Tom Scott on RNZ saying he thought Nisbet’s cartoon was not funny and that he, Tom Scott, did not target the vulnerable. Apparently he’s drawn a cartoon about the cartoon. If someone knows where to find this online, can they put the link here?
I guess I missed the press release from the SST that expressed outrage about their manifestly inadequate sentencing and the criminals keeping their homes instead of paying reparations to the people they stole from.
I’m fine with home detention for non-violent offenders. It’s just a pity that they get to keep theirs rather than having them confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Under normal circumstances, I don’t see much point in custodial sentences. In cases such as this, though, I can see one compelling argument to lock these guys up. Conditions inside prison will never improve as long as they’re full of poor brown people. The more rich white motherfuckers locked up, the better, at least until we see real change.
The Herald is worried Doug G might lose his knighthood and wonders if that’s fair. If my reading is correct its not because the offending had nothing to do with the reason he got a knighthood. You know, we wouldn’t have this ‘problem’ of deknighting if we didn’t knight in the first place.
Agreed. Certainly give him the chance to do the right thing.
Clearly the title means something and by associating the title with a investment company there was an expectation of greater diligence, that the titled person would safeguard their honored status. It stands therefore that the title should be given up, or taken off them.
Dr Norman will speak at the conference in Christchurch tomorrow and is expected to take a hard-hitting stance on the Government’s passing of legislation that his party feel are unconstitutional.
I’m not a fan of “Harvey” Norman, but credit where it’s due, he seems to have come a ways since he was overwhelmingly voted into coventry by party members on Frogblog when he was trying to justify voting for the CERA outrage.
Also interesting is that most sessions of the upcoming party AGM will be held behind closed doors to facilitate members being able to freely air differences of opinion without fear of the media misrepresenting such openness as evidence of the party split asunder. This seems to be a move away from the pan-party trend of conferences being mere show ponies, with all the important decision making done by the elite few amongst themselves without reference to the membership.
The cartoons were stereotyping Polynesians as spending their money on cigarettes and gambling.
“That is wrong … Some parents living in poverty do their very, very, very best to feed their children, and probably don’t even rely on food in schools and other things,” Ms Devoy said.
It’s funny how her bigotry leaks out when she’s trys to look like she is doing her job.
Note also, that as race relations commissioner, she focusses on poverty rather than racism, which downplays the racist nature of the cartoons.
There is tho a small ray of hope yet for the Dame, She deserves 1 brownie point for at least holding the press conference and giving that offensive little rag a slagging,
i see Her point about Her acting from within the legislation which governs Her role and it has become more than obvious that the legislation needs a serious make-over,
Down here in the gutter the over-monied red neck scum cannot really insult us with their snippets of abuse as such will enter the ‘culture’ and simply be lampooned as is every other insult directed our way…
On the same subject i just listened to an interview with the ex editor of Wellington’s Dom-Post, (a complete fucking non-entity whose name is irrelevant), He defends the racist slurs cast in that particular cartoon on the basis that a lot of people might hold the same views as it expressed,
It’s easy to see why i do not and will not even stoop to reading that particular newspaper and to insert any further comment about such commentary and the scum at RadioNZ giving such views oxygen would have me run the risk of publishing comments directly intended to incite violence….
The Press has an article toady about Nisbet and illustrates it’s text with two Nisbet cartoons.
One clearly shows Eastern Christchurch to be unkempt and poorly maintained (obviously a deliberate slight on it’s less well off residents) and the other clearly denigrates red headed people, showing them as criminal incompetents.
The government, i.e. Steven Joyce, is obviously hellbent on destroying the credibility of public institutions, especially ones like the office of Race Relations conciliator.
Last night I had the good fortune to attend a talk by Nicole Foss, editor of the Automaticearth on the subject o the current financial turbulence. To say the least she was a most informative and persuasive presenter, an intellect the size of a planet.
In reflection the largest contribution Foss makes is to effectively cancel any precepts of ongoing BAU, the contention that we can return to some prior point and distribute the pie equitably forever. That is a common concept on this blog, what Foss indicates is that the pie we divide is diminishing and will do so alarmingly. Which for me throws into stark relief the dilemma of the Left, “we only need to divide the shares of industrial civilisation fairly”.
I did not hear any left or right partisanship from Foss, no ideology, just a cold hard stare at where we are and where we are going (delivered with warmth). Time for us to wake up and see reality as it is, and to remake our world to fit the new reality. In old terms, to cut our cloth to match.
Massive rate of quality failures in recent solar panels now expected
For those who understand the irony of using up irreplaceable rare earth materials and fossil fuel energies to try and create sustainable renewable energy sources…and then have free market pressures cause this to happen.
“we only need to divide the shares of industrial civilisation fairly”.
We can’t do that as there’s too many people. About 6 billion too many.
Some countries and regions may be able to do that though as they themselves aren’t yet over populated and their resources haven’t yet been completely stripped. To do it though they need to stop all immigration, go to a steady state economy and implement full democracy. This representative democracy that only represents the richest will only continue to make things worse.
Think of it this way TC. We’re on a sinking ship. There aren’t enough lifejackets and lifeboats to go around. What do you think is a fair way to allocate saving of lives?
No. Not at all.
So you are suggesting only New Zealand should stop all immigration. Great idea. I look forward to the rest of the world not allowing NZer’s emigrating to their countries.
Isn’t your attitude to human beings who weren’t lucky enought to be born in our two islands, the same as the rich’s attitude to the poor.
They have the attitude that they are entitled to be rich for no other reason they were born into privilige.
You seem to share that attiude towards foreigners as in they can get fucked as long as we are happy.
The only way humanity will survice is with a global solution where all humans are treated equally. We can’t (as the rich do) put up a big wall around NZ and tell everyone else to fuck off. That will work for a while until desperation sets in.
You seem to share that attiude towards foreigners as in they can get fucked as long as we are happy.
Nope. Just practical realities. We can’t maintain 7 billion people at a reasonable living standard this means that there will be starvation, there will be poverty and that those countries that can will have to stop all immigration. Those that can’t, well, they’ll have war.
The only way humanity will survice is with a global solution where all humans are treated equally.
The problem is that there isn’t a global solution or, to be more precise, the global solution is what I described above.
We could have gone for the everyone treated equally and no poverty bit in about the 1950s. The 1970s it was probably still possible but the West wanted more and more people to fuel growth so that the banksters could be paid and the rest of the world, well, who knows what they wanted but what they got was more and more people.
