipulation of the MSM to create a false narrative of Cunliffe attempting a coup, resulting in the smearing of Cunliffe – that all leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, and has resulted in the development of a feeling of distrust in Team Shearer. I don’t know how all that damage can be easily undone.
I doubt the MSM were manipulated. More likely they were accomplices. That was certainly the impression I got observing their activity (or some of it) at the Labour Conference.
now, when shall we see mowing over lightbulbs on the A40 sit-com stop rerunnin? hmmm?
hmmm? (keep listening to RNZ, might learn an unPopular thing or two)
Well, from just observing the reports in the MSM, it looked like some mutual attempts at manipulation – by the Labour Caucus anonymous leakers and journalists manufacturing their own version of the story.
SST-
some gristle in the OECD article;
-% income spent on housing-29-36th of 36 (rankings)
-child poverty-20/36
-work life (un)-balance-30/36
“Oh the humidity…” get a haircut, and get a productive job.
Laws-bit of a pavlova himself by the sounds and look of it (nothin’ personal, just gristle between my
teeth) No need to mince words, spit ’em out; elicit not my fluffy, feathered friend; we already know what the conclusions are, including needing a woman to hold your hand while you manipulate that
peace (holmes already had his trial) sons, your lives are over, ours have just begun.
Ozzy Osbourne airoport, where the big jet engines roar…(Birmingham)
In September 2012 Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel attempted to break the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) with a bid to privatize Chicago’s public schools. The mayor’s proposal was based on a plan to subject teachers (and schools) to performance measurement based on students’ standardized test scores.
Teachers whose students scored poorly would be fired. Schools whose students scored poorly would be closed. The students would then be farmed out to so-called “charter schools” – for the most part, for-profit institutions run by corporations like Edison Schools, Rocketship, Victory Schools, and Educational Services of America.
The rest of the article takes a somewhat dark line, but this opening strikes a very familiar chord.
still lovin’ ya work Floccular, gobsmacked as usual
a Molly of an anecdote, Take Note!
remain positive Mike;glass half full
great Macro analysis as per
potential TRP pragmatic potential http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_witches
(problematic for Wesley)
don’t be so glum-jump in puddles (lux ury may be found for tramps under bridges)
kc and the Sonshine band (thats the way aha aha I like it)
numerator Jenny, not numero uno (hubris cometh before?)
forget Georgy peter puddin’ pie; com municate with George
one outta the box and into the Pink (all pink inside)
a dab one-two analysis left hook; southpaw?
reasoned as usual Red. Peoples Power (Patti Smith)
keep on Going North.Not too much turf on the fire aye Bill (smoke gets in their I’s)
hope it’s all Rosie for you too-Guten Morgen / Tag
“don’t be so glum-jump in puddles (lux ury may be found for tramps under bridges)”
Yep. I’m probably the least glum person I know, being honest.
The Silver Chair – the serpent scene. A burnt foot doesn’t matter when you know what matters.
“One word, Ma’am,” he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. “One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we’re leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that’s a small loss if the world’s as dull a place as you say.”
Wittgesntein, language games (i.e., ‘babies playing a game’):
“Something new (spontaneous, specific) is always a language-game” (Philosophical Investigations, p. 224)”
Vaclav Havel:
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
I keep reading on this site about the need for policy and that it is more important than personalities. I tend to agree with this but think it is very important to have good leadership AS WELL.
If you want to see what one party’s policy is, relating to the current world economic crisis, then go to this site http://www.democrats.org.nz/; here you will find an abundance of policy for real change which both Labour and the Greens would do well to study. I think it is fairly obvious that REAL CHANGE is not going to come from Labour OR the Greens
I find it amazing that SOME of these policies (and Social Credit as a party) have not had any mention during these trying times.
DEBATE is lively in this forum, just before the end of the year. But again, it is the selected few raising voices and ideas, those who take interest, follow, read, learn and are informed.
Regrettably you are all too few. I dread again, for days we get the usual end of year shit news from MSM (mainstream media), about traffic, sales turnovers, the feeding at the missions, the accidents in bush, on beaches and on the roads. The odd crime story fills in, and there is heaps of weather prediction, always a bit off what really will come.
FFS, is this what NZ is about, I ask yet again?
I know many here know a better part of NZ, but I am talking about the supposed “masses” of brain-washed consumers, leisure holidayers, and those just not interested in others, rather themselves to have a bloody good time. Christmas was again a shocker, with NO CULTURE of any sorts, no enlightenment, nothing worth reading, watching or listening to.
The dumbing down agenda is working, so I am afraid.
We have a Labour leader go surfing and wanting to have lots of BBQ fun. He is mellow, shallow and a no-hoper. An opposition that only really comes in force from the minor players (so far) in “opposition”. We have a country on the brink, but all have gone on holdays now, forget the future and the needs of the people, I suppose. If you cannot afford it, splash out on the credit card, surely in 1 to 2 months the bills will come, and the sobering up phase. But hey, then it will be autumn and winter, fit for somber moods.
I am for a first time in a long time in contact with people in Europe, I am feeling a need to rethink my future. Do I want to spend the rest of my life in a vast, expansive farm yard, short of ideas, where revolutionary thinking and great ideas will NEVER catch on with most, or do I perhaps seek a chance to get back to what I call “civilisation” and informed people?
Honestly, I am at a stage in my life, where I am ready to call it quits for NZ, I see little hope at all for this small post colonial place. It is sooooooo depressing and hopeless. Not even presenting media, and others with scandalous information and facts moves anything.
I am tired of living in a dictatorship or some kind of dumbo land.
Happy New Year, whatever you may be able to make of it.
Yes I understand what you are saying Xtasy, there is a lot of truth in what you are saying. However it could be worse, we could be in AUSTRALIA. Just keep positing on the Standard, I enjoy your posts.
I felt really inspired for the first time this year on listening to Owen Glenn (RNZ 7.30 ish) talking about his commission of inquiry into child abuse and violence. He has a web site which I am yet to visit and he hopes to have a blue print ready in the first quarter of 2014. A panel of about 35 selected people are involved.
I already quit NZ Xtasy and am living in the States, National doesn’t care about human welfare or the future of New Zealand. It is the Chicago Boys project all again, John Key is just a Roger Douglas with a different name. The right wing in NZ are under the personality cult of John Key, as are the MSM. The MSM always attack the Greens and Labour, the only two parties that have people that give a damn if New Zealand stays afloat or not. The longer National stays in power, the more damaged New Zealand becomes. If you have to leave as I have, then good luck. 🙂
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
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. ...
Tonight’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 ...
It 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. ...
The 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. ...
