The ten most commented on posts of 2016

7 comments on “The ten most commented on posts of 2016 ”

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1. Anne 1

   30 December 2016 at 9:17 am

   How do you ascertain which were the most popular posts as opposed to those who attracted the most comments?
   • mickysavage 1.1

     30 December 2016 at 9:39 am

     The back engine records page views of all posts.
     • Anne 1.1.1

       30 December 2016 at 10:03 am

       Ahhh thank-you ms. I should have known that. 😕
       • greywarshark 1.1.1.1

         30 December 2016 at 10:18 am

         Thanks Anne the rest of us didn’t know that either, betcha.
2. gsays 2

   30 December 2016 at 12:07 pm

   A bittersweet irony: 2 of those authors (CV & trp) end the year serving bans.

   Thanks again to the authors and commenters who keep challenging beliefs and opinions.
   Here’s to an interesting 2017.
3. Jenny 3

   30 December 2016 at 10:09 pm

   In hindsight….

   The TPPA was the biggest issue debated on The Standard.

   In hindsight…..

   The TPPA was also the biggest issue of the US presidential election.

   On one side Trump was vehemently opposed, whereas Clinton was, sorta/maybe/reluctantly, sometimes for the TPPA sometimes opposed.

   While the Centre Right was obviously for the TPPA, The debate on The Standard was representative of where the Left and the Centre Left in NZ and overseas became paralysed with endless wrestling over the TPPA, ending in piecemeal opposition.
   The Far Right had no such problem, and Trump and the Right in the US saw a gap in the market that they were able to massively capitalise on.

   Though not the same, (for obvious reasons), there is an echo of an earlier triumph of the Right…

   In the 1930s while the German Left were pussy footing around the question of the power the financial elite. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party were able to capitalise on the German people’s righteous anger with the banks, and turn it against what they termed, “Untermensch” ….often referred to as “the masses from the East”, that is Jews, Roma, and Slavs. Much as Trump has done with Muslims and masses from the South, Mexicans and other Latin Americans.

   Below is what I think is a representative sampling of the TPPA debate.

   savenz
   24
   9 January 2016 at 10:26 am
   Little’s voice is a move in the right direction but NOT the firm NO and CLEAR voice against the TPPA that is required.
   The TPPA agreement is an outdated, unsustainable assault on the environment, equality, wages, workers, locals and social welfare. It supports the global mega rich while lowering minimum standards for all fought for over the last 100 years. There is zero morality in these agreements.
   Already we have companies wanted to take legal action against the council in Wellington for example for having a ‘living wage’. Imagine what is going to happen when TPPA comes around with money to burn, buy up everything, asset strip it and then leave the husks behind. That is capitalism and neoliberalism championed under these agreements! Profit is more important than people.
   Why Labour is only concerned about property clauses in it, I do not know. The whole deal is a disaster!
   Look at what is happening to most Kiwis under the current free trade environment with more unemployment, higher costs of living and decreasing environmental standards.
   What we have got in this country that is going to become increasingly more valuable and sought after, such as clean air, water, healthy food and a safe environment without corruption (and is being decimated under National and these trade agreements that want to go back to a 19th century industrial system of destruction).
   It is like the golden goose, the government can’t wait to kill the goose and get those short term gains ASAP!
   But Labour are not really clear where they stand on TPPA. “Sort of, maybe, property, ” is not the clear opposition they should be pursuing.

   Colonial Viper
   30
   10 January 2016 at 10:16 pm
   Is a Little led Labour Government going to withdraw NZ from the TPPA?
   Or keep us in the TPPA?
   I can’t actually tell.

   Pat
   30.1
   10 January 2016 at 10:31 pm
   I think that is as its intended….an ambiguous position that can be interpreted as you wish

   Colonial Viper
   30.1.1
   10 January 2016 at 10:37 pm
   its a PR position which has Grant Robertson’s fingerprints all over it.

   Pat
   30.1.1.1
   10 January 2016 at 10:52 pm
   well whoever devised it I suspect it will achieve nothing except perhaps the opposite of what they hoped

   te reo putake
   30.2
   11 January 2016 at 5:16 pm
   CV, I included the radio interview in the post. Have a listen and I think all your confusion will disappear. But in short, it’s neither. Little has said the next Government will reject at least some of negative aspects of the TPPA. How that plays out will depend on the reaction of the others who signed up for it. With a bit of luck, they’ll cop it sweet. If not, then I think we are going to have an interesting debate in NZ about what is more important, the rights of the foreign rich or the self determination of us Kiwis.
4. Jenny 4

   31 December 2016 at 8:46 am

   Another example of where the Right outflanked the Left by taking up a Left program. (disengenously of course), Was the election of the Bolger government of 1991, where National campaigned on platform of stopping state asset sales and privatisation, reversing user pays in health, scrapping tertiary fees, and the Super Surtax, etc ect.

   All policies championed and inplemented by the Lange/Douglas Labour Government.

   On gaining office rather than honouring these pledges to the electorate, and reversing the neo-liberal reforms of the ’80s, the National government of Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson and Jenny Shipley, doubled down on them.

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