We can’t (as the rich do) put up a big wall around NZ and tell everyone else to fuck off.
Actually, we can do that (it’s a rather difficult swim to get here) and there won’t be any desperation as we have the resources that we need. Well, there won’t be any as long as we get rid of the rich and their delusional socio-economic system.
Nice sounding principles, let’s see how NZ citizens vote on those policies once they see house prices, jobs, school places, hospital beds being taken up by a million, two million, three million new arrivals.
And DTB is right. I think we’ve overshot the planet’s long term carrying capacity by approx 6B people. So after you take in 3M of them and destroyed your own societal structures, there’s still 5997M who are going to be in dire straits.
Don’t worry Draco – The eugenics teams are hard at work, ensuring that one way or another, the herd will be culled, significantly, and sooner than later!
The Contrarian – Yup, some people are born in unfortunate places, under unfortunate circumstances.
Large enough numbers of them are already born, and living in NZ, and apparently there is little, to no appetite to address the existing levels of poverty/inequality, as such there is no room for those who are not already here, and in need of help!
Muzz and TContrary, I don’t think Draco is being eugenicist or otherwise…the reality we face is that we may be among-st the 6 billion surplus and the cold hard reality wont be a cull as opposed to a long drawn out famine / pestulence / war…you know, the standard bad bits. Might even reach supply demand equilibrium in economics talk with regard to food supply….Four horseman territory, DTB might merely be expressing some prescience.
Capitalism is killing thousands of kids a day now, so what’s new.
There is enough to go round now provided we planned sustainably and fairly.
Occupy was half there, it targetted the 1% but couldnt mobilise the 99%
Socialism is the only survival strategy both in terms of humanity and nature (which in my book is the same thing).
Marx not Malthus!
Hi Ennui – Yes, I’m quite sure Draco was not a proponent of eugenics.
I do not buy into the, *overpopulation* theory, at face value. However under current systems, manufactured scarcity, created by the *capitalist model*, has lead people to believe, that 7b, is *overpopulated*.
For one, I am quite certain that technologies are being suppressed , which would allow humanity to remove the noose of mining and burning fuels extracted from the earth, why would they not be with-held from the rest of us!
Clean technology, life enhancing, sustaining models which could enable the flourishing of humanity, in ways which most people, simply can’t, or dare not consider. I prefer consider such notions almost daily, because its clear to me, the path we have been forced onto, and are currently on, will be the path which leads to the end, there will be no turning back, its simply not part of the plan!
Just live each day, as best as we all can, as honestly as possible, and ignore the noise, which most of what masquerades as life, actually is.
I actually think (from intuition as opposed to any empirical information) that 7 billion is unsupportable. Technology and manufactured scarcity are human issues.
My own viewpoint is that a world that has set energy budget (solar) linked to an amazingly complex biosystem linked to an amazingly complex biosphere….we humans tend to get carried away with our won importance in the scheme of things. Our worst habit is to try and “tame nature” with our technology and to expect the result will sit in isolation. Seven billion of us and our technologies may be in bat short term, natures innings lasts much longer and they bat last.
However under current systems, manufactured scarcity, created by the *capitalist model*, has lead people to believe, that 7b, is *overpopulated*.
That’s not capitalism promoting that idea but the cold hard facts of science.
For one, I am quite certain that technologies are being suppressed , which would allow humanity to remove the noose of mining and burning fuels extracted from the earth, why would they not be with-held from the rest of us!
That’s not capitalism promoting that idea but the cold hard facts of science.
Is it, is it really!
Think that through, then see if you can’t respond from another angle, because from where I see it, the capitalist system (which actually is in name only), is very much driving the destruction bus, nothing to do with the science at all, in fact they have become long since divorced, it would seem! If not, surely capitalism would have forced a change of direction, perhaps away from the mess we have now.
The other problem I see with science, is that it is an industry, and as such 100% controllable by the money masters, in many respects, just like the technology which goes with it, all very easy to keep under cornered!
I know that science types on here like to believe, their colleagues/industry will be the savior of humanity, well the irony is that they will have been, the reality though, that it will not have been for anything like, the greater good!
If science were going to be any such savior, it would be already, feel free to point to where the science will turn it all around…
because from where I see it, the capitalist system (which actually is in name only), is very much driving the destruction bus
Capitalism is driving the destruction. Agree with that. It needs perpetual exponential growth which is impossible but the science has said, for quite some time, that the earth cannot support the number of people already here at anything close to a western living standard.
If not, surely capitalism would have forced a change of direction, perhaps away from the mess we have now.
Capitalism can’t – see above.
If science were going to be any such savior, it would be already, feel free to point to where the science will turn it all around…
Why should I when I’m not the one who believes that science can? Science can do a lot but it can’t bypass physical limits.
Can you imagine what a nutbar like muzz would do with a backyard fusion generator? They’d immediately assume that the “caution: do not overclock or wire in series” stickers and associated safety devices were just The Man trying to keep people down, and the next thing you have is a ten megaton mushroom cloud.
And then imagine how many people on the planet are as nutty as muzz. Even if there’re only ten thousand of ’em in that ballpark, that’s still more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis.
TC – Because its not about the money, what part of that rather simple concept can’t people wrap their heads around, the *money*, is worthless, choking the life out of humanity on the other hand….
McFlock – Keep going, you may even come up with something original one day, let me know when you do, I’ll QA it.
Instead you waste your energy attempting to convince yourself, the things I post here carry no water at all, which is rather transparent, because who are you actually trying to convince here, and I have mentioned previously, that you don’t have the chops, for an online character analysis, even if you could piece togther the bits of personal info I discard from time to time…
Your transparency is no naked, you even respond, in affirmation of a comment by TC, when generally, you throw insults/abuse at that handle too!
Alex Capstick speaks plainly about corruption—Russian corruption, that is.
When will we hear the BBC talk plainly about Western corruption?
Friday 31 May 2013
Big news item of the day so far is the report by Boris Nemtsov and Leonid Martynyuk, alleging that Putinistas have stolen thirty billion dollars from funds for the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Just heard one Alex Capstick on the BBC talking about this. His item finishes with the observation that these contracts “have enriched only the oligarchs and President Putin’s cronies.”
That is no doubt true, and Capstick’s report was spot-on.
It is interesting, though, to note the thoroughness with which the BBC reports these Russian scandals. It is notable that, when it comes to Russian stories, the reporters speak in plain language, and rarely if ever go to official Russian government sources for “balance”. Dissenters and opposition figures are treated with respect, and generally believed.
