Thanks DPF for my laugh of the day

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, November 12th, 2012 - 62 comments
Categories: blogs, dpf, humour, The Standard - Tags: , ,

Someone tipped me off about this Kiwiblog post where DPF tries to play the wise ‘ol political insider:

The war against Shearer

The Standard has done three posts in two days calling for David Shearer to go, and on who should replace him.

While each is by a different author, I have been around politics far too long to think for a second that this is not part of a co-ordinated strategy to destabilise Shearer in the leadup to the Labour conference. …

Again, if you think this is a coincidence, I have a bridge for sale. Someone has decided to push the button.

Tee hee!

Alas the increasingly irrelevant one’s political instincts (which were never good) now seem to have failed him completely. I can state with utmost certainty that (1) The Standard is a loose collective of leftie authors, who (2) are “led” or instructed by no one, and (3) frequently disagree with each other, and (4) have not had any “button” pushed to orchestrate a campaign against Shearer.

DPF also conveniently ignores the posts that don’t support his theory – and is taken to task for it in the first comment on his post.

I can see how Farrar would make such a mistake, being more used to a command and control structure for his Nat blog. Interesting to note in this interview that National nearly closed Kiwiblog down, and it “was probably quite lucky to survive”. Well well. But here at The Standard we don’t take orders from anyone. We frequently disagree, on Shearer and on many other issues. Long live free speech eh?

62 comments on “Thanks DPF for my laugh of the day ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Matt Fairhurst 1
    12 November 2012 at 11:21 am

    You mean you’re not a team of leftist sleeper agents controlled by a shadowy cabal headed by David Cunliffe? Last time I read THIS blog.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      12 November 2012 at 9:12 pm

      Hehe Matt.

      I think the evidence you are looking for is here … 

      • lprent 1.1.1
        12 November 2012 at 9:34 pm

        Cracked me up. We’ll have to see about getting that here. The PG 5000 was ummm interesting. I wonder how he will take the joke?

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 9:46 pm

          I am sure he would have been delighted.

          I am a bit disappointed though.  Apparently to some in Caucus I am satan’s mouthpiece and everything I say and do is at his bidding and is part of his neferious plans of world domination.  Yet I did not even get a mention.  I feel robbed … 

          • PlanetOrphan 1.1.1.1.1
            12 November 2012 at 9:50 pm

            Welcome too Hell M8! , no more loitering @ the Gate in ya go …. o-:

          • lprent 1.1.1.1.2
            12 November 2012 at 9:51 pm

            🙂 Yes Scott was somewhat remiss. Tell you what, I’ll help make it up for you. I’m about to test a RSS feed on the right hand side. I’ll stick waitakerenews in on the first test.

              • Anne …
                13 November 2012 at 9:46 am

                Apparently to some in Caucus I am satan’s mouthpiece

                That is the strongest indication yet what I have suspected for some time:

                A worrying degree of cerebral instability has afflicted some Caucus members. We can only hope it isn’t catching…

  2. karol 2
    12 November 2012 at 11:28 am

    And today makes it 2 posts for Shearer, 3 against.  So DPF’s comment was a little premature…. unless, of course, he includes Tapu Misa in the conspiracy?

  3. Tracey 3
    12 November 2012 at 11:29 am

    Perhaps he should blame Hooten, he seemed to be advising the dumping of Shearer in a few threads here recently

    • Anne 3.1
      12 November 2012 at 11:59 am

      Ahhh Hooton:
      He announced to the world 15 mins ago on Radio NZ that a coup is underway as we speak. He knows this cos someone told him at the beginning of the year that the coup would be in November.

      We’ve been lining up the ducks all year apparently and we’re ready to move folks!

      When questioned by the indefatigable Kathryn how he knew all this, he said (and I paraphrase) that the architects of this conspiracy have already given the Dom. journos a head up…

      I turned off my natural audio antennae.

      • Uturn 3.1.1
        12 November 2012 at 12:08 pm

        Of course, the ducks!

        I knew there was a mole in the Labour party, maybe even a a vole, but now the ducks lining up settles it.

        • prism 3.1.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 7:08 pm

          Ducks carefully placed, so tasteful. Perhaps Baron Munchhausen has been whispering in DPF’s or Hooten’s ear. Baron M was great at tall stories. Shot a flock of ducks so neatly that he recovered a hastily-utilised bullet, a diamond at hand, from the last one of the line. Good story eh, stand up to any from the political mai mais.

          And stupid comments about concerted pusch so time-wasteful. Who are we to be led by – General Dissatisfaction? Or Major Concern.