Labour 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. ...
The 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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The rate of women killed by their partners in Australia grew by 28% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, according to new statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology ...
Ministry of Disabled People employees were promised a permanent role, but were told to start packing three weeks before their fixed term contract finished, says a former employee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Clean Energy Council / Neoen As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan C. Walsh, Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland Arrest for witchcraft (1866) by John PettieNGV, CC BY-NC In recent decades, governments the world over have increasingly taken action to address the dark history of witch-hunting. In western Europe, memorials to ...
By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent The US Department of Justice is being urged to condemn and cease its reliance on the “Insular Cases” — a series of US Supreme Court opinions on US territories, which have been labelled racist. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kara Dadswell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Victoria University Ask your son or daughter, niece, or nephew to draw you a picture of a sport coach. They will most probably draw a man. Why? Our latest research published in the Psychology of Sport ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Director, Krongold Clinic (Research), Monash University Shutterstock/Brian A. Jackson “Charlie” is an eight-year-old child with autism. Her parents are worried because she often responds to requests with insults, aggression and refusal. Simple demands, such ...
Imagine if three Palestinian policemen executed an Israeli youth
New Video of Fatal Shooting at West Bank Checkpoint Shows Officer’s Final Shot
Jonathan Cook writes at his Facebook page:
The unedited video of an Israeli soldier shooting dead 17-year-old Muhammad Awad Salaymeh at a Hebron checkpoint earlier this month has finally surfaced, thanks to what looks to have been a misjudgment by an Israeli journalist.
It shows conclusively, as I and others argued even based on the edited footage, that the soldiers executed the unarmed youngster. He was shot at least three times, including when he was already bent over and incapacitated from the first shot.
It’s good that the New York Times has published the video, though a shame that it has relegated it to a blog entry rather than the news pages. It would surely have been given far greater prominence had a Palestinian policeman been filmed executing an Israeli minor.
Interestingly, it seems that some in the Israeli media have had the unedited footage for a while but decided to release only the misleading, edited footage. Channel 10 reporter Roy Sharon, who uploaded the full video to his private Youtube channel, says it had been provided by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/new-video-of-fatal-shooting-at-west-bank-checkpoint-shows-officers-final-shot/
2400 years they have been fighting in that area ,I think we have some issues here that you might address ?
What an ignorant comment. Are you Garth George?
Was he with the ottomans? or the crusaders?
Nice comeback my friend. Garth George is actually almost old enough, and certainly stupid enough, to have gone on the original Crusade.
Not a nice comeback at all.
Just a facile expression of “I couldn’t give a stuff and you’re a wanker Morrissey because you do……now indulge me while I Mr Andre perform like a smartarse teenager”.
I endorse your highighting of the utter evil of the oppressed turned oppresser situation in Palestine.
Go Morrissey !
Spoken like a great peacemaker. I applaud your diplomacy ..
Leaving smartarse back to facile.
Thanks for your kind words, North. Yes, Andre’s response was a little on the facile side, I guess, but it was still wittier than what we’ve had to put up with over the last few days from poor old Te Reo Putake, Populuxe1 and McFliper.
Not to get into a bun fight ,But the only people who will make peace over there is the ordinary people .Not Iran Saudi or America or even little old Morrisey. We need to help not dictate .Facile .. some might say its not brain surgery.
It’s easily solved: just enforce the law. Israel must withdraw all of its illegal settlers from the Occupied Territories and observe the 1967 borders.
Israel and the United States are the only two obstructions to this.
And they must withdraw all of their comedians as well, obviously
With the climate projections. The near east and south med are likely to be without water and food by 2130 Best we can do is maybe address the loss of there homeland {who ever owned it.}
Gaza is often without water right now. Israel cuts it off to “discipline” the imprisoned population.
But your and my V8 will surely be the final nail in there coffin {metaphorically]
Maybe they should stop shooting rockets into Israel then.
What is Israel offering to do for the people in Gaza then?
sadly, Gaza suffering an outbreak of H1N1
Morrissey:
If you actually cared about the situation over there, you would fly over there and become hands on, instead of writing away on various pages on the internet.
Gutless.
So I can’t comment on it?
Thanks for that.
Morrissey:
Youn can comment on it all you like, but for the fact that you havent actually flew over there and helped out, shows me you probably dont really care about it.
He probably wouldn’t be allowed to. Israel has been cracking down on that sort of thing.
We don’t have it bad here with media coverage. The US media is ridiculously pro Israel such that some of the things that get printed in the Israeli media would be career ending if an American journalist published them. At least we don’t have the Israel mafia here.
We don’t have it bad here with media coverage.
Actually, my friend, we do have it that bad here. Our radio and television reporters simply parrot the same distortions and propaganda slogans that the foreign networks do. During the recent escalation of Israel’s daily attacks against the population of Gaza, some New Zealand newsreaders looked embarrassed, or even disturbed, when they were forced to recite nonsense like the standard “but Israel has denied this” after every hit on a civilian, but most of them didn’t even seem to understand what they were reading out. Greg Boyed was so robotic on Television One that he almost morphed into Peter Jennings.
The US media is ridiculously pro Israel such that some of the things that get printed in the Israeli media would be career ending if an American journalist published them.
Don’t forget there ARE some courageous and determined journalists in the US, like Glenn Greenwald, Seymour Hersh, and Matthew Lee….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFGjQqmADYI
At least we don’t have the Israel mafia here.
Again, sadly, I must disagree with you. In April 2002, when the New Zealand Herald cartoonist Malcolm Evans dared to criticize the Holy State for its depradations in the Occupied West Bank (this was just after the Jenin massacre) the Israeli embassy, in concert with the likes of David Nathan, Dame Lesley Max and David Zwarz, mounted a sustained campaign of character assassination and vilification against Evans, combined with snarling threats against the Herald‘s editor, Gavin Ellis, a weak character who needed little more than a few swear words down the telephone to frighten him. He sacked Evans eventually, replacing him with the pisspoor Rod Emmerson.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/protest-against-former-herald-editor/5/141168
Says BrettDale :
“If I actually cared about the ( _____ ) situation over here, I would become hands on, instead of writing away on various pages on the internet.
Witless.”
There, fixed it for you.
Well said, Galeandra.
Who pays Matt McCarten living expenses now days ?
Matt’s on the money this morning.
Cunlifffe no3? I would have thought that Shearer should have been up there? Having shown what a tough guy he is by smearing Cunliffe and manufacturing a coup that never was, shouldn’t Shearer be doing better than he is?
McCarten
I’d like to dispute the idea that Shearer won public support via his behaviour towards Cunliffe. In my experience, Shearer is a non-entity. This despite relentless cheerleading from the msm.