Oddly, I can find not a single instance of Alex Capstick or any other BBC reporter ever saying in plain language that the billions of dollars of public money paid in contracts in Iraq “have enriched only the oil companies and President Bush’s cronies.”
The BBC is a rigorous and reliable source of information—when it comes to reporting on the crimes of official enemies.
I haven’t seen much about the obscenely rich in Brazil hoovering up the money for the World Cup and the Olympics. The State government of Rio is using both to shift a lot of land across to the private sector.
Brazil was awarded the FIFA World Cup, to be followed by the Olympic Games, two years apart, in what was an unprecendented offering, in modern times!
This is what you would call, exposure, of the intentions which lay in wait for Brasil, by the owners of the capitalist systems, which have locked in the demise, globally!
Ron Davies just died, he scored about 40 goals in one season (when the Premiership was Div One). In 1968 he scored 4 goals against a Manchester United side at Old Trafford. You would’nt see that today, the money has warped the whole event.
Hi Lynn, just got this message. I opened 5 ts pages in individual tabs (not an unusual amount for me). The fifth page loaded this message instead of ts page.
Your access to this site has been limited
Your access to this service has been temporarily limited. Please try again in a few minutes. (HTTP response code 503)
Reason: Exceeded the maximum number of page requests per minute for humans.
Important note for site admins: If you are the administrator of this website note that your access has been limited because you broke one of the Wordfence firewall rules. The reason you access was limited is: “Exceeded the maximum number of page requests per minute for humans.”.
If this is a false positive, meaning that your access to your own site has been limited incorrectly, then you will need to regain access to your site, go to the Wordfence “options” page, go to the section for Firewall Rules and disable the rule that caused you to be blocked. For example, if you were blocked because it was detected that you are a fake Google crawler, then disable the rule that blocks fake google crawlers. Or if you were blocked because you were accessing your site too quickly, then increase the number of accesses allowed per minute.
If you’re still having trouble, then simply disable the Wordfence firwall and you will still benefit from the other security features that Wordfence provides.
If you are a site administrator and have been accidentally locked out, please enter your email in the box below and click “Send”. If the email address you enter belongs to a known site administrator or someone set to receive Wordfence alerts, we will send you an email to help you regain access. Please read our FAQ if this does not work.
Dang. I will have to increase the limit. It was set to 10 page requests per minute – once every 6 seconds. Now increased to 15 – once every 4 seconds.
It is designed to restrict humans and bots flooding the system with page requests. It throttles them down to a acceptable level. I didn’t think that humans could flick up that number of pages in a minute. But I’d admit that I use tabs extensively myself and would hit the same issues on reopening a browser.
Further evidence that the basis for austerity measures is not even wrong (on the basis of causality) ie it is important to at least get the sign correct.
The interesting problem is that the basis for a number of policy initiatives by the incumbents are based on a series of schoolboy howlers, what confidence can we have in any policy initiatives?
El Gringo Yankey john’s mates are at it again robbing the commons to line their own pockets 🙂 Johnno’s former money factory Merrill Lynch are involved as well”
“Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch will also collect millions in fees from more junior roles in the sale.”
“Britain’s Largest Privatization in Over a Decade Underway
Banking giants Goldman Sachs, UBS to lead privatization of state-owned mail.”
Re U$K comment: “Hopefully, this will lead to mass anti-austerity riots. (I say riots because they’ll start off as massive, peaceful protests, but the police will use their usual dastardly tricks to ensure that the event turns ugly.)
A massive uprising is what it’s going to take to reverse the massive sell off of the commons that’s going on not only in the UK, but globally.”
The Artist taxi driver’s comment on the sell off of the Royal Mail in the U$K and who rules the World?
Who Rules The World? Johnno’s mates the bankers of course! Goldman Sachs in this instance, have their sticky money grubbing claws in the deal. Just like MRP all the millions paid to pin stripe bods to sell off our assets.
Why wasn’t Treaty Negotiations spokesperson’s role in the Labour Party given to Nanaia Mahuta by Shearer? Rino is just a newbie. Doesn’t Shearer’s understand the party needs both wings to fly?
Nanaia and Labour Waikato are being punished by Shearer for supporting Cunliffe.
That is why Rino got the spot.
The ABC gang hope that Nanaia will go away like Charles Chauvel. She is a fighter. She won’t let a bunch of second rate careerists get one over her.
If the MPs can’t sort out the parliamentary party and stop this destructive behaviour the the membership should.
Kim Hill is interviewing Alan Savory, 8am Sat morning. It’s promoted as being about restoring grasslands, but Savory has pioneered meat production on grassland while building fertility and soil (something we don’t currently do), and is very experienced in ecological farming (including tech we could adopt here).
I’m hoping he will also talk about biological/natural systems of carbon sequestration, a must listen for anyone interested in CC and how farming can be a positive solution to some of the CC problems (not just mitigating industrial farming negatives). Savory has a pretty good TED talk too.
Greets all!
Those who are fascinated with the political spectrum, past and present, may want to check out this series by Oliver Stone.
I cannot highly recommend it enough. Each episode focuses on certain periods of American presidencies (starting at Roosevelt and WW2) and the resulting policies/discrimination/chaos/jaw-dropping arrogance. A lot of it focuses on America’s Military-Industrial Complex
David Shearer says:
“I have appointed Shane Jones to the position of Māori Affairs spokesperson and also as associate Food Safety spokesperson given the importance of the food sector to Maori. “Rino Tirikatene will take over responsibility for Treaty Negotiations”
This is a blatant insult to Nanaia Mahuta, who has the mana, experience and intellectual grunt to fulfill this very important role.
This is a continuation of the ABC bullshit of Grant Robertson and his side-kick David Shearer.
This is the type of Sh2t that has Labour going nowhere in the polls.
I had though that the axe had been buried and that this silliness was a thing of the past.
Appointing Shane Jones to Maori Affairs will lose them some more of the Maori vote. I seriously ask myself if they want a Labour/Greens/Mana coalition to win the next election.
Well, based on the evidence (excepting NZ Power which may or may not be the start of a good thing), they expect the electoral tide to carry them over the line.
On 31 May 2013 the Electoral Commission board cancelled the registration of the United Future New Zealand (United Future) party at the party’s request in accordance with section 70 of the Electoral Act 1993.