      • Tracey 3.1.2
        12 November 2012 at 12:10 pm

        Yes Hooten, mentioned Labour’s part int he pike river mine disaster and when whoever was on the panel countered with something about National he smugly stated “but that’s politicising this…” and moved on. I like Kat Ryan but Hooten really does tend to control his own interviews.

        At least it wasnt Geoff Robinson…

        • karol 3.1.2.1
          12 November 2012 at 1:14 pm

          Meanwhile Josie Pagani, head in sand, was continuing to cheer-lead for Shearer.  And she claimed that most (or was it a lot?) of the people commenting against Shearer on blogs are not Labour Party supporters – or words to that effect.

          But Josie seems totally unaware of how offensive it is to many women and lesbians/gays (of diverse social classes) that she is arguing for the reinstatement of Tamihere to reconnect with the working classes.

          • Tracey 3.1.2.1.1
            12 November 2012 at 1:44 pm

            she may be right, that they are not Labour supporters now, but they probably used to be…

            • Dr Terry 3.1.2.1.1.1
              12 November 2012 at 5:53 pm

              True, Tracey. I was a member in his electorate and felt badly let down. I am consequently a very happy member of the Greens.

      • lprent 3.1.3
        12 November 2012 at 1:04 pm

        Yep. Sounds like more retrospective bullshit.

  4. Barnsley Bill 4
    12 November 2012 at 11:31 am

    What, you mean you are not all blogging from the wine cellar beneath Cunliffes multi million dollar Herne bay mansion?

    • r0b 4.1
      12 November 2012 at 11:42 am

      As previously revealed, The Standard secret bunker is buried beneath Parliament itself – with a super secret entrance via the kitchen at Bellamy’s.

    • lprent 4.2
      12 November 2012 at 1:13 pm

      BB: You should really look at a map and at least be geographically accurate if nothing else. I’m pretty sure that David Cunliffe doesn’t live in Herne Bay when he is here in Auckland. He lives in St Marys Bay.

      Next thing you’ll be telling me is that John Key’s Paritai Drive mansion that he lives in whilst up here is located in his Helensville electorate rather than on the Parnell street where my sister’s dog craps on a daily basis.

      • Shady 4.2.1
        12 November 2012 at 3:06 pm

        I think you are the one in need of a map LPrent. John Key lives in Parnell (St Stephens Ave), not Paratai Drive which is in Orakei and is separated from Parnell either by an expanse of water and causeway, or a drive through Remuera. According to all media reports, David Cunliffe does live in Herne Bay. Maybe (according to you) he does live in St Mary’s Bay – which is even further from his electorate than Herne Bay. Proud moment for you that your sister’s dog craps in the same street as John Key’s mansion… so was that Paratai Drive or St Stephens Ave. A really long walk.

        • Fortran 4.2.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 3:20 pm

          Cannot be St Mary’s Bay as that is where Winston lives – neighbours I do not think.

        • lprent 4.2.1.2
          12 November 2012 at 3:59 pm

          Well my sister lives in Parnell so I’d guess that would be right. I tend to stay on the other side of the city. I’ve seen both Key and his house over there when my sister and the dog are trying to kill me with their “gentle” walks after I’d had a wee heart problem..

  5. Uturn 5
    12 November 2012 at 11:43 am

    Oh my gosh, someone has decided to push the button!

  6. Andrew Scobie 6
    12 November 2012 at 11:54 am

    what i find funny is that the person taking him to task over the balance of his post is none other than Pete George, who has been treated like shit by most of you 🙂

    • Tracey 6.1
      12 November 2012 at 12:01 pm

      I dont consider I have treated him like shit, however I hope you are not saying that I have to agree with everything a person says if I agree with one thing they say?

      • Andrew Scobie 6.1.1
        12 November 2012 at 12:16 pm

        i certainly don’t mean that everyone treated him like shit, but unfortunately whenever pete said anything, good or bad, there were a bunch of people that would deliberately jump into the thread to try and wind him up. that’s why the threads got hard to read.

        anyway …

        • Jackal 6.1.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 1:13 pm

          You know, there’s some truth to what you’re saying there Andrew Scobie. But the problem is that Pete George wrote a lot of really really stupid stuff. On the balance of things, I would say that around 50% of what he wrote was wrong, 25% was trivial and 25% was worthwhile reading. Generous eh!

          It didn’t take long for people to become critical of everything he wrote because of that 50% that was clearly wrong! Even when presented with the facts, Pete George would continue proclaiming he was right. That resulted in long and extensive debates, where nothing was resolved. They were therefore rather pointless! This pissed a lot of people off, including myself.