His non-entity status was only confirmed by the whanau bbq season, in which I couldn’t get any kind of decent conversation going about him with anyone. No-one was interested, yet, as always politics was the number one topic. Labour in general, however, was much discussed, mainly in the context of particular policies and its non-appearance as the opposition.
One family member has gone down his own political ‘road to damascus’ and has joined us on the left, with some passion, after many years with the right. Coincidentally he went right through school with Shearer and knew him well, he played sport with him and they were often in the same classes. He was very keen to talk politics, but when I asked him about Shearer as a he had almost nothing to say. When I asked directly about what he thought of him he said “not much”. When I asked what Shearer was like as a kid he said “he was okay”. With further questioning I found two things; he was an average student academically, and he was “pretty good” at rugby.
Anyway, this may be what the Paganiists want, a leader who makes almost no impression. (I was surprised and expected the sort of jeering that Goff attracted).
McCarten seems to have changed his tune a bit in this piece. He seems to no longer be claiming that Cunliffe staged a coup.
IF.. I were into “conspiracy”Most” media liked Mr Shearer . Seems like ,with the state of the MSM ….. Mr Cunliffe will be a good choice for the leader?
My own gathered family in Wanaka generally cancel each other out blue-red. But this time blue-green. The German tourists can’t understand the southern loathing for the Greens here. even American tourists are mystified on that.
Cunliffe knows he was outplayed. Can’t understand the radio silence from him. After all if Chippie and Jones can … And Cunliffe should stop relying on supporters here on this site to do his heavy lifting for him.
Tell you what, anyone 55 or over here is mystified that Labour hasn’t got a plan for the country. Not communicating it is as bad as not having one.
Even the hard core Nats here see nothing is making any money (even real estate here) and surprisingly many compare Key’s Sky City deal far worse than Clark’s speeding to the Rugby. Just absolutely evident here the Nat’s desire to weaken the state has not dimmed the idea of the nation itself.
I agree with the green thing Ad. I think its a cunning plan on NZLP to let the Nats hang themselves, I do not think they need a commentary.
“Can’t understand the radio silence from him.”
That, as I understand it, is because he was silenced by caucus. At the time of his demotion he was banned from speaking publicly.
About the leadership. Long since time for Cunliffe to get back on the horse, or it’s on the truck to the glue factory.
Key’s Sky City deal far worse than Clark’s speeding to the Rugby.
You forget that KLARK ‘fraudulently’ put her signature on a painting in order to help raise funds for a worthwhile charity. Key can’t top that.
(Remember the fuss? All seems so trifling and quaint now doesn’t it?)
Even Whaleoil acknowledged a couple of days ago time was running out on Key to do anything memorable as PM.
Karol, it’s a list of those who have had a bad year. Like Shearer or not, he’s had a good year. He’s cemented his leadership, destroyed the only challenge to his authority in caucus and risen in the polls personally and taken the party up as well. He knows he will be PM in less than two years. That’s a good 12 months for a politician.
Actually believe politics to be real eh, and because you support Labour blindly, and have invested yourself into the the theatre, can’t/won’t see the reality, whats up with that?
The comment made above, is an example of the reason this country goes down the toilet a little more each day.
Thanks for that TRP!
Edit: JS -agree with what you say, except that Shearer is certainly not, a non-entity, he is in fact the polar opposite. As the NACT move further right, so the LP can be moved further center, all while some still believe they represent the left!
Transparent!
Right on karol! Cunliffe’s “allies” hardly showed themselves in a good light. “Without any internal backlash” claims McCarten – who, of course, does not mention the enormous external backlash!
The internal backlash has been stifled and hasn’t had a chance to manifest itself, but will appear in Feb if there is a leadership challenge. To date shearer has bullied everyone into silence by demanding allegiance and blind following. There could be a swift surgical coup shortly.
Not prioritizing is my issue .Plenty of preeminent people
Matt is wrong when he say there was a boost in the polls from shitting on Cunliffe. The polls went back to where they were in August and to where they have been ever since Phil & Annette took over. No change, despite an atrocious year from Key.
Matt is swallowing a line fed to him and Young an Trevett.
Labour is doing SHITE in the polls.
Saying otherwise is like polishing a turd.
If you say something with enough repetition if will be assumed to be true therefore becomes fact to a host of people, ie the Cunliffe leadership challenge.
IMHO it appears that’s what he trying to do.
I have not looked up yet how much salary Cunliffe lost from being exiled to the back bench.
Cunliffe is not in politics for the money. As I understand it, he and his wife are wealthy in their own right. Makes for an interesting point of difference between him and some in the ABC club.
There is a Key Research HOS poll in this morning’s herald (not online). National is on 46.9%, Labour 30.7, theGreens 13.3 and NZF 3%.
Makes you wonder how much trashing of the country has to occur before people decide to switch.
Another good poll result for the left, Micky. If even the HOS poll shows National falling short of a majority at the end of 2012, then we can be pretty happy going into 2013. Time for Labour to start calling for a snap election, methinks.
Don’t know TRP. Labour’s gain is at NZF’s expense and last election it is clear that some of NZF’s support came from Labour voters trying to give the party an ally.
And I don’t think the tactic of Shearer trashing the party’s best and brightest to “cement” his leadership is one with any long term benefits.
You’re right about the Labour support going Winston’s way, but at the next election, I think National supporters are more likely to make that tactical choice. Tories would would see Labour/NZF as more palatable than Lab/Greens, so the English effect may re-appear.
As for trashing the best and brightest, Cunliffe is bright, but he’s been bested. It’s over for him and like the plucky contender picking himself up from the canvas, he never saw it coming.
“he never saw it coming.”
I suppose that is why they pick the spot right between the shoulder blades.
I always aim for the face, because king hits are tools of cowards and the inferior. 😉
And I never give anything, let alone trust or votes, to anyone who can’t attack from the front.
Um TRP if the party is going to be run in such a way it is not going to improve its position and the best and brightest activists will go off to the greens. This idea of maintaining power at all costs is very dangerous.
Tempted as I am to rerun Muldoon’s joke about emigration to Oz, I don’t see any signs that Labour activists are moving to the Greens, other than a few grumpy comments here. I’m not a fan of power at all costs either, but if power comes at the cost of sidelining the unproven David Cunliffe, I’m not too bothered. The task from here on in is to see a left coalition Government elected and its the policies I care about, not the pollies.
“sidelining the unproven David Cunliffe”
Wait, how many significant Ministerial portfolios has David Shearer held?