Very interesting and not surprising given their previous declarations as to party membership (at least 500 are required) must have been stretching credibility and the testing the conscience of those making them.
It rasies some important questions about the operation of parliament given parties and party leaders receive recognition that entitles them to particular speaking rights and funding.
Standing Order 34 refers to :
34 Recognition of parties
(1) Every political party registered under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993, and in whose interest a member was elected at the preceding general election or at any subsequent by-election, is entitled to be recognised as a party for parliamentary purposes.
(2) Independent members, or members who cease to be members of the party for which they were originally elected, may be recognised, for parliamentary purposes,—
(a) as members of an existing recognised party if they inform the Speaker in writing that they have joined that party with the agreement of the leader of that party, or
(b) as a new party if they apply to the Speaker and their new party—
(i) is registered under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993, and
(ii) has at least six members of Parliament, or
(c) as members of a component party in whose interest those members stood as constituency candidates at the preceding general election if they inform the Speaker in writing that they wish to be so recognised.
(3) A party that has been recognised as a new party under paragraph (2)(b) loses its recognition if its membership falls below six members of Parliament.
(4) Any member who is not a member of a recognised party is treated as an Independent member for parliamentary purposes.
I for one will be very interested to see the next steps in this process.
RNZ has further information about this interesting turn of events:
“United Future says it has asked the commission to temporarily cancel the party’s registration until it confirms its party membership.
The cancelled registration does not have any bearing on the ability of Peter Dunne to continue to serve as an electorate MP, nor as a minister of the Crown.
However, the party will need to be re-registered before the 2014 election to be able to campaign for the party vote and to be eligible for the broadcasting allocation.
Party president Robin Gunston said on Friday that United Future is about a 100 paid-up members short at the moment and it could take about two months to recticfy.
Mr Gunston acknowledges the situation is embarassing for the party.”
A somewhat hopeful spin on the situation. I’m sure people will rushing to sort out their membership/join the party….not!
Can anyone tell me why David Shearer made Shane Jones Maori Spokesperson rather than Nania Mahuta?
I would have thought this is a great moment to eclipse the Maori Party with some serious mana that cuts across the motu, rather than Shane Jones who knows he should have been in the National Party with Wira Gardiner from day one.
Shane Jones in female-voter appeal is only fractionally less toxic than John Tamihere, and that’s saying something given the bile John generates.
Shane, if anything, should have been given fishing so he can grasp the industry he knows best, and then given Cunliffe something useful to do, with all due respect to the fishing industry.
Nania during the 2010 leadership speeches was radiant and dignified, and you don’t get to put those two words together too often with politicians. Neither apply to Shane Jones.
He has a parliamentary email address that is not hard to locate and use. Rather than project your own bias, do some research, ask him some hard questions and then let us know what you learn.
The point is that Messers Shearer and Robertson are publically sending messages to Nanaia Mahuta, her supporters and anyone else who dares to question them, that she and they are no longer welcome in the Labour Party.
Messers Shearer and Robertson are publically indicating that they prefer the likes on Jones, who sucks up appropriatley to the leadership over a candidate with integrity and respect who suppirted Cunliffe.
Messers Shearer and Robertson thus deserve to be publically challenged on their vindictive behaviour.
Jones in Maori Affairs upsets left leaning Maori and most women.
Jones in fishing upsets the Greens, anyone interested in workers’ rights, and most women.
I can only imagine that they’ve put him where they think he’ll do the least damage.
Look out! Nevil Breivik Gibson’s about! The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 31 May 2013
Today’s guests are Joe Bennett and the egregious National Business Review editor Nevil “Breivik” Gibson.
For the first few minutes of the fifteen-minute pre-show segment, there was the usual nervous forced jollity, as Susan Baldacci skimmed over stuff off the internet. Then she read out a piece about some lame-brained humorist in the United States, who has caused consternation with some tomfoolery which led to a police emergency. I missed the details, but the interesting bit was what Susan Baldacci said about the piece…
SUSAN BALDACCI: Now not all terrorists are, ahhhh, religious extremists. Some of them have other issues. JIM MORA: There wouldn’t be much of a sense of humor with that in America, what with the Boston bombings. SUSAN BALDACCI: No. JIM MORA: So he was a punctuation terrorist! JOE BENNETT: Ha ha ha ha ha!
Perhaps Ms. Baldacci was playing a sly little game here; she is no doubt aware that Nevil Breivik Gibson wrote a mad editorial earlier this year, where he learnedly informed his thoughtful and discerning readers that all terrorism in the world was committed by Muslims. (That editorial was what earned this intellectual giant the honorary soubriquet of “Breivik”.) Gibson did not say anything on this occasion, however, and after Joe Bennett’s gale of laughter subsided, they went on to another important story.
Unfortunately, I have to leave Chez Breen now, so I will have to miss the rest of the program. I urge Standardistas to listen carefully to what Nevil Breivik Gibson says; although his recent appearances have been anodyne and uncontroversial, he is due for a big one.
Unfortunately, today there is no one on the program like Gordon McLauchlan to contest what he says, point out the vacuity of Breivik Gibson’s utterances and firmly put him in his place, as he did a few years ago in a memorable on-air arse-kicking.
UPDATE:
After the 4 o’clock news, Mora, in his introductory remarks, which have become infamous over the years for their horrible combination of sycophancy and dishonesty, calls Bennett “brilliant”, and Breivik Gibson “sagacious”.
I have a bad, bad feeling about this. Expect obscenity, shading into lunacy from Breivik Gibson, and lots of supportive guffawing from Joe Bennett and Jim Mora.
See you tomorrow, and enjoy the show, if you can stomach these self-important twits.
UPDATE!!!
Just before the 4:30 news break, Joe Bennett took exception to a particularly foolish contribution from Breivik Gibson. “You’re lucky I’m not in Auckland,” he shouted, only half-jokingly, “otherwise it would be gloves off!”
It was not the total mauling and humiliation that Gordon McLauchlan dished out, but Breivik Gibson was definitely taken aback. There was real tension for a few seconds.
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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, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
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. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
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 ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
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Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
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Tom Scott on RNZ saying he thought Nisbet’s cartoon was not funny and that he, Tom Scott, did not target the vulnerable. Apparently he’s drawn a cartoon about the cartoon. If someone knows where to find this online, can they put the link here?
The faces of criminals living off other people’s money.
I guess I missed the press release from the SST that expressed outrage about their manifestly inadequate sentencing and the criminals keeping their homes instead of paying reparations to the people they stole from.