          Its human nature to let what you don’t like about what somebody says or does cloud anything good about them. In fact with politicians it’s often even worse, with people closing themselves off to the good in what they say because they don’t agree with one particular aspect of their politics. These judgements can even be made because of what another politician in the same party has said years ago. It can be even worse than that, with people not giving others a chance purely based on prejudices of race, sex or religion etc.

          That’s not why I gave Pete George a hard time though. My prejudice against him and Peter Dunne are in my opinion entirely justified and a result of the stupid things they believe in and try to foist onto others.

          Thankfully Pete George has improved a lot recently… In fact his comments are often the only ones of value on the entire KB general debate threads. So perhaps he has learnt something worthwhile from his Standard experience… Which is more than can be said about some closed minds out there.

    • r0b 6.2
      12 November 2012 at 12:01 pm

      Don’t believe I’ve ever treated him like shit – though I do disagree with him most of the time.

      Someone banned Pete (don’t recall who or why), and though I might get beaten up in comments, I think it was a decision that could be reviewed some time.

      • karol 6.2.1
        12 November 2012 at 12:05 pm

        For me it wasn’t so much the content of PG’s comments, but the amount.  He was flooding discussions with comments, making it a little more difficult than necessary to follow the main threads of a discussion.

        • mike e 6.2.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 12:39 pm

          I have no shame and gave him everything he deserved but when he was sensible which was rare I did praise him as well!
          But Hootten is one slippery operator I don’t know how he manages to sit in a chair properly!
          Excuses followed by excuses on behalf of Nationals failure on their promises.
          The hosing bubble is stopping our productive sector in its tracks and now we have an unorthodox reserve bank governor allowing this to happen speculators are having a tax free ride at the expense of the productive sector.
          Hands off bullshit for once Pagani got stuck in a bit but allowed Hootten to shout her down
          to much deregulation is whats stuffing our economy!
          We need the housing bubble burst sooner than later once those manufacturing jobs have gone they go forever the countries that pick them up know better than us !

      • lprent 6.2.2
        12 November 2012 at 12:55 pm

        Someone banned Pete (don’t recall who or why)…

        Me. I got tired of giving him short bans for trying to tell us how we should be running our site. When he started to try to lawyer his way through the rules I got pissed off and permanently banned him.

        I figured that he could expend the time on his own site where he could criticize how we do things without me having to exert any effort. And that is exactly what he has done.

        http://yournz.org/tag/the-standard/

        Recently he has been taking us to task for things that commentators write. He really is a bit confused. Better him doing it on his site than wasting my time.

  7. RRM 7
    12 November 2012 at 12:29 pm

    And who “Took DPF to task”…?

    None other than Pete George, who is banned from commenting on The Standard…

    It’s funny how the seasons change, isn’t it?

  8. kiwicommie 8
    12 November 2012 at 1:12 pm

    On one hand I don’t mind whether he stays or goes. But on the other the NZ Herald seems to be cheerleeding the government today and turning a blind eye to the increase in unemployment and poverty in their ‘score card’ ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10846807 ); while attacking the welfare state and carrying on beneficiary bashing ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10846690 ).

  9. the sprout 9
    12 November 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Once again, the only people supporting Shearer are the rightwingers. What a joke

  10. the sprout 10
    12 November 2012 at 2:22 pm

    And tumeke, dimpost, and public address – pretty much all of the larger left blogs are calling for Shearer to go.

  11. mickysavage 11
    12 November 2012 at 2:56 pm

    There has been huge action on Ipredict today.  Shearer’s gone by Christmas stock has doubled in price and there are a number of protective bids put in.  Turnover right now is 2,340 against an average daily turnover of 40.  I know that it is silly and Hooton profits from it but it is interesting …

    • Matthew Hooton 11.1
      12 November 2012 at 3:02 pm

      micky, it would be more accurate to say that i lose money from it ….

    • felix 11.2
      12 November 2012 at 11:25 pm

      “Doubled in price”, sure, or to put it another way it was worth bugger-all last week, then dropped to sod-all a few days ago, then rose dramatically to half-a-bucket-of-fuck-all today.