I don’t see any signs that Labour activists are moving to the Greens, other than a few grumpy comments here
I have seen a few and I suspect some are waiting to see what happens over the next few months.
+1
+1
I guess it depends who you’re talking to, TRP when it comes to what way Labour supporters will vote. If you’re talking mostly with people who supported Labour in the last election, then you’ll find that they’re not at all happy with the way the Labour caucus/Shearer is going at the moment and they’re looking at future voting alternatives. If you’re talking to Nat supporters, well – they”ll be happy with whatever the Nats do so they won’t leave their ship! No Nat supporter that I’ve ever come across has ever voted Labour – not even last election when Key said they’d sell SOEs did the Nats around where I live change their vote and then expressed shock, horror at the thought of SOEs being sold !
+1
Seasons Greetings TRP. I wouldn’t write off Cunliffe just yet.
Cunliffe may be only keeping his silence as a tactical move until February. Win or lose, Cunliffe, unlike Shearer, has something to offer the Labour Party and the country.
Hopefully he can continue to box clever.
Greetings to you too, Jenny, hope the new year is a good one for you and yours.
You are dead right about Cunliffe having something to offer and I hope he gets given some real responsibility before the election and a cabinet post after it. I also have a sneaking suspicion Shearer will surprise us all in election year by having a total cleanout of the dead wood, including the leaders of the ABC club. It would be a tactical masterstroke to go into the next election making a clean break with the people who cost Labour the last election.
Indeed TRP. I’ve heard rumours that just such a move is under consideration. It would be good to see a rejuvenated front-bench. One of the things that has upset me most about the infighting is that is has divided some of the party’s best up and coming talent. Robertson, Hipkins, Adern, et al should be working with Cunliffe, Wall, Moroney, et al to forge a new, competent, and assertive parliamentary Labour Party but instead have been put on separate sides by the wealth of ill-feeling created by Mallard, Goff, King, et all. Then there’s the non-aligned (or less aligned?) new blood such as Andrew Little and David Clark who are doing good things but would be able to perform even more effectively if their talents were nested in a more functional caucus.
I think that Shearer’s difficulty with members would disappear overnight if he dealt with the old toxic elements of the caucus.
I also think that we’d see more political successes from Labour and with them, more courage to push harder and lefter. As far as I can tell most of the younger caucus members hold very similar solid left views regardless of the “camp” they are in – it’s the older lot that are still locked into the third-way belief that the electorate won’t tolerate social democratic initiatives (this may be the last remnant legacy of the fourth Labour govt) .
Agreed entirely.
TRP @ 9:29am and IB.
You give me hope. I think the clean-out needs to start with the re-shuffle coming up soon, and be well and truly complete before the end of this year so we go into election year with a tried and true fresh slate. Shearer hasn’t earned my support yet, but if he pulls this one off I’ll happily rescind my criticisms – fully and publicly on The Standard blog site!
Yes, I agree Anne. Hope and a way forward for all!
How many decades has Nz politics been sending this country down the toilet again!
Clean outs, reshuffles, camps, factions – Yeah thats about as helpful as optimism that the system can turn itself around.
Shearer’s at 25% preferred PM in the poll, Cunliffe and Ardern 0.6%, just behind Goff on 0.8% and just ahead of Colin Craig on 0.5% and Hone Harawira on 0.4%. Shearer’s numbers are up 50% from the last Reid Research poll, so starting to look respectable. Key is still holding National up all by himself – the accompanying article says that if National’s partners hold Epsom and Ohariu they can still govern. That’s pretty tenuous this far out from 2014. And New Zealanders still oppose asset sales by two to one.
Indeed Mike, just think how much better Shearer would be doing with a refresh on top of his recent rise – he was heralded as the new broom, after all.
This is very encouraging talk.
@ muzza
The ‘system’ inside and organisation including a political party can turn itself around. It probably can’t happen as fast as we would like but, believe it or not, I actually believe the Clark government was carefully putting the building blocks in place. Bear in mind, they had two conservative minor parties to contend with (and that was delivered them by the voters) so progress was slow. There’s no reason why a Labour/Green government-elect in 2014 can’t complete the job.
Actually a majority of delegates at the Labour conference started the ball rolling, and it was directly responsible for the ABC club hissy fit. The last throes of a dying third way belief ?
Hi Anne,
Could you elaborate on your comments about the Clark governments building blocks ?
Your last sentence, remains to be seen, although decades of negative trending would offer very long odds, and personally I do not believe that Cunliffe is anything different to Shearer, other than having some more experience inside the local machine. I interperet the *hissy fit* as more of the theatre I have referred to many times previously, not any final death rattle, so much as yet another act in the play!
Until the critical issue of NZ’s monetary control is addressed, and examination/auditing, and public showing of the debt situation, are demanded by those who are *playing politician*, then optimism has NO place, as it will simply allow the deterioration/theft to continue!
Well any shift back to the left would be welcome.
If there’s a clean out of the “old guard” I hope it includes Shane Jones, in the light of his attacks of Green policies.
It would be great to see some of the very able Labour MPs brought back in – but I hope it doesn’t mean a re-selection of John Tamihere (truly a relic from the past). I also hope more women are given prominent front bench positions, like Cunliffe, Wall, Moroney, Chauvel, etc. Under Shearer so far, thew LP has looked too macho male-dominated for me, and I would not like to see that kind of leadership in the next government.
Andrew Little has delivered some very good speeches in the House: e.g. on ACC.
I have so far had mixed responses to Ardern and Hipkins. Ardern has shown some fiery sparks of sincere advocacy for those in poverty. At other times she looks less sincere and more of a managerialist-style politician. But these two are young, so there’s time to develop. I’ll wait and see how they go.
I also have a sneaking suspicion Shearer will surprise us all in election year by having a total cleanout of the dead wood, including the leaders of the ABC club. It would be a tactical masterstroke to go into the next election making a clean break with the people who cost Labour the last election.
Firstly, hope is not suspicion, unless you have some sort of evidence leading you to believe it. What signs are there of this? Shearer has shown, if nothing else, that he is loyal to those who are loyal to him. If you are in his camp, you can get away with all sorts of damaging shit, leaking to the press, bagging potential coalition partners, general internet idiocy, none of it matters.
Secondly, the reality of the permanent campaign means that if something like this is a good idea for an election year, you should be doing it now. By the time the year rolls around it is too late. If a clean break is needed, why for god’s sake would you not make it now?
Oh yeah, personal loyalty to the people fucking up. So he’ll let them fuck up for another year, let those fuck ups continue to feed narratives, and then hope for a ‘clean break’.