Home detention.
What a joke!
I’m fine with home detention for non-violent offenders. It’s just a pity that they get to keep theirs rather than having them confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Under normal circumstances, I don’t see much point in custodial sentences. In cases such as this, though, I can see one compelling argument to lock these guys up. Conditions inside prison will never improve as long as they’re full of poor brown people. The more rich white motherfuckers locked up, the better, at least until we see real change.
The poor dears
/sarc
The original sentences were a joke and I glad that the Court of appeal is upping them.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10887532
The Herald is worried Doug G might lose his knighthood and wonders if that’s fair. If my reading is correct its not because the offending had nothing to do with the reason he got a knighthood. You know, we wouldn’t have this ‘problem’ of deknighting if we didn’t knight in the first place.
I think that Douglas has said that if his appealed failed he would hand in his Sir.
Agreed. Certainly give him the chance to do the right thing.
Clearly the title means something and by associating the title with a investment company there was an expectation of greater diligence, that the titled person would safeguard their honored status. It stands therefore that the title should be given up, or taken off them.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10887551
I’m not a fan of “Harvey” Norman, but credit where it’s due, he seems to have come a ways since he was overwhelmingly voted into coventry by party members on Frogblog when he was trying to justify voting for the CERA outrage.
Also interesting is that most sessions of the upcoming party AGM will be held behind closed doors to facilitate members being able to freely air differences of opinion without fear of the media misrepresenting such openness as evidence of the party split asunder. This seems to be a move away from the pan-party trend of conferences being mere show ponies, with all the important decision making done by the elite few amongst themselves without reference to the membership.
God help us, Susan Devoy thinks some poor parents really do their very to feed their kids. Presumably, even some Polynesian parents.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8739113/Cartoons-no-joke-for-the-poor-Devoy
It’s funny how her bigotry leaks out when she’s trys to look like she is doing her job.
Note also, that as race relations commissioner, she focusses on poverty rather than racism, which downplays the racist nature of the cartoons.
There is tho a small ray of hope yet for the Dame, She deserves 1 brownie point for at least holding the press conference and giving that offensive little rag a slagging,
i see Her point about Her acting from within the legislation which governs Her role and it has become more than obvious that the legislation needs a serious make-over,
Down here in the gutter the over-monied red neck scum cannot really insult us with their snippets of abuse as such will enter the ‘culture’ and simply be lampooned as is every other insult directed our way…
On the same subject i just listened to an interview with the ex editor of Wellington’s Dom-Post, (a complete fucking non-entity whose name is irrelevant), He defends the racist slurs cast in that particular cartoon on the basis that a lot of people might hold the same views as it expressed,
It’s easy to see why i do not and will not even stoop to reading that particular newspaper and to insert any further comment about such commentary and the scum at RadioNZ giving such views oxygen would have me run the risk of publishing comments directly intended to incite violence….
The Press has an article toady about Nisbet and illustrates it’s text with two Nisbet cartoons.
One clearly shows Eastern Christchurch to be unkempt and poorly maintained (obviously a deliberate slight on it’s less well off residents) and the other clearly denigrates red headed people, showing them as criminal incompetents.
This guy Nisbet has a lot to answer for…..
Give her enough rope….
The government, i.e. Steven Joyce, is obviously hellbent on destroying the credibility of public institutions, especially ones like the office of Race Relations conciliator.
I firmly believe that the Government, i.e. Steven Joyce, should just go all out with the mockery project and appoint this guy as the next Human Rights Commissioner….
http://cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2013/3/23/291492/nationalfront-kylechapman.jpg?width=460
Last night I had the good fortune to attend a talk by Nicole Foss, editor of the Automaticearth on the subject o the current financial turbulence. To say the least she was a most informative and persuasive presenter, an intellect the size of a planet.
In reflection the largest contribution Foss makes is to effectively cancel any precepts of ongoing BAU, the contention that we can return to some prior point and distribute the pie equitably forever. That is a common concept on this blog, what Foss indicates is that the pie we divide is diminishing and will do so alarmingly. Which for me throws into stark relief the dilemma of the Left, “we only need to divide the shares of industrial civilisation fairly”.
I did not hear any left or right partisanship from Foss, no ideology, just a cold hard stare at where we are and where we are going (delivered with warmth). Time for us to wake up and see reality as it is, and to remake our world to fit the new reality. In old terms, to cut our cloth to match.
Interesting. Foss’s blog.
Foss on RNZ Saturday Morning on 24 March 2012
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/sat/sat-20120324-0815-nicole_foss_global_finance_and_peak_oil-048.mp3
THIS (thanks for the front line report, Ennui)
Massive rate of quality failures in recent solar panels now expected
For those who understand the irony of using up irreplaceable rare earth materials and fossil fuel energies to try and create sustainable renewable energy sources…and then have free market pressures cause this to happen.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-05-30/next-shoe-drop-shoddy-solar-panels-china
The good old embedded energy versus the future return…the equation of properly constructed always puts the embedded total as the greater.
We can’t do that as there’s too many people. About 6 billion too many.
Some countries and regions may be able to do that though as they themselves aren’t yet over populated and their resources haven’t yet been completely stripped. To do it though they need to stop all immigration, go to a steady state economy and implement full democracy. This representative democracy that only represents the richest will only continue to make things worse.
Stop all immigration?
So if you were born in the Sudan, sorry buddy, tough shit.
Think of it this way TC. We’re on a sinking ship. There aren’t enough lifejackets and lifeboats to go around. What do you think is a fair way to allocate saving of lives?
What, you’re so stupid as to think we can support everyone presently living in the Sudan on these small islands?
No. Not at all.
So you are suggesting only New Zealand should stop all immigration. Great idea. I look forward to the rest of the world not allowing NZer’s emigrating to their countries.
Or that if you could, you should?
Isn’t your attitude to human beings who weren’t lucky enought to be born in our two islands, the same as the rich’s attitude to the poor.
They have the attitude that they are entitled to be rich for no other reason they were born into privilige.
You seem to share that attiude towards foreigners as in they can get fucked as long as we are happy.
The only way humanity will survice is with a global solution where all humans are treated equally. We can’t (as the rich do) put up a big wall around NZ and tell everyone else to fuck off. That will work for a while until desperation sets in.
I don’t know, it might still work then.
Nope. Just practical realities. We can’t maintain 7 billion people at a reasonable living standard this means that there will be starvation, there will be poverty and that those countries that can will have to stop all immigration. Those that can’t, well, they’ll have war.