  12. Cricklewood 12
    12 November 2012 at 5:37 pm

    I do like the slightly mischevious quote ‘was lucky to survive’ when the full quote was ‘ I was lucky to survive’ as in himself working for the nats… selective quoting straight out of dpf’s own playbook…. And rather apt given the mornings posts

    • r0b 12.1
      12 November 2012 at 6:04 pm

      I try not to do “selective quoting”. I thought it was clear from the context that the “I” refered to Kiwiblog, but I see that yes there is another reading. Either way the point remains – Nats assumed the power to close the blog down. Here for the record is the full quote:

      During the year Farrar was working for his party and actively blogging, “there actually were attempts to close it down from some people in the National caucus because sometimes I was saying things that weren’t totally in line there”. He shakes his head sorrowfully. “I was probably quite lucky to survive.”

  13. felix 13
    12 November 2012 at 11:18 pm

    Hahaha I see that terminal fool InventedTory2 is in the thread pretending to know the identities of several of The Standard’s authors. With near absolute certainty too.

    What a dick.

    • r0b 13.1
      12 November 2012 at 11:23 pm

      What thread?

      • felix 13.1.1
        12 November 2012 at 11:26 pm

        The Kiwiblog thread.

        • r0b 13.1.1.1
          12 November 2012 at 11:47 pm

          Still can’t see it. Never mind – just more random idiot witterings I expect. ‘night.

          • weka 13.1.1.1.1
            13 November 2012 at 9:53 am

            I can’t see it either. What’s the name of the thread felix?
             
            I see DF updated his post though:

             
            I should clarify something relating to my earlier post. I never suggested The Standard has a group view on Shearer. I know each author is independent. What I focused on is the fact that two (now three) of the most longest serving and prolific authors have all called for Shearer to go – BEFORE he even gets to the first party conference. The fact a couple of other authors have disagreed does not change the significance of this.
            My statement that this was no coincidence was not referring to a co-ordinated effort between The Standard authors as a bloc. I meant that it was being co-ordinated by one or more MPs who have chosen to try and force the issue before conference.
             

            Is it just me, or does that not make any sense either?

            • r0b 13.1.1.1.1.1
              13 November 2012 at 10:08 am

              DPF does seem to be a bit agitated about all this doesn’t he. The size of his conspiracy has now shrunk to embarrassingly small proportions.

              But he’s still peddling a conspiracy, still claiming that (1) Labour MPs know who the authors are, and (2) MPs have some control over authors. So I guess my response is still the same. Hah!

              • lprent …
                13 November 2012 at 11:13 am

                MP’s are more likely to get their hand bitten off with a story about attempts at undue influence written by me and in my usual style. Or now I think about it, even worse would probably be a gentle word from Mike.

                But our authors tend towards being somewhat ummm awkward individuals to budge (actually bloody minded and stubborn comes to mind). You can count the nice ones on a single hand.

                Amongst the current band – You of course, probably Karol (don’t know enough), James maybe?, umm ummm…… Ben. Ah Mike (but he is more nice in person than anything else). And then of course there are the really even tempered ones (but probably not in the way that most people mean) like myself, Irish, Fuckity Fuck Fuck :twisted:, and even RedLogix when he gets fired up. The rest of the authors tend to be sort of between the extrmes.

                The best any MP can do is what they always have to do – figure out a good story and try to charm it with personality or logic. I have no idea if any authors have blabbed to MP’s. But we got in the mode of being cautious quite early. That was mostly due to the Farrar and his cohorts. But since most of the original authors are no longer with us most of those they may have known are no longer writing.

                But they sure as hell don’t approach me trying to tell me what would be good to write. Usually they just put me on mailing lists for their material.

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    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    3 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • The unboxing
    And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the tree with its gold ribbon but can turn out to be nothing more than a big box holding a voucher for socks, so it ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • A cruel, vicious, nasty government
    So, after weeks of negotiations, we finally have a government, with a three-party cabinet and a time-sharing deputy PM arrangement. Newsroom's Marc Daalder has put the various coalition documents online, and I've been reading through them. A few things stand out: Luxon doesn't want to do any work, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for al...
    Buzz from the Beehive Sorry, there has been  no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Christopher Luxon – NZ PM #42.
    Nothing says strong and stable like having your government announcement delayed by a day because one of your deputies wants to remind everyone, but mostly you, who wears the trousers. It was all a bit embarrassing yesterday with the parties descending on Wellington before pulling out of proceedings. There are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government details policies & ministers
    Winston Peters will be Deputy PM for the first half of the Coalition Government’s three-year term, with David Seymour being Deputy PM for the second half. Photo montage by Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: PM-Elect Christopher Luxon has announced the formation of a joint National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government with a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • “Old Coat” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
     THERE ARE SOME SONGS that seem to come from a place that is at once in and out of the world. Written by men and women who, for a brief moment, are granted access to that strange, collective compendium of human experience that comes from, and belongs to, all the ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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