A clean break, is an admission that what you were doing, sucks. That’s not the sort of admission you make a year out from an election. You should be doing it in the first year after. that gives 2 years + to build that narrative of a ‘government in waiting’. But that narrative isn’t building because the break hasn’t been made yet.
Why wait? Why is waiting a masterstroke?
“Why wait? Why is waiting a masterstroke?”
In the short term, Shearer needs the current coterie. Past the February caucus, his standing as leader will be confirmed and the LP’s hopes at the election (and the MP’s jobs) then rely on him to a large extent. The ABC club consequently have less power and less power means less influence. They will become, ahem, lame ducks. Tactically, a clean out nearer the election means the ABCers will not have time to mount a coup in response and Shearer can go into the election as his own man, beholden to none. He will gain a personal poll boost as he did when he finished Cunliffe off, being seen as a strong leader making his mark. The timing is the masterstroke I was talking about, I think it’s better later than earlier.
IB: cheers, some typically spot on analysis in your comment. Maybe a post in it?
Maybe a post in it?
Yes please. People have time for reflection at this time.
I’m wary of posting too much on Labour’s internal politics as every time I do it seems to start a shitstorm.
And it should not.
The party ought to be having a discussion about its future.
Only cowards are afraid of open discussion.
Ok, so it looks like we were thinking about different things.
Correct me if I’m wrong, please, but what you outline looks to me to be something like this:
Shearer needs the support of some useless idiots in caucus to avoid facing a broader party vote in Feb. He needs to avoid that vote because he can’t count on the support of the broader party.
So he will allow the idiots to remain being idiots until the threat from his lack of support in the broader party has been circumvented, and then he will stab the idiots in the back and replace them with some of thee people who would rather have let the broader party have a say.
Everyone starts singing kumbayah.
Sorry, but that to me looks like a really good play for a leader who is shoring up personal support in a weak position. It ignores that fact that leadership of the party isn’t the main goal of politics.
TRP, I don’t think he does need the ABC. In fact I think if he did sweep them out and bring the younger MPs of the two camps together there’s no way the half dozen MPs that make up the old guard would have the numbers to make the February vote and Cunliffe and his supporters would have no need to. What are the old guard going to do? Put Trev or Phil up as their new champion?
IB, while I agree his doesn’t need them in the long term , he does need them now. If the Feb vote is unanimous, and it should be, then Shearer has the whip hand and can afford to make his move at a time of his choosing. But he’d be foolish to rock the boat now.
If the strategy is to consolidate power and set the scene for the future, the immediate tactic is to formalise his authority in caucus. That means looking to repeat the unanimous vote post conference, not merely get the 60% plus one majority, so a move now would be way too early.
Following on what PB has said, if Shearer does intend to burn off the ABC club, what sort of a leadership does he actually have in mind for himself? So far he has given no indication, and the only thing I have seen him do with conviction is demote and silence the man that he saw as his main challenger. Was the Rufus Painter speech, and his limp defence of it, a sop to supporters with whom he intends to break ranks? Does he really think that left and right are not fruitful ways of conceptualising issues, or was that another sop?
There have been a few comments over the past day or two that raise questions that run far deeper than poll results.
RedLogix cited a conversation with Michael Cullen, who “…took the pains to explain to me in my naivety that governments can only operate within what is considered the acceptable ‘paradigm’ of the day. That some things were possible and others were a step too far at the time.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/amidst-thencircling-gloom/#comment-566727
Elsewhere, Sanctuary said, in a tone of exasperation, “I don’t see a fear of ideological purity, I see a fear of losing the benefits of being part of the elite.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/mud-slinging/#comment-567859
Bearing these comments in mind, this is the question to which I would like a straight answer from whoever leads the Labour Party. If you are taken to one side after the election, and told that the Nats have run the economy into the ground, and that you must introduce measures that squeeze the most vulnerable even further, what are you going to do?
The crucial question is whether our government is there to protect foreign interests, to the career advantage of local representatives, or there to defend the interests of the citizens, including the most vulnerable citizens.
The problem goes deeper than leadership. Labour has during 2012 simply not presented itself as a credible “next government”/leading coalition partner to the electorate. While the talent and ideas are there there has also been persistent feeling that everything is still inchoate with Labour which a critical 10-15% of the electorate are probably picking up on. Its something that will need to be worked upon during 2013.
To Olwyn : Bearing these comments in mind, this is the question to which I would like a straight answer from whoever leads the Labour Party. If you are taken to one side after the election, and told that the Nats have run the economy into the ground, and that you must introduce measures that squeeze the most vulnerable even further, what are you going to do?
This is an important question you have asked. Perhaps the most important of all.
This is just the scenario faced by Lange/Douglas et al in 1984 which they used to go down the neo-liberal economic path. I would hope that Labour in 2014 would take us down a different track but until we know what Shearer really thinks, we cannot possibly guess what way they’d go.
The fact that we do not know what Shearer thinks looks ominous to me. Along with his tendency to sidestep rather than address criticisms, his previous status as an international elite, and the panicked response of his crew when Cunliffe had the temerity to suggest that Labour would not make do with amputating your leg a little lower than National would. I should throw in as well his fan club of right wing shills. It seems to me that if he had more to offer than managing NZ on behalf of its “investors” he would by now have said so, loud and clear.
+1
It may or may not be ominous, Olwyn. But that’s the problem. Maybe it has been a strategy to win over the MSM etc first. However, during the last year, there has been an erosion of trust. So, now, even if Shearer comes out and sincerely advocates for a strong left/labour movement position, how do we know he will stick to that once in government?
I would prefer that Team Shearer does take leadership of a strong left agenda, but I will still be voting Mana or Green in order to have representation from parties that would be most likely to keep a Labour-led government “honest”.
Caving to what some might see as the media’s demands does not amount to winning them over. Clark won the media over, though she lost them, after seven or eight years, to Key. But she did so with forthrightness, friendliness and clear articulation, not by purporting to follow a centre-right line.
The most crucial question to me lies with the difference between having the representation of New Zealanders as your focus, including and especially the most vulnerable, and selling your brand to New Zealanders in order to manage them on behalf of the international elite. One cannot expect miracles when corporatism has rendered us a more-or-less occupied country, but one can distinguish between a politician who employs their energy and their wiles on our behalf, and one who simply facilitates our exploitation while enhancing their own career prospects.
There are no shortcuts, Micky. People will not vote Labour just because they aren’t National. The old saying that goes ‘Oppositions don’t win elections, Governments lose them’ does have an unspoken proviso that the Opposition needs to meet a minimum standard of competence.