The problem is that there isn’t a global solution or, to be more precise, the global solution is what I described above.
We could have gone for the everyone treated equally and no poverty bit in about the 1950s. The 1970s it was probably still possible but the West wanted more and more people to fuel growth so that the banksters could be paid and the rest of the world, well, who knows what they wanted but what they got was more and more people.
Actually, we can do that (it’s a rather difficult swim to get here) and there won’t be any desperation as we have the resources that we need. Well, there won’t be any as long as we get rid of the rich and their delusional socio-economic system.
E is E
Nice sounding principles, let’s see how NZ citizens vote on those policies once they see house prices, jobs, school places, hospital beds being taken up by a million, two million, three million new arrivals.
And DTB is right. I think we’ve overshot the planet’s long term carrying capacity by approx 6B people. So after you take in 3M of them and destroyed your own societal structures, there’s still 5997M who are going to be in dire straits.
Don’t worry Draco – The eugenics teams are hard at work, ensuring that one way or another, the herd will be culled, significantly, and sooner than later!
The Contrarian – Yup, some people are born in unfortunate places, under unfortunate circumstances.
Large enough numbers of them are already born, and living in NZ, and apparently there is little, to no appetite to address the existing levels of poverty/inequality, as such there is no room for those who are not already here, and in need of help!
Simple really!
Muzz and TContrary, I don’t think Draco is being eugenicist or otherwise…the reality we face is that we may be among-st the 6 billion surplus and the cold hard reality wont be a cull as opposed to a long drawn out famine / pestulence / war…you know, the standard bad bits. Might even reach supply demand equilibrium in economics talk with regard to food supply….Four horseman territory, DTB might merely be expressing some prescience.
Capitalism is killing thousands of kids a day now, so what’s new.
There is enough to go round now provided we planned sustainably and fairly.
Occupy was half there, it targetted the 1% but couldnt mobilise the 99%
Socialism is the only survival strategy both in terms of humanity and nature (which in my book is the same thing).
Marx not Malthus!
Hi Ennui – Yes, I’m quite sure Draco was not a proponent of eugenics.
I do not buy into the, *overpopulation* theory, at face value. However under current systems, manufactured scarcity, created by the *capitalist model*, has lead people to believe, that 7b, is *overpopulated*.
For one, I am quite certain that technologies are being suppressed , which would allow humanity to remove the noose of mining and burning fuels extracted from the earth, why would they not be with-held from the rest of us!
Clean technology, life enhancing, sustaining models which could enable the flourishing of humanity, in ways which most people, simply can’t, or dare not consider. I prefer consider such notions almost daily, because its clear to me, the path we have been forced onto, and are currently on, will be the path which leads to the end, there will be no turning back, its simply not part of the plan!
Just live each day, as best as we all can, as honestly as possible, and ignore the noise, which most of what masquerades as life, actually is.
I actually think (from intuition as opposed to any empirical information) that 7 billion is unsupportable. Technology and manufactured scarcity are human issues.
My own viewpoint is that a world that has set energy budget (solar) linked to an amazingly complex biosystem linked to an amazingly complex biosphere….we humans tend to get carried away with our won importance in the scheme of things. Our worst habit is to try and “tame nature” with our technology and to expect the result will sit in isolation. Seven billion of us and our technologies may be in bat short term, natures innings lasts much longer and they bat last.
Nicely put, E!
That’s not capitalism promoting that idea but the cold hard facts of science.
Possibly but I don’t believe so.
Is it, is it really!
Think that through, then see if you can’t respond from another angle, because from where I see it, the capitalist system (which actually is in name only), is very much driving the destruction bus, nothing to do with the science at all, in fact they have become long since divorced, it would seem! If not, surely capitalism would have forced a change of direction, perhaps away from the mess we have now.
The other problem I see with science, is that it is an industry, and as such 100% controllable by the money masters, in many respects, just like the technology which goes with it, all very easy to keep under cornered!
I know that science types on here like to believe, their colleagues/industry will be the savior of humanity, well the irony is that they will have been, the reality though, that it will not have been for anything like, the greater good!
If science were going to be any such savior, it would be already, feel free to point to where the science will turn it all around…
Capitalism is driving the destruction. Agree with that. It needs perpetual exponential growth which is impossible but the science has said, for quite some time, that the earth cannot support the number of people already here at anything close to a western living standard.
Capitalism can’t – see above.
Why should I when I’m not the one who believes that science can? Science can do a lot but it can’t bypass physical limits.
“I am quite certain that technologies are being suppressed”
Why would an oil company suppress clean energy technology when they could patent it and make a fucking killing.
Can you imagine what a nutbar like muzz would do with a backyard fusion generator? They’d immediately assume that the “caution: do not overclock or wire in series” stickers and associated safety devices were just The Man trying to keep people down, and the next thing you have is a ten megaton mushroom cloud.
And then imagine how many people on the planet are as nutty as muzz. Even if there’re only ten thousand of ’em in that ballpark, that’s still more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis.
TC – Because its not about the money, what part of that rather simple concept can’t people wrap their heads around, the *money*, is worthless, choking the life out of humanity on the other hand….
McFlock – Keep going, you may even come up with something original one day, let me know when you do, I’ll QA it.
Instead you waste your energy attempting to convince yourself, the things I post here carry no water at all, which is rather transparent, because who are you actually trying to convince here, and I have mentioned previously, that you don’t have the chops, for an online character analysis, even if you could piece togther the bits of personal info I discard from time to time…
Your transparency is no naked, you even respond, in affirmation of a comment by TC, when generally, you throw insults/abuse at that handle too!
Here’s a window….
TC, unlike you, occasionally has a point worthy of consideration.
Alex Capstick speaks plainly about corruption—Russian corruption, that is.
When will we hear the BBC talk plainly about Western corruption?
Friday 31 May 2013
Big news item of the day so far is the report by Boris Nemtsov and Leonid Martynyuk, alleging that Putinistas have stolen thirty billion dollars from funds for the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Just heard one Alex Capstick on the BBC talking about this. His item finishes with the observation that these contracts “have enriched only the oligarchs and President Putin’s cronies.”
That is no doubt true, and Capstick’s report was spot-on.
It is interesting, though, to note the thoroughness with which the BBC reports these Russian scandals. It is notable that, when it comes to Russian stories, the reporters speak in plain language, and rarely if ever go to official Russian government sources for “balance”. Dissenters and opposition figures are treated with respect, and generally believed.
Oddly, I can find not a single instance of Alex Capstick or any other BBC reporter ever saying in plain language that the billions of dollars of public money paid in contracts in Iraq “have enriched only the oil companies and President Bush’s cronies.”
The BBC is a rigorous and reliable source of information—when it comes to reporting on the crimes of official enemies.
To find out the extent of the financial, as well as the humanitarian, crimes carried out in Iraq, serious people have learned to bypass official and biased outlets like the BBC, and go to sites like this….
https://www.globalpolicy.org/political-issues-in-iraq/corporate-contracts-7-6.html
I haven’t seen much about the obscenely rich in Brazil hoovering up the money for the World Cup and the Olympics. The State government of Rio is using both to shift a lot of land across to the private sector.
Brazil was awarded the FIFA World Cup, to be followed by the Olympic Games, two years apart, in what was an unprecendented offering, in modern times!
This is what you would call, exposure, of the intentions which lay in wait for Brasil, by the owners of the capitalist systems, which have locked in the demise, globally!
Ron Davies just died, he scored about 40 goals in one season (when the Premiership was Div One). In 1968 he scored 4 goals against a Manchester United side at Old Trafford. You would’nt see that today, the money has warped the whole event.
Hi Lynn, just got this message. I opened 5 ts pages in individual tabs (not an unusual amount for me). The fifth page loaded this message instead of ts page.
Your access to this site has been limited
Your access to this service has been temporarily limited. Please try again in a few minutes. (HTTP response code 503)
Reason: Exceeded the maximum number of page requests per minute for humans.
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Dang. I will have to increase the limit. It was set to 10 page requests per minute – once every 6 seconds. Now increased to 15 – once every 4 seconds.
It is designed to restrict humans and bots flooding the system with page requests. It throttles them down to a acceptable level. I didn’t think that humans could flick up that number of pages in a minute. But I’d admit that I use tabs extensively myself and would hit the same issues on reopening a browser.
Further evidence that the basis for austerity measures is not even wrong (on the basis of causality) ie it is important to at least get the sign correct.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/reinhart-rogoff-debunked_n_3361299.html
The interesting problem is that the basis for a number of policy initiatives by the incumbents are based on a series of schoolboy howlers, what confidence can we have in any policy initiatives?
El Gringo Yankey john’s mates are at it again robbing the commons to line their own pockets 🙂 Johnno’s former money factory Merrill Lynch are involved as well”
“Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch will also collect millions in fees from more junior roles in the sale.”
“Britain’s Largest Privatization in Over a Decade Underway
Banking giants Goldman Sachs, UBS to lead privatization of state-owned mail.”
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/30-4
Re U$K comment: “Hopefully, this will lead to mass anti-austerity riots. (I say riots because they’ll start off as massive, peaceful protests, but the police will use their usual dastardly tricks to ensure that the event turns ugly.)
A massive uprising is what it’s going to take to reverse the massive sell off of the commons that’s going on not only in the UK, but globally.”
The Artist taxi driver’s comment on the sell off of the Royal Mail in the U$K and who rules the World?
Who Rules The World? Johnno’s mates the bankers of course! Goldman Sachs in this instance, have their sticky money grubbing claws in the deal. Just like MRP all the millions paid to pin stripe bods to sell off our assets.
Why wasn’t Treaty Negotiations spokesperson’s role in the Labour Party given to Nanaia Mahuta by Shearer? Rino is just a newbie. Doesn’t Shearer’s understand the party needs both wings to fly?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10887596
Nanaia and Labour Waikato are being punished by Shearer for supporting Cunliffe.
That is why Rino got the spot.
The ABC gang hope that Nanaia will go away like Charles Chauvel. She is a fighter. She won’t let a bunch of second rate careerists get one over her.
If the MPs can’t sort out the parliamentary party and stop this destructive behaviour the the membership should.
Could it be she has a new baby, and that her family takes precedent over work?
Babies and families are common to many many MPs. You comment is trite.
Are you suggesting Nanaia did not want the role? You do not know Nanaia.
Kim Hill is interviewing Alan Savory, 8am Sat morning. It’s promoted as being about restoring grasslands, but Savory has pioneered meat production on grassland while building fertility and soil (something we don’t currently do), and is very experienced in ecological farming (including tech we could adopt here).
I’m hoping he will also talk about biological/natural systems of carbon sequestration, a must listen for anyone interested in CC and how farming can be a positive solution to some of the CC problems (not just mitigating industrial farming negatives). Savory has a pretty good TED talk too.
http://www.savoryinstitute.com/
Greets all!
Those who are fascinated with the political spectrum, past and present, may want to check out this series by Oliver Stone.
I cannot highly recommend it enough. Each episode focuses on certain periods of American presidencies (starting at Roosevelt and WW2) and the resulting policies/discrimination/chaos/jaw-dropping arrogance. A lot of it focuses on America’s Military-Industrial Complex
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1494191/
A little bird mentioned that this link might be of interest…
http://pastebin.com/s3LJTJ6B
Ah yes, I might set aside some time this weekend to take a look at this American history…
David Shearer says:
“I have appointed Shane Jones to the position of Māori Affairs spokesperson and also as associate Food Safety spokesperson given the importance of the food sector to Maori. “Rino Tirikatene will take over responsibility for Treaty Negotiations”
This is a blatant insult to Nanaia Mahuta, who has the mana, experience and intellectual grunt to fulfill this very important role.
This is a continuation of the ABC bullshit of Grant Robertson and his side-kick David Shearer.
This is the type of Sh2t that has Labour going nowhere in the polls.
I had though that the axe had been buried and that this silliness was a thing of the past.
Roberson/Shearer are silly silly boys.
Appointing Shane Jones to Maori Affairs will lose them some more of the Maori vote. I seriously ask myself if they want a Labour/Greens/Mana coalition to win the next election.
Well, based on the evidence (excepting NZ Power which may or may not be the start of a good thing), they expect the electoral tide to carry them over the line.
hahahhaha, I blame Pete George:
http://t.co/eB5WKDiCDT
And with one media release, a United Future becomes a lonely past…
or as someone else just said, “the end of an error”
Very interesting and not surprising given their previous declarations as to party membership (at least 500 are required) must have been stretching credibility and the testing the conscience of those making them.
It rasies some important questions about the operation of parliament given parties and party leaders receive recognition that entitles them to particular speaking rights and funding.