At the moment, Labour is a complete fail. People don’t have any idea what they stand for, who their leader is, or any confidence in their day-to-day political management and performance. They’ve been overshadowed by the Greens and Winston all year.
To put it bluntly, no matter how much Key screws up, people won’t go for Labour in its current form. That leaves Key wide open to do whatever he likes.
The Greens are proving very competent, but they are still a minor party in most people’s eyes. To have a change of government, people need to regain confidence in the main Opposition party – Labour. And it doesn’t look like happening anytime soon.
Maybe the country isn’t being trashed the way you say it is. The Xmas receipts were well up from last year, indicating people had money in their pockets and weren’t worried about spending it ie confidence in their jobs and the way the country is going maybe.
Or were those just the rich pricks? If so there seem to be a lot of rich pricks around.
So, what changes will Labour/Watermelon make, and how will it improve things? Or will they start us backwards down the track to Greece and Zimbabwe?
Christmas retail up just 3.3%, after retail in general has been down all year. Unless the trend continues in January and February, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
Micky – thanks. This hardly endorses McCarten’s insistence of increased support for Labour since the crucifixion (“destroyed” is the word chosen by TRP) of Cunliffe by Shearer! Never mind, tons of time for a Cunliffe “resurrection” yet!!
Hi Doc. I think you are right, a Cunliffe “resurrection” should not be ruled out, in fact I think it is almost compulsory. In politics “resurrection” is the rule, rather than the exception.
Big banks, FBI, Homeland Security and local law enforcement actively worked together to collect intelligence on Occupy activists, and violently crush Occupy protests right across the USA. Draw your own conclusions about what the melding of corporate and state power means to all of us.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/29/fbi-coordinated-crackdown-occupy
What do people think the *intelligence* networks do all day long, jesus it obviously took control of the *arab spring* and engineered it towards the desired outcomes across the board, why on earth would occupy have been any different, *intelligence* is not a new industry!
Edit: Brett Dale, what are you on about?
Cheers for the link Napkins; very informative
Yes, thanks napkins. I’ve seen that issue mentioned before, but it reminded me & I think I can use the link in a future post.
Disgusting what Russia did, using Orphans to score political points off the usa, funny how the green party and te mana and the labour party are silent over Russia’s repugnant actions, despite telling people how they’re the party that cares about childern.
This is what happens when diplomatic relations between major powers deteriorate badly. Ordinary people get caught in the middle. Russia was always going to retaliate against the US Magnitsky Act which targets senior Russian officials.
You cannot be too disgusted, you are using those very same children whose treatment has very little to do with New Zealand politics, (unless you think we are simply a US proxy state), to score stupid political points against New Zealand political party’s…
International adoptions are a fraught area: there’s arguments for and against it. Some argue against it as encouraging the international marketing of children. Others think it is traumatic or the child to take them away from their home culture.
Crikey! It’s the weekend?! Well it’s been a blur of heat and humidity all week. Nice breeze a blowing now though…. thank god.
Thank god (or ratepayers rather) for libraries too. Stocked up on reading matter on xmas eve including Mojo music mags. Quote of the week has to be from Don Letts speaking on John Lydon (Mojo, August 2012)
“People are scared when somebody else speaks up when they haven’t got the guts to. People want to squash it”
This made me think of the silence/cognitive dissonance/apathy we have in NZ during one of the most painful political times we have experienced in a awhile. Bring the noise I say!! (Apologies for being a bit political on the social pages)And on that note: Arohanui to the authors and moderators here at The Standard. You are a wise and strong collective,whose work is much appreciated by myself and many other commentors and readers for sure. I wish you well for your ongoing and increasing success in 2013.
To commentors and readers: The very best of health and happiness to you in 2013, especially to those of you whose path has not been easy – may you find the change you are looking for. Kia Kaha
PS: Moved this comment from weekend social as its semi social, semi political. Big ups all:-)
beginning with an Adneckdote;
-over a post S.A 😉 service cuppa tea the Lord led an itinerant “farmer” to engage with me. After the usual pissing comparison of our denominational journeys (his first step int the S.A, via marriage),we came around to politics; he asked if I belonged, I said I’m joining Labour, red (and black) through and through, whatta bout you, Blue?
His words-(now this is really funny)” No! John Key has done as much damage to this country as Helen Clark did” (he exclaimed from the heart of his airtex shirt and Tussock Creek moleskins).
then, then,”You should join the Conservative Party (assumed i’m conservative obviously; i don’t even look freakin’ conservative, i look a cross between John and Rasputin). You’re joining the Labour Party??? There are more gays in in there than anything”, and then he immediately got up before i could reply (well, spose i already had with my pierced eyes 🙂 ), saying I gotta go (probably to wash his mouth out), grabbed his “bible” and strode off; must have been the bright light hurting his briefly opened mind. Very sad, yet, something to bear in mind (bear, now that’s funny), cos it’s all about
impressions, and although i find David Clark interesting to listen to, and think Charles is well spoken,
Robertson worries me personally.
Some more Bad Company
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Od-upLZH0
Deal?
Shooting from the lip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kEDa6bXnA8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UbRhH_bN1A
Feel me inside you?
Twitter war has broken out between McCarten, Henare,Mallard according to the
Herald, over comments Matt has made in his opinion piece.
Your post got me intrigued, and I’ve just had a look at Henare’s Twitter account. It’s full of fascinating entries, like this….
“Now at St Lukes L’Occitane. Smellies for my wife’s BDay. Yum”
Even for a Twitter entry, making the effort to write that strikes me as a particularly fatuous waste of time.
Henare’s moronic tweets also display his lingering bitterness towards Trevor Mallard, after Mallard clouted him in Parliament a couple of years ago.
https://twitter.com/tauhenare
TOO MUCH MARIHUANA, PERHAPS?
Hollywood entertainment lawyer Mark Litwak interviewed by Simon Morris
Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 30 December 2012, 1:25 p.m.
A neat example of two minds: one just a bit too laid back and one razor-sharp…
MORRIS: You were talking about the ninety-day, errrrr—
LITWAK: Gap.
MORRIS: Gap, yes.
If Morris keeps on with the woolly-minded “errrrr” and “ummmm” stuff, Leighton (Ummmmm, Errrrrr, Ahmmmm) Smith and Larry (Lackwit) Williams had better look to their laurels; someone else could be contending for the title of dopiest person on the air….
Simon will be fine, he could consume 24/7 and still be 500 years ahead of those two fools from shittalkZB.
That’s true, but for a moment there this afternoon he sounded unnervingly like a NewstalkZB…. ummmm, errrrrr, ahhhhhhhhhhmmm….. host.