Standing Order 34 refers to :
34 Recognition of parties
(1) Every political party registered under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993, and in whose interest a member was elected at the preceding general election or at any subsequent by-election, is entitled to be recognised as a party for parliamentary purposes.
(2) Independent members, or members who cease to be members of the party for which they were originally elected, may be recognised, for parliamentary purposes,—
(a) as members of an existing recognised party if they inform the Speaker in writing that they have joined that party with the agreement of the leader of that party, or
(b) as a new party if they apply to the Speaker and their new party—
(i) is registered under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993, and
(ii) has at least six members of Parliament, or
(c) as members of a component party in whose interest those members stood as constituency candidates at the preceding general election if they inform the Speaker in writing that they wish to be so recognised.
(3) A party that has been recognised as a new party under paragraph (2)(b) loses its recognition if its membership falls below six members of Parliament.
(4) Any member who is not a member of a recognised party is treated as an Independent member for parliamentary purposes.
I for one will be very interested to see the next steps in this process.
RNZ has further information about this interesting turn of events:
“United Future says it has asked the commission to temporarily cancel the party’s registration until it confirms its party membership.
The cancelled registration does not have any bearing on the ability of Peter Dunne to continue to serve as an electorate MP, nor as a minister of the Crown.
However, the party will need to be re-registered before the 2014 election to be able to campaign for the party vote and to be eligible for the broadcasting allocation.
Party president Robin Gunston said on Friday that United Future is about a 100 paid-up members short at the moment and it could take about two months to recticfy.
Mr Gunston acknowledges the situation is embarassing for the party.”
A somewhat hopeful spin on the situation. I’m sure people will rushing to sort out their membership/join the party….not!
So, as Peter Dunne is no longer leader of a party does that mean he gets a pay cut?
Unfortunately not. His salary as a Minister of the Crown is unaffected by this latest embarrasing event.
Can anyone tell me why David Shearer made Shane Jones Maori Spokesperson rather than Nania Mahuta?
I would have thought this is a great moment to eclipse the Maori Party with some serious mana that cuts across the motu, rather than Shane Jones who knows he should have been in the National Party with Wira Gardiner from day one.
Shane Jones in female-voter appeal is only fractionally less toxic than John Tamihere, and that’s saying something given the bile John generates.
Shane, if anything, should have been given fishing so he can grasp the industry he knows best, and then given Cunliffe something useful to do, with all due respect to the fishing industry.
Nania during the 2010 leadership speeches was radiant and dignified, and you don’t get to put those two words together too often with politicians. Neither apply to Shane Jones.
Why don’t you ask him?
He has a parliamentary email address that is not hard to locate and use. Rather than project your own bias, do some research, ask him some hard questions and then let us know what you learn.
Nordy you Roman
The point is that Messers Shearer and Robertson are publically sending messages to Nanaia Mahuta, her supporters and anyone else who dares to question them, that she and they are no longer welcome in the Labour Party.
Messers Shearer and Robertson are publically indicating that they prefer the likes on Jones, who sucks up appropriatley to the leadership over a candidate with integrity and respect who suppirted Cunliffe.
Messers Shearer and Robertson thus deserve to be publically challenged on their vindictive behaviour.
Asked Shearer then? No…..thought not. Keep projecting your ignorance…. it provides a good laugh.
Jones in Maori Affairs upsets left leaning Maori and most women.
Jones in fishing upsets the Greens, anyone interested in workers’ rights, and most women.
I can only imagine that they’ve put him where they think he’ll do the least damage.
Can anyone tell me why David Shearer made Shane Jones Maori Spokesperson rather than Nania Mahuta?
I’m sure that Mr Jones will make a good fist of it.
(Geddit?)
Naughty Morrissey !
Shane would say “a two-hands of it”…….regardless.
Look out! Nevil Breivik Gibson’s about!
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 31 May 2013
Today’s guests are Joe Bennett and the egregious National Business Review editor Nevil “Breivik” Gibson.
For the first few minutes of the fifteen-minute pre-show segment, there was the usual nervous forced jollity, as Susan Baldacci skimmed over stuff off the internet. Then she read out a piece about some lame-brained humorist in the United States, who has caused consternation with some tomfoolery which led to a police emergency. I missed the details, but the interesting bit was what Susan Baldacci said about the piece…
SUSAN BALDACCI: Now not all terrorists are, ahhhh, religious extremists. Some of them have other issues.
JIM MORA: There wouldn’t be much of a sense of humor with that in America, what with the Boston bombings.
SUSAN BALDACCI: No.
JIM MORA: So he was a punctuation terrorist!
JOE BENNETT: Ha ha ha ha ha!
Perhaps Ms. Baldacci was playing a sly little game here; she is no doubt aware that Nevil Breivik Gibson wrote a mad editorial earlier this year, where he learnedly informed his thoughtful and discerning readers that all terrorism in the world was committed by Muslims. (That editorial was what earned this intellectual giant the honorary soubriquet of “Breivik”.) Gibson did not say anything on this occasion, however, and after Joe Bennett’s gale of laughter subsided, they went on to another important story.
Unfortunately, I have to leave Chez Breen now, so I will have to miss the rest of the program. I urge Standardistas to listen carefully to what Nevil Breivik Gibson says; although his recent appearances have been anodyne and uncontroversial, he is due for a big one.
Unfortunately, today there is no one on the program like Gordon McLauchlan to contest what he says, point out the vacuity of Breivik Gibson’s utterances and firmly put him in his place, as he did a few years ago in a memorable on-air arse-kicking.
UPDATE:
After the 4 o’clock news, Mora, in his introductory remarks, which have become infamous over the years for their horrible combination of sycophancy and dishonesty, calls Bennett “brilliant”, and Breivik Gibson “sagacious”.
I have a bad, bad feeling about this. Expect obscenity, shading into lunacy from Breivik Gibson, and lots of supportive guffawing from Joe Bennett and Jim Mora.
See you tomorrow, and enjoy the show, if you can stomach these self-important twits.
UPDATE!!!
Just before the 4:30 news break, Joe Bennett took exception to a particularly foolish contribution from Breivik Gibson. “You’re lucky I’m not in Auckland,” he shouted, only half-jokingly, “otherwise it would be gloves off!”
It was not the total mauling and humiliation that Gordon McLauchlan dished out, but Breivik Gibson was definitely taken aback. There was real tension for a few seconds.
Respect to Joe Bennett!