Perhaps Cunliffe should start his own party with whatever true believers remain in Labour. I’d probably vote for it.
Cunliffe is not Anderton.
We have got what we have got. Leadership and vote.
My bet is Labour will only take share off NZFirst.
Election 2014 % of vote result for me:
Labour 33
Greens. 14
National 41
With remaining as seats: Mana 1 seat, Maori 2 seats, and United stays 1
Labour gets back a bit more Maori. NZF vote redistributed.
Better results than that require too many planets to align.
Maybe a goer +1
anyway, the wave and a smile is my best friend, Amor fati
climbing up on Soulsbury Hill, Red Rain’s fallin’ down In Your Eyes
wherd ya’ leave the Delorean Marty, back in High School McFli?
government blacktop “binge”; there’ll be a toll to pay
no Transmission Lawrence…radio my Transmission
It won’t happen overnight Rachal, but it will happen
that’s the panting explosion. Esau I have loved
Yet, Esau must go-Rachel grew jealous
shairing in all the duplicity and falsehood of her gasoline alley family.
Leah Laban Labia. Lamentations:the fate of the children
Suicide Blond in excess. Marvin Marvin Marvin
there are too many children crying
(heard it thru’ the grapevine) “Mine Mine Mine”
They’re all livin for the City
there’s too many children dying. Horn being train sets
In Vain. Manchester Brittle Indian cotton land. Return
of “the guardians”; tooth fairy and Bugs Bunny,
“eh wots up Doctorow. It’s one virus and calcium
deficit after another. Have you ever pulled a chain
Gang, been around or on The Block?
singin’ all day, singin’ ’bout nothin’ oh meow meow Mao
Oh Mao meow meow. The kingdom of God is near.
Apathy Agnosticism Atheism: Anarchy
Acquisition Acquiescence Appeasement: Anarchy
Behaviour Bleeding Belonging: Blessing
Saviour Sister Brother Blessing
Blessings from the Rock of our Salvation
Admit Believe Call. Concrete Blonde Always
God is a Bullet, have Mercy on us everyone.
To cut a long story short I lost my mind
(if you leave me, can I come too, and if)
You don’t, then I won’t too. Little Boys, big toys
each has a shiny “horse”, gayly they play
each summers’ day, “warriors” all of them of course
Father Father Father, there’s too many children dying
Father Father Father, men leave women cryin’
Eats, Roots and Leaves. Mama she has taught me well
Told me when I’s young, Son your life’s an open book
don’t close it ‘fore it’s done.
By the rivers of Babylon, there we set down
there air we wept
when we remembered Zion
Nothing Else Matters
never care for what they say
never care for what they do
Dare to be a Daniel, Red Blooded through and through.
Vegetarian soon she’ll be comin round the mountain
comin’ round the mountain, she’ll be comin round
the mounting when she comes.
(Driver 8 take a break, we’ve been on this “trip” too long)
The Bible is often overlooked tunneling under war monuments
We’re in his hands, Idle Hands and all that Sin City jazz
We can change the world, with our own Two Hands
A-men O-men, when I see your face again
Ben-Harper. The days I cannot see have all been planned.
enter No Plea. Barter. Paraclete will see you through.
scourged him to the bone The Romans did
Thank God for Joseph of Arimathea .
meanwhile, the church packed it’s bags
sat at the Bus Stop waiting for The Rapture
who shares their umbrella. A Long Cool
Women in a black dress, working for the FBI
at the time of Elisha, the more “wailers” you paid
the more sadness you weighed:Elisha had P.R
The Inheritance we have is the presence of God.
Billy Graham left the bus tours and knelt
After Wesley; wore that carpet out Side By Side
Onward Caritas Soldiers support and comfort
The Poor will always be with us; there is an increase.
Pirates.Radio Hauraki run up The Jolly Roger
-cheeky wink. Think Think Think.
the black the white, the dark the fair
your colour does not matter here
there’s every nation, every race
at The Standard we can all embrace
God Loves You All
-The Great Commissioner (All Around My Hat)
I just have to say, Rogue Trooper, that your contributions are a breath of fresh air.
They’re like a kind of free-flow rationality that gather up the edits off the cutting floor and stitch them back together.
Whatever your muse is, let it keep speaking and, then, sit back and relax. You will have done more than your bit to make a human(e) place.
I like to think I have a muse too, sometimes. More like Bach’s – all disciplined and structured. But yours is full to overflowing in every line.
All the best 🙂
Too many parties on the left already pop.
Personally what baffles me is the sheer authoritarian nastiness the ABC clique has employed. If they had an honest argument they would have used it and while a few egos’ might of gotten bruised; we would not be where we are now with a weakened Labour party leader trying desperately to hose down this kind of damaging dissension … and long-time loyal activists openly contemplating leaving Labour behind.
Not dealing honestly with issues always makes them worse.
Infiltration of the LP began decades ago, why should it be a surprise that there are still such types who make up the *core* of the party, are the same who are forging such damage and giving the NACT such a free ride, because that’s whats really going on!
Same techniques rinse and repeat, and people still fall for it!
Agreed.
RL: Personally what baffles me is the sheer authoritarian nastiness the ABC clique has employed.
Yes, that, the bullying, the suppression of dissent from members, and the manipulation of the MSM to create a false narrative of Cunliffe attempting a coup, resulting in the smearing of Cunliffe – that all leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, and has resulted in the development of a feeling of distrust in Team Shearer. I don’t know how all that damage can be easily undone.
I doubt the MSM were manipulated. More likely they were accomplices. That was certainly the impression I got observing their activity (or some of it) at the Labour Conference.
ya sure got your gun Annee 🙂
now, when shall we see mowing over lightbulbs on the A40 sit-com stop rerunnin? hmmm?
hmmm? (keep listening to RNZ, might learn an unPopular thing or two)
Well, from just observing the reports in the MSM, it looked like some mutual attempts at manipulation – by the Labour Caucus anonymous leakers and journalists manufacturing their own version of the story.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/124542/ngo-wants-investigation-into-fiji-draft-constitution-burning
Anyone surprised?
SST-
some gristle in the OECD article;
-% income spent on housing-29-36th of 36 (rankings)
-child poverty-20/36
-work life (un)-balance-30/36
“Oh the humidity…” get a haircut, and get a productive job.
Laws-bit of a pavlova himself by the sounds and look of it (nothin’ personal, just gristle between my
teeth) No need to mince words, spit ’em out; elicit not my fluffy, feathered friend; we already know what the conclusions are, including needing a woman to hold your hand while you manipulate that
peace (holmes already had his trial) sons, your lives are over, ours have just begun.
Ozzy Osbourne airoport, where the big jet engines roar…(Birmingham)
British Steel
http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_77826/judas-priest/songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWhInhE6emE
just keep on breakin’ the law
-priest 😉
Fireworks and slushies
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/
regarding these OECD “I’ve had a wonderful day” Rankin??? David David David
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressive_realism
Smile. You’re on Candide Camera 🙂
NZH-“Ni hao.Huan ying, huan ying!) Welcome the Chinese (now where have i read that before?)
-patupaiarehe (great minds and all that blubber) 😉
Stumbled across this gem at TruthOut (although the original source is Australian Options)
The rest of the article takes a somewhat dark line, but this opening strikes a very familiar chord.
All hail the US Democratic Party.
and that’s a wrap (linen I pray, not disposable, it all comes out with Bleach-Nirvana) 🙂
still lovin’ ya work Floccular, gobsmacked as usual
a Molly of an anecdote, Take Note!
remain positive Mike;glass half full
great Macro analysis as per
potential TRP pragmatic potential
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_witches
(problematic for Wesley)
don’t be so glum-jump in puddles (lux ury may be found for tramps under bridges)
kc and the Sonshine band (thats the way aha aha I like it)
numerator Jenny, not numero uno (hubris cometh before?)
forget Georgy peter puddin’ pie; com municate with George
one outta the box and into the Pink (all pink inside)
a dab one-two analysis left hook; southpaw?
reasoned as usual Red. Peoples Power (Patti Smith)
keep on Going North.Not too much turf on the fire aye Bill (smoke gets in their I’s)
hope it’s all Rosie for you too-Guten Morgen / Tag
Gute Nacht
-Joseph
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXRGdZdonM
(some Trenchcoat Rock)
“don’t be so glum-jump in puddles (lux ury may be found for tramps under bridges)”
Yep. I’m probably the least glum person I know, being honest.
The Silver Chair – the serpent scene. A burnt foot doesn’t matter when you know what matters.
“One word, Ma’am,” he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. “One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we’re leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that’s a small loss if the world’s as dull a place as you say.”
Wittgesntein, language games (i.e., ‘babies playing a game’):
“Something new (spontaneous, specific) is always a language-game” (Philosophical Investigations, p. 224)”
Vaclav Havel:
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
William James and “The Will to Believe”.
Puddleglum’s Wager.
Forget about ‘religion’, ‘God’ or whatever. That’s an unfortunate distraction. Think about what is valuable to you (and everyone).
Nothing to be glum about, so far as I can see.
Searching for a better world makes perfect sense. Even a (political) scientist would have to agree.
(Hint: It’s the tension between the ‘actual’ and the ‘possible’).
Three questions:
1. What happens if Shearer does not involve the wider party membership in February’s leadership vote?
2. What happens if he does and Cunliffe wins?
3, What does Cunliffe then do about the ABCer’s?
Either way the Labour Party is pretty much stuffed for the next few years until it gets it’s shit together.
1. Nothing of note, other than permanent sidelining of this site by leadership.
2. He won’t win. Cunliffe will only get a Shadow slot if King goes, and beats Wilde.
3. He will never win. Never has won them over. permanent 40% spill cycle is result if he ever does.
I keep reading on this site about the need for policy and that it is more important than personalities. I tend to agree with this but think it is very important to have good leadership AS WELL.
If you want to see what one party’s policy is, relating to the current world economic crisis, then go to this site http://www.democrats.org.nz/; here you will find an abundance of policy for real change which both Labour and the Greens would do well to study. I think it is fairly obvious that REAL CHANGE is not going to come from Labour OR the Greens
I find it amazing that SOME of these policies (and Social Credit as a party) have not had any mention during these trying times.
Leadership from the NZ Democrats should put up regular posts on The Standard, on topical issues. I’m sure that would be most welcome.
DEBATE is lively in this forum, just before the end of the year. But again, it is the selected few raising voices and ideas, those who take interest, follow, read, learn and are informed.
Regrettably you are all too few. I dread again, for days we get the usual end of year shit news from MSM (mainstream media), about traffic, sales turnovers, the feeding at the missions, the accidents in bush, on beaches and on the roads. The odd crime story fills in, and there is heaps of weather prediction, always a bit off what really will come.
FFS, is this what NZ is about, I ask yet again?
I know many here know a better part of NZ, but I am talking about the supposed “masses” of brain-washed consumers, leisure holidayers, and those just not interested in others, rather themselves to have a bloody good time. Christmas was again a shocker, with NO CULTURE of any sorts, no enlightenment, nothing worth reading, watching or listening to.
The dumbing down agenda is working, so I am afraid.
We have a Labour leader go surfing and wanting to have lots of BBQ fun. He is mellow, shallow and a no-hoper. An opposition that only really comes in force from the minor players (so far) in “opposition”. We have a country on the brink, but all have gone on holdays now, forget the future and the needs of the people, I suppose. If you cannot afford it, splash out on the credit card, surely in 1 to 2 months the bills will come, and the sobering up phase. But hey, then it will be autumn and winter, fit for somber moods.
I am for a first time in a long time in contact with people in Europe, I am feeling a need to rethink my future. Do I want to spend the rest of my life in a vast, expansive farm yard, short of ideas, where revolutionary thinking and great ideas will NEVER catch on with most, or do I perhaps seek a chance to get back to what I call “civilisation” and informed people?
Honestly, I am at a stage in my life, where I am ready to call it quits for NZ, I see little hope at all for this small post colonial place. It is sooooooo depressing and hopeless. Not even presenting media, and others with scandalous information and facts moves anything.
I am tired of living in a dictatorship or some kind of dumbo land.
Happy New Year, whatever you may be able to make of it.
Yes I understand what you are saying Xtasy, there is a lot of truth in what you are saying. However it could be worse, we could be in AUSTRALIA. Just keep positing on the Standard, I enjoy your posts.
I felt really inspired for the first time this year on listening to Owen Glenn (RNZ 7.30 ish) talking about his commission of inquiry into child abuse and violence. He has a web site which I am yet to visit and he hopes to have a blue print ready in the first quarter of 2014. A panel of about 35 selected people are involved.
I already quit NZ Xtasy and am living in the States, National doesn’t care about human welfare or the future of New Zealand. It is the Chicago Boys project all again, John Key is just a Roger Douglas with a different name. The right wing in NZ are under the personality cult of John Key, as are the MSM. The MSM always attack the Greens and Labour, the only two parties that have people that give a damn if New Zealand stays afloat or not. The longer National stays in power, the more damaged New Zealand becomes. If you have to leave as I have, then good luck. 